jnaeve
12-28-2004, 09:05 AM
I wanted to share my recent experience with installing a 2.5" leveling kit on my 2005 Tundra Doublecab Limited 4x4 (no TRD package). First want to state that the difference in height from the back fender edge to the front fender edge was 2.375" (or 2-3/8") with the back higher than the front. I personally prefer a more level view of the vehicle and sought to find a "leveling kit" rather than a full lift for two reasons:
Since I'm leasing my Tundra, I don't want to spend more money on the vehicle than necessary.
The leveling kit is a simple very inexpensive approach to more height and a larger wheel than stock and I can install it myself.
One thing I wanted to note is that there are several manufacturers of leveling/lift kits out there for varying prices but due to the fact that my truck is very new, it's a 2005, none of the manufacturers had a verifiable 2005 version of the kit. This was cause for some concern and more research on my part in order to find the right part. I spent several weeks researching the variances in a 2004 versus a 2005 and talked with several people, one in particular I want to recognize because of their customer service skills and can-do attitude is 4 Wheel Parts & Off Road Accessories in Plano, TX (www.4wheelparts.com (http://www.4wheelparts.com)). These guys went out of their way to find more information to help me make my decision - special thanks to that team!
Of the different manufacturers, I ended up with the Daystar product because of its neoprene composition versus milled aluminum from other manufacturers. I'm not a hard-core 4-wheeler so I felt the neoprene would be better suited to my style of driving and use of the vehicle. Others who do much more off-roading might find the milled aluminum more durable. Even though I decided on the Daystar product, they still didn't have a true 2005 version of the product but through the folks at 4 Wheel Parts, was able to ascertain that there was no difference in the affected front-end suspension system between the 2004 and 2005 models so all aspects of the installation should be identical. That was all the information and assurance I needed to make my decision.
Onward To The Installation
I'm very mechanically inclined and fairly resourceful so unless you're the same or better, I don't recommend this for just anyone. Even though I'm just adding a 2.5" "leveling kit", it does take some patience and general knowledge of auto mechanics to be able to perform this work. It also requires certain tools such as a strut spring compressor; ball joint separator (not the fork type); torque wrench and other basic mechanics tools, floor jack and sturdy jack stands. If you don't own the spring compressor or ball joint separator, you may be able to rent them from the local auto parts house.
You'll need to allocate about 1/2 a day to get the job completely done, it only took me about 4.5 hours but was due primarily to being my first time dealing with this. Be sure to completely follow the manufacturers specific directions for installing the kit - the information I provide below is intended to enhance the installation process.
For the 2004-2005 & similar Tundra's, you will need to do the following:
Once jacked up and adequately supported, remove both front wheels.
Remove the upper ball joint cotter pin and castle nut then using the ball joint separator (again, do not use the fork type) separate the ball joint from the upper arm. Note, once the ball joint has been separated from the upper control arm, there will be tension placed on the brake line hose and you need to be cognizant of this to ensure the hose isn't stressed too much. I relieve this stress by using a firm rubber tie-down that I wrapped around the arm and hooked to the frame. Worked well.
Remove the upper bolt from the torsion bar. This will allow the wheel assembly to move freely. This is required in order to remove the bolt from the lower strut assembly (shock absorber).
Next, remove the bolt from the lower strut assembly. When removing the bolt, be sure to note the direction it was installed and reinstall it the same way. This will require manipulation of the front drive shaft so the bolt can be completely removed.
Once the bottom bolt is removed, remove the three bolts at the top of the strut assembly. This will free up the entire strut and drop down out of the housing for the next steps.
Once you have the strut in hand, apply the spring compression tool. Be sure the tool is properly seated into the spring and isn't going to slip. Start tightening the tool, compressing the spring and be careful to apply equal pressure to both sides of the spring during compression.
Once compressed and you can see the top plat of the strut become free with about 1/2" of play, remove the nut from the top of the shock. This will require a (my preference) vicegrip wrench to hold the top of the threaded shock bolt while removing the nut.
With the nut removed, the top plate can be removed and the rubber plate separated from the bolt plate. (note: my particular Daystar product came with six replacement bolts and nylon-insert nuts which required me to tap out the three factory bolts (three on each strut) and replace them with the longer new bolts. You will need to have a fairly strong or heavy anvil or vice to tap and properly seat these bolts into place!)
Once you've replaced these bolts, insert the lower neoprene bushing which basically replaces the factory rubber bushing. This is somewhat tricky in that the new bushing is a tight fit.
