Loudpedal's build

This will eventually be a build thread but right now it's going to be an introduction of my Tacoma. While I may achieve neither the reply count of jdmcq's thread nor the dollar value of mjp2's, it's a start.


Getting ready for a bath.






Washed up




High speed air dry down I-40


Before cleaning wheels and tires.


After


Stuff I used. Waited to take a pic just incase it was crap. It actually worked very well by the directions. The little brush from AutoZone was very usefull and definitely worth the couple of bucks. Directions for the Eagle 1 said to dry after cleaning. I used and old but clean cloth diaper and dried the wheel then wiped down the tire. We have a ton of them and they were pretty cheap form walmart or babies r us. they're great for cleaning about any part of the car. I used another one to do the windows. No streaks.



Another view. I'm debating on using the tire cleaner on the flares and bumper. I'm going to wait and see how the oversprayed areas on the flares look in a week.



Did the wifes truck, too. She deserves a clean ride. That brush helped a lot on those painted alloys with all the bumps and grooves.


Good night, trucks

 

best build I've seen in a longtime

 

Yeah, I know. Gotta start some where.

 

Exactly. I think you have a great foundation!

 

Badazzzzz... Nice ride

 

I dream to someday build mine to your level.

 

nice truck man. +1

 

I especially loved this

 

Sweet build Blair!

 

epic!

 

Thanks!

I now actually have some parts on order, so soon there may be actual knuckle busting in here.

Parts: Alcan 5 leaf pack, OME 881 springs, rear 5100s from Wheeler's; front 5100 from Down South.

 

So the planets aligned and not only do I have all of my parts and tools, I also have time. Now to put it together.

Parts in question:
from Wheeler's Off Road (Thanks, Dan!!)
Alcan 5-leaf pack (TW Group buy thanks scocar!!)
OME 881 front coils
Bilstein 5100 rear shocks

from Down South Motor Sports (Thanks, Sonny!)
Bilstein 5100 adjustable front shocks

Special tools required:
Torque wrench
Toyota FSM for torque values
15/16 socket to operate compressor
My wife went to NAPA and picked up the following for me:
External coil spring compressor
PB Blaster for pre-teardown soak
Taller jackstands - the 6 ton ones from NAPA are perfect

Standard tools required:
Safety glasses
gloves
socket set
Metric offset box-end wrenches (I found these useful in tight spots)
cheater bar
mallet
water
music


I started on the front end as this appeared to be more complicated. After chocking the rear, I lifted the truck and supported it with the jackstands. Pulled off the wheels and began unbolting stuff. First I disconnected the sway bar, and then the bolt that secures the brake line to the spindle. This gave me enough slack that the line was never stretched. Next came the three top nuts on the UCA, and then the bottom nut on the strut itself. I tried disconnecting the castellated spindle nut, but it was too difficult and then proved unnecessary.

Out came the spring/shock assembly,


and then I assembled the new one with the old top plate.

Working the spring compressor was time consuming, but I oiled the threads per the directions and that helped a lot. You can see one side of the tool at the top of this pic. This isn't my favorite style, but it was the heavy duty version that NAPA sells to pro shops.

Installation was the reverse. My wife had to help by pushing down on the hub while I worked the bottom bolt in. Leaving the three top nuts loose is helpful here.


The passenger side went much faster since I didn't waste time on the spindle nut. Also on this side I was the one pushing the hub while my wife worked the bottom nut into place.



Lunch break. Mmmm...sammich.

And now the rear. Supporting the axle on the jack, with my now too small jackstands under the axle tubes as a safety net, I removed the shocks, then the U-bolts. I unbolted both sides at the same time so that i could maneuver the axle easier. Then came the front spring eye followed by the shackle nuts. Between the FSM and Steve o 77's build I knew that you have to remove the nuts and then the inner shackle plate to get the spring off.



Installation was the reverse of removal.
Driver side:


Here is a rough comparison of the height before, front only, and after:







Some things I learned:
All-Thread type spring compressors are fine as long as you get a heavy duty one.
Disconnecting the sway bar is essential.
Disconnecting the spindle from the UCA is not.
The stock exhaust is in the way, so I cut it off to dump just behind the axle.

Some things I knew that proved true:
My wife is awesome help, whenever I need it.
PB Blaster is amazing.
When it's hot, stay hydrated
TacomaWorld is an outstanding resource for doing things right, and saving money!

 

Congratulations on a new truck!

Welcome to the spiral of financial death. Now all you need is UCA's, skid plates, sliders, bumpers, winch, oversized tires, super charger, on-board air, front and rear lockers, cb, gps, a hi-lift, and a brand spanking new pine tree air freshener.

 

Nice! Thanks for the pics!

 

Nice looking truck!!

 

thanks for the compliment dude. ur truck is awesome. the lift looks amazing on ur truck. nicely done. keep us posted on other mods.