Alignment Cam Delete - Which ones?

Gettin tired of the LCA cams getting bumped out of alignment so I’d like to just delete them.


The truck has stock LCAs and SPC UCAs.

The LCAs are pushed as far toward as possible and the caster and camber are both set with the UCAs.

I don’t need any adjustability at the LCAs and would like to replace the factory alignment cams with a non adjustable cam.

The factory tabs are in good shape, and I plan on reinforcing them instead of replacing them at the moment.

There’s a buncha different kits out there on the market that all seems to be pretty comparable.

Bison OR, Solo Motorsports, Poly Performance, KP Off-road, ect.

What kits are you guys using? Complaints? Criticisms? Ect?

 

I would replace the factory tabs as well. You're in there just do it. For tabs TC or DK. For the cam bolt eleminators tons of options which ever one you fancy. I went with the 333 Fabrication eleminators and DK tabs. Been alignment free for over a year with many trips.

 

I need to look into this. It’s annoying coming off trails and finding my steering wheel is a little more crooked.

 

I have KP Off Road and no complaints. I only have the bolts and cams, not the tabs installed. Those are stock and I’ve not had an issue with them bending those over. And yep, have been off roading over lots of rocks.

 

I run the 333 one's as well. If you have an adjustable UCA like SPC, Dobinson's Billet... then I think that they work pretty well. If you have non-adjustable UCA's then the octagon shaped ones would be better to dial it in right. I max the caster on the inside bolt, then do whatever setting (+- or Neutral) you need for the front bolt and then fix the camber on top with an angle finder. Range should be -.5 to +.8 per Accutune.

I use a laser meter to do Toe and just try and toe it in a tiny bit. (1/16").

Drives pretty good. not perfect, but close enough for me rather than getting an alignment 2+ times a year or being denied an alignment with shops bc they don't know what they are doing or try and push services on you that you don't need.

I was denied an alignment once at rep 4x4 shop in Denver bc I had a torn outer Tie rod boot on a month old tie rod and they couldn't even offer to slip a replacement on in its place, or call me to ask what I wanted to do. Instead told me that my tie rods had play which they didn't. (All Brand New).

 

Yep.

I fine tune the alignment at the UCA since it’s adjustable.

Doing the alignment at home has become a piece of cake. I’m just tired of having to do it so often because no matter how tight the alignment cam hardware is, it still moves.

I mark em with a paint pen and it’s still annoying

 

That is a total pain. And the system shouldn't be reliant on over-torqued cam bolts to maintain the position of the LCA. That's just not how bushings work, even the dumb stock ones probably don't work well over-torqued. It's better to rely on normal force than friction to locate the LCA.
I've had the Poly Performance Tacotabs on a 2nd gen and now a 1st gen along with modified control arms. Both were able to get in spec despite the limited adjustment resolution. Since you have adjustable uppers they should work well. They're a little more work to align initially (swapping locating washers vs rotating them in place) but maxing out the caster and setting camber to the center setting is where most seem to end up. I'd also recommend welding the backs of the tabs to keep them from smashing over. That system worked great on my 2nd gen with 37s and 35s.

 

KP Off-road here. Went with their whole kit, tabs and all.

 

Bumping this back up for more input

 

KPO has the best fit I have seen. Comparing this to Bison and tacotabs at least.

 

Hey @steveo27, I know this is an older thread but I wanted to share that there is a better way to do this than taking the time to drill spot welds & cut your tabs off: Reinforce them!

For anyone looking for a better way to strengthen your cam tabs, back in 2019 we developed a lower control arm frame brace kit that not only strengthens all 16 factory cam tabs by wrapping them around 1/4" plate steel, but it also adds double-shear plating to all four LCA mount flanges for increased sub-frame strength + prevents getting them stuck or bent on rocks or other objects passing under your truck, it adds a forward angled plate which helps shield and deflect alignment hardware away from frontal impacts, and it prevents sloppy alignment shops from incorrectly rotating your eccentrics upside-down.

I posted a thread on how to optionally install our kit without removing a single part from your vehicle, saving labor time/costs and avoiding the cost of a vehicle re-alignment. Check that out here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-strengthen-cam-tabs-without-removing-control-arms.858217/

Thanks for letting me share our setup, we really like it

Regards,
BigMike

 

Does your cam octagon touch your tabs? Mine has 1/4” gap on one side

 

Me too. I have Bison OR. Also I don't like that a bolt sleeve was copper. I saw some were plastic too.

I have TC cam tabs, but also plan on reinforcing them with part of a Marlin Crawler kit.

 

I’ll have to check but think some do have a little space. I may have beat them closer with a brass punch but I can’t say I really remember. I’ll check once I get a chance.

 

I have the kpo full kit. Less than 1/16" of space which I think is about perfect. Any less it would be a pain to get the front end back together.

 

I went with the KPO’s a couple months back.

OEM tabs. No gap.

I’m gonna weld the OEM tabs at some point since they’re still in good shape.

 

@Chairmanmeow66 Make sure your factory tabs are both straight and perpendicular to your frame, which might help close up any gaps

@fatfurious2 For running our HD Frame Brace parts over the top of a TC kit, the actual measurements of a TC kit looks like this (theoretical):




However, that is only if you have not already welded their tabs in place. If the TC kit has already been welded in, then you'll be looking to both grind down the welds on your inner-most tabs (all 8) to a more flush shape and then cut off all outer legs from our upright plates (all 8), like so:



With the legs cut off our uprights at the red line shown, then you can slap our uprights over the top of the TC setup like so:







And then burn our kit to both your frame and the TC tabs:



Doing it this way, our plates will sit slightly lower than normal (about a 1/4" or less) but will avoid having to grind all 16 of our tab surfaces while still gaining the same double-shear and control arm frame mount strength benefits our kit provides.

Also, grinding a chamfer on the backside of our upright plates can help go over your previous welds of each TC tab, like so:




Thank you Timberline Automotive for these pics.

While I don't think there is a need for the TC kit anymore, if you already have it then I hope these pics help make the most out of both kits!!

Regards,
BigMike

 

Sounds good I haven’t installed mine yet but I do have a drop bracket and the inner measurement from tab to tab is 2 1/4” while the octagon cam is 2”and also atm my original cam has space inbetween as well

 

Don’t get too excited to instal them and make the rookie (should have known better) mistake and forget to paint them like I did

I’ve not forgotten about the pics just haven’t had a chance to get them yet

 

I’ve got the stainless upgrade still got to paint them?