Yeah, so have I except it was "Sean, call the guy who owns the trailer and ask if I can use it too".LOL.. I've heard and said most of those.
So Drew you should rename this to the "UnBuild"
Unbuild is so depressing.
Build from South Texas, Drew02a
- Thread starter drew02a
- Start date
Unbuild is so depressing.
pictures of the epic RCD drop bracket lift installation that took place at Keith's shop
Rob and Keith getting it done while I assemble the new shocks
Rob cutting the crossmember with the grinder
All done and ready for paint
This is the dirt that came out of the crossmember,
The rear drop bracket going in
Comparison photo of the old spindle and new
Suspension assembled. That is one long coilover assembly. Once assembled I compared it to the 6" spacer setup I got from Andy Both measured 28", so I went with the new ones so I'd have a bigger shock volume.
All done, and a little dirty. Maybe I should wash my truck more often
Measured ground to fender at the wheel center line. It was 44" front and 43" rear, but the front has settled a little already.
When I got home I decided to paint these chrome bars black
Also installed the skid plate. It kinda suck that it hangs down 2" below the bracket, but it's better than leaving the diff exposed. For comparison I measured ground clearance font and rear. In the front, the drop bracket is 14" off the ground and the skid plate was 12". In the rear, the axel tube is 14" off the ground, and the diff is 10".
I put a 3/4" spacer on top of my coilovers since the kit was supposed to be 5-6" and my rear was already at about 7". At first I thought I might have to take it out because the front was about 1" higher, but it has settled and is level now.
I'm really happy with the results. This kit lowers the diff more than it lowers which means I can get the best possible ground clearance. I plan to get a custom skid plate so it's smooth front to back.
Rob and Keith getting it done while I assemble the new shocks
Rob cutting the crossmember with the grinder
All done and ready for paint
This is the dirt that came out of the crossmember,
The rear drop bracket going in
Comparison photo of the old spindle and new
Suspension assembled. That is one long coilover assembly. Once assembled I compared it to the 6" spacer setup I got from Andy Both measured 28", so I went with the new ones so I'd have a bigger shock volume.
All done, and a little dirty. Maybe I should wash my truck more often
When I got home I decided to paint these chrome bars black
Also installed the skid plate. It kinda suck that it hangs down 2" below the bracket, but it's better than leaving the diff exposed. For comparison I measured ground clearance font and rear. In the front, the drop bracket is 14" off the ground and the skid plate was 12". In the rear, the axel tube is 14" off the ground, and the diff is 10".
I put a 3/4" spacer on top of my coilovers since the kit was supposed to be 5-6" and my rear was already at about 7". At first I thought I might have to take it out because the front was about 1" higher, but it has settled and is level now.
I'm really happy with the results. This kit lowers the diff more than it lowers which means I can get the best possible ground clearance. I plan to get a custom skid plate so it's smooth front to back.
Shackle flip kit install - It took a bit of time, but without the help of my brother, it would have taken alot longer. The hardest part was getting the damn rivets out of the frame. After that it was a cinch. It looks like it gave me about an inch of lift in the back, but I didn't really measure. Also, the truck rolls a little more than it did before, but not much. Just need to re-install my sway bar. Here's the pics.
Stock Hanger
Nut removed on lower shackle bolt
Shackle away
After grinding off the rivet heads I was able to pound off the stock hanger
Rivets still in the frame
In this pic you can see how bent my frame is from dragging my hitch
It took 2 breakover bars to get the next bolt off. Those things were on there damn tight.
After drilling through the rivets, punching them out of the frame,
then re-drilling the holes to be big enough for the new bolts,
I applied paint so there wasn't any exposed metal.
New hanger bolted up and shackle installed!
Stock Hanger
Nut removed on lower shackle bolt
Shackle away
After grinding off the rivet heads I was able to pound off the stock hanger
Rivets still in the frame
In this pic you can see how bent my frame is from dragging my hitch
It took 2 breakover bars to get the next bolt off. Those things were on there damn tight.
