Strut spacer fitments

[alex dougherty]

Im looking to get a 3" suspenstion lift for my st. Ive found blocks that go in the rear inbetween the leaf spring and axle at auto zone for $37 shipped. But im having a hwrd time finding spacers for the front struts. Ive found a couple pairs that fit the toyota tacoma and ford f150, so my question is do they have the same mounting holes and will they work? Im on a tight buget, 16 working a minimum wage job so i dont have a lot of money to but a body lift. I already did my tortion bars an inch and i dont want to go any higher then that. If anybody knows that would be great

Thanks



Alex D

 

[Dan Long]

The 1st Gen ST doesn't have struts, and blocks in the rear will lower your truck, as the leaf springs are under the rear axle. A torsion twist and rear shackles are the only relatively cheap lift available. After those a body lift will be the next cheapest option.

 

[swshawaii]

Aloha Dan! Good to see you posting here again. Every forum needs the knowledge and experience from guys like you, you are a real asset to MyST. IIRC, you bought a sweet F-150 some time ago. I'm still lowered 3/2.5 because of the great deal you gave me on the drop keys, iron blocks, and custom u-bolts. Couldn't pay me to remove them and lift it like you did! Cheers bro! :supercool:

 

[Dan Long]

Hey Steve! I lurk around a decent bit, and never really stopped, but life has gotten really busy the past few years so I don't post all that often. I did have a pretty nice F150 for awhile, but sold it a year or so ago and picked up a 2000 Explorer 5.0 that didn't come with any payments, lol. Glad you're still enjoying the blocks and drop keys! I definitely miss my ST, and it kills me every time I see it, as the guy lives about 3 miles from me and works at the grocery store we use. There may be another in my future, who knows... :haveabeer:

 

[Gavin Allan]

Couldn't the OP get some rear lift by remounting the axle below the leaf springs? That seems like a cheap and fairly painless way to gain 3-4 inches or so.

 

[Dan Long]

He could, but it's not exactly cheap or painless to do it properly, and he'll likely gain more like 5-6", which is going to be touch to match up front without doing a solid axle swap or major suspension mods. He would need to weld a new leafspring perch on the top of the axle, and be sure that he's got it at the correct angle so he doesn't screw up his pinion angle. He'll gain the thickness of the axle, plus the thickness of the old and the new perches. If he was to do it himself, it can be done for about $50 (cost of a set of new perches), but I don't get the feeling that he's got the know-how (no offense) or tools required, considering his lack of understanding of his existing suspension setup. That said, he would likely need to have it done by a shop, and I doubt anyone would touch that job for less than about $300-400.



Long story short, Alex.... live with a torsion twist and rear shackles (you did get an alignment after the torsion twist, right?), or be prepared to spend big bucks unless you've got people willing to assist you cheaply.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Alex,



Those blocks will lower your ST, not lift it. You need shackles. As for the front, more torsion bolt twist or spend more money.





Tom

 

[alex dougherty]

Thanks everyone for the comments, i figured that it had struts up front because on ebay several of the listing said it was compatible. i did the alignment myself, that much i can do.

 

[Dan Long]

How exactly did you do the alignment yourself? That's one of the few things that is best left to a professional due to the equipment needed... I know there are methods that can get you pretty close at home, but possibly ruining a good set of tires isn't worth the $75 savings, IMO.