Steering Knuckles

I know there are plenty of threads in here and I have extracted tons of info off of this forum before becoming a member, so thanks!

I wanted to get some opinions on installing some lifted Spindles.
I was thinking that instead of welding on gussets, I would upgrade my spindles with some 4”/6” bds lifted spindles and install my 4-6” fox 2.5 coil-overs upfront. the objective here is to sit at about 3.75” my assumption is that these spindles raise the hub off the LCA?
there by keeping the CV angle less steep?
Any thoughts?
Thanks!

 

Spindle lifts are 2wd-only.

More info here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-tacoma-lift-guide.509171/

 

You need to clarify better what it is you're trying to do:

You say you have 4-6" lift Fox coilovers, do you also have the rest of a suspension kit that would allow you to use those coilovers? (drop-down crossmembers/brackets, etc.)? Because all such kits already come with spindles (a.k.a. knuckles).

You cannot use 4-6" lift shocks without such a suspension kit.

 

I have the drop brackets coming. But I don’t think I am going to use them. From what I understand I can still use the spindles w/o the drop bracket. Correct? I have a RC 3.5” lift, the shocks are garbage, so I’m going to replace them and intending to do the spindles too. I bought the truck with the lift and put a bumper on with a winch and went from 25” center of hub to bottom of fender to 22.5” the purpose of the adjustable coilovers is to get they height back. I don’t think I want to replace the crossmember after a little more research. It sounds like a poor idea especially if I will go long travel later on. I spoke to a couple local shops and they suggested upgrading the spindles instead of gusseting them. I’m just double checking their advice.

 

No you cannot use a 4" lifted spindle without the drop brackets. The geometry of the control arms would be way off, if it even fits in the space at all.
A 4-6" lift shock is also very different in length from a 3.5" lift shock (much more than 0.5-2.5") and won't fit either. You need to use the kit in it's entirety.
Beside all that, you don't want a 25" hub-to-fender height without DBs lowering the LCAs & differential housing anyway, it's too much angle on your CV joints and steering (and is among the reasons why the RC 3.5" kits are often panned around here). Most people stay in the range of 22-23" hub-to-fender.

Thing to do is to save the part taken from your OE crossmember. It can always be welded back in place should you decide to go another direction with your truck build. BDS is good stuff, if that is what you ordered (4-6" BDS kit w/Fox shock upgrade).

 

Thanks, this is more of what I was looking for. I did find some lca’s and UCA’s and some other components in a less expensive long travel kit.
I measured the shocks and without compression they are 2” taller than the ones on the truck currently. There is over 3” of thread left on the shock itself… however with them being loaded I am not going to loosen them to make them shorter. There is an axle shop in Denver that I have id’d as one that I am going to use as the truck is nearing needing some CV’s from what I can tell. I’m still in limbo about returning the drop brackets and then getting some extended travel lca’s uca’s and then the CV’s to just avoid the welding all together. So even with the 1” diff drop to get it through to avoid the cutting of the crossmember you think that the DB would be the only way to fit these 4-6” Fox shocks? also since you seem to know what you are tslking about. What makes the TRD Pro different than the rest? I spoke with BDS and they couldn’t give me a concrete answer and then said that their kit would work with my truck but only give me an additional 5.5” of lift. The only think I can think that would be different are the stock LCA’s as the look a little different than others I have seen. Something exists in the .5” range but I can’t ID it to save my life.
Thanks!

 

The OEM shocks & coil springs are different on TRD Pro models... I think some later years came factory with red-anodized aluminum UCAs too.
These parts are what make the Pro model sit 1" taller from the factory than other Tacomas. When you put a lift on that replaces these, the lift height will be 1" less than advertised (in other words, your lifted TRD Pro will be the same height as any other Tacoma with the same lift). Since you bought yours with a Rough Country 3.5" already on it, those OEM Pro shocks are long gone.

As for why you can't just slap the 6" shocks on, their longer length will cause the suspension to severely overextend on droop travel (binding up not just the CVs, but also ball joints and other parts). You'll also be smashing the shocks fully closed on compression because the shock bodies are too long (damaging them and/or your shock mounts). Adjusting the spring preload has no bearing on how long (or short) the shock becomes physically, that is a function of how the shock itself is built. You need to lower the LCAs and diff housing with the BDS brackets to be able to use them correctly.

