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Tacoma Spring refurbishing

Discussion in 'Suspension' started by 4WD, Dec 22, 2011.

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  1. Nov 22, 2016 at 8:06 AM
    #2881
    kuntry09

    kuntry09 Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I built off of just my main. I'm not sure why the mod didn't work as well for me as others in the thread, perhaps my leafs were farther gone than others or I picked a sucky donor pack, but it's what I had to do to achieve the lift I needed.

    It doesn't sound like yours are aftermarket. The numbers on top should be the OEM part number. Is this what you're referring to with military wrap?
    IMG_4372.jpg There's nothing to removing it. If I'm
    Not mistaken, it's meant to help prevent axle wrap. I can't comment on whether or not removing it helped or hindered axle wrap, I'm afraid to go to far down the road without shocks installed.

    Here are some pics of the final product. IMG_4370.jpg IMG_4365.jpgIMG_4363.jpg IMG_4360.jpg

    Here's the problem with the one pack. Keep in mind it's centered at the pin, it's just the ends where it's off. The rest of the leafs seemed to square up fine. If someone knows of a solution or if this is going be be a big danger and cause problems, let me knowIMG_4367.jpg IMG_4368.jpg
     
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  2. Nov 22, 2016 at 3:28 PM
    #2882
    97handmedown

    97handmedown Well-Known Member

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    I'll have to check the numbers. I just assumed with 240,000 miles they wouldn't be factory. I'm not worried about removing it, I'm just not sure if I cut the next donor spring to extend past the front, or make it match the stock distance from the rear? Does that make sense?

    This term of school is almost up and I'll have waaaaaay more time during winter break for car/truck stuff. Unfortunately the wife's Forester gets worked on first.

    Do you have weird gaps in between the leafs? And did you put any pads at the ends of the individual leafs?
     
  3. Nov 22, 2016 at 4:13 PM
    #2883
    kuntry09

    kuntry09 Well-Known Member

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    Well, mine were original with 330k miles. I googled the numbers along with "Toyota part number" because I'm anal and wanted to make sure that I had each main leaf on their respecting sides.

    In my most humble opinion, I would think that if you left your second leaf and just added a donor under it, I would at least match the donor length to the secondary leaf EXCEPT for in the front. I would stop at where the secondary narrows down to wrap around the main leaf. OR you could leave the second leaf and then measure off 3.5-3.75" from the back of the secondary, and 3.5-3.75" front the front, measuring from where it starts to narrow down back to the center pin to get your new donor 3rd. It would all depend on what you want to achieve. Most every one in the thread seemed to have good luck throwing two donors under the stock pack. I may even end up redoing mine if I can't figure out why the one pack won't center, or maybe at least putting my second leaf back to see if it somehow fixes my alignment issue.

    I did end up with one funny gap between the main leaf and the second. You can kinda see it in the forth picture of my final results. The stock spring didn't want to totally follow the arch of the new one. Could be because the longest donor I had was just a little bit short of matching the original second leaf. So the main kind of sits on the end of the second. It only did this in the back, the front followed perfectly. Yes, I did put pads between the leafs. I used old rubber bike tire inner tubes and contact cement. Seems to have worked.

    Doug, if you're still around I'd really like to pick your brain!
     
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
    MTopp and 97handmedown[QUOTED] like this.
  4. Feb 2, 2017 at 6:12 PM
    #2884
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Bringing OMD back! Just picked these up today from a 1994 F-150. How do these look Doug???

    They are just a hair under 2.5'' wide. Got them for $65.

    Springs1_zpsp7siribq_793ba199f415e0b11316e716e2828cafca6c7324.jpg
    Springs2_zpsphp3wbbr_8ce10037c9203a7638a7eb55d88e109b701c4eba.jpg
    Springs3_zpseo3nahbk_be2a5f1626b0be0b28f4e364776aaa1bc1e10b4a.jpg
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2017
  5. Feb 2, 2017 at 7:17 PM
    #2885
    97handmedown

    97handmedown Well-Known Member

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    Nice arc on those. I picked up springs a while back from an older 1 ton ford. I had plenty of springs to work with and was able to pick and choose what worked best for me.

    Used a wire wheel on an angle grinder to clean them up and painted them with rattle cans of truck undercoating. It seems to be pretty decent stuff compared to regular old spray paint.

    Since my springs are offset (center pin is not in the middle of the springs) I thought I was going to have to do some exact measuring and cutting. Turned out the old ford springs were offset too and almost identical to main length on mine. Only off by an inch or so. So I built off of my main to keep the wheels centered in the fender well but replaced everything below it with the donor springs. I only had to cut one spring on each side because I used a long spring that barely touched the eye at the back of my main. Cut that off and basically am supporting the whole toyota main with a stiffer spring. I figure since the toyota one wants to be flat anyway, it's not really adding much in the stiffness department.

