Use of spring compressor for installing Toyota strut spacers? (1 Viewer)

[bigkuri]

Hi All,
I have searched with no luck, and this may be a silly question.

I'll soon be installing the Toyota strut spacers on my 2021 LC200. I've seen the excellent YouTube install video, which is all simple and fine.

However I've been wondering if instead of loosening all the suspension components, instead simply use a spring compressor with the shock in place, creating enough free space to slide in the spacer?

Many thanks!

 

[clrussell]

Just do it the correct way and don’t die.

 

[RTaylor]

No, it goes on top of the coil assembly and it doesn’t need to be disassembled. There are other spacers that go inside the assembly that are common on other Toyota platforms.

 

[kcjaz]

Hi All,
I have searched with no luck, and this may be a silly question.

I'll soon be installing the Toyota strut spacers on my 2021 LC200. I've seen the excellent YouTube install video, which is all simple and fine.

However I've been wondering if instead of loosening all the suspension components, instead simply use a spring compressor with the shock in place, creating enough free space to slide in the spacer?

Many thanks!

I can understand the thought but I wouldn’t do it. If you have a set of spring compressor rods I guess you could see if you could get them in there but doing it per the videos and FSM isn’t too bad and would be safer.

I’ve only ever tried to use the rod style compressor once on 1st gen Tundra struts that I had removed to replace the shocks. I couldn’t get enough spring compression to remove the shock. The rods got pretty bowed and I felt that I was playing with a pipe bomb so I stopped. The main issue was that I couldn’t get the clamp blocks high enough as the coil spacing was two tight. The LC struts are bigger so maybe you could get them on better but I still wouldn’t do it.

 

[bigkuri]

Thanks all! @kcjaz that's my thinking of the issues too, and useful with your first-hand experience albeit a Tundra.

I'll have a little experiment with the idea when I get the spacers (4 weeks from Japan in NZ), but as said by all, the other way does not look too onerous and so why take the risk.

 

[bloc]

The fronts really aren’t bad. One tip.. don’t loosen the UCA pivot bolt, nor the upper ball joint.

If you don’t, you can remove the two large bolts into the bottom of the knuckle, the lower strut bolt, the sway bar link bolt, and loosen the two LCA inner bushing bolts, and the lower control arm will swing away from the knuckle and shock… and the UCA holds the knuckle up hanging in the air. With the LCA out of the way the strut comes out super easy.. just loosen the four top nuts and drop it down.

You will eventually want to loosen the UCA pivot to set the bushing neutral position for your new ride height, but it helps a ton to just wait until the spacer and LCA is all in place.

I’ve only ever tried to use the rod style compressor once on 1st gen Tundra struts that I had removed to replace the shocks. I couldn’t get enough spring compression to remove the shock. The rods got pretty bowed and I felt that I was playing with a pipe bomb so I stopped. The main issue was that I couldn’t get the clamp blocks high enough as the coil spacing was two tight. The LC struts are bigger so maybe you could get them on better but I still wouldn’t do it.

It may depend on the kind of compressor tool, but I’ve done it, and while finicky to get the blocks in the right spot and the bolts pointed the correct direction to avoid binding.. it didn’t seem too unsafe.

But it took a lot of trial and error to find that specific configuration.

 

[bigezvol]

Hi All,
I have searched with no luck, and this may be a silly question.

I'll soon be installing the Toyota strut spacers on my 2021 LC200. I've seen the excellent YouTube install video, which is all simple and fine.

However I've been wondering if instead of loosening all the suspension components, instead simply use a spring compressor with the shock in place, creating enough free space to slide in the spacer?

Many thanks!

please provide a link to the video you're referring to.

 

[bigkuri]

please provide a link to the video you're referring to.

Here you go, it's the best video I have found on the install:

 

[bigezvol]

Here you go, it's the best video I have found on the install:

Helpful, but I was hoping it would cover the lx570 and how to disconnect the ahc lines.

 

[TomEf]

I’ve only ever tried to use the rod style compressor once on 1st gen Tundra struts that I had removed to replace the shocks. I couldn’t get enough spring compression to remove the shock. The rods got pretty bowed and I felt that I was playing with a pipe bomb so I stopped.

From my 3rd gen 4Runner days, I seem to remember people saying to use two pairs of spring compressors on each front strut. Something about an unusually high spring rate. Seems to track given the similarity with the 1st gen Tundra.