[TonyB66]

Originally Posted by BrianSD_42

Yes that's the one.

I think the stock skid plate works with a diff drop spacer. I first installed my SS 1.2 which included a diff drop spacer. Then I put the stock skid plate back on. The instructions for the SS 1.2 kit include a small amount of grinding in the center of the inside stock skid for it to fit on. Then after about 2 years I upgraded to an aftermarket skid plate.

Installing an aftermarket skid plate and winch will sag your front end. Just give it time. The winch plus line and skids should add 90 lbs easy. All of that weight is right on the front of your truck.

With my 600 lbs coils I've already added over 3/4" gain in turns to crank them up over the defaults and I still don't sit as high as I did with my Bilstein lift. I don't sit as high as even the average 3rd gen aftermarket lift. It is more flexible to be able to simply back down a bit then to keep cranking them up and up. I worry if I tried to go higher (again) that the ride would go to crap. Maybe it wouldn't. Who knows. My 1" BL helps with the clearance but that's all.

Thanks for the confirmation.

While doing some reading, I found this expressed concern about installing a diff drop, fluid starvation. Will try to find more on that topic. If you have any thoughts, please do share...

1" diff drop Q's

Thanks Brian.

[phattyduck]

Originally Posted by TonyB66

The torque specs on these is 96 ft-lbs. For the fronts, no problem as the bolt heads are right there, easily accessible with a torque wrench and socket (22mm).

Get the upper a-arm set where you think it will be best and torqued. Set them to max caster you can get while keeping the camber near 0 (maybe slightly negative) - don't worry about the torque. The lower arm cams should both be adjusted by a good alignment shop, so it will be on them to torque them. (oh, and the tech probably won't use a wrench... just make sure there they are about two grunts tight while you are watching )

-Charlie

[TonyB66]

Originally Posted by phattyduck

Get the upper a-arm set where you think it will be best and torqued. Set them to max caster you can get while keeping the camber near 0 (maybe slightly negative) - don't worry about the torque. The lower arm cams should both be adjusted by a good alignment shop, so it will be on them to torque them. (oh, and the tech probably won't use a wrench... just make sure there they are about two grunts tight while you are watching )

-Charlie

First laugh of the day Charlie, thank you. I must admit that I'm bit sore today. Generating a 100 ft-lbs with that 22mm wrench took a fair amount of effort...

With the SPC upper arms at the "G" setting, that makes for max wheel well clearance. The adjustments made on the LCA's bolts are to maximize caster in that "G" setting above. From the experience of others, this will likely get caster in the 1.5 to 2.2 range. Those settings are done.

I located my angle finder. Actually a couple of them. Refreshing to find tools for once. I now need to find some stock to cut just long enough to traverse the 17" rims. For a flat and level surface, I think I'll drive the nose of the 4Runner into the garage. I should be able to go far enough for these purposes...

Oh, I'm working off of this from the aforementioned Bandit Runner.

Originally Posted by Bandit Runner

Well, I finally got my alignment the way it should be. This is what I had to do:

Step 1: Set the SPC UCA's to "G" setting. This basically gives you the same amount of clearance to the firewall that you had with the OEM UCA's. Do this yourself, because the alignment shop won't have a clue.

Step 2: Maximize positive caster by adjusting all 4 LCA cams bolts.
- Both rear cams pushed outward as far as possible
- Both front cams pulled inward as far as possible
You can easily do this yourself also. Just loosen the nuts, turn the cam bolts, and re-tighten the nuts.

Step 3: Raise the front of vehicle and adjust camber, by adjusting the bolt in the slot at top of UCA. Do this yourself. The alignment shop won't want to mess around with this. It is easy to do, just takes some time. All I needed was a tape measure, level, and some trigonometry (an angle finder would have been easier, but I didn't have one). This does take some trial and error. You have to measure camber, raise the vehicle, adjust the bolt in the slot, lower the vehicle, roll it back-and-forth to let it settle, and re-measure. Repeat until you get it right. It took me 2 tries to get the passenger side right, and 4 tries for the driver side. Tighten top ball joint nut to 150 ft-lbs.

Step 4: Now bring it to the alignment shop. Have them tweak the camber if needed and set the toe. My crude setting of the camber was actually in spec, so all they had to do was set the toe.

If you perform these steps you will maximize the firewall clearance, and at the same time, get the most positive caster possible. I got 1.6 degrees caster on one side and 2.2 degrees on the other. The truck drives great like this.

[TonyB66]

Did quite a bit more reading, and I ordered a diff drop kit. I went with the Sonoran Steel one. It costs about 20 bucks more, i know. i like that the spacers are tapered. Steve said that I should have them by early next week. I contacted Tim at RCI and he said that my front skid should not need any modifications. Thanks again Brian.

