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Lift for 3rd gen - Coilsprings.com

three weeks later

finally got my springs yesterday from coilsprings!... +2.5" for the front, and as soon as this rain stops i can start the long process of installation. :D
front2.5.JPG
inthebox.JPG
 



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crazy... mine came in a beat up box and didnt have a sticker... sounds fun tho... show pics after install
 






Before and After...

Bigapple! Thank you :D We did the 1.5" springs in front, and all the rubbing and everything is gone! The wheel well area was cut up pretty bad, so all of that was replaced with new parts... No rubbing, no bottoming out! This is all I need for the front end - the rears will get coilsprings.com too! :cool:

Top foto is w/1.5" Coilspring, bottom minus the lift... you can't really see the difference... The vehicle feels and handles 100x better, no joke! The bumber was trimmed a while back by comany x, but I'm not going to replace that yet...

Raining off an on, so the vehicle is dirty w/dull tires. But we are almost done with the project... I wanto stinkbug the back, but I don't really know how much to lift there, 1.5 or 2.0, 2.5? Any suggestions? If you don't like, rip at it so I'll know what's wrong... thanks!
 






ok here is my vehicle transformation from stock to a 2.5" lift in the front to my new firestone destination m/t... sorry for all the pics... its just so you can really see the difference it makes with each upgrade.

ok here is stock, not that interesting.
stock2.jpg


i decided to spray the springs red before i did the install.
spray.jpg

spring2.jpg


here is a before the new tire and after for all of you wanting to put a 265/75 in your wheel well... not much room in there when its all said and done...
clearance.jpg

clearance2.jpg


and here is the stock comparison to the finished project...
stock3.jpg

spring-tires.jpg


i have pics of measurments too but ill put those up later if you really need to see them, with the springs i gained 2" in the front and with the tires about 1" all around...heres the last pic... fyi for those who care, these mudders are super quiet compared to all the others i've rode around on in different trucks...
finished%20product.jpg
 












265/75/16, but with the nubbies it feels even taller...
 






man i should have gone with 2.5 inches... they didnt have it listed on the quote so i guess i assumed it didnt exist... glad to see some people r finally putting their words into actions and doing what they claim they will eventually do... thanx for joining me with a leveled explorer haha... enjoy the height... i know i have
 






Daaaannnnngggg! That looks tough. Good job!

Side note: Seeing that pic, it looks like the flares are part of the front bumper. I thought I read they slipped over. I don't have 'em, and am interested in hitting the junks for some. Do I need the pieces, or a front bumper swap?:scratch:
 






Daaaannnnngggg! That looks tough. Good job!

Side note: Seeing that pic, it looks like the flares are part of the front bumper. I thought I read they slipped over. I don't have 'em, and am interested in hitting the junks for some. Do I need the pieces, or a front bumper swap?:scratch:

i did an XLT bumper swap... the fender flares are removable up to the bumper... when the bumper starts, they are one piece... as for the xlt bumpers, the side moldings are removable... u have to buy those separately if u swap the bumper... search for my thread "xlt bumper swap" in this forum
 






planting3seeds

I see you live in Whittier, not too far from myself. Did you install your springs yourself or did you have someone install them for you? I'm looking to get some myself and am looking for a good place to have them installed. Thanks
 






my neighbor had a really good spring compressor, looks like a drill stand kind of deal, and i just borrowed it and did it my self.
 






Do you have any pointers on putting on the new springs? I've never dealt with struts before, is that all that needs to come off or is there more that will need to come loose?
 






you'll only need to take out a couple bolts to take out the strut and then some more after you compress the spring, but still i would recomend taking it to a mechanic to do because this is a operation that if done incorrectly could be fatal...
 






Do you have any pointers on putting on the new springs? I've never dealt with struts before, is that all that needs to come off or is there more that will need to come loose?

well there r a few things to consider here... if u get the little compressors from autozone it probably wont cut it... the springs that u get in r going to be very thick and ur gunna want something heavey duty... if shops have the wall-mounted compressors, that would be the best way to go and thats what i did... the way to get to the strut is to remove the tire, and ull see a bolt with a pin thru it holding together ur spindle... remove that pin and the bolt and hammer at the spindle till it pops loose of the control arm... then remove the 3 pins ontop of the strut and the large one at the bottom and itll be out... compress the spring and remove the large bolt in the middle of the strut on the top to get the spring out... swap springs and reverse the order to get the new spring in... good luck
 












The way i imagine those spacers working, you would lose a lot of rebound from the spring. You would also alter the spring rate in a bad way because they basically stretch the spring, so it wouldn't perform the way it is supposed to. With the new springs from coilspring.com, you can maintain or even improve the performance of the springs. Even with just a coil spacer, the spring's performance is not really changed.
 






i came across these things. They seem to serve the same purpose as a spacer, but they look a little more reliable. It says they can give you a 2 to 2-3/4 in lift, and they are only $10 each. Why would i buy the new springs when i can just put these in for about $50?
Thanks

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/...005888/N-111+2005+200005341+600009154/c-10614

i installed spacers on a friend's tundra and alot more went into doing that than just replacing the spring... his spacers attatched to the strut itself so it made it longer... when doing this, i had to disconnect the sway bar, the control arm, and the brake lines to get the control arm low enough to put the spring back in the bottom... then i had to use a jack under the control arm to use the weight of the truck to compress the spring to reattatch the control arm bolt and sway bar

using the spring actually utilizes all this into the strut and increases the compression without making the strut longer, which makes it more durable and reliable... if u do end up installing new springs, make sure to be aware of the balljoint boots... i popped both of mine and the oil seeped out and now it makes a squeek everytime i hit a bump... planning on replacing them soon but it was an unneccessary problem... good luck out there:thumbsup:
 



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Do the 2.5 springs put any kind of strain on the steering stuff? I know you have to start replacing parts when the lift gets so high, because it throws the geometry off.

-Shawn
 






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