Betterbuckleup's 2000 taco build & BS

He's also been very adamant about doing my SAS the right way around. Links front and rear, beadlocks off the bat. Definitely much more expensive than I'd really like to make things right now, but all in due time. For now my plan is still the same, but he's a good (bad) influence.

 

Definitely. That's the right approach forsure. Do it right the first time, and you won't have to touch it again or redo anything down the road (until you start adding bypasses n shit lol).

I go back and forth in my head on how id wanna do it, whether start with leafs or links, but it'll prob ultimately come down to where I'm at financially when the time comes to cut it all off.

 

If you want to do it right you don't start cutting until your finances allow for you to do it right. IE, wait until you can afford 4 link it all.

 

Yeah, that's the even more painful part is that he makes me want bypasses and trailing arms in the rear. My go to idea that I've been sticking with has been steelies, 2.0 race coilovers and links up front and chevy 63s in the rear. Keep cost low, but the build will never be done. Knowing me though, I'd start a new project that's even more expensive if this thing was "done."

I mean, that would be the plan, but I might have a few things hidden away under my bed already that prohibit that.

 

Completely agree.
So that'll likely be way down the line. I have more plans for IFS before I even start thinking about getting serious about that.

Ooooh yea. The rabithole is very deep my friend.
trailing arms would be so bitchen though. Go fast goodies aint cheap.

Realistically though some properly tuned 2.0s or 2.5's all the way around with hydro bumps will get you a long ways.

 

I've got plans for a SA build. But they don't include SAS'ing my IFS rig. My plan is to start from the ground up with a tube chassis frame. There's just to many limitations to the Toyota frame for me to get what I really want out of it. Plus, my IFS rig goes a lot of places that only solid axles are "supposed" to go. lol

 

I do kinda wanna go fast which is why I'm gusseting anything and everything up front in my truck. I'm probably going to order coil bucket gussets because I might as well at this point.

I have considered LT down the road for my truck, but I'd build my own 2+ kit with heims so I can ditch the balljoints. Might be too much work for too little payout, but I'll figure that out later. Rear suspension needs an update first though.

Just given the weight of these rigs alone with built axles, cages, tires, etc... 2.5s are minimum IMO. 2.0 coil carriers and 3.0 bypasses at all 4 corners would be my goals.

 

Ooooo. That sounds like fun. If I may though. Why build a tube chassis when you could build an IFS 4400 car?

 

Not a professional driver. Don't have sponsors or an unlimited bank roll from backers. Other then that I like the way you think. lol

The tube chassis build will be perfect for me. I hate that go fast shit. lol

 

Solid plan. I'd love to build a custom buggy one day. I get ya on the toyota frame though. A lot of the serious builds I see pretty much have only the part of the frame left under the cab. The rest is custom tube.

Forsure. At this point I need to get the rear of mine in check. It's whats holding it back from being faster. My 2.5's have been great for my needs so far, but year I agree at that being the minimum.

What gussets are you thinkiing of? The UCA double sheer or some eimkeith stuff for the bucket itself?

 

That's very understandable then. I'd definitely be very interested to see what you'd come up with then.

UCA Dual Sheer gussets from Total Chaos. I already have Eimkeith strut tower reenforcements on order.

 

Exactly. I am just skipping the middle man. lol

Plus, I really like my current rig for wheeling moderate trails. When I say moderate I mean moderate by hard wheeling standards. There's no way I'll ever run SOS in my rig. Wanting to push into truly hard trails is the reason for wanting a buggy build. Plus, that means I'll need a tow pig. Which means I won't ever not be able to get home. lol

 

Gotcha. From everything i've heard about the TC dual shear ones, they are a real pita to fit & weld up. Some guys have pulled the motor to weld up the backside of them. Also kind of locks you into whatever brand of UCA you have because the bushing width/spacing and all that is slightly different between brands if that makes sense.

I don't really see myself ever installing those on my rig. I should be fine with just tower reinforcements and other misc lower arm reinforcements

 

I've heard that as well. Supposably if you use their UCAs, they fit no issues, however I'm not crazy concerned about locking myself into a single UCA. Welding vertically is going to be interesting since I have done that in a hot minute. The most I'll probably do to my truck suspension-wise over the next few years is new coilovers, rear shocks and possible new leaf springs.

 

Just something to keep in mind if you're dabbling in the idea of making your own LT down the line.
I also haven't ever seen a single failure at the UCA pivots, so idk how necessary they really are.
I think a crossover brace between shock towers would be a better use of time and resource instead of the TCc kit

 

The UCA bolt is fairly beefy compared to the other weak points of the front IFS. *cough*cough*lbjs*cough* It's more a preventative measure to not bend the bolt in there. If I built my own coil towers then I'd definitely build a brace between the 2, but the factory one I think it's fine. The extra gussets are more than satisfactory for what I plan to do. Some go fast stuff with mostly slow crawling.

 

Forsure, I feel ya. For me it's just not worth the effort for those gussets.
About time you built up your suspension to get down a boogie at speed though

 

I've put a few feelers out to people who already have the coil tower gussets and their thoughts. No plans to order anything just yet since this past week has been very expensive for me.

Yeah yeah. Real shock tuning will be nice when ever I have shocks that allow me to do so.

 

Cool. I'll be curious on what you direction you end up going on that.

You gonna do the tuning yourself? Assuming your dad prob has the gear to do the charging and shimming?

 

If I go with Fox, yep. I've tuned Fox before so I do know what I'm doing and I have a plethora of shims at my disposal.