I currently have the front of the 4Runner is the garage. A quick check with an angle finds indicates that I have a little over 1 degree of positive camber on each side. I thought of correcting it now, but i'm going to wait. I'll let it settle some more, and revisit this after I install the diff drop. Speaking of which, with the front tires on a very level and flat surface (garage floor), I'm now getting 22 1/2" on the passenger side, and about 22 1/4" on the driver side. I'm growing more positive that I won't need to adjust these downward. Another "thank you" to Brian for recommending the 650 # springs.

[TonyB66]

Got the Sonoran Steel diff drop on Sat. I like how the spacers are tapered, probably not seen here...



Had some time today, and got it installed and removed the rust from those cam adjusters...



I noticed what looks to be CV axle grease, on each side. Damn.





I imagine this is lift related?

EDIT/ADD: After reading-up last night, there are plenty of threads about this happening after lifts. I'll check again later today, but I believe the boots are not torn or ruptured. It seems that the grease was simply pushed passed the clamps.

[Hopeless Diamond]

Yep, would assume it's normal as the boot and everything get used to it's new position in life. If have it on mine after the lift too. Interestingly, my passenger side inner boot is missing the clamp. Not as much grease has come out of that side as the driver side with the clamp. Seems to have tapered off now. Probably means they'll explode

[weekendclimber]

Love this build!

Did you end up cutting out the spare tire cross member? (see image) I would assume so and would think a frame mounted rear bumper such that you have would be sufficiently stiff to make up for it's removal, structurally speaking.

[TonyB66]

Originally Posted by Hopeless Diamond

Yep, would assume it's normal as the boot and everything get used to it's new position in life. If have it on mine after the lift too. Interestingly, my passenger side inner boot is missing the clamp. Not as much grease has come out of that side as the driver side with the clamp. Seems to have tapered off now. Probably means they'll explode

Not sure if normal with a lift, but safe to say not abnormal. Many threads here with such post lift experiences... I have driven just under 10 miles with the lift, and have lost very little grease. I'm going to clean it up in a bit. With the diff drop installed yesterday, maybe that will help. I found this and might give it a try.

Stretch your CV boots

Tim performs this stretch in this video, starting around the 30 minute mark.

YouTube

Originally Posted by weekendclimber

Love this build!

Did you end up cutting out the spare tire cross member? (see image) I would assume so and would think a frame mounted rear bumper such that you have would be sufficiently stiff to make up for it's removal, structurally speaking.

Thanks for the kind words. For a year or so it was a maintenance thread, so it has finally become a build one... Like what you are doing as well. I can relate to the cleaning and rust prevention for sure. Being in CA, I realize that I'm being anal though....

Yes, cross-member gone. Just found it here, post #462

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3160606-post462.html

I feel that there is rigidly gained with aftermkt rear bumper, and I knew I was going to put something in place of that cross-member that would help, possibly even improve upon the frame's rigidly back there...



I just got a 1.3 gallon emergency water supply that I will keep in there too, in addition to the 4+ gallon fuel storage, tool and recovery bags.

[Joelzy]

my boots shat themselves as well when i first got the truck running. the PO had put the lift on but never got it running so the first time i drove it about 40 miles the grease was everywhere.

[TonyB66]

Originally Posted by Joelzy

my boots shat themselves as well when i first got the truck running. the PO had put the lift on but never got it running so the first time i drove it about 40 miles the grease was everywhere.

Thanks chiming-in. Seems rather commonplace. So.... did you end-up re-booting, perform the stretch, just get a new axle, nada?

[Joelzy]

Originally Posted by TonyB66

Thanks chiming-in. Seems rather commonplace. So.... did you end-up re-booting, perform the stretch, just get a new axle, nada?

until now, nothing, and if the inners hadn't ripped i probably wouldnt do anything until they became a problem.

i ordered the boots and picked up a couple spare OE axles.
Doing the TBU this weekend so i will probably go ahead and reboot the ones on the 4R then eventually rebuild the spares.
thanks to @norcalassassin 's info i ordered the 930 boots for inners and OE outers that i'll do the stretch mod on.

[TonyB66]

Originally Posted by Joelzy

until now, nothing, and if the inners hadn't ripped i probably wouldnt do anything until they became a problem.

i ordered the boots and picked up a couple spare OE axles.
Doing the TBU this weekend so i will probably go ahead and reboot the ones on the 4R then eventually rebuild the spares.
thanks to @norcalassassin 's info i ordered the 930 boots for inners and OE outers that i'll do the stretch mod on.

Since my previous post, I went through the 13 pages of your build. It was on my list to read for some time. Wow. You are an inspiration. You tackled so much right from the get-go! Nice to see the support of the wife too...

If no rips on my inners, I will simply monitor them. I actually just read the post by norcalassassin about those boots. Thanks for mentioning those!

