1 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
2 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Toytec’s BOSS 2.5-in lift
The kit as it was removed from the box. We were quite impressed with the quality of the parts and materials. Pre-assembled coilovers also make installation easier.
3 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
Toytec recommends that you make record a measurement from the centre of the front hub to the bottom of the fender. This will allow you to know how much the vehicle has raised, allowing you to adjust the final lift height. Raise the vehicle (we were lucky enough to have a lift), and remove the wheels.
4 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
We started at the front by pulling the front skid plate and the top sway bar links, then loosened and removed the sway bar mounts from the frame.
5 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
We then removed the lower shock nut and bolt and two lower ball joint bolts to separate the ball joint from the spindle.
6 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
Out come the three top nuts holding the stock coilover to the shock tower.
7 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
Being careful not to overextend and pull apart the inner CV Axle joint, move the spindle/hub assembly out of the way so the coilover can be evacuated down between the steering arm and axle.
8 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
With the suspension out, we move to the differential, supporting it with a stand. Removing the two mounting bolts, we lower the diff slightly to accept the 1-in spacers between the two front differential supports and front cross-member. With new Grade 8 bolts and nuts (making sure to reuse the factory washers), we tighten up the hardware to factory specs and move back to the suspension.
9 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
With some finesse and a little help from a large pry bar, we can slide the new coilover up into the top mount and get a couple nuts to hold it in place. With additional help from the pry bar on the lower control arm, we align the lower mount to accept the large nut and bolt.
10 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
Using the factory hardware, we install the sway bar relocation blocks to the frame. With the supplied bolts and washers. We reinstall the sway bar to the new blocks and attach the end links. This is vital for the coilovers to clear the sway bar as pointed out.
11 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
Reinstall the lower ball joint bolts, then duplicate the process to the opposite side of the vehicle. Be sure to torque all hardware to manufacturer specs.
12 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Front Coilovers
To install the front skid plate, we fitted the OEM bolts on the front and the supplied longer bolts with washers and square skid spacers on the rear. Toytec say that some skid plate trimming may be required, however we had no issues.
13 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
To make lowering the axle easier, we disconnect the E-brake cable from the rear drum brakes and throw an axle stand under the axle for support. We then remove the shocks on both sides, easy as it is just two bolts on each side.
14 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
We then remove the axle U-bolts, axle plates, bump stops, and all hardware on both sides. Slowly lower the axle so there is enough room between the spring perch and spring to install the add-a-leafs. Be careful not to overextend the rear soft brake line leading from the axle to the frame!
15 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
To keep the spring packs from exploding, we put two large C-clamps on each side of the spring centre bolt.. after learning the hard way. We then loosen and remove the bolt. A pair of vice grips may be needed to hold the centre bolt head from spinning while removing the nut.
16 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
We aligned the ad-a-leaf in the pack with the longer length facing to the rear, making note NOT to place it below the overload spring. This is important as it determines the actions of the spring. It took a little while to find a technique of moving C-clamps around to maneuver the ad-a-leaf into alignment.
17 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
With the new spring centre bolts that were provided, we re-install the bottom overload spring to the main spring pack holding it in alignment with the old bolt.
18 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
With the axle back into place, we fit the supplied axle shims, place the centre bolt head through the shim centre hole and into the spring perch and cut most of the remaining threads off the top to allow clearances for the previously installed air bags. Toytec note that the thinner end of the shim should face toward the front of the vehicle, which will align the driveshaft properly to avoid any vibrations.
19 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
Re-install all bump stops, the new U-bolts, axle plates, washers, and nuts. Torque U-bolt nuts to manufacturer specs. An old German trick, we spray wax on all the exposed threads to stop corrosion.
20 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
We can now re-install shocks, E-brake cables, and rear wheels. Make sure to torque all bolts and lug nuts to manufacturer specs. We performed a shakedown drive around the block to settle the suspension. Park on level ground with tires straight and the steering wheel locked in the centre position. Take another measurement of the ride height to determine how much lift you achieved from the factory pre-load. Adjust as needed to gain the final lift height.
21 of 21
Budd Stanley photos
Rear Add-a-Leaf
Tip of the week, retourque your spring bolts after driving. Whenever you put load on the axle, the axle wants to twist. And if you have soft spacers, this effect is even greater, loosening off the spring nuts. And of course don’t forget to torque your wheels and perform an alignment as well.
