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

Yeah it's still there so I'm just going to go over it since it's 99% intact

 

Can you show the mounts for the rotopax?

 

The parts bundle I got off of here came with these RotoPax plate mounts. I just used some 1/4” thick aluminum plate secured to the bed rail and then mounted the RotoPax plate to that. I had to get creative with where each one mounted to fit them both on the same side behind the tire well like that. That’s why one is higher than the other. The unexpected benefit to that mounting position is that I can remove the cap of the 3gl can to fill it up without having to remove it from the mounting bracket.

 

Question, do I replace lower control arms that won’t turn for alignment or say F it and get SPC UCAs and align it that way. I could save 300 or so with the UCAs.

 

Fried bushings don’t sound super great. I’m sure the UCAS will help but will only be a bandaid.

I vote replace the bushings

 

The SPCs are good for fine tuning an alignment if you need more caster or camber, but you can't use them in place of the lower arm settings. In 3 years with my SPCs I've never had to adjust them outside of the normal setting

 

Expensive: replace the LCAs with OEM new ones that include new rubber bushings.

less expensive, but only if you do the work or most of it: replace your current bushings with Whiteline ones.

least expensive: run it until the truck falls apart. Then it turns into the most expensive option.

incorrect option is the one you suggest.

 

Not too productive today but I did pick up a few more pieces to the puzzle. V-bands, couplers, heat wrap, and such.
I was able to modify the Vband on the lathe to fit the factory cross over pipe. I got the flange welded on and cross pipe bolted up. Started to fab the connection pipe to manifold.
Bought a 90°coupler for intake but it's too big, so I'll have to use the strait coupler and make a pie cut intake pipe to filter.
Might be it for a few days.

 

I’m being told they can’t adjust camber cause something seized see alignment sheet. Is it cheaper to do bushings than whole new ones?

 

Change out those lca's....i did rock auto and those sucked. Ended up going whiteline after. Buy once cry once

 

Ok going expensive.

 

Well you know. Gotta ask. I will post back after Thanksgiving when this gets done.

 

The caster camber adjustments seize and can’t be turned. It took heating the entire caster camber adjuster and bushing sleeve until it was red and an air hammer for me to get mine out when I did my lift a few months ago. I was able to clean up the bushing sleeves and re use them for the energy suspension bushings, but I’d try to find bushings that have sleeves with the kit if I were to do it again.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmaZNBp1gZM

 

Boy, I would try numerous soaking (spraying) the bolts and inside camber with some type of perpetrating oil 1st. If the rubber bushings were shot then you have no choice.
Then go to different shop to see if they can get them loose.

Use PB BLASTER PENETRATING OIL, it works great to break loose rust.

Did they say the bolts were frozen or the camber mechanisms was frozen

 

Your LCA bushings don’t have fuck all to do with adjusting alignment. The alignment cams are seized and need to be cut off and replaced. It’s likely that they’re seized to the inner sleeve of the bushings and those will need to be replaced as well.

You don’t need new LCAs, and 99% of the work will be in removing the old ones at this point anyway. Buy whitelines and new alignment cams and do the work yourself. It’ll take all day and be a giant pain in the dick, but will only cost you about $200 (if you have the tools needed, mostly a sawzall and angle grinder).

 

Not completely true. If they are worn out, the alignment on the rack in the shop may measure correct, but when driving around, the LCAs will move around and constantly be out of alignment in real use.

Not necessarily true that they need to be cut off. Like someone said above, heating and air chisel may knock them out without completely ruining them.

This is likely and in the case that it is seized, then new bushings will be necessary.

True, you don't need LCAs, but from all of @CHMM 's other posts, it is apparent that they don't really do much of their own work or have the in depth knowledge to pull out the current LCAs and swap in the junk Energy Suspension ones or the good Whiteline ones.

So from my experience of calling shops for replacing the bushings, they said it would be cheaper to just install brand new LCAs rather than trying to remove the OEM rubber bushings (pain in the ass) and installing replacements.

 

Better yet. Get new cam bolts and run these poly bushings. http://www.sonoransteel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_11&products_id=6

Better design.

 

Now you’re gonna have to explain them

 

They only specify 3rd gen T4Rs but I assume they'll work on our trucks too yes? Looking at possibly replacing my bushings here pretty soon