Tacoma Spring refurbishing

Oh hell yeah it is, thats the only nice thing about the dbl cardan/split shaft ,how bad is your drive angle now ??

 

I don't have a way of telling what the angle is.

 

Oh I just meant a quick visual, dont need actual numbers, just wanted to see if its still within specs..

 

I got slight a take off shudder after lifting mine. I believe after 116k miles mine is more in the U-joints and the carrier. I'm with you. I'd replace those and then chase with a CB drop/reangling before jumping to axle shims.

 

Yep, check the easy stuff first, I wish i could experience this "shudder" takeoff that you 2nd gen guys speak of,

what exactly does it feel like ?

 

From 1-15ish mph the driveline seems to shake and past that it's smooth.

 

Huh, makes me wonder 2 things, does this happen with stock or non aggressive tires & makes me wonder if the driveshaft is elypting (wobble) for a short bit,you can rule out typical axle wrap because its happening on stiffer modded susp... Could be dry or old Ujoints or dry driveline thru out, maybe a gap too big in the CB itself, but that situation almost always is a driveshaft thats oscillating a little, just need to figure out whats causing it, worth checking into

 

My truck wasn't stock when I bought it.

Would it be worth getting it balanced while I have it off after I replace all the u joints and carrier?

 

Usually a driveshaft only becomes unbalanced if it throws a weight or is bent somewhere, wouldn't hurt to have it "checked" for balance i guess if its free or low cost but I'm also betting that every "balanced" shaft out there has a little anomally to it if looking for absolute +/- balance.. Get a decent straightedge & hit the center length ways in a few spots (check/rotate/check/etc if its bent anywhere it'll probably be in the center being the weakest point, you'll know from the gap between the driveshaft & the straight edge

 

Hey Doug
I got these off a 80's 1 ton. Their the two bottom leafs. How much am I supposed to cut off one side of the ends. I own a 2001 extra cab
Much appreciated

 

Douglas, I pm'd you back brother.

 

If your adding to your existing leafs you need to cut aprox. 3.5"-3.75" off EACH END of donors, but remember 1st gen springs are eliptical meaning the front of springs from centerpin are shorter than from the centerpin back to the rear shackle

I can't find it bro', please re send...

I don't know how well I did for them really but I did it all the same, but I'll always have doubts about some decisions I made on their behalf, theres no play book for this situation & all I can say is I tried my best..

& thank you for the kind words buddy...

 

Hey Doug do you think new springs from a GMC 1-ton would work on our 1st gen tacomas?

Since Chevy and GMC are the same or very similar

 

Oh probably so , one way to be sure is get a tape & measure across if they're 2& 3/8ths" or close I'd say yeah

 

So is this mod really as easy as finding an old set from a Pick-n-Pull (or off a neighbor's truck if you're fast enough), selecting the leafs you want to use, making sure they're the right length, then putting them between the stock leafs and stubby helper leaf with a larger U-bolt?

I have to be missing a big step here.

 

That's the jist of it. Different configs will give you different lift. I for one took out the second toyota leaf and put in a 3/4 ton leaf rather than just adding on to what's there.

 

Well, define easy ?? If by easy you mean that you go to the local auto repository & snatch the first set of springs off a chevy truck, then no not that easy.. The success & outcome of getting the desired ride/lift/payload increase/etc: is totally dependant on the quality & time that you spend looking for just the right springs for your app.. This is HUGE in the whole process, ideally you want to match the first 14" (7" from centerpin in both directions) of the first donor spring to the OEM main spring for ARC, from there the amount of ARC on that first donor should increase, exceeding the ARC of the main spring, this is what will start the lift process, as you add more donors of the same ARC, lift will increase, this is if you intend to build your leafpack from scratch more or less, if just adding to existing leafs, then configing them gets easier because your just going to cut your donors to match the OEM cut lengths (3.75" off each end of donor spring used) & its always best to get new Ubolts but not set in stone, if yours are still good enough to re use, then you can as long as theres not too much thread stretch.. (lucky for me that none of the trucks I've worked on have had Ubolts tight enough to stretch any thread.)...

howz it going brother ??.....

 

Went through about thirty pages of this thread. I was set on a new dakar pack, but now i will be refurbishing. Already found a salvage yard with a good rep and lots of choices in stonewall. I'm going to go back and read the rest of the thread because i still have a couple of questions. I think this will be a good setup with nitrochargers in back and saws 2.0 in front (lots of saving up to do).

 

Good to hear, I know this thread kinda blew up & theres some old fashioned bullshit in here that has nothing to do with anything but guys being guys (& some girls too, you ladies know who you are) But I promise some where in here your questions are addressed, if you still have some that aren't feel free to ask...

 

Thanks Doug, I'm really excited about this because I'll be able to afford the saws i have been eyeing with the savings.....or i could add LR uca.