HJ61 OME lift and some questions (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Oct 14, 2011
Threads
13
Messages
256
Location
Up in the cold north, Norway
Hello.

I have just purchased a new OME dakar heavy+ lift kit consisting of:
2x CS005RA leaf with added leaf D2XL for the rear giving a total of 10 leaves per pack.
2x CS005F leaf for the front. 8 leaves per pack
2x 60062 Sport shocks for the rear
2x 60063 Sport shocks for the front
1x SD24 steering damper

+ OME bushings, OME ubolts and OME anti inversion kit to be welded on the frame.

With rebates I got this set with TUV papers for only 2500$ US, not to bad :)

I first got the old nitro charger shocks, but wanted to exchange these for the new sport model thinking those would be stiffer and making cornering better. I paid the premium that OME demands for them only to be let down. To my disappointment they they are only protected with weak plastic cover instead of the steel cylinder the old nitro charger has. Any one else got this nasty surprise? Pay more and something weaker. I guess they will handle better on road.

This kit lift 50mm (2") in the front and 75mm (3") in the back.
My other HJ60 already had an OME medium kit on it from the previous owner. The solution on this truck was to use 2" extended shackles (5" total) in the front avoiding the stinkbug and getting it level. My plan is to do exactly this to my new truck as well. Only on my HJ60 I have a problem, its steering are all over the road and I wont to avoid this problem on the HJ61.
Would caster shims be my solution? What degree shim should I use and why are steel shims preferred over aluminium?
I might go with longer shackles in the future both front and rear. Maybe also do a shackle reversal.

Planing on doing either a 2", 3" or 4" body lift as well. Wanting to clear 40" skinny tires, but this might not be so easy without hell of a lot of fender?
What about 11R16 (38") or 37"?
I am not doing any rock crawling, might just meet the need to do so if a rock lies in my way and I would hardly call that rock crawling.
Mostly doing pavement driving with some casual off road driving now and then. Nothing to serious, but planing an Africa trip in the not to distant future.

SOA is out of the question. I have to have my car thoroughly inspected every 2nd year and approved road worthy and the NPRA (Norwegian Public Roads Administration) pops up every now and then with road side control posts looking for modified cars, taking your license plate. Gives you a huge fine tells you to show up with your car in OEM state to get your license plate back :(
I ain't allowed to alter the fuel pump giving it more performance. I ain't allowed to drive with any tires larger than 31x10.5R15 if I get papers from Toyota, otherwise 205/80R16 is the largest. I ain't allowed to lower or lift my car any inch at all. I ain't allowed to modify my car any at all. :(

Thats why I go with OME as I can get it approved. The body lift I will have to hope that don't spot by making it appear OEM. Lifting the bumpers. Adding rubber plates from the chassis to the frame and smearing the lift blocks in with underbody anti rust. Making it look like they always have been there.
Damn I hate the NPRA :bang:

So what are your suggestion on avoiding wobbly steering?
What do you think about a descent body lift and what will be involved other than lowering radiator?
Do I need to extend any lines, wires or hoses?

Planing on upgrading to longer and better brake lines from the frame down to the axles both front and rear and eliminating the break shield brake line so that I can hang my calibers instead of disconnecting them. What flares and connection does Toyota use here?
Thinking of buying flare and connectors at JEGS and make my own stainless brake lines.

Where would you buy extended swaybar arms front and back?
Anything else I should do at the same time?

Any good step by step guide to installing OME lift? So that I doesn't do any stupid mistakes as I never have done this before.

