tyhuck

I have a 98 Tacoma with a 6" lift of an unknown origin (lift was on it when I bought it). I am concerned because there is very little clearance (about a 1/4 inch) between the tire and what I am assuming to be the strut.

my second question is, Should the strut still be on the truck even thought there is a coil-over shock on it.

I am not shure exactly of what I am looking at because this is my first Yota. If anyone could post a picture of what their stock suspension looks like or what their 6" lift looks like I would appreciate it greatly. I will try to post pictures of mine so you can point out if anything is wrong.

SoCalPaul

We need pics!

tyhuck

Let me find my camera and Ill try to get them on asap

project91

Someone probably had too wide of a wheel mounted or one with incorrect backspacing. I think you need 4" backspacing with a lifted Tacoma..

tyhuck

Here is what my lift looks like. It seems to me that there should be an upper A arm or something. Take a look ant tell me what you think.

project91

I don't have a clue.

SoCalPaul

Looks scary. You appear to be missing an upper A-arm that was replaced by some sort of strut. I hope you can find out who engineered that thing. Here is a link that has some pics of my '97 4Runner front suspension.

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/p...pplers-148116/

project91

I have asked around and that appears to be an old trailmaster lift......dis-continued..apparently for obvious reasons.

tyhuck

Yeah, I found some receipts in the owners manual. Its a Trailmaster 6" drop bracket. I dont have any extra money to replace it so I will try to find some wheels with less backspacing instead.

When I do get a new lift, what do you guys suggest for good amount of flex, good ground clearance, and does not require fiberglass fenders?

project91

FABTECH...but be prepared to shell out the dough..around 2300 to be exact.

TOYOTA 1

whats the problem with the backspacing you have now? i mean its close to rubbing, but its not. and if its not rubbing then there is no problem right?

Gerdo

That is bizzare!! The tire is close, too close for me. I wouldn't drive it like that but I would guess it has been driven and the tire doesn't look, from the pictures, like it has been rubbing. I would get a 1/4" spacer and toss it on to give a little more buffer. I'm suprised how little space you have to the bump stop. It must hit on every bump and dip.

tyhuck

Well it can be a problem when I get stuff like small rocks wedged in that gap. They havent hurt the tire but I dont like the idea that its so close

tyhuck

Yes, its been driven, alot. I found some receipts that shows the lift being put on around 4500 miles. The truck now has 150K miles and I would assume that there was no problem or the previous owners would have fixed it. However, I think that I may be the first owner that takes it off-road.

Oh yeah, its rough too. Not much flex either. It doesnt hit the bump stops, its just plain stiff.

TOYOTA 1

i only have a 3" revtek and mines that close. and l haven't had any problems in over 2 years! and les schwab had no problems mounting them or giving me there warranty. but if you dont like it then i would just go with some wheel spacers as said above. cheap and they will do the job!

SoCalPaul

In the picture with the bumpstop, it looks like you are hitting the bumpstop, that is probably why it feels so stiff. Look at the top of the rubber stop & the metal where it contacts, if they look clean, you're on the bumpstops often. It appears that the lift just spaced the stock suspension down 6" as it looks like you still have the stock springs & shocks.

tyhuck

Yeah, Im hitting the stops. Thats why its so rough. I actually looked at the lift and I think the lift bracket actually gives me less flex than the stock suspension. Go figure.

Thanks for all your help. Im gonna try for a new set of wheels or a set of spacers.

I have another problem if you thnk you can help. See the thread titled "Taco 4x4 clunking"

tyhuck

Can anyone tell me what I may need to replace if I wanted to replace my 6" lift with a 5" or 4" and a set of adjustible coilovers.
I think all I need to do is replace the strut assembly with an upper A arm but I dont have any experience with Toyota suspensions. I am thinking of getting the Total Chaos upper A arm kit.
I want to maintain the 6" lift but I want more ground clearance without putting the CV Joints in too much of a bind.

yota master

let me know if you plan on selling that lift you have now, i'd be interested

Gerdo

Most of the time when a bracket lift (like you have) is installed, some cutting of the factory frame/crossmember is cut out. To go back to a non-bracket lift you would need to find a junker and cut out and reweld into yours. You would also need upper control arms since they have been replaced with the sliding piston that is on yours. UCAs shouldn't be a big deal. There should be some great/better than stock replacements out there.

Once you get the front back to "original" then you can do a coilover that will give you up to 3". If you want more lift than 3" then you have to stay with a bracket lift or do a solid axle swap.

Your least expensive option is to replace the coils with new/taller coils. That will get you off the bumpstop. You may need/want to lift the rear to get back to level.

As far as the tire clearence, either go with a 1/4" wheel spacer or different wheels with less BS.

PS. Yes you are hitting the bumpstop. Look at your picture. The rubber bumpstop is rubbed black from hitting.