I packed a family of 4 loaded for Big Bend on the stock suspension and it squatted big time. I noticed it when doing 80 plus on some of those West Texas roads. I ended up putting in air bags. They worked well and were not expensive. They may work for your situation.
Builds Atnolan94 Land Crooser Build Thread
- Thread starter atnolan94
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atnolan94
I'm Your Huckleberry
- Thread starter
- #163
Ok so I got quite a few things done today and I COULD NOT be happier! First up, I decided to order some OME 2866 rear coils to replace my very worn stickers and 30mm spacer. They were fine but after I got my sliders I had concerns about having a full tank, a cooler, a dog, etc.
The ride quality on these 866s is great with the dual rate, and it’s great to know they move to a much higher spring rate when you load up! The truck feels a little more stable, not like it’s just struggling to manage its own weight. Stock my rear was around 20.5” hub to fender, with the 30mm spacer I gained exactly an inch to 21.5”, and with the 866 I am at about 22.5”. But more importantly when I load up I may only lose half an inch or so rather than over an inch like I experienced stock.
Next up, my passenger torsion bar adjustment was completely maxed out and I’ve needed to re-index for a few weeks now. I used the incredibly helpful torsion bar thread that is (I believe) in the Q&A stickied above. I’ve heard from many that this job is a bear, but in all honesty, it only took about 20 minutes total. My truck is rust-free which is a tremendous help. I was able to get my hub-to-fender to about 21” which I think is perfect for me! Good news, I’m happy with my lift; bad news, my drivers side is now just 2ish turns from being maxed and probably needs a re-index.
While I was down there I found the culprit of a front end clank that I couldn’t track down. Turns out my drivers lower shock bushing was absolutely toasted. I have reason to believe that they are original, i.e. 18 years old. I called my local Toyota dealer to see if I could get an oem replacement pair to swap just to get me through my trip next weekend. They only had one, but I think my passenger side is good enough to get me by. I have a message out to Jason at Trail Tailor and I plan to replace both fronts with Tough dog’s and after HIH I will look into getting some tough dogs for the rear too.
The luck I had on my torsion bars was broken by my lack of luck getting this upper shock bolt off. 2 hours and 2 trips to the hardware store later I finally got it to break free. When I removed the lower bolt and pulled the shock out, the metal sleeve in the bushing feel out and the rest of the bushing completely disintegrated. The bottom of the shock had all the finish worn of from rubbing the control arm. Upon my drive this evening, I confirmed that my clank is gone.
I think I will be good to go on my trip next weekend as-is, but I’m very excited to get some TD foam cell shocks on this thing!
The ride quality on these 866s is great with the dual rate, and it’s great to know they move to a much higher spring rate when you load up! The truck feels a little more stable, not like it’s just struggling to manage its own weight. Stock my rear was around 20.5” hub to fender, with the 30mm spacer I gained exactly an inch to 21.5”, and with the 866 I am at about 22.5”. But more importantly when I load up I may only lose half an inch or so rather than over an inch like I experienced stock.
Next up, my passenger torsion bar adjustment was completely maxed out and I’ve needed to re-index for a few weeks now. I used the incredibly helpful torsion bar thread that is (I believe) in the Q&A stickied above. I’ve heard from many that this job is a bear, but in all honesty, it only took about 20 minutes total. My truck is rust-free which is a tremendous help. I was able to get my hub-to-fender to about 21” which I think is perfect for me! Good news, I’m happy with my lift; bad news, my drivers side is now just 2ish turns from being maxed and probably needs a re-index.
While I was down there I found the culprit of a front end clank that I couldn’t track down. Turns out my drivers lower shock bushing was absolutely toasted. I have reason to believe that they are original, i.e. 18 years old. I called my local Toyota dealer to see if I could get an oem replacement pair to swap just to get me through my trip next weekend. They only had one, but I think my passenger side is good enough to get me by. I have a message out to Jason at Trail Tailor and I plan to replace both fronts with Tough dog’s and after HIH I will look into getting some tough dogs for the rear too.
The luck I had on my torsion bars was broken by my lack of luck getting this upper shock bolt off. 2 hours and 2 trips to the hardware store later I finally got it to break free. When I removed the lower bolt and pulled the shock out, the metal sleeve in the bushing feel out and the rest of the bushing completely disintegrated. The bottom of the shock had all the finish worn of from rubbing the control arm. Upon my drive this evening, I confirmed that my clank is gone.
I think I will be good to go on my trip next weekend as-is, but I’m very excited to get some TD foam cell shocks on this thing!
Looks like you found a way to make the lift happen before HIH 
You pieced your lift together so it's not a traditional kit, correct? What would you say your lift amount is?
atnolan94
I'm Your Huckleberry
- Thread starter
- #168
Correct. I am on stock torsion bars I just did a quick re-index. I am on OME 2866 rear coils which are 2-2.5” taller than stock unloaded in my application. I am still running stock shocks but I will invest in some Tough Dog’s pretty soon here. I also plan to get some aftermarket torsion bars with a little more spring rate to support my ARB a little better. But for now the re-index allowed me to run the lift I’m looking for. I’d say I’m about a factory rake at 2-ish inches of lift front and rear. As a DD this is exactly where I was hoping to be.