Oh btw. going to mount a 50" LED bar on the roof. Any one know the diameter of the hole in the roof above the overhead console? Any good tips on good and waterproof cable glands?
I might ask for some more later as I probably forgot a bunch of important questions. Excuse my rubbish English. Grammar ain't my strong side :p
 
4" body lift.... thats tall. Your radiator shroud will foul and power steer line into resivour might need looking at as it has a tag bent over it to keep it from moving. Rubber intake pipe from air box to crossover pipe wont work at all. I have 1" body lift and wouldnt want to stress it any further so youll need to sort something out for that
 
I have to question why you would even bother trying to run 40" (or 37 for that matter) tires if the laws are that restrictive. Why not just stick with 33's or 35's with a more modest body lift and call it a day? Sounds like that is all your "casual off roading" really calls for. Running extra large tires requires a lot of accompanying modification (stronger axles, new R&P, hydro assist steering, etc), and ultimately makes your rig less reliable. I would rather have a good combination of capable and reliable, than have a rig that could crawl over a minivan but might leave me stranded in the woods.

4" body lift will look rediculous, no matter how much you cover it up with lifted bumpers and panels to fill in the gaps. Just my $.02

As for the wobbly steering, if you're going with longer than stock shackles, you need to install a caster shim in the front between the axle and the spring pack to maintain stock-ish caster angle. Always use steel shims if you can get your hands on them. You want the end result to be around 2-5* positive caster. Usually a 4* shim will work, sometimes a 6* is necessary. But the best way to tell for sure would be to put your suspension together and measure with a magnetic angle finder on top of the steering knuckle, then get the shim that brings it back to the sweet spot.

Good luck, and post pictures!
 
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OME lift install is straightforward ....for the most part. I have the OME heavy/heavy on my truck. Put the truck up on jack stands (4 jack stands) holding the truck by the frame. Then use a floor jack and another jack stand to help move around the axle housings when swapping springs. Also get a small ratchet strap that you can use to move the springs into proper position. Only work on one side at the time.

Get the truck off the ground on the 4 jack stands and stable...then remove all 4 tires and you are ready to go. Do one side at the time...a friend would be good to have to help but you can do it by yourself.

I alos have a 2 inch body lift...I would not install anything greater than a 2inch body lift (just my view).

If you are going to run a suspension lift and a body lift.. there is going to be some "lean"... just have to be aware of it. You will also need some longer brake hoses and longer sway bar links. In regard to the body lift you also will need to relocate your fan shroud or move the radiator down approximately the same distance of your body lift...to keep the engine fan out of the fan shroud.

Thats about it. Getting some of the old parts off may be a challenge...


I can take some pics of what mine looks like if you want to check it out...it might be an aid for double checking your work.

Getting the OEM steering stablizer off was a pain in the #$%#....you may need something like a pitman arm puller to get it off or a "pickle fork" tool. They can be very aggravating.

max 35inch tires....reasonable 33 inch tires.
 
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Humongus lift and 40" tires for your plan is nuts. Say goodbye to ever having a comfortable driving experience again.
 
With the OME suspension you can run 33" tires no problem, no need for body lift. It will look stock. Best is 255/85R16, I love my new BFG KM2's vs the AT's I ran for 5 years previous. It doesn't sound like you have any real need for a 40" tire with the driving you do.
 
The body lift with the above noted suspension lift...will help you avoid tire scrub off-road. (tire scrub on the fender-wells.
 
I already have an after marked air filter so that wont be a problem. I am aware of the radiator problematic.
Lowest body lift I will do are 2". Body lift will give me so much more space under the body to route exhaust without exposing it to rocks from stuffing it underneath my frame. Fitting up air tanks and custom make long range fuel tanks. I will get greater space above my engine to mount my intercooler and so forth.

I am just as criminal running 32" as if I would be running 55" tires. I get a higher rubber "overdrive" which comes handy driving on the highway with a low reving diesel, I get better clearance between my axles and ground and it simply looks bad ass. At least in my opinion :grinpimp:

I am running 285/75R16 on stock saggy springs now, it rubs alot off road, non at all on road. I have ridden 35x12.5R15 on my HJ60 with OMe lift and no body lift, it worked well, but got some minor rubbing.
I would really like to at least be able to run 37" tires and would love to run 11R16 (38") or better 40". All tires on my wish list are slim tires or pizza cutters as you call them. This will help a lot on fender rubbing if I am not mistaken. Running big tires that are 14-17 inch wide is something I never will be doing and frankly doesn't see any point in doing. Only thing is my winter/ice tires will look silly as they only are 235/85R16 in size (32").

