Doetsch Upper Control Arm and Coil Spring lift kit install

Hi everyone just wanted to share my install of the Doetsch UCA and Coil Spring install on my 1995 Tacoma.

The kit itself makes for about 3" of lift, I already have some Fabtech Spindles which makes for another 3" of lift. Giving a grand total of 6" and that is just for the front.

The rear of the truck has a Fabtech Add-a-Leaf(2.5") and shackles(2")

Overall the truck sits level but definitely in need of some bigger tires later down the road.


Install was not too bad, you will need a coil spring compressor; a McPherson strut style would work but if that is what you chose consider buying it so you can shorten the bolts that way they don't get in the way when the spring is compressed.
Ideally an internal spring compressor with the arms on the inside will not be as troublesome, but you may also have to shorten the bolt so that it doesn't interfere with install.

I had also replaced my radius arm, sway bar links, inner tie rods, and did a brake job while doing the install, so not everything needs to removed when doing this lift.
But it's usually a case of 'While I'm in here might as well replace a few things'

The Doetsch Part numbers are
UCA kit: 75090
Coil Springs: 666430
Front shock: 30338


First couple of pics are just the sizes you'll come across

If you are removing the upper ball joint from the spindle itself than this image does not apply.
I went ahead and removed the spindle with the ball joint attached.
A little bit of prying and hammering should remove it.

Make sure to remove the lower ball joint castle nut and the tie rod from the spindle before removing. The entire lower ball joint can be left on the spindle( unless you are replacing it then remove it from the spindle and install it prior to finally assembly.)

With everything out of the way the coil is not under load and just needs to be removed
Just apply force in a down ward motion at the end of the control arm(big yellow arrow) while grabbing the coil spring and pulling it toward yourself. (It may jolt or leap a bit) The coil spring should come out.

If it feels like the coil spring is still under a lot of load revise your work and/or call a professional if you do not feel comfortable with the removal. COIL SPRINGS ARE NO JOKE AND YOU CAN GET SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED IF NOT HANDLED PROPERLY!



If you are removing the strut arm(like I did) hammer with a soft face hammer on the studs to remove it some on the lower control arm, then using a pry bar/hammer the rest of the way to remove it. Then remove the bolt that holds it in place on the frame with a bit of prying and hammering action.


I happened to remove the lower control arm on mine but it is not necessary,

On the back side of the coil spring bucket(not pictured) are the bolts holding the control arm in place along with the shims that are for your alignment. Try to keep the shims together and make note on which side they came off to insure they go back in the same spot.

The Doetsch kit does come with new bump stops so to remove the old ones simply snip of the old ones with a set of whatever sharp tool of your choosing.

Getting the cross shaft out of the old control arms proved to be the most difficult portion of the install. Ideally using a chisel and a hammer you should be able to remove the old bushing to allow the cross shaft to be able to slide out of the control arm.

I found that heat and WD-40 along with countless hammering worked the best. (It did take for ever though. In my impatience I used a press on one of the control arms and bent the uca with little progress on the removing the bushing.)

You could always take it to a shop to have them remove but DIY will save you the most money.

Having seen other installs on the Doetsch install the UCA on the driver side needs to be trimmed or ground down so it does not interfere with the steering column.

Some of the mess I had going on with the install

When installing the coil spring use a spring compressor as the coil spring is about 1" inch longer than stock and does not compress as easily. Use caution when installing, don't hurt yourself and consider using personal protective equipment.

Side Note: The Radius arm does not have to removed when installing the coil spring but I was replacing mine so hence it not being there. However, if it left on the car when installing the coil spring consider loosening the bolt on the frame to allow a little more swing arc on the lower control arm. And don't forget the coil spring insulator


Along with the lift I replace my rotors and pads, as well as repacking my bearings and hubs with some fresh grease.

Don't forget the thread locker on the bolts that hold the rotor in place on the hub




Everything installed and torqued to spec


Along with the Doetsch Lift kit I had installed Fabtech lift shackles in the rear.

A pretty forward install with unbolting the old ones and installing the new ones.

The supplied bushings with the shackle kit did not fit as they were too large, I believe those bushings are meant for 6 luggers.


The shackles also came with a LSPV extension and brake line extension
( I was hoping for a bit of brake hose to be the extension, but that spacer does the job for now.)

I also found that the brake line on the driver side needed to space upward otherwise it would have been kinked or bent if installed as is. So I got a small tube and a longer bolt to take up the space and not leave the brake line hanging there.

After the install


Overall I am pleased with stance and height of the truck, can't wait to some exploring soon.
Also I recommend getting an alignment afterwards the camber on mine was a little off along with the caster angle.

 

Thanks for the writeup. Super helpful!

I'm looking into the same lift from Doetsch, but debating whether or not to go with spindles. My concern with the spindles is the same as most - the increased track width. I'd like to tuck 30x9.5-15 tires in the stock fenders with minor trimming if possible. It's tough to tell from your photos, but it doesn't look like your front wheels extend outside of the front fenders by much. Do you recall what kind of increase to the track width you noticed over the stock setup and what wheels and tires are you running in these photos?

