Topic: ToyYoda's 1994 Pickup Build Thread

[1985CRAWLER]

yea that shackle anlge looks pretty bleh, but with weight of bed and the springs fully broken in and flexed a few times it should settle to a nice angle, leave the front mounts where they are at, and later on if it doesnt get that perfect angle u want u could always move them back.

i have davez shock hoop and i mounted my lower shock mounts just like in your picture except on the front on the axle. because i didnt want to move the hoop already welded in.

mounting them on top will limit your travel in some cases, especially if the rig turns out low, i was only able to fit 10s on top of the axle, moved the mounts like that and now i can run 12s

[Duodenum]

If you'll be carrying anything more than just a spare in the rear you'll probably be fine with that angle.


What's keeping you from mounting the shocks through the bed? I hate seeing shocks mounted on the side where there more exposed. If you really don't want to put them through the bed I would recommend the 4WU mounts. Keeps the shock more vertical and they look pretty bomb proof.

[twistedtoy92]

Lookin good!!! I like where you are going with this, keep up the good work!

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

i have davez shock hoop and i mounted my lower shock mounts just like in your picture except on the front on the axle. because i didnt want to move the hoop already welded in.

mounting them on top will limit your travel in some cases, especially if the rig turns out low, i was only able to fit 10s on top of the axle, moved the mounts like that and now i can run 12s

Do you have any issues with them catching on anything or taking extra damage?  To me mounting them on the back side of the axle housing seems like it would put them out of harms way for most things.  I also currently have 12 inch shocks to go in the rear so the extra room is a big plus.

If you'll be carrying anything more than just a spare in the rear you'll probably be fine with that angle.

I currently have a 16 month old and another on the way so the long term plan is to eventually add a bench seat of some sort in the rear end and some type of cage as well.  So, there will definitely be more weight in back than just a spare.

I'm thinking of leaving the rear spring mounts as is for now since I plan to throw the engine, trans, body and bed all back on once the front axle is finished so that I can get a better idea of the suspension setup with more weight on the frame.  I think at that point I can add a bunch of extra weight to the rear to mimic the seats and cage and see  where its sits before making any changes.

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

I do like these shock mounts from Ruff Stuff they look pretty beefy compared to the Low Range mounts plus they are double shear which is nice.  Anyone tried these?

[Duodenum]

Ruff Stuff for sure! I plan on getting my mounts and brackets from them. Great reputation as well.

[1985CRAWLER]

Do you have any issues with them catching on anything or taking extra damage?  To me mounting them on the back side of the axle housing seems like it would put them out of harms way for most things.  I also currently have 12 inch shocks to go in the rear so the extra room is a big plus.

yep you got it right, yea in the front of the axle mine have taken a beating and the bolt and nut is kinda hard to get off. i would prefer them behind the axlehebut im not about to move the shock hoop back farther as its fully welded in. u got the right idea with your setup. go with it!

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Got a few things in the mail over the weekend

New bump stops for the front axle.



And finally got the new 5.29 Zip locker equipped 3rd for the rear from Dave's as well

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Also, got the bump stops burned onto the flip kit, painted it and finally bolted up the front housing for the first time

Need to protect your balls?  Try Crown Royal!



Hoping that by the end of next week I can find time to finish up the front axle and then she might have four wheels on her for the first time a while.

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

I have started to think about what type of wheels and tires I plan on getting for the truck and wanted to ask for some opinions. 

I'm currently leaning towards running 35" MT/Rs on 17*9" rims with 3.5" backspacing. 

I've read that people like running 33"-37" wheels with the 5.29 gear ratio and I am stuck between the 35's or 37's.  Also, I'm still on the fence about what backspacing I want to go with.  What do most people here run with a similar setup?

I also have the FROR Tacoma front brake kit which is why I'm leaning towards the 17" rims so that there are not clearance issues.

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Its a hard to find much garage time with a 16 month old and another on the way but I did manage to get a little work done on the front axle this weekend.

Got the passenger side knuckle and hi steer setup installed and the RCV axle greased up and put in place.

