front suspension almost touches bump stops

hey, i've got a 2002 tacoma with 6" fabtech lift (lift was on it when i bought it). i recently noticed that the upper control arms are pointed up (not flat or down like ive seen on most trucks) and i'm about 1/4 inch off the bump stops so i'm constantly hitting them. my rear leaf springs are pretty flat as well. but the truck is still level. is this something that just happens over time? 140k miles on the truck. my first thought is new struts? but would i also need new springs? stronger springs? maybe a heavier duty leaf kit? i've went to a couple shops and asked but they weren't much help. any thoughts would be much appreciated

 

Didn't you ask the same question a few weeks ago?

 

Suspension components wear out and need to be replaced. Looking at your coils I’d say that’s the case here. The upper coils being in a tighter formation and almost touching is an indicator of a worn or possible broken coil. If your leafs are flat I’d say it’s time for a refresh all around.

 

hmmmm not that i'm aware of, this is my first time posting on here, i just joined right now! but if there's another thread about this i'd love to see it

 

Oh, very confusing. Unless you bought this truck in the past month, someone else posted the exact same question, with the same issue and same photos…

The upper control arms look upside down, the coils are worn out, the front shocks don't look straight - like the piston shaft is bent... and so on.


I agree with Ghost ship:

 

full suspension refresh eh? any advice on how to keep it level while getting new better parts? i've added a bunch of weight since i got the truck as well (bumpers, winch, sliders, ladder rack) i'm fearful of messing with the suspension then having the truck end up at a funny angle...

 

How much do you wanna spend

 

That is definitely not right. Dont know much about 6" lifts but your UCA should be almost closer to level as you mentioned and LCA at a slightly downward angle. Almost looks like wrong or weak coil springs.

 

Well, seeing that your CV axles are pretty much horizontal to the ground, you could remove the Fabtech drop bracket lift, put the truck back to stock suspension parts and then just install new and cheap Bilstein shocks, new coils and you'll have the same lift as you currently do - which should be the "level" you seek.

 

ha! i did ask a buddy about this a couple weeks ago and sent him these pics. maybe he posted them on here and asked about it for me

 

That must have happened, because I swear I remembered seeing these photos before.

 

That one had a ball joint spacer and a giant spacer on the strut

 

but same upward tilted UCAs…

 

You right, it’s just not the same guy is what I’m saying.

 

i'd like to keep the fabtech system in there (for now at least) maybe i'll search around a little for some new springs, leafs, and struts and start there. perhaps find some more heavy duty options. thanks for all the info so far!!

 

Well that's probably what did it. And the cheap way would be to go with fabtech replacement coilovers, and asking if you could get stiffer coils since you have added weight

The headache would be removing the lift since you'd have to source replacement spindles and swapping everything over. Then the shocks and coilovers.

 

Anyway, new strut and coil with the appropriate spring rating.

if you wanna drop cash you could contact King, Fox, icon, etc... for something custom.

 

"something custom" that just sounds expensive haha. definitely going for best, on a budget... hoping for end of year sales! although some new icons have been in the back of my head for a while...

 

Okay man, so it looks like the suspension is missing the 4” or 6” spacer that goes on top of the coilover. If it’s a 6” in, you are for sure missing the spacer. Look around on the forum for the DB lift thread and compare. It might be different for the 1st gens, but on the 2nd gen setup, you can swap typical coilover packages with the spacer in place as it makes up for the bottom bracket dropping the LCA. If i can find pics, I’ll post.

 

This isn’t the answer


Look how long the strut is my dude