reh5108's 4 Banging SHITBOX tUrBo 4x4 Build

No hurry, still debating if I want to keep the bucket or make a hoop or brace the bucket with a hoop. Doubt the stock buckets will last long with better shocks.

 

Better shocks should reduce the impact on a truck not make it worse if they’re properly valved. More importantly the buckets need to be braced together more so than removed in lieu of a shock hoop that still doesn’t connect the frame rails together if you jump your truck.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...k-bucket-top-engine-crossover-bracket.403816/

 

I would tend to agree but I've yet to see a truck with cracks in the top of the bucket with basic bitch coilovers like ome or billys. Mine are beginning to crack at the lowest vertical part of the weld not the top. I definitely top out the ome a lot and hit the bumps. Can't believe I haven't folded the LCA around the frame yet.

In my head I'm not seeing just a crossmember being enough to help out the relatively thin metal of the buckets. The turbo might make making a straight forward crossmember difficult as well.

 

Have you added shock tower gussets

https://www.chaosfab.com/accessories/1996-2004-Tacoma-Weld-on-Coil-Bucket-Tower-Gussets-59650

bunch of guys jump their trucks without replacing buckets.

Why buy a vehicle specific shock when you could just buy generic length coilovers if you’re ditching the buckets.

 

I don't see how those would help prevent the top of the bucket from failing.

I am curious about trucks that jump being fine but the more overlander type builds seeming to have the issues. Weight and terrain are the two variables I can think of.

 

just weld up the whole bucket. What I did. fucker will rip the frame apart now before it fails.

 

IMO, the TC gussets are worth skipping. Reinforce the top of the coil bucket instead.

 

If I ditch the buckets that's the way I'll go.

They have served me well. Just need something with some rebound control.

That's another option

I need more than just the top reinforced.

 

Really it helps to distribute the load put on the UCA bolt and bucket from bending in towards the engine - if you’re not tuned properly you’re going to leave money on the table on those nice new coilovers and continue to overload the coilover mounts on hard hits / bumping out no matter what they are. I have hoops on my first gen and compared to just gusseting what’s there it’s in a whole different area code in time and effort. Ultimately that engine brace or welding like @Blackdawg said is going to help what you claim to be the breakage you’re seeing. I linked the TC gussets, but I’d build my own if I hadn’t gotten some on sale a few years ago when I was new to building fab stuff. Installing hoops when you bought Tacoma spec coilovers basically is like buying a supercharger and deciding to build a custom manifold. You could have just used a turbo for the manifold and got better performance for less.

 

I will say if you weld up the buckets...pull the engine. It'll be so much easier.

 

Yeah all that plating makes them unbreakable - the engine brace still will help the frame from torquing into the engine, and stiffen up the front end. If you're removing the engine you could open a can of worms - engine cage, fabbed engine perches, new LCA mounts, lol

 

There might be enough room to do it with the 3rz. If nothing else it gives me an excuse to pull the intake plenum off and clean all the carbon out of there. Don't really want to take the turbo and manifold off again though since everything is finally sealed up.

Tempting to just make a cage for the front. Core support and fenders are cracking anywho. Just trying not to add a lot more weight to the thing though. Honestly I should just cage the whole damn thing with how I drive sometimes.

 

If your going to have down time with your truck yeah I'd think about relocating the battery and / or caging and not have to deal with a limited range of rads / cracking

 

Took a short trip the last few days of 2020 and did some fishing and hot spring soaking. Just studied some topo maps to find a destination and explored it. I was a little surprised by the shelf road that led down into the canyon.





Caught quite a few fish but no red band trout as I'd hoped. I could have spent all 3 days there but it began raining and not knowing what the road out entailed I figured it best to not get stuck in the canyon for winter. It ended up being a bit more mellow than the way I came down but still wasn't something I'd want to do in mud or snow.

Headed north to another hot spring and stopped at an overlook along the way. Pretty neat driving through desert and coming across these deep canyons.


Found camp only a short hike from this hot spring and enjoyed an evening soak as the sun went down. Didn't have much luck fishing this stretch of river, being limited to bank fishing made it tough.

It was nice getting away and not being in touch with the rest of the crazy world. Barely realized that a new year began until back home.

 

Looks like you had a blast! I really want to plan out a fishing/wheeling trip one of these days

 

Started mocking up gussets for the coil buckets. Still lots of printing paper templates to get it dialed. Figured this would be the easier way to go. I think 10 gauge should be sufficient. Slowly starting to get more familiar with Fusion. Kind of annoying that creating a pdf is only part of the free trial. I don't use it quite enough yet to make a subscription worth while. I tried using .dxf to .pdf converter but the scale was way off. @Blackdawg its looking like my passenger and driver side are about an 1/8th inch different in height, passenger being taller.

 

Nice man. Doing it the right way. That's exactly how I'd do it. Then just order if flat and bend it yourself and weld the seam. Good work man.

Mine were different as well. But I was also doing everything by hand so yeah..but they were pretty different. Cool to see a number to it though.

Odd it's taller as that's the side that tends to fail. Really shows that potentially the extension of the shock is causing the issues maybe.


Also I'd add a notch at the tips of the triangles on the vertical part. You'll want to curl them around the coil bucket. I have a photo I'll post to show what I mean

 

like this




but you could just do a line cut in the middle so it's just easier to smack it around the bucket and then weld it.

 

Was just thinking it'd be pretty easy with a hammer to just pound it over. A slot would definitely make it easier though.