Great posts - thank for taking the time! +1 on the ExitOffroad / Crikey Mike method being so much easier. I've done front struts a few times the other way and this way looks so much smarter.
Suspension and UCA Installation (Dobinson’s/SPC in my case, but the lessons likely apply to others.) (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter USMCVader
- Start date
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If you can't get a bolt loose you just needed more leverage (and maybe a bit of heat to break any thread locker loose)!
I have a 4' piece of black iron gas pipe I bought at Home Despot - any time I can't crack a bolt loose with my socket set I slip that over the end and voila. I can get 217 ft lbs of torque with a 12" socket wrench or 868 ft lbs with a 4' long bar. I've never had to go longer, though I did bend the 4' bar slightly once.
Force and Lever Arm Length to Torque Calculator
This tool will calculate the torque generated around an axis by a force applied at right angle to a lever arm of a specified length, τ=Fr
www.sensorsone.com
- Thread starter
- #23
I have a similar piece of pipe that I slip over my breaker bar ratchet. Need a stronger breaker bar though since it bends a bit when you put some oomph on the end of the 3 ft pipe. Thought about heat, but didn't want to use it there though since there is a ball joint with a rubber seal between the two bolts.If you can't get a bolt loose you just needed more leverage (and maybe a bit of heat to break any thread locker loose)!
I have a 4' piece of black iron gas pipe I bought at Home Despot - any time I can't crack a bolt loose with my socket set I slip that over the end and voila. I can get 217 ft lbs of torque with a 12" socket wrench or 868 ft lbs with a 4' long bar. I've never had to go longer, though I did bend the 4' bar slightly once.
Force and Lever Arm Length to Torque Calculator
This tool will calculate the torque generated around an axis by a force applied at right angle to a lever arm of a specified length, τ=Fr
Understandable. Heat probably would've helped. I'm not sure what Toyota uses as a thread locker but the disassembly instructions for Permatex Threadlocker red are:
PERFORMANCE OF CURED MATERIAL (After 24 hr at 72*F on 3/8-16 steel Grade 8 Nuts and Grade 5 bolts) Typical Value Breakaway Torque, Nm, 20 (in.lbs) (175) Prevail Torque, Nm 26 (in.lbs) (230) Where Breakaway Torque is the force required to initiate the fastener movement and Prevail Torque is the force required to disassemble the fastener once Breakaway Torque has occurred.
For Disassembly
1. Apply localized heat to nut or bolt to approximately 450*F (232*C). Disassemble while hot.
reddog90
SILVER Star
@USMCVader Thanks for this thread. This has been a big help in installing my Ironman FCP lift and SPC UCAs. I did not do the crikeymike method but was able to get my OEM coilovers out and new coilovers installed by myself without too much hassle.
Summarizing toque specs posted in here (ft lb):
Rear
Lower shock bolts - 72
Upper shock bolts - can't find a spec, torque until bushings squeeze quite a bit?
Sway bar bolts on axle - 22
KDSS link - 74
Torque the above once vehicle is back on ground.
Front
Lower shock bolts - 72 (???)
Sway bar bolts - 64
KDSS link - 100
LCA eccentric bolts - ???
Torque the above once vehicle is back on ground.
SPC UCA through bolts - 136 (can torque off ground per SPC directions)
SPC UCA castle nut - 45
SPC top ball joint nut - 150 (after alignment)
Lug nuts - 97
Everything look ok?
Summarizing toque specs posted in here (ft lb):
Rear
Lower shock bolts - 72
Upper shock bolts - can't find a spec, torque until bushings squeeze quite a bit?
Sway bar bolts on axle - 22
KDSS link - 74
Torque the above once vehicle is back on ground.
Front
Lower shock bolts - 72 (???)
Sway bar bolts - 64
KDSS link - 100
LCA eccentric bolts - ???
Torque the above once vehicle is back on ground.
SPC UCA through bolts - 136 (can torque off ground per SPC directions)
SPC UCA castle nut - 45
SPC top ball joint nut - 150 (after alignment)
Lug nuts - 97
Everything look ok?
