Sheet metal clanking sound after lift install

Hey everyone, requesting some assistance diagnosing a peculiar sound coming from my truck.

I got my Dobinsons 3" front/2" rear lift installed today. Brand new front suspension (GS59-220 shocks and C59-350 coils) and rear suspension (

$315 GS59-940 Dobinsons Pair of Rear Shocks Compatible with Toyota Tacoma 4x4 2005-2018 - GS59-940

GS59-940 shocks and L59-111-R leaf packs). My initial impressions are favorable, but I will hold my judgement in reserve until I get some more miles on it. Pics will be provided if anyone wants to see.

The install went as smooth as can be expected. I had the ECGS bushing and Offroad Solutions high angle inner CV boots installed in advance. I had a sway bar relocate kit installed with the lift itself. I have SPC UCAs installed as well, which I confirmed are not part of the batch of bad X-Axis bushings. E-brake line brackets are properly secured to the leaf springs with extended bolts (required for these leaf packs). Ball joints on the SPC UCAs and 4x greasable bolts for the Dobinsons leaf packs were thoroughly lubed with the prescribed lithium-based 3-5% moly grease. All bolts are torqued to spec. Driveline angles are within Spicer recommended limits.

Here's the issue. I'm getting an intermittent noise that sounds an awful lot like something smacking into or bouncing off sheet metal. I mostly notice it at low speeds, but that doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't happen at highway speed. It seems to happen regardless of whether I'm on the gas or braking. It happens whether I'm driving on smooth concrete or over manholes/road imperfections. From the driver's seat, I can't quite pinpoint whether it's coming from the front or the rear.

Does anyone have an idea of where I should start my diagnosis? I want to say it's something whacking the splash guard(s) for the front brakes, but it could easily be something else.

 

I’ve read that most times it’s the dust shields having gotten bent and scraping something like the wheel upon rotation

 

Check out the gas tank shield. It sits in between the driveshaft and gas tank. After alotof wheeling mine will bend outwards and contact the driveshaft. Very noticeable as low speeds. I bend it back and put on a new plastic tab to secure it.

 

Thanks for the feeback, guys. I have never gone wheeling in this truck, so I don’t think that damage related to offroad use is a likely culprit.

Are there any other areas I should check?

 

Get under the truck and look and feel everything,you will find the culprit.

 

Check the shield behind the rotors

 

Drive it up onto some secure ramps, properly block/lock the truck, then roll underneath the truck on a creeper with a good flashlight. Go over every square inch. Should only take 5 - 10 minutes, and will give you a good idea of the condition of your vehicle.

 

I love advice like this. If only it were that easy.

As someone who is in the same situation as the OP, and have spent close to 50 hours of my own time over the past year and a half searching for the problem, 5 different auto shops, 3 different Toyota dealerships, and thousands of dollars later - I still have the problem.

 

Wild guess here. May just be a problem with spacer lifts but the upper control arm can sometimes hit the spring. Something to check I guess but I have no actual experience with lifts so take that as you will

 

Did you get new upper control arms with that 3inch front lift? Stock one could be hitting the coil

 

As stated in my original post, I have SPC UCAs installed.

 

I got the truck aligned at my local Firestone yesterday, since everyone else was closed. It turns out that they had a couple great alignment techs working, who got everything dialed in pretty damn well. Funnily enough, once I got the alignment done, the noise vanished. Neither the techs nor myself know what was causing the issue, but it seems that it might have been related to the alignment being so far out of whack after getting the lift installed.

 

Is it just me or is your caster/camber measurements exactly the same before and after the alignment?

 

They are indeed. I guess I got a "toe 'n go" alignment, which is about what I expected from Firestone. Honestly though, the truck tracks straight as an arrow now and has almost zero tire noise. This will be plenty good enough until I get my LCA hardware replaced and get a no-sh!t perfect alignment prior to upgrading the wheels and tires.

 

Well to their defense it is in the green. Lol!

 

Yep, my thinking exactly. It doesn't have to be 100% perfect until I get my up-sized (and expensive) new tires installed. There's only so much they can do when working around seized LCA hardware anyway.

 

That's very unusual for a just a toe in alignment to correct your issue. My guess is that you had inadequately torqued suspension related parts during the install that was fixed with the alignment.

 

I can believe that. Any particular parts I should keep an eye on?

 

Likely nothing at the moment if there's no issues but maybe control arm bolts

 

Speaking of alignments, I'm going to give this thread a thorough read when I have some time:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...driving-report-with-light-racing-ucas.158795/

I'm not well-versed in alignment terminology or methods, so hopefully this will give me the information I need to get everything just right.