Better Steering Solutions

Okay, after looking all over for some more information regarding steering upgrades, I figured I'd try to consolidate it here so other people can hopefully benefit from it as well.

As most people know, the stock Tacoma steering rack is....adequate...until you start adding heavier/larger tires and/or playing in the dirt more. I'd like to try to list some of the options for the different generations, as well as stock width or LT.

Steering Racks
1st Gen
TNT Fab Rack Slider

2nd Gen
Basikbiker Tundra Rack Swap (stock width and LT?)
JDF Slide Rack
Solo Tundra Rack Swap
Martin Crawlers MarRack (2nd/3rd Gen) -- confirmed to work only with their RCLT spindles

3rd Gen
Basikbiker Tundra Rack Swap (stock width and LT?)(with modifications)
Solo Tundra Rack Swap -- (I'd assume similar modifications to above)
Martin Crawlers MarRack (2nd/3rd Gen) -- confirmed to work only with their RCLT spindles
Full Heim tierods (any width)
All pro’s LC200 rack for their LT kit

Others/T4R/etc

Power Steering Pumps
JDF Howe TC Pump (2nd/3rd Gen)


Installs:
@Airdog 2nd gen JDF slide rack, Howe pump, JDF LT

Please feel free to add more -- either DM me or post it below and I'll add it when I see it.

 

Sub’d. I’ll provide my input once I’m done installing this tundra rack from basikbiker.

 

To help out some. Here are some links to albums loaded with pictures of my install of my JDFab slide rack and JDFab Howe power steering pump.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUPtdpL

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWua6Lv

 

Thanks, I'll link it in the first post.

 

Someone posted recently doing a Tundra rack in a 3rd gen using offset delrin bushings that were locked in place with allen bolts to keep them from spinning. I'll see if I can find pics.

 

lskvan posted these on Instagram the other day.

 

Meh....cutting off the frame there and hanging that steering box instead will stop the bitches at the mall from seeing your coilover resi. Because of that i'm out.

 

I'm not even sure what to call this. LSK Steering Box Conversion? I'd say 2nd/3rd gen...but obviously not for stock or even close to stock vehicles, right? Looks beefy as hell.

 

Woah. So it looks like it still has mechanical linkage but also a ram. Would that technically be hydro assist then?

 

Yes. Basically like what swingset steering with hydro assist is but this has a different linkage.

 

I'll give em a call tomorrow and see what they say.

 

I thought it was out of a land cruiser?

 

Yeah I’d be curious as well. Would be cool to have another option on the list.

 

This was asked in the rclt thread on the marlin crawler boards a while back and his answer was that it had something to do with the geometry being way off. The Sherpa runner runs that rack and so does a guy in an fj cruiser.

 

I have my tundra rack in the garage, thanks to @Basikbiker - will report back after I get it installed but won’t be for a while. It’s worth noting in this thread, maybe in the first post - that many should consider totally replacing the intermediate shaft prior to modifying a clapped out well used one. Mine was about $180 OEm that I sourced online. If you modify that steering shaft for the tundra rack (or maybe also the LC rack) better to do it on a fresh part because that ujoint isn’t rebuildable. I will be doing the JD fabrication double shear outer tie rod kit with the tundra rack with stock moog tacoma inner tie rods until I can splurge and level up to a clevice/heim one piece tie rod down the road.

 

I thought I remembered seeing that back when it was still the "mar rack" and not just a land cruiser rack so I wonder if that's changed at all.

 

Makes me wonder if the “mar rack” was its own thing at one point.

 

I need to count the splines on the steering shaft...because there's rebuildable ones you can buy and make a completely new shaft if need be...race cars do it all the time

 

i wanna say a while back during rag joint fix threads someone said they found a way to replace the u joint in the lower steering shaft. and originally yeah i think the Mar Rack was gonna be its own thing but i think Mike got in over his head trying to make the rclt even get out the door so he switched to the Land Cruiser rack.

 

Just called and spoke to someone there -- they say it only works with their RCLT kit. I'm sure that you could figure out a way to get it to work with any LT kit, but it'd probably not be worth the headache. I looked through their instructions and it's certainly an involved setup, as it has 3 mounting points instead of 2.

Obviously it's stronger/larger, but I think it'd be a moderate challenge to get working on any LT set up, and certainly not stock width without serious effort. It would be cool if they'd offer it to work with any LT system though, maybe that's in the future.