    I used every other spring from the for pack and they were all evenly shorter than the last one used. So I have:

    Toyota main spring
    Ford (same length as main, well almost) spring
    Ford spring
    Ford spring (with the tabs built on to keep all the springs lined up)
    Short ford spring

    No overloads. Originally had the almost flat ford one on there but they were curved up slightly and any decent bump would hit it. Could have flipped it over but figured if the springs went that negative, they deserve to break anyway. Went ahead and swapped in that shorter ford spring to act as a spacer basically because I liked the ride height.

    IMG_2541.jpgIMG_2541.jpg IMG_2540.jpg IMG_2539.jpg


    The ride isn't stiff, but firm without a load in the bed. I have some weight in it for the winter time and with that it rides like butter. Super smooth and it soaks up the potholes in my 1/4 mile gravel driveway. Took it through bumpy field and it rode great. Waaaayyyyy better than the blocks I had before.

    I didn't use any pads on the ends of the springs and as you can see they've gotten dirty and I don't have any squeaks or anything. Probably wouldn't care if I did but oh well.

    I wonder if it's thanks to the undercoating I used on them?

    Anyway, thought I would share since I hate it when people say they will and never respond.

    IMG_2143.jpg

    Holy leaf packs!
    If you look close, you'll notice the top spring pack has an extra spring thrown in on the bottom but above the overloads.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2017
  6. Feb 2, 2017 at 7:28 PM
    #2886
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    When I took the picture of the springs off the truck I realized that they were offset. I was frustrated I spent that time removing them and then I remembered I was going to cut them anyway.

    What exactly is the brand of paint you used?
     
  7. Feb 2, 2017 at 7:33 PM
    #2887
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    I am thinking of going with:

    Toyota main
    Toyota secondary (with wrap)
    Ford
    Ford
    Ford tiny (Maybe?)

    Was was the lift gained on yours?
     
  8. Feb 2, 2017 at 7:38 PM
    #2888
    97handmedown

    97handmedown Well-Known Member

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    I don't remember the brand honestly. I got it from work and most of the stuff there was rustoleum. But I don't know if they make it. It's just the undercoating stuff but in a spray paint can. The can says you can spray at any angle because they assume you are going to be upside down painting every corner of your frame.

    The springs I got didn't have nearly as much arc as that. Which was fine with me because I wanted a better ride when hauling (trailer, wood, whatever). So I got the same 3" that I had with the 3" block. It's slightly higher than before but that's fine with me. I figured that my saggy springs with the block weren't 3" above factory anyway.

    I just got long center pin so I could change things if I wanted and could cut it to the length I needed.
     
  9. Feb 2, 2017 at 7:45 PM
    #2889
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Right now the rear of my truck is almost 2" lower than the front. These Ford springs seem very plush. My goal is to get soft/flexy springs with ~ 3in of lift (Like the Allpro standards). If I get a chance to tear them apart tomorrow I will report back with any findings.
     
  10. Feb 6, 2017 at 12:10 PM
    #2890
    cali04intx

    cali04intx Hung like Einstein, smart as a horse

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    This brahda, has a stock main but might be too far cost wise to ship to me. Win-win for someone closer.

     
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  11. Feb 8, 2017 at 9:29 PM
    #2891
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Well today I tore everything apart and got the springs cut to the recommended lengths. I kept the two stock Toyota leafs and added two fords and ditched the overload. I cut the springs to 34" and 26" and added them back in. I did not bother to paint them or dog ear them because I wanted to test them out first.

    Here is the truck before with approx. 200 lbs in the bed. Pretty sad. OME 885 coild on 5100 (lowest setting).
    20170205_173408_zps0ad7zlxz_a93754eedd6ab2272d219369aacde0bcc96fbb98.jpg

    Truck after: 1) Toyota main 2) Toyota second(with wrap) 3) Ford 34" 4) Ford 26"
    Gained 2.5" drivers side and 2" on the passenger side. Both are now even at 24" center hub to fender.

    20170208_180147_zpsdaiuhkig_b4c7ec3f4b399fbe20a79b9e4f74bc5361df0bc0.jpg
     
  12. Feb 8, 2017 at 9:40 PM
    #2892
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Here are the Ford springs laid out.
    20170206_121418_zpssnhtu7lz_6c7f1aa91162496e5a1309e5043df2d445216e67.jpg
    Sitting there looking at them, I noticed that they are similar in dimension to the Toyota springs. So for grins I tried mounting the Ford main in. What do you know, they fit!!!!! All that was needed was a 1/4" ground off the bushing sleeves and they popped right in. Too bad the holes are off-centered.
    Ford main spring in the Taco:
    20170208_141358_zpsenuakgmw_012c631cbf72174dac77eccb693ec00dc245aa3e.jpg
    20170208_141244_zpscxx8gtlg_8e7722ae44323da994cae3bc10b77501ab65ec04.jpg
    20170208_141322_zpsinkll4xu_49b16e9727788345b0a94974b9380ee249d4d20b.jpg
    20170208_141349_zpswrbotu2i_a24c4f87cb3840aa65d3cf654bb4539ed7802a95.jpg
     
