Builds Finally doing it, 4" lift on my LX (1 Viewer)

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NLXTACY

Wits' End
Joined
Dec 7, 2007
Threads
200
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23,013
Location
Medford, OR
Well I've been talking for a long time about NOT doing a lift. I've never "really" needed it with the type of wheeling/camping I do. But there has been instances that have been frustrating yet not impossible to overcome. Well now that the truck has 300k miles on the clock, the suspension is really starting to show it's age.

At about 60k it started to develop the "cruiser lean". At that point it also needed new shocks. So I replaced the shocks with LandCrusier shocks in stead of the Lexus shocks that it came with. My wife hated the feel ever since. At around 200k we started feeling the rocking boat effect. But I was being stubborn about spending the time and money on getting a lift. Thanks to RETROFIVE I got his fairly low mileage stock springs. That helped. But now, at 300k, the springs are shot. The shocks aren't doing their job and I just feel that things are dangerous now because the truck is now bouncing all over the place. Every part of the suspension feels old. I haven't checked yet but I don't have much hope for the bushings.

When I started thinking about the lift I had to first decide why I wanted a lift and what height I was looking for. I have an IPOR dual swing rear bumper. I have tons of tools and spares and emergency crap in the back. I am currently running 33" tires but am willing to go taller. I have dual batteries but a stock front bumper and no winch. Eventually I will but not yet. So there is a lot of weight to consider.

I do a lot of miles because we drive all over the place, regardless of the price of gas :bang:. We also do semi regular trips up North, usually to Yellowstone. Mammoth and Death Valley are semi common trips. If its wild boulder hopping where you will spend 6 hours traveling 500 yards, I'm not interested. That's nowhere near my kind of fun.

So why lift? Why not stay stock? Simple, my wife covets the 80s in the area that are lifted. Now that we have to spend a bunch of money just to get everything back to stock but new, might as well spend a few more bucks and do the lift. So if she's given the green light then I might as well go for it. I still have the S/C to finish but there just isn't time.

So how much Lift? I've decided on 4". The Slee 6" looks cool but it just not practical for a truck that sees 95% hwy driving plus all the issues that need to be taken care of by going that high. I thought about 2.5" but the trucks that have the OME 2.5" don't really look all that lifted. So I settled on 4" but one of the first things I noticed when doing a search and checking the FAQs was that there were hardly any threads on specifically the 4" lift. So I figured I would detail what I am doing.

Now I am only starting this whole process. I've done nothing but send a few PMs and read a few threads. Much like my engine rebuild thread, I will detail my thought process here, get everyone's feedback and then detail my build. It will be slow and methodical. I won't buy anything until its been well thought through and others have vetted it. So I will be definitely looking for assistance in selecting and building up the kit. Unfortunately for me, suspension is my knowledge week point on this or any vehicle for that matter.

So here is what I know that I will need and my thoughts:


• Front and rear springs-
I think this is going to be the toughest decision. I want to make sure that I still get the well rounded road manners the LX had on day one of buying it, but still have the off road manners with all the laden weight that is needed. I also need to throw out there that I would really just prefer black springs. I really don't want colored springs. It just bugs me but I won't let it be a deal killer. I can paint them one I figure out the correct paint for them that is good and flexible.
:wrench: Slee's 4" springs- $240/pair front or rear- after a conversation with Christo (and driving a few trucks) I decided on Slee's medium front and medium rears.
OME $169/pair front or rear
Ironman 4" springs- $165/pair fronts
Ironman 4" springs- $165/pair rear
TJM 3.5" HD springs set- $400/set

• Front and rear shocks-
this is where I am really looking to upgrade. I'm just tired of the stock shocks I've been running and I just wants something that will handle everything that we throw at it. I have to say that I am leaning towards the reservoir shocks from Radflo, Slee or Fox. I really want the best I can get instead of regretting the money I spent. I do not know the correct answers and will instead use suggestions. Slee lists only 2.5" but says longer are available.
Slee reservoir shocks- $445 front/$400 rear (*note, these are for 2.5")
RadFlo 4" shocks from MetalTech- $375/ea. for the fronts (extrapolating from the 2.5" price)
RadFlo 4" shocks from MetalTech- $375/ea. for the rears (extrapolating from the 2.5" price)
Ironman Foam Cell fronts- $122/ea.
Ironman Foam Cell rears- $122/ea.
Bilstein 7100 shocks over at Marlins- $193/ea.
FOX 2.0 Shocks- $227.00 ea. fronts/$187.00 ea. rears
:wrench: Actually wound up getting OME Nitro shocks for the time being. Purchased from Slee. I'm going to give these a fair shake before deciding on an upgrade.

