The Getaway...Crom's build and adventures

ome shocks.

 

At least there have been lots of reports of them leaking. New.

 

Oh yeah, Nick, in reading the shackle bushing removal debacle and those 2-part inner metal sleeves wiht a gap between them, it reminded me of this pretty nifty bicycle headset cup removal tool as a possible solution to tons of laborious and blade-consuming cutting, which could also mar the inside of the shackle housing.





https://www.amazon.com/Park-Tool-RT-1-Cup-Remover/dp/B000WJ90E6

If one were to soak the sleeves in penetrant for a while, then hit the shackle with a torch, then use this, could be another solution if there is enough room in that gap between the metal sleeves for the prongs of this tool to expand enough to seat on the rim of the metal sleeve.

Park Tool RT-1 Head Cup Remover
This handy tool makes headset cup removal easy. Just pull it through the frame and tap the tool head to knock the cup loose. Works for 1", 1-1/8" and 1-1/4" headsets as well as PressFit 30 (PF30) bottom bracket units. The PressFit 30 inside diameter is the same as headset cups, and are pressed in the same manner.

• Fits 1", 1-1/8" and 1-1/4" headsets
• Also removes PressFit 30 (PF30) bottom bracket units
• Constructed of strong, heat-treated alloy steel with a nickel finish for durability

 

Never stop Nick, still great stuff. I hope to be able to apply some stuff to my 98. Say I have a question, do you have a brand for the toolbox/kitchen box item. Still looking for an appropriate item for my rig. Hope to get my sliders welded on this spring before the trip up the Alcan. Might be towing a small trailer up for a friend. Then it will be low budget mods, a new platform, and maybe a custom kitchen box. Thanks for sharing your ever questioning mind with us. Cheers.

 

Speaking of which, I need to call them..

 

What is the benefit of matching the Bilstein 5160 rears with the Dakar leaf pack? From the Wheeler's website, "14.22″ collapsed x 24.06″ extended". I like the idea of having the reservoir, but still seems like you wouldn't be using the capability of the entire Dakar leafs at all? Wish they would make the B110 with a remote reservoir.....

 

Ah, I miss San Diego - where an "epic rain storm" would be referred to as "occasional showers" out here in MD.

No doubt all the local news is now on "Storm Watch" with field reporters dressed in full immersion survival suits as a gentle mist falls. Strict instructions given to the camera man to absolutely under no condition wipe any of the precious few drops of moisture off the lens to provide viewers with a sense of the full force of rain rates of up to 1/2 inch in just 10 hours! Preemptively deploy cameras to low points in Mission Valley to capture low angle medium telephoto shots of cops setting out road flares blocking off roads that were meant to flood by design. See if anyone was dumb enough to leave their car parked in that one Fashion Valley mall parking lot that floods every time it even gets cloudy - if so setup camera to capture poor soul's reaction when they return to their car.

To be fair LA is even worse with the "Storm Watch" coverage. There if the storm isn't going to arrive in time for the 5PM news they just send all their live vans out to Oxnard to catch it a few hours early. When that doesn't happen they make "late breaking live coverage" reports to some beach out in Ventura County where a reporter delivers an opening line of "It isn't raining here yet but we expect it to soon!". My favorite was back in the 90's sometime an enterprising reporter actually did a "live late-breaking" report while he kneeled in a gutter with a pathetic trickle of water gently flowing around his knee.

Anywho, hope your yard drains well! I did see a photo of Lee Flat with some snow on it from a day or two ago and forecast is for another one or two inches up there. Wish I could make it out right now! I love winter "storms" in the desert.

EDIT: Actually looks like 4-8" of snow in some parts of the Owens Valley right now. 395 closed entirely just north of Bishop. Chains required north of Independence. I'm guessing Lee Flat really getting covered good then!

 

Good luck, Tim. From my own experience, ARB support is outstanding, so I'm sure you'll be taken care of. And I wish they weren't giving you grief.

The 5160 doesn't match Dakar at all if you ask me. I think the 5160 was meant for OEM pack or AAL.

Proven options for Dakar with max spring travel that I know of are: RCD B110,

Very attractive alternatives:

• Bilstein 5125. Part 33-230375,
• Bilstein 7100 model number AK7112SBB, with a shock stem adapter

I was looking at the 5125 model to replace my RCD B110 if I determined it was limiting travel of the springs. It is an attractive alternative because it allows one inch more droop and as a compromise one inch less compression, which is not a problem on my truck, according to my measurements with my bump stops might, be different for yours.

The 7100 also has a reservoir, the advantage of the reservoirs are two fold.

