thezentree
Senior Member
Mine sat in a box in my basement for two months until I had time to work on it.
Vansnxtweek's Build Thread
- Thread starter Vansnxtweek
- Start date
Mine sat in a box in my basement for two months until I had time to work on it.
Vansnxtweek
New member
Thanks man, I think so too!! I'm hoping the fitment comes out like I'm hoping. For the rear I opted to go for the standard 3" toytec springs instead of the superflexes. I may regret it but I usually never have any extra weight back there and I don't much care for the super raked look. I got the Toytec boss shocks.
Haha yeah that's life for ya man! I have some other stuff I need to get done first but once I get done with this 5 day stretch on Wednesday the knife is coming out and it'll be time!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Vansnxtweek
New member
Test for before tear down!
Oh man I'm STOKED
Painted up the frame
And finally....PAINFULLY got my manifold gasket replaced. Good god that sucked but well worth getting rid of that damn leak!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Oh man I'm STOKED
Painted up the frame
And finally....PAINFULLY got my manifold gasket replaced. Good god that sucked but well worth getting rid of that damn leak!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Vansnxtweek
New member
All done!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
meeceboy78
New member
great write up! love the new look too! nice work.
thezentree
Senior Member
Looks great! Go get it dirty haha.
Vansnxtweek
New member
Welp, I got my alignment done. That was a freaking nightmare. They tried to tell me I had to get them to replace my rack, inner TREs, and D/S CV axle before they'd touch it. This is a 4 Wheel Parts I had to trailer the 4runner an hour and fifteen minutes to get to.
First of all, I just changed the inner tre's so I know there isn't an issue with those. There is play in the wheel from my previously diagnosed slip joint issue that is very easy to feel. I just haven't fixed it yet. The rack? What in the world there is nothing wrong with the rack.
As far as the CV boot, it has squeezed out some grease, but for the LIFE of me I cannot find a split or hole in the boot anywhere. Is it possible its just squeezing it out because of the increased angle?
In addition I do have some vibration from about 58-62 MPH. I read through thezentree's entire thread on this and it sounds scarily the same. I just haven't replaced as many things as he has.
I measured my center hub to fender distance and I seem to have about 23.5" on the front. I don't see how this can be precise but that's close. The Boss lift is supposedly sent with 2.5" of lift preset but this measurement tells me otherwise. I def. have no rubbing on the 285s at all and the ride is butter smooth as far as the suspension goes.
Lastly, the truck seems to wander to me back and forth. I know my sway bar in the rear def. is not perpendicular anymore and I've read about the panhard bar.
What's my best option here?
Thanks for the help. Here are a few pictures:
First of all, I just changed the inner tre's so I know there isn't an issue with those. There is play in the wheel from my previously diagnosed slip joint issue that is very easy to feel. I just haven't fixed it yet. The rack? What in the world there is nothing wrong with the rack.
As far as the CV boot, it has squeezed out some grease, but for the LIFE of me I cannot find a split or hole in the boot anywhere. Is it possible its just squeezing it out because of the increased angle?
In addition I do have some vibration from about 58-62 MPH. I read through thezentree's entire thread on this and it sounds scarily the same. I just haven't replaced as many things as he has.
I measured my center hub to fender distance and I seem to have about 23.5" on the front. I don't see how this can be precise but that's close. The Boss lift is supposedly sent with 2.5" of lift preset but this measurement tells me otherwise. I def. have no rubbing on the 285s at all and the ride is butter smooth as far as the suspension goes.
Lastly, the truck seems to wander to me back and forth. I know my sway bar in the rear def. is not perpendicular anymore and I've read about the panhard bar.
What's my best option here?
Thanks for the help. Here are a few pictures:
Last edited:
thezentree
Senior Member
Didn't see this before I PMed you back - 23.5" is about where mine was when I first put the Boss C/Os in.
Sounds like the alignment is gonna be the hard part of adjusting it down, haha.
Vansnxtweek
New member
Man you know it! That's the worst part!
Vansnxtweek
New member
I'm going to attempt lowering the front by a half inch and see if that helps the vibes. Looks like the front is at about 23.5". How on earth do people run the really tall LC coils? Seems like the CV's would break immediately.
theesotericone
New member
Your at the max lift in the front. It's pretty common for the Toytec lifts to put you at the 3" mark for front lift. The Eibach spring will settle a little bit and in a month you should be closer to 23".
