Installing Prado Suspension-Difficulty???

Here's a tip when replacing suspension. Wear sunglasses so that the crud doesnt land in your eyes :))

Tim,

It's pretty straight forward. Basic mechanical skills and maybe a workshop manual will see you through it. Only trouble I had was compressing the new HD coils for the front struts... spring compressors worked ok on the factory springs but I just couldn't tighten them enough on the HD springs. The local suspension joint assembled them for me in 5min with a hydraulic spring compressor (cost was a six pack).
Whole job only takes a few hours and there is some satisfaction in doing it yourself.

If unsure get a workshop manual and read it through before starting.
Don't forget a wheel alignment as soon as possible after the job is done.

Also suggest getting the stone guards for the rear shocks... being mounted forward of the axle the are prone to stone damage....

Mick

As Mike said pretty easy. I would agree get someone to fit the front spring to the shocker. The rest is then easy.

I think the only other fiddly bit is removing the rear shockers. Have a look on the prado yahoo site for info on what is required. i think I saw something there on tips for doing the job.

You may have difficulty getting a spanner onto the top of the piston nut at the top of the shock. The 95 series did not come with a means of getting ot from above such as through a floor grommet. To Toyotas credit they have them in the 120 series!

Make sure you use a ring spanner with a decent off-set such as Sidchromes. You may need two people, one to hold the spanner in place while another turns the shock to tighten/loosen the nut.

Good luck

My suggestion is to get someone else to fit it at a fixed price. I've fitted 90series Prado shocks and springs at least half a dozen times on my own and mates vehicles.

RE Fronts:
#1 Front struts are easily removed - 3 x 14mm nuts on top and the single bolt on the arm.
#2 Spring compressors are dangerous things. The front prado springs are too small for the usual double hook compressors. For safety reasons, I use 3 compressors.
#3 Biggest problem is having the top and bottom aligned on reassembly - the trick is to use a white paint marker to mark the front of all components, so they are reassembled exactly with the same alignment. Lining up the bottom bolt may still be an issue.

Re Rears:
#1 Spring removal is straightforward. Have chassis securely supported both sides on stands. You'll need to undo the sway bar to get the axle low enough. Lever out the small plastic locator where the spring sits on the axle housing. Unscrewing the spring out will help.
#2 The top shock nuts are very difficult to access. They are 14 mm and I made a special tool by welding a 14mm socket onto a length of 25x3mm flat steel. The handle of this tool can come out sideways between chassis and body when the wheel is removed. You can simply bend this tool to fit. I have done it with conventional socket set before and it was very fiddly. An alternative is to get the angle grinder out and butcher the shock.

So again, I'd suggest you pay the money and get someone to do it.

I also have an opinion about the 90series Prado shocks - I'm a big fan of the Factory Japanese made shock. They are better quality than any of the other aftermarket shocks which have had numerous issues with the front lower bushes, rear bushes, top rear bolts breaking, and stone damage on the rears. I used factory shocks for 4 yaers on the worst corrugated tracks in Aus, and on numerous desert trips including the Madigan Line, and never had an issue. New shocks from the dealer are also considerably cheaper than any of the aftermarket shocks.

Cheers
Phil