Help with Bilstein lift

Yeah dont be intimidated by the mega builds man do it!!!

Its pretty much a necessity here where I hunt if you want to follow me to camp most times.
Stocks fine but stock wont get you in to the best spots.

Even a 1" lift will make a difference imo the 1st gens were fine off the lot but these need something for what I do. Bigger tires are a start but then you might as well lift it too if youre going that way.

A lot to digest I know.
The front 5100 shocks are what like $150 and the rears are like $170...a three leaf deaver overload replacement pack is like $250 retail.

I got my 5100s from wheelers on a super xmas time sale plus free shipping.

There are other options for aal's Im just familiar with the deavers thats why I keep mentioning them.

The rear overload springs will give you about 1 1/2" of lift in the rear and theyre progressive so it wont hurt the ride too bad at all.

you can set the front shocks at 1" without hurting front end geometry or lengething drivelines or droppin the diff or literally anything else. Nothing else needs to be modified. No uca's nada not a lot of xtra stress on the ujoints...on and on.
Bottom line is the amount of lift youre looking at wont hurt anything and imo is a must if you hunt your truck.

Itll ride a little stiffer on the highway but handle better and have more clearance off road and I personally like stiffer than stock on pavement for my driving style.

Whats gonna kill your budget is install. If you could get the confidence to do it yourself or find someone to help you then alignment and done.

I started with a more aggresive tire (thats another thing, 1st gens came with all terrains, I got my truck in nov 04 and first test drive in the rain showed me the rugged trails SUKD) then trimmed some front plastic where they rubbed while the revtek kit came in then added a full deaver 10 leaf pack to the rear and didnt like the front up look like all the leveling kits did back then so added a 1" block.
All on stock shocks. Stock springs.
Total lift 3" front
A little over 3 in the back.
And that was all 15yrs ago.

The shocks just finally wore out so now rolling on 5100s
Its like floating on a bilstein cloud down the road.

Srry for the book but me & my bros have this discussion all the time!
My younger bro is like me, modify it.
My older bro just got a new tundra and his plans are...nothing. he modifies/customizes not a thing on his trucks.

I say go for it!!!

 

Before you decide to put it off all together because of the price of install I would recommend watching a few youtube videos. You literally only need a handful of tools, a jack, and at least one stand. I had a 5th gen 4Runner that I did Billestins on the max setting (2 1/2") in the front, coil spacers and Billestins in the rear, and didn't have it aligned for 2 or 3 months with no problems. I did the install myself and it took me about 5 beers or 2 hours.

 

I agree. Don’t go cheaper than 5100s

 

Yep
Id say start with them and go on from there

 

Not trying to hijack anything, just wanting to learn. I'm kind of at the same point myself, where I'd just like to do 5100's on all four corners and an add a leaf in the rear. How does this promote rusted cams? Or are you saying this is the point where you may realize they're already rusted and you end up needing new ones to make it right?

 

When you change the ride height any amount, it changes the caster, camber, and toe. In order to correct the caster and camber, there are 4 alignment cams that must be rotated. In a Taco more than a few years old, there is a high probability that they will be rusted into LCA bushings. If the truck is driven where they salt the roads, they will definitely be rusted. The only way to remove them is to saw through the bushings and cams with a sawzall and then replace stuff. That severely affects the bottom line of your “budget” lift. New OEM cams are about $160/set. New aftermarket LCAs are about $250/ pair. New OEM LCAs are about $500/pair. The other route for the bushings is to buy bushings and pay someone to press them in.

 

That's what I figured you meant. Situations like that make me glad I know how to work on shit myself and have like-minded friends with the proper tools and equipment. I definitely don't mind spending the extra money on new bushings as I'm not really looking at this as a "budget" lift. A mild lift without a lot of frills is all I really need for what I do with my truck.

 

Be sure to buy the OEM alignment cams. The aftermarket cams are not that great.

 

Here's the part numbers. This is enough to do 1 side.

 

I would start with looking at your alignment cams. If they aren't rusted and fused to your lca then your in business. The diff drop is snake oil skip that nonsense, 5100s are cheap for a reason. If you just want a lift for looks ide seriously consider a spacer kit.

Or just wait till your not a broke college student and lift it right the first time.