OME Install for Dummies - with pics (2 Viewers)

[alpinecowboy]

A few weeks back I picked up a set of OME Heavies from Kling-On along with shiny new OME hardwear to mount it all up. It was just the ticket that I was looking - broken in OME heavies that were of the old Aussie manufacture.

If I did the work myself I'd be saving a pretty penny when it was all said and done over a new set of Dakars, but there was just one catch - I'd never done anything like this before. Mostly just light engine wrenching up to this point. Luckily, armed with IH8MUD, my FSM and Google I was able to knock the job out of New Year's weekend.

I thought that since I'd never done this before, I might have some tips for others like me (read: those who don't know a whole lot about suspensions) that more experienced 'Mudders may take for granted.

So with that, here goes:
first read and re-read the following links:
OME Install with tips
FJ60 Install with pics, details
A bit on proper sides for the springs
OME Lift installed with pics

The above really set the stage for what I did. And without being redudant, I was able to do this with
- a set of Metric Deep Impact sockets
- impact wrench/compressor
- 4 jackstands (2 large/2small)
- 1 toyota bottlejack - indispensable if you are solo...!!
- 1 floorjack
- PB penetrant (to work bolts loose)
- Hand sledgehammer (for knocking pins out)
- Rubber Mallet
- Set of open ended wrenches
- Breaker bar
- Torque wrench
- a long piece of 1/4 pipe to tap pins out/in
- chisel (to extract old bushings)
- ball pean hammer (for precision "tapping")
- greasegun
- MB grease
- crowbar
- time. It took me 10hrs, but that is because I have two young girls and my wife and I had no childcare over the break, so I was knocking this out at night, outside or in 2hr bursts during naps. I spend at least 2 - 3 hrs of that total getting tools packed/unpacked. I think if I had it to do all over again and wasn't interrupted it would take me 4-6 hours total (depending on how easy the old pins came out).

 

[alpinecowboy]

So, to start with, get everything up on Jackstands as previously mentioned elsewhere. The two big stands are for the frame and the little guys hold your axle. I used my bottlejack here to also hold the pinion angle, but an additional jackstand works for this as well (as previously suggested).

Once everything is up on jackstands and you've got the droop set in the springs, etc, you can start pulling bolts. At first I just tried to work on one of the springs but couldn't get anywhere. The secret to making this job a lot easier for me was to loosen all the bolts/remove nuts, etc of the entire suspension on that end of the truck.

This made getting pins out a ton easier for me and really sped up the work.

So once I had the u-bolts off, I pulled half the shackles on the front, pulled the nut off the fixed end and the little "keeper" bolt on the outside and did this on both sides. Once everything was off I just started working my way around a leaf spring slowly wacking the pins out. This was the slowest part of the work but I lucked out in that all the pins came out relatively easily (i.e. with no need to use fire/cutting wheels).

 

[alpinecowboy]

Once you've got the shackle ends dropped out, you can work out the fixed end. I was able to get these loose using the hand-sledge, a 12" long piece of metal rod I used as a pin driver and the pry bar/chisel to help work things loose from the outside of the spring mount as well. It took some work and cussin' but they both came loose.

With that done, it was just matter of bolting everything back up... right?

 

[alpinecowboy]

...Well, not quite. Getting everything back on can be as tricky as getting it all off if you aren't careful. It took me one try before I figured out the golden rule of getting it all back together: keep every bolt loose on the whole thing until the very end.

This, as you noticed no doubt, is basically what makes getting everything off easier as well - keep things loose. When you are putting the new suspension on just get everything to finger tight or just past it to the point that it is "in position" but can still be moved if needed a bit.

Keeping things loose like this enables you to get both springs in the proper orientation as well as adjust the axle as needed. By keeping it all loose you'll save yourself a ton of effort.

Also, one more use for the bottle jack for me came from D'Animal: use it to push your springs into position as needed - this was critical to me finishing the rear as I couldn't get the springs to flatten enough to insert the anti-inversion pin. His trick totally saved me.

Once you have it all in position and "set", start tightening, working your way around the suspension. This may be slow, but it seemed to work for me.

All in, you'll do the second half of the job two - three times faster than you did the first. I knocked out the back end in a quarter of what I spent on the front.

With that, I'd say this is a pretty straight forward job if you are patient and have all the tools mentioned here and in the accompanying links.

 

[alpinecowboy]

Results/impressions:
Is getting an OME suspension worth it: Hell yes, no question. Ride quality is much improved, handling is better, etc etc.

