Lower Shackle bushings from ToyTec: Warning!

Sunday at our East bay mini-mod day, we installed my lift on my 2003 tacoma. The front end went smothly, we've done a few lifts before and ran into zero problems with the front. Its the back end, mainly the Lower shackle bushings that were the major problem.

Replacing the bushings came as a recomendation, and also an upgrade from rubber to polyuerthane bushings. From what it seems like its just get the old ones out and press the new ones in...let the journey begin.

First, we had to take the entire leaf pack off. when attempting to press the old ones out, every time after backing the press out, the bushings would just "form" back into the leaf pack ends. We ended up having to drill some relief holes into the rubber bushing to get some pressure off in order to get the bushings to come all the way out.

Next, The main problem, the bushings that were sent from toytec just from looking at them look WAY to big to fit in. But we tried....no luck. no way they were getting in there.
-picture shows frustration. one bushing pressed in, mushrooming out a little, and the inside hole Waaaay to small to press the metal sleeve into.


Then we had the problem of getting the metal sleeve into the bushings. We got one bushing into the leaf pack, but noted that the size difference made the hole to press the metal sleeve even smaller than it already was. So there was no way that it was going to fit.
-picture shows the first go-around at shaving the bushings to fit. More shaving was needed to get them closer to press with less "shrinkage" of the center hole for the metal sleeve.

(yes my smile makes ladies knees buckle)

Over a several hour time period we ended up having to shave down the outside of the poly bushings to allow them to even be able to fit, and also allow enough room to get the metal sleeve into the bushing once its pressed into the leaf pack. Even after that, we had to shave down the ends of the bushings in order to get the new shackles to fit.



It was a long day but we got them in.


"Its not what you buy, its what you build"
I am not saying you shouldnt buy these bushings, I am just warning that it took a lot more work than I expected to get them to work. Also to do more research on which bushings will work better.