Old Man Emu 3" lift questions (2 Viewers)

[AK Troutbum]

I'm looking at purchasing an OME 3" medium load lift for my stock '92 fj80, and I was wondering if there were potential issues, or things I should be concerned with prior to doing this. Also, should I get the front tracking arm, panhard rod, and both upper and lower trailing arms with the kit? I'm also going to be installing aftermarket front and rear bumpers with a winch (front), and spare tire mount (rear), which is my reasoning for the medium as opposed to the stock load. I know my ride won't be as smooth with the medium load, but my main concern is just wanting to make sure that it remains safe and handles well at hwy speeds. My plan is to just run 33" tires for now, but I want to be able to go up to 35" if I change my mind. I'm looking for any and all thoughts/recommendations, and thank you.

 

[MrMacdugal]

Welcome. If money is not an issue, buy it all. If money is an issue, don't buy the extra stuff. You don't REALLY need it for a 3 inch lift. You can also put 35's on either setup with maybe a few slight changes.

 

[ERG80]

I would think you need heavier springs with front bumper/winch and rear bumper with tire carrier. But I’m no expert and don’t have experience with mediums.

I do have experience with a used 3.5” OME 850j/863 level stance lift and now an “equivalent” new dobinsons c59-170/171 combo with matching shocks. Both are great with similar weight you’ll have. You’ll need to get castor plates, extend brake lines, extend breather, drop ebrake bracket, sway bar extensions. You may also need a new front driveshaft.

 

[rubicondon53]

I’m watching this: Mr Mcdugal is spot on. I have 2850j and 2864s ( heavy set) the 64s were recently replaced with the heavier rated 60s. I also use castor correction bushings instead of the plates. The first set of correction bushings failed at 135,000. If you are going to load it down as we do, scaling out at 7,000 lbs loaded with a 1500 lb trailer, which you may someday, I’d go with the set of heavies.

 

[77mustard40]

Weigh your truck and talk to some of the vendors before you buy. I’d like to tell you there is a simple solution to adding the lift but a bunch of us started that way only find out there was more involved. Invest a weekend in reading up on caster correction and front end driveshaft vibes. Cost out the probable spend at 2”, 3” and 4” so you know what you are most likely in for. As others have said you can go up a couple of inches and toss 35’s on these things and have a blast. Some of the rigs that went big on lift have come back down. Some have invested in 37’s and gears without going big on the lift. Keep the intended use of the truck in mind when developing your plan. You’ve probably got a 3FE to push it all around so thinking gears may be in the cards when you go bigger than 33’s. It all adds up.

 

[Haggis]

I have a medium OME setup and I run 33's. I think you should consider staying with 33's and not go any larger. These rigs are heavy enough. Call Kurt at cruiser outfitters and tell him your situation. I've got 3 rigs with suspensions from his shop and all have been great.

 

[AK Troutbum]

Weigh your truck and talk to some of the vendors before you buy. I’d like to tell you there is a simple solution to adding the lift but a bunch of us started that way only find out there was more involved. Invest a weekend in reading up on caster correction and front end driveshaft vibes. Cost out the probable spend at 2”, 3” and 4” so you know what you are most likely in for. As others have said you can go up a couple of inches and toss 35’s on these things and have a blast. Some of the rigs that went big on lift have come back down. Some have invested in 37’s and gears without going big on the lift. Keep the intended use of the truck in mind when developing your plan. You’ve probably got a 3FE to push it all around so thinking gears may be in the cards when you go bigger than 33’s. It all adds up.

Yeah, I hear you about not wanting to go down that rabbit hole and having it turn into a money pit. I'm definitely set on 33's, and I know that I don't need a lift to run 33's, but I'd like to have a little more room than what I would have with just stock suspension. Maybe I should only be considering 2"? Would I be able to stay away from a lot of the potential issues if I went 2" as opposed to 3", and would that also eliminate having to modify a bunch of other stuff?

 

[baldilocks]

Yeah, I hear you about not wanting to go down that rabbit hole and having it turn into a money pit. I'm definitely set on 33's, and I know that I don't need a lift to run 33's, but I'd like to have a little more room than what I would have with just stock suspension. Maybe I should only be considering 2"? Would I be able to stay away from a lot of the potential issues if I went 2" as opposed to 3", and would that also eliminate having to modify a bunch of other stuff?

Most definitely yes.

 

[Haggis]

BTW, my lift is 2" and I think it looks perfect stance wise, just the right amount of room for 33's.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Yeah, I hear you about not wanting to go down that rabbit hole and having it turn into a money pit. I'm definitely set on 33's,..

Why is that? Just curious. The 3FE is a great engine in the lighter 60 series. With a heavily laden 80 running larger than stock tires, probably somewhat underwhelming.

It seems to me that the full time 4wd aspect of an 80 series makes lifting the beast a bit more potentially problematic than with the part time systems found in older LCs.

Therefore, I won't/wouldn't lift mine at all unless planning to spend a good amount of time off road where the extra clearance was actually determined to be quite helpful.

 

[rhc404]

I got the 2" Iron Man FCP stg 3, with the aim to keep it as low as possible with enough room for 35s in the future. The adjustable stuff is overkill but I wanted to replace those bushings anyway, so it wasn't that much more. Plus now I can align the rear axle and tweak the pinion angle, and can keep the stock parts as spares.

If you're wanting to do the best mix of value/budget, I'd get whatever springs and shocks, radius arm offset bushings, Delta rear panhard bracket, front and rear sway drops, and your preferred LSPV solution. If you're going to wheel, add front sway disconnects, extended brake lines and diff breathers.

 

[rhc404]

Therefore, I won't/wouldn't lift mine at all unless planning to spend a good amount of time off road where the extra clearance was actually determined to be quite helpful.

Bumpers and winch add ~600 lbs at the extremities, and are cause enough for new springs. Makes it hard to justify not adding at least an inch or two while they're out even if the tires don't need it.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

We would love to help you @ Cruiser Outfitters. We stock the full range of Old Man Emu and Dobinsons suspension components as well as a wide variety of parts from Slee, Delta VS, SuperPro, Whiteline, OEM Toyota, Tokico, Bilstein and many more. Our part specialists can fine tune a setup your exact wants, needs and budget.

These are all parts we stock on the shelf, provide fast shopping and excellent customer support.

Info@cruiseroutfitters.com | 801-563-1277

 

[FZJFreddy]

BTW, my lift is 2" and I think it looks perfect stance wise, just the right amount of room for 33's.

View attachment 3287995

sorry for the hijacking but can you tell me what rims these are by any chance? Love the look!

 

[shermantank55]

We would love to help you @ Cruiser Outfitters. We stock the full range of Old Man Emu and Dobinsons suspension components as well as a wide variety of parts from Slee, Delta VS, SuperPro, Whiteline, OEM Toyota, Tokico, Bilstein and many more. Our part specialists can fine tune a setup your exact wants, needs and budget.

These are all parts we stock on the shelf, provide fast shopping and excellent customer support.

Info@cruiseroutfitters.com | 801-563-1277

I have discussed every one of my vehicle suspension setups with Cruiser Outfitters (at least 8 different vehicles). They are always spot on with recommendations based on the specific vehicle and how it was going to be used!
Here is the latest-HDJ81 with OME heavy springs.

 

[Haggis]

sorry for the hijacking but can you tell me what rims these are by any chance? Love the look!

Thanks! I bought them from Summit. They run around $129 ea are 16" steelies.

 

[AK Troutbum]

So, the 2" lift kit comes with 4-shocks and 4 coil springs, a steering stabilizer, a caster kit, and a sway bar spacer. Are there any other things I should consider/purchase with this kit, or any other modifications like extending brake lines, etc?

 

[77mustard40]

How is caster corrected with the kit you are looking at... bushings, plates or something else, I'd shy away from the caster correction bushings as they don't get you enough caster correction, typically ride stiff and they don't last. The cat's meow is probably new after market control arms from Slee or Delta but they are expensive. In the economy class are plates or drop brackets. The plates will require drilling or grinding your axle housing and some light welding to secure them once installed. Drop brackets lower the pivot point of the control arm at the frame and either bolt into place or are welded depending on the source.

The steering stabilizer is not required. At 2" you can probably delay the extended brake lines and extending the diff vent lines, most of us end up doing them at some point, Decisions...

 

[AK Troutbum]

Bushings.
Here's the medium kit.

OME 2" inch LandCruiser 80 & 105 Series 90-07 Lift Kit (Medium Load) Old Man Emu Suspension OMELC80-2MED Fits 90-07 Gen LandCruiser 80 & 105 Series

Features Enhanced Ride Quality and Control On & Off-Road. Increased load-carrying capacity both rear (400 - 800lbs) and front (100 - 200lbs). Increased Ride Height & Ground Clearance by 2 Inches Can Accommodate Larger Tires (see details below for more info). Includes a 3-Year / 37,200 miles...

mudify.com

Or the heavy kit.

OME 2" inch LandCruiser 80 & 105 Series 90-07 Lift Kit (Heavy Load) Old Man Emu Suspension OMELC80-2HVY Fits 90-07 Gen LandCruiser 80 & 105 Series

Features Enhanced Ride Quality and Control On & Off-Road. Increased load-carrying capacity both rear (800-1100lbs) and front (200lbs +). Increased Ride Height & Ground Clearance by 2 Inches Can Accommodate Larger Tires (see details below for more info). Includes a 3-Year / 37,200 miles...

mudify.com

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Call Mudify, I'm sure they are up to speed on the different caster options and additional items needed for your specific 80 build