Tacoma Spring refurbishing

So i just finished my spring swap! used the first 2 larger factory yota springs and 2 Chevy springs, the ride is GREAT and axle wrap is almost gone!! However i do have a few questions.

1. I am getting a decent vibration i feel is definitely coming through the springs. I have heard of using bicycle inner tubes to act as dampers for the springs? this should help with the noise and i am hoping the vibrations, does any one have any more info on this or other strategies??

2. I noticed Toyota used a thinner plastic spacer plate to separate the leafs and the Chevy's used a thicker metal plate. Whats the best option for these? Use Chevy metal separator plates all around, or pick up some thinner separator plates like the Toyota's? (are the separator plates even necessary at all?)

3. there is still a little axle wrap. Other than the spring clamp mod (just like the helper spring mod but just the clamp in front of the axle side of the spring pack like i have in my before picture) are there any other options or thoughts on ways to further prevent axle wrap?

I have considered removing the full length Toyota secondary spring and replacing it with a full length Chevy leaf and then removing my smaller Chevy leaf i have on the bottom of the pack now (to keep the ride height down and keep it from being too stiff).

Before:




During:




After:

 

Thats good to hear , your def. on the right track sounds like, lets get you straightened out, ok, take out ALL those shim plates so you just have leaf-to leaf contact , put your thin anti squeak pads on the leaf ends where you've dog eared (diamond cut) Yeah, dump the secondary with the bushing wrap & throw another Chevy spring, make your cuts accordingly, the leaf end of donor is 7" from center of eyelett on hanger end to the tip of afore mentioned donor, on the shackle end make cut so the end of donor leaf is 10" from center of eyelett.. this should completely eliminate all axle wrap..

For vibration, get a couple of spacers 3/4" long, I've found that a 1/2" coupler cut in half = 2 - 3/4" & it just fits over the carrier bearing bolts that hold the bracket, the bolts are long enough so you can use the same ones....good job...

 

That looks like my puppy..haha...

 

I am having a hard time following you here...you are saying i want this "new" leaf i plan to install to be 10" long on the shackle end (back side), and 7" long on hanger side (front side)??

Thanks for the quick response to all of my questions!! if i remove the Toyota leaf with the bushing wrap and add a Chevy in its place i would like to remove another chevy from the pack to keep the ride from being too stiff this however would leave me with a 3 leaf pack, sound good?

 

Haha, sorry dude, heres some real world numbers....

From centerpin to hanger end the donor leaf should be 20" & from centerpin to rear shackle end should be 25" for an overall length of 45" for the donor keeping in mind that 1st gen springs are eliptical (shorter end to front/longer end to rear)

hope that clarifys things a little

 

& 3 leafs is fine if it gives you what you want...

 

Neat stuff going on here.

I started reading this thread, but theres just too many pages to go through.

From what I gather, you guys are taking OEM leaf packs, and adding leafs from other vehicles to them to achieve more lift, correct?

I currently have non TSB leafs on my truck with a Wheeler's 3 leaf add a leaf. The add a leaf raised the truck a bit, but I would like to add another 1" or so of lift in the rear.

Can you point me in the right direction as to what vehicles I can use a leaf from, or a consolidated list/thread with more information on this subject since there is 100 pages here with information spread all over?

:beer:

 

It's leaf springs from chevy trucks that have 63" or you can cut them down to make them fit.

 

Don't you DARE cut down a set of 63"'s for donors, thats what the crawler guys use for extreme articulation..

(if thats all you had to use for donor springs tho' go ahead)

Basically Mainmoe02 is correct, this MOD is an alternative for the standard aftermarket AAL & def. alot cheaper than a new set of springs, you can configure them to just about any type of lift you want

 

Well, I finished the OMD refurb, and overall I am happy. The first two pics are before, the third is the leafpack (and a half) from a '91 Suburban (7 leafs + overload per side!) the fourth is after I set myself on fire with grinder sparks and the fifth is a pic of the three leafs that I'd use under the main leaf. The last two pics are a finished pack, ready to be installed.
Beforehand, I had a 2.5" block lift that allowed for 285 tires. The refurb netted about the same overall lift, give or take and inch to account for lean that still exists. I didn't change the shocks (yet, because I wanted to measure the lift first) but the ride is much improved. Axle wrap was awful before, and is now GONE!
In my case, I had so many leafs to choose from, that cutting them was unnecessary, in my mind. Beforehand, I had a "military wrap" secondary leaf that didn't seem to do much, because the main leaf was still sagging. With that in mind, I opted to use three GM leafs, and left metal on the second leaf right up underneath the (front) hanger.
So, my only gripe is the "lean". From what I've read, this might be a Tacoma trait, due to the weight of the battery, driver and gas tank, etc. OME even seems to make their Dakar leafpacks with different heights to account for this lean. Anyone else still have the Tacoma lean after this mod? Mine is about 1" lower on the driver side. I forgot to measure beforehand, by the way.
Maybe I should try swapping packs, side-to-side... Maybe the steel from 1991 GM leafs isn't as quality??... Maybe my shocks are shot..?? Maybe it doesn't matter??!!! Anyway...
Again, the ride is much improved, so thanks Doug and everyone else for the knowledge and inspiration!

 

I think your best bet would probably be a small shim under your drivers side leaf pack, or crank up your front end a bit. Standard Taco lean because of battery/fuel tank/driver on that side.

 

Neat.

So you use the main OEM Tacoma spring w/ the eyelets, then add the chevy leafs to it?

Or do you add the Chevy leafs to the OEM Tacoma leaf pack, the same way you would do an add a leaf?

I have a non TSB rear leafs with a Wheelers 3 leaf add a leaf pack, and I still would like to add another inch of lift without using blocks. Can I add these Chevy leafs to my existing leaf pack to make it taller?

:beer:

 

The Taco lean is an interesting issue, eh? I have 1.5" in-coil spacer lift up front, and the front is level. It's just the driver's rear that is 1" lower. (The plan is to remove the spacers up front, too, since the front is a bit higher than the rear).
I have some extra thicker and stiffer leafs that I could swap into the driver's side, but I'd imagine the solution, rather, would be more arched leafs on the driver's side in order to achieve 1" more lift, and keep equal flex. I might have one spare bottom leaf that could work; maybe that'll be another project after I fix a leaking differential seal tomorrow....

 

I will be rebuilding my leaf pack tomorrow.

 

Heyyyy Jeff !! how ya doing buddy ??? long time dude....

An easy fix for the lean is spring matching, what i mean by this is if you have leafs you'll notice that some are slightly more ARC'd than others, take the slightly less ARC'd leafs & put them on the passenger side leaf pack, this will almost always result in a leveled out rear end if this is where your 'taco lean is.....

Nice !!.... Be sure to post up some results....

 

As mentioned, I have finally found a set of chevy truck springs that are for the most part a straightforward bolt on app. I'm going to run them for a little while before I release what year & model of truck you guys need to look for, reasons are obvious, gotta R&D this shit right ??

 

Nice work! R&D away, cause I'm ready for a little change on the back of mine. Ive been looking for some donor springs, but bolt on would be even better

 

Finished my lift today, added two f150 leafs to my leaf pack. Worked and rides great!

 

That is a solid/level lift Jason !! Well done dude !!....

 

that paint color is bad fucking ass!