Sterling_vH111's Supercharged & Long Travel Build Thread

KOH 2023!

First time at the event. Super fun, definitely busy and hectic inside hammertown, but not bad on the outskirts.

Saw some cool truck, a few rolls, and slept to the tune of v8’s screaming throughout the night.

Mostly just cruised and took it easy in the truck, as I don’t have front bump stops right now.



Had to hang with my coworkers new golf cart - 2023 Turbo R Premium…


Chili dogs for dinner!

 

Just went out this weekend for the first time too, camped out at Soggy Dry Lake bed then wheeled over
Lots of cool yotas out there

 

The longest awaited mod since 2021 - optimized VVT-I solenoids from the first group buy put on by @SUMOTNK .
After pains that can only be known by those other 40 members who waited that long 14 months, it got them on the truck today.
Pretty easy install.
Confirmed that they fit with the supercharger still in place, just take off the intake tube and throttle body.
1hr tops when I had no idea what I was doing and figured out what needed to be removed as I went.

 

Also ran a new Baofeng / HAM Setup.

Put a mag mounted antenna on the roof again, and ran the cable through the third brake light - along the roof and down the passenger a pillar.
The radio will sit inside the glovebox with a mic/ speaker running out on to the dash held on with MobArmor magnetic mount.



nice and hidden for daily driving but accessible on trips.

 

Is the wire to the antenna detachable so you can take the antenna down if need be

 

Yes - the antenna screws off the mount so it will be just the mag disc. No higher than the oem antenna fin

 

Finally got the bypasses I’ve needed for a while… and threw them on before this AM.



Just need to set up the limit strap again with the dirt king clevis kit I got, and I’d like to redo the front brake lines.
Probably will get rid of the hard lines by the calipers and the stubby ones on the frame T. Run a braided line along the UCA and down the spindle.

 

Got all new uniballs and Heims for the front end. 4 fk 3/4” Heims, 4 1” Uniballs, 4 1.25” uniballs.
Spend a few days going through disassembling, cleaning everything, painting the frame with a fresh coat, and re-assembly.



The two outer 1.25” uniballs were definitely loose in the cups, the other bearings were alright but after 60k miles it was time.

I was able to press in and out all of them with some press cups from Trail Gear, one for each size uniballs. All but 2 of them were just by hand with a vice/hammer but 2 of the LCA ones I needed a press from the local off-road shop. More so just a hard angle to get on with a vice/hammer.



Freezing the new bearings and heating the parts with a heat gun worked well to put them back in. I also gave everything a solid coating of anti-seize before re-assembly.

 

Also took the opportunity to throw in the modified Tundra rack from @Basikbiker with his offset solid bushings.

It was definitely a process of wiggling and trial and error. Pre-Aligning the bushings with the oem rack helped for sure. Followed this video from a 3rd gen, helped explain the process.
https://youtu.be/QElWz-2-d3s

And got a new 1” shorter intermediate shaft from Amazon:
LOWER INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT FITS TOYOTA TACOMA 2005-2015 RWD
https://a.co/d/e8D6tS2

The collapsable ribs on this one need to be replaced with a straight tube but the length kept the same. I had a buddy replace the whole long side of the shaft with some tubing and re weld the splines on the end.
Or if you are using your OEM steering shaft, you can simply shorten it 1” and leave the ribs.



This shed light to another issue!
Oem motor mounts with 112k miles on them sagged enough that the new tundra rack was touching the cast upper oil pan.



soo a set of Martec Tacoma motor mounts were ordered. I was debating doing full motor and trans mounts from Solid Off-road or DMZ (available and look very high quality, but they are not up on the website, email/call to get info and pricing) — but my bank account said otherwise.
Nick at Martec was kind enough to machine a set of 1/4” spacers and add them to my box, I ended up using them for some extra reassurance for space in between the tundra rack and engine.



