[Romer]

My rig was raking to the front with the weight of the winch and ARB. I originally was thinking of switching to Heavy springs. But discovered there was no need per the following thread in the FAQ:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/44674-dont-swap-med-heavy-oem-springs.html

So I bought some 1” Mr Gasket Spacers from www.summitracing.com Part number MRG-1285.

I also bought a Coil spring Compressor from Harbor Freight for $12.

Tools: 15/16 Socket (24mm works) Socket Wrench, Floor Jack

[Romer]

First, Place the Jack under the frame (not axle). I used the Sway bar mount. If you do the axle, you will compress the spring rather than expand it. Make sure you put a block behind the rear tire.

Jack up the vehicle just enough so you can get the Coil Spring Compressor on both sides. Learned it was easier to place the nut at the top after the first spring.

[Romer]

Crank the bolts alternating sides until you compress the spring a bit. Now Jack up the vehicle more and the spring should pop out of the top. Then use the nuts to compress the spring more until you have about a 2 inch gap Use the jack a bit more if it helps.

[Romer]

Work the spacer in back and forth until it is all the way around and seated properly. Make sure you check around the back side for proper seating.

Let off on the Jack a bit to get it pushed in and check the seating.

Let the Jack down most of the way. If you let it down all the way, the coils will compress to the point you can’t get the compressors off.

Take off the compressors and do the other side.

[Bongani]

Excellent write up!

[Boston Mangler]

Hey Ken

How much lift did you gain for these spacers?? I just installed a set and they "Squished" considerably when all of the weight was put back on them. Did you notice this?

Nice Write Up BTW

[T Y L E R]

FatherofRomersDaughter,


Do you have pics that you can post of a before and after? You probably have some good side shots you took after you put on the Slee slidersteps. Maybe you could take an identical angle with the Mr Gasket on now. It would probably be useful to guys trying to decide to make this mod or not.


Also wanted to repeat what I've heard many a time. An 80 should probably have a bit of nose down attitude, as it will level out after you load up your cargo etc. To have a completely level truck might result in a sag after loading it down.



TY

[Aussie cruiser]

I have spacers on my rear and the springs had to be removed to fit them.

Are these a complete circle or do they have a break in them?

Hey Ken

How much lift did you gain for these spacers?? I just installed a set and they "Squished" considerably when all of the weight was put back on them. Did you notice this?

Nice Write Up BTW

Are these spacers a soft compond as the ones I have are made of hard neoprene I think

[Romer]

These are soft material with a break in the middle as you can see from the photo where I was feeding it in.

The Front is still lower than the rear and I did not get one inch of lift, the Rear is still higher than the front. I'll take a pic later.

I was thinking after I did the first one that I should have taken a before. I'll see if I can find one with the winch and ARB from the same angle for a before and after.

[beno]

Nice Ken.

Doing this as well this week. Thanks for the write up....

The guy at Summit when I went to the store said that some guys like to put some Krazy Glue on the top side of the spacer before they put it in to hold it in place before the spring decompresses back into place.

I guess with your method there is no need to do that.

Thanks again.
Best.
-onur
Akron, OH

[Rich]

Sometimes those spring compressors fail. I'd feel better unbolting the shock and dropping the axle than depending on the spring comrpressors to keep posssion of my fingers.

[Boston Mangler]

Originally Posted by Rich

Sometimes those spring compressors fail. I'd feel better unbolting the shock and dropping the axle than depending on the spring comrpressors to keep posssion of my fingers.

Thats why i did and it worked pretty good. You need big TALL jackstand though, and also have to remove the tires, undo the shocks, swaybars and be VERY careful of the front brake line at the T

[Rich]

Yep, most of the same steps as required to install the springs to begin with. The compressors do make for a short cut.

[yellowchaosfj80]

Cool Thread This is the same way I did my lift and the spring compressors is the best invesment for the 20 30$ you save so much time .. good to see I was knot alone in this coily situaion.. let see some pic when your done

[Romer]

If you notice in Post #3, there is a sfaety bracket that helps keep the compressor in place. It's not foolproof, put your Jack stand could fail while your head is under there to.

[Romer]

Well sad to say I removed my spacers today. I had that grinding noise even though I had changed the U joints and had the drive shaft balanced. Seems to be gone now. Based on what I read that should not have created too much a pinion angle problem, but every rig is different.

[Boston Mangler]

Bizarre

How does the rig sit now? Mine is still kinda raked even with the spacers!

[Romer]

It was raked with the spacers. There isn't much difference without them.

Look at the Build Up thread I updated.

[perk]

Does this mean you'll go to the heavies now?

[Romer]

Originally Posted by perk

Does this mean you'll go to the heavies now?

Nope. I don't mind the way it sits. The heavies and the spacer would give me similar height. The height is impacting the pinion angle on the front drive shaft, so Heavies would do the same thing.

I may end up getting one of the double cardon shafts eventually, if so I'll put the spacers back. It takes about 30 minutes to do both sides (After the first time)

[Kalawang]

Originally Posted by Boston Mangler

Thats why i did and it worked pretty good. You need big TALL jackstand though, and also have to remove the tires, undo the shocks, swaybars and be VERY careful of the front brake line at the T

Just the way I had to do it, thanks to phoned instructions from Drexx.

Took us about 1.5 hours for the front alone.


Kalawang

[Kalawang]

Originally Posted by Romer

It was raked with the spacers. There isn't much difference without them.

Look at the Build Up thread I updated.

If you want to remove or reduce the rake, you have to install the right height spacers only in the front.


Kalawang

[Romer]

I only had them on the front. If I installed more of a spacer it would have made the pinion angle worse, so I don't know what you mean.