What did I gain? All in, about 3" of lift all the way around... the back end is about 1/2 - 3/4" higher than the front but that is because this is a heavy kit and I need to get a larger rear bumper with a swing out on there to bring it all back down to level. My previous suspension was giving me about 3" of lift already so I am nice and tall now. Plenty of clearance for my 33 x 12.50's.

I couldn't be happier with the results no doubt.

Is this a job that someone with just basic mechanical skills could knock out: Yes, because I did and that describes me.

I'll post up some pics in the morning of the finished results.

 

[alpinecowboy]

One more thing: lean...

I've read a ton about people getting worked up about lean on their OME's as well as the "stinkbug" stance. With that, I thought I'd throw two things that I came across as I tried to resolve this myself. Right after the install I was surprised at how much the passenger side was taller than the driver side and I thought I had screwed up my sides.

Well... I measured it and sure enough, once side was taller. I drove it around and measured in a parking lot that looked that flat... less lean. Went to a different parking lot... measured again... no lean. Went home, but parked facing the other way... opposite of first results... Get the trend? Our trucks lean on their suspensions... apparently a lot. Even relatively flat surfaces may have a slight pitch to them that will effect the "lean" of your suspension. It did for me.

On the stinkbug stance... make sure your gas tank is full (that is 150lbs or so) and that you have your tools, etc loaded back into your cargo area... that made a big difference for me and really helped bring my rear springs down a bit.

 

[NQCruiser]

A question, did you fit any castor wedges at all? I'm just curious as I am about to do the same job on mine soon (I have done a 75 Series Ute before) but I have read about guys using these wedges to adjust the angle of the diff to have less of an angle on the uni-joints. The only difference from mine to yours is that I will have some extended shackles in place as well. I may just have to go with the OME shackles if it's too high.

Other than that, nice job!! I'm hearing you loud and clear re: doing jobs between sleep times.... Good to know that the handling will improve - my wife may now also want to actually drive it, if it steers where it's pointed!!

 

[alpinecowboy]

Yeah, my wife was the final judge on this project as well. She rode in it and was the one that commented how much nicer it felt. I think I'll have to install hydro-assist steering before she'll want to drive it herself but she finally likes being a passenger in it.

On the caster angle, the short answer is no. The longer answer (that I'll abbreviate for a lot of reasons) is that the jury is still out for me on it. I think installing some shims in there to adjust the caster may be the thing to do in the long run, but for now I'm going to drive it a bit and get a good feel for it before I change anything.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[LandBruiser69]

Hey man, I would love to see some before and after shots!!!

 

[shotgun12321]

Lift Kit Install pictures by shotgun12321 - Photobucket

There's pics from my install, complete with before/after pics

 

[alpinecowboy]

Before and after

Here are the before and after shots. Before was taken a little over a year ago before I did any work to the truck so it shows the total difference the best over stock springs. Tires in the "before" pic are 31x10.50's and the "after" pic has 33x12.50's.

 

[NYFJ62]

Sweet write-up. Many thanks!!

 

[kling-on]

Here are the before and after shots. Before was taken a little over a year ago before I did any work to the truck so it shows the total difference the best over stock springs. Tires in the "before" pic are 31x10.50's and the "after" pic has 33x12.50's.

LOOKIN GOOD ... glade you like it.... looks better too

 

[cruiserjunktion]

Nice work dude

Kudos for tackling this job yourself.....

The end results look GREAT!!!

 

[AKcruiserfreak]

Man, You forgot the most important tool- a propane torch. On my install, I spent half an hour trying to beat the pins out, but ended up spending about ten minutes just burning the old bushings off. Worked like a charm.

TK

 

[alpinecowboy]

Yeah, I think I mentioned somewhere in there that I lucked out in not having to burn or grind anything out. A lot of the how-to stories I've read on this definitely used torches to burn out old bushings...

 

[87 HJ60]

It now has a much nicer stance!!
p.s. It looks like you may have to check your clearance now in those low overhead parking areas....

 

[alpinecowboy]

...yeah, it's got me changing my mind about a roofrack... I think a rear swingout will be about it and nothing up top for the time being!

 

[cruiser guy]

wow good job, talk about completely changing the look of the vehicle

 

[alpinecowboy]

Thanks, and I've only just begun if all goes well. I've got a few more things I plan to do to her both inside and out before it is all said and done.