Reinstall the strut upper plate to the shock using the same nut and be sure to tighten it all the way down before removing the spring compressors.
This next step is not what the manufacturer suggested but because I couldn't see any other way around it, had to be done; I removed the strut spring compressors in order to get the strut back in place. This posed a problem with the installation in that I needed a buddy to help me get the strut seated properly.
Place the upper half of the spacer between the strut and the strut housing, properly setting it through the three bolts and set the new nylon-insert nuts on top of the bolts and be sure to tighten them to the proper specifications using your torque wrench.
Once the upper strut is in place, replace the bolt at the bottom of the strut the same way you removed it. You will also need to tighten this to the same specifications using an appropriate torque wrench.
Once the strut is back in position, replace the nut at the torsion bar.
The next step is to properly reseat the ball joint and replace the castle nut and cotter pin. Be sure to completely tighten the castle nut and align the slot in the nut with the hole in the threaded ball joint to replace the cotter pin.
Once all parts are in place, check your work by going over each of the nuts at the top of the strut assembly, torsion bar end and ball joint to ensure everything is tightened to specification.
When this is done, replace your front wheels.
The manufacturer recommended checking all of the nuts at 500 miles so my preference was to not get an alignment until after that time. 500 miles is not that many and since I didn't make a huge modification to the camber of the front end, felt that I could easily get the 500 miles in, make any adjustments necessary then take it in for alignment. I don't feel that 500 miles will affect the tires any either for no more than was adjusted. This is my personal preference mostly because of the cost of an alignment and potentially having to do it twice, once now and then again once I've had to make any adjustments. Some may feel that the adjustments won't be significant enough to warrant an alignment but again, my preference would be to wait.
The installation was fairly straight forward and really fairly simple. I can see how that not having the right tools would make this an impossible task. I am no expert nor do I make any claims to be an expert mechanic and the sole purpose of this note is to give others a feel for what I went through and perhaps paint the picture of what's involved before you go take it on yourself. Before my buddy came over to help, I was entertaining the thought of putting it back together and driving over to a shop and have someone else do it for me. The important part off the buddy system is not only to assist in the installation but to help provide encouragement and for safety reasons.
I'm happy with the installation and proud of the outcome - the feeling of satisfaction from doing it myself is a bonus too. :cool:
I hope that whoever reads this will appreciate the content but also recognize that I'm not an authority on the subject, just someone who wanted to share my experience in hopes that someone like myself would be able to glean valuable information from it.
Enjoy!
Jim Naeve
Murphy, TX:tu:
Since I'm leasing my Tundra, I don't want to spend more money on the vehicle than necessary.
The leveling kit is a simple very inexpensive approach to more height and a larger wheel than stock and I can install it myself.
One thing I wanted to note is that there are several manufacturers of leveling/lift kits out there for varying prices but due to the fact that my truck is very new, it's a 2005, none of the manufacturers had a verifiable 2005 version of the kit. This was cause for some concern and more research on my part in order to find the right part. I spent several weeks researching the variances in a 2004 versus a 2005 and talked with several people, one in particular I want to recognize because of their customer service skills and can-do attitude is 4 Wheel Parts & Off Road Accessories in Plano, TX (www.4wheelparts.com (http://www.4wheelparts.com)). These guys went out of their way to find more information to help me make my decision - special thanks to that team!
Of the different manufacturers, I ended up with the Daystar product because of its neoprene composition versus milled aluminum from other manufacturers. I'm not a hard-core 4-wheeler so I felt the neoprene would be better suited to my style of driving and use of the vehicle. Others who do much more off-roading might find the milled aluminum more durable. Even though I decided on the Daystar product, they still didn't have a true 2005 version of the product but through the folks at 4 Wheel Parts, was able to ascertain that there was no difference in the affected front-end suspension system between the 2004 and 2005 models so all aspects of the installation should be identical. That was all the information and assurance I needed to make my decision.
Onward To The Installation
I'm very mechanically inclined and fairly resourceful so unless you're the same or better, I don't recommend this for just anyone. Even though I'm just adding a 2.5" "leveling kit", it does take some patience and general knowledge of auto mechanics to be able to perform this work. It also requires certain tools such as a strut spring compressor; ball joint separator (not the fork type); torque wrench and other basic mechanics tools, floor jack and sturdy jack stands. If you don't own the spring compressor or ball joint separator, you may be able to rent them from the local auto parts house.
You'll need to allocate about 1/2 a day to get the job completely done, it only took me about 4.5 hours but was due primarily to being my first time dealing with this. Be sure to completely follow the manufacturers specific directions for installing the kit - the information I provide below is intended to enhance the installation process.
