rear spring pack help!!

New to the forum and I have an issue with my 03 tacoma,it has 2.5 inch front lift spacers,all is good in the front end,but in the rear it is the original spring pack but with 2 extra leafs added,i used all new hardware and had the spring packs put together at a local fab shop.installed the spring packs and as expected my stock rear shocks do not fit anymore,i have read many threads about measuring for new shocks after installing a lift.the method i used was,remove both rear shocks and lift truck by from from one side until the tire just lifts off the ground,at this point measure the distance from the upper and lower shock mounts.
I think my spring packs may be to heavy as this is what i got for measurements,
extended shock length-23 inches
compressed shock length-22.5 inches

Hardly any articulation from one side to the other when lifted fully off the ground from one side.
any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

This where I'm at,I was told all I should have to do to measure for my new shocks is lift the truck by the frame by one rear wheel,both shocks removed,measure from upper mount to lower mount and this is my extended shock height needed.then with truck still lifted and the other side shock off as well measure this distance from mount to mount again for compressed shock length,is this true or false?

 

The measurements I got were,extended-23inch,and compressed,22.5 Inches on the passenger side.does this make any sense?

 

Seems like I need to remove a leaf to gain some articulation ? Maybe the plys I added were to thick and inhibit side to side articulation in the rear end?

 

Pretty well layed-out & accurate as per Mr JBerry's standards

 

Op when trying to cycle your rear suspension lifting it from the frame wont let you get a measurement worth a shit, same goes for trying to do it by the axle too. Its best to do it by lifting from the tire. I know thats kinda hard to do. A forklift is best if you have access. Move the forks close to eachother to cradle the tire and lift it. Another and much easier way would be to find a ditch or some place that you can drive on to-in to that will articulate your rear end till its tetter tottering with one wheel kinda hanging in the air. Make sense?? Put some weight in the bed while doing this too to mimic real world conditions best as possible.

 

Great!used this tip and figured out the answers to my question!thanks!

 

I find it's better to articulate one side of the suspension in the front, while fully articulating the other side of the suspension in the rear, in order to get the packs really crushed and/or extended.

A ditch is good for this. Or of course, some sort of flex-ramps. Put one ramp under the front tire and another ramp under the rear tire on the opposite side, drive up it, check it. This isn't scientific, and won't measure the same with varying bed loads, but it's decently comprehensive.

 

This is great Info!any suggestions on my other thread about a machine shop recommending I shim my flywheel after having to remove 20 thous of an inch off the surface?

 

I called a local clutch and Tranny shop and they said my slave should take up the distance removed from the flywheel,just want to verify before I put it back together!

 

So after reading I wanna make sure I understand; to measure compression length its best to disassemble the pack and flex it that way, but to measure extension can you just lift the rear so that the rear axle hangs and take that measurement?

 

Great. And when looking for shocks after replacing leaf springs will the extended length shorten as the pack settles? I'm asking because I installed a pair of General Spring HD leafs 2 months ago and am still getting excessively long measurements. Thanks