Suspension Advice on my new to me 2004 DC

Guys just a little back ground, I'm not new to Tundras. I've owned an 07, 14, and 17. With the '17 I researched like crazy for all my mods to ensure reliability, correct fitment, etc. For suspension I installed Bilstein 6112's up front, 5160's in the rear, coachbuilder shackles, and went with some nice 17" Icon wheels. Everything fit and aligned great because of all the info I found on this site. I sold that '17 for top dollar recently and bought a 2004 DC 2wd with 158k miles.

First owner was meticulous from new to 139k. Second owner not so much. He put on a huge spacer lift and 33" tires with stock wheels. I'm in the process of doing all the maintenance he should've done to get this truck ready for another 150k. In the middle of doing a complete front brake job with new calipers I notice the picture attached. Which is the most economical and reliable path forward from the options below or does someone else have a better option?

Option 1 - Buy new stock size tires, remove lift, and get an alignment. Then hope ball joint lasts a while longer. The current 33" tires have tons of tread which makes this path hard, but maybe I can sell the tires.

Option 2 - Leave lift on and get new Upper Control Arms to alleviate issue from picture. There is currently zero gap between my stock UCA's and the tires right now because of the stock wheels. Am I correct I would need aftermarket wheels if I get UCA's that fix the issue in the picture? If so then that adds cost to this option.

Option 3 - Just drive it and pray my upper ball joint doesn't explode. This seems like the cheapest but least reliable option.

Option 4 - ???

 

We’d need to know what wheels are on it (backspacing) to know how to advise you. And, are those 33’s cheap ass, or salable. When I bought my 2001 it had big tires with a lot of tread but they were some cheap (loud) knock-offs and already showed signs of uneven wear due to the poor alignment created by stuffing them in where they didn’t really fit (it had a spacer lift that we fixed with long travel ). You make have to accept a loss or very low return on those tires.

I like your .1 option best, of those you’ve given. I think it makes no sense to try to correct what the previous owner did using stopgap component. Take it back to stock, then allocate the time and money you need to research and build it the way you want it. It’s worth it; you’ve got 150k+ miles to enjoy.

Edit: why not prioritize replacing the ball joint? Instead of worrying about it.

 

I mention it has stock wheels twice in the post. I don't think replacing the ball joint and leaving the lift on addresses anything. At full droop you can see the contact. To me the cause needs to be addressed and that cause is the lift. I'm leaning towards option 1 due to reliability and mpg and then do as you said research and build later. Just a tough pill to swallow for $800+ in tires on top of the other maintenance.

 

How good are the tires?

How much lift does it have? What shocks and coils are on there?

Is there any lift on the rear end?

I have to make some assumptions. I am guessing the spacer is a 3" lift. I will also assume you have wheel spacers to clear the spindle with a 33 (which I assume to be a 285 series). I can only guide your suspension problem and can't say much about tire fitment, forgive that.

Option 1) return to stock- depends what you want long term. Do you want a stock truck? If so, go this route and avoid buying expensive upper arms. If you do I would still replace that upper ball joint.

Option 2) aftermarket UCA- if you want a lifted or even leveled stance I would recommend this. I also would recommend getting rid of that spacer as time permits and go with either a Bilstein lift shock if you have Toyota coils (economical and practical as you know) or maybe look into a good coilover. In my opinion spacers are okay for most street driving if you are careful about speed bumps. Violent articulation with a spacer can be bad for ball joints. You will hear a lot of "I've run spacers without problems", but I personally know two guys who fell from 4 story scaffolding and lived to tell, in other words some get lucky.

Option 3) leave it- I can't recommend that for long term. I would get this addressed in short order if I were you and drive carefully until you do.

 

#4 - remove the spacers and add an appropriate lift. Does not have to mean UCAs. Buy the tire size you would be happy with since you are likely buying tires. Replace the upper ball joints. Or, add UCA's and save the money on upper ball joints since you will get them with the arms.

 

I'm sorry I thought I included all the information. It has a 3" spacer lift in the front with 285/75/16 tires. Everything else is stock wheels (no spacers), shocks, springs, etc.

 

No problem, the reason I ask what shock and coil is that changes your options. It is pretty common to see the Monroe quick strut package on these trucks, and if you wanted a 5100 as an option the coil from Monroe won't fit. If the shock is stock I think it will say Bilstein, KYB, or maybe Tocico. If the shock says Monroe you're going to be on the quest for coils as well as shocks for a 5100 or similar.

As @alb1k said, if you drop the spacer kit entirely and get something like 5100s you can keep the upper arm. I would still swap that upper ball joint. No telling what it has been through.

For reference I drove around for over a year in a 2wd with 4" of lift up front on stock upper arms. It wore my upper ball joints pretty bad, making a groove in the cup. If you stay around 2" of lift your ball joint will stay happy and if the coils are clocked correctly they won't interfere with the spindle at droop.

The option you pick really depends on what you want as #1 and what you're willing to spend as #2.

 

Also agree with @alb1k and @Darkness, could just do 5100s all around and new UCAs and level out the truck. Or, why not run a similar setup to your '17 - 6112/5160. Then either get some new tires or keep the tires and get some wheels? I guess it depends what you are ultimitely looking for and how much you want to spend to correct the spacer lift issue.

 

Option 1 a, post on craigslist that you want to trade your 285's for some 265's (tires and wheels).

Option 1aa, buy 265's on craigslist and then sell the 285's

 

Thanks for the responses. I get the Bilstein 5100 or 6112 recommendations because I've done that before. The issue is that I'm already spending a few $k on parts and I'm trying to just get it reliable as cheap as possible not necessarily how I plan to drive it for the next 10 years. Looks like stock tires, take off lift, get it aligned, and replace the upper ball joint is probably the cheapest option.

 

I'd consider new LBJ's also

 

Yep.

 

LBJ’s or at least swap out the bolts.

 

How do you clock coils correctly?

 

On 5100s the lower perch can be rotated on the shock. The upper mount can be rotated to three different positions as well in the bucket. You have to watch the orientation when you install them so that the coils are facing the correct position. If the spindle hits the coil or gets in between the coil, you can rotate the coil to get away from that.

 

Pardon me OP, are aftermarket springs clocked also?

 

No pardon needed. Just when I think I’ve learned a lot I hear something new. I’ve never heard of clocking the springs, but I’ve only done 6112’s in the past.

 

They can be, but usually don't need to be.

Most aftermarket coilover kits use a linear coil with a slimmer outside diameter than the progressive coils that these trucks come with. The linear coils never seem to interfere with upper arms.