Story & photos by Budd Stanley
With a new year comes new projects, and one of the hottest vehicles to be adapted for trail use (other than the obvious Jeep fleet) is the Toyota Tacoma. The modern Taco is quickly becoming the modern go to weekend wheeler, much like its own predecessor nearly two-decades ago. A walk around the SEMA show taught us that there is a lot of attention being given to the venerable Taco, now that used examples are starting to fall in resale value.
With so many companies beginning to concentrate on the Taco, we decided we needed to start building one of our own. We are starting with the perfect starting point, a 2008 crew cab TRD Off-Road that not only has a manual gearbox, but also comes already equipped with an electronic locking rear differential as part of the TRD package. The owner already has a dedicated trail rig, but as time goes on and as the trail rig suffers the consequences of the obligatory abuse, the Taco has been called upon to get him through the bush on more than one occasion.
As such, the Taco has been upgraded with Toyo MT tires and a modest leveling kit that makes use of spring spacers. However, this setup upsets the handling, especially when towing, a produces a ton of bounce. And now, with over a decade of wear and tear, breakdowns and metal fatigue, the trail rig slowly crying for its own death. So, the Taco will soon have to play double duty as a daily driver and weekend warrior.
Our goal is not to go completely insane, but to modestly increase the Taco’s all-terrain capability while not destroying its handling and ride comfort as a daily driver. Step one, get rid of those spacers and put a proper lift into to the Tacoma to slightly raise the ride height for better clearance and bigger tires, yet not upset the handling characteristics of the Tacoma.
To do this, you want a suspension system that has been precisely tailored to the vehicle. There is two ways to do this. Find a massive corporation that still has enough passionate leaders to dismiss the bean counters and board members from telling them not to do a massive amount of R&D for each model kit. Or find a specialist who just works on one brand, or even one model. Someone who has so much experience with a specific vehicle that they have thought about absolutely everything. For us, the choice was simple, Toytec is just such a company, dedicated to developing off-road parts for just Toyota 4WD’s.
ToyTec’s all-new BOSS suspension system was just what we were looking for. The adjustable front Coilover is designed with a noticeably larger 5/8-in nitro steel shock shaft which is much more corrosion resistant than chrome plating and is valved specifically to the Tacoma. The threaded Clear-Blue Chromate zinc plated steel shock body is adjustable from 0 - 3-in of front lift height and can be fine tuned to level the Tacoma side to side and front to back. Each shock has a 200 psi gas charge and is dyno’d before it ships. The upper mounts and adjustment rings are machined from 6061-T6 Billet aluminum and are then anodized black to prevent corrosion. The kit also comes with a long handled spanner wrench for coilover adjustment.
The front springs are procured from Eibach, which we’ve come to love on other projects and are factory pre-loaded to yield approximately 2.5-in of lift. An additional 2-in of lift is put into the rear with the aid of an add-a-leaf spring for both rear spring packs.
While the shocks and add-a-leafs impressed us, the addition of spacers for the skid plate and sway bar go the extra distance. The kit also adds front differential spacers to drop and ideally align the front diff to guard against any vibrations or misalignments due to the lift. All parts are 100% made in the U.S.A.
The front coilovers came preassembled and the craftsmanship of all the parts was very high. The whole job was done in about three hours of work time with a couple of friends and the luxury of a two-post lift. The install went very smooth, but the instructions could use a couple more photos (especially the rear spring) and be a little easier to read. Luckily, we know the Taco pretty well and Toytec does have all installation manuals available online.
A first shakedown of the new suspension yielded surprisingly good results. While firm, the new kit seemed to actually increase on-road handling and all but abolished vibration and bounce. After three weeks of breaking in, both on- and off-road, the suspension has softened up, but the rear add-a-leaf and proper alignment shims really has increased the ride quality of the Tacoma. Only a slight amount of front adjustment was needed. Toytec told us that every 1⁄4-in thread change on the coilover will yield approximately 1⁄2-in of lift, and we didn’t even need that.
All suspension parts are working harmoniously and there are no squeaks or rattles to be heard. Our only real issue, those Toyo’s are looking a little small now.
Toytec BOSS Suspension System $1,229.99 CAD