Steve's '94 Toyota x-cab mild build

[sixstringsteve]

I don't want a totally vertical shackle, I but I want it closer to vertical than it is now.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I was thinking to try the 4th leaf in there and see what it did first. Its a whole lot easier to build a pack than cut the shackles off and grind again and then move it back. And if the 4th leaf doesn't feel so good then go back to 3 and move it back. But its not my truck and just a thought.

That's what I'm leaning towards. Itll be at least a week till I worry about the rear springs.

 

[LT.]

Sixstringsteve, I think you are a far piece farther than you give yourself credit for. There is a ton of work done now that the IFS is off. You now have a blank canvas for the rest of the work you want to do. I think it will come together faster than you think it will. Great job and keep up the great work!

LT.

 

[sixstringsteve]

thanks LT. If I had the frame ground down, then I wouldn't feel so far behind. It is a big milestone to have that IFS off though.

 

[lewis]

You can still make it. Just need to get it done. Not sure what brand grinder blades your using but the harbor freight ones take more material off faster than any other. I could have that frame ground down in less than an hour. Step up, get it done. HITR is calling you.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Do you really think I can finish it in 11 days? I think that if I had help from a few people, then I could get it done in time, but I don't think I can do it by myself by then.

Lewis, I'll pay ya $100 to grind my frame down

I've been using the dewalt heavy duty blades on my grinder. THey cut fast and last a long time. What sucks so bad are the brackets that go all the way around the frame. They're hard to reach in a few spots.

I've been using rick's plasma cutter, but I'm not very good at it. I don't know if I should cut the entire bracket off in one fell swoop, or if I should cut 'em off in pieces.

I'll probably use a combination of grinder, sawzall, and plasma tomorrow night. The sawzall is really slow, but it cuts nice straight lines along the side of the frame, which will be nice.

 

[864runner]

If I have time on saturday after I pick up my new truck I will swing over to help

 

[lewis]

I have some dewalt blades and only use them for stuff that I need to grind slightly and yes they do last a long time but they are like using 220 grit sandpaper. The HF ones are like using 80 grit comparatively.


You should at least have the sas swap done in 11 days which is all you really need. I could come give you a hand as soon as I am done with the projects that I got going on.

 

[Coco]

if lewis comes down, i hope he brings his taco....then I will have to swing by

 

[Marsh99]

yeah how bad would it be if you just made a temporary square line for the front and rear stock will still work, and stuck with a single case for the trip. Just get your suspension done, and your 3rds setup and do the t-case stuff when you get back. Just my 2 cents

 

[sixstringsteve]

I have some dewalt blades and only use them for stuff that I need to grind slightly and yes they do last a long time but they are like using 220 grit sandpaper. The HF ones are like using 80 grit comparatively.

Good to know about the HF ones, I'll have to try 'em.

I could come give you a hand as soon as I am done with the projects that I got going on.

You've got enough stuff going on, you don't need to worry about my project. I appreciate the offer though.

I will need some sort of gearing. I'll be running 35s with 4.10s and a stock t-case, that's a bad combo for moab. So I'd like to get the duals done before then too. Realistcally, I think the duals will take 2 days or so. I think I'm going to take this Friday off again so I can work on the truck and knock the sas out.

 

[Marsh99]

Good to know about the HF ones, I'll have to try 'em.




You've got enough stuff going on, you don't need to worry about my project. I appreciate the offer though.

I will need some sort of gearing. I'll be running 35s with 4.10s and a stock t-case, that's a bad combo for moab. So I'd like to get the duals done before then too. Realistcally, I think the duals will take 2 days or so. I think I'm going to take this Friday off again so I can work on the truck and knock the sas out.

What gears are you going to run in your 3rds?

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm debating between 4.88s and 5.29s. If I ever swap in a 3.4 or even a 2.7L, the I'm going to want 4.88s. If I never swap motors, I'll probably want 5.29s. I won't have time to regear before hole in the rock, so I'll just run 4.10s 'till then.

I'm still looking for:
stock 4.10 third
HP elocker third

 

[sixstringsteve]

REALLY good news (yes, it's an emotional roller-coaster with my builds). I guess I had the PSI too low on the plasma. I turned it up to 105, and it's working a LOT better (90-120 recommended PSI.)

I cut off all the brackets on the driver's side in less than 30 min. I still have to grind it flush, but that's great news. I'll definitely have the frame clean tonight.

