Colorado B.S. Thread

The shop I frequent just quoted me $650 to install new ones from Toyota. Toyota here in Ft Collins has them in stock but wants $232/pr for them at which point I should just get the adjustable ones from All-Pro for $279/pr.

Part of what ticks me off about all this is that I don't have a garage of my own anymore & all my tools are in a storage unit. Uninstalling/installing these things doesn't look that difficult. 2 bolts, 2 nuts 4 bushings each, big freakin' deal. The only thing I can see that would be difficult is lining everything up without a lift so that the suspension is dangling w/o weight? Is that even a concern? The snapped ones don't move but is that b/c they are original to the vehicle & stuck or just too tight?

Any career mechanics have some advice??

 

Sure thing. Just get the camera(s) on your network and set them up to email you still images upon motion detection. Works pretty darn good just like that. You can view them remotely with various smartphone apps (I use IP Cam Viewer on my Android for free) and even pan them around and do 2-way audio. Advanced mode is getting a PC set up with some hard drive space & get a software like Blue Iris to set up DVR schedules that will then give you limitless control. Add more cameras as you please to any of these setups. There's plenty of online tutorials now-a-days that will walk you through every step including forwarding ports on your router & such for outside access. Good luck!

 

I am not familiar with the install but my experience with OEM parts that don't move is that they need to be soaked with PB Blaster now so they are loose by the time you get the new arms to install. :-D

 

Yep, on my second gen. Not on my 3rd gen as I have shocks that are within the movement range of the bushings (OME). On my second gen I had some really long Rancho shocks and at full flex the steel bushing sleeve would contact the mounts at full flex. Not knowing this the 1st time I just welded them back together and added a tube sleeve over the stock rod. Well my weak point moved to the axle housing mount and I tore that off on the trail (fun). With OME shocks at full flex there is only a couple mm of clearance between the mount and the bushing sleeve, so I'm ok right now.

Some sort of extended movement heim or johnny joint is needed.

 

Aligning those arms with the springs in is a huge pain in the ass. I always do it on the lift with giant pry bars.

The arms will not move easily without the bolts loose. The inner sleeve of the bushing is locked when the bolt is torqued. The rubber bushing is molded to the sleeve. So not moving without the bolts loose is normal.

Also, when you go to loosen the arms, the bolt side is the correct side to loosen. The nuts have little stakes that hold/lock them to the metal of the mount.

 

If you need a shop, Im over in Windsor, and this week and the week of the 21st its just me there and not many other projects going on. We don't have a lift, but we have jacks, and air tools to speed it up.

 

New bumps on the fronts

 

which bumps? truck is comin together!

 

New front bumper Trail Gear, 883s not holding up as high as Id like, if I didnt have my roller skates on Id join you this weekend but after the last snow run i'm scured. Need some new shoes.

 

i may or may not have some top plate spacers


and u should totally come up man, i doubt we'll have to mess with alot of snow

 

It's looking good Tim

 

Agreed! Snow is most likely all gone.

 

Good idea, this will be my first chance to try the 50/50 ATF/Acetone, penetrating oil for myself.

Also, I want to thank all of you for your advice & offers of assistance. In the time I was offline tonight, I got to talking to the guy who is making a custom RTT rack based on a design by mudthedoor (Alex). I asked him what I posed on here about it being as simple as it looked except the minor detail of lifting it first. He said get these parts for 1/2 the price I had found online & we'll swap them out this weekend.

I'll take you up on this offer & keep them for trail spares like Squeaky Penguin suggested.

Again, thanks to everyone. My shop bill has fallen from $650 to $100 & a 12/pk of Angry Orchard Hard Cider long necks.

 

A 50/50 mix of acetone and atf has worked better for me than any commerical product. Hope it works as well for you.

Sounds like you've got it all sorted out, but was also going to add I replaced both upper and lower links on my dad's pathfinder and it was really a straightforward job.

 

That was part of my frustration, it didn't look to be $650 worth of difficulty. The other factor that caused stress was that the $650 would have to come out of my RTT budget. This month's goal is that I get a Tepui Ayer mounted for that back country tour you suggested last month & caused me to like a Pavlovian dog hearing a fire alarm bell.

 

What do all your RTTs usually run price wise?

 

When I was looking at them for a bit before I went another route with my tent I saw them start at $800 and go up. Too much for me personally.

 

Get ahold of JLee he gives a good deal. Also a local tepui dealer in boulder. Should have bought in the group buy for tepui online purchase so no tax and free shipping.

 

That really sucks joey
I'm looking into cameras as well but for other reasons. I tried a swanneye plug and play and let me tell you it sucks. I'm looking into foscam now (thanks for the suggestion ost)