CCOT Leveler Block - installed - no change

[eleblanc]

Yeah, what he said. It seems to me you'd need 2" blocks to make the sides equal. Going thru all that trouble, you could have put in an add-a-leaf to raise the low side. I guess I just don't agree with the whole lowering thing.
Good luck man.

Not true, with a 3/8" shim you will solve a 3/4-1" difference fender to ground from each side. That was my difference when i added the 3/8" shim.


See this thread, i solve my lean with a 3/8" shim on the right side front and rear.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/143300-ome-question.html

 

[miker]

Not true, with a 3/8" shim you will solve a 3/4-1" difference fender to ground from each side. That was my difference when i added the 3/8" shim.

This is similar to what I experienced but I think the truth is closer to that no 2 cruiser's frames, springs, and anything else that could be a contributor to the lean are the same. Results may vary...

 

[yellowstoner]

The CCOT shim worked on my 40, but I don't think it had a 2" lean to start with.

 

[RUSH55]

Not true, with a 3/8" shim you will solve a 3/4-1" difference fender to ground from each side. That was my difference when i added the 3/8" shim.


See this thread, i solve my lean with a 3/8" shim on the right side front and rear.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/143300-ome-question.html

Your thread never said what you used to solve the ~1" lean. A 3/8" plate leveled it?
If that's true, then to counter a 2" lean you'd need a 3/4" plate? Or possibly like I mentioned in a later post, that maybe he also has some bushing issues? Fuelgeddes hasn't mentioned anything about the condition of the rest of his suspension components.
BTW, those of you who have used the leveling plates, have you welded them on or what?

 

[eleblanc]

Your thread never said what you used to solve the ~1" lean. A 3/8" plate leveled it?
If that's true, then to counter a 2" lean you'd need a 3/4" plate? Or possibly like I mentioned in a later post, that maybe he also has some bushing issues? Fuelgeddes hasn't mentioned anything about the condition of the rest of his suspension components.
BTW, those of you who have used the leveling plates, have you welded them on or what?

I simply took a 3/8' plate, cut it (if i remember) 2"x3", with a hole on the center for the leaf center pin. I remove the leafe center pin then installed the shim on top then bolt the shim and leaf all together with center pin.

3/4 inch i'd be worry to cause major upset to truck balance, weight distribution. even alignment. If he really has a 2" difference from one side to a other, IMHO he need to check seriously what is wrong. If one leaf is broken, then he need that replace.

 

[miker]

BTW, those of you who have used the leveling plates, have you welded them on or what?

I don't know about the aftermarket ones but the factory leveling plates have a hole on one side and a pin on the other so there is no need to bolt it to the spring pack or to weld it to the perch. Just unbolt the u-bolts, set it in place, and then re-install new u-bolts.

 

[maxxitout]

It appears the CCOT leveler block/plate, and the factory block, do not add any tension to the leafs, they simply act as a spacer to drop that side of the truck a bit by raising the axle on the side with the block higher than the side without. This effect lowers the body on the side with the block but does not change the springs tension or lift/droop at all. It should work every time no matter the condition of the springs. The drop is in direct relation to the thickness of the block plate. Thats why it must be installed on top of the spring pack under the axle. I need one of these too...

 

[bakocruiser]

Vfrer,

Do you like your lift from CCOT? I'm thinking of purchasing one myself.

 

[vfrer]

I do like the lift but I have a lean that I'm not liking too much, leans to the passenger side rear which is not the typical cruiser lean as far as I know. It has sagged a little but I carry a lot of weight (lots of tools, spares and a metal tech cage). I took the leveler block out and flipped the springs recently but haven't had a chance to wheel that setup yet. Overall I'd recommend it. The lean is my only complaint and I am just going to put a longer shackle on that side to correct it, it does have more of an angle, seems like that spring is longer or something.

 

[Fast Eddy]

The lean is my only complaint and I am just going to put a longer shackle on that side to correct it, it does have more of an angle, seems like that spring is longer or something.

Have you weighed each tire (vehicle weight)? I'll bet the springs are exactly the same.

 

[Bandit_guy]

The 3/8 inch plate is for strength, the thickness has nothing to do with the lean correction. On my BJ 42 with 300,000 clicks the lean was pretty significant, about two inches. I went to my local machine shop had them make me a five inch long plate instead of the 4 1/2 from CCOT and it fixed it right up. I made them put a 5/8 inch hole in the middle and I didn't have to take the leaf springs apart. My U-bolts were long enough so I unbolted them just enough so I could get the plate in, retightened everything and that was it. An hour of work and the lean was gone. Had there been a bigger lean, I guess a longer plate would work but eventually you flatten the opposite side so much that you should be looking for new leaf springs first .

