F/R Locked TRD Sport DCLB Build & Colorado Wheeling

Thanks man, super appreciate the kind words! I will be sure let you know if I move on from the topper and am looking to sell. Assume you're located near the Denver area? You get out and wheel / camp much?

 

Yea I’m up in the Vail area.

I used to wheel/camp much more back when I had my 2nd gen. Had to sell it to get something more economical for a little bit but we just got our 3rd gen a couple of months ago. Not sure how much modding I’ll be doing on this one in the near future. But will still try to get out as much as possible.

 

I posted this a few days ago to another thread, but adding here in the build thread as well to document some of my favorite trips & photos with the truck in 2023.

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Installation of Ironman 4x4 Medium Load (0-440lbs Additional Payload) Rear Leaf Spring Kit for 2005+ Toyota Tacoma

As mentioned above, I had been on the hunt for some heavier duty leaf springs to upgrade my current OEM & Icon Progressive AAL setup. Since installing the 1.5" Icon Progressive AAL, I had added a topper, steel rear bumper, full size (33") spare, and my @BamBeds sleeping platform, which combined, weigh in at ~400-500lb & were giving me a small squat in the rear. To compensate for this extra weight & regain the lift & rake I was hoping for, I landed on the Ironman 4x4 Medium Load (0-440lbs additional payload) rear leaf spring kit for the 2005+ Toyota Tacoma. I was excited to pull the trigger on these leaves because of the positive reviews, their weight capacity (they also sell at 440lb constant load leaf spring, but from my research, that pack was too much for my setup), the fact that they came with new poly bushings & u bolts, & the 25% off sale that Ironman 4x4 was running. This post is to serve as a summary of my install process & give folks some insight into what a DCLB looks like before & after an install of these less popular leaf springs. Also, quick classic disclaimer - I am not a professional, so I'm not responsible for your install or anything that would occur during or after it

Truck Ride Height Before Install (note: 33" BFG KO2, OEM Leaves + 1.5" Icon Progressive AAL):
Driver Side Height: 36.75"
Passenger Side Height: 37.25"

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Overview:

• Rear leaf spring kit for 2005+ Toyota Tacoma with additional accessories needed for install including u-bolt kit and bushing kit.
• Ironman 4x4 Leaf springs are produced from high quality steel that meets Australian standard AS1447. Shot-peened and load tested to ensure maximum longevity.
• Available for different load varieties (Medium Duty (0-440lb constant load); Heavy Duty (440lb+ constant load), to ensure the ride is perfectly matched to your requirements by being both strong and flexible.

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Find it Online:

• Here

Tools & Materials Needed:

• Jack
• Jack stands (x4)
• Wrenches / Sockets: 14, 17, 19 mm (and a 22mm if you have aftermarket u-bolts that use larger nuts)
• Impact (I'd recommend a 1/2 impact if you have it. The leaf spring bolts & torqued down pretty solid)
• Torque Wrench
• Screw Driver
• Small Pry Bar
• Rubber Mallet
• 2 medium to large c-clamps (may or may not be necessary, see note on step 16 for why these may be required)
• Gloves
• Vice Grips
• Bushing Kit (supplied by Ironman)
• U Bolts (supplied by Ironman)
• Multi-Purpose Synthetic Great with PTFE
• Bags & sharpie to organize your bolts & nuts
• Blue loctite (used when re-installing all bolts & nuts)

Installation Instructions

Thank you to @LunarTaco13 for the help w/ writing these detailed instructions! These instructions can be used for any leaf spring installation - we installed some Old Man Emu Heavy Duties on his rig yesterday as well.

Important note for entire installation: be sure to remember the orientation of all bolts (especially the upper rear leaf spring bolt). Installing in certain directions may cause interference w/ other components of the truck, like the frame.

