cbechtold's Long Travel IFS Crawler Tacoma Build and BS Thread

Yeah, that was my only other thought. A more Complex setup though in comparison

Agreed. 12 seems to be the max you can fit under the bed

 

Few more moving parts but not much more than a traditional linked setup.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSu4k4Rp8Ze/

My truck has a leaf sprung setup but the components are about the same.

 

Oh interesting. Don't think I've seen a leaf sprung cantilever setup like that before.

but yea you can use a lot smaller of shock like in your video above which is a big plus. Although less fluid volume for cooling if you're pushing it. pros and cons I gues

 

It's going to be close, but I think it's doable. One of the guys I met when I ran the Tacos on the Rubicon makes me think I can do it as well. This is his setup out back.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv-mx-8AxYj/

I dig it. If it wasn't for the extra complexity and extra moving parts, I'd probably be looking at doing that under the bed as well. Definitely helps keep the little bed space we have still available.

 

I’ve got 12” 2.5’s and I’m not worried about overheating the shocks, but if that became a concern, going up a size in diameter is more than going up two sizes in length (12” 3.0 carries significantly more than a 16” 2.5) since the radius of a shock is raised to the second power in volume.

Eh it’s only a couple sets of delrin bushing pivots and a couple tie rods as far as service items go, however the things I don’t like about the system are the price and it won’t do as well initially without some more tuning than a more traditional motion ratio. If I weren’t as influenced by a friend who used to work for the company that made it to go this route, I would have done shock hoops in the wheel arches of the bed for 12” shocks as like @betterbuckleup cutting up the bed wouldn’t allow me to use the truck how I planned on by making it a (relatively) dust / water free space, but that wouldn't get all of the travel I could get out of the springs.

 

Gotcha. I've seen people use unit bearings or spindles for cantilever setups, which is probably what I'm thinking of. Still a neat concept that I really dig. I've seen a few setups on that work real well. I do really like the idea of keeping the bed relatively dust/water free, but I guess that means it's time for me to delete the rear seats and build a platform.

 

True, if I was doing a linked cantilever making a D44 spindle / hub would be the way to go. (I have 44's on my front so could have dual use spare parts already).

If I had known about this kind of setup 6 years ago when I started out my build I may have gone a closer route to this. Check out the modifications to the bed he used to box in his shocks - could be used like that for coilovers.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x8eEEefx2dA

There’s also a full build thread on the bad lines good times forum.

 

at this point a pretty basic trailing link with a 12" or 14" shock will get you the 16+" of travel in the rear without as much compromise to the bed.
I forget, did you already have a wider rear axle?

 

I've seen the way Michael built his towers. Super clean work on that little truck. Definitely another idea to look at for reference.

Yes. I'm running a Sequoia rear axle, so 66" WMS width. I thought about trailing arms, but I've always been indecisive about them on a full body rig that isn't just dedicated to go fast stuff.

 

What are you really going to gain by doing a 16 in shock with that much angle forward? I forget how many degrees I found was the optimal angle but I can’t believe running a 16 in shock at that angle vs a 12 or 14 at a more optimal angle. Unless someone has put out new geometry numbers in the last 2 or so years.

and on top of that, what leafs are you running to use the full stroke of a 16 in shock? Let alone a 2.5 or 3.0. The bigger diameter the shock, longer the extended/collapsed length

 

From what I've read, it definitely depending on the application, but coilovers angles are fairly optimal between 10° and 25°, but shouldn't exceed 30°. Realistically, the biggest benefit of a 16" coilovers is just more travel. Like you said, 14s would likely work better, and 100% it's definitely overkill, but it'll work more than well enough for what I'm doing.

As for leaf springs, 16s are very common on SUA setups. Deavers F69s and H70s are probably the most popular ones for the Tacomas. You can get more wild with the Giant Motorsports SUA setups and run 20" bypasses if you really want to party.

 

Most Tacomas and rangers that use trailing arms will use a 14” coilover and a 16” bypass and get 20” or so of travel at the wheel. Most full size trucks will use a 16/18 and get mid / upper 20”’s. Not sure about when mounting off of the axle like you’re doing. 16” bypasses are definitely the traditional length for 1st Gen sua’s using 62” leaves.

Not sure what Geoff specifies for his ranger link killer kit which is what 1st gens use but an 18” shock will get full travel out of them.


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/02-double-cab-build.209588/page-41#post-10528417

This is a cool idea to get more travel out of a shorter shock with leaves



He also built these trucks


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/martymcflys-build-reg-cab-long-travel.169719/

 

Wasn't sure if I wanted to run a sway bar, but after talking to a few people, I've decided to get one. Big shoutout to Tony at TK1 for letting me pick his brain about sway bars and getting a solid recommendation for a bar that'll work well for both crawling and go fast stuff. These arms are also total BEEF!


PXL_20230910_042010979 by Cory Bechtold, on Flickr

 

Which bar and arm length did you go with? Interested to see pics of the difference when flexing it out.

 

It's their Ultra 4 series bar, medium heat treated. 45" wide. The arms are 18", and I bought the DIY end links since Im going to be a little particular about the where the arms sit.

 

It's been a hot minute since I updated this thread. Currently in Hammers prep with the Tacoma so I'll update y'all with this. The Tacoma has been retired from daily duty after ownership of 10 years.



The new daily is a 2017 Ford F-250 Super Duty Platinum. Crew Cab Short Bed with the 6.7L PowerStroke Diesel with 42k on the odometer. Only a few upgrades with new Fox shocks, Hellwig swaybars, wheels and tires off a newer Tremor, a Titan 55 gallon fuel tank, and a ReTrax bed cover. Absolutely love this truck so far.

I'll do a more through update on this thread post KoH when I have time.

 

DD mod is the best mod TBH.

 

Tow pig life does not suck. Especially with how good those 6.7’s are. I gross 26k with my 2012 with 400/800 and it’s a breeze.

 

Facts! I have been loving it so far!

That's what I'm excited about. 440hp and 925tq is going to be bitchen for towing once I get a trailer.

 

Been a minute since I've lurked the thread, I am currently working on/thinking about a Link + leaf suspension to get a more predictable motion ratio... I want to get 16-18" of travel out of a 12" shock with minimal/ no compromise to the bed space.

Fundamentally this over constrains the axle, but might work with fairly pliable bushings OR a shackle-like solution... my model shits itself with a shackle at the front of the link in rebound condition.