Box Rocket - 2003 TRD Doublecab

Oh man, this place just all went to hell......Welcome to the forum Hendy.

 

Update with a pic of the Ultragauge "in use". This seems to be a great place for it. Much more visible at a glance and doesn't block anything on the cluster except for the OD light which doesn't really matter to me.

 

Hehehehe...What an awesome site, thanks for getting me connected. Been lurking a bit since I joined...Seen some incredibly cool builds in here as I had time to surf posts. Very inspired to get my rig going.

For those here reading...Adam & I are Friends and co-workers, known each other for close to decade or more (yikes). I have always admired his passion for Off-Roading, I have the same Off-Road passion with regards to two-wheels (motocross), but more and more I am drawn to 4-Wheeling. I have watched the evolution of his Gold Taco, damn awesome and inspiring. Can't wait to see what's next.

 

Welcome to TW! Now show us your taco...

Edit:
Well this is embarrassing, I was on tapa talk... And could not see your sig pic. Whoops. Looks good, way to represent the 2nd gen.

 

Safari LTD steering rack showed up today. This is NEW not a reman. The unit looks good at first glance. Plan is to get it installed on Saturday and then I can gather info on how it's working in use.

 

There ya go!

 

im also interested in that^ first rack ive heard of being "beefier" for our trucks

 

Getting ready to have a crossmember welded in very similar to this, looks like your shocks are spaced differently from the center, any reason for that? Also did you put any angle on the shock mounts at all or are they straight up and down? ( I know the shocks angle to the back) Now that you have had this setup for awhile would you change anything? Thanks!

 

Spacing from center was determined by other brackets on the axle. I spaced them as evenly as possible from center but there is stuff I had to work around so they aren't exact, but close.


The shocked are tilted to the rear. That angle will be determined by the location of your crossmember as well as what angle allows you to use the full stroke of the shock without it bottoming out in either direction.

 

And even if they were evenly spaced, you'd still wouldn't have perfect consistency due to weight imbalance. Taco lean!

 

Exactly which is why I didn't care if they were perfect.

 

Thanks, that's what I assumed.

 

Hey. Nice truck and build. Very jealous lol. I wanted to know the name of the cargo boxes u have or where you got them?

 

They are just surplus rocket boxes. Check out your local military surplus places and see if you can find something similar.

 

Thanks. Never thought about that haha. Just thought thise boxes looked bad ass. Do you kniw the dimesnions of them off hand? I like that size

 

Well after a bit of research i figured out they are military mk rocket containers. =)

 

eh....didn't I say they were "rocket boxes"? Good job on the research though.

 

So I was supposed to replace my steering rack yesterday, but that sounded like work. So I changed my mind and loaded up the family and went wheeling instead. There's a short local trail that's about an hour from my home. The Utah guys will recognize the pics. This is the Rattlesnake trail in Utah's west desert. It's a great little trail because it's close, not too long, and it's possible to take a stock rig through it or take some optional lines that are a good challenge. Makes it perfect for newbie's or for testing out new mods.

Yesterday was a chance for my 13 year old son Bjornn to get some time behind the wheel. He drove the entire trail and tackled a couple of the optional lines. This was his first time driving a trail. He's driven one obstacle before on our big overland trip last summer so this was definitely the longest he's been in the driver seat. As a dad I gotta say it's pretty cool to watch your kids grow and enjoy the same stuff you do.

Here's some pics.

We dropped in at the top of the trail by the mine tailings




getting a little flex


first part of the rock garden










While he was playing in the rocks it game my wife a chance to take the twins on a little hike.


It was a fun little trip and better than changing out a steering rack. I also allowed me to finally pin down a clunking noise I've been getting from my suspension. Turns out the eye bushings on the frame end of both of my rear springs are completely shot. So I get to replace those this week too.

 

Looks like a fun trip! Great pics as always.

 

Also I used the GoPro to check out the suspension while I was searching for my mystery noise. Here's a few raw clips of the suspension for anyone who cares.

Front suspension
http://youtu.be/XQ6da2_8W2Q

Rear suspension. Don't mind the squeaky shackle bushings. Winter has been doing a number on those things.. Time for some grease. This clip is through a few of the rocks.
http://youtu.be/qjPmK6LkLTI

Rear suspension part 2. This is just a dirt road section at a little higher speed.
http://youtu.be/1Dvea1ejZv4