aemravan's build thread - project TacoRunner

[aemravan]

A little late to the party with the heater since it’s warming up .. but figured it could be a nice way to get out with the wife while temps are still low.

Decided not to hassle building my own to see if this is something that will work for my setup and the testing so far has been great. Not expecting it to last too long for just under $200 and if it does what I need it and fails at some point I’ll probably build my own into a more storable case with a nicer unit. So far the all in one setup has been pretty dang amazing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aemravan]

I was sitting here a couple of days ago and something dawned on me .. my initial idea of “temporary” cheap lower control arms is slowly turning into a long term solution .. which means cheap ball joints .. that’s coupled with 35s made me think of suffering another suspension failure on the road.. yikes.

After doing a little searching I ordered a set of sankei 555 ball joints to throw in as an added peace of mind.. will try and tackle this in the next week or two.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[phatcheeks]

I was sitting here a couple of days ago and something dawned on me .. my initial idea of “temporary” cheap lower control arms is slowly turning into a long term solution .. which means cheap ball joints .. that’s coupled with 35s made me think of suffering another suspension failure on the road.. yikes.

After doing a little searching I ordered a set of sankei 555 ball joints to throw in as an added peace of mind.. will try and tackle this in the next week or two.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

+1 for the 555s ball joints. Been running them for a while with no issues. Also using their inner/outer tie rods.

 

[aemravan]

Well that was fast … and boy do these loom fantastic ! Gonna pick up the balljoint press from autozone for rent on the way to the office and hopefully get this knocked out this weekend !

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aemravan]

Fingers crossed that I didn’t miss any bolts or torques.. lol

Piece of cake.. froze the new joints going in, heated the lowers and hammered out the old joints without an issue. Took a little figuring out with clearance without taking the front end apart but it’s on..
Didn’t want to over torque the castle but on the balljoint and from what I found it should be around 118 ft lbs or so.. felt fairly easy all the way through and decided not to keep cranking .. I’ll give it a few road miles and check to make sure it’s still on there lol.

Also did a 5 tire rotation all the way around while I was at it. Almost shit myself putting the spare back on myself .. it’s heavy, high up and have to line up my rear facing camera through one of the holes. Now to go drink beer.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aemravan]

Finally got out to enjoy some awesome camping. No wheeling but a good time nonetheless.

7 hour round trip and nothing has fallen off the rig.. so slowly building more confidence in it. (Knock on wood).

I didn’t need 4wd.. but was going to throw in it just bc we were on a dirt road and mound myself unable to do so in the first few quick attempts.. felt like quite a bind on the shifter so I didn’t continue to force it in fear of getting myself in a pickle almost 4 hours from home.

Need to test this out in the drive way, but I have a feeling the bind is coming from the front shaft being spin by the wheels (also seems related to my clunking issue I had earlier ). Really making me want to pick up a factory t case and do a factor my j pattern shifter on it sooner than later.. I’m still working on getting my hands on the original 4wd case to r&d a manual linkage for it which would be the absolute idea setup over the FJ case.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aemravan]

And my new home has arrived. Now just to source a Thule cargo carrier and my RTT is going for sale.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aemravan]

Even though I’m not camping this weekend in the amazing weather at least my other guilty pleasure is fully running. It’s a different joy from being lost in the woods for a weekend but one I couldn’t live without.

Just got my turbo housing machined by OCD works to resembles the old school HKS t51r KAI turbo spool sound and I’ll be lucky to get 5mpg now.. REALLY hard to stay out of boost.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aemravan]

this weekend I did something I didn't think was ever going to happen (so much so that I actually threw away my original part shortly after removing it :bluejump

I re-installed the front sway bar on the rig after finding a local toyota guy who was willing to give his away free of charge :thumb: .
What a difference... I haven't used my rig for rock crawling in quite some time, and frankly, don't think I have the off-road bug nearly as bad as I thought I would when I started... I am perfectly happy getting out to camp (while having the possibility to reach places most other regular offroad vehicle can't, if the opportunity presented itself lol).

After the last drive up to the mountains with the rig fully loaded and my wife and dogs along for the ride I realized how idiotic it is for me to drive a 90% street drive, 10% off road driven (.5% of which MAY be rock crawling where I may benefit?) rig with no front sway bar. The difference is night and day, the handling is phenomenal, and from what I've see, I may have lost 2 inches in total articulation which I'll gladly give up for all the other Pro's of having a sway bar.


I have also, once again, confirmed that anyone who tells you that driving on the street with no sway bars makes no difference at all are lying either to you, themselves, or both. lol

 

[phatcheeks]

this weekend I did something I didn't think was ever going to happen (so much so that I actually threw away my original part shortly after removing it :bluejump

I re-installed the front sway bar on the rig after finding a local toyota guy who was willing to give his away free of charge :thumb: .
What a difference... I haven't used my rig for rock crawling in quite some time, and frankly, don't think I have the off-road bug nearly as bad as I thought I would when I started... I am perfectly happy getting out to camp (while having the possibility to reach places most other regular offroad vehicle can't, if the opportunity presented itself lol).

