DIY Suspension install ?

[switched Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close switched]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

We did the DIY suspension install yesterday and i am very happy with the results.

before measurements were 715mm at the front and 775mm at the back.

We installed dobinsons springs and lovells gas legend shocks.

immediatly after the install the front was sitting at 815mm and the back at 845mm.

after throwing in the install crew for some ballast and going for a romp over some rough dirt track to get things settled for an hour, the final measure was at 775mm at the front and 840mm at the back.

time taken was just over 2 hours for the front and 45mins for the back with no loss of fingers or even any drawing of blood. top result.

Thanks to the Prado Point crew for providing the destructions, I wouldnt have attempted this myself without seeing how others had done it,

Cheers,

Will

Will,
Have you organised a wheel alignment? Ill be looking at fitting out new shocks/springs when my Billies come in (hopefully in a few weeks but not holding my breath :evil: )
What did you find the hardest during the install?

[Wil Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wil]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

with out a doubt the hardest part is compressing the new front springs to get the struts in. We needed 3 spring compressors and it was still hard going. What we noticed was that the new struts came with 2 rubber mounts, so we placed one inside the hub that sits on top of the spring and one on the outside. After finding that we couldn't compress the spring enough we sat down for a re think and reliased the the original setup did not have a rubber on the inside, as it appears to be built into the hub. Once we abandoned trying to get that internal rubber in we started to make headway again. I put in heavy duty springs and maybe thats what made it hard for us. Looking at the pics that the lads took while doing fishnut's car they made it look far easier then we found it to be.

Also, keep the missus away. removing some of the stuff out of the way while doing the front required quite a bit persuasion and seeing this much banging to her car left the missus aprehensive.

Start at the front as this is fiddly. best to do this while you are fresh and not frustrated, you can then sprint to the finish with back which is a piece of piss compared to the front.

Do one side of the front completely before starting the other side. This way you can use the un dismantled side as a reference when you are putting the other side back together, kinda like a checklist. That way you dont miss the little things like split pins etc (which we replaced with new as the toyota ones weird).

And last but not least, safety. use good stands and jacks. Once you have it on the stands give the car a good hard shake to make sure everything is stable.

Hope this makes sense.

Will

[Wil Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wil]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

Forgot to mention that the wheel alignment is booked for wednesday to give it a few days to settle. I have given the car a good workout on the sand and on some really rutted tracks to aid the settling process.

The bloke at the tyre place i booked the wheel alignment at seemed a little upset about having to do the alignment on account of me doing the suspension upgrade myself. But i pointed out that i was paying him to do a job, and not asking for any favours, so why i want the alignment is none of his concern, he should simply do the best that he can for any paying customer.

Will

[jeff s Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close jeff s]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

But i pointed out that i was paying him to do a job, and not asking for any favours, so why i want the alignment is none of his concern, he should simply do the best that he can for any paying customer.

Will

Well put.

A suspension change makes all the difference.
It completely changes the car.

I used the Lovells HD springs that Fishnut is talking about.

They have also sagged.

Matt White has mentioned that King springs make a good spring, So I will try them next.
Hope the Dobsons are good, be interested to see the results in about 3/4's to 1 years time.

I didn't notice the sag happening, until it was obvious.

Jeff.

[RustyTruck Member Find all posts View Profile Close RustyTruck]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

Did anyone have any problem with compressing the spring enough to get it on the new strut? I have been going for ages trying to get the new HD springs compressed enough. 4 Spring compressors and all :?

[Wil Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Wil]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

Yep,

we had 3 compressors on the spring, and rattle gun was only just coping and the shafts on the compressors where bending enough to make me very nervous, but everything held and it worked out ok.

[bilo33prado Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bilo33prado]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

Great write up Chippy. Wish i had found this thread before i attacked my front end. How had is it to get front sway bar back on? I had to take my struts and springs to local shop to fit them. My two cheap spring compressor didn't cut the mustard.
Cheers
Geoff

[Simmo Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Simmo]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the invaluable thread. Just did my own lift.
OME895 springs on the rear and OME on the front. Bought the lot from Ebay $350 + $40 for spring compressors.
One and a half hours for the rear and about 3 hours for the fromt. Tried to leave the sway bar inplace but that was a mistake, ended up taking it off!

Thanks heaps.

