[Singha]

OK any advice on installing 3" lift spacer?
We tried to install Tai Mai Shu's RC 3" lift but we could not get the lower shock eye over the lip on the LCA for nothing. Threes guys strong arming this thing.

Here is some details, replace stock shock with TRD's w strut spring. Got the spring in with out removing the tie rod VIA screwing method. Got strut in place.
Placed the space on top of strut. Got top into place, got the nuts on (barely biting). THEN we could not get that lower shock eye over that little lip on the LCA where the lower shock get bolted up. We could not get the spring compress enough to make it over that little lip. All we need was 1/4 to 1/2 of strut to compress to make it over.

Was we going something wrong? Did we missed something? Or did we did not eat our Wheaties?

Before trying Tai we did BKW's OME 883 springs on his Bilstein strut and that went smoothly.

 

[Layonnn]

The three bolts that extend through the top have just enough thread to get the nut on??? It should be more than that. About 1cm of thread should be above the nut when fully tightened.
This is how i have done mine in the past. Get someone who can bench press a lot. Have them put their back against the inner fender and push straight down. While they are doing this, use a long flat head screw driver as a lever to push the strut mount into place.

 

[Tai Mai Shu]

The three bolts that extend through the top have just enough thread to get the nut on??? It should be more than that. About 1cm of thread should be above the nut when fully tightened.
This is how i have done mine in the past. Get someone who can bench press a lot. Have them put their back against the inner fender and push straight down. While they are doing this, use a long flat head screw driver as a lever to push the strut mount into place.

I can bench press 50 lbs. Will this be enough? :lol:

 

[Gottagetone]

Is the spacer a top mount spacer or did you have to compress the spring to do the install? Either way you should have plenty of room to bolt the top of the coil over, which I believe you are calling a shock, in with extra threads left over. Are you sure you have the c/o in straight? Did you use a pry bar to bring the A arm down to re-install the c/o? Sounds like the c/o is not in straight.

 

[Tai Mai Shu]

Is the spacer a top mount spacer or did you have to compress the spring to do the install? Either way you should have plenty of room to bolt the top of the coil over, which I believe you are calling a shock, in with extra threads left over. Are you sure you have the c/o in straight? Did you use a pry bar to bring the A arm down to re-install the c/o? Sounds like the c/o is not in straight.

The spacer is top mount. No need for spring coil compressor.

 

[Gottagetone]

Thats what I have and there is plenty of thread to work with on top. Either way you should have plenty of thread to work with, thats why I dont think its in straight. Use a pry bar to get some leverage to lower the a-arm, you may still need to remove the tie rod connection to give yourself some working room.

 

[Tai Mai Shu]

Thats what I have and there is plenty of thread to work with on top. Either way you should have plenty of thread to work with, thats why I dont think its in straight. Use a pry bar to get some leverage to lower the a-arm, you may still need to remove the tie rod connection to give yourself some working room.

I think the next thing to do is to use the pry bar. Will this break anything?

 

[Gottagetone]

Not if you do it right! We had to use a prybar on mine to bring the arm down and line everything up. I am about to switch to a new coil over setup and I expect to use a prybar on that install as well. Remember, you are not bending anything, you are just using the bar to get leverage on the arm. You can also use a floor jack on the lower arm if need be to raise it up.

 

[Tai Mai Shu]

Not if you do it right! We had to use a prybar on mine to bring the arm down and line everything up. I am about to switch to a new coil over setup and I expect to use a prybar on that install as well. Remember, you are not bending anything, you are just using the bar to get leverage on the arm. You can also use a floor jack on the lower arm if need be to raise it up.

Thank you for your help.

 

[Singha]

We tried it both way.
Bolt only in on the bottom and try to get the top in. This way I dought it was going in this way. We had two guys pushing down on the front axle. Just not enough space to get the shock and spacer in.

The other way, top in first and two guys pushing down on the front axle, the lower strut eyelet was just shy of 1/4 to 1/2 of getting over that little cup on the LCA that the shock sit in to bolt up.

It just seems like the LCA was maxed out going downward.
Maybe the tie rod has to be unbolt?

Please keep the feedback coming.

 

[Gottagetone]

You need to go top in first, the lower control arm should not be in the way.

 

[Singha]

The three bolts that extend through the top have just enough thread to get the nut on??? It should be more than that. About 1cm of thread should be above the nut when fully tightened.
This is how i have done mine in the past. Get someone who can bench press a lot. Have them put their back against the inner fender and push straight down. While they are doing this, use a long flat head screw driver as a lever to push the strut mount into place.

The three bolts mounts up fine, but when we did this. The lower strut eyelet we could not get it over that little lip where the it sit into the LCA to get bolted up (there is a cup where it sits in to bolt up). We had to get the shock just over that little lip. We try to make up the 1/4 or 1/2 by trying to push down with two guys mount on the underside of the fender and stepping down on the brake rotor, and the third guy trying to get the lower strut eyelet over the lip on the LCA. But no way doe it seem the LCA is going down any further even with two guys stepping down on the brake rotor.

I think we will bolt up the lower eyelet first and try and pry the top portion in with a heavy and long pry bar. Which we did not have. At the time.

 

[FJ FunJunkie]

Did you remove the two bolts on the bottom outer side(near the wheel) of the lower control arm and the sway bar as well as the inner LCA bolts?? this will give you plenty of room for placement as the whole shock tower will drop. then you will need an additional small jack to get it back to position or a strong dude to push it back up. as for the inner LCA bolt's be careful not to rotate the oblong end too much or you will throw out the allignment alot, you will still need an allignment but too much will turn the steering wheel and get the truck all squirly until you get the alignment.

 

[Singha]

Yeah sway bar was completely removed.

Would we get the clearance needed if we unbolt the upper control arm so the LCA and have more downward travel?

 

[FJ FunJunkie]

Yeah sway bar was completely removed.

Would be get the clearance needed if we unbolt the upper control arm so the LCA and have more downward travel?

I think your prob is the inner Lower control arm bolts, they are really tight compressing the bushings and dont allow thu LCA to droop enough.

 

[Singha]

Did you remove the two bolts on the bottom outer side(near the wheel) of the lower control arm and the sway bar as well as the inner LCA bolts?? this will give you plenty of room for placement as the whole shock tower will drop. then you will need an additional small jack to get it back to position or a strong dude to push it back up. as for the inner LCA bolt's be careful not to rotate the oblong end too much or you will throw out the allignment alot, you will still need an allignment but too much will turn the steering wheel and get the truck all squirly until you get the alignment.

The two bolts your are talking about are they the
lower ball joint that attaches the steering knuckle?
These we did not unbolt.

 

[Tai Mai Shu]

:bump::bump: Need more feedbacks.

 

[missmy60]

Not sure if this will help or not but here are a few pics of my lift install when we were having the same type of problem. I can't tell you much about it being that I had no idea what I was doing. The other guys did most of the work.

You can see the larger pics here. Missmy60 Lift & TNSquire CAI installs - a set on Flickr

 

[Tai Mai Shu]

Ahhhhh...Look like you go in top first and use a giant screw driver to pry the bottom in. Very nice :bigthumb:

 

[Singha]

DAM that looked like us.
Tai Mai Shu
BKW
Singha.

But we weren't successful. And No ONE was smiling.