1. Jack up truck, one side at a time, placing 2 jack stands under each side of the truck's frame
2. Bring jack around to the rear axle & orient it on the side you are starting on. I recommend angling it away for the side you're working on to give you room to work
3. Remove wheel using impact
4. Use 17mm wrench and socket to remove the lower shock mount nut and washer
5. Use 19mm (or 22 mm in my case) socket to remove u-bolt nuts; pull u-bolts, bump stop, & u-bolt plate out & set aside
6. Use 12mm socket to remove the brake cable bracket
7. Lower the axle a bit using the jack
8. Use a 19mm wrench and socket to disconnect the front leaf spring
9. Use a 19mm wrench & socket to remove both upper & lower leaf spring
   • Note: you may need to lower spare tire to fully remove the lower rear leaf spring bolt
10. Remove leaf spring
11. Grease new bushings & sleeves, install into the new leaf either by hand or w/ a mallet
12. The leaf springs are marked w/ "D/S" and "N/S" on top of them. "D/S" stands for "Driver Side" and "N/S" stands for "Near Side" or in our case, passenger side. The wrapped part of the spring is the front, the end is diamond cut so that there is clearance for the shackle
13. Install shackle in the rear of leaf spring & install the shackle mount bolt & nut hand tight
14. Lower the axle, then, position the leaf spring over the axle & align it to the mounting points on the frame. Use the jack to raise or lower the axle to align it close the mounting points.
15. Install bolt & nut, hand tight, in the front spring. Use a mallet & small pry bar to align the leaf spring in the mounting location.
16. Ensure the pin in the bottom of the leaf spring is set in the hole on the axle
    • Note: If you are struggling to align this, remove the top nut from the leaf spring and use a mallet to align the pin in the hole. Then, use large c-clamps to compress spring back together, tighten the nut on top of the leaf spring, and once tighten, remove c-clamps.
17. Position bottom of the shackle in rear mount using the jack & install bolt & nut hand tight
18. Place bump stop on top of leaf spring, slide over u-bolts, & orient rear mounting plate under rear axle. Evenly tighten nuts for each u-bolt, using a star / crossing pattern like you would for a wheel. Use torque wrench to torque u-bolts to 75 ft-lbs.
19. Tighten front spring mount bolt w/ 19mm torque wrench to 89 ft-lbs
20. Tighten rear upper shackle bolt to 89 ft-lbs as well
21. Install rear shock w/ bolt and nut using 17mm. Torque to 43 ft-lbs.
22. Reinstall brake line bracket
23. Install wheel, torque lug nuts to 83 ft-lbs
24. Repeat entire process on other side
25. Remove jack stands, jump on tailgate / in truck bed a bit to "settle" the springs, then torque the rear lower shackle bolts to 89 ft-lbs.
26. Grab a beer & admire how sick your truck looks
27. Check all torques after 100-200 miles driving
28. Go wheel it

After Installation:
Driver Side Height: 38.5"
Passenger Side Height: 39"
If you're keeping track of pre-install height, that is a 1.75" lift on both driver & passenger side

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I took it on a quick drive following the install and the ride quality seems to be nearly identical to my previous setup. Very comfortable. As of now, I'd definitely recommend these springs. I'll post a longer term review later when I've got some miles on them.

Please let me know if you have questions about the process or the leaf springs!

 

Heading down to Moab this weekend with @LunarTaco13. We'll have all day Saturday & then Sunday till about noon for wheeling. We're hoping to run ~2 trails.

Any moderate to difficult trails you guys recommend? For context, we've run Hell's Revenge and some more difficult trails here in CO like Wheeler Lake & Kelly Flats, and both have, 33s, at least a rear locker, skids, sliders, etc. I am hoping to do something with more rock crawling obstacles vs just super steep hill climbs like Hell's Revenge or Fins & Things offer. Lmk of any recs!

 

Flat Iron Mesa, Steelbender, Metal Masher, and the Trifecta would all be good for that level of build.

Nice truck and adventure pics!

 

Thanks a ton for the quick reply & recommendations, Brett! Love your builds as well, esp the 1st gen. I recently perused both threads a month or two ago, so it's awesome to see a comment from you on here . I also see that you're in the Steamboat area. If you're interested in wheeling this summer, lmk and maybe we can link up!

 

After some great recommendations from @Squeaky Penguin and some awesome deep-dive research from @LunarTaco13, looks like we’ll be hitting Flat Iron Mesa on Saturday and Poison Spider on Sunday morning. Thanks for the help boys and can’t wait to post up some of our pictures / stories on here after the trip!

 

Moab Trip - February 2024 - Flat Iron Mesa

Thanks to some great recommendations (shoutout @Squeaky Penguin) & solid planning (shoutout @LunarTaco13), @LunarTaco13 and I headed out for Moab late Friday afternoon with red rocks on our minds. We quickly got hit with some major weather travelling westbound on I-70 - first, a major snowstorm w/ snowflakes the size of cotton balls & then heavy rain further west. Ryan trusted his tires more than I did & was ahead of me throughout the drive - sorry for making you wait man!

Upon arrival in Moab late Friday evening, we setup camp, cracked a few beers, and had some great conversations. While talking, Theo chewed through his leash... nice. More on the leash front later. Around 2 am Ryan and I both crawled into our tents eagerly awaiting the adventures of the morning.

Saturday morning we woke up, took Theo for a walk, and made some coffee. We then proceeded to install my old engine skid on Ryan's truck. We struggled to get one of the rear bolts into the trans cross member, so we attempted to snug up the new engine skid & his existing transmission skid with my truck's bottle jack, but were ultimately unsuccessful. During this install, Theo decided he was tired of being on his long leash and decided he'd like to chew through it was well. I need to bring bully sticks or something on these outings to keep his little brain occupied when I'm busy doing other stuff around camp. At this point, our morning was quickly slipping away from us and we decide to hit the trail without the measly bolt.

We drove through Moab, grabbed a new leash, and made our way to the Flat Iron Mesa trailhead. The trailhead (at least the side we started on) is a sharp turn off of the Highway 191, so just be watchful if you decide to run this trail too.

Ryan and I aired down, opened the old barbed wire & stick gate and started the trail.