  13. Feb 8, 2017 at 9:43 PM
    #2893
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Here are the dimensions of the 1994 F-150 springs. They are 2" longer and approx the same width.
    20170206_121518_zpsksqrunqx_a0a92db2a20da22a499ba47afa3ad9b1c0826924.jpg
    20170206_121545_zpsol9rs6b1_6955ea790736814b71f078d331fead93d78f7f0d.jpg
    20170206_121600_zpsc26qxx9s_20079b5f06710623fa52d8126962afdfa4aebbf7.jpg
     
  14. Feb 8, 2017 at 9:50 PM
    #2894
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Here are the springs all put together. The spring bolt/pin was in great shape so I re-used it. Might get new ones when I take them off to paint.

    20170208_153725_zps7sjchonf_fa5619f3c0dc4c052650e6e23a8b29072b1c3ca2.jpg

    Copper inspected them and gave them his stamp of approval.

    20170208_153738_zpsutts3cgd_8b6f733db3b6b43f3cdef6d64a6f0ec7bf7aa96e.jpg

    20170208_153751_zpsi3iswvv1_9b1ff9ed743bc6edd2fe84eadd33fef8cc4827ac.jpg
     
  15. Feb 8, 2017 at 9:57 PM
    #2895
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    So my only concern is shown in the next picture. The Ford springs are obviously stronger/stiffer/more arc that the Taco's. It appears that this is creating a pressure point where the end of the first Ford leaf touches the Taco's leaf. I am debating weather or not to ditch the second (wrapped) Toyota leaf and adding a 45" (or close to the stock 53" Toyota main leaf). Or I could cut the clamps off the Taco second leaf and run a longer Ford leaf under that.

    What do you think? Not sure if this will stiffen the springs up too much?

    This is with the truck on the ground: You can clearly see the gaps in between the springs and where all the weight is being applied to the spring end. This can't be good (I know nothing about how leaf springs work). Maybe the Toyota springs need more help???

    20170208_173421_zpswyojepoj_b89c25becf1ab9a2a3494b227c482de4379e1490.jpg
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2017
  16. Feb 9, 2017 at 7:29 AM
    #2896
    97handmedown

    97handmedown Well-Known Member

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    I edited my post with my pics because I found a picture on my phone of the springs I used. As you can see, they have a little arc, but are much flatter than the ones you used.

    When I was building mine I was concerned about ending up right where your's did. I don't think it's going to be a big deal unless you abuse them or haul weight often.

    This is all my thinking so this may be wrong or incorrect, but just how my mind understands this:
    With the toyota spring wanting to be nearly flat, and a more arc'd spring below it, the toyota spring might want to "flatten out". I figured that the end of the arc'd spring below it would act as a fulcrum point and the toyota main would want to act like a teeter totter with a rigid bar. This might not make sense but imagine a 2x4 piece of lumber as your main spring. The 2x4 would be "more likely" to follow the curve of the spring below it if the spring was closer to the full length of the 2x4. But as the ends of the spring below move away from the ends of the 2x4, you could almost get a reverse effect. The ends of the 2x4 would want to droop and you could end up with a "wavy" main spring over time.

    Does that make sense at all? I tried to explain it the way I'm thinking about it. Basically my fear with those gaps is that your main spring beyond that contact point will start to bend and it could end up looking pretty wavy. But I don't know if the second gen shackle set up would even allow that to happen?
     
  17. Feb 9, 2017 at 8:03 AM
    #2897
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Yeah that makes perfect sense. I'm not liking the way those ends are sitting. Too much stress on that tiny area. I am going to cut the clamps off the Toyota secondary and go from there. I might try to add a Ford leaf cut to 45" then add the other two Fords back in - the Toyota secondary. So: Stock main> Ford 45"> Ford 34"> Ford 26"

    This whole process is just trial and error I guess. I am running out of springs though.
     
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  18. Feb 9, 2017 at 8:07 AM
    #2898
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Holy leaf springs batman!!!! :eek:
     
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  19. Feb 9, 2017 at 8:31 AM
    #2899
    97handmedown

    97handmedown Well-Known Member

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    Too bad you're not in Oregon. I couldn't fit those whole leaf packs in my pickup. :rolleyes:
     
  20. Feb 9, 2017 at 8:35 AM
    #2900
    59ksmall

    59ksmall Well-Known Member

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    Thanks man, yeah that would be a good little drive. I should be okay. I still have the Ford main leaf and the second longest for both sides. I'll post back with my results later today. Time to start wrenching!!!!
     
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