After drilling through the rivets, punching them out of the frame,
then re-drilling the holes to be big enough for the new bolts,
I applied paint so there wasn't any exposed metal.
New hanger bolted up and shackle installed!
Dakar Rear Leaf Springs
XJ Boomerang Shackles from Rubicon Express
ToyTec Stainless Extended Brake Lines
Font Range Off-Road U-Bolt Flip Kit
I haven't put any shocks on yet since my setup is pretty unique and I didn't know what the measurements would be. After the install the rear measured 30.5" from pin to eye at full extension and 12" from bump to stop.
I just put a 3" top plate spacer on the front to level things out as best I could, but that is only a temporary solution. Here's the pics of the aftermath:
Sitting all finished. Top of tire to fender measured 12" in back and 10" in front.
A good shot of the U-Bolt Flip Kit and Extended Rear Brake lines
I still need to fab something to mount the bumpstops
Side View of the Flip Kit and vacant shock mount
Here you can see the boomerang shackle sitting at a good angle and my dumped exhaust.
The XJ Shackles were a tight squeeze on the bottom end, but nothing a little leverage and lots of lube couldn't handle.
Also, I was in the middle of doing a gravity bleed.
...that is all
XJ Boomerang Shackles from Rubicon Express
ToyTec Stainless Extended Brake Lines
Font Range Off-Road U-Bolt Flip Kit
I haven't put any shocks on yet since my setup is pretty unique and I didn't know what the measurements would be. After the install the rear measured 30.5" from pin to eye at full extension and 12" from bump to stop.
I just put a 3" top plate spacer on the front to level things out as best I could, but that is only a temporary solution. Here's the pics of the aftermath:
Sitting all finished. Top of tire to fender measured 12" in back and 10" in front.
A good shot of the U-Bolt Flip Kit and Extended Rear Brake lines
I still need to fab something to mount the bumpstops
Side View of the Flip Kit and vacant shock mount
Here you can see the boomerang shackle sitting at a good angle and my dumped exhaust.
The XJ Shackles were a tight squeeze on the bottom end, but nothing a little leverage and lots of lube couldn't handle.
Also, I was in the middle of doing a gravity bleed.
...that is all
URD Short Throw Shifter. The install on the 2.7L 5 speed is notoriously tricky, so I cheated. Drilled holes through the sheet metal made things a lot easier. I just wish I had drilled it at the begining.
I actually had to get under the truck and use a box end wrench to get the 2 front bolts out.
The holes are a little sloppy, but no one will ever see them anyway.
I put it all back together and now the truck shifts great.
I actually had to get under the truck and use a box end wrench to get the 2 front bolts out.
The holes are a little sloppy, but no one will ever see them anyway.
I put it all back together and now the truck shifts great.
Installed Toy Tec axle shims. It didn't totally get rid of the noise, but reduced it a little more. Looks like I'm going to get a CV on the front of the shaft.
Shims in
Look at that beautiful drive line angle!
The differential is angled up more than what the shims alone would provide, because the shackle flip kit also lowered the rear of the axle just like the shims. Because the front of the diff is now pointing WAY up, I over filled the diff with 1/2qt of gear oil to insure the pinion stays lubricated. I plan to switch over to RedLine Heavy Shock Proof gear oil as soon as I get everything worked out. That should also help the pinion stay lubricated.
Shims in
Look at that beautiful drive line angle!
The differential is angled up more than what the shims alone would provide, because the shackle flip kit also lowered the rear of the axle just like the shims. Because the front of the diff is now pointing WAY up, I over filled the diff with 1/2qt of gear oil to insure the pinion stays lubricated. I plan to switch over to RedLine Heavy Shock Proof gear oil as soon as I get everything worked out. That should also help the pinion stay lubricated.
Here's some pics of the seat swap. Since I didn't need the middle seat belt anymore, I decided to use it as a make-shift harness. Incidentely, the bucket seats hold me in place alot better than the bench did, so I usually just use one of the seat belts. It's nice to have one I can manually lock though. Without a center console, there's plenty of room to fit a cooler between the seats for long trips (I still want a console though).
