Complete suspension overhaul...Help me decide what to replace! (1 Viewer)

[OffRoadRN]

I have a new (to me) 1999 LC with 244K. I plan on lifting the vehicle, but when I do, I would like to completely overhaul the suspension, not just replace the springs and struts. Here is what I am thinking about buying so far:

• Dobinsons IMS Kit
  • Dobinsons Torsion Bars (These are back ordered, worth waiting for vs OME?)
  • Extended Front Shocks (2-2.5")
  • C59-185 Rear Coils (I will be adding a rear drawer system, fridge, gear for family of four, full steel skids, and steel rear swingout bumper.)
  • IMS59-60682 IFP Shocks (0-3")
  • Dobinsons Differential Drop
• Nitro UCA's (Any opinions on these vs SPC or Dobinsons? Seems like a good bargain...)

Parts that I am curious about (Any reason to replace OEM with these? Cost vs benefit? Should I just replace bushings where possible?):

• SPC LCA's
• Trail Tailor Sway Bar End Links
• Aftermarket Lower Ball Joints
• Adjustable Panhard Bar vs Relocation Bracket (That bracket seems expensive? Which option is 'better')
• Extended Bump Stops vs Bracket
• Tie Rod Ends

I plan to remove my CV's and reboot if splines are OK. What other bushings will need to be replaced? Any other parts that I should consider replacing? I am a total noob so any input with part selection as far as brands, as well as what would be beneficial to replace would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to build an offroad/overland rig. I wanna make it to 500k or more on the odometer. Thanks!

 

[OwnerCS]

I have a new (to me) 1999 LC with 244K. I plan on lifting the vehicle, but when I do, I would like to completely overhaul the suspension, not just replace the springs and struts. Here is what I am thinking about buying so far:

• Dobinsons IMS Kit
  • Dobinsons Torsion Bars (These are back ordered, worth waiting for vs OME?)
  • Extended Front Shocks (2-2.5")
  • C59-185 Rear Coils (I will be adding a rear drawer system, fridge, gear for family of four, full steel skids, and steel rear swingout bumper.)
  • IMS59-60682 IFP Shocks (0-3")
  • Dobinsons Differential Drop
• Nitro UCA's (Any opinions on these vs SPC or Dobinsons? Seems like a good bargain...)

Parts that I am curious about (Any reason to replace OEM with these? Cost vs benefit? Should I just replace bushings where possible?):

• SPC LCA's
• Trail Tailor Sway Bar End Links
• Aftermarket Lower Ball Joints
• Adjustable Panhard Bar vs Relocation Bracket (That bracket seems expensive? Which option is 'better')
• Extended Bump Stops vs Bracket
• Tie Rod Ends

I plan to remove my CV's and reboot if splines are OK. What other bushings will need to be replaced? Any other parts that I should consider replacing? I am a total noob so any input with part selection as far as brands, as well as what would be beneficial to replace would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to build an offroad/overland rig. I wanna make it to 500k or more on the odometer. Thanks!

Looks a lot like my build. She's built like a steakhouse, but she handles like a bistro. Ha!

Dobinsons IMS (MRR was not available at the time I ordered). I am extremely satisfied with the IMS ride. I know people who are very satisfied with MRR. I think this gets down to personal budget. I may upgrade to MRR if I run out of other enhancements to spend money on.

Dobinsons Torsion Bars (These are back-ordered, worth waiting for vs OME?) I had to settle for OME since Dobinsons were back-ordered at build time. The Dobinsoons bars are premarked. No straight edges, no counting spline tick marks, no sharpies, required for installation. I see DIY people buying Dobinsons bars as solo purchases. The popularity appears to have created a shortage. I understand the bar strength is the same as OME. Once installed, I don't really have a reason to change.

