Lambo's Daily Driver --> Trail Hunter Build (dbc trd) - Now I need a new daily...

Hmm... I like the idea of not cutting things. I’ll definitely look into relocation plates.

 

I'm not opposed to axle relocation plates, but doesn't moving the axle rearward extended the already extended driveshaft?

 

I don't have Dakars, and my axle is fairly centered front to back. I've been running it like that for 5 years without an issue. I doubt it makes enough difference to matter. I think there's enough movement in the slip joint.

 

That was one of the things that I was going to look into. I was thinking it's probably not going to be an issue. One of the other things I'm considering is that I have zero driveline vibrations right now... idk how much I want to mess with that because it's quite nice.

 

So you have plates or no?

I never really thought of it before, but it popped into my head. I also have no idea how long the slip joint is. But common physics says the more you extended, the less droop and probably more wobble/vibrations you will get. But that's also truck specific.

My opinion is Works for most things on these trucks. The more you cut the more travel you will get. Even if you center the axle, the bigger tire will still rub on something. I also have 285s, and have had to trim the shit out of everything. As well as take a BFH to everything else.

 

No axle plates, but like I said, I don't have Dakar's, so my axle is in about the same place as Dakar's with them. We could measure wheelbase if we really wanted to compare.

No way would the slip joint limit droop. First it's got no end, so it just pulls apart. Second, the axle moves forward when drooped based on how the leafs and shackles work. FWIW LT guys usually have to shorten their drivesahft to prevent it bottoming out.

 

I see. I guess I'm just looking at it from the perspective that if the axle droops like this ) that if the axle get moved rearward, the slip joint would extend.

As for the LT guys, I do see how at some point, the axle will droop enough/ come forward to cause a problem. But we don't have nearly that travel.

Out of curiosity, do LT setups generally use axle relocation plates?

 

Axle location is based on the center pin in the leaf springs. Seems all other stock replacement leafs do a good job of centering the axle. Dakar's are the only pack I've seen that are clearly off center. Keep in mind were only talking 3/4" or so.

I've not heard of anyone else running those plates except maybe in odd applications.

 

so with the relocation plates your only putting it back to stock location, hence not messing with the driveshaft. the plates just make it equal to the other leaf packs

 

yep. I have Dakars and before I added the axel relocation plates, I had the same rubbing issues. The plates have a 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch setting. I went with the 3/4 inch setting and totally fixed the issue. You can clearly see that the wheel is now centered. No vibrations either. So like Tacofire98 says, the plates put the axel back to stock location.

 

Got my spare mounted today. I was getting anxiety about being on the trail without a proper sized spare. But, boy do these tires look rad on a steelie... especially when the wheel is covered in Moab dirt haha! I hope I can modify the OEM spare tire location to fit these tires... I haven't actually researched if it will work.

 

Nice truck op! Just browsed through the whole thread. Check out White Rim Trail next time you're in Moab. A little over 100 miles of dirt through Utah. It's beautiful.

I highly recommend the tundra brake upgrade. My 3rd gen 4Runner weighs probably 5300 pounds on normal days with me in it and at least 6000 pounds when I'm loaded down with gear and passengers. The brakes still inspire confidence that I didn't have with the stock brakes and no extra weight.

Also for the flares, if you haven't painted them yet, don't. Instead use a heat gun to bring the color back. I've done this on a few plastic pieces and it works really well and is more durable than paint that peels/flakes off.

 

White Rim Trail is definitely on my short list of things to do ASAP (hopefully next year). I was supposed to do Kokopelli Trail out to Moab with a couple friends a few months ago but that didn't end up happening, unfortunately.

I am really looking forward to the brake upgrade. I just need to start pricing out parts in order to do it right.

How long has the heat gun treatment lasted? Did you do anything (wax, etc.) to make it last longer? I had read about the heat gun method but I was worried about it just fading back to how it is now.

 

The Kokopelli is one I'd like to do next time too.

The most cost effective route for the brakes for me was Napa calipers, brembo rotors, and akebono pads. I've had them 70k miles or so now and no issues at all.

The heat gun seemed to last just fine. It's not like that black restorer stuff they sell at AutoZone that washes off. It actually brings the color back out of the plastic. I didn't really believe it when I did it the first time, but I was amazed. You just have to go slow and work it back and forth across the piece so you don't melt one spot. I didn't wax it or do anything special to it.

 

Hmm... I'll give the heat gun a shot this weekend. I was actually dreading painting them. I just hate painting things in general because I want it to be perfect but I'm too impatient to properly prep things haha!

 

Well, I gave the heat gun a shot today. It worked way better than I was expecting. I only got around to doing the fronts but, I'll take care of the rears tomorrow. I still need to work on the technique. The black isn't quite uniform on the ones I finished today, so I'll go back over them tomorrow. I also replaced all the clips with OEM replacements and I got some OEM replacement gaskets since I was missing all but one of them. It looks a hell of a lot cleaner. I also plan on hitting them with wax in order to maintain the finish. However, they don't really need to be perfect... This is a trail truck. But, it is nice not having super faded flares.

A little comparison of before and after heat gun treatment.



Here's the front left finished. This one went better than the right side. I need to go over the right again and get rid of some of the inconsistency. However, the new hardware and gaskets looks rad. I'm super happy with it.



And... here's the rear left that hasn't been touched... eww...



Also, I test fitted a soft topper... I think I need to get one...

It wasn't fully mounted, that's why it doesn't look like it fits well up front. We just plopped it on there without securing it or anything.

 

Looking good, I like where you're going with your truck!

 

Glad the heat gun worked out! Looks good!

 

Yeah it worked great! I finished up the rears today and went out to grab some pictures.

DSC_6806 by Phillip Keefe, on Flickr

DSC_6813 by Phillip Keefe, on Flickr

DSC_6818 by Phillip Keefe, on Flickr

 

You did good choosing the 285s. love the meaty look of them on your 1st gen.