97 4Runner Crawler

Worth it to see peoples faces when they hear I don't trailer it.

Truck and Trailer seems like more trouble (and $$$ that I don’t need to spend), and it takes half the fun out of scrambling to piece it back together.

wouldn't mind a cage in something eventually though, just need to keep space inside.

 

Your continuing the tradition. In all the shit that rig has done between me and you it's never been a trailer queen. It has been on a flatbed once but I didn't quite trust driving a field repaired lower link home 280 miles on the highway. lol

As far as welded spindles go. Yep, just remove the LBJ nut and pop the LBJ loose. This makes short work of it.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...6srYYcgfaa2XHfU8EVju1nXHSde73JmoaAtKdEALw_wcB

 

Ahhh carrying a ball joint separator would be the ticket.

I was trying to work out how you would get it out because I have about a 75% chance of destroying the bolt or nut threads when I get impatient and beat it out with a hammer

 

I don’t miss trailering stuff. Takes much more time and effort especially if it’s not street legal at all. I was barely getting used to the bouncer before I sold it, but that’s the most capable, stable and safe I’ve ever felt off-roading. It just ate up anything my balls were big enough to try haha it was also the loudest, hottest and purpose built thing I’ve ever wheeled, too. Not to mention 43 stickies are still $950/each and was about due for four

I'm definitely looking forward to being in a more family friendly wheeler and getting the family out enjoying it.

 

I'm curious on the welded spindles. I bit the bullet on the TC heim uniball conversions. Looks like if they were welded to the spindle I could possibly still press in new uniballs. Not sure if that’s totally overkill though.

 

I do think a big thing that contributed to my failure design wise is the steering stops that contact the LCA are on the ball joint that is bolted to the spindle. Same for the steering arm, it is attached to the ball joint that is them bolted to the spindle.

If these were a part of the spindle I feel like it would be a lot tougher so either nothing would happen or that spindle would be destroyed if I hit it hard enough. , exactly what i needed to make me circle back around to thinking about this.

tundra spindle LBJ adapter doesn't seem to push the tire up as much as i thought, but the camburg arms i have would hang down pretty low compared to these stock ish ones.

the steering arm does sketch me out, wish I could come up with a better option then just weld the hell out of it. Maybe machine a LBJ adapter to take a uniball and build the steering arm in it as one piece to get machined? but then I might be in the same place just shearing off those two big ass bolts instead of four tiny ones

 

Re-reading your story in the lbj thread has me wondering if that steering wheel almost broke your hand on that hit lol. I have had random hits I was not expecting definitely feel like it could have broken my wrist or something. The kinda hits that have you touching all your fingers making sure they are still pointing the right way.

 

I don’t know what saved me but I don’t remember it being bad at all, in one of the videos you can see it rip the wheel over but it maybe goes 90 degrees or so, I have felt a lot harder hits.

I also just recently replaced the ps pump though so I got used to a ton of feedback with the dying pump. Hitting a big rock at low rpm hurt a lot more without help from the pump haha

 

Another trip in the books.

drove a trail for the first time that I got denied on every time before with 35s.

played around on a big obstacle that to my knowledge only one other ifs rig has done, but I couldn’t get it.

May have to try again when there isn’t 6” of moon dust covering everything. I thought maybe it would help being so dry once I spun the dust off the rocks but it was slick once it covered the tires

Didn’t break anything glaring which is a win but I turtled a few times on the tank and the driveshaft is all scuffed up. Doesn’t seem bent atleast. Also looks like I cracked the frame in the very back where the bumper mounts on the passenger side. I kept backing bumper and diff into a rock and pushing through it when trying to shimmy over so I figure it happened then.

I’m really just using this as and excuse to post drone pictures someone got though so here they are haha

 

Fuck yeah.

 

That is quite the ledge...

 

Pritchett Canyon vibes, Chewy in particular.

 

Few more uneventful trips down.





and helping with a friends project

 

Can’t really decide what next steps for me and this thing are, interested to hear any opinions.

Plan on a diamond 9.5 and want to change up the rear suspension. As I see it the options are a 3 link and…

- Coil springs and shock relocate or keep the same shocks. I would really prefer to ditch coil springs though for actual control over ride height. Advantage is it’s easy and no cutting into body. But need to be careful if I want to make the sway bar work while moving shocks.

- Coilover on trailing arms. No body work can fit 10s ~14” at wheel With a little body work I can fit 12s ~16” at wheel with a lot of body work I can fit 14s ~19” at wheel. Wouldn’t really be too excited to get into the body that much and don’t get great travel numbers without getting into it.

- Cantilever with coilovers, maybe adapt an MCM tundra kit? Lots of fab but don’t have to get into body and can do 16”+ with 10” coilovers I already have sitting around. Wouldn't be excited about all the fab but it’s all doable. Lots of wear parts but what’s a few more on top of everything else

or buy a tacoma so I can actually get rear uptravel and never worry about the body back there. Can’t really find one I like for a reasonable price though.

Would be easy for me to snowball a tacoma build and just start again. Start with a 2wd, add 4speed atlas, trailing arm rear, probably steal the front setup off the 4runner to start out, hopefully would eventually do a tundra 9”

I could just let the axle sit around till I find a tacoma I like.

 

Tons and done?

 

Doesnt really fix the body issue, but what about coilovers and 4 link with a cell? Thats my plan with my 4Runner down the road. But, I agree that going to a taco might be easier, but probably not cheaper.

 

I just don't see the advantage of a 4 link over a three link when I would have to deal with a fuel cell.

If it was a Tacoma, 4 link and a cell for sure but I just don't want to deal with a cell inside the cab, and think the work for a rear fuel tank between the rails is worth it to me when the stock one has done fine

 

I get hung up on my tank skid allllll the time, even with moving it up 2 inches. It also allows getting the lower link mounts off the bottom of the frame, as they are also boat anchors. Better suspension characteristics are a bonus.

 

My tank is already mashed up flat with everything around it which I think helps out, just have the stock skid on it and it doesn't have a hole yet. I sit it on stuff sometimes but it never really hangs me up since it seems to just deform.

With any 3 link I plan to land links outside the frame, hope to get it flat with the bottom frame but may drop them so the bottom of a Heim is an inch or so below the frame to get antisquat where I want it. Just have to figure out a new rear support on the sliders.

 

That FGP 3 link performs well in the whoops, idk about crawling on slow stuff though.