Thank you for lending me your plasma rick, you are the man. That's an incredible tool, and I'm going to have to save up for one soon (not that I'll ever have another vehicle in the future, I just think it's a handy tool )

 

[Wasatch Quad]

(not that I'll ever have another vehicle in the future, )

Haahhaahahahah
6 months

 

[jinxspot]

Ripping the IFS out and making it look clean is a ton of prep work give yourself some credit man! Making it that far is gonna make the rest feel easy. Now for some upper shock mounts and front spring hangers and bam your there... Shoot, you have an IFS steering box already on there so that's a plus!


You should have plenty of time to finish... just keep at it. Sounds like you planned things out well enough to meet your milestone! I know I've stayed awake just about three days so I could make a big weekend run with my crew!

-----------------------------

I agree about re-gearing, I would say it's a "must have" with 35's, then weld up the stock rear 3rd for now!

So are you set on the doubler or why not just regear the original tcase and put it back up. The gears are real cheap and I think better than just a doubler when you look at the the price of re-tubing your driveshafts? If you have ever done a set in a sammy or a yota you will be way ahead of the curve. If not, definitely let someone help ya, grinding out the inside of the case (4.7/1) can be daunting the 1st time around and them damn shifter balls keep flying everywhere...lol. The doubler is pretty easy to do, make sure you get the spline count of the original case and make sure it's not fwd shift! I don't think it should be a problem getting the regearing done as well (you could actually be doing both the projects in parallel), if you need help dropping the crossmember or the gears let me know.... an extra hand will save a bunch of time dropping that stuff and lifting it back in either route you go!

(Im sure I don't have to say this, but make sure you follow up on your back ordered parts... nothing worse that waiting on an arbitrary bracket for 3 extra dayz and freaking out about it)

 

[sixstringsteve]

Thanks ryan, your motivation goes a long way.

Yeah, I've done the 4.7s several times before, but if you're ever bored one of these nights, feel free to swing by and lend a hand. Thursday night and all of Friday will be big days for me.

I'm sick of grinding tonight, and I can barely move my arms, so I'm going to get to work on the springs, perches, and 4.7 install for the rest of the night.

Regarding the backordered parts, I'm trying to follow up but I'm not getting any communication. I'm waiting on some tacoma brake adapters from FROR. THey have killer products, but they never answer the phone, and they haven't answered email for a week, and I ordered 2 weeks ago. I'm going to be upset if my truck is done except for the brakes, and that stupid bracket keeps me from making my trip. I'll keep my fingers crossed and keep trying to get through.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Well, I'm really happy with how much I got done today. There's a slight chance it may still be ready for HITR on the 7th.

As I said before, I figured out how to use the plasma better, and it works wonders. I love it.

I got the majority of the brackets off in less than an hour

Then I spent the next hour or so grinding down the outside and underside of the frame rails. I still need to do the inner frame rails tomorrow, and figure out how I want to cut the motor mounts.

I also cut my leaves for my front leaf pack. My garage is too messy to take a pic, so I didn't. This setup worked so well on the '81 that I decided to run it again.

Here's the specs on the front pack, from top to bottom:

anti-wrap - '94 main
Main leaf - '88 main
2nd leaf - '88 mil wrap (2nd)
3rd leaf - 88 3rd
4th leaf - '94 mil wrap - cut 3.5" shorter than above leaf in front, and 4" shorter in rear
5th leaf - '94 3rd - cut 3.5" shorter than above leaf in front, and 4" shorter in rear

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm thinking of frenching the front hanger about an inch and shortening the front shackle 1-1.5". It's a 5.5" shackle. I'm not sure if i want 4" or 4.5".

Any thoughts? is a 4" shackle going to be too short? James, are you out there? What do you think? I remember on my '81 you recommended a short shackle like Goose to help with climbing.

I'm a bit worried that if I french the hanger and shorten the shackle then I'm going to have major clearance problems with the pitman arm to frame, and the drag link/tie rod clearance to frame. I'd prefer not to have to knotch the frame, but I do want to keep it low.

 

[Rot Box]

LOL I finally wrapped my head around your awesome Sidekick build then a few days later you're halfway through a Toyota SAS I can't keep up!

Should turn out really nice I'm running the shortest shackle I could (4-4.5 if I remember right) with settled 3" springs on my 79 and its still a bit too tall for my taste but you can only go so low without major frame work :-\