Which lift?

[AZ '83 fj-40]

Hey everybody,

Well the old springs on the fj-40 are now shot for all intensive purposes. I was looking for some opinions on these lifts.

1. 2.5" OME basic kit from man-a-fre plus some sort of shackles (downey?)

2. 2.5" Alcans with Bilstien shocks plus some sort of shackles

Thanks,

Brendan

[Grease Cruiser]

First and foremost, stay away from Alcan.

Go with the 2.5" OME and I would buy from Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters. His prices are a little better and he gives great service.

[Sloan]

There was a thread the other day on mud about the Downey springs. I have the Man-a-Fre 4" with shackle reversal, not super flexy, if I were doing it today I would go OME.

[24HOURSOFNEVADA]

[QUOTE=Grease Cruiser]First and foremost, stay away from Alcan".


Why stay away from Alcan? They are used by a lot of people and this is the first bad comment I've heard about them. What bad experiences have you had?


I'm going with Deavers and Fox's for my HJ45, but if I weren't, I'd get the OME kit. I too would get it from Kurt who participates on this board, before supporting someone that doesn't.

I'm also curious why your going to add shackles to both of your options?

[Scott Brady]

1. 2.5" OME basic kit from man-a-fre plus some sort of shackles (downey?)

2. 2.5" Alcans with Bilstien shocks plus some sort of shackles

Hey Brendan,

What are your goals with the 40? Daily Driver? What kind of trails?

Jonathan has a mild OME kit with 255/85 tires and it rides much better than my stock 40 ever did.

Custom Deavers would be nice too.

With a spring under configuration, you will want to limit the lift height to around 2-2.5" over stock. Anything taller and ride quality and articulation can suffer significantly (without major engineering).

[AZ '83 fj-40]

Hey guys,

24hoursofNevada, I was hoping to keep the shackle angle close to where it is now. Also on Cruiser Outfitters it says that some sort of shackles are required when you buy their kit. I'm not sure it was only mentioned there?

Expeditions West, The 40 is a daily driver. The hardest trail that it has seen, will probably see is 3 feathers on Chiva Falls trail. The foremost goal would be able to take it to school with me next fall. I didn't know that deaver had anything in the way of Land Cruisers.

thanks for the responses,

Brendan

[Grease Cruiser]

[QUOTE=24HOURSOFNEVADA]

First and foremost, stay away from Alcan".


Why stay away from Alcan? They are used by a lot of people and this is the first bad comment I've heard about them. What bad experiences have you had?

I live and work about 45 miles from Alcan in Western Colorado. I work at Proffitt's Cruisers and I have been involved with Land Cruisers for 16 years. I have had about 2 dozen Cruisers over the years. I cannot tell you how many Alcan springs we have taken off at the shop because they are CRAP.

***Disclaimer: The opinions that I express are my own and not necessarily the opinions of my employer: Proffitt's Cruisers***

We had one customer who bought a set of Alcans and immediately drove to the shop after having them installed. We tossed the Alcans and went with a better lift.

I had a set of Alcans on my FJ60 for about 6 weeks. Long story short is that I ordered a 4" lift and that is what I wanted. In 2 weeks, I lost 2.5" of lift and the bottom of my oil pan was hitting the top of the differential. I absolutely needed a 4" lift because of a Cummins 4BT conversion. The springs were also made too long and the springs would cause the shackles to pin against the frame. I would have to stop and raise the vehicle with a High lift for the shackles to come off the frame.

After contacting Alcan, they told me I either needed to run a longer shackle (true) or move the spring hangers back on the frame (true). But, when I custom order 4" springs and pay a $1K for it, I do not want to move the hangers. They still could not tell me why my springs lost 2.5" lift in 2 weeks. After a lot of fighting, I got my money back.

We also have another customer who has to go to Alcan every year to have his springs rebuilt on his expedition FJ60. The springs break down and lose enough lift to where his tires rub the fenders. He has done this 3 different times. Now, he is tossing the Alcan's and going with something different.

I can go on and on but the fact of the matter is...... stay away from Alcan.

I actually thought about giving them another chance with my FJ55. Then I slapped myself in the face and am going a different route.

Also, do some research. There are a lot of threads over on the Pirate board and a few on the Mud board that discuss Alcan.

Some people have had decent luck with Alcan but this was quite a few years ago. I have not heard or seen anything good from them in about 3 years.

Go with the OME and never look back. It is an excellent choice and you won't regret it. Again, call Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters.

[Scott Brady]

Expeditions West, The 40 is a daily driver. The hardest trail that it has seen, will probably see is 3 feathers on Chiva Falls trail. The foremost goal would be able to take it to school with me next fall.

Then I would highly recommend the OME suspension. Go with a medium duty or heavy duty (if you plan to install a winch and other heavy accessories). As a daily driver with light loads, use the medium springs as they will ride better too.

Good luck

[Grease Cruiser]

Then I would highly recommend the OME suspension. Go with a medium duty or heavy duty (if you plan to install a winch and other heavy accessories). As a daily driver with light loads, use the medium springs as they will ride better too.

Good luck

Yep,
You only have two choices when it comes to OME; medium duty or heavy duty.

Both springs are great but like Scott said if you have a bull bar, winch, and load the thing down frequently, go with the heavies. The heavies are a bone jarring experience if you do not have it loaded down, especially with the top off.

I'd recommend the mediums for someone just looking for a lift and not the load carrying capacity.

[dieselcruiserhead]

I also have heard of lots of negative experiences with Alcan too including some friends, but have also had friends have good experiences with them. I think the issue is each application is custom so there is a lot of variation with each set of springs. For what you are looking for I would say OME is a no brainer. It does take shackles though to be able to use 33" tires, otherwise you are forced to use 31" and similar. Old Man Emu rides like heaven and flexes very well.