For the 2004-2005 & similar Tundra's, you will need to do the following:
Once jacked up and adequately supported, remove both front wheels.
Remove the upper ball joint cotter pin and castle nut then using the ball joint separator (again, do not use the fork type) separate the ball joint from the upper arm. Note, once the ball joint has been separated from the upper control arm, there will be tension placed on the brake line hose and you need to be cognizant of this to ensure the hose isn't stressed too much. I relieve this stress by using a firm rubber tie-down that I wrapped around the arm and hooked to the frame. Worked well.
Remove the upper bolt from the torsion bar. This will allow the wheel assembly to move freely. This is required in order to remove the bolt from the lower strut assembly (shock absorber).
Next, remove the bolt from the lower strut assembly. When removing the bolt, be sure to note the direction it was installed and reinstall it the same way. This will require manipulation of the front drive shaft so the bolt can be completely removed.
Once the bottom bolt is removed, remove the three bolts at the top of the strut assembly. This will free up the entire strut and drop down out of the housing for the next steps.
Once you have the strut in hand, apply the spring compression tool. Be sure the tool is properly seated into the spring and isn't going to slip. Start tightening the tool, compressing the spring and be careful to apply equal pressure to both sides of the spring during compression.
Once compressed and you can see the top plat of the strut become free with about 1/2" of play, remove the nut from the top of the shock. This will require a (my preference) vicegrip wrench to hold the top of the threaded shock bolt while removing the nut.
With the nut removed, the top plate can be removed and the rubber plate separated from the bolt plate. (note: my particular Daystar product came with six replacement bolts and nylon-insert nuts which required me to tap out the three factory bolts (three on each strut) and replace them with the longer new bolts. You will need to have a fairly strong or heavy anvil or vice to tap and properly seat these bolts into place!)
Once you've replaced these bolts, insert the lower neoprene bushing which basically replaces the factory rubber bushing. This is somewhat tricky in that the new bushing is a tight fit.
Reinstall the strut upper plate to the shock using the same nut and be sure to tighten it all the way down before removing the spring compressors.
This next step is not what the manufacturer suggested but because I couldn't see any other way around it, had to be done; I removed the strut spring compressors in order to get the strut back in place. This posed a problem with the installation in that I needed a buddy to help me get the strut seated properly.
Place the upper half of the spacer between the strut and the strut housing, properly setting it through the three bolts and set the new nylon-insert nuts on top of the bolts and be sure to tighten them to the proper specifications using your torque wrench.
Once the upper strut is in place, replace the bolt at the bottom of the strut the same way you removed it. You will also need to tighten this to the same specifications using an appropriate torque wrench.
Once the strut is back in position, replace the nut at the torsion bar.
The next step is to properly reseat the ball joint and replace the castle nut and cotter pin. Be sure to completely tighten the castle nut and align the slot in the nut with the hole in the threaded ball joint to replace the cotter pin.
Once all parts are in place, check your work by going over each of the nuts at the top of the strut assembly, torsion bar end and ball joint to ensure everything is tightened to specification.
When this is done, replace your front wheels.
The manufacturer recommended checking all of the nuts at 500 miles so my preference was to not get an alignment until after that time. 500 miles is not that many and since I didn't make a huge modification to the camber of the front end, felt that I could easily get the 500 miles in, make any adjustments necessary then take it in for alignment. I don't feel that 500 miles will affect the tires any either for no more than was adjusted. This is my personal preference mostly because of the cost of an alignment and potentially having to do it twice, once now and then again once I've had to make any adjustments. Some may feel that the adjustments won't be significant enough to warrant an alignment but again, my preference would be to wait.
The installation was fairly straight forward and really fairly simple. I can see how that not having the right tools would make this an impossible task. I am no expert nor do I make any claims to be an expert mechanic and the sole purpose of this note is to give others a feel for what I went through and perhaps paint the picture of what's involved before you go take it on yourself. Before my buddy came over to help, I was entertaining the thought of putting it back together and driving over to a shop and have someone else do it for me. The important part off the buddy system is not only to assist in the installation but to help provide encouragement and for safety reasons.
I'm happy with the installation and proud of the outcome - the feeling of satisfaction from doing it myself is a bonus too. :cool:
I hope that whoever reads this will appreciate the content but also recognize that I'm not an authority on the subject, just someone who wanted to share my experience in hopes that someone like myself would be able to glean valuable information from it.
Enjoy!
Jim Naeve
Murphy, TX:tu: