OME lift kit questions!

[jlhollowx13]

hey all,

hope everyone had a great new year!! the wife and I headed down to Denver for our NYE celebration and while down there i picked up a used OME 4 inch lift kit for our fj60. i just have some questions for people that have some experience with these. as i said, the kit was used, and after looking online it is missing some parts. what was included was the front/rear springs, all 4 nitrocharger shocks, shackles, greasable pins, and bushings.

my questions are,
1. will i need to extend my brake lines?
2. can i re use my old U bolts, or do they need to be replaced with new?
3. do i need to get a steering dampener/stabalizer?
4. do i need to get the 4 in extended sway bar?
5. will i need to get shims for this install?
6. do the driveshafts need to be lengthened?
7. are there any other parts i am missing here that i should consider/need?

I am comparing what i have to the kit here: http://www.man-a-fre.com/parts_accessories/OME FJ60 4inch suspension with shackle reversal.htm

I wasnt actually planning on lifting the fj60 since our fj40 is already the trail rig, but i found this deal and felt that it was too good to pass up.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Sethro60]

1. No
2.Can reuse, new is nice to have in case you need screw up the old ones taking stuff apart
3.New OME kit comes with one
4. Nope
5. Not necessary, but nice to change your pinion angle if you are able
6. Nope
7. New spring eye bushings

 

[TS888]

I disagree on point 1 -- I would install extended lines (available cheap from NAPA, do a search for P/N). My OME medium lifted about 4", and the stock lines were too short.

You might consider extending the breather lines too, I notice mine have little slack, and a real good stretch could pop them off.

Lastly, just remove the sway bars, they are not needed.

 

[jlhollowx13]

thanks for the info, i think ill go with a new steering dampener and probably grab some extra brake line length too. might get new u bolts as well. anyone know where i can get these parts individually? i found the steering dampener, but if i could order the brake lines and u bolts in one go that would be nice. i got the kit pretty darn cheap so an extra $150 or less will be okay. i just hope my shocks are still good, anyway to test them?

also, it looks like the kit does have all the bushings, should i replace the used ones on the leaf springs then? the bushings i have show some wear but no cracks or anything major.

 

[jlhollowx13]

found the u bolt kits!

 

[Spike Strip]

I have the OME U-bolt kit cheap, brand-spankin' new, if you're interested. When I bought my suspension kit, I went with MAF (4-plus) U-bolt flip kit so I did not use them.

Whatever you do, do not re-use your old U-bolts. Not even sure they'll work with the OME springs.

PM if interested.

And btw, you will need longer brake soft lines, front and single rear.

All the missing parts you need, otherwise, you should get from Kurt at cruiseroutfitters.com OME dealer and MUD vendor and super-helpful-knowledgeable-been-there-done-it seller!

Also, you will need to get the shims/spacers that go on the spring-pack pins.

 

[Elbert]

not good to re-use ubolts. Get new ones.

 

[Cruzerman]

I didn't have to extend the brake lines. And I would not re-use the U bolts. As always, JMHO.

 

[jlhollowx13]

thanks for the tips guys, im tracking down the extra parts i need, then hopefully ill get this lift on asap!!

 

[Toadhopper]

Some people toss the sway bar(s) but I actually noticed a difference when I removed them when my 60 was loaded down. I went with the med springs up front and the heavy in the rear, so it might make a difference on which OME springs you bought. The sway bar(s) will work better with the extensions installed if you decide to leave them in.

 

[Zhenya]

Check out this thread for more questions:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/674437-definitive-sua-lift-thread.html

 

[Freewheel]

I have an OME 2.5" lift and just barely get away with not having extended brake lines. I think a 4 inch lift will need them.

You can probably leave your sway bar off entirely, but if you keep it you will have to get extended links, I needed extensions on my 2.5" lift.

 

[bapmia]

I also have the OME 2.5" kit. My truck needed shims all the way around, extended rear sway bar links, extended rear brake lines, and an extended rear differential breather.

