Super White, Super Boring Build, And Squarebody Stuff

Installed the secondary tranny cooler today along with a drain and fill with Toyota fluid.


Can't even tell it's tucked back in there once the grill is back on. 78,000

 

Oil change today @ 78,072miles
Mobile 1 5w-30 oil and filter.

And put some shine to her

 

Tacomas are cool and all but there is nothing like getting the old Chevy out, cleaned up, and running again.

 

The truck is all set up for a spa day this weekend


And them morning sunrises

 

Installed the pads and rotors today at 79,000

 

Oil change on the wife's 4runner yesterday @ 157,500 and on the Sherpa at 6008.

 

Another great weekend in the books.

First time towing after the tranny cooler was installed and the pan temp never got over 190. I was hitting 220 ish before on long up hills.

Also tried out the Daystar Cradles while trying to get the wife a deer.

 

Had a leaky spark plug seal so I replaced my valve cover gaskets. While I was in there I did the 3 degree retarded exhaust cam shaft gears. Seemed to make a difference in power while passing people and picked up 1 mpg on my trip across the state. Seemed to help when pulling the trailer a little bit also.

Took the truck out hunting with the wife this weekend trying to get her a deer. No luck so far but had a good time camping.

 

How did you like the airbag and cradle setup off-road? I have that setup sitting in my garage but I’m a little hesitant to install it. I know you’ve been running them for a little while. How do you like the feel of the airbags on road as well?

 

The cradles are great on and off the road. I probably don't have enough flex in the rear yet to be tearing bags but trying to plan ahead. It's nice cause if you are out scouting for deer and see a good tree for firewood you can load up the back of the truck and still make it back to camp on rutted out roads without bottoming out your suspension. On road is kinda dependant on what you have in the bed and what psi you run them. I think 10 psi and a set of new shocks in the rear and it would be good to go.

 

So are you still running stock shocks and leaf springs in the rear?

My main decision is do I need to buy a HD leaf spring setup or will the airbag setup help make up for the terrible stock leaf springs. I have Toytec BOSS shocks with resis for the rear so I’m pretty confident in the shock setup. Just need to stop bottoming out when I have more than 5 pounds in rear

 

Yeah I am stock in the rear. The bags help a lot with pretty much any load in the back and the camper. Some people don't like relying solely on the bags for support incase one fails but most of the stuff that I do I could get away without bags if just have to take it slower. Depends on what you want your truck to do. I wanted it to ride like a Cadillac on the road because I drive alot but also be able to take it out in the hills and get a little squirrely. Then at the end of the day hook up to my trailer and drive 300 miles.

I've looked into getting some aftermarket leafs when I do my shocks (I'm thinking the new resi bilsteins) but I'm not sure what leaf pack would give me a good ride without providing to much lift. The bags and cradles give me about 1" as it is, and my front only has about 2". Maybe less after the winch.

What do you have in plan for your truck?

 

Took the last camping trip of the year this last weekend down to the Dalles. The drive was very windy and only got about 7mpg towing the trailer. Before the trip I did engine oil and rear diff fluid change at 81,000 miles. Now it's time for hunting season!

 

Still chasing them whitetail and elk around. Hopefully can make it happen this weekend.

 

So I finally installed my bags and I’ve had trouble with them leaking. Initially they did fine for like 2-3 days then they both totally deflated. I need to crawl under there and mess with the fittings to see where the leaks are but I have had zero motivation to do so. I am considering just throwing in the towel and going with some HD Dakar leafsprings. They can be adjusted to taste and application by removing leafs. Since I last talked with you I bought a bed rack and RTT so I need something reliable that can support the weight. Since you’ve had yours for a while what do you think I should do? Troubleshoot the bags or just drop the $$$ and get leafs? Here’s a pic of my current setup. You can see another one in the signature below...

 

Did you use a line cutter or a razor knife? The cuts need to be perfectly square before you insert them into the push fittings. Also shove them in all the way and then give them a pretty good tug to get them to seal against the barbs. I think that's where alot of people get their leaks from the don't actually give the lines/fittings a pull to seat them. Ive had bags in 4 rigs now and only had problems with 1 of them leaking and that was the used set I just put on my truck. Do you plan on keeping the rtt on all the time?

 

So mine were used also. Maybe the cuts weren’t square or something like that. I bought all new line and I will try replumbing the whole setup. I only paid $100 for the bags and cradles but they came from a guy I know well enough to know they were still in good shape. I am not planning to keep the rack and RTT on all the time. As a matter of fact it’s off right now because I was bottoming out on every bump in the road with the airbags being empty. Plus it’s a fair amount of extra weight. I’ll try repairing the bag system and let you know what happens.

 

Sounds good. You can always fill the bags up and then spray the lines and fittings with windex, simple green, soapy water, etc to see where the leak is. The soap in the solution will start to bubble. If you are keeping it on all the time I would almost just do new leafs and some timbren bumpstops but it's a toss up. Seems like rtts are the newest fad and those tend to fade after a while.

 

I’ll try the new lines and do the soapy solution test to check for leaks. I have Wheeler super bumps already so that’s a plus if I do the new leafs. I hear you on the faddish trends but I actually use my RTT and love it. Once again I scored a stellar deal on the bed rack and RTT used so I couldn’t pass it up. Got both for less than what either one of them would have cost new. If you don’t mind me asking, how much did your set cost used? I am just trying to get a feel on market if I do decide to sell. Thanks!