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

Weird, it is on mine

 

Wait.... what? Deets please...

I am currently that setup and was soooo close to getting Deavers instead of Dakars/AAL but time was critical ( I was rushing to get ready for Death Valley with new RTT on the back and I was hitting bump stops without the RTT on ).

I am considering taking the AAL out...

 

That’s only temporary, the whole exhaust needs to be replaced. It split from being forced upwards thanks to the raised crossmember.

Ideally it will probably be side exit out the bed.

 

I used Corroseal over rust and top coated with Rust-Oleum gloss black. Sprayed Corroseal inside frame with 360 wand extension on undercoating gun then Fluid Film inside and out.

 

They do not hold up to the weight I have fully loaded. You can see in that picture that without the bed on the shocks are in a pretty good spot.

This was after the bed and co2 was back on:

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Still no tools in the tool box, no spare tire, and no jerry cans.

This was with my standard carrying load (all those mentioned above):

Untitled by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Fully loaded for a trip I am even worse. Basically almost on my bumps all the time.

 

OK that helps with visualizing it.
I am currently ok for the moment
There is a bit of a rake from the rear that, when empty, places more load on the front.
When loaded, the rake reduces but then is closer to the bumps.

 

I do have them on the sides as well.

 

I'm definitely squatting fully loaded.

You can see that here:

IMG_3953-2 by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Honestly haven't paid much attention to squat/rake though.

 

Wow those bumps are tall now haha Id box the stock...bump pads or whatever. They will fold flat.

 

Not a bad idea, happened on my old frame.

 

I'm running Dakars with ICON three leaf AAL and I like them a lot. I do have air bags as well, but I only use those when I am out getting a load of fire wood.

 

Yeah.. are you really utilizing all of the uptravel in the Dakar leaves if you extended the stock bumpstop that far? Why are your shocks almost all the way compressed at ride height? Couldn't you easily solve this with longer shackles to put your ride height at the right spot?

 

Thats just his choice and more limited likely by how he mounted the shocks. Not the leafs really.

Because the leafs don't hold the weight.

No exactly no

 

So you're saying that my leaves are junk (Dakar w/AAL)? This is with ~350 lb of camper + 50 lbs spare tire + 20 lbs tools in the bed.

 

...I don't know how useful this post will be, but it's not uncommon that people ask me some version of how I got comfortable going off into the great outdoors as much as I do. Sometimes it's about how I got started; sometimes it's about how I am able to do so many trips; other times it's about how I developed the ability to feel confident in dealing with anything that comes up on the trail.

So I wrote a thing. It seems good, or at least seems like me.

How I Got Started with Offroad Adventuring

​

 

Yeah bags are on my list as an interim solution.

Yes, I put a zip tie on my shock shaft last trip and the zip tie gets pushed right against the shock bump. I can MAYBE cut 1/2" from the bump stop, that's it.

Also extensive testing was done with a broken down pack (the way you are supposed to do this).

Shock relocation by Michael Halat, on Flickr
Shock relocation by Michael Halat, on Flickr

Bump height was based on the theory that super bumps will compress close to half it's height.

This.

Yours have rake still and mine still squat so

 

No. Im saying his leaf are.

If yours work then they work.

Leaf springs wear out. They need replaced every 1-4 years depending on how you offroad. Just the name of the game.

Im guessing if you loaded up with full camp gear you'd see some squat though?

 

I still need to get my bottom shock mounts welded on and then do the u-bolt flip.

 

True, and I do have 2 years of hard wheeling on these Dakars already too. That's why in the end a pack built to my weight specifications by Alcan or Deaver is my best option. And airbags can help me out for now and when I overload in the future. Especially since I plan on hauling a dual sport AND camp gear eventually.

 

I'll let you know when I head to Moab next weekend.