Front lower shock = 133 lb-ft
Front LCA eccentrics = 207 lb-ft
(according to FSM for my 2016)
- Thread starter
- #27
Thanks, glad it was helpful. I thought it would help anyone, no matter which lift they used, nice to confirm it. As for the torques, I thought I had all of them, thanks for not only the one stop torque page but the catch. Will verify, but the numbers that jbs11 posted seem correct. In my defense, I wrote it all up and tried to stuff in the pictures, then decided that folks might appreciate the torque values too and had to go back through to find where to insert them. Clearly I missed some.
This is fantastic and well planned. Great idea. Instructions are ALWAYS lacking in these install kits. My install instructions for the Kings I bought specifically stated NOT to remove the swaybar drop link from the LCA on KDSS equipped 200s. There is ZERO possibility of installing any coil assembly into the front without disconnecting that. This is a great help to the community. Thanks for the effort.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
Awesome write up!
12 mm heads on the bolts that hold the splash shield over the KDSS valve body.
5 mm hex (aka allen) for the older KDSS shutter valve screws for pre-'18 rigs (I know yours is the newer bolt head type, just adding for future searchers).
You said: sockets (5, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30mm)
What did you use the 5mm, 20mm, 27mm and 30mm sockets for? I don't recall using those on my 200 suspension jobs, but maybe I am just forgetting.
I also used an 8mm, but that was for the King remote reservoir holder Breeze clamps.
I only recently discovered the flex head ratchets, and they'e awesome. I also find that ratcheting spanners are handy too (I used a 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 22 and 24. I used a combo of flex heads and regular straight ratcheting spanners. Sometimes six sided, sometimes 12 sided - the 6 sided are less likely to slip.
You said: Remove the nut, bolt, (sorry, this one where I did not write down the nut size), two washers, and the UCA. (At least this is what the TSM says.)
I believe the bolt and nut are both 22mm. Previously mentioned ratcheting spanner is great for this job to avoid removing the more splash shields than necessary.
Glad it worked out okay for you, but that jacking/cribbing arrangement looks sketchy. I wouldn't trust that jack for anything but an emergency.
12 mm heads on the bolts that hold the splash shield over the KDSS valve body.
5 mm hex (aka allen) for the older KDSS shutter valve screws for pre-'18 rigs (I know yours is the newer bolt head type, just adding for future searchers).
You said: sockets (5, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30mm)
What did you use the 5mm, 20mm, 27mm and 30mm sockets for? I don't recall using those on my 200 suspension jobs, but maybe I am just forgetting.
I also used an 8mm, but that was for the King remote reservoir holder Breeze clamps.
I only recently discovered the flex head ratchets, and they'e awesome. I also find that ratcheting spanners are handy too (I used a 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 22 and 24. I used a combo of flex heads and regular straight ratcheting spanners. Sometimes six sided, sometimes 12 sided - the 6 sided are less likely to slip.
You said: Remove the nut, bolt, (sorry, this one where I did not write down the nut size), two washers, and the UCA. (At least this is what the TSM says.)
I believe the bolt and nut are both 22mm. Previously mentioned ratcheting spanner is great for this job to avoid removing the more splash shields than necessary.
Glad it worked out okay for you, but that jacking/cribbing arrangement looks sketchy. I wouldn't trust that jack for anything but an emergency.
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- Thread starter
- #30
Some of the smaller ones went to clamps holding cables, and the bigger ones went to things like the UCAs, LCAs, etc. Also, the top nut on the Dobinson's rear shock was a different size than the Toyota version but was such a pain to get to I didn't go back to figure out what the size was when I realized I didn't write it down. I certainly missed writing where some of them went specifically, but I did capture all the ones that went from my tool box to my tool cart in the course of the effort as we discovered we needed them.
As for the ratcheting spanners, I don't have any of those, but can definitely see that they would be helpful. Might have to put them on my wish list for Christmas.
Regarding the jacking arrangement, it was definitely sketchy, but it was the best we could come up with at the time. I put the picture in with the hope that others might be able to avoid a similar situation. Since then I bought an extended low profile floor jack that would have made this whole project much easier and safer.
