Next Step?

So...my truck is a TON of fun, but I would really like to make it perform a little better, as well as be a bit more reliable when beating on it (my steering has been out of alignment for a while, yet somehow after my last trip last weekend, it is back to straight?)

My Tacoma has Total Chaos LT up front with external reservoir 2.5 King shocks. The rear has deavers with the same shocks (shorter travel). I am running Glassworks (I think) front fenders with Procomp wheels and 33 BFGs.

I am leaning towards doing the Giant Motorsports LT kit in the rear in the near future, but was wondering what else people recommended. I already have someone lined up to truss the rear axle. What else is a common breaking point that could use strengthening? Is there anything that would make my life easier for the occasion (hopefully once a month) off-road trip?

Thanks guys!

 

Strengthen your spindles too (gussets). I don't have very much information on breaking points and I don't know that much about long travel, but I'm sure the other guys will chime in by the morning.

 

In order of priority:

1)Gusset motor mounts
2)Gusset spindles
3)Gusset alignment cams+tack weld cams
4)LT rear of your choice with the baddest bypass you can afford
5)Add bypass and bumps to the front end

At this point you NEED a roll cage, right now if you wad it up around 30mph you will probably live if you have seatbelts/airbags on. If you do 1-5 you will double your speed offroad and increase realiability. Stage 2 gets far more expensive.

6)New rear axle 9"+ to support 37" projects
7)Links with new coilovers and bypass shocks
8)Custom LT up front, TT spindles/hubs
9) LS7@ 700hp+
10)TH400 trans

At this point you will need a new girlfriend/wife because she will have left you months ago, although you wouldn't have noticed because you have been living off of pizza and beer in the shop 24-7.

 

Sounds like a good life to me.

 

Dang! perfect! Haha, I already forewarned my gf, between my 1972 Alfa GTV and my Tacoma, she is going to have to find a hobby as well.

 

Haha. Logan has it down as usual.

Also gusset coilover towers and box frame from cab back.

It's a cheap and easy preventive measure too.

 

Oh and add dust lights. Our trucks are slow compared to many so make sure that others can see you. It may save your life. Front lights with yellow filters help a ton too for others to see you and cut thru the dust so you can see.

 

Thank you very much! This was just the sort of stuff I was looking for!

I have dust lights on order, HID's on the way for the front bumper, and am about to order a CB Radio (my buddies all use those when going out).

BTW 06Haole, your truck is BA!

 

hahahaha, this made me laugh

i'm nowhere even close to hitting stage 2 and my wife is already wanting to kill me for spending so much money...lol

 

I hear you about that bro. I am going to cage it in a few years but I need to keep the truck conversations down with my wife until then.

 

Although it can't hurt to gusset them, it won't help. The problem is that on hard hits the shock towers flex inward toward each other, along with the frame rails, and the motor gets squeezed like a walnut in a nutcracker with the cross member as the fulcrum point. I spent a lot of time staring at stress fractures in my frame and motor mounts to figure that out. The only way to prevent that is by stopping the coil buckets from flexing in with an engine cage or at the very least a cross bar like the ricer guys use.

Step 5.5) engine cage, cab cage, bed cage.