What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

Had some fun while enjoying the heated seats but I did have to get out once and engage the shovel (and a few extra times for photos).

I'm sure I would have been fine if I aired down beforehand but I wasn't feeling it

 

Where did you get yours at? My oem one looks like a bomb went off under it.

 

Amazon is were i like to get my cheep Chinese knock off's I got this in 22 I think it was cheaper then.

$170 Fuel Tank Skid Plate Cover Compatible with 1995.5-2004 Toyota Tacoma 15 and 18 Gallon Tanks Powder Coated Steel Gas Tank Skid Plate

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PY93N85?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

Sweet thanks, for was good?

 

Sorry what are you asking?
The stock tank held up pretty good tell it didn't. Luckily I don't do a ton of rock crawling , but the one time I smacked it good it crumpled .

 

Sorry stupid iPhone, was the fit decent?

 

Lol I was trying to figure it out. The fit was good. I did have to losen the rear strap and give it a few taps forward and then it was good. The strap looked like it was to far back but who knows , I have had work done to my rear frame so..

 

Exactly my plan. Found a quick 1min video that explains it all by going all the way to one end, marking, then again the other end, marking. And depending on revolutions you go back half and get it somewhere in the middle.

 

Alright. So, I need to replace some worn suspension parts in preparation for new tires soon. I know my LCAs have size cam(s) and figured it would be a good idea to replace them as well as cam bolts.

OEM is the recommendation but pricey and still have a very high tendency to seize. So, I’m wondering if MOOG LCA, cam delete kit, and SPC UCAs would be wise. That way, in theory, LCA alignment cams no longer would be an issue and I wouldn’t have to worry about greasing Poly bushings (a massive PITA).

I think the biggest issue might be that alignment shop choice would be limited. I’m my experience most tire shops don’t really have alignment techs, just a rack and a guy with a wrench.

Thoughts? Experience?

 

Get your suspension sorted, then take it to Discount Tire. Cant be their prices and warranties.

 

LCA bolts are fairly easy to get an impact gun on. You tried that yet? Dumbasses at firestone told me mine were seized too - they were not.

 

Hot take. Discount Tire can eat a bag of dicks.

1. FN explicitly states not to use an impact gun for my wheels. I showed Discount the notice yet they still failed to pass this info along to the tech. I stepped in as he was zapping them down.

2. they used the wrong lug nuts for my wheels and I unknowingly took a hours long road trip with lugs that were not seating in the wheels. My wheels require acorn style and their system specs extended acorn style for aftermarket wheels on Toyota trucks.

3. When I got them to order the correct lugs for my wheels they told me they were not correct for my truck and they were making a note in the system to not work on my truck as long as I used the “correct” lugs for my wheels.

I know they’re just following system notes and company policy but I’ve had enough bad experiences to avoid. I’ll go to locally owned places for now on that aren't restricted to using common sense. Also, the local DT does not do alignments.

 

I have not. Last place that told me that specializes in modifying trucks so I’d assume it was accurate since he had a hard time getting passenger side to comply.

 

It's not just the threads that seize though. The cam adjuster sleeves can get frozen inside the bushings. Unless you're saying you'd break the sleeve free with an impact?

If you have a junkyard nearby I'd say it's worth a trip to see if you can get some reasonably clean adjustment cams there. They should only be a few bucks apiece. When you reassemble, you can put some grease antiseize onto the sleeves to increase the odds of getting them loose again in the future. Just make sure the grease/antiseize stays between the sleeves, you don't want it between the lobes and the frame.

 

In my area it’s extremely rare to see any Toyotas at junk yards. I’m signed up for notifications of the locals get any new inventory and I’ve had maybe 4 notifications in the last 5-6 years.

But if im going to put the effort into cam bolts etc. I’d rather have new bushings as well, so that’s why I’m looking at my options for new/aftermarket/OEM LCAs. No point in doing all the work if old cracked work bushings throw alignment off.

 

For sure, I didn't mean to suggest you shouldn't put in new bushings or arms. "When you reassemble with your new bushings..."

I've been lucky enough to be able to re-use most of my cams (I've had to replace one out of eight cams, across two different trucks) but I keep a couple extras in the parts drawer just in case.

 

The sleeves can be hammered out too once the bolt is out. idk, just seems like it's worth a shot to see if it's actually a problem...

 

Why not keep OEM LCAs and put in whiteline bushings?

nvm, I see you said you're worried about greasing. FWIW the only poly bushings I have that have ever squeaked are the leaf springs

 

Absolutely worth a shot, cutting them out sucks and should be avoided as much as possible, but sometimes the corrosion wins. The one cam I've had to cut out was from a truck that spent its younger years in the east and upper Midwest. Very different from working on my own Colorado desert truck.

 

Got the heavy duty leaf springs installed with new shocks, new tire and found a matching Vision soft 8 wheel after being rear ended a month ago. Frank is back on the road. Hopefully he doesn’t find another POS drunk anytime soon.