What have you done to your 1st gen Tundra today?

Hmm? I've never had to mess with either to get the shocks in or out. If you're not loosening the LCAs, with the sway bar disconnected you should be able to pry down on the LCA to get the lower shock mount in. I'd just loosen the LCA bolts since you're going to need an alignment anyways.

 

It warped a little, it wasn’t the easiest and I made mistakes. Tomorrow I’ll bolt
It to the bed and get it skinned hopefully.
Safety flops welding was fun, I actually burned my fingernail digging a spark out of my flops!!!

 

TRE is limiting any further downward travel while prying, at the joint where it meets the LBJ and I've still got an inch to go.

Maybe it's a DC vs. AC/RC suspension articulation thing?

 

Gotcha, yeah might be a difference between the two cab types then

 

What the TRE?

Unbolt the LBJ. Super easy. Pick the whole knuckle assembly up and set it out of the way a few inches, so the lower bolt can pass the cv with ease

I never loosened my LCAs or sway bar links to install my coilovers.

You're going to need a big screw driver or a prybar though

 

Tie Rod End.

Unbolting LBJ to get that extra travel is the plan.

I legitimately don't understand how it would be remotely possible to install coilovers setup for 2"-3" lift without removing the swaybar links and LBJ so your LCA has the freedom to flex downward, unobstructed. Currently, I'm 100% binding hard where the TRE meets the LBJ. Like, I'm watching the tie rod physically flex while prying down on the LCA.

 

For what he needs to do it's not the shock bolt interfering with the CV. He's describing that the tie rod ends are at their limit and he can't pry the LCA down any further to get the lower shock mount in.

Just unbolting the LBJ from the spindle wouldn't help to pry the LCA down more since the tie rod end would still be connected to the LCA. He needs to remove the actual LBJ from the LCA to stop the tie rod end from limiting travel, or remove the tie rod end.

 

EXACTLY!

I'm just surprised it's the case because I haven't heard a single person on this forum or others mention running into this, but maybe it's b/c they were all smart enough to attach the CO while the LBJ was unbolted.

 

The less preload they're set at out of the box, the easier they'll go in. Although yours don't look cranked that high from what I can see.

 

They really don't, I agree. I assumed they'd be set closer to the minimum of 2" based on side-by-side with old OEM at removal.

 

Well to be fair, I think we unbolted em for my Toytecs and maybe using stock end links with a lifted truck off-road stretched thing out enough. Because I'm curtain I didn't touch the sway bar or links or tire rods when I installed the Kings

 

They should've been. Seems like Toytec has quality issues in multiple departments

 

Did he move the knuckle to the correct direction? That's just never happened to me and I've done like 5 suspensions.

I've even stood on the pry bar while my buddy used a big screwdriver to get my. 5100's in and the lower bolt in. Haha

 

For both of my 5100 max lift TRD coil installs, I bolted the top of the coilover in, then used a ratchet strap to the frame around the shock body to pull the lower mount close to alignment with the holes. Then a pry bar to fine tune the position.

 

If I can help in any way with photos, I’m happy to take them. Jason did all my stuff here so I’m not much help on the order of ops. I have spc and roughly 2-3” front lift with 700 lb coils I believe.

 

I didn't disconnect mine to do shocks/struts either.

Could be the lift from the coils tho.

 

The LCA won't really go much further just because the knuckle is unbolted or doing whatever.

 

But wouldn't unbolting the LBJ from the LCA release both the knuckle and the TRE from the LCA?
That's what I'm suggesting and then I think you set the knuckle to rear and the TRE should be out of the way and so will the cv. While the LCA is only bound to the frame and the sway bar end link.

Maybe I don't understand lol

 

This is what was said earlier by me & des IIRC, and the plan. I’d rather whizz out 4 bolts on the LBJ and spin it out of the way than separate the TRE. Then pry down the LCA the extra 3/4” I need but can’t get because the TRE is binding up, slap in the bolt in the shock mount, hand tighten, whip the LBJ back around, bolt it up, and go have a PB&J for lunch.

edit: main reason for doing it that way is just b/c it take 15 seconds to impact out the 4 LBJ bolts, and I’ll spend 1.5 minutes fumbling with the TRE cotter alone.

 

Yeah ok I think we been saying the same thing but I'm a little slow tonight.

 

What do you mean my whizz out the four LBJ bolts and spin the LBJ out of the way? Unless the LBJ is separated from the LCA, all you can do is maybe push down on the front two LBJ bolt holes to fix the TRE angle as you push down on the LCA.

 

Maybe DCs are different.
Undoing the LBJ bolts is exactly how we do it on a AC

 

Tie rod end is binding at the LBJ when prying down on LCA. If that joint between tie rod and LBJ is where the bind is happening, I have two logical options:

A) Unbolt tie rod from LBJ so it can’t bind when prying LCA down
B) unbolt the LBJ from the LCA and pivot the LBJ out from under the LCA so it’s no longer an impedance.

I can absolutely pry the LCA down right now. I only need about 1 to 1-/4” more downward travel. But I’m literally bottoming out on what that tie rod/LBJ joint will allow, and I’m liable to damage the tie rod, the goddamn thing is flexing because there’s no more leeway in the joint, regardless what position I’ve got the top end of the knuckle pointed.

 

Actually I went and measured. With no prying and UBJ detached I’ve got about 2.5” to go before I can pop in the lower mount bolt. If I’m prying with all my body weight, I’m probably on average 1-1/8” more to go, and it’s solely because I’m binding up where the tie rod end meets the LBJ.

it’s really hard to measure while putting all 175-180lb of my weight, I sadly only have three legs, not three arms.

 

i picked up a free engine with it... figure i'd let everyone know its still going. mr2 and taco taking all my time

 

Honestly I don't know how you got the old bolt out of the shock mount without hitting the cv if you didn't already unbolt the 4 LBJ bolts and slide the whole knuckle assembly away

 

What engine..?

 

a freebie 4a-ge im going to sell on. old school 1.6 4 banger from a 1987 MR2

 

So did you see the new 5vz tvs1320 supercharger that Magnuson just released recently yet?
Now one of your tacos needs one. Then you'll probably have all three gens of 5vz SC lol

 

With no swaybar link and UBJ popped out, knuckle pointing at 10 o’clock, and a little downward pressure on LCA, it tapped right out. But visibly the new coil over is about 2.5” longer than the stock strut assembly.

So I don’t forget in the future, going back to issues with pressing out the UBJ, the major limiting factor stopping me from pulling the knuckle down enough to get a press in the upper fender well was the LCA not being able to travel down further due to the TRE/LBJ binding up. Then the major limiting factor stopping me from pointing the knuckle out of the fender was the brake line. So I pulled the gd knuckle out like @txagg suggested and UBJ was pressed out in like 5 mins flat and zero effort. Versus 2-3 hours of fighting with it while knuckle was intact.

Once I got the knuckle out and pressed the UBJ out, and caliper off, the LCA basically had nothing attached to it and could flex down significantly. I should’ve installed coil over then. My only hope is I won’t need to remove the damn caliper (+ABS sensor) again for that little extra travel. EDIT: maybe I need to look at it again. LBJ is still attached to LCA, four bolts are only holding it to the knuckle, not the LBJ. So it would be easier to pop the tie rod. @des2mtn is right. I think I’m just tired.