looking for old man emu dealer in LA/Orange co
suspention (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter grumpyoldman
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Aiden James customs located in Santa Ana. I follow him on ig, He appears to have a very good customer base and he is local here.
@grumpyoldman there are plenty of online sources if you don't mind buying online
Slee
Metaltech
Toytec Lifts
ARB USA
Cruiser Outfitters, to name a few
Slee
Metaltech
Toytec Lifts
ARB USA
Cruiser Outfitters, to name a few
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks I will check it out.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thanks, trying to avoid shipping on something that heavy!
I ordered a few things from Metal Tech OME lift and UCAs and didn't have to pay shipping.
On another note does anyone know of an installer? I have the OME lift, UCAs and differential drop that I would like to get installed this week if possible. This would be going on my 2000 LC.
I'll second this! Headed up to see Larry at Dirty Parts this Thursday for a new OME heavy lift. Current same set up on my truck was installed at Man-a-Fre back in 2004 so it's a little 'tired' to say the least.
Aiden James customs located in Santa Ana. They seem to be very popular and have a lot of good reviews. They're on IG, posting daily.
Got the truck back from Larry at Dirty Parts late Friday afternoon. Drives like a new truck! Even tho my truck has spent it's entire life in SoCal, they had rusty trouble getting the bolts off the control arms. I gather copious application of heat got them off and Larry said the bolts were actually in great shape! Whew!
Alignment is spot on - he uses an alignment shop up there that knows lifted 4WD trucks and goes by what should be not what factory specs are on lifts! Love supporting a member of the off road community and a 'somewhat' local small business owner. Love ya Larry!!! Only PITA going up there is either two round trips with a second vehicle and several hours driving or renting a car up there which is what I did this time around.
Alignment is spot on - he uses an alignment shop up there that knows lifted 4WD trucks and goes by what should be not what factory specs are on lifts! Love supporting a member of the off road community and a 'somewhat' local small business owner. Love ya Larry!!! Only PITA going up there is either two round trips with a second vehicle and several hours driving or renting a car up there which is what I did this time around.
Scott at Aiden James installed my lift and then put it on their Instagram page. It came out good.
I am planning to have some work done by their shop on my #fj62.
I've had a similar OME850-863 combo with caster bushings since 2007 and looking to upgrade. Did you stick with the same springs, and what are you using for caster. I am considering the delta radius arms and looking at opinions.
Good to hear the lift works well. I have been bottoming out some and the steering for me has always been a little dicey and twitchy at highway speed. So I am going up to a 3+" lift loaded. With that goes all the other problems. Like caster, drive shaft, panhards etc. I also developed a death wobble this year as parts have worn out, so adding all new tie rod ends, panhards, wheel bearings etc. to tighten it up. Including the radius arms since my press in adjustable OME bushings are shot.
Considering your drivability issues, you may have some worn suspension/steering components. Adding a lift may likely only exacerbate the issues. If I may suggest, you might want to have a someone who knows these vehicles well perform a thorough inspection of your existing system. Also, do you know what your current castor reading is? If I recall correctly, factory spec's are 2 degrees positive castor. Years ago I got a "Lifetime Alignment" from Firestone. I can go whenever I want and get a full report, including castor readings, and any corrections. It was money well spent for me. Years ago I did a 4.5" OME J-Spring lift with castor correction bushings only (no castor brackets, or "cut & turn"). I also switched to 35" tires. I really disliked the change in drivability. I'm now on 33's, and 2850/2863 springs (not J's). With the castor bushings and 33's my steering is fine. My wife and I have logged thousands of miles with this new setup and it doesn't feel the least bit twitchy or sketchy in any way. Just my 2 cents, best wishes with whatever you decide to do!
Thanks for the comments, I definitely have worn steering components, I mainly suspect the panhard and control arms bushing based on appearance and handling, but am changing out wheel bearings, tie rod ends, sway bar bushings etc, since they are 23 years old now and should be replaced anyway. I am not at all interested in caster correction bushings again with the 35" tires and twitchy steering nor am I interested in plates. Factory spec on caster is 2 to 4 degrees. I was between 0 to 1 with the 2 degree correction OME caster bushings but haven't measured in 12 years since the springs were new. You were likely way out of caster spec with the J's and only caster bushings. Seems people report each inch of lift equals about 2 negative degrees of caster. That would theoretically put your J lift at 3 degrees negative caster. and explaing the handling. The OME 2850 -2863 and caster bushing I have were OK when new on 33'" tires, but not with a load , 35's and other tired components. I know 80's well enough, just not the latest flavor in lifts since it seems to change every year or month, from OME, to Slee's, to Frankie's, to Slinky's, to Dobinson's, to Icon's, to Iron Man etc. I'm mainly trying to decide which springs and shocks and which caster to use, without spending $5K on parts, to lift an inch to 3", correct caster, and align axle location to better fit 35's. Been reaching out to vendors for input with mixed results and opinions.