Getting ready to lift. Quick questions

[timtimtimajim]

So I'm preparing to lift my 93 Sport as soon as December. I will be using the James Duff 2.5" Stage 2 kit. The kit comes with lift shackles, but I don't like the idea of using them. I would rather use lift leaf springs.

So, I've heard of the OME 36 (or CS042R) but just need to confirm that they will give me somewhere in the neighborhood of the 2.5" I'm doing.

Then do the leaf springs come with new bushings or do I need to purchase those separately?

Anything else I need to get for the leaf springs that doesn't already come in the Duff kit?

Oh and how long does it typically take for them to show up?

 

[Maniak]

I ran the CS042 springs back when they were still called OME-36. I got mine 2nd hand from @Rick. As far as I know they came with the bushings back then but I don't now about now. @Rhett just bought a set recently so he should be able to say if they still come with the bushings.

As for the lift, they only give 2" of lift (or slightly less). I ran them with WAR-153 shackles to get closer to 3.5" of lift.

The first lift kit we put on our X back in the late 1990's was the Duff 2.5" kit. It was the stage 1 kit so it didn't have the new coil tower, shock mounts or extended arms. We ran that kit for years and it held up well.. The only thing I ever broke were coil springs and that wasn't until much later when I modified the suspension (32" shocks, extended radius arms etc..).

Also, I could have sworn that the Duff 2.5" kit came with an AAL and not shackles. I just looked at jamesduff.com and it still shows it comes with AAL's in the stage 1 and the stage 2 doesn't show a change for the rear.

~Mark

 

[timtimtimajim]

To me it sounds like it comes with both AAL and shackles. Which is a decent way to lift the rear, just not my first choice.

When you ran yours with the OME36 and WAR-153 shackles did you still have the 2.5" in front? Did the vehicle look like it had severe rake or was it fairly unnoticeable?

Is there a shackle out there that could be used with the OME36 that'll put me closer to 2.5-3"? Or any other way to do to get that amount of lift while still using new leaf springs?

 

[Maniak]

I've modified over the years so much I'm having a hard time keeping exactly what was what when.... especially when I look at pictures I have..

If I remember correctly, the Duff 2.5" springs with f-150 spacers in the front matched well to the OME-36 + WAR-153 shackles. I'm pretty sure this shot is of that combination (with 33" tires). That is about the limit of what was alignable with the stock beams.

Coleman Side view by maniak_az, on Flickr

As for shackles... The War-153 shackles are 8.5" long (stock is 5.5") which is how you get "around" 1.5" of lift from it. So, to get 1" of lift from the shackles you would want a 7.5" long shackle. Off the top of my head I don't know of one made for the explorer (2.5" wide, 7" long with 14mm bolt holes). @Brian1 is the first name that comes to mind as someone who could build it... He does really nice work

~Mark

 

[timtimtimajim]

Thanks for your help Mark. You're giving me some ideas now. I may go with the WAR153 and f150 spacers since that is an option. Of course I'm only planning on running 31's and MAYBE 32's at most (I refuse to do any fender trimming on this Explorer)

I wonder what the specs on the lift shackles in the Duff kit are. Anyone know? If they're smaller than the WAR153 and bigger than stock I could use them with the OME leafs.

 

[Dzrtcj7]

I just received and installed Duff's lift shackles to go with my 5.5" lift. He referred to them as "warrior shackles". I will grab you some measurement's tomorrow. For reference, the Duff leafs, made by Deaver, gave me about 3.5" of lift without the shackles. Duff forgot to send the shackles that went with the kit. Also know, Duff's kits are built for Rangers, so depending on what kit you are getting, you may find some things that aren't mentioned in the instructions. Fortunately, it's a fairly intuitive install.

As for shipping, Duff has my full 5.5" system to my door in WA in about a week. Not to bad. Just double check all your parts hardware when they show up. If anything looks strange, post up here or call Mike Wood at Duff.

 

[timtimtimajim]

Okay so I ordered the Duff kit today. Still need to order the leaf springs, which I will do sometime this week.