C59-185 Rear Coils (I will be adding a rear drawer system, fridge, gear for a family of four, full steel skids, and steel rear swingout bumper.) - That's a good midrange spring. I see people adding an airbag for special load/towing occasions if needed. People in my neck of the woods go in for C59-171 more to stiffen up the rear end for driving 180-degree switchbacks at high speeds. If I lived on the great plains or an area with a lot of flatlands, I would have a different opinion.

I personally went with the Trail-tailor drop diff kit. I think they were on sale at the time I purchased and Dobinsons was not available. I don't know if it makes much difference with the brand. No complaints with the TT and the stock bolts work well with it and my Asfir skid.

Extended Front Shocks (2-2.5") - Although I set the front height at a fraction under 2" with the rear riding at 3+, I do like the idea of having full droop reach 24 3/4 inches. In my unusual off-road environment(s) I prefer droop over compression. I've been very happy with a set of(4) Wheelers extended bump stops on the front with Timbrens on the rear. YYMV -- this is a personal handling preference item.

I chose SPC upper controls arms more because they are popular among a large number of Tacoma World owners that wheel harder than I will ever attempt. So the purchase was based on recommendations from a larger community regarding the new SPC design and being able to get replacement ball joints. I see people are happy with other UCAs like Dobinsions, TT, Nitro. It depends on what you like and your personal comfort level.

New LCA rear frame bushings. There are some threads here on replacing those bushings. That was one of my better decisions to replace all bushings associated with the LCAs. It helped it drive like a new truck after all bushings had been replaced.

My rear upper and lower LCAs are big beefy Trail Trailor. I also have Trail-tailor rear LCA skids.

Inner and outer tie rod ends and rack are all new OEM.

I didn't know that SPC made LCAs for 100 series. I'm running LCAs with 555 ball joints and new bushings. I did add the Ironman LCA stabilizer brackets to beef up the LCA TB connection point.

Trail-tailor extended end links. I like them.

Panhard correction was a later addition after I had felt the back end shift around over rail-road tracks and overpasses. That was my last mod after all other suspension mods. While expensive, it was a mod that I'm glad that I made. I went with DeltaVS. I like it because it did not require welding and my OEM bar fit perfectly. Like everything from DeltaVS, it came with excellent installation instructions. Since I installed the PCK, I understand PCKs are coming from EMKeith and Trail-tailor. I would wait to see how your rear lift works out and select a PCK based on need.

Why Dobinsons? My off-road community is heavily dominated by 80 series, 4Runners, and Tacomas. I could see the larger communities moving to Dobinsons back in 2019. I waited for IMS to become available for the 100 series. Face-to-face conversations and watching the trucks in action off-road in my area caused interest over price or glitzy marketing.

 

[OffRoadRN]

Looks a lot like my build. She's built like a steakhouse, but she handles like a bistro. Ha!

Dobinsons IMS (MRR was not available at the time I ordered). I am extremely satisfied with the IMS ride. I know people who are very satisfied with MRR. I think this gets down to personal budget. I may upgrade to MRR if I run out of other enhancements to spend money on.

Dobinsons Torsion Bars (These are back-ordered, worth waiting for vs OME?) I had to settle for OME since Dobinsons were back-ordered at build time. The Dobinsoons bars are premarked. No straight edges, no counting spline tick marks, no sharpies, required for installation. I see DIY people buying Dobinsons bars as solo purchases. The popularity appears to have created a shortage. I understand the bar strength is the same as OME. Once installed, I don't really have a reason to change.

C59-185 Rear Coils (I will be adding a rear drawer system, fridge, gear for a family of four, full steel skids, and steel rear swingout bumper.) - That's a good midrange spring. I see people adding an airbag for special load/towing occasions if needed. People in my neck of the woods go in for C59-171 more to stiffen up the rear end for driving 180-degree switchbacks at high speeds. If I lived on the great plains or an area with a lot of flatlands, I would have a different opinion.

I personally went with the Trail-tailor drop diff kit. I think they were on sale at the time I purchased and Dobinsons was not available. I don't know if it makes much difference with the brand. No complaints with the TT and the stock bolts work well with it and my Asfir skid.

