2004 DoubleCab ShortBed TRD OR V6 Auto -- full OME questions ('04 DCSB TRD OR)

I just searched for OME threads that might have information on an OME lift for a 1st gen DCSB TRD V6 auto. Now I've got 66 more threads to read. Arrrgh!

So I'ma juss gonnuh assssk...

Given:

• 2004 V6 DoubleCab 4x4 TRD shortbed (no 3rd party armor, skids, bumpers etc)
• at least 460lbs in the back all the time, maybe up to 700 somedays

Eventually:

Would like to add a front bumper, preferaby with a front receiver hitch so I'm not always carrying the weight of a winch around. But it might be 6 months to a few years before this happens. Am leanings towards an ARB -- maybe it can be modded to work with a hidden front receiver hitch? Ideally, I'd like to keep front bumper weight down to around 100lbs, if possible (Shrokworks?), so the additional weight over stock bumper (60lbs) is minimized.​

Questions:

1. To achieve about a 2.5" lift with a full OME kit,
   • what should I be looking for in the way of OME front coil? 881? 822?
   • what should I be looking for in the way of OME rear coils? Do I need the D43XL extra leaf for that amount of everyday weight?
2. For those who have done full OME kits... what
   • extras should I plan on getting? (e.g. bushings, washers, spacers, brackets, shackles blah blah blah)
   • extras do I definitely not need, or should only get if needed? For example, I read one opinion that a front diff drop is worthless, because it only changes the angle of the front diff, it doesn't actually lower it much (because you can't drop the rear bracket or something or other).
3. If I really wanted a full 3" lift using a full OME... how to get that extra 1/2" ?? Top plate spacers in front? A short block in the back? Other?

I'm on the fence about SPC Light Racing Upper Control Arms. But if I'm going to shell out this kind of coin... I'd rather do it right. At 2.5" if I can avoid it, I might. If it is strongly recommended... please SPEAK UP!

Thanks in advance for any help.

Intended use is as a daily driver work truck, mostly roads, but gravel / dirt roads / construction roads, forest service roads in the Rocky Mountains with the 500-700lb of equipment in the back. Might like to meetup with other folks in the Rocky Mountains to go on group excursions / trails. Not sure I'm hard into hardcore rock crawling.

Here she sits today. Pretty sure suspension is original; must be 15 going on 16 years old. To my eye, she sits kinda low in the back. Tires presently are worn GoodYear 265/75R16 Duratracs (C-rated). Planning on new Wildpeak A/T3W 245/75R16s (XL) this week. Would be nice to stay with the 32"s if I decide to to the lift... but that extra $100-200 may be needed for the lift / extra parts etc. I figure I probably should replace bushings etc if I do the lift, since they are OE...

​

 

I would call the folks over at downsouthmotorsports or headstrong offroad and ask them for specifics on which coils. You'll want the heavy duty leafs for the rear.

But dang, that's a lot of weight back there, what are you carrying?!

With 700 pounds, though, pretty much anything is going to sag. Might consider airbags...

Might as well get bushings for the leafs, wheelers has those, as do most of the off-road suppliers (DSM, headstrong, etc...).

For the UCAs, honestly hold off on those. Get your suspension set up with the lift. If you can get it properly aligned after all that, you don't really need them. If the alignment is marginal, take it home and order the SPCs.

As for bumpers, if you can live with a tube style bumper, the TrailGear Rock Defense one has a hitch receiver integrated in it. There isn't much to them, so they're fairly light, too.

http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/toyo...oad-parts/bumpers/95-2004-tacoma-model-1.html

 

Thanks @jbrandt. Any particular reason you didn't mention Wheelers? Does DSM and/or HS tend to have better prices? I figured I'd go to the vendor section, find out who's who... call each one and get a quote?

I've seen that TrailGear Rock Defense bumper. I'm on the fence. Dunno if I like that tube style or not. The Shrokworks bumper is pricey at around $1200, but it apparently only weighs 100lb. I may contact them and see if they can modify it for a hidden front receiver hitch. Same with the ARB ... can it be modified to work with a hidden front receiver hitch. 4xinnovations has a Tacoma Front Hidden Hitch Receiver but it's for 2nd Gen Tacos. I may contact them and see if they can do one for a 1st gen. Hiding that behind an ARB might be an option. Dunno. Just thinking out loud now.

Survey equipment. I built a wood box to organize it all. I swagged together a spreadsheet to estimate weight. The box comes out to about 140lbs of plywood and pine. A generator. Shovels, picks, tools, a couple bundle of lathe. Tall traffic cones, traffic signs. It all adds up. With my topper I was already at 460lb. I think it could easily go higher.

 

No reason, just an oversight. They're great too.

Yeah, bumpers can get redonk expensive. If you know how to weld, or would like to learn, a DIY "kit" would serve you well. If you buy the CBI DIY kit like I did (or other DIY kits) AND a decent welder, that's still about the same cost as a ready-made bumper. Example: The CBI bumper I have cost like $420, the Moab bumper (same bumper) is like $900+, and that's their cheapest plate bumper!

No front hitch though. There are already a couple threads on front hitches for the 1st gens. You're looking at either a custom one or one that severely limits your front ground clearance...

Dang! You need a Tundra, lol

 

Here's the back of the truck:

Here's my office: (Hwy 107 on the drive up towards Mt Evans, a 14,265 ft peak.


Different office (only around 8,500 ft elevation here.)

 

What are you surveying?

I do spirit leveling and GPS surveys for land subsidence work.

