Help returning 2.5” suspension to stock. (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Dec 27, 2018
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Location
Auburn Alabama
Hey guys I'm looking to de-mod return my 93 fzj80 to stock because its more of an overlanding rig and climbing up rocks. I'm moving from 315s to 285s and currently sitting on 2.5" dual rate dobinsons lift. I'm fairly confident I can reuse the shocks but looking to do a stock height spring (Like OME ect) and remove my 2.5" land tank caster brackets. I have a rear tire carrier, stock front bumper and putting the winch inside the front stock bumper (Stuff to be added will be a front bull bar, sliders, & drawers). The roof rack is coming off. Do you have any suggestions or anything to be weary of? I want the ride to be level as this was stink bugging pretty bad the entire time I had it. I'm open to suggestions on stock height springs - I don’t want to keep the lift going to 285. The exact model shocks and springs on the FZJ80 are:
  • C97-146VT: 2.5" Variable Rate Front Coil Spring Pair (Link)
  • C97-147VT: 2.5" Variable Rate Rear Coil Spring Pair (Link)
  • GS59-683: Shock Absorber Front 0-3" Lift (Link)
  • GS59-682: Shock Absorber Rear 0-3" Lift (Link)
  • SD59-824: Steering Damper (Link)
  • Landtank 2.5" Caster Correction Brackets (Link)
Current suspension, weight, & tire setup:

B79B1F47-CFB5-4D84-92F0-D24A229A126E.jpeg


Edit: My contribution to this thread is if your truck is outfitted like mine this is how the lift will look.
 
How is the caster and steerability of the rig with the setup, particularly those caster correction brackets? Do you get any vibration or bumpsteer/tramlining?
 
How is the caster and steerability of the rig with the setup, particularly those caster correction brackets? Do you get any vibration or bumpsteer/tramlining?
No wobble, no vibrations, no issues. My steering box has play so the only issue driving is the play in steering.
 
I've got the OME stock height coils. Running OME Nitro Sport shocks up front and OEM Tokicos in the back. With the weight you're talking about, this should work pretty well for you. I also added air bags in back, because we tow sometimes and get loaded for camping, too. Being able adjust ride height with the bags is a good thing and can help dial out the stinkbug to suit the needs of the moment.

This is how it sits pretty much MT (except I have a sleeper/draweer system in back you can't see that adds several hundred pounds) with 10 PSI in the air bags (5 psi is the minimum required inflation.)

BlsmGs.jpg
 
@TankTheLC Dobinsons also makes stock height coils and may even have a variable rate stock height. I had the OME stock height setup on my 94 with 285's and brand new OEM shocks. It looked great but it road rough, that probably had a lot to do with the E rated tires though.

Also I commend you on the de-modding of your rig. I also went through my phase of multiple lifts, 315's, bumpers, winches, etc. All of that stuff just ended up being a pain in the ass most of the time and the truck ended up getting parked in favor of the less modified one. There is something subtle and satisfying about a near stock rig with good tires that is able to do 95% of the trails out there.
 
@TankTheLC Dobinsons also makes stock height coils and may even have a variable rate stock height. I had the OME stock height setup on my 94 with 285's and brand new OEM shocks. It looked great but it road rough, that probably had a lot to do with the E rated tires though.

Also I commend you on the de-modding of your rig. I also went through my phase of multiple lifts, 315's, bumpers, winches, etc. All of that stuff just ended up being a pain in the ass most of the time and the truck ended up getting parked in favor of the less modified one. There is something subtle and satisfying about a near stock rig with good tires that is able to do 95% of the trails out there.
I completely agree! I've been fighting the urge for a 2.5 inch lift for awhile now. My truck is currently sitting on OME stock height springs with 10mm spacers all around. It gave me about an inch and a half of lift. I also have the Nitro shocks and steering stabilizer. It's triple locked and is a way more capable truck than I am as a driver! My next mod is to go to 4.56 gears to gain some gearing. I don't ever plan on going bigger than 285 tires so I think those gears would be perfect.

IMG_20200528_121307547_HDR.jpg


IMG_20200527_181432775_HDR.jpg
 
I completely agree! I've been fighting the urge for a 2.5 inch lift for awhile now. My truck is currently sitting on OME stock height springs with 10mm spacers all around. It gave me about an inch and a half of lift. I also have the Nitro shocks and steering stabilizer. It's triple locked and is a way more capable truck than I am as a driver! My next mod is to go to 4.56 gears to gain some gearing. I don't ever plan on going bigger than 285 tires so I think those gears would be perfect.

View attachment 2384610

View attachment 2384611

Or for less than what your going to spend on those gears you could take the money and get 10% underdrive gears in the transfer case plus additional low range gearing.
 
There is something subtle and satisfying about a near stock rig with good tires that is able to do 95% of the trails out there.

I think 95% of the trails is probably an under-estimate. It's probably 99.9% of the trails that are also public or forest roads and 95% of everything else that's legally driveable. An 80 series is a remarkably capable rig in stock form with decent tires (33s).

Not taking away anything from those that have the time and money to build their rigs way beyond stock, but buying a Land Cruiser in the first place ought to scratch the itch of feeling your hardware isn't up to snuff in the wild in most cases.
 
are the 861/862 OME Spring
Provided you didn’t go wild with slotting the factory brackets when installing my plates, you should be able to cut the welds, remove the plates and bolt the arms in the factory holes.
Well going back over the installation instructions it would seem I never actually welded the plates and have been running the plates unwelded for 30k miles. Nothing terrible happened but I know this was not advised. I used a proper right angle drill instead of a grinder so I’m hoping when I remove the plates the original hole will be solid and intact (I don’t remember what it looked like after I drilled the holes).
 
