My OME lift kit install [pics] (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Threads
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Location
Portland, OR
Greetings from Portland, Oregon!

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This is the 1990 FJ62 with 202k miles that I've owned for the last 2 years. According to carfax, my FJ62 was originally purchased in the Boise area where it spent most of it's life until it finally made its way to Oregon and was eventually sold to me.

I've been eagerly looking forward to installing the Old Man Emu suspension kit ever since I got high centered in a mild snow bank one day and needed to be pulled out by a rubicon driven by a friend (who smugly won't let me forget about it.) The stock suspension has been giving my otherwise formidable Land Cruiser a distinctly stationwagon appearance. For scale, these tires are 31x10.5/r15 Toyo Open Country M/Ts.

Now that my OME lift kit has arrived after a long boat ride from Australia, it's time to start breaking apart some 27 year old suspension components...

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The OME steering stabilizer is an absolute monster compared to the original. Those tie rod ends were totally impervious to the 3 different pickle forks in my garage but the tie rod end puller shown below popped it off with no problem. Best $35 I've ever spent.

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Comparing the old springs to the new ones.

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Here's the first spring getting installed.

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4Runner calipers and performance rotors are still looking nice.

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All of the original shackles looked like this. After 27 years of service, it's amazing to see how pitted and corroded the pins have become!

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All of my fixed spring pins looked like this. Getting these bastards out was definitely the hardest part of the install. Despite going full caveman mode with a 5# sledge, I couldn't get any of them to come out on their own. The only thing that did the trick was cooking the bushing with a MAP gas torch and using my largest prybar to force the pins out.

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Check out these sweet rubber center pin spacers on the rears. I ended up reusing them since the OME center pin has a substantially smaller diameter than the u-bolt center plate.

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More crusty goodness!

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Not surprisingly, the original rear springs have dramatically less arch compared the OME heavy duty rears.

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On closer inspection, it looks like the original rear springs have practically fused together.

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This was the only shackle that required liberal treatment from the MAP gas torch. The proximity of the tail pipe really limited my ability to take it out caveman style.

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And here's the reason why that shackle was so difficult to remove. Definitely a recipe for disaster out in the field.

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And this is what the cruiser looks like after the OME install. I was expecting the stinkbug look to be much more pronounced, but the rear end is only 3/4" higher than the front.

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Time to get some bigger tires!
 
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Nothing better than a new lift. Looks great. 33s would be just right for that lift.
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Mine are 33x12.50

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That's a real nice looking rig!

The good news is that my 70 series 16x7 wheels are arriving from @beno on Tuesday and I have some 255/85r16 Toyo MT's ready to go.

The only bad news is that my FJ62 might not fit in my garage unless I air down the tires or get medieval with the sawzall on my house. :)
 
That's a real nice looking rig!

The good news is that my 70 series 16x7 wheels are arriving from @beno on Tuesday and I have some 255/85r16 Toyo MT's ready to go.

The only bad news is that my FJ62 might not fit in my garage unless I air down the tires or get medieval with the sawzall on my house. :)
I really like those wheels, I've mounted BFG LT235/85R16 ATs on them. Prepping the rear axle getting ready to install the rear OME suspension later this week.
 
Great looking 62, even better looking now with the lift:D
 
That's a real nice looking rig!

The good news is that my 70 series 16x7 wheels are arriving from @beno on Tuesday and I have some 255/85r16 Toyo MT's ready to go.

The only bad news is that my FJ62 might not fit in my garage unless I air down the tires or get medieval with the sawzall on my house. :)

Looks great!

My vote is to get medieval on the house before messing with the Cruiser.

Cheers!
-Ed
 
nice truck and write up! after rolling around for a year or so, anything you'd do different? i'll be doing this to my 62 shortly...
 
Thanks guys!

@deathpunkbaby - No regrets at all with the OME lift, but the only thing I might have done differently was the shocks. The OME shocks are unbelievably stout and designed for a vehicle that has a lot of heavy aftermarket accessories. Unless you already have a winch, bumpers, roof rack, etc., you will probably get a smoother ride if you buy shocks from an outfit like Bilstein.

The only other advice I could give is to be prepared to tackle a variety of really pesky issues:

  • The new body geometry will mess with your load sensing proportioning valve which negatively impacting brake performance. To fix the issue, you can either adjust the LSPV by installing a bracket or delete it from the equation by bypassing it in your brake line plumbing.
  • Also, the new front axle geometry will likely change your caster angle, causing your steering to become super sloppy. My steering didn't improve until I installed some 4* shims.
  • Also, I had a pretty annoying body lean issue that didn't go away until I installed a u-bolt flip kit from 4plus. Not only does the flip kit prevent your axle from potentially getting hung up on a rock, it replaces the janky rubber shoes on the rear axle, which I suspect were the culprit in my case.

Hit me up if you have any other questions!
 
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  • Also, I had a pretty annoying body lean issue that didn't go away until I installed a u-bolt flip kit from 4plus. Not only does the flip kit prevent your axle from potentially getting hung up on a rock, it replaces the janky rubber shoes on the rear axle, which I suspect were the culprit in my case.
There are quite a few opinions regarding whether or not to ditch those rubber pads and retainers when installing the OME suspension. I did away with mine and I think the ride is great.
 
First off, the truck looks great!
I know it's been a minute since your install, but would you mind posting a couple undercarriage photos of how the leaf springs look on the rear?

I'm dealing with my left rear OME leaf springs becoming un aligned (bought the truck with the kit already installed). The right one has the rubber pad between the leaf springs and plate (no issue) but the left does not. Been seeing mixed posts of people leaving the pads on and others taking them off after the OME install.

Think the pics will help me.

Thank you much
 
@Zanimal - In an attempt to correct some backend lean issues I was facing, I installed the ubolt flip kit from 4plus which replaced the rubber spring pin centering pads. It won't help you directly, but I'll take some photos tomorrow morning when the light is better.

Are you saying your right rear has the spring centering pad but your left rear doesn't? What kind of symptoms are you seeing exactly?
 
@Zanimal - In an attempt to correct some backend lean issues I was facing, I installed the ubolt flip kit from 4plus which replaced the rubber spring pin centering pads. It won't help you directly, but I'll take some photos tomorrow morning when the light is better.

Are you saying your right rear has the spring centering pad but your left rear doesn't? What kind of symptoms are you seeing exactly?

Thanks! I appreciate you taking the pics.

Correct, that's what I'm saying. The only symptoms I'm noticing are the left leaf springs not aligned and a creak sound when going over bumps now. Below are a couple photos of it. Excuse the dirt, getting it steam cleaned soon.

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