Long Travel Taco Build MRK 2

you sell brackets for the 4 link setup?

 

Here's the link to the front build before I left and went to work for another shop

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ballistic-fabs-prototype-long-travel-kit.287066/

I'm going to make some tweaks for him this week and build some new lower arms. I thinking I'm going to stick with a Mid-travel on my truck but I will build custom upper and lower Arms with spherical bearings and get rid of the bushings. Other than the ride, I have no complaints for what I do right now and I think most of that can be fixed with a taller tower and better coilover/shock package.

 

and I need a place to mount a spare tire, rear light bar, and the cooler so I am going to add a bit more tube to the bed, but of course, I'm not going to cutter the shit out of it.

Just a roughed in version for now. No mounts designed yet.

 

No fancy work on the front just yet, but the roughed in shape is there as well. Probably finish up the CAD work on this one tomorrow and assemble a new set of lowers this weekend.

 

This is sick. Sub'd!

 

Mid travel front and 4 link rear...seems almost a waste.

 

its for crawling.

But, why build your own lowers and all that jazz and not just go long travel? make it 3.5 inches wider so you can use tundra cvs...

 

All valid points. The front and rear width right now are pretty ideal for the trails I hang out on here in the southwest. An added 7" of width in the front is going to make this thing a monster for very little gain in crawling performance. And.....if I'd never built a front long travel setup, then I'd be all over it, but I've been there and done that and have to build another one still for further testing but I have a test mule who will drive it harder than I ever would anyways so I am entertaining new ideas. I want to be able to run 37"s and a crawl box (or Atlas) one day and the only way to do that is going to be with a different front end, and possibly a rear as well, but that's easy. The truck is horribly under powered with the N/A 3.4 right now and I've got a buddy with an AL LS400 V-8. If I swap that in and make a custom oil pan, I can potentially build my 9" front IFS setup and move the inner arm mounts 3.5" towards the center of the truck, and get my long travel numbers that way. Pair that with a custom spindle and some 930 CV's or something of that like and a hydraulic rack, then now I've got a front end worth bragging about and the motor to back it up. Thoughts?

 

i hope you got about 30k to spend on that setup plus 1000s of hours of time.

the cvs, 9 inch diff, and steering would set you back about 20k if i remember correctly.


way to much money, unless you have alot of it...

 

Other than the rack, why is the cost so high? Remember 90% of this I'll be manufacturing.......

 

the 9 inch center mounted IFS housing is BUCKS

then getting custom CV shafts with custom high angle CV joints.

id be willing to bet you would be in 20k just in parts for the rack, custom CVs, and the currie 9 inch housing.

i did some reseacrch on it years ago because it was the route i wanted to go, but the price just pushed me far far away.

 

Why would I get a 9" housing from Currie or have to have someone machine me shafts? The rack is the only thing I wouldn't build.

 

You said you were going to build a 9 inch front diff setup? Currie is like the only one available, so i assumed..


If you stick with stock, (8 inch i believe) you will blow diffs ALL THE TIME. Several members on here have that problem.
A member in Arizona has blown 4 front diffs already with long travel and 4x. He drives like a jackass though.

All that work to have a stock tacoma clamshell in the front would be worthless IMO.... Breaks way too easily.


Also regarding custom CVs. The stock CV joints will likely not net you the travel you are wanting. They limit at about 14 inches of travel.

 

Stock 930 CV's limit you to 14? and I wouldn't do this with a stock front clamshell. I'd build a 9" IFS center section (like I would fabricate each piece, other than the carrier, bearings, and gears).

 

Stock tacoma/ tundra axles limit it to about 14. I am unsure of the 930s.

I said that because I thought you were going to use the stock clamshell now....

If you have the skills to build your own center section, and your own CVs, then go for it man!
99.99999% of the people out there dont have the skills to make their own front diff.........

EDIT: I didn't realize you said you were going to use 930s from the beginning, my bad.

 

O.k. Now you're on the same page. The IFS center is pretty straight forward. I'd rather build one of those than do the motor swap and figure out how mate that to the Tranny.

 

i have dreamed of doing a setup for the front like that on mine. I just don't have the tools to fab all the parts id need.

But doing a center front mount would be awesome.

However id strongly suggest not doing a V8 if you want to move the CV inner mounts in. Because as im sure you are aware, you would also have to move the mounting points for the LCAs and UCAs to take advantage of the longer CVs..duh. Well..a V8, especially the 1/3uzfe which ever one that is. Pretty much the same just a head difference and .3L displacement difference. But it is WIDE. the headers alone would cause a lot of issues with moving in the LCAs UCAs. i have looked at a lot of 1uz swaps and was considering if for a long time. But the headers are a major filament issue.


instead...since you're building my dream truck anyways..

id strongly suggest a 2jzgte. It being a straight 6, its narrower and would allow the cent front differ and LCA/UCA stuff much easier. It makes great power easily and is bulletproof. Just doing an upgrade on the stock twins, upping the boost a bit, few other small things and you'll be in the 350hp range easily with a nice power band. On top of that. The 2jzgte literally bolts to the r150 manual tranny and transfer case that you already have. No adapter plates like the 1/2/3uzfe.

That is what i want to do. Again..just don't have the shop you do. And honestly the money either

food for thought.

 

mmmmm 2UZ Looks fun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HxtTgpm0V8&feature=youtu.be

 

No way. thats a super tall motor and wide. You'd have HELL trying to get a center diff under that thing.

 

Yeah it is for sure. I've just become disillusioned with the 3.4 S/C after watching it run next to the 2.7 turbo, but I did make some phone calls this morning to a few people and it seems with enough boost and some other mods they run pretty good and the white truck pictured before is a pretty bare bones S/C motor. It would certainly make my life easier than trying to shoe horn something else in there if I can get the power I want.