I'm lift shopping now, so I'm trying to figure out what route to take. I'm likely going OME but having trouble deciding between the 1.5 or the 2.5, UCA's or not. I feel like I change my mind every day on which way I want to go.
atnolan94
I'm Your Huckleberry
- Thread starter
- #172
Been a good weekend for the cruiser. I drove it to the lease and back again with no issues. Got all around the lease, and having those LED rounds at night was a blessing! I could immediately tell the difference in the 866 coils vs stock, they managed the bumps with a little more confidence on and off the road. I was able to do 70mph on the dirt roads getting out there since the vehicle felt so stab even with about 200 lbs in cargo and two grown men sitting up front.
I developed a little bit of a clunk in my steering while we were there and I have had issues with the steering wheel rubbing the column trim since I did the shaft replacement. So I took it all apart and realized that I didn't actually set the C clip at the very top of the column properly. So it forced the shaft to tap the edges of its housing in the column. There is a big spring in there that you have to find a way to compress (i.e. pulling the steering shaft toward yourself) and then you can pop the C Clip in its groove. All good now and the steering is EVEN BETTER still than it was when I first did this job. I could tell immediately that it worked because my steering feels light and smooth all the way around and the spacing between my wheel and the trim on the column was more than adequate.
These 100s sure do look good dirty!
I developed a little bit of a clunk in my steering while we were there and I have had issues with the steering wheel rubbing the column trim since I did the shaft replacement. So I took it all apart and realized that I didn't actually set the C clip at the very top of the column properly. So it forced the shaft to tap the edges of its housing in the column. There is a big spring in there that you have to find a way to compress (i.e. pulling the steering shaft toward yourself) and then you can pop the C Clip in its groove. All good now and the steering is EVEN BETTER still than it was when I first did this job. I could tell immediately that it worked because my steering feels light and smooth all the way around and the spacing between my wheel and the trim on the column was more than adequate.
These 100s sure do look good dirty!
What county is the lease in?
Nice. We are between Richland Springs and San Saba. E rated tires work pretty good with the mesquites.
atnolan94
I'm Your Huckleberry
- Thread starter
- #176
Not far at all. I know a lot of guys with places around Brady. The thing we like about Hamilton is its only 2 hours from Dallas.
My KO2s have been amazing out there both in traction and durability. I never hesitate to cut across fields or anything. We are waiting to pop a Michelin on our 2015 F250 Platinum to throw some KO2's on it, but surprisingly those LTX A/Ts have held up great. We just can't get one to go on us.
My KO2s have been amazing out there both in traction and durability. I never hesitate to cut across fields or anything. We are waiting to pop a Michelin on our 2015 F250 Platinum to throw some KO2's on it, but surprisingly those LTX A/Ts have held up great. We just can't get one to go on us.
atnolan94
I'm Your Huckleberry
- Thread starter
- #177
Been a while since I’ve given an update on my build. I’m leaving for HIH Wednesday and am using today to check all my fluids, make sure my cb is all good to go, sway bar end links (may have to push til tomorrow), and finally install my snorkel.
Drilling these holes was a bit of a nerve wracking experience, but it turned out great. There’s a great snorkel thread with writeup so I won’t bore you with the details. Here’s some pics!
Drilling these holes was a bit of a nerve wracking experience, but it turned out great. There’s a great snorkel thread with writeup so I won’t bore you with the details. Here’s some pics!
Man, I just went through this thread and let me tell you, A f****** Plus. I can't believe how fast you get things done. I think it's made me rethink a few things about the direction I want to go with my 98 (like doing as much baselining/PM as you did, and holding off on the big stuff). Sure wish I had people like you and @DirtDawg around me to help out.
Really can't wait to see where this ends up and hopefully I can make it out to HIH next year and meet everyone, but that's gonna be a bit tough.
Really can't wait to see where this ends up and hopefully I can make it out to HIH next year and meet everyone, but that's gonna be a bit tough.
atnolan94
I'm Your Huckleberry
- Thread starter
- #180
Thanks bud! I’m so glad I put in all this legwork over the past 5 months.
I ran Imogene pass yesterday here at HIH. I took the hardest lines and looked for every obstacle I could and the 100 did not disappoint. I was genuinely surprised by what it could do. I stood in front of a few obstacles that I just said to myself “no way” and the 100 just blew me away by walking right up. If you put this thing in low gear and give it 1,500 RPM it feels like you can do almost anything. I didn’t hit any armor just yet, and don’t anticipate to on black bear today, but I think I’ll be glad I had the sliders on Poughkeepsie tomorrow. I will report back with a full trip report after the fact but I wanted to drop a few pics here now.