The LC front shocks are run in the rear of our rig so there is no effect on CV angle. My rig has 23.5 front and 24.5 rear. Both sway bars are removed and it tracks perfectly straight down the highway.
I would highly recommend the PCK. When lifting the rear the axle gets pulled to the passenger side. It doesn't effect how the vehicle tracks but it does effect how much the ass end hops around on washboards. It's one of the best "mods" you can do once you lift the rig IMO.
If your front end is wondering around on the highway it could be a few things. First, the steering rag joint. You stated upthread you haven't gotten around to fixing that. Fix it. Once that's either roll pinned or welded see if it helps.
It could also be your rack. Was there any fluid in the boots when you replaced the inner tie rods? Another quick test is to jack up the front end. Start the truck and go full lock driver or passenger. Have someone hold the wheel at lock while you try and move a tire in the opposite direction. If the tire moves it means your rack is leaking by.
It could also be LCA bushings are worn. Upper ball joints and lower ball joints on there way out can also cause a wonder. That's the things I would check and the order I would check them in.
Everyone's CV boots spew grease after a lift. Expect them to tear within a 1000 miles. A reboot is really easy and the best way to go. Some guys just go Napa lifetime CV's and sell there old CV's. I wouldn't. Keep the OEM.
Looks like you've got a pretty good start on your build. Get the little things figured out and fixed. A lot of us have gone through the exact same thing after a lift. Once you get it dialed a lifted rig can drive just as well as a stock rig.
Vansnxtweek
New member
Man thanks SO much for all the input. It truly is appreciated. Things like the grease after lifting is something I was wondering if its kind of normal or not. The boot isnt torn yet but I could see it happening soon as you said, for sure. I'm reading a lot about stretching boots and such so I guess I'll look a bit closer into that.
I was def. counting on the springs settling a bit which is why I left it where they were set at when I put them in. I'm still hoping they will some, I'm very early in the stage of driving it as of yet, I just hate feeling the thing vibrate like crazy. Worried I'm going to break something extra fast. I was going to adjust them today and see what it did but I guess I'll wait a bit and measure soon. I definitely want to fix the steering issue first and see what that does for me. I'm sure it plays a role.
Which PCK do you recommend? I have seen the weld on brackets, the arguments about the frame vs axle housing mounting location for the extension, then I've see the adjustable bars themselves made by Sonoran Steel. I can see a very small difference from driver's to passenger side as far as rear end alignment comparing each tire and its relation to the fenders. It's small but I'm sure any change would change the tracking of the vehicle.
I didn't have any fluid in the boots when I replaced the ITRE's but I have a leak now that I have not pinpointed. I just replaced and flushed the p/s pump and lines and the fluid that is leaking is a dark grey. I am sure it could be some fluid I didn't completely flush out coming out of the boot, or residual fluid that had already leaked by. With the full lock test should I be trying to move the wheels solid to the other side or just feel for play while the steering is at full lock?
I replaced my p/s cv axle a year ago and I got a Napa one but I saved my OEM one and I plan to reboot it along with the d/s when it fails soon enough.
Once again I really appreciate the input and the kind words. Back to the garage I go!
theesotericone
New member
Even after the lift you shouldn't be vibrating that bad. The lift will amplify any existing vibes though. I went through it with my rig. I was sure it was the tire or rims and it was. After I replaced them the vibe was gone. Try throwing your old rims and tires on and seeing if that changes anything.
The PCK is made by a forum member [MENTION=28464]eimkeith[/MENTION] He put a lot of research into the design. It's a lift bracket for the axle housing and a drop bracket for the frame. Best of all it re-uses the stock panhard. It's also half the price of an adjustable panhard for twice as good of a result. Here's the link:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/sale-suspension-wheels-tires/230779-fs-eimkeith-pck-panhard-correction-kits-%2486.html
You want to put constant pressure on the tire at full lock. That's why you need the other person holding the wheel at lock. A little play is normal in any front end. What you want to see is if you can move the tire by applying constant pressure for a minute. If you can the seals in the rack are leaking by.