I've been lucky enough to do a few surveys in HI and places like Mammoth Mountain, but most of the time (that I survey) I'm stuck in the middle of Coachella Valley in August. Otherwise I have a much more conventional office with no sunlight.

 

The first four photos were from a topographic survey I performed so that an engineer could figure out how to put a "legal" road up to a potential mine site. The mine owner had rough cut a road up to his test holes.

The last photo was from a boundary survey I performed west of Golden, roughly halfway up to Black Hawk.

I used to be a rocket engineer, but was laid off in 2010. I learned to survey in high school & college. After my layoff I stumble across a land surveyor who called me up and asked if I was available part time. One thing led to another and... well, that story best told over beer.

I am equipped with a Leica full GPS, and one-man robotic TotalStation. I've done a LOT of topo work. I am starting to find boundary work more enjoyable -- more like figuring out a puzzle. I typically work as a one man band, on a contract basis. I provide quality field work and drafting (Civil3D). I am not licensed, so I have to work under the responsible charge of a Professional Licensed Surveyor. (Don't want any one to get ideas that I am holding myself out as a licensed surveyor -- I am not.)

 

Most stories are better told over beers.

Is that an RTK GPS unit?

I've worked mostly with Trimble and Topcon GPS receivers. Been a while since I've messed with a totalstation. We have a couple Leica LiDAR scanners that we use for various projects (earthquakes, erosion, snow volumes, etc)

The GPS work I do is pretty interesting (for me, lol). Typically I have a crew of 5-7 people working all over a field area (10's of miles apart) and all need to collect data simultaneously (we sit on a single site for up to 7 hours at a time).

Anyhoo, back on topic, get some airbags, lol...

 

I dunna wanna have to buy airbags... One more thing... Are they 'spen$ive? (silly question)

My Leica GPS includes a base station (I forgot the weight of that 12v deep cycle battery I ALWAYS have with me. So figure I'm right at 500lbs... minimum.) I also have a GPS RTK that I run around with on the God rod. When I did some oil field work a few years back, I was able to get RTK updates up to 7 miles away in flat terrain.

About my truck... so with that much weight in the back all the time... maybe the stock suspension isn't doing so bad... Is it possible I could get away with an AAL to make it work for now with full OME up front and Nitrochargers in back... and get the Dakars later on? Or is it strongly recommended to do the Dakars at the same time? (That is... if I take all that weight out of the back, she might not look so saggy. LOL)

 

Bags run about tree fiddy.

Yeah, if those pics are with your stock suspension, that's surprisingly good for all that weight.

I just operate under the assumption that ALL of our first gens have worn out suspension (if original). AAL's are basically a bandaid fix for worn out springs, but it can't hurt to throw them in there an see how it rides.

If you have the money, I'd throw heavy duty dakars in there now, but if you are straped for cash, the AAL's would be fine for now. You could probably get away with getting the regular weight Dakars later, and throw the AAL in there, but I would make a call to the folks at Headstrong or some other place and get their take on that, too. I'm not 100% sure you could use the same AAL for the stock leafs and the dakars...

Then, if after all that it's still not enough, then go for air bags.

 

I didn't add up all the weight until today. I was like... holy sheet! I guess with that much weight, and the C-rated 265/75R16 Duratracs, she wasn't doing so bad to get 17.5-18.5mpg after all.

When you say heavy duty dakars, are you referring to the "regular" Dakar leafs plus the DX43L extra leaf?

Thanks.

 

I think you can get them as a set, but honestly I'm not sure if the set is simply the normal set with an add-a-leaf. I'm not familiar with the numbers so don't quote me on that.

 

OK, I guess the key takeway is... talk to the folks @ Wheelers or Downsouth and explain what I'm doing, and make sure I tell them about that weight in the back...

 

lol, yeah. In the end, I'm just some idiot with an internet connection who likes to talk about Tacomas, lol.

I've heard great things about the people at Headstrong. Never talked to them myself, though.

 

I'm in North Boulder if you want to come by and take a look at my OME suspension and measure some stuff. I went from saggy, riding on the bumpstop OEM suspension when I bought the truck to the OME suspension (I have the AAL, but still haven't installed it yet but will this spring). I raise my truck about 5" from where it was. That will tell you how worn out the stock suspension was.

As for a front bumper - if all you want to do is have the potential for a winch on a 2" receiver, keep the stock bumper and have a hidden receiver behind it. I bet I can dig up the thread on here where someone did that.
I am holding off as long as I can on aftermarket bumpers on my truck to keep the weight down. My full-size spare fits under the bed, so I don't see a point in a rear bumper. I don't drive much at night, so I don't need that much protection from "ANIMAL STRIKES" as others put it.

 

Yes, the sometimes claimed "Heavy Duty" leaf sets are just the normal with the DX43L already installed.

 

Did you get your lift figured out? What did you end up going with, and thoughts?

 

I have an 03 DC with a full OME with 883 coils. Don't carry much weight around regularly, but do have fully skids, sliders, ARB front and winch. I initially found the ride with the 883s very stiff offroad, to the point I'd considered dropping to the 882 springs. I recently put on SPC arms and was amazed by the difference in the ride, It's so much more comfortable than it used to be. It now feels like the suspension is fully cycling and the shocks are really working compared to what they did before. I'd highly recommend either the SPC arms, or doing something with your control arm bushings. My guess is the stock bushing was so stiff from age that it was acting like I had a much stiffer damper in there which was no good when combined with the higher spring rate of the 883s.

 

This is what an unloaded 2003 double cab looks like with the OME leafs WITH D43XL AAL installed... When I say unloaded, I mean no spare, empty bed with just bed rug and Snugtop shell and 3/4 tank of gas.