Installed my cruise control, it only took 30min and cost less than $100. Here's the writeup I used, has plenty of pictures:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=171992
A couple of my own. Here's how I held the pedal down while I installed the clutch switch
And the finished product
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=171992
A couple of my own. Here's how I held the pedal down while I installed the clutch switch
And the finished product
Intermittent Wiper Mod... Done
I got the wiper control from 1stToyotaParts.com
Installation was super easy (took 10 min).
I got the wiper control from 1stToyotaParts.com
Installation was super easy (took 10 min).
installed a my CB and a new Stereo in the Dash. Here's some crappy cell pics. Enjoy.
All Pulled Apart
Used some spare ARB Air Hose to fish the wires for the iPod controller through the dash
Here's the controller. I pulled up the shifter boot and stuck it under there
All Done, Coincidentally I was listening to a song called Stolen Car,
The whole thing took me about an hour. It sounds so much better than stock, and now I can actually see what's playing without looking down at the iPod.
All Pulled Apart
Used some spare ARB Air Hose to fish the wires for the iPod controller through the dash
Here's the controller. I pulled up the shifter boot and stuck it under there
All Done, Coincidentally I was listening to a song called Stolen Car,
The whole thing took me about an hour. It sounds so much better than stock, and now I can actually see what's playing without looking down at the iPod.
Decided to rewire my CB with it's own circuit instead of the same one as the stereo which caused some weird feedback issues. I got a fuse block so I could run all my aftermarket electronic devices through one place and have it organized. Right now it's just the ARB compressor, lockers, and CB, but there will be alot more to come. Here's the pics
The inline fuse holder I robbed off the ARB wiring kit.
I exchanged the 40A fuse for a 60A one since it serves the whole block.
Fuse box attached to the lid of the OEM one
All wired up and ready to go
Putting the CB on it's own circuit worked great to get rid of the feedback problems, and now I can easily add lights and other electronic crap without having a bunch of wiring harnesses under the hood.
The inline fuse holder I robbed off the ARB wiring kit.
I exchanged the 40A fuse for a 60A one since it serves the whole block.
Fuse box attached to the lid of the OEM one
All wired up and ready to go
Putting the CB on it's own circuit worked great to get rid of the feedback problems, and now I can easily add lights and other electronic crap without having a bunch of wiring harnesses under the hood.
So after starting this project a year ago, I finally finished it this week. There are slightly smaller boxes that would fit, but I already had this one from my Ford Ranger, and I can fit an acoustic guitar in it. The only problem is that it doesn't fit between the wheel wells, so...
Cut the corners out
Bolt in the pieces cut out from the opposite side
Test Fit. Still have access to the D-Rings.
I don't have any pics of it, but I filled the gaps in the corners with bodo and painted the whole thing.
Mounted using neoprene/ rubber washers to prevent leaking.
I had these metal bars from mounting the box in the ranger and used them to distribute the pressure from the mounting bolts.
Put some sticker under the lid
All Mounted Up
There are some spots I need to repaint, but overall I think it looks pretty good.
It will be nice to have somewhere other than the cab to keep recovery gear always in the truck and to put a couple bags when road tripping.
Cut the corners out
Bolt in the pieces cut out from the opposite side
Test Fit. Still have access to the D-Rings.
I don't have any pics of it, but I filled the gaps in the corners with bodo and painted the whole thing.
Mounted using neoprene/ rubber washers to prevent leaking.
I had these metal bars from mounting the box in the ranger and used them to distribute the pressure from the mounting bolts.
Put some sticker under the lid
All Mounted Up
There are some spots I need to repaint, but overall I think it looks pretty good.
It will be nice to have somewhere other than the cab to keep recovery gear always in the truck and to put a couple bags when road tripping.
texasislandboy
donde esta la NGAGE IT
hell yah man!
taco4x4rar
Well-Known Member
Sad to see it go but I'll bet you've got about 10 grand to dump into the the fleet now.
Not quite, but plenty of cash to do everything I want. The fun/ buying begins tomorrow morning!