I reused the old shims on the bottom of the knuckle and the top knuckle measured out at 14 lbs on the fish scale.

I dumped about a tube of moly grease in the knuckle but plan to add about 1/2-1 tube more once its all sealed up.



I then got the spindle and FROR tacoma brake mount installed.



I ran into a small issue in that I wasn't sure if I should use the backing spacer or not (installed in the pic).  I call and emailed FROR but no answer yet.  Looking online it appears that I need to use it however, there doesn't seem to be a lot of thread engagement with the bolts from FROR into the knuckle with the spacer (~5-6 threads maybe a few more once tightened down).

Anyone installed the kit before and did you use the spacer?

If I need to run with the spacer I might look into getting some slightly longer bolts.

[MRHilux87]

I just ordered those side axle shock mounts from ruffstuff yesterday.  I lowered my rear and my shocks were bottoming out.  Perfect solution.  Everyone worries about hitting them on rocks.  I usually don't hammer down in reverse while in a rock garden, but if I do Its not hard to take the shock off and still get home.  No big deal really. 

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

I just ordered those side axle shock mounts from ruffstuff yesterday.  I lowered my rear and my shocks were bottoming out.  Perfect solution.  Everyone worries about hitting them on rocks.  I usually don't hammer down in reverse while in a rock garden, but if I do Its not hard to take the shock off and still get home.  No big deal really. 

I ordered them as well and got them in the mail a few days ago.  They are pretty beefy and I'm looking forward to getting them installed. 

Also, I talked with FROR and you do not use the backing plate with the Tacoma brake kit if anyone else is wondering.  Brian also told me that your can use the outer seal buy cutting the "lip" off and flipping it around if you want to retain the outer seal.

[1985CRAWLER]

this is such a clean build! wheres cant wait to see the cab and bed dropped back on it all

oh and why 35s on 17s? why not 35" mtrs on 15? or 37s on 17s?

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

this is such a clean build! wheres cant wait to see the cab and bed dropped back on it all

oh and why 35s on 17s? why not 35" mtrs on 15? or 37s on 17s?

My thinking was running 17's since there seems to be occasional clearance issues with the FROR kit and Tacoma calipers on 15" wheels and I can avoid that with the 17s.  I'm now leaning towards the 37's over the 35's and my current thinking is 37" MTRs or similar on 17" wheels. 

I still have time to decide which route I want to go.

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Did some more research on tires today and I think I would like to run 37"*12.5" tires on a 15"*8" rim but not sure if there will be clearance issues with the Tacoma brake calipers.  I have some other 15" rims from before the build so once the front axle is together I can check to see how much space there is with the new calipers.

Other issues seem to be a lack of 37" tires for 15" rims but a lot of options for 17" rims...

[daniresch]

Other issues seem to be a lack of 37" tires for 15" rims but a lot of options for 17" rims...

because of this i would go with 17". if your looking for a mud tire that is also friendly on the street(BFG KM2, Goodyear MTR, copper STT) you have to run 17" wheels if you want a tire bigger than 35". Otherwise your stuck with interco(swampers, iroks) or pitbull(rocker, maddog).

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

My daughter is the main reason this is a slow build but at least she is already reading up on important material. 

She will be rebuilding engines before she learns to drive at this rate

[twistedtoy92]

Thats what I like to see, start em YOUNG!!!

[81 shortbed]

Won't be long " ugh, dad your doing it wrong. Get out the way and try to hold the light steady for me"

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Got a little more done the other day...

Driver side RCV went in easier than the passenger side.


Finally got the spindles bolted up on both sides.  I was able to rotate the new front diff and both axles turned 360 degrees without issue.


Packed new wheel bearings and installed the drivers side hub with new TG Chromo spindle nuts and FROR ARP hub studs.

I set the wheel bearing preload using the 4Crawler method of torquing down the nut and rotating left and right then loosing then nut and repeating a few times.  Then finally torquing down to ~20 ft lbs.  Used the pull scale and got a reading of ~7 lbs and called it good.