If it's the crossmember thing that is hesitating you, I can understand... It's a big thing to a lot of people to whack a chunk of metal off your truck's frame. Just be aware LT is a whole 'nother bag too. You'll be replacing things like your fenders and cutting other stuff to allow room for your tires with LT (you might want to poke around in here some so you know what you're getting into with that as well).


IMO, the simplest way out of this without cutting your frame, is to return the BDS kit and get a pair of Fox Mid-Travel shocks since you should already have suitable UCAs on there from the RC kit (might want to option them with the heavier 650lb coils too since you have a bumper & winch). Just be aware this will still limit you to around 23" or so hub-to-fender if you want your front suspension & CV axles to last reasonably long. That's just how it is with these trucks and the way Toyota designed the frame... You want any real lift, you have to mod the frame so the front axle housing has a place to go.

 

This^
I rarely see the point of a drop bracket lift unless you would rather hack up your cross member than fenders to clear tires. A true long travel kit is quite involved. You would need to specify which arms your looking at to get a clearer picture but I'm going to say take your expected budget and double it + some.
I second the suggestion for a better quality mid travel kit I have 2" front and 2" rear to maintain factory rake and it's not very often I'm crying for more break over or approach. Departure clearence is almost every trip though.

 

I know the struts and shocks are different on the TRD pro, but I still feel like there is something else that originally caused BDS, Rough Country, And all the other lift manufacturers to say their products won’t work on the PRO. What it is I still haven’t received a clear answer, Other than: “ Yes it will work, but you will get .5” less” I’m going to go ahead and do this and probably stay at 5”. After further reading I will weld some square tube b/w the two crossmember replacements and fab up a skid plate down there. I will also hang onto the cut out crossmember for later. In hindsight the heavy bumper and winch and the cheap rough country shocks probably saved my CV’s as the from end is as low as it would be with a factory lift. I’m definitely no stranger to cutting and have already chopped the front bumper and some wheel well pinch welds, and fenders. Looks like this will be a pretty large undertaking and will probably save my cash from the LT idea for new gears as I will be needing those soon. Thanks for sharing and I’ll update with some pictures when I’m all done.

 

If I had to guess, they're protecting themselves from people who might otherwise come back complaining: "Your suspension didn't lift my truck the amount you said it would" (maybe along with "I feel jipped and want my $$$ back!").

AFAIK, there are no differences between the suspensions on a Pro and other models outside of the shocks & springs, and UCAs on some models (someone can correct me if I'm wrong or overlooked something).


Your skidplate plan sounds good. BDS already provides one, though it does steal more ground clearance than it needs to. Don't overlook reinforcing around the LCA cam bolts too (this area can be vulnerable if you have to do any rock crawling, ask me how I know lol).

 

That’s a line of crap. The pro suspension is bolt on stuff. You can bolt that on a SR5

6 inch lift is quite a bit of work to do properly. If you have asset with mediocre parts, you’re gonna have all kinds of issues.

Do the 6 inch right or stick to a 3 inch.

 

Just did it. It took countless hours, a bunch of welding and some serious skill. I know mine was put to the test. here are some photos of this job.

Notes for anyone else who is going to do this:
1. Suspend your CV’s the entire time.
2. No need to drop the front diff completely. Just use a floor jack and some stands. No need to disconnect the driveshaft or breather or anything else.
3. Get some cam bolts and sleeves for the front part of both LCA’s.
4. Get some new seals for the inner side of the knuckles.
5. The fox 2.5’s are really nice but make sure the Allen screw is facing out so you can loosen it and adjust preload. Don’t buy a spanner, they are worthless for remote resivoir shocks. Get a set of punches to set that preload.
6. I will post the rest next week.
Thanks for your advice on this, I think I made the right decision!


Next part will be new brake lines, a LCA swap as the sleeve was rusted in, and some long travel rear shocks.

 

Bump.