New suspension for 97 Tacoma

Hello TW!
I have a 4wd 1997 Tacoma and my mechanic thinks the suspension looks stock/original and should be replaced. I’m pretty sure it currently has the bilstein 4600s or whatever stock shocks came on the car.
After crawling under the car myself it also appears my leaf springs are very flat and almost turning into a slight “W” shape. The leafs do have lift blocks in them (somewhere between a 1-2” block). Regardless the truck currently sits level and I’d prefer to keep it as close to level as possible…whether that’s a raised height or stock height.
I was looking into getting the bilstein 5100s front and rear as well as OME leafs springs (link below). I hit the trails as much as I can but most of the time it’s a daily driver, I have also build out the rear into a camper setup with a mid height camper shell. So between the extra weight and off-roading I thought the 5100s would be a good option.
The leafs give a 3-3.25” lift so id get the extended length 5100s for the rear. For the front I was worried about lifting the car too much to where I’d damage the CV axels, so from what I’ve read that’s under around 2.5-3”. But I’m also aware of diff drop kits.
I was hoping to get some suspension recommendations, thoughts, and or ideas as I’m fairly new to the whole thing.
Thanks!

OME leafs: https://www.suspensionlifts.com/sho...s19r-dakar-leaf-pack-1995-1997-toyota-tacoma/

 

I’ve never owned a Tacoma that old, but I can tell you that the stock 3rd gen leaf springs are close to flat at ride height. It’s often misinterpreted as an abnormality.

Also, because this topic comes up a lot and I am a curious person, I’ve searched rather extensively on whether springs actually wear out significantly with use. I have never found any authoritative article or paper that said so. Steel just doesn’t seem to behave that way. It will fatigue over time but that doesn’t seem to affect its stiffness. Steel will “creep” over time, but it doesn’t appear it is a big enough to be significant. Extensive corrosion (rust) could reduce the amount of material in the spring and affect its properties.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_limit

 

If you really want to avoid risking the CV axles, don't go over 2" up front. Or at least keep it under 2.5" max, but in my experience that's pushing it. Diff drop kits really don't help, best bet is to keep the lift modest to avoid steep angles on the axles.

 

reg cab or extra cab? Id avoid the ome leafs they CREAK & SQUEAK a lot. If I were to do it again id get some deavers