What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

This ^^ I have stock UCA's.

 

I'm a Sparco man myself, always been able to dial then into my weird spine haha. Haven't tried getting then for the Taco yet tho.

Also, my project pile is on the alignment rack, hoping they get it close.

 

Those are for drop bracket lifts, right?

Also I forgot I added these to my window deflectors today to hopefully get rid of the annoying whistle I get when the window is cracked.

 

Much much much much worse. That abomination should have never been allowed to exist

 

Had to bit the bullet and Install a new steering rack and of course the steering rack high pressure hose was seized on from the winter
Magnesium chloride from 20 years of driving . So another 350.00 for hoses, well after 538,000 guess I can't complain.

 

That hose was seized for me too, but was easy enough to work and loosen with oil, pliers and a wrench. Just in case you want to save yours.

 

That looks pretty darn close.

At the top where the strut mounts is a rubberized bushing/mount thingie that keeps ripping out. Doesn't seem to matter what side either. Thinking about going back to a UCA setup or having a buddy make a mount using 3/8 steel plate with a uniball welded to it.

POS is what it is.

Edit: Do you know the mfg of the setup?

 

whatever this thing is, it looks dangerous

 

It is very dangerous, uses a VW MacPherson strut in place of your UCA and loads it laterally without a top brace like the VW had.

 

That strut / UCA looks real whacky.

Started cutting up a skid plate. It’s only 10 gauge, but it’s what my broke *** has laying around, so I’ll try it. Gonna brace it w some angle and hope for the best.

If anything, it’ll be a nice practice piece and I’ll replace it next year when I buy 3/16” plate for a front and rear bumper build.

 

The high pressure hose on the rack side,
No way in hell, would it come loose even with a large ridged pipe wrench, tore it up trying

 

Bunmer just took a long 17mm and hit it with a hammer and it started to turn, then used WD40 to get the threaded portion to turn separate of the pipe.

 

There's a guy around here that has a it in his 4 door. Weird cause the same guy has a couple SAS'd pick ups that he's done... I figured he got it used and had plans for it.


I think he mighta sold it.

 

Okay then, looks like I'll have some work to do while he's TDY. Got some stock UCA's with new UBJ's and bushings from @DukesTaco yesterday, so that's a start. Thks Duke!

It's really too bad that this setup was even put on this truck. When he bought it last year the guy had just replaced the steering rack, front axles/CV's, carrier bearing, all fluids, headlights, and a host of other things.

Has 2.5 Icons, Bilstein's in the rear, Tundra brakes, Dakars (with 3" blocks ), bumpers, skids, compressor setup, etc already done, so that's a plus.

So, what am I looking at, work wise, to rip out the drop bracket and associated nonsense?

 

Oh god trail master...

 

Well drop brackets unfortunately cut out part of your frame in the process so you can lower the differential. So to get rid of this demon spawn of poorly engineered dumb fuckery you'll need to source or make a new crossmember where the original goes. Otherwise you have nothing to add rigidity or pose as a differential mount.

 

At least you knew what it was I had no idea I just told him no ripped all that s*** out and go back to stock

 

Were there actual cuts to the frame or was the original crossmember just removed?

Thanks bassman.

Well, instead of dorking up this thread with all my questions I'll go ahead and start a new thread regarding the endeavor.

Thanks for the help so far.

 

I'd suggest you post a pic, but the front of the truck has no bolt in frame crossmember so it was likely cut, but they might have left you some to work with if you're lucky.

 

They stared using magnesium chloride here in Colorado 5 years ago or so and it's a regular problem for tire alignments and any under carriage bolts or nuts are now getting all seized up because of this,
Two years ago I needed an alignment and they had to use a gas torch to cut the ball joints off because the Alignment threads were both seized.