After the last drive up to the mountains with the rig fully loaded and my wife and dogs along for the ride I realized how idiotic it is for me to drive a 90% street drive, 10% off road driven (.5% of which MAY be rock crawling where I may benefit?) rig with no front sway bar. The difference is night and day, the handling is phenomenal, and from what I've see, I may have lost 2 inches in total articulation which I'll gladly give up for all the other Pro's of having a sway bar.


I have also, once again, confirmed that anyone who tells you that driving on the street with no sway bars makes no difference at all are lying either to you, themselves, or both. lol

I used to run no sway bars and it was sketchy driving on the backroads or making any sudden maneuvers. Then I installed my PCK and it was way better. Then I put my rear sway bar back on. Then after awhile I put my front back on. I did the whole cycle lol.
I watched this on youtube who did a articulation test using all the different options and he ended up going with a thicker rear sway bar and no front. That gave him the best articulation for his setup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcgKbUTQJy8&t=4s&ab_channel=Tinkerer%27sAdventure
really good information from this video. Ive been looking at doing a thicker rear sway bar from either Addco or Superpro

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

It takes a lot of getting used to driving a bowl of soup. My 5th gen handles like a rally car compared to the 4th gen with the old standard length suspension and no ASB.

Entry, Apex, and Exits on corners had to be approached completely different. Quick hwy moves had to be done very cautiously, with a certain amount of sphincter pucker up.

Now that I have the bypasses in the front, revalved the rear shocks, and added the Anti Rock, the 4th gen does a whole lot better.

But, on a road like Tail of the Dragon? Gimme that 5th gen ASB everytime.

 

[thegame7]

I used to run no sway bars and it was sketchy driving on the backroads or making any sudden maneuvers. Then I installed my PCK and it was way better. Then I put my rear sway bar back on. Then after awhile I put my front back on. I did the whole cycle lol.
I watched this on youtube who did a articulation test using all the different options and he ended up going with a thicker rear sway bar and no front. That gave him the best articulation for his setup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcgKbUTQJy8&t=4s&ab_channel=Tinkerer%27sAdventure
really good information from this video. Ive been looking at doing a thicker rear sway bar from either Addco or Superpro

Hmm didn't know thicker rear sway bars were an option. I wonder if thinner fronts are also an option? I currently have just the front in and it's pretty stiff still. Though I think my shock valving and E range tires contribute more to the harshness.

 

[aemravan]

I used to run no sway bars and it was sketchy driving on the backroads or making any sudden maneuvers. Then I installed my PCK and it was way better. Then I put my rear sway bar back on. Then after awhile I put my front back on. I did the whole cycle lol.
I watched this on youtube who did a articulation test using all the different options and he ended up going with a thicker rear sway bar and no front. That gave him the best articulation for his setup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcgKbUTQJy8&t=4s&ab_channel=Tinkerer%27sAdventure
really good information from this video. Ive been looking at doing a thicker rear sway bar from either Addco or Superpro

Yup, that’s the video that got me thinking about throwing sway bars on the begin with lol. After going long travel in the rear and removing both sway bars I expected my articulation going up a ramp at work to be much improved .. I quickly found that as I started driving up it with one front wheel, the weight just fell over backwards and I was getting next to no compression on the front wheel , which obviously makes sense but the video helped reassure that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aemravan]

Hmm didn't know thicker rear sway bars were an option. I wonder if thinner fronts are also an option? I currently have just the front in and it's pretty stiff still. Though I think my shock valving and E range tires contribute more to the harshness.

Tk1 racing is what I run in the rear. It’s a lot of custom work to have had it fitted but it’s pretty much the same idea as the Anti Rock bars jeep guys run.

Thinner front bar was my first question as well .. seems like if we could go down in stiffness about 30% or so it would give the best combination of articulation while also not falling over in turns


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[aemravan]

Since the building stopped so has the posting .. what a shame ! Been trying to enjoy the rig recently more than just working on it. Decided against wheeling much .. I guess that was a temporary bug .. the camping and overlanding has been alive and well though .. perfected the pack out set up over the last couple of trips and so far everything has been pretty sweet.

I have considered a different rig to build for camping trips but ultimately decided I would end up with another money dump that wouldn’t be far off of this one, and it’s just not feasible to sell this for the amount of time and effort I have into making this as unique as it is, so unless something drastic changes I decided I’m keeping it long term.

With that said .. after using the rig I have decided on the list of most wasteful and regretted modifications I’ve done.. this isn’t the same for everyone , for my purposes I have found the below to be a complete waste of time, money and arguably ultimate reduction in the original Toyota reliability ..