We quickly came to our first obstacle, a series of wonky ledges. Ryan lead most of the trail & was the first to hit this. With careful tire placement, he made it up the ledges. I followed. This section of ledges is quite steep & my truck lost oil pressure & the computer immediately shut it off. It's never a fun feeling to get the low oil pressure light, but the computer is incredibly quick to shut off the engine and keep everything internal safe. After rolling down the hill, I cranked her back on, locked the rear diff & climbed right up.

There are a lot of unmarked (at least they're unmarked in the FunTreks book Ryan and I used) small-to-medium-sized obstacles along this trail, so I won't mention everything. Just the highlights.

The first highlight is what is known as "Red Brick Road". This obstacle is series of large stepped ledges that end in a very steep water fall (although there's not actually water in it). Ryan and I spotted each other & made it down without any issue.

Due to time, we reluctantly bypassed "The Chute" which was one of the obstacles we were most looking forward to. We knew that if we hit it, we'd be getting to "The Intimidator" at sunset or maybe even later, which would have been downright stupid. Next time.

We also bypassed "Tilt-a-Whirl" & the ledges next to it. These obstacles are not for Tacomas on 33s unless you wanna crash and bang your truck down a series of rocks. Ryan and I both agreed that to attempt this, you'd want near 0 approach & departure angles (think Jeep) and at least 35s.

I know I just mentioned bypassing two marked obstacles, but that doesn't mean that their aren't plenty of unmarked obstacles along the way. You'll definitely get to use your rear locker quite often on this trail, and my front even came in handy twice.

Next up was "Easter Egg Hill". This was one of Ryan & I's favorite sections of the trail. It is a very technical downhill which requires great spotting and accurate placement of the truck. We used our rock sliders quite a bit in this section.

Easter Egg Hill drops you down to the edge of a canyon where "The Intimidator" lies. Let me tell you, this thing lives up to its name. Ryan and I got out of the trucks and mentally game planned how to best maneuver the trucks around the sharp turn with the edge of the canyon immediately to the right. After some discussion, we put on our big boy pants and decided it was time to get the trucks around this thing. Ryan went first. We got his truck oriented as high & as near as we could to the rock before starting the turn around the cliff. Ryan expertly guided his truck's passenger front onto an oddly shaped rock and hugged the wall with the driver's side slider. With cautious & continued forward movement, he maneuvered his truck around The Intimidator & was home free. Our hearts were pumping with excitement, but also with some fear, as I still needed to get around this thing. I moved Theo over to Ryan's truck and then we proceeded to navigate my truck through the obstacle. Given I have a long bed, I was bit nervous my truck was going to be more difficult to navigate around this sharp bend. Fortunately, Ryan guided me perfectly and I made it around the corner. My slider's kickout worked incredibly well as a pivot point & I got some new Moab scrapes on the driver side rear wheel, but all in memory of that moment on "The Intimidator".

The rest of the trail was pretty easy. A few obstacles here and there, but nothing major. The drive back out to 191 is incredibly beautiful & we hit it right at sunset. Nothing better.

We can't wait to come back & hit this trail again, but I think we'll be swapping The Intimidator for The Chute next time.

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Those are some killer pics man, thanks for sharing. Really good looking rigs too.

 

Thank you man! Had an absolute blast taking them, doing a bit of editing, & tossing them on TW. Appreciate the kind words & love your build as well!

 

I appreciate it! That looks like a ton of fun. I was just looking into the iPad Pros and their fancy cameras; might enhance my build thread a little bit lol. I’ve never been a photo guy but it could be fun to dabble.

 

Dude looks like a great trip. I’ll hit you up next time I’m headed east and maybe we can do some wheelin in UT

 

An iPad Pro would be a game changer & yet still easy to quickly pick up and use. I find that I use my phone (iPhone 14 Pro Max, not tryna flex, just noting it has 3 cameras lol) more than my DSLR given how easy it is to just pick it up and take a shot. I take enough time just using my phone as a camera let alone dragging out my DSLR, popping the right lens on, & getting the settings dialed to take 5 pictures

All these shots were done on the iPhone Pro Max. I try and be careful to note compress them before I upload to TW.

 

Dude, it was incredible! Yes, please do. Would love to link up for a weekend trip!

 

Lol I didn’t think you were flexing!

Yeah that’s kinda what I was thinking. It would be portable and have a lot of different uses so it would be good for trips, etc. All the stuff in my thread is taken on my iphone, which is a 13 I think. I tried to get into the DSLR thing a long time ago but never could.

 

Beautiful photos, glad you had a good time!

 

Totally agree! Smartphones have really changed the game when it comes to quality point & shoot. Also, the convenience of having the pictures on a device which can easily upload to whatever online platform is great. Using an SD card, downloading to a computer, & transferring photos is not fun, haha.

 

Thanks, Michael! It really was an awesome trip. Hope your adventures have been treating you well!

 

I believe that! Plus I couldn’t believe how much storage you can get in the iPad pros these days. It’s been forever since I bought a new tablet so I was shocked to see you can get 2TB of internal storage. There is definitely something to be said for having the pictures saved to the device.