• Front spring spacers-
Its my understanding that these are needed for either curing the problem of the cruiser lean or for stink big. If there is another use, it elude me. IF needed, is it better to go with the polyurethane space or metal spacers like MetalTech makes? Poly bushings tend to split. MetalTech metal spacers only come in 1.5" and 2". I had a fellow mudder donate a set of 2" metal spacers. Damn cool of him :cheers:
Slee's poly bushings- $45/pair
MetalTech's 1.5" spring spacers- $144.95/pair
MetalTech's 2" spring spacers- $144.95/pair
Ironman poly trim packers- $24.00

• Bump Stops-
This is a discussion that has come up lately in the thread. The bumpstops could be dropped with a spacer to get the right height but now I'm looking for other options.
Timbren Bump Stop from Just Differentials- $215/pair
Radflo hydraulic bump stop- $170/ea. Tons of fabrication needed in order to install these on the truck.
Jounce's Air Bump Stops- $280/ea. Super spending but DELANCY seems to like them

• Longer brake lines-
These were installed the last time I did all of my brakes over a year ago. Got these from Slee and they have been fine so far. Pretty much Slee is the only game in town for this: Slee's extended brake lines- $99 (93-97)

• Front and rear Panhard (lateral support) Bars-
It seems from what I have been reading that its best to go with adjustable because every truck seems to need different levels of adjustment. I've only seen options from TJM and Slee. Any others that should be considered?
Slees' front and rear adjustable panhard bars- $250/ea.
Ironman adjustable panhard bars- $157/ea.
TJM adjustable panhard bar kit- $350
OME Front Panhard Rod $297.99 (#PAN3050)
OME Rear Panhard Rod $264.88 (#PANR008)

:wrench: Landtanks DIY joint kit- ordered up a set of these for $215

• Rear lower control arms-
This is one of those items that I've already decided on and I am going to go with Landtank's LCAs with the OEM bushings already pressed in. Ordered just now from AJIK Overland:
:wrench: LANDTANK's LCAs from AJIK- $430 and they come with the OEM bushings already installed. YAY!
MAF LCA's as recommended by a user- $319/set

• Rear upper control arms-
According to LANDTANK: "with a 4" lift and my LCAs you don't need upper adjustable arms. My arms correct the pinion angle to retain alignment for the stock rear drive shaft to run properly." So if going LT's LCAs, you don't need but since I have to replace the bushings anyway and I would prefer OEM, I am going with LANDTANK's:
Slee's Rear Upper Control Arms- $459
MAF's offering- $299
:wrench: LANDTANK decided to make some anyway- $399 These are solid rod, factory length and pressed with OEM bushings. - Ordered

• Suspension Bushings-
I will be replacing all suspension bushings found on the truck. I've already send AKELLA a PM to get his complete bushing kit (minus the LCA bushings). Just bought these from AKELLA:
OEM Bushings minus the LCAs and Caster bushings- $305 and just ordered.

• Caster correction plates and bushings-
I will most likely just be going with Landtank's plates. I need to find out more about what is needed on the bushing side to get the caster offset but nothing more reading won't remedy.
MetalTech's Caster Plates- $139.95
Slee's Caster Plates- $139
Ironman Caster Plates- $131
LANTANK's Caster Plates from VanGo at AJIK Overland- $185
:wrench: Tacoma shaft and Caster Plates from AJIK- $595

Ironman's Caster Correction Bushings- $88/set
Slee's Caster Correction Bushings- $135/set
TJM 3.5º caster bushings- $150/set

• Driveshaft-
I resigned myself to the fact that it would probably be in my best interest to go with the Tacoma Double Cardon driveshaft. Slee has a new one but Landtank has a rebuilt one.
Slee's new front driveshaft- $645 contains new u-joints
LANDTANK's rebuilt driveshaft sold thru AJIK Overland- $475 contains used u-joints
:wrench: Same driveshaft WITH LANTANK's caster plates- $595 I went this route

• Breather extensions-
I started this project awhile ago but never completed it. Here is the perfect time to actually wrap that up. Now there are plenty of breather threads and I will add in the ones that I think helped me decide what I was going to do. Here is the one that I started but never finished, now I can:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/223544-diff-breather-manifold.html
A cool 4 line manifold kit from AUS- $129 is AUS bucks
BRC Manifold kit also from AUS- $170
42 Draft bling- $60- Just got this in, I DO NOT recommend it.
Breather vents maybe?