So another question: extended brake lines?I know I need them. When I talked to the guy at Duff today he said they were out of stock of their extended brake lines, but I may try them again soon as I would think they would stock brake lines. But if they don't, what are my other options?

I know there is Pro Comp however the reviews on those aren't good so I will stay away from them.

Anybody used the Skyjacker ones for 4-6 inch lifts? Thoughts on these lines?

Other options?

I would really like something that is just "bolt on" without having to modify anything or plug holes (apparently 91-92 Explorers had different lines because of rear only abs)

As always, your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Maniak]

Do you have a speed shop in town? You know, a real auto parts place that specialized in go fast cars? If so, they should carry braided brake lines. You can get a line from Earls that will work. Just take the old one in and have them match it.

And, you are right, the 1993-1994 brake lines are the same both sides. On the 1991-1992 the Driver side is funky and has a weird fitting at the top.

Here is another option.. I haven't verified it myself but it's what someone on here said they used... extended brake lines...

~Mark

 

[timtimtimajim]

No speed shop near me. Closest one is about 45 mins to an hour on the other side of town. And even then I've never heard of this place until I did a google search just a little bit ago.

Looking at those Chevy 2500 front lines, they should work. They have the same style of fittings on both ends. So I think I'll give them a shot and be the guinea pig. Saves me money going that route anyway. Plus a parts store will actually stock them if I need one in an emergency.

Still trying to figure out what to use for the rear though. Any ideas there?

 

[Maniak]

I'll see if I can get any p/n's off my hoses (rear and the front two).... All of mine came from a speed shop... Assuming it's still light out tomorrow when I get home I'll try tomorrow.. worst case it'll be Friday... I have the day off and this is pretty much my final weekend to get ready for the truckhaven run.

~Mark

 

[timtimtimajim]

Cool! Thanks Mark! No rush, whenever you can get to it is fine.

 

[Rhett]

So, I've heard of the OME 36 (or CS042R) but just need to confirm that they will give me somewhere in the neighborhood of the 2.5" I'm doing.

Then do the leaf springs come with new bushings or do I need to purchase those separately?

My OME36's did not come with any bushings. I had to buy those separately. I bought the Energy Suspension kit. If I don't like poly back there I will simply punch them out and put in rubber.

I wish I could tell you the lift amount, but I have not had time to install the leaf pack yet. I'm still finishing my garage upgrade (new lights to be installed this weekend). Unloaded, the OME36's have more arch to them than new OEM unloaded I can tell you that. I figure I can tweak the amount of lift by making custom shackles, or WAR153's.

Be warned. It took me 8 months to acquire my OME36/CS042R's. I ordered thru 4Wheelparts. I was not pleased with their service, and I'm a pretty laid back, undemanding guy. These springs are made in Australia, so that is part of the reason it took so long I guess. Plus from what I was told OME doesn't keep that particular spring in stock anymore, and it had to be made from scratch. Maybe you'll luck out if you order some?

In that amount of time I could have ordered a custom Deaver pack / Detroit Spring or something like that, and had it faster at about the same price I bet.

Anything else I need to get for the leaf springs that doesn't already come in the Duff kit?

Oh and how long does it typically take for them to show up?

Not sure what's in the duff kit, but you might want new u-bolts and nuts for the leafs, if the Duff kit doesn't come with em.

 

[Rhett]

Here's some links when I did my research on leafs:

http://www.deaverspring.com/
http://customsuspension.com/
http://www.jamesduff.com/
http://www.springsnthings.com/

I have more info if you really want it

 

[timtimtimajim]

Thanks for the heads up on the bushings.

I sent ARB USA an email, and this is the response I got...

"Hi Tim. MSRP is 186.00 ea. We have stock in our Auburn, WA location. We do
not sell direct. There is a dealer search engine on our website.
www.arbusa.com . You will need to go through a distributor for street
delivered price and shipping time. Let us know if we can be of further
assistance."