[Kalawang]

I had a 2" droop up front with a former set of springs and solved the droop with 1" steel Dakar ring spacers. Of course, that still left an inch droop, but I thought it better to leave it as I sometimes carry heavy things in back. Since then, I have installed 4" springs and the Dakars and former springs are resting in my garage.

There are plenty of rubber ring spacers here and they are unpopulr simply because they compress so easily and quickly. Even the poly spacers, which costs us much, are said to compress after a few years, but at least give you a period of good use. In all instances where I was witness to a droop fix or a lean fix, the poly spacers, chosen for correct height, solved the problems.

I've never experienced pinion problems, or dealt with them so I'm not able to offer help here. Do please be kind enough to post whatever solutions you discover.


Kalawang

[MoJ]

Another data point for someone considering spacers-

I recently installed the Mr. Gasket after having the OME Medium (F/R) for about 4 months. Before Mr. Gasket I had a 1 inch difference between front and rear when measuring from the ground, through the hub, to the lip of the flare. After Mr. G I have a 3/8 inch difference. 3/8 isn't noticeable to my eyes. I had to measure to see if there was even a difference at all. Another point, although my CC bushings have been sitting in the garage for sometime I've yet to install them. I felt comfortable with the way the truck drove and didn't really see an immediate need to install them. However, now with Mr. G, the need is more apparent.

EDIT: Haven't noticed any pinion issues.

[beno]

Moj...

Indeed.

I ran the truck with OME heavies and not much weight and I think the truck hated the angles. Lots of metal hitting metal and a torn up u-joint in the front drive shaft.

After all of that I decided to take care of the CC's on the front control arms and a new OEM Toy in the rear CC bushing hole. I also rebuilt my front drive shaft with OEM Toy. materials. Sway bar drops, a bit of grinding on the relay link behind the axle, and new adjustable panhards front and rear, and I am feeling much better about the way the truck rides and the way the truck handles (note: I also drive without steering stabilizer because of a mistake on my part; and, also, no rear sway bar currently...another boo-boo on my part ).

I am getting ready to do adjustable upper rear control arms too, as well as replacing all the bushings in all of the arms (these things do eventually deteriorate).

I think the ride will be increasingly improved especially as everything starts to wear into place and become a part of the whole operational suspension.

The way I look at it, lifting a truck does indeed put wear on already-worn suspension components. The more I read and research into driveline problems, I am noticing that most of them occur post-lift/suspension geometry changes. I think the Toy. engineers indeed were very specific about angles of connection and truck physics (stuff I don't know much about yet, though I am learning).

It seems that taking care of problems right away after the lift is the best time to increase the truck's longevity as well as increase the durability and performance of the vehicles. More $$$ upfront, but I think less worry later.

That means I feed Slee and Dan's dogs' constantly

I will be driving the truck for the first time since being on stands for the past week and a half. I expect and hope for great results....pics soon.

And Ken--thanks for reviving this thread. We are creating good data points for these rigs...

Best.
-onur
Akron, OH

[Crusin]

Originally Posted by Kalawang

I had a 2" droop up front with a former set of springs and solved the droop with 1" steel Dakar ring spacers. Of course, that still left an inch droop, but I thought it better to leave it as I sometimes carry heavy things in back. Since then, I have installed 4" springs and the Dakars and former springs are resting in my garage.

There are plenty of rubber ring spacers here and they are unpopulr simply because they compress so easily and quickly. Even the poly spacers, which costs us much, are said to compress after a few years, but at least give you a period of good use. In all instances where I was witness to a droop fix or a lean fix, the poly spacers, chosen for correct height, solved the problems.

I've never experienced pinion problems, or dealt with them so I'm not able to offer help here. Do please be kind enough to post whatever solutions you discover.


Kalawang

Hi Kalawang,

Where in PI did buy your the dakar steel spacers? Do they have it for the rear too? How much are they? A friend of mine is coming over
from PI maybey nxt month. Maybe I can have him get me some if
the price is right.

Salamat

[Kalawang]

I bought mine second hand. The PO didn't like his LC so tall and seeing mine, asked my advice on how to lower it. I saw them on his car and told him how to remove it and to call me if he needed help. The end of the story is he and his wife were plenty happy with a shorter LC and I bought the Dakars from him. They actually came from Japan as he bought his LC from there. Same model as mine.

You can have some metal ones made up in a machine shop. The only spacers I've seen locally are the poly stuff and they cost a lot less in the States than here. I'm holding on to this set in case I opt for bigger tires that would require more lift.


Kalawang

[Walking Eagle]

I found an easier way of doing this this weekend. I started out the install by taking off the tire and shock and sway bar and I still couldn't get enough drop to get the spacer in. So I grabbed a ratchet strap from the garage, ran it from the spring under the axle and back to the spring, making sure I didn't crush any hoses or cables. Then I ratcheted it down a bit. The second side I got smarter. I lifted the axle as far as I could go, ran the strap under the axle again and then lowered the axle (wheel off). I was able to put the spacer in without taking anything but the tire off. Don't know what the safety factor is on this method, but it's quick. I'm only running the 1" spacers for now, since I won't be putting on bigger tires until the currents wear out, and will worry about a real lift then. But hey for $43 for a locally available part (Pep Boys, the box is a different brand than Mr. Gasket, but esentially the same thing), and a couple hours of time, I figure it's worth the effort for an extra inch.

[Romer]

Update - I fixed my slider problem, tt had moved up into contact with the pinch weld. And I had my rear drive shaft rebuilt and balanced. I decided to re-install the 1" spacers. Took it for a test drive on the highway and everything is working fine.

I love a happy ending.