• Sway bar extensions-
I see that Slee and MetalTech make pretty much the same thing so I will just purchase as needed. Are new sway bar links needed? Found a couple options but they are all the same thing, available in 1.5" and 2" along with the s***ty ones from Man-a-Fre:
MetalTech sway bar spacers- $40/pair
Slee sway bar spacers- $41/pair Ordered Slee's front blocks and rear drops
s***ty Man-a-Fre drop Brackets- $31.95/pair
:wrench: LANDTANK's Extended Heavy Duty Sway Bar links with front weld on tab- went with these but didn't install the front tab.

• Load Sensing Proportion Valve drop bracket-
I've been reading a few threads that mention this. But I don't see a ready made product, only home growns. Based on this thread maybe there is nothing else needed other than to adjust the LSPV and call it a day: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/168274-lspv-bracket-mod-axle.html
Another thread on the topic: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/277890-lspv-nightmare-solved-kustom-mount-w-pics.html

• Steering Stabilizer-
Is just mounting a shock/stabilizer enough here or are there other options? I think I am going to just order the OME from SLEE.
:wrench: OME steering damper- $79
Ironman steering damper- $88
A few options from Tough Dog- $120-300 I am looking at the coil over "extreme" as its designed for Land Cruisers with at least 4" lift and larger tires

• Draglink-

Marlin's draglink- $122
:wrench: Bud Built Draglink- $130 Purchased Bud's Tie-rod and Draglink. Total was $310 delivered for both in black powder and extra thick walled sleeve.

Have I missed anything?

I will be posting what I get, what I paid and how it was installed. Most know I like to document the hell out of everything I do.
 
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So why lift? Why not stay stock? Simple, my wife covets the 80s in the area that are lifted.

I congratulate you sir on having a cool wife! :clap:

My wife thought they looked sweet until she had one in the driveway. Now she thinks me :hillbilly:
 
ya know joey..... a can of paint will fix any LX fashion faux pa your colored springs might create
concrete sprayed his Jd yellow about 8 yrs ago and they are still doing great, not flaked a bit

sounds like you kinda got it all figured out already except maybe the shocks..........
true it depends on your trucks setup but the right spring choice can usually eliminate the stinkbug
cant comment on if metal is superior to poly but maybe try and avoid em all together.

mixing springs can be a gamble... whats your typical load? heavy
wonder how one of the progressive 4'' (tjm or _____) would work with slee's progressive rear 4''
with matched shocks..... might look at those spring specs to compare
 
jfz80 said:
ya know joey..... a can of paint will fix any LX fashion faux pa your colored springs might create
concrete sprayed his Jd yellow about 8 yrs ago and they are still doing great, not flaked a bit

Yeah I figured I could just paint them but I was concerned about flaking. I'd be interested to hear what paint was used that's good and flexible.

jfz80 said:
cant comment on if metal is superior to poly but maybe try and avoid em all together.

That's the plan but I may not be that lucky.

jfz80 said:
mixing springs can be a gamble... whats your typical load? heavy
wonder how one of the progressive 4'' (tjm or _____) would work with slee's progressive rear 4''
with matched shocks..... might look at those spring specs to compare

My truck is pretty heavy and will only get heavier :(
Mixing and matching I suppose is possible but I would need tons of feedback before going that route
 
If you do have to do spacers I would recommend the metal tec over ploy.
I had the poly ones once and the springs eventually pounded them till they split.
The metal tech ones are a better design, you bolt them in above your stock spring perch so you maintain factory bump stop depth too.
 
If you do have to do spacers I would recommend the metal tec over ploy.
I had the poly ones once and the springs eventually pounded them till they split.
The metal tech ones are a better design, you bolt them in above your stock spring perch so you maintain factory bump stop depth too.

Convinced me. MetalTech it is...when/if needed. Thanks
 
Only problem with Metal Tech is that the lowest they have is 1.5" thats about twice what you need to fix the stinkbug look.

Yeah. More than likely I will have reverse stink bug due to my current weight distribution.
 
Please review the first post as I have been adding a lot of notes and links for future reference.
 