Something to consider when going back to stock-height springs and using the aftermarket shocks.

Your aftermarket shock length at full extension MAY be long enough to allow your coil springs to drop out if doing an extreme flex. Typically, the shock is the limiting factor and you MAY need to research this so you don't have a problem when you least expect it.

Maybe it's as simple as going back to the Tokico shocks as well.
 
...Maybe it's as simple as going back to the Tokico shocks as well.

That will likely depend on how much weight is added up front if he goes with the OME 861/862. I found that the Tokicos couldn't properly dampen everything once I added winch/ARB/AUX battery over the front axle. I swapped out the Tokicos for OME Nitro Sports on the front axle only. Solved the need to dampen better and the front OME/back OEM shock combo works great, even better after I added rear air bags. YMMV
 
OME 2681/2862s have been ordered. I may get them before the weekend and I’ll tackle it then. Any suggestions for checking shock measurements to make sure they are appropriate for the the vehicle lift/height?

ARB Rack was pulled off today
 
OME 2681/2862s have been ordered. I may get them before the weekend and I’ll tackle it then. Any suggestions for checking shock measurements to make sure they are appropriate for the the vehicle lift/height?

ARB Rack was pulled off today
I would start with Cruiser Outfitter's site and comparing their shocks and suspensions. Then you can compare the extended length of the shocks to each other to determine the best fit. not sure if there are any published dimensions of the Tokico shocks for s "stock" reference.
 
" I have a rear tire carrier, stock front bumper and putting the winch inside the front stock bumper (Stuff to be added will be a front bull bar, sliders, & drawers). The roof rack is coming off. "

I think you're taking one step forward with returning to stock and two steps back with weight. I think the reason you have that stinkbug is because you have no extra weight in front. When you add all the weight you are talking about you might find you are riding closer to level and stock height than you thought. I would add my weight, drive it a bit, then change my suspension to fit the new vehicle. Otherwise, you might end up making changes to it now ($$$), then adding all your crap ($$$$$), then changing your suspension again ($$$$). If you count all those dollar signs, you could get rid of about 3 of them taking this approach. :meh:

Edit: If the look or ride height bothers you in the short term you might use some cheap spacers to level things short term, put your stuff on, take out the spacers, then reevaluate.
 
" I have a rear tire carrier, stock front bumper and putting the winch inside the front stock bumper (Stuff to be added will be a front bull bar, sliders, & drawers). The roof rack is coming off. "

I think you're taking one step forward with returning to stock and two steps back with weight. I think the reason you have that stinkbug is because you have no extra weight in front. When you add all the weight you are talking about you might find you are riding closer to level and stock height than you thought. I would add my weight, drive it a bit, then change my suspension to fit the new vehicle. Otherwise, you might end up making changes to it now ($$$), then adding all your crap ($$$$$), then changing your suspension again ($$$$). If you count all those dollar signs, you could get rid of about 3 of them taking this approach. :meh:

Edit: If the look or ride height bothers you in the short term you might use some cheap spacers to level things short term, put your stuff on, take out the spacers, then reevaluate.
The stinkbug was a reference to if I replaced the springs wanting to avoid it. I’m removing the 315s in favor of 285s and I don’t want 2.5” of lift if I’m running 285s. I want the springs to ride around stock height and support the weight I have now/intended weight. The weight shortly going to the front is around $150.
 
The stinkbug was a reference to if I replaced the springs wanting to avoid it. I’m removing the 315s in favor of 285s and I don’t want 2.5” of lift if I’m running 285s. I want the springs to ride around stock height and support the weight I have now/intended weight. The weight shortly going to the front is around $150.

In your picture it looks like the rear is riding lower than the front. I thought that was what you are referring to. I get the desire to go lower when running 285's. I still think making changes before you add your front bumper, winch, drawers, etc. is a mistake. You may find you need a stiffer spring setup with the weight for your type of driving. On road handling might feel lumbering and you find you're bottoming out on your bumpstops offroad. Giving it a 1.5" - 2" lift over stock with your weight will have it all settle in closer to stock. I like the idea of adjustable shocks and/or airbags for your use. I think it would give you good options.

I'm no suspension expert though. I may be an expert at making the wrong choice and throwing money away. I've been sad with my suspension choices a couple of times and have to wait a few years of abuse before trying something different without just throwing out my kid's college fund...again. This time I intend to build it for the way I drive it instead of cutting corners, lying to myself about how much weight I carry, sacrificing loaded weight capacity for unloaded stance and ride, or pretending I won't drive 60 down washboard roads or too fast over rocks and ruts. It sounds like we drive and use our trucks differently, but the principle is the same.
 
OME 2681/2862s have been ordered. I may get them before the weekend and I’ll tackle it then. Any suggestions for checking shock measurements to make sure they are appropriate for the the vehicle lift/height?

ARB Rack was pulled off today

What made you choose OME stock height over like dobinson?
 
What made you choose OME stock height over like dobinson?
My dobinsons dealership said he had no way to get the springs - after calling various forum vendors like cruiser outfitters and they being out of OME stock springs (and ARB warehouses not having any) I just opted for the 2861/2862 because I could get them on Amazon prime. Plus I prefer the black springs to the blue springs lol.
 

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