Extended Front Shocks (2-2.5") - Although I set the front height at a fraction under 2" with the rear riding at 3+, I do like the idea of having full droop reach 24 3/4 inches. In my unusual off-road environment(s) I prefer droop over compression. I've been very happy with a set of(4) Wheelers extended bump stops on the front with Timbrens on the rear. YYMV -- this is a personal handling preference item.

I choose SPC upper controls arms more because they are popular among a large number of Tacoma World owners that wheel harder than I will ever attempt. So the purchase was based on recommendations from a larger community regarding the new SPC design and being able to get replacement ball joints. I see people are happy with other UCAs like Dobinsions, TT, Nitro. It depends on what you like and your personal comfort level.

New LCA rear frame bushings. There are some threads here on replacing those bushings. That was one of my better decisions to replace all bushings associated with the LCAs. It helped it drive like a new truck after all bushings had been replaced.

My rear upper and lower LCAs are big beefy Trail Trailor. I also have Trail-tailor rear LCA skids.

Inner and outer tie rod ends and rack are all new OEM.

I didn't know that SPC made LCAs for 100 series. I'm running LCAs with 555 ball joints and new bushings. I did add the Ironman LCA stabilizer brackets to beef up the LCA TB connection point.

Trail-tailor extended end links. I like them.

Panhard correction was a later addition after I had felt the back end shift around over rail-road tracks and overpasses. That was my last mod after all other suspension mods. While expensive, it was a mod that I'm glad that I made. I went with DeltaVS. I like it because it did not require welding and my OEM bar fit perfectly. Like everything from DeltaVS, it came with excellent installation instructions. Since I installed the PCK, I understand PCKs are coming from EMKeith and Trail-tailor. I would wait to see how your rear lift works out and select a PCK based on need.

Why Dobinsons? My off-road community is heavily dominated by 80 series, 4Runners, and Tacomas. I could see the larger communities moving to Dobinsons back in 2019. I waited for IMS to become available for the 100 series. Face-to-face conversations and watching the trucks in action off-road in my area caused interest over price or glitzy marketing.

Hey thank you so much for the detailed reply! When I said SPC lower control arms, the part I was actually referring to is the rear lower control link or trailing arm? Is that something I should replace right away, or another wait and see item? I see metal tech and ironman 4x4 each have a set around $800 for the upper and lowers.

 

[OwnerCS]

Hey thank you so much for the detailed reply! When I said SPC lower control arms, the part I was actually referring to is the rear lower control link or trailing arm? Is that something I should replace right away, or another wait and see item? I see metal tech and ironman 4x4 each have a set around $800 for the upper and lowers.

I would wait and see. Check the condition of your old arms. Mine were in decent condition. I ordered TT RLCAs after I had already ordered and installed the IMS shocks.
I installed them at the end just before the PCK. My advice about buying rear lower control arms with poly bushings is to make sure the seller also sells replacement bushing sets on their WEBSITE. Then I would order a spare set to keep in case the seller goes out of business. I've been stuck with some specialty arms that required a unique poly bushing when the seller went out of business. When I needed bushings, none were to be found. So I had to start all over from the beginning with a different product.

The parts that were installed along with the IMS shocks and springs, in the beginning, were the SPC upper control arms, Lower Control Arm Bushings 555 Ball joints, LCA frame bushing, LCA TB brace. The inner and outer tie rod ends, and the rack was shot.

The truck wandered down the road and weaved from side to side. It was a ticking time b0mb. I had some serious steering components to stabilize before I could start a suspension rehabilitation program.

Worn out upper ball joints.

The old rack was shot. The inner tie rods had so much play they should just floop around lifelessly.

Chronic oil leaks had destroyed a number of front-end suspension bushings.

I installed the new SPC uppers along with the steering rack and tie rod ends before I removed AHC.

Pressed in Lower Control Arm bushings at the rear that connect to the frame.