Coilover Install Lessons Learned?

My lessons learned from yesterday.....
-Disconnecting the UCA as opposed to loosening the Lower Control Arm is way easier. Driver side I swung the LCA down to get the coilover in. Passenger side I when ahead and separated the UCA. I was hesitant to remove the UCA since I was going at this alone. I had new UCAs to install so I should have just done it anyway. Passenger side took about 1/3 of the time. The Lower ball joint connection bolts and the LCA cam bolts are huge pain to break loose without air tools. I just had a breaker bar to assist with the tight stuff.
- removing the UCA bolt isn't as bad as I had expected. I was able do it by myself. I had to slide it a little from in the wheel well, move up to the engine bay and may be pull a little, back to the wheel well, back to the engine bay. Really it only took a few minutes of shimmying to get it out.
- a long piece of lumber worked well as a pry bar substitute for pushing the LCA out of the way. I had a 2"x6" that was about 4' long.

 

Good stuff! Any problems keeping the half axle from sliding out of place?

 

No problems. I have read about that being a possible issue so I made sure to secure the spindle. I just took a bit of wire and looped it around the spindle and secured it in place. I anchored it to the coil spring while working on the UCA. When I was pulling the coilover I anchored it to the UCA while the ball joint was still disconnected from the spindle.

 

I may try that route myself. Seems like it should be easy enough to keep the spindle from swinging out. When you do it this way, do you still have to disconnect the TRE?

 

What is the TRE? I guess I didn't have to since I don't know what the TRE is.

 

tie rod end, sorry

 

Another vote for disconnecting from the UCA. Also the front sway bar ends went back much more easily once I was on the ground with weight on the tires.

My rear sway bars links are hella tight to my leaf spring pack when on the lift. They clear but it's reallllly close.

 

No problem, no coffee yet so I'm slower than my normal slow.
I did not have to disconnect the tie rod ends.

 

ha, no worries. i was trying to sound smarter than i am. were your new coilovers set to the same height as the ones you took off? i've read that can make a difference in the process as well. if your new ones are taller than the ones you take off, you may have to disconnect the LCA (there i go again--lower control arm) to create more space for the new coilover to fit.

 

The new coilovers are slightly longer, but I was still able to leverage down on the LCA enough to get it in there. One thing I think that helps though is that the bolts that mount the top of the coilover are not pressed in and pointing up like the factory coilovers. The new ones have bolts that thread down into the coilover once it is in place. I installed Icon coilovers but I would imagine the radflos are similar.

 

I can't wait to get to Thursday evening and start on this. I've been looking at 3/1 kits since last August trying to find and save for the right one, and since it showed up in boxes on my porch a week ago I've been as giddy as a school girl. My wife is ready to divorce me. She definitely regrets telling me to find a hobby.

 

Same here on all points. I bought my truck in April of last year and new since day one I wanted to upgrade the suspension and about a dozen other things. I ordered the suspension, wheels, and tires all at the end of last month. Everything was delivered 2 days before we left for Las Vegas for 4 days(my wife was sent there for work so I tagged along). We got back home late Saturday. Sunday was spent getting the dogs back from the kennel and then visiting some family. So I finally tackled the front yesterday. I still have the rears to go, but today is going to be spent doing yard work. Maybe this afternoon I will start on the rear. Thankfully I have another vehicle to drive while the Tundra is on jack stands. Good luck with the install! You can definitely do it on your own.

 

A couple things got me on my install:

1.) fully disconnect front sway bar from either side and let it just hang
2.) Breaker/impact wrench on the shock bolts that go through UCA
3.) If you pop the UCA to install, an extra hand or breaker bar to push down the LCA to get the shock in will help.

I'm not sure if you are doing the UCA, but start with the driver side to give you some confidence, it is way easier than the passenger, again 2 hands help.

 

Ok potentially dumb question here, the TRD pro instructions i found linked in another thread make the statement to identify the left and right coilover assemblies before installation. I was never good at those "find the differences between these two images" games. My coilovers look identical to me. How do I tell which one is left and which one is right?

 

Left is driver side. Assuming the coilovers are on the truck.

 

I get left is driver side lol. I mean looking at the new ones in the box how do i know which one goes to which side?

 

Ok sure, that's why i added "assuming they were on the truck". My fox's came with an L sticker and R sticker on them to tell which side. I think this only matters if there are reservoirs since they are directional. I think if you hold them up to the truck, you can determine which should be left and which should be right if they arent marked.

 

Post pictures and those with TRD pro suspension could chime in

 

To clarify, I'm not installing the TRD Pro kit, I'm just referencing it for procedure, required tools, torque specs, etc. Below is a pic of what i'm installing. In the image, the top hats clearly lean to one side. The top hats on my actual coilovers are oriented pretty flat.

 

WHen i got my fox's they looked like that too. They bend flat. I'm 99% sure yours can go on either side since they don't have resi's.

 

sweet, thanks. yeah the top hats just pivot around the upper shock bushing, so i didn't put too much stock in the way they look in the photo. I suspected they were not side-specific but wanted to confirm.

 

Great. Hope install goes smooth. You got this.

 

What do the speed sensors look like? Is it obvious?

 

The speed sensor cables attach onto the UCAs. Follow the cable down on each side and you will see the speed sensor/connector. Same thing going up the cables. Connectors at the top end of each cable.

 

Some aftermarket coilovers aren’t made for a specific side. My 6112s are like that. I just made sure that upon install the top hat studs and lower shock mount lined up for the most part with the truck’s mounts.

But I’ve installed coilovers where the lower shock mount was twisted the wrong way. To fix that, I put a long screwdriver in the lower shock mount and twisted the shock body til the lower mount lined up.

 

Pretty sure it would only matter in your case if they were pre set from the manufactur/vendor to account for the tundra lean, in that case the drivers side will have more threads at the top essentially compressing the spring more

 

This may help you if you are doing this job alone. Push down on handle of fork with your foot to lower control arm then at the same time remove strut from bottom mount. The upper spindle nut is still attached, The 2 lower hub nuts have been removed.

 

Has anyone has to grind on the LCA to get their new coilovers to fit?

 

I remember seeing a comment in my instructions from Icon say that grinding the LCA may be necessary. I did not have to on my '18. I remember reading a post a while back about someone having to do this, but I am almost certain that it was possibly needed on 2nd gen model trucks.

 

Never heard of that.