Replace the boots on both OEM's. A lot of guys do the boot stretch mod. I didn't. My reasoning is that stock boots tear because they've been in the same position for years. The have a "memory" and once you change that angle the boot tears. With new boots they learn the new angle. I've had them on for almost 2 years and I wheel the shit out of my truck. No tears or leaked grease. I used Beck Arnley from Amazon. Reboot the OEM's and save the Napa as a trail spare.
Good luck. I'm back off to the garage as well. These duals aren't throwing themselves in yet. lol
mtbtim
Elite Member
I agree with you that the old boots tear due to the new angle and stretch you put on them. But, your comment about the need for the boot stretch mod isn't entirely accurate. The reason for the boot stretch is the CV angle after a suspension lift causes the boot ribs to rub against each other. The friction from the rubbing will eventually cause the boot to fail at that spot, between the ribs. There have been a ton of guys who've experienced an inner boot failure either after buying remanufactured CVs or rebooting their OEM CV axles. By stretching out the boot, the boot ribs no longer rub against each other. Now, will the extra stretch you put on the boot cause it failure prematurely? Who knows. We did the boot stretch mod on [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] rig over a year ago and they seem to be holding up well.
OP, here's a couple videos you can use:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/akY472AbM9c" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vcCT4UgFUTw" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Last edited:
Vansnxtweek
New member
I think you're making me realize that it could be a previous vibration I had. With my old wheels and tires, before lift, I had a wheel shake at about 65+ but I just figured it was the tires going bad/out of balance. Maybe this could be the same thing but amplified? I just didn't think that since it came in at such a lower speed. I'm going to put the stockers back on and take a drive and see what it does.
This is freaking awesome. I thought I had read about someone on the forums doing one but I couldn't remember. In my mind I can see why the feeling is occuring. To me, the springs are most likely trying to recenter the rear end everytime I hit a bump. No matter how small the centering has changed. I'm definitely going to have to do the PCK. Thanks for that.
I will give this a try. I have a feeling they are.
That puts my mind at ease, many of these "boot stretching" ideas seem to be a good idea but I feel like there are just as many people with success stories with pretty much every method.. I'm glad to have the extra for a spare.
Thanks man!
My last question is do you think I should go ahead and drop the front down some or just roll as is for now and see if its settles as I work on these other issues? I'm trying to prevent having to get 100 alignments.
Vansnxtweek
New member
Thanks so much Tim! Man I love the heck out of your videos. I was watching the one on the slip joint just earlier today. I will def. check these out!
I was actually going to message you. Which Dewalt impacts do you have? I want something that can handle some load.
Thanks!
theesotericone
New member
First, I never said it wasn't needed. I said that I didn't do it. Then I gave my reasoning.
After 20,000 miles and two years there is no signs of abrasion causing another tear. A lot of those miles are hard wheeling miles that puts way more stress on the boots then anything a street rig is going to see. I'm just relaying my real life experience and use. YMMV.
Let it settle. You can always drop it later. Do you have the adjustable coilovers or the Billies?
mtbtim
Elite Member
Here's 2 Dewalt guns I own and would recommend:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WJA1J68/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007NVSQEQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'm using these batteries:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQU1ENG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You'll need to purchase a charger as well. I already had a charger from another gun I bought.
Vansnxtweek
New member
I have the adjustable coilovers with the spanner collars so it should be somewhat easy to adjust. I just don't want to make a change unless I really have to, the alignment specs came out great. Despite my experience.
Thanks so much, I'll check those out. I have an air compressor and an air impact but I can't say it impresses me much. I like the portability of an electric.
mtbtim
Elite Member
Well my brother, it sort of sounded like you were heavily hinting that the mod wasn't necessary based off your experience. I was just sharing that many many dudes have had issues with new boots prematurely tearing. Hard wheeling isn't what's going to tear these boots up after a suspension lift. It's the heat of friction that causes the boots to tear. It's my guess that speed is more of the killer than hard wheeling. Hard wheeling is slow unless your on a Baja run. At freeway speeds and for long drives, the heat generated from the ribs rubbing together followed by them cooling weakens the rubber.
I've just seen and heard of too many instances of boots prematurely tearing and that's why I highly recommend people do the boot stretch mod to get more miles out of their CV boots.