(Need advice) Adjustable control arms + new axle + new LT springs install GX470

[LRDV8R]

I'm in the middle of a new rear axle install (dana 60) with long travel springs and adjustable upper and lower control arms. I need a sound board because right now I'm having an extra large glass of analysis paralysis and I'm getting circular in my logic.

spring install Issues - I have gone back and forth three different times now disconnecting the driver side LCA. when I do, the upper bottoms out on the gas tank. I get very close to having the vertical space, but because the axle swings forward, the horizontal space is collapsed (the spring is blocked by the gas tank. My prior attempts at this involved even using a spring compressor, however I have the cheap ones that don't lock all the way around the coil. I've decided to bail on that idea until some safer ones come in (already ordered). Any suggestions on how else I can approach this (change length of control arms, etc)? I have concerns about disconnecting other control arms, but acknowledge I may be paranoid about this (this is my first aftermarket axle swap).

Pinion angle adjustment procedure - I am dreading this because in my head I see having to disconnect the rear LCAs repeatedly. Getting these connected and disconnected so far has been very difficult. I'm assuming it's because I'm changing a lot of variables at once (lift, axle, suspension, track bar, etc.) and the axle is not where it probably should be. With the step above, I keep thinking I'm going to make this stage more difficult if I mess with the control arms. What's chat's advice here?

Trackbar adjustment - this seems straightforward and simple. We'll see when I get there...

Thanks in advance for the help

 

[Jstawgn]

Set the Lower link Arm and upper link arm same as OEM. Extend it the same if you want to make it longer a little bit. 1/8-1/4 should be plenty.

Installing a variable rate long travel spring always a bit easier with spring compressor. You also need to lift the other side to give better room on the side you are installing.

Technically pinion angle need to be set similar to the OEM angle at same ride height. It is not that sensitive and I never bother to measure it.

Panhard should be similar to stock if it's as close as horizontal at ride height.

 

[Rednexus]

From my experience, on a much simpler 2" rear lift and replacement of OEM LCAs and UCAs, this is really a two-person job and is a royal pain. You need someone to hold and help manipulate the position of the axle when you are installing the links. With two people, you can also disconnect more links and manhandle the axle to get it in position. Or pull up on one side of the axle when you are installing the spring. It took several hours on my rig, even with two people. I often ended up putting a screwdriver through the factory control arm mounts and control arms just to get the lined up enough to slide the bolts in. The UCA mounts are really tough as they are so tight/hard to get to.

 

[swissarmyknife]

I use ratchet straps to help me get leverage if I don't have anybody around. On my Dobinson control arm upgrade I tried to maintain the length as close as possible to stock to maintain the same geometry. Both at the end were slightly longer than stock, so I made sure the delta was similar. Also this video shows how the Overland Engineer dealt with the rear diff angle.

 

[LRDV8R]

Ratchet straps were a huge help getting all the arms connected. I second this recommendation.

I tried yesterday adjusting the lengths and disconnecting different arms. All of it only gave me less room to work. My new spring compressor comes in tomorrow, so I plan to try to tackle this then.

 

[LRDV8R]

Well I got the springs in. The new spring compressor is a lot more secure when compressing the springs. Also had to disconnect lca on both sides.

Current issues:
1. I need another jack to get the lca back in (even with a ratchet strap, I can't get it in place). Should be a non issue
2. The driver side spring is touching the trackbar bracket. I'm either going to have to cut it or remove the spring and grind it down. I'd much prefer option 1 of I can pull it off. The joys of aftermarket parts.....

 

[Jetboy]

FWIW, with the right spring compressor you don't need to even unbolt the shocks. You can swap rear coils in about 20 minutes. You need the telescopic type. Like this:
labwork Heavy Duty 2pc Spring Compressor Tool - Ultra Rugged Coil https://a.co/d/aCiEqfS
I have a few sets of compressors and those are the best solution for rear coils. Makes it a breeze instead of a fight.

Bummer about the fit issue. I would not grind the spring. Need to remove metal from the bracket.

 

[drowzyGX]

Not sure if this helps, but I recently learned the hard way about disconnecting the rear axle to swap control arms. I already have springs in the rear.

I only have 1 jack - harbor freight floor jack. I screwed the pooch and had the truck on jack stands, the rear axle on the jack, and no control arms connecting things.

Ratchet straps, jack positioning, and creative use of colorful language got me across the finish line.

I got one LCA on. To get the other re-attached I placed the jack under the diff in such a way that it would rotate the diff up as I pumped the jack. This helped to compress the drive shaft a bit and rotate the mounts on the axle to right spot. Additionally, ratchet straps around the axle anchored forward in the frame rail helped to pull the axle forward. The pull + rotate let me get the second LCA on.

