Newb needs help/reassurance with suspension

Hello all. I have an '02 3.4 xtra cab 4x4 with 120k miles and have decided she's due for a new suspension. I also wanted to decrease the amount of rear end sag I have with a moderate load in the bed or pulling a trailer whilst keeping as close to factory height as possible. The last few weeks I have been doing some serious TW lurking and have gained a ton of knowledge. After all my reading and talking with the guys over at Wheeler's, I have decided on the following components;

Wheeler's 5 leaf spring pack
Bilstein 5100's front and rear
OME 881's
Frame and shackle bushings
U bolts
Shackle bolts
Forward leaf eye bolt

I had Wheeler's assemble the front shocks and coils and plan to fabricate my own BPV bracket.

My questions are; is there anything I am missing or overlooking? I have read that some people suggest getting a longer rear brake line but is that necessary with only a 1.5" (Wheeler's estimated) lift?

Any suggestions, feedback or potential pitfalls I may encounter with the instal would be greatly appreciated.

This is my fist post on any online forum so please forgive any spelling, protocol or decorum errors.

 

First of all, welcome to the forum. I just had my leafs replaced in August by a local tire shop (tires and alignment also), and I'm glad I did because I wasn't equipped for the job, no torch, no air hammer and a very small garage. They said the mechanic had to cut, burn, and eventually air hammer the hanger bolts out of the brackets. They were glad to see my truck drive out of the lot. I recommend all 4 hanger bolts/nuts (eyelet bolts) and a new set of shackles because there's a good chance the shackles will get 'altered' during removal. Buy a greasable shackle, people here swear by them.
As far as brackets for lift, I don't know because I went with a stock lift spring, so no mods.
Our trucks are 14 years old, and stuff like this does not like to come apart after being together for that amount of time, but if you have the skills and tools to do so, it's a good project. Good luck and post up pics of before/after.

 

Welcome to TW. Amazing first post.

 

I have the identical lift in my 2001. I didn't get extended brake lines and have no issues - but I don't wheel it. Looks like you did your homework and planned it out well. Get a good alignment when done and you should be good to go.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...n-leaf-replacement.82726/page-36#post-1931331

 

If you went with a longer shock youd want the brake line. The 5100s will be your droop limiting factor.

 

Thanks for the replies.

When I replaced the struts on my wife's '99 Qx4, I believe I was officially made a dues paying member of the seized fastener association. In preparation for this project I am giving all the hardware a daily flood of penetrating oil. Good news is that today, after a mere 4 days of this, I was able to get the front leaf bolts to break free on both sides. I guess they could still be fused to the sleeve inside the bushing, but I am cautiously optimistic. Haven't tried the shackle bolts yet because I have to remove my hitch to get at the nuts.

Your truck is a mirror image of mine (even the 'before' measurements). Have you had much 'settling' since you did yours?

I was hoping to get this project done this weekend but it appears my parts won't make it till Monday. I will be out of the country for a while so I doubt I will get this banged out before I go. But I will post the results (and probably a few more rambling questions) when I return.

 

front and rear settled a little. Rear drops a little more than when installed when bed loaded. I did install air bags for when I have a load of wood. They definitely werent needed, but they do help in not blinding other cars with headlights at night loaded. I've got approx 40k miles on this suspension and I am still very happy with how it rides

 

hello exminnesotaboy,
I have the same truck and am looking at doing nearly an identical thing to mine. It has the original suspension and needs an upgrade. My question for you, if you don't mind me asking, is how much did you end up paying for that entire setup? I'm also leaving the country soon for the better part of the winter and don't think I'd get to it until I return in the spring. I'm also undecided on attempting the swap myself or having a shop do it professionally.
Any info is also appreciated.

 

Its been several years since I did my suspension, so I am sure the prices have changed. I recommend going to wheelersoffroad.com and pricing it to be accurate.

 

Hey all,

Finally got back and was able to install my suspension. Didn't run into any problems and did not have to cut any bolts.

Measurements after the install show that I gained an even 2" in the front and in the rear I gained 1-7/8". I'm sure the truck will 'settle' a little as the months go on.

I have a slight vibration around 72-74mph that wasn't there before the lift, but I need my tires balanced so I'm not 100% of causation.

In my humble opinion, I think the extended brake line is needed. I did not get one and my poor factory rubber line is pretty strained at full droop. Will probably replace that in the near future.

I did run into one unexpected problem that I'm hoping someone with more knowledge than I could weigh in on. I picked up a load of compost the other day and as I left I felt a pretty abrupt 'thud' in the rear end when I went over a bump. I nursed it the few mile back to my house and had a look. Upon inspection, it appeared the 5100's were about 1" from being fully compressed while I had a good 3-1/2" between the bump stop and the frame.

I have already triple checked that I have the correct shock on the correct side. Is this something you guys have run into? I know the easy solution is to weld a block onto the frame so the bump stop hit first, but I only gained a little less than 2" of lift, but by my measurements the block would have to be 2-1/2 or so. That would essentially remove a lot of my load capacity because at that point the overloads wouldn't even be engaged.

Sorry for the long post, any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Anyone? No one else has had issues with the 5100's in the rear?

 

70 mph vibration is most likely tire. You may be more sensitive now then you were before.