 

Spindles were the first phase of my lift, so if it's the stance and look you want then go for it. It actually has quite a bit of ground clearance too.

I'm currently running 30x9.5r15
On a 15x7. 4 inch backspace
They stick out a fair bit past the fenders, the spindles already push out the tires plus the backspacing it's about 4 inch each side past the fenders.

I believe some later year 1st gens had slightly wider fenders so it may vary.

I also added 1 inch spacers in the rear to make it look less ridiculous.
The only trimming I had to do was about an 1 inch of the valance nothing for the wheel well.

 

Truck turned out sick my man! Was not expecting the thread revival but glad bc I can see what to expect with the lift. I'm gonna start with spindles and v6 coils here soon and go from there! how noticeable was it for you when u did spindles alone from stock?

 

Wish more 5 luggers were active on TW. Seems like a dead topic unless ur 2nd gen, which is completely different than us

 

Spindles were kind of a let down, but it does allow for bigger tires.
But if you want to do it in phases definitely the way to go.
It won't ride 100% the same as stock untouched truck but it's bearable.

 

Looks great with the 30's! Are you worried about crushing the front fenders under full compression? And how's your gearing feeling with the 30's?

I will probably go with the springs and upper control arms for the first phase of my lift to see if it's enough. It should be. I'm just looking for better ground clearance and traction to get around on local fire roads. I'll definitely post up photos for others since there don't seem to be many of us left!

I believe you are correct that the 2001-2004 (gen 1.5) tacos all share the same fenders front and rear. So I may have a slightly bigger flare up front stock.

Do you think you could get away with more backspacing or is are the clearances pretty tight? It's the lift spindle that's the pinch point I'm guessing?

 

Hmm I wonder if I should wait to put them on until I get the v6 coils too to go with it then. I'm just an impatient person, but that way I'd only have to do an alignment once. truck looks great tho man, seriously jealous where I'm at rn haha

 

As far as gearing goes, it doesn't get up and go like it used to because of the amount of mass of the tires. I'm hardly using 5th gear nowadays which makes for some poorer mpgs, but it's not all bad I'm still able to go fast(ish), it just takes a little longer.

Full up travel is never going to hit the fenders with this set up, or at least I haven't off-roaded with sway bar disconnected to find out. The bump stops will stop it for the most part.

I think if you had less backspacing, it would rub a little more. with more backspacing the pivot point isn't as close to the fender well and makes for not much massaging.
With lift spindles everything will work the same regardless of wheel setup because all it does is move the wheel hub further down while retaining all the same suspension geometry.

 

Subd for my old setup was almost the same.

 

might be a dumb question, but if u throw spindles on only; would u still recommend an alignment since the geometry is the same? I plan to, but wondering if I can drive it for a bit as is without wearing the tires too weird haha

 

Thank you for your valuable input. I'm trying to get ahold of Doetsch to get the parts on order. Excited to get this thing off the ground!

Good info on the gearing. I figured going up 4-ish tire sizes wouldn't be so easy on the 2.4L.

I'm going to try to tuck the tires under the fenders with a 3" lift up front and 0-1" out back to level it out. Here goes nothing

I have a set of OEM 15x8 Jeep wheels with new tires that I got off CL locally - mostly just for the nearly new 30" Toyo Open Country A/T's. I need to take a better measurement, but the backspacing is close to 5". If you pull up a calculator, it's almost identical to the stock wheel location respective to the frame of the truck. You are probably right that it will rub like crazy at full lock with the 30"s. I'm going to mount them up since I have them. If they rub like crazy I'll just use them to determine the best backspacing for a new set of wheels.

 

Do the pinch weld mod and you should be ok

 

I have the Deaver F85 leaf and Downy shackles I just took off my truck if you guys want them. They are the Deaver AAL that replace the overload leaf and are softer then the Fabtech AAL. I don't remember how long the shackles are but the 2 together gave my rear a nice lift that road nice. I had the Fabtech AAL n took that shit off a month later. The ride was WAY to stiff.

They are just sitting in my pile of parts I took off n haven't posted for sale yet.

 

I missed your post earlier. I ended up going with doetsch UCAs, 3” springs, adjustable shackles (1-3”), and DT3000s all around. They just showed up. Everything looks great. Can’t wait to get this thing moving.

Anything else you guys can think of that I need for the minor lift. Truck has 100k with no discernible play in the suspension or steering. Brakes are in good shape too...

 

Did you get the add a leafs? The rear will be super stiff. Throw some weight in the bed for several hundred miles n the leafs will settle a little bit.

 

No add a leaf. Learned my lesson with my old Hilux on that one. Quickly had to swap to OME springs. Just sticking with stock springs and shackles out back for now.

 

good deal, pics when u get it on