33" is small in my opinion and 35" is acceptable, but still a tad small.

I have looked trough this fella's thread and he fitted 38" tires on stock suspension with only some small extended shackles. Unfortunately most of the pictures are long gone :(

Still waiting for my OME suspension so haven't started on the swap yet.

Where would you recommend me baying extended sway bar links for both axles and caster shims in steel?
This is my daily driver so need to do it all in one swift maneuver. Would you go for 4 degree or 6 degree shims in my case?
Would also need new and longer centering pin on my front springs. Where would I buy these?

Also going to upgrade my brake lines. Thinking about buying these parts at JEGS and crimping my own lines. Any one knows what flares and connections Toyota used on these trucks?
Going to change out the one from the frame to the axle both front and back and also the line from the front axle to the caliper eliminating the brake disk shield connector.

Any obvious parts I am missing?
 
I think 35's are the max for SUA type lifts...and even then you'll have some scrub offroad with 2inch body lift. In my view anything over 35inch tire you need to go SOA. Where its a safety thing or not...I just don't care for a body lift over 2inches, with sliders and aftermarket bumper you can hardly tell I have a body lift at all...unless you are familiar with the vehicle and look close at the details.

From what I've read...the crazy long spring shackles appear to be an issue with anything approaching reasonable handling/ride/comfort.

Yes you certainly will need extended sway bar links and longer main brake hoses.
 
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you can build your own swaybar links from bolts and sleeves at the hardware store or online suppliers like McMaster Carr http://www.mcmaster.com/#

It would probably be much easier to buy extended brake lines than to make your own.

I agree with Elbert, any body lift above 2" is just pointless IMO and will look silly. I also think it's a little silly to plan your build around a specific tire size without any consideration for the intended use of the vehicle. 37's SUA will not be suitable for a daily driver, highway vehicle and certainly not off road (just my opinion). The size of your tires is not a direct measure of your manhood, despite popular opinion.

Also the type of tire you describe (37-40 and "skinny") does not exist in a normal on/off road tire, as far as I'm aware. You'd need military or tractor style bias ply tires which are going to ride like crap, weigh a ton, and make your truck noisier than a big rig. And it would cost a fortune if you could find them. At least that is the perspective of an American like me :eek: It may be easier to find what you're looking for in Europe, but here it would be a major chore.

I don't mean to pee on your parade, but my advice would be to re-think the whole thing.
 
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I would like to buy everything as complete as possible as I frankly doesn't have time to do a lot of DIY these days :meh:

Any particular online shops that you would recommend that ships internationally?

Guess I will confine myself to 3" OME lift and and 2" body lift.
 
Lifted springs won't help you fit bigger tires offroad, unless you put either a body lift or longer bump stops on.
I have a 50mm body lift (approx. 2") and 35X12.5R15 fits fine, no rubbing, but larger than that needs a regear.

I have a set of Michelin XZL 11R16 on my volvo 6X6, they weigh 43kgs (95lbs) a piece!

If you truly plan on going to Africa any severe modification will be a problem and unsafe, 40" tires and such are for weekend offraoding, not for overlanding!
 
So what are your suggestion on avoiding wobbly steering?


Where would you buy extended swaybar arms front and back?


Any good step by step guide to installing OME lift?


1. Try the shims on your other 60. If they don't fix the problem, maybe consider not lifting both trucks? If you really do an Africa expedition, the chances of problems and/or a breakdown with big tires and lift will go WAY up.

2. Spector off road has them, I believe.

3. Search this forum. There are several threads by guys who have installed their own spring kits.
 
Will of course add extended bump stoppers when I get hold of a rig to properly test my flex with those tires I choose to use.
In the proses of tearing down the suspension my old HJ60 and fit stock springs getting her ready for sale. Guess I will get more for the OME lift spring selling them on there own. So that is not an option. What would you vote for 4 or 6 degree castor shims for a 2" lift spring combined with a 2" extended shackle?