Last piece of the puzzle was getting some new OEM inner tie rods from Moog off Amazon. I prefer those to be a weak point of the steering as well as keeping the oem method of adjusting all alignment settings so I can pop into any Firestone or PepBoys and get my “free” lifetime alignment no matter where I am.
Paired those with some of PRG putter heim tie rods lengthened 3.5” to match the LT kit, and an offset heim joint from Rustysoffroad and some tundra steering boots from Amazon. The boot is a little too large for the Tacoma inner tie rod, but I just used a hose clamp to secure it and it’s worked well so far on the street.
Beck/Arnley 103-3097 Steering Rack Boot Kit

$12 Beck/Arnley 103-3097 Steering Rack Boot Kit

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3YPCOY

 

Got my fox coil overs back from Elliot at Onyx shock services in OC, nice guy. I had him rebuild the shocks. Full cleaning, new bearings upper and lower, and got my DSC reservoirs un-stuck from their positions.
Note to self and others with Fox DSC: Do NOT run them all full stuff or full soft for either low or high speed. The little valve will get stuck when the fluid cycles and then you will have normal fox shocks for 20k miles.
Once I had all the prices again, time to put everything back together.



Repainted the spindles and front tube bumper/skid while I had down time in satin black krylon.

I still need to figure out some new front brake lines and limit straps, but that will be for late summer.
My “reliable stock daily driver” KTM street bike roasted the camshafts on it the day before I got the Tacoma back on its weight. Looks like i can only have one thing running at a time !!!

 

Copied from the LT BS thread, too keep this one up to date:

 

Video of Rag joint play:
https://youtu.be/UPYuT-anW9Y

Edit:
Found the upper and lower intermediate shaft coupler and the lowest bolt that holds the lower intermediate shaft to the rack bolts loose when I re-torqued all the bolts involving the steering from wheel to the tie rods.
I am pretty darn confident that I torqued them on install, and re-checked 500 miles later. However, I had in my notes 20nm — this is much lower than what I looked up today at 35nm. I torqued the 3 bolts to 40nm, paint pen marked the bolts and the shaft alignment from the upper steering column all the way down to the tie rods and rack bolts/ pinion shaft.

 

Are you thinking about an LS swap?

 

Hahaha my typo… LT BS…
No LS My blood ain’t that rich !

 

OEM Lexus GX460 "Big Brake" Upgrade

Time for some new pads and rotors on the truck, so why not add some bigger parts to help stop those e-load 35's !

All info stolen from this thread:
2nd Gen DIY Big Brake KIt -OEM parts- Part #'s provided (INSTALLED) | Tacoma World

TLDR; These OEM replacement parts are bigger in diameter & width than the OEM Tacoma front brakes.
Bigger is better for leverage (big tires have more leverage on the braking system, making their effect relatively weaker
...as well as heat absorption and resistance to fading or warping.

Parts:

• 14WA Calipers (OEM 2010+ Lexus GX460)
• DBA 4000 OEM Slotted Rotors (for a 2010+ Lexus GX460)
• Hawk HPS Performance Brake Pads

Note, this setup from the 2010+ Lexus GX460 is for 338mm x 32mm Rotors ONLY.

The OEM Tacoma (319mm x 28mm) or slightly older GX470 (338mm x 28mm) parts will not work... I didn't understand the difference at first and ordered the wrong 13WG calipers and pads with the DBA rotors.

Cool fact; This setup will allow me to upgrade to RR Racing 6piston Calipers and pads if I go to 37" tires or feel the need to have more stopping power.
After install, this budget "OEM" setup allows me to lock up the front tires on dry pavement (ABS), but just barely. With stock Tacoma parts I could not. Pedal feel is decent -- not sharp but still there.
I will most likely try upgrading the master cylinder to the Sequoia part, as it's another cheap OEM option to increase power and better pedal feel.

On to the install:


First off, you can easily see how much larger the new stuff is compared to stock. Weight was about 4lbs heavier, I think. About a 20% increase in heat absorption from OEM rotors.



I opted for only slotted rotors, as I've seen and heard of drilled rotors crack. I like the slots mostly for aesthetics -- but they should also clear and dirt and mud a bit easier as this is an offroad truck!



I used these to paint the calipers. Second go around with the correct calipers I only used the red caliper paint, no clear coat. Seemed to work out better. The can states it resists heat and brake dust. They also say to cure in an oven or let dry for a week -- I chose the latter.

Old, worn, tired, stock stuff:


New fresh parts!


I also chose to replace the brake lines at this time. My 5yr old Currie steel lines from Camburg were getting a bit oxidized and beat. I replaced the stock hard lines that are normally at the caliper and the frame in this swap as well. They served no purpose as they didn't bolt up to the spindle or frame any longer due to the LT parts on the truck.