- Thread starter
- #31
Some of the smaller ones went to clamps holding cables, and the bigger ones went to things like the UCAs, LCAs, etc. Also, the top nut on the Dobinson's rear shock was a different size than the Toyota version but was such a pain to get to I didn't go back to figure out what the size was when I realized I didn't write it down. I certainly missed writing where some of them went specifically, but I did capture all the ones that went from my tool box to my tool cart in the course of the effort as we discovered we needed them.
As for the ratcheting spanners, I don't have any of those, but can definitely see that they would be helpful. Might have to put them on my wish list for Christmas.
Regarding the jacking arrangement, it was definitely sketchy, but it was the best we could come up with at the time. I put the picture in with the hope that others might be able to avoid a similar situation. Since then I bought an extended low profile floor jack that would have made this whole project much easier and safer.
My experience is that the bigger breaker bar has a 50% success rate. 50% of the bolts come free intact. I break the other 50% of the bolts.
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Ok let me try and understand this as I'm planning on installing my Bilstein lift soon. Should I not disconnect the sway bar from the LCA with the big nut it's attached to it by (the big nut next to the lower shock bolt) and just disconnect the sway bar from the linkage that is connected to the LCA? I'm not planning on any UCA replacement and looking to just drop the LCA so I can simply remove the coil over straight down.
CharlieS
GOLD Star
I disconnect the us passenger side sway bar where it attaches to the LCA. It is actually disconnecting the lower end of a connecting link, not the sway bar end itself. It is inevitably a PITA to reassemble, but I've not been able to get enough movement in the LCA to remove the strut without doing this. It is a bolt, not a nut (and it retails for ~$12 at the local dealer). Make sure to torque it correctly (100 lb ft IIRC) when you reassemble, and if reusing the bolt, I'd consider adding a drop of red loctite (the new bolts come with a thin layer of red thread locker on the threads).
Here is a really dirty winter picture of the area with the bolt out.
Here is a really dirty winter picture of the area with the bolt out.
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^^ Getting that bolt back in was the worst part of the entire install. Ugh.
- Thread starter
- #36
While I didn't do it this way, looking back on it I would not disconnect at the LCA, and instead disconnect at the next bolt up at the end of the linkage. As Charlie S said above, it is a cheap bolt, but if you jack up the threads in the LCA it is a major PITA, which is how I ended up making my poor man's tap to fix it. If you goon it up bad enough you are looking at potentially buying a new LCA. I found once I understood the way the sway bar moved that I could push it around pretty well as needed with a jack on the other side of the vehicle. (KDSS bolts loosened is key) Either way, be prepared to spend a bit of time getting it back together on both sides. As Cruisin911 said, it is definitely the worst part of the install.
A long piece of black steel gas pipe from Home Despot and some ratchet straps go a long way to getting the sway bar end links re-connected. Front end on jack stands, it took me 20 minutes or so of muscling and adjusting but I managed to do it in my driveway by myself. A second pair of hands to push the cheater bar around while you finesse the end link into position and slip the bolt through cleanly would go a long way.
KDSS 3-turns open helps too.
yes this was essentially my question....dont disconnect at LCA but at the top end of the linkage holding the actual sway bar. I'm preparing all the things I will need for the install and we'll see how it goes. thanks everyone for your inputs.
Just a quick follow up question. If you would've used the 'Crikeymike' method from the start, you would NOT have needed to disconnect the steering arm, right? It appears that in the video he doesn't.
Thanks and sorry if I'm missing something obvious here! Just getting my plan together for my own driveway upgrade.
Jay
yes I just finished my Bilstein install and I did the crikeymike method and did NOT disconnect the steering arm. HOWEVER, the clearance is super tight at least more so on the passenger side in getting the coilover out and the new one in. Driver side the angle and clearance was not so much an issue. I will say the biggest cause of the tight clearance on the passenger side was probably the end of the sway bar that kicked up when it was taken out of its slot on the LCA. I got the room needed to install the coilover by gently and carefully moving the whole rotor/hub rearward to give me room to raise the coilover. I was very careful and making sure not to stress the cv boots when pushing the rotor/hub as needed.
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