As you can see from the above posts, it would appear that everyone's truck is different. However, I think it would be more accurate to say that every OME spring is different. This why you see some trucks that lean after installing the kit and some that don't; some trucks with stinkbug and some without. The fact of that matter is that notwithstanding the praise OME gets on the board, their quality control, in my opinion, leaves something to be desired. An example: my truck had over 5 inches of stinkbug after installing the 2.5" kit on an otherwise stock truck (dealer who sold it to me was very surprised). I was told it would settle some--it did not. Ended up having to remove a couple of springs to make the truck drivable and not look completely ridiculous (it looked like a 1970s hot wheels car).

 

[jlhollowx13]

i went ahead and ordered extended brake lines as well as new u bolts. I'm contracting the work out to Classic Cruisers in Salida near me to do the work as well as do a P/S conversion on my fj40. I dont have anyone nearby or anyone that could take time out to come help me do the project and they quoted me a fairly reasonable price, at least enough to make me let a mechanic work on my stuff which i never do (i like to know EXACTLY what has been done and how). one thing they did say was that OME doesnt make a 4 inch lift for the fj60..... now i dont have any paperwork on this setup, but that was what the guy i bought it from told me. any ideas on this? either way i dont care, itll be something over stock, and ill find out how much lift it is soon enough. just kind of weird and not too sure what i have now. I was going to get extended sway bars from Man-a-fre but wasnt sure which one i needed since i dont know how much of a lift ill have. Ill get a hold of Classic Cruisers monday and see if they have some and ask about the shims as well and figure out when i can go out there.

My plan is to take the fj60 and the fj40, hang out in town during the day with the 40 while they work on the lift on the 60 (and maybe get a few goodies from thier junk yard while im there!!) and then leave the 40 for them to put a p/s conversion in when they get time. we will see how that goes!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

i went ahead and ordered extended brake lines as well as new u bolts. I'm contracting the work out to Classic Cruisers in Salida near me to do the work as well as do a P/S conversion on my fj40. I dont have anyone nearby or anyone that could take time out to come help me do the project and they quoted me a fairly reasonable price, at least enough to make me let a mechanic work on my stuff which i never do (i like to know EXACTLY what has been done and how). one thing they did say was that OME doesnt make a 4 inch lift for the fj60..... now i dont have any paperwork on this setup, but that was what the guy i bought it from told me. any ideas on this? either way i dont care, itll be something over stock, and ill find out how much lift it is soon enough. just kind of weird and not too sure what i have now. I was going to get extended sway bars from Man-a-fre but wasnt sure which one i needed since i dont know how much of a lift ill have. Ill get a hold of Classic Cruisers monday and see if they have some and ask about the shims as well and figure out when i can go out there...

They are correct, OME has not every build a 4" spring for a 60 Series. Do you have the part numbers or pictures of the springs? There are 3 (light, med, heavy) different springs available for the front and likewise 6 (med A/B, heavy A/B, heavy plus A/B) for the rear, all are 2-3" depending on the loading of your vehicle. The key becomes knowing which combination to use.

 

[franklin40]

it also depends on how old and sagged your old springs are as to how much lift you'll get. OME will be 2-3 inches over stock but if you're still using the original springs you'll get more than that. I got nearly 5 inches of lift by the time mine was done but I had two broken leaves

 

[jlhollowx13]

They are correct, OME has not every build a 4" spring for a 60 Series. Do you have the part numbers or pictures of the springs? There are 3 (light, med, heavy) different springs available for the front and likewise 6 (med A/B, heavy A/B, heavy plus A/B) for the rear, all are 2-3" depending on the loading of your vehicle. The key becomes knowing which combination to use.

Ill post some pics tomorrow if i can figure out how to. ill also be calling them to get a date set to get it installed! woohoo!

 

[jlhollowx13]

Here are some pictures of the kit. OME? A little rusty I know

 

[jlhollowx13]

Both back springs have the white letter markings but the fronts I can't find anything on except some old worn spots where stickers used to be.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Hmmm, I'm not sure what you have there. TPI is their own suspension company and has no relation to OME. The features of the spring are similar to that of the OME and there is the OME221 - 8 Leaves & 255 lbf/in? Hard to say.