I ordered the new ones from HEL Performance in the UK. Good prices on endless custom lines & great quality. I know the brand from the motorcycle world.
Specs:
Length: 94cm / 37"
Frame & Caliper fitting: M10x1.00 Male Swivel Fitting
Frame side bend: 90 deg
Caliper side bend: 20 deg
I opted for rubber heat shrink on both sides due to the abuse offroad cars see.



Note: I mocked up some string and guestimated the length I'd need to run the line out the UCA, down the spindle, and to the caliper. I guessed a little long.

• For a 3.5"+ LT kit, I'd recommend around 35"
• Subtract an inch for the 2"+ kits.
• Subtract 3.5" for stock length setups
• 4-6"+ kits like JD, Solo, or DTF would probably be perfect with 37-38" lines.
• * NOTE'S note * I have a 4" lift spindle on the truck. 4wd trucks or other spindles may need different length lines, probably a few inches shorter. *
• As always, measure your own setup before ordering custom non-returnable parts

Last glam shot of the new parts.

 

Alcan Spring Swap

I've been running the Deaver J66 pack for probably 6 years, and had been a bit underwhelmed. It did good when I had a stock truck and no weight in the bed, but with hauling dirt bikes here and there, loading up for desert trips and the yearly towing exercise... I'd had them rebuild with and extra leaf and re-arched by Deaver but still was the Achillies heal of the truck. Especially when I got LT suspension on.

I got the opportunity to pick up some used Alcans for a good price. They weren't exactly what I was looking for, but close enough and I had the gut feel they were in the right direction.

The Deavers were flat with many leaves, providing most of the lift from pure leaf thickness. With the extra leaf in there, lift was about 2".
The Alcans are much more arched, along with being a bit thinner, while supposedly being made custom for +200lbs over stock. These should provide 5" lift.

A comparison of the springs.

Deaver J66 Custom


Alcan 5" +200 Custom


As you can see, almost 5" more arch than the Deavers. 2" thick for the Alcans and just under 3" thick for the Deavers.

I don't have too much weight over stock, but carry a full size 35" spare (~100lbs) and the Badlands jack (~70lbs). With a few extra gallons of fuel during desert trips it should be perfect.

Before:


After:


It may be riding a tad high in the rear, but I'll live with that for a good feel and more travel.
Up travel from ride height went from about 3.5" to just over 7".
Down travel went from about 6.5" to about 5.5" at ride height. But up travel is more important for what I do anyhow. I'm good with this trade off.

I'll need to cycle the pack and see if my bumpstop location is still good.
I will need to re-do the lower shock mount for sure, as I gained about an inch of up travel from the leaves simply being thinner and the shock now bottoms before the hydro bump does.

Doing some math, these springs pair perfectly with the Ford Raptor shocks. Just over 12" of travel for a 12" travel shock. Putting the ride height much more centered in the travel too.

 

Bedliner great idea. I painted mine black but was not very durable.

 

Just getting around to update this, but the weekend after the alcans were put on I did the Mojave trail with some buddies on the street I live on. We had a mid travel Taco, a stock Ram, and a leveled F-150.

Mojave trail was awesome views and great camping. We did it in 3 nights with the last on staying on the banks of the Parker river. Plenty of time and got to check out everything on the way. Highly recommend for a weekend trip.

 

Did a trip over new years to Cougar Buttes, but mostly rode the dirt bike and didn’t take any truck pictures…

Theeeen it was time for the SoCal Superstition meet !!!

It was great to see a lot of old faces -- I hadn't been in a year or two at least.
Good times, campfires, night runs to Sand Dam...
Those who went know that I was pretty close to making it up the wall at Sand Dam. 2wd and open differential and all. I played around with having trac on, so id get less wheelspin, and having everything off so I could keep the supercharger singing. Either way I believe with a locker and/or some higher 4.56 gears I could have made it.



Did a fun day run with Nick, Kyle, and Mike down to plaster city and up through the painted canyon area.

And of course I had to hit the jump next to camp. I regretted not hitting it last time I was out, so I had to made sure to get my runs in this time.
Some stills from a video. Deecent for spring over axle and no cage. No wish to go bigger while its still street legal lol.




Looking forward to the trip next year. Hopefully some more trips this spring with TW guys.

 

Quick day trip out to Lucerne / Cougar Buttes!

Explored some whoops leading to Ford Mine, had a few (responsible) mountain top brews, bombed across Soggy Dry Lake, and made it to the mini Sand dunes to round out the day.

72 miles and truck didn’t skip a beat !


Of course a few of those were air miles.