Old Man Emu setups on 1st gens

@smoore, here is my recent full OME (881 with 3/8" spacer, Dakars in rear). I have about 120 lbs in the bed with stuff but the front to me is still too high.

 

Looks a better then mine @frizzman.... Haha!

Ok! Now I have another question for you all. With the OME installed I am getting a lot of vibration! Its only a little while driving but pretty sever when braking. Everything I read makes it seem like warped rotors but it was not doing this 2 days ago before the suspension went in, which makes me think its something else. Any ideas?? Should I take it back to the shop?

Ugh.

 

You may need a set of shims under the leaf springs to turn the axle up. Some do, I did. I used 4° shims on mine. You want the rear pinion to be inline with the driveshaft. Its a symptom of your u-joints being out of sync with each other.

Or it could be rotors but I would think you would only feel that when braking.

 

Thanks guys.

Yes it was aligned.
I will look into the drive shaft tho.

 

What year is your truck?

Here is what 881s and Dakars without an AAL look like on a truck (01) with a cap right after install.

Re: brakes: did you install a brake proportioning valve (BPV) relocaiton bracket on the rear axle? If not, with that that unusally crazy high rear rake, all your brake power is goign to the front rotors and could warp them.

BPV relocated bracket generally looks like this:

And goes here:

 

Thanks @scocar. My truck is a '96, and I wish she looked like yours after install... ugh.

What is an AAL? Why is mine sitting SO much higher then yours?? All I wanted was a better ride and its got me all stressed out now!!
We did not install BPV, but the high rear of the truck was not intentional either... Its only been 2 days and MAYBE 20 miles on the truck since the install, the rotors couldn't warp out that quick could they?

 

the 96's lift higher. This explains a lot as mine did the same thing originally. You can do one of two things...
add a 1/2" spacer in front to raise it up, or
remove a leaf in the back to set it down.
with no top spacer in the front, you will always have the rake.
I can see the gap between your 3rd and 4th leaf and mine had that too until it settled.

The brake relocation bracket is important as mentioned.

 

This is mine right after 881 coils, 1/2" top spacer and Dakar leaves in back.

The rake is not as bad because of the spacer.
Scocar's lift is different because the newer years use a different set of rear springs that are longer and tend to sit lower.

Here it is again with bigger tires so the gap is better.

 

Your truck's stance is quite unusual. It is almost as if the original stock coils are still on it.

Plus, the rear being that high without adjusting the BPV would put all of the braking to the front rotors which would accentuate any issues that may have been present prior to the lift.

 

I know the 98-00 rear leafs are longer and not as arched as your 96's but my stance immediately after putting the lift on (same specs as yours 881s, dakars, no AAL, with a topper) looked very similar to yours. It eventually settled down in the rear after a week or so of driving. It now has the perfect stance, IMO. A couple of days after the lift install I hauled about 500 lbs of pressure treated lumber, so I'm sure that helped in the process.

Just after the lift was installed:

 

with 881's alone she has 2" in front, maybe slightly less. I needed the top spacer to get mine to 3" in front
With the Dakar pack for the '96, that gave her just over 3" lift in the rear.

 

@Madjik_Man Thank you!! Thats reassuring! Maybe throwing my 200lbs+ of 2 dogs in the back every day will help

I appreciate all your guys help. I will let her settle for a bit and then probably put in the spacer. Sounds like I need to do the BPV either way to help with the shaking. Thats on the top of my list now!

Fingers crossed.

 

Aha, that's what I thought. 96 is a higher lift Dakar. Rotors shoudl be OK if you are driving down any mountian highways and take it easy. You can easily make A BPV relocate out of aluminum, but the one I got (BAMF is the vendor) is nice because it gives you lost of flexibility as you change your lift, even providing for 1/2 inch increments.

Don't have to add a spacer, which will make the ride harsher.

Try removing a leaf, possibly the lowest upper leaf, and even the upper overlaod leaf if necessary (the latter will only lower it by the thickness of the overlaod leaf). If not enough, you could swap in 882 coils in the front, which would be a better ride than a spacer.

Yes. If your rotors were already not perfect, this change would really emphasize any exsiting issue.

Also, you'll need to adjust your headlights so they are pointing at the ground 10 feet in front of you...

 

no it won't, just sits taller. I started with 881's and a spacer and removed the spacer at one point, rode the same, just sat lower.

I mentioned this too. I removed the very bottom leaf when I playing with mine, it did sit down about 3/4" and rode softer.

This would be the best bet if she adds a bumper and a winch.

@smoore I would remove one leaf like has been mentioned a few time now, lol.
drive it for awhile and let the springs settle in.
Get the rear brake bracket for sure.
Don't worry about shims until you have a leaf removed, you may not need them.

 

@BDN When you installed your Dakars did it move your axle forward? When you put the shim in did it realign your axle to center?

 

My axle remained centered. I think this is more of a problem with the longer spring packs for newer models but I'm not certain.
The shim was just to correct the pinion angle to keep the u-joints happy. It does not relocate the axle.

There is a plate available though that will allow the axle to be moved forward or back if needed.

 

Right I just wish I could get a plate that is a shim and relocate so I can fix my pinion angle and recenter my axle with just one piece. 2 Birds 1 Stone! But thank you!

 

Right^^^ there are two types of spacers. A "top plate" spacer goes on top of the coil assembly, not preloading the coil, keeping the same ride feel. Other coils go between the coil and top plate or some small ones go under the coil, between the perch and coil. These create preload and cause a firmer ride.

 

just to be on top of this, I don't think Dakars are made for 95-97. Only 5+leaf packs from vendors. so calling them Dakars may put the wrong impression if something ever goes amiss?

I could be wrong but when looking I never saw the reference.

@smoore I bought a "blem" BPV from BAMF for $16 coated. no issues with the holes. I immediately noticed an improvement in braking and since it came with the new steel line I'm sure that helped too.

 

http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/OME-CS019R-Dakar-Leaf-Pack-955-97-Tacoma_p_207.html