[Joelzy]

Originally Posted by TonyB66

Since my previous post, I went through the 13 pages of your build. It was on my list to read for some time. Wow. You are an inspiration. You tackled so much right from the get-go! Nice to see the support of the wife too...

haha well thank you, just decided to dive into the deep end and though i've had a lot of fumbles along the way its panning out. mostly just needed it running by the move so i could daily it once in UT and sure enough its been pretty damn solid since.

Love what you're doing here too man, i was curious about utilizing the spare area and your setup is definitely just what i was looking for!

Originally Posted by TonyB66

If no rips on my inners, I will simply monitor them. I actually just read the post by norcalassassin about those boots. Thanks for mentioning those!

yeah i'd just check em once in a while and listen for clicks or pops. one of mine clicks a bit but its probably pretty dry in there by now.

[TonyB66]

Originally Posted by Joelzy

haha well thank you, just decided to dive into the deep end and though i've had a lot of fumbles along the way its panning out. mostly just needed it running by the move so i could daily it once in UT and sure enough its been pretty damn solid since.

Love what you're doing here too man, i was curious about utilizing the spare area and your setup is definitely just what i was looking for!

yeah i'd just check em once in a while and listen for clicks or pops. one of mine clicks a bit but its probably pretty dry in there by now.

Sorry for the delayed response. Had an unplanned biz trip and prep for it the last couple of days...

As with Tim's videos, showing the fumbles or mishaps along the way can be equally illuminating and educational! Kudos on doing so and the humility...

That space in the rear between the frame rails, I remain very satisfied with the storage gained and the overall outcome. For those who won't be keeping a spare there, I highly recommend doing something in that spot...

Not much to report progress-wise. I cleaned-up that grease from the CV joints.





I took a couple trips around the circular driveway, and I already see a bit starting to ooze out under the clamps (inner boots, outer ones). I was hoping with the diff drop in place that would not happen...

I got the winch body situated.



I spent some time scouting-out locations for the control box.



There are two mounting positions on the body. I was hoping the side mount would fit within the bumper, but it does not. The center mount is not practical. I don't mind hacking-up my grille, but even so the control box would be recessed so deep into the grille, there would access problems for the switch and remote control port. So, I am left with a remote mount...

I forgot who it was in another thread, but he has the same bumper, and I can see why he chose here.



I think I'll go with it tucked up high like this...



I'll make some bracket and/or metal zip tie into place, not sure sure yet, but I'm pretty sure that's the spot...

That should leave me sufficient space below for some lighting.



Mother's Day weekend, so I'll be spending time with the family and my mom, so maybe not much will get done until next week...

[TonyB66]

Another weekend, and just some minor updates...

Last week I went to help my mom at her rental where the tenants left on somewhat short notice. It's a historic Tudor style home, over 100 years old. She grew-up there, so a lot of memories for her. In the detached garage, I found my first car project, one that I never finished.



A kit car, modeled after the BMW M1, on a modified VW pan ('69 with IRS), gull-wing doors... Had this project in high school, then stopped, on purpose. The way I was driving then and as young man, I grew convinced I would have killed myself in that thing. Plus, argued with my dad about the power plant, as he wanted to stay VW (1776, 1835, 1914...). I had other crazy ideas, but we somewhat agreed on a rotary, I think the 13B. Oh well, brought back some memories to see it. I will likely sell it, although part of me wants to finish it, just for the sake of it, like I don't have enough crap to do!

Oh, I had to drive my 4Runner to that house, with no alignment. Not fun. Had to stay in the slow lane on the freeway, big rigs passing me. My mom was mad, but I wanted to help her, Mother's Day weekend and all...

When I got home, I noticed that just a bit more grease left those inner boots. I drove it again a few days later to THD, virtually none came-out. I decided to reinstall the front skid plate. Looks to be just under 1/2" of clearance.



I never showed the 1.3 gallon collapsable water container. It will go in that rear storage area I created when we go on trips. I will fill it with distilled water, which we have on tap in our kitchen...



https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Had a few recent deliveries.







I think this will be my fourth set of the LED headlights I will have tried. Easy enough to experiment with and get a full refund if not satisfied. Already installed them, but did not try yet. I will not do a lumen or lux testing on these (using that app)... 31 bucks, so not too bad.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The marker lights are the same ones used as turn signals earlier. I really like them because they are also reflectors. At five bucks each, that's nice also.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Figured I'd put them in either of these two spots. The holes are too small though and the hole saw is not as fine toothed as I'd like.



I hoped this set-up would work, but it moved to much. That's a tennis ball jammed behind the 2x4.



Can't see the holes I'm working on in this photo, but I then tried this, and it is more stable.



The pilot hole elongated though, and it's just not working well. Again, a fine tooth hole saw would be better. All over the place...



Unless someone has a good idea, I'll likely just ream it out with an abrasive stone rotary bit in a drill.