Front 3" Lift Issues

Good lifts aren't cheap, cheap lifts aren't good! Spacer lifts are more suited for the mall parking lot or any paved road. They preload the lower shock stem and if you are lucky they just bend. If you aren't, they break off!

 

After reading this thread, I just want to say it is perfectly fine not to understand the ins and outs of suspensions and mechanics and such... HOWEVER... you need to find someone you can trust to take care of those things, and whoever you went to, with their supposed Toyota expert, is not that person. Please do everyone a favor and never ever go there again.

Now that you're here on TacomaWorld, maybe look for threads for your local area. You could probably find folks that would help build/install a better system for cheaper in their driveway. They'll tell you what to buy, and you just bring the parts and a few beers and you hand them tools when they ask. I've gone from knowing next to nothing truck-wise to being able to hold my own on suspension and such in just a few years with the help of TW and new friends that know more than me. I've thrown 50 bucks at a buddy multiple times now for taking the time to help me out.

 

Well said brother. Well done.

 

Spacer lifts aren't bad, in my opinion. I have one and it's been fine for several years now. I wouldn't go over 1.5" for the actual spacer thickness but if you do a lot of off roading, consider it a gateway drug. It'll hold you over until you move onto something more serious. Run it for a year or two, then get a set of adjust able Bilsteins.
I see that picture of the busted strut a lot. We should show pictures of struts with spacers that aren't busted too.
I would recommend putting taller bump stops on the front though to keep from putting all of your 'bottom out' stress on the body of the strut.

 

Ok, here's a spacer lift where the shock didn't break. Good luck with your spacer lift.

 

I gotta wonder what these people were doing with these spacer lifts. I ran a 3" spacer lift for a few years, even wheeled my Taco, and didn't bend or break anything in the front. I did manage to break both AALs and possibly the main leaf on the rear suspension though.

 

Huckfest, bombing dunes, or mall crawling. Lol.