Just ordered the LANDTANK LCA's from AJIK Overland. Got them with the OEM bushings already installed: http://ajikoverlandexchange.com/products-page/landtank/heavy-duty-rear-lower-control-arms/
$430 ($470 w/ shipping and PP fees)!!

Waiting for AKELLA to get back to me about the rest of the OEM bushings that I need.

edit: He answered my PM and for $305 I have the OEM bushings I need coming my way. I'm now $300 over budget for the week so no more ordering til next pay period :flipoff2:

But I will keep adding as much information as I can gather and hopefully hear from all of you.
 
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Joey, congrats on the greenlight for the lift. I'm sure you'll get a lot of opinions but I'll share my (long and expensive) experience.

Started with the OME heavy springs/shocks/bushings and 285 tires. At that time, I had just a front bumper/winch, not much else in terms of weight. The lift improved handling but my wife wasn't excited about the ride quality and wanted to take her car everywhere. She described it as harsh and jarring, it did not bother me personally.

I was also looking to step up in tire size to 315s so I sold the OMEs and bought FORs 3.5" kit with LT's plates and a tacoma DC shaft. Handling was great and the ride quality improved significantly, I was really happy with the lift. But over the course of the next two years, I added a rear bumper, drawers, dual batteries, roof rack, rtt, wagoner tailgate, tools, etc (sub tank is sitting in my garage waiting to be installed). That was too much weight for FORs springs which, in his defense, he advertises as being for light- to medium-weight laden rigs. The rig started wallow/sway uncontrollably, particualry at freeway speeds and off-camber situations.

So I swapped FOR's springs for Slee's 4" springs (medium rear) and the shocks for a set of Radflo 2.5s that I picked up on sale from MetalTech. I also purchased Slee's brake lines and panhard bars - I basically ended up with a Slee 4" lift with Radflo shocks and LT caster plates (and the realization that I could have made this process easier from the beginning). Could not be happier with the combination. Absoutely love the Slee springs and Radflo 2.5s. I'm sure Slee's new shocks are just as good as the Radflos. My feeling is that 2.5" shocks (whether Radflo, Slee, Bilstein, Fox, etc.) really provide unmatched stability/control, though at a steep cost, even when used with slightly soft springs on a heavy rig. I'm sitting pretty level today at ~24" hub to fender (no flare). Probably lost 0.25-0.5" of height over the past 9 months, not much.

I would suggest driving several local members' rigs with various set ups to determine what you like. If you're ever up north, let me know and you can take a spin.
 
DMOZ, good info indeed. I don't see the pricing for the RadFlo's for a 4". Admittedly I have been leaning towards Slee's springs based on everything I've been reading. I'm not quite up to your gross weight but it won't be long until I am :p

BTW I am in Frisco about twice a year to visit family. When I'm in town I will drop you a PM.
 
DMOZ, good info indeed. I don't see the pricing for the RadFlo's for a 4". Admittedly I have been leaning towards Slee's springs based on everything I've been reading. I'm not quite up to your gross weight but it won't be long until I am :p

BTW I am in Frisco about twice a year to visit family. When I'm in town I will drop you a PM.

Sounds good.

FYI, the Radflo's for a 4" lift have similar specs as OME L shocks, maybe a tad longer. Think they're $375-400 on metal tech's site.
 
OK folks. I'm trying to list all of the options that I can find to make this as comprehensive of a list as I can. Feedback is welcome. If I am missing any options let me know and I will alter the first post to make sure everything gets listed.
 
Well, I now thinking I should be looking into new steering components now since I'm at 300k AND doing the lift. I guess I will need to tie-rods and maybe Bud Built draglink? Hmm, I guess more reading is needed.
 
Based on my own experience, I would strongly recommend against an upgraded draglink.

I managed to twist the splines on my sector shaft with a stock draglink. By increasing the strength of the draglink even more stress is transferred to the steering box, which could result in even more damage. I would much rather replace a bent draglink on rare occasions than tear down a steering box, so I've chosen to retain the factory link even with an upgraded sector shaft.

YMMV
 
Based on my own experience, I would strongly recommend against an upgraded draglink.

I managed to twist the splines on my sector shaft with a stock draglink. By increasing the strength of the draglink even more stress is transferred to the steering box, which could result in even more damage. I would much rather replace a bent draglink on rare occasions than tear down a steering box, so I've chosen to retain the factory link even with an upgraded sector shaft.

YMMV

Hmm, interesting, First time I've heard of this. That would suck.
 

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