[Offroader Member Find all posts View Profile Close Offroader]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

After using this useful thread to install my own suspension I thought I'd add a few comments to help others contemplating this job.

1. If you are going to attempt this job buy some quality, heavy duty spring compressors suited to heavy 4WD springs. I got away with using some cheaper ones but practically ruined them in the process and I struggled to get enough tension on them without them severely bending. I would recommend a single jaw type with a locking pin over the ones you buy at SCA. The twin jaw design don't lock on to the coil properly and tend to slip sideways and off.

2. Removing the outer tie rod ends is not so easy even after striking the knuckle with a big hammer. On older vehicles this join can be very stubborn to break. You may need a puller because hitting the thread itself is a big no no and a pickle fork will just tear the rubber boots.

3. When mounting the coil on the struts make sure that the end of the coil at the bottom is parallel to the rear of the vehicle as per the Toyo workshop manual. On the passenger side this means the end of the coil will face outwards and inwards on the driver's side.

4. Make sure you use a torque wrench on all the main fittings as doing up the bolts with a rattle gun is too hit and miss on important components such as suspension. Remember only torque the bottom shock bolts once the vehicle's load is on them to allow the bushings to be in the right position.

Overall impressions: Bilsteins all 'round with Lovells HD coils up front and mediums on the rear.

Having come from an OME set up (884s -896's older type shockies), I decided to switch to Bilsteins as everyone was raving about them.
I find this package to be far superior on the road than the OME gear. Handling, cornering and braking are all significantly improved on the black-top - no wonder TRD opted for Bilsteins. However, IMHO the OME gear provided a better ride off road. The Billies tend to be a little more harsh in this regard and don't tend to soak up the rough stuff as well. I think both OME and Bilstein are top products - but I tend to think that the overall disparity between the two is often exaggerated.

Overall I'm very happy with the new set-up and hope this info helps others contemplating this job.

[Antmann Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Antmann]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

Hi all, Since reading this thread, I have attempted the install myself. Thanks to everyone who as gone to the effort to post their pics and experiences. I have just completed the rear and will do the front tomorrow. No real drama's thanks to all the advice here. Its great to do the work yourself. Looking forward to tomorrow cheers. :lol: Antman

[Fuses Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Fuses]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

I have just done the front and will do the back tomorrow... Hard bit first...I only released the sway bar mounts and there was enough room to work the shock/spring assemble through. Now to find a spot for the polyair valves..more reading reading

[mackayvx Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close mackayvx]

Re: DIY Suspension install ?

Hey guys...

Definately fasten the botton shockie bolt up when the car is sitting on the ground.
I just bought on '04 120 series with Ironman suspension. The bottom bushes on the front shocks have been blown out. Brisbane Ironman office have said this is due to the bolts being rattled up when the car is sitting on the hoist.
I asked the local Pedders bloke about this and he told that was rubbish, but he also said it would be 'to hard' to rattle them up on the ground as he doesnt like to lie on his workshop floor.
I will believe the Ironman dealer and everyone off Pradopoint has confirmed this for me!
Now as these bushes had blown out, I asked the Iron man man for a couple of replacments, aparently there were 2 sizes for my model prado, 35 and 42mm.
Mine are the 35mm and guess what?? They must not make them any more, BECAUSE THEY ARE GIVING ME NEW FRONT SHOCKS FOR FREE!!!
Any ways being the tight fisted dude that I am, I will be doing this job tommorrow myself thanks to the instruction here on Pradopoint.
Will let you know how I go....
Good on yas!

[Bomber-74 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bomber-74]

Ok guys,

I am about to embark on this with Darren McRae's setup. Ridepro HD coils in the front and Med in the rear with polyairs. This thread is great for all installation.

I do have one question. What sort of spring compressors did people use?

Total traction tyres here in Adelaide think that the front coils are too hard to use compressors on. Your thoughts?

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Have a look here bomber http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...ng-Compressors Someone in Adelaide still has my spring compressors that have been used for a couple of suspension installs recently, You could probably arrange to borrow them if you like.

Cheers Andrew

[Guest Close Guest]

Homer did it without spring compressors! Although the Lovells EHD have a much shorter free length which means it doesn't have to be compressed that much.
New lovells/Bilstein lift

The ridepro coils are longer though.

I've passed AJ120's spring compressors onto iantz with a mod done to it. Try a PM to iantz to locate it.