-RCV axles: absolute biggest waste of money for a non dedicated crawler.. street reliability has been absolute shit, and for the money the return in investment for replacing blown axles is years and years down the road. Not to mention.. running RCV axles moved my fuse point further into the front diff.. which caused housing to explode when I hit a boulder with some wheel speed.

-front locker: waste of money and needs to be used with great caution.. maybe there are applications for it, but for me, the misuse left me with a blow out intermediate shaft. I wish I just stuck with a rear locker.

-lc200 rack: save your time and money and either keep the factory rack with replacement tie rods (that can be done in no time on the trail) or go the machined tundra rack. Ultimately the amount of customization and non factory parts have probably left me with a potential to be stuck on a trail of anything we’re to go wrong. Not to mention now my tie rod is a hiem joint which is exposed and not likely to last very long on a street drive rig.. the messed up geometry is another downside.

-FJ t case- though not a bad mod , I am considering going either to a j pattern shifter or back to the factory center case with a diff that is manually actuated .. I’m getting weird engagement noises even in 2wd and I suspect that it has something to do with the twin stick conversion.

I am also heavily considering pulling the TK1 racing bar. In favor of an extended tank since I don’t need to have the full rear down travel for regular trips that don’t involve rock crawling ..

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[miller507]

Well that was fast … and boy do these loom fantastic ! Gonna pick up the balljoint press from autozone for rent on the way to the office and hopefully get this knocked out this weekend !

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Much better brand than moog(been a hit or miss lately), I use 555 on my daily Prado 150 with no issues at all.

On the 4runner I use ACDelco 45D2426, bought a set on 2018 put some hard miles on them, ordered a new pair late 2022.

 

[aemravan]

selling my RCV cv axles, anybody interested or know anyone that is? looking to get $1200 for these, half of what I have invested.

 

[aemravan]

It is settled.... here is my current plan for the next 2 phases of my build..

-swap in factory AWD differential (if functional, leave as is, if bad actuator R&D manual shifter)
-go back to OEM CV axles
-tub the firewall/wheel well
-install 37's


go on my merry way to more camping adventures. lol

oh, and did I mention I may be ripping out the TK1 racing sway bar in favor of a 24gal extended fuel tank back there? :rofl:

 

[aemravan]

So I was browsing the internet last night about some OEM new vs OEM Remanufacture cv axles and happened to come across a listing on ebay I decided to gamble on.. $150 bucks for 2 factory toyota axles. Nobody else bid, so they are on their way.. I already ordered the $140 worth of boot kits from toyota as well.

I'm pulling the RCV axles whether they sell or not.. I will give them one more off road test to make sure they aren't clunking/clicking/binding at all and they are coming out in favor of factory axles. My logic here is that even if these axles end up being not 100%, they can easily be used for the core charge to get the remanufactured ones (core cost is north of $70 per axle with Toyota, so I will literally have offset my cost, I'll just pull the new boots back off and throw on the torn ones before I send them in lol).

If the RCV's sell, great, I feel like I'd be willing to let them go for like $1000 bucks.. if they don't.. oh well, they'll get cleaned up and go into storage for the off chance I decide to need to beat on the rig with some rock crawling that I am currently not planning on doing much of. Either way, an expensive lesson.. I have $2300 total in these axles, plus the cost of new boots I put on my old axles before I pulled them off and sold them for pennies... like $200 total for 2...


I'm also hoping my plan to swap the factory transfer case back in this works out so I can get my full time 4wd back. While I'm doing the front end swapping I need to address the LC200 steering shaft noise. I'm pretty sure my last time fiddling with it move the rack around a bit and change the angle on the shaft that is not impacting the motor mount at a certain point in the turn (since it wobbles a bit from not being welded 100% straight). When I go to make a hard right turn under braking there is a clunk/thud from that area, it's the only thing i can think of impacting. It makes sense since the clearance is super tight.

More work to get this thing situated I guess! Oh, and I'm also in the process of trying to get rid of my hard shell roof top tent in favor of saved weight and using a nicer, larger ground tent that sets up even quicker. layball:

 

[aemravan]

The factory axles and oem boot kits have both delivered, look to be in decent shape but obviously I won't know until I get them swapped over. Going to see about rebooting (and doing the slight boot extension modification) on these things this week and going to see about possibly throwing them in before our beach trip to Daytona at end of month.

I also ended up ordering a slightly beefier version of the factory OEM rear sway bar (talk about wasted money here! :der so I can get the TK1 racing sway bar removed and factory one with new links back in place. Hopefully I can at least get a couple of hundred bucks for this TK1 racking bar.. I'm in it for close to $500 I think.. going to be fun cutting out the tube I welded into the frame