 

[miker]

The 3/8 inch plate is for strength, the thickness has nothing to do with the lean correction. On my BJ 42 with 300,000 clicks the lean was pretty significant, about two inches. I went to my local machine shop had them make me a five inch long plate instead of the 4 1/2 from CCOT and it fixed it right up. I made them put a 5/8 inch hole in the middle and I didn't have to take the leaf springs apart. My U-bolts were long enough so I unbolted them just enough so I could get the plate in, retightened everything and that was it. An hour of work and the lean was gone. Had there been a bigger lean, I guess a longer plate would work but eventually you flatten the opposite side so much that you should be looking for new leaf springs first .

From your description of how the plate was made and your installation, it sounds like you installed it as you would a degree shim. Was your spring center pin bolt head long enough to go through the 3/8" plate AND the axle housing spring perch? If it was a stock center pin then they are generally not tall enough to extend past a 3/8" plate or even enough through a degree shim for my liking. Most folks recommend the stock pin be replaced with an aftermarket one with a longer head.

 

[ohrly?]

Cut out your body mounts and make new ones, dont be a wuss

 

[miker]

Cut out your body mounts and make new ones, dont be a wuss

I don't get this.

 

[fjwagon]

It leans because of the misbalance of the weight of the tcase and motor since they are not centered. So you will get a the classic "lean" and gets worse over time.

I installed the HFS 4" kit and it comes with the block on the passenger rear spring. Question... why would you need the block on a new set of springs? My 40 seems to sit pretty level so I never really dug into it much but this looks like a good time to ask. Is it a preventative measure to keep the lean from coming back? Wouldn't the lean go the opposite way when installed if this were the case?
Eric

 

[Bandit_guy]

From your description of how the plate was made and your installation, it sounds like you installed it as you would a degree shim. Was your spring center pin bolt head long enough to go through the 3/8" plate AND the axle housing spring perch? If it was a stock center pin then they are generally not tall enough to extend past a 3/8" plate or even enough through a degree shim for my liking. Most folks recommend the stock pin be replaced with an aftermarket one with a longer head.

I didn't unbolt the leafs from their the original center pin bolt. From talking with a few different suspension outfits in my area they were as surprised as I was to find out that Toyota's fix was to sink the other side rather then raise the low side. The whole story with the 5/8 inch hole is that the added plate fits over the top of the center pin bolt but does not get bolted on with the rest of the leaf springs. It just fits over the top of the head of the bolt preventing the plate from sliding froward or back, with the u-bolts holding everything together. The idea came from the fact that I couldn't find a center pin bolt long enough at the time and everyone I asked about it said it wouldn't matter that they weren't bolted together so, I just had to figure out a way to get it in there and have the u-bolts do the job of keeping it there.

 

[antFJ]

The lean is my only complaint and I am just going to put a longer shackle on that side to correct it, it does have more of an angle, seems like that spring is longer or something.

i thought it was discussed on here that having two different shackle lengths is dangerous.. not trying to change the direction of this thread but yea. be safe.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/240715-different-length-shackles-same-axle-fix-lean.html
edit: no one ever had a good reason for why it wouldn't be safe.. if it works then it works.

 

[miker]

I didn't unbolt the leafs from their the original center pin bolt. From talking with a few different suspension outfits in my area they were as surprised as I was to find out that Toyota's fix was to sink the other side rather then raise the low side. The whole story with the 5/8 inch hole is that the added plate fits over the top of the center pin bolt but does not get bolted on with the rest of the leaf springs. It just fits over the top of the head of the bolt preventing the plate from sliding froward or back, with the u-bolts holding everything together. The idea came from the fact that I couldn't find a center pin bolt long enough at the time and everyone I asked about it said it wouldn't matter that they weren't bolted together so, I just had to figure out a way to get it in there and have the u-bolts do the job of keeping it there.

The spring center pin locates the axle. You cannot rely on the ubolts alone to keep the axle properly located on the spring. If the spring center pin does not engage the hole in the spring perch, the axle could, and will most likely over time, move in relation to the spring.

 

[vfrer]

i thought it was discussed on here that having two different shackle lengths is dangerous.. not trying to change the direction of this thread but yea. be safe.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/240715-different-length-shackles-same-axle-fix-lean.html
edit: no one ever had a good reason for why it wouldn't be safe.. if it works then it works.

Nope... no one ever gave any reasons why. I've been driving for a couple months with the different length shackles in the rear and it seems to drive totally normal. Done a few wheeling trips and been banged around and still riding nice and level.

 

[cosfj40]

I do like the lift but I have a lean that I'm not liking too much, leans to the passenger side rear which is not the typical cruiser lean as far as I know. It has sagged a little but I carry a lot of weight (lots of tools, spares and a metal tech cage). I took the leveler block out and flipped the springs recently but haven't had a chance to wheel that setup yet. Overall I'd recommend it. The lean is my only complaint and I am just going to put a longer shackle on that side to correct it, it does have more of an angle, seems like that spring is longer or something.

Mine, too, leans to the passenger side rear. Did you get it corrected? If so, how did you correct it? Thanks!