It sounds like they have them in stock up in Washington, but who knows that may just be a generalization. My plan was to order through 4 Wheel Parts. So either I'll talk to them directly to make sure they don't take 8 months to show up (which is absolutely ridiculous, sorry to hear that) or I'll go through a different company.

Sent Deaver an email to see what it will cost to get springs from them. Will look into the other company's you've listed as well just to get some comparison.

I'll take any information you have

 

[Dzrtcj7]

Here's some links when I did my research on leafs:

http://www.deaverspring.com/
http://customsuspension.com/
http://www.jamesduff.com/
http://www.springsnthings.com/

I have more info if you really want it

My OME36's did not come with any bushings. I had to buy those separately. I bought the Energy Suspension kit. If I don't like poly back there I will simply punch them out and put in rubber.

I wish I could tell you the lift amount, but I have not had time to install the leaf pack yet. I'm still finishing my garage upgrade (new lights to be installed this weekend). Unloaded, the OME36's have more arch to them than new OEM unloaded I can tell you that. I figure I can tweak the amount of lift by making custom shackles, or WAR153's.

Be warned. It took me 8 months to acquire my OME36/CS042R's. I ordered thru 4Wheelparts. I was not pleased with their service, and I'm a pretty laid back, undemanding guy. These springs are made in Australia, so that is part of the reason it took so long I guess. Plus from what I was told OME doesn't keep that particular spring in stock anymore, and it had to be made from scratch. Maybe you'll luck out if you order some?

In that amount of time I could have ordered a custom Deaver pack / Detroit Spring or something like that, and had it faster at about the same price I bet.



Not sure what's in the duff kit, but you might want new u-bolts and nuts for the leafs, if the Duff kit doesn't come with em.

The springs that come in the Duff kit are built by Deaver. The kit should come with new u-bolts, nuts and the springs will have bushings in them. The only bushings not provided are the upper shackle bushings which pass through the frame.

I would also consider www.alcanspring.com. They are one of the gold standards in springs and they manufacturer springs for other companies. I've emailed back and forth with them. They are very knowledgeable and helpful.

For brake lines, if you know what fittings and length you need, www.speedwaymotors.com is a good place to what your brake lines. The ones that come from Duff are great quality and fit well if you want to wait until they get them back in stock.

 

[timtimtimajim]

Sadly the 2.5" kit just comes with and AAL and shackles so no new springs from them.

I'll have to check out the links you've listed later. Thanks for all the information guys!

Got a message back from Deaver. Two new leaf packs is going to run $815 from them. So they're out of the question. Don't want to spend that much on leaf springs. The search continues...

 

[Rhett]

"Hi Tim. MSRP is 186.00 ea. We have stock in our Auburn, WA location. We do not sell direct. There is a dealer search engine on our website.
www.arbusa.com . You will need to go through a distributor for street
delivered price and shipping time. Let us know if we can be of further
assistance."

I did the same -- tried to buy direct from ARB USA and ARB Australia. There would be some markup by 4WheelParts as I paid more than $186 per pack.

It sounds like they have them in stock up in Washington, but who knows that may just be a generalization. My plan was to order through 4 Wheel Parts. So either I'll talk to them directly to make sure they don't take 8 months to show up (which is absolutely ridiculous, sorry to hear that) or I'll go through a different company.

4Wheelparts told me they were in warehouse last December, and look what happened. On the bright side -- maybe because I ordered them, OME made several sets, and you would be in luck.

I'll take any information you have

I'll see what I have at home, I may PM it since some of it is just my nerd notes etc. that no one wants to see.

 

[timtimtimajim]

Sweet! Thanks Rhett

Do you have a link to the bushings you used?

 

[Rhett]

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/4.18102

That is their "master" kit which has axle pivot, rad arm, etc. etc. but as I recall I had trouble finding JUST the spring eye bushings from Energy Suspension. Could be a fail on my part as I didn't look too hard, and I kind of wanted the whole kit anyway, for when I re-do the front end.

 

[Rhett]

Also, here is Energy Susp's page for '93 Explorer products:
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/products/ford_explorer_4wd_1993

I PM'ed you my notes file.