Once the LCAs were on, I could get the uppers using only ratchet straps and the jack to support the axle.

 

[LRDV8R]

I have a similar set of compressors as those. I am going to try to remove the springs without disconnecting the lcas this time. That's worse than compressing the spring. However these springs are VERY tall.

To clarify, I was referring to grinding the bracket. Grinding spring is a big no no

 

[LRDV8R]

Not sure if this helps, but I recently learned the hard way about disconnecting the rear axle to swap control arms. I already have springs in the rear.

I only have 1 jack - harbor freight floor jack. I screwed the pooch and had the truck on jack stands, the rear axle on the jack, and no control arms connecting things.

Ratchet straps, jack positioning, and creative use of colorful language got me across the finish line.

I got one LCA on. To get the other re-attached I placed the jack under the diff in such a way that it would rotate the diff up as I pumped the jack. This helped to compress the drive shaft a bit and rotate the mounts on the axle to right spot. Additionally, ratchet straps around the axle anchored forward in the frame rail helped to pull the axle forward. The pull + rotate let me get the second LCA on.

Once the LCAs were on, I could get the uppers using only ratchet straps and the jack to support the axle.

This is very similar to my experience. I even broke one of my ratchet strap ratchets.

 

[drowzyGX]

This is very similar to my experience. I even broke one of my ratchet strap ratchets.

Hey, me, too! Thanks for the reminder that I need to replace it…

 

[Jetboy]

I have a similar set of compressors as those. I am going to try to remove the springs without disconnecting the lcas this time. That's worse than compressing the spring. However these springs are VERY tall.

To clarify, I was referring to grinding the bracket. Grinding spring is a big no no

Good luck. One thing that might help is to install the compressors before you lift the vehicle so the spring is already compressed under the weight of the vehicle. Then lift the vehicle and jack stands under the frame, let the jack down from under the axle, and the springs should stay compressed and be pretty close to just falling out as the axle droops. Only issue here is that you'll need 4 of those compressors or have to do it twice - once on each side. Hopefully that would make it an easy in/out procedure.

The dual rate coils end up getting pretty long unloaded.

I always hate using spring compressors because they always scare me a little that they'll let go and everything will blow apart. I've had one set fail a decade ago and no one was hurt, but it's still on my mind every time.

 

[LRDV8R]

Good luck. One thing that might help is to install the compressors before you lift the vehicle so the spring is already compressed under the weight of the vehicle. Then lift the vehicle and jack stands under the frame, let the jack down from under the axle, and the springs should stay compressed and be pretty close to just falling out as the axle droops. Only issue here is that you'll need 4 of those compressors or have to do it twice - once on each side. Hopefully that would make it an easy in/out procedure.

The dual rate coils end up getting pretty long unloaded.

I always hate using spring compressors because they always scare me a little that they'll let go and everything will blow apart. I've had one set fail a decade ago and no one was hurt, but it's still on my mind every time.

This sounds like a good option. In the future I may give this a shot.

I removed both springs and grinded the bracket down by about half an inch. So far it has not touched, but I will have to monitor to confirm.

This time I connected the lcas first. I was not confident I'd be able to get the second arm in given how hard it was to even move the first time. Spring compressor + bottle jack did the trick for second spring. My experience was complicated by all the new components plus the fact that the car does not yet have the additional weight on it (701v spring).

As annoying as that process was, it was the ebrake install that had me throwing tools .

 

[Jetboy]

Looks like you're on track for a very nice setup when you're done!

 

[drowzyGX]

Your frame looks brand new. Have you had it repainted? Looks fantastic

 

[Rednexus]

Your frame looks brand new. Have you had it repainted? Looks fantastic

Agreed, that looks amazing. Would love to drop the frame off mine at some point in the future and refresh it.

 

[LRDV8R]

I cleaned it up and just sprayed it since I was in there. Don't worry I can find some more worn sections . It's practically rust free, which is a big reason I bought this one.

This is what most of it looks like before a fresh coat

 

[drowzyGX]

Killer job cleaning it up!

Mine looks pretty good - been a GA / FL car its whole life, but, wow, yours looks new. I need to carve out some time this year and clean mine.

 

[LRDV8R]

Appreciate the kind words. The real hero of this story is the original owner. He took good care of this thing. Well serviced. And in near perfect condition. You guys would probably have a hard time believing me, but this thing has 276k on the clock.

 

[Toyoland66]

@LRDV8R are you using the ECGS Dana 60? What are you running up front?

I am looking at swapping in this axle and RCLT in the spring.