Installed my old IFS hub with original Longfield chromo conversion hub gear and installed the c-clip.


Should have the drivers side all bolted up later today and then hope to have the passenger side finished soon.

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Well hit a minor snag today.  I had the hubs turned down about a year ago to fit a cheap Tacoma rotor and the got them to fit nice and tight.  You could slip them on and off by hand before the hub was painted but you needed a rubber mallet after they were painted.  I recently got a higher quality pair of rotors to install on the truck and found out that the hubs need about 1mm more removed to get the new rotors to fit.  So it looks like I will have to take the hub back off and wait until after the holidays to get it turned down a bit more before I can finish up with the front axle.   

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Well things have been going slowly the past few weeks as I'm still waiting to get the hubs back but it looks like I should have them by the end of the week . 

While I've been waiting on the hubs I did manage to paint up the Tacoma front brakes and install new Hawks pads in them.



I've also made progress on cutting up the rusted out 85 parts truck.  I'm hoping to have the rest of the cab off soon so I can pull off the transmission, tcase and engine.  Then I should regain some much needed space in the garage. 

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Finally got the cab off the parts truck and should have it all torn down before long.  Here is a shot of the top shift t-case that will be used when I build the duals.



Also, got a set of DOM rock sliders from 4x innovations over the weekend.

[suprawheeler]

NICE BUILD UP!

[timmaytoyota]

I had clearance problems with my 15's when I did the fror brake kit on front of mine. I would get 17's most manufactures don't make that many sizes in 15's anymore. Unless you stick with 35's or get swampers

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

I had clearance problems with my 15's when I did the fror brake kit on front of mine. I would get 17's most manufactures don't make that many sizes in 15's anymore. Unless you stick with 35's or get swampers

Thanks timmaytoyota I've pretty much decided on 17's at this point while I would prefer 15's the lack of tire options and the possible clearance issues with the FROR kit have caused me to lean towards the 17's.

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Good news I finally got my hubs back yesterday and I'm hoping to make some decent progress over the next week or so. 

On another note I wanted to ask peoples opinion on a bent axle housing I have.  I originally got the housing for cheap off ebay about 5 years ago and had a local shop weld on the gussets and armor (This was before I started welding myself).  Well the main reason I got the parts truck was for a new axle housing as the shop managed to bend the drivers side knuckle ball enough that it was impossible to get the RCV axle shafts installed.  I've read some threads about people being able to straighten the housing when bent like this but I don't have the means or the knowledge to do it right.  So, is it worth trying to sell off cheaply or just throw it in the pile of metal to haul to the recyclers?  I hate to throw it out if it can be fixed correctly but I also don't want a usless (to me) axle taking up room in my garage.

Here is a pic of the housing and the bent knuckle ball.  The other side is straight and has no issues.

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Got the front end all finished up this weekend



Close up of the drivers side with rotors and calipers installed.



And finally on all fours again.  I did have to pick up some cheap 1/4" wheel spacers so the Tacoma calipers would clear my old 15" rims.  I plan to ditch them later on after I get some 17" rims and new rubber.

[Toy_Yoda [OP]]

Got a decent amount of work done over the week end.  Was able to finally remove the engine and tranny from the parts truck and clean out the garage. 

Placed the 85' engine on my frame to add some weight and check suspension.



Shot of the front shackle angle with the engine weight.



I still need to add the cab to get a good idea of what the final shackle angle will look like but I'm thinking I will need to move the front hanger back a bit as the angle is still slightly forward without the cab. 

Also, never noticed this before but I'm assuming that the rear drive shaft is slightly angled (left to right) and not a straight shot from the rear diff to the transfer case?  This makes sense giving the offset of the diff itself plus I checked my Tundra's driveshaft and it appears to be slightly angled.  I couldn't find any good pics of the rear driveshaft online but the ones I found appear to be angled slightly.

Here is a pic of what I'm talking about I'm thinking its correct just wanted to double check here as it was something I never really noticed before while taking things apart.



Diff flange is slightly to the right of the transfer case flange