Seen a gut doing 4" body lift on his 60 here on this forum before and it didn't look to bad. @Elbert I would love to see some pictures of your LC with OME and 2" body lift.
 
You can do the math yourself, length of spring, increase in shackle length, simple arithmetic to get change in angle and then back to spec. It depends on how much you change...

Regarding a 4" body lift, the modifications needed are many, possible change in servo pipes, brake lines, air intake, fan scroud, tank filler pipe, tank breathers, gear shifters and I probably forgot something too...
Fitting anything bigger than 35" will require regearing, bigger brakes, stronger axles, hydro steer etc. and will put a lot of strain on your axles, and even if you fit pizza cutters, you will need bigger offset and bigger flares to clear the frame in front while turning.
Lasse, you are from Norway, I am from Denmark, I know the rules in Norway and I believe you are setting yourself up for a lot of trouble, and for what? Getting something that looks like a semi monster truck? don't take this the wrong way, I've been there, and have a lot of friends that have too, and experience and old-boring-guy syndrome have teached us that the more we modified, the worse the trucks were on the streets.
If you really want bigger wheels, look at the Icelandic approach, keep it as low as possible, the higher the easier it is to top over...

I say all of this in the best meaning, and not to put you down in any way, I am just trying to do either one of two things: 1: convince you to not go overboard, or 2: do it knowing it will require a lot of work and a lot of money!

Best of luck, and show us some pics already!!!!:beer:
Maybe we will meet some day, just don't serve me lutefisk, I'll bring snaps and biff!
 
Will of course add extended bump stoppers when I get hold of a rig to properly test my flex with those tires I choose to use.
In the proses of tearing down the suspension my old HJ60 and fit stock springs getting her ready for sale. Guess I will get more for the OME lift spring selling them on there own. So that is not an option. What would you vote for 4 or 6 degree castor shims for a 2" lift spring combined with a 2" extended shackle?

Seen a gut doing 4" body lift on his 60 here on this forum before and it didn't look to bad. @Elbert I would love to see some pictures of your LC with OME and 2" body lift.
ill post up a few in min..got to change computers

for whatever reason I'm unable to upload pictures....maybe the forum is having some issues...I'll post up as soon as I can, once I'm able to.
 
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I don't know why but u can get 37 under there with no trimming I have a set of built springs in my garage that let's me clear 37s SUA!

Start off finding a awsome spring shop!
Have them arch your OME 2" and make you and 2" AAL
Then do the reverse shackle kit on the front
Then put a 2" in Rodgers brown body lift on
Bam your on 37"
I did it could not find anybody that could give me input anywhere so I went thru several sets of springs and AAL till I was able to achieve it but I did it! It rode like s*** so i took it off I wanted 35" and clearing with out body and no one could help!
I'm running HFS springs now arch 1.5" with a 1" AAL and clearing my 34s
Supertoy02@yahoo.com
if you have any questions!
 
Thanks for the pictures Elbert.
I might end up sending you up to several Emails Slow85, no time to regret sharing your email now :p

I am thinking about buying trailgear six shooter knuckles and trunnion bearing eliminator.
Will these fit my axle? Trailgear tech support failed to answer me this simple question :doh:

Some vendors say you need 3-4" of lift to use there high steer kit. Wont a flat pitman arm resolve this issue?
Will I have any problem running the six shooters with high steer on them?
So temting to just buy the MC 4.70 reduction gear set while I am on a shopping frenzy :bounce:

My front axle from the HJ60 are being taken apart ready for a total rebuild before I place it under the HJ61 together with the new OME suspension.
Will take a few pictures when I get cracking with new parts and suspension for those who "requested" some :cheers:

Edit:
Did some more searching and found my answer. Six shooter, trunnion bearing eliminator and high steer it is :steer:
 
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