First it does allow for more cooling as the oil can displace inside the reservoir, more surface area allows for more cooling, however this is only relevant if your driving style dictates then need for it. If you're a go fast in the Mojave, type of driver with lots of terrain height changes, then it's a good fit. if you're an Overlander with long flat Forest service or NPS type trails, then probably not relevant. What I'm telling you is based on scientific research that was conducted by Kimberly trailers in Australia they manufacture trailers that are in the $80,000 range. What they did is put temperature sensors on the shock bodies and then beat on them and they were able to learn that the reservoirs don't do s*** if your Trail as long and flat.

The second Advantage is actually a really good one it allows the shock piston rod to be longer in the main shock body, that is because the dividing piston for the nitrogen chamber was moved into the reservoir body. Therefore you can have a wider range of travel in a shorter body. The 7100 series are a perfect example of this.

The 5125 above is very close match to the RCD B110 shock that uses a stem Mount at the top, and loop mount at bottom, so it's a direct bolt in replacement option for our trucks. They also use vulcanized neoprene bushings which are good in my opinion if you don't like noise. We call those rubber around here.

The 7100 series I mentioned is fully rebuildable and revalvable by customer, they use spherical bearings in both mounts upper and lower, this is what they use in the racing shocks that so many people use in the forum. I don't think I want them on my truck, as I understand they can, and will make noise. And I cannot have my suspension making noise. I'll go insane.

Hope this helps.

 

. So much truth! I love your descriptive writing style. So visual!

We were already waterlogged when Friday pounded us. I'm still waiting for the Sunday dooms day weather to arrive. yard is good, thanks.

I too wish I was out adventuring, inclement weather always makes things more interesting!

These two quotes from the SD BS thread, the second is hilarious!

.

 

This was me during the same set of storms 7 years ago.

 

Sure, 32 and 5/8"

It gets tricky when it's all drooped out cause the fender lip is no longer a flat surface to measure from, I measured that too, at max tilt it's 18.45° lol

To keep myself honest I had to use a bubble level and flat bar. Where the bar is placed on the lip at that angle will cause the results to vary quite a bit, so I made a choice to inboard the bar 0.25" and measure from there.

 

Sure,

See if this is what your looking for:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-and-adventures.362772/page-172#post-14022179

 

I thought the max on the front was 23" which is 3" of lift for a second gen. Anything below 23" is OK, just have to meet whatever wants you have, tire clearance, aesthetics, ride quality, alignment specs. Anything beyond that increases CV boot wear, makes the ride more harsh, puts the CVs at a continuous heavy angle(First hand experience, didn't know any better).

 

Don't put all you faith in the general guideline since we don't have typical trucks, it'll be different for folks with the steel bumper+winch+whatever else, it may be a good place to start, but definitely expect to make more than 1 adjustment.

 

Wow, awesome info on this, thanks! The reason it's not a problem on your truck is because you have spaced up your rear Superbumps to allow for extra factor of safety, correct? So one inch less of compression actually helps your factor of safety on the bumps and you gain the extra inch of droop? I'm not sure if the 7100 would be necessary for my applications. Obviously it's fun to go fast in the desert, but that is by no means my default driving style when off road. Most of my driving will either be trail exploring and wheeling, and overland type applications. But after reading all of your research and experience with your OME kit, I'm ready to burn mine as well. I knew it was rough, but I had nothing to compare it to, and I didn't feel like shelling out so much money for an entirely new suspension kit. The RCD B110 and 5125 both sound like wonderful options. If you were to do it over again, which one would you get? Or would you go crazy and get the 7100's? haha

The 7100 description also says it's equipped with a schrader valve? Is this so that the customer can adjust pressure on the fly? And what makes them user rebuildable vs. a performance shock you would send in to get rebuilt?

I'm also very close to being sold on the 6112 shocks up front as well. Question on those though: did you use the springs supplied from Bilstein or your OME 885's? Differences from my front end and yours is that I run an ARB bull bar, winch, and steel front and trans skid plates, so I have the 886 coils right now. Does Bilstein have an option for a higher rate spring or will the OME 886's work with the 6112? I know it was discussed briefly a while ago as well about OME coils on the 5100. Seems from your experience that it was a good combination, but I don't remember anyone chiming in about using them with an 886. Is it not recommended? Or are they not valved properly for the 886 and higher loads?

So many questions. So little time.....

 

Hey Nick. Are the shackles identical for left and right sides, and have the same part number/markings? I've had no time to even crawl under the truck for a few minutes to check myself, or even spend much time online investigating. Don't even ask why.

Out of curiosity, I'm looking into these, and the Camelback Toyota parts site shows only one part number (0448304080), but designates left or right sometimes. It's pretty confusing between their parts list and the fairly vague diagrams. I am not sure if the mean you use the same exact part for both sides, or if they are indeed side-specific.
https://parts.camelbacktoyota.com/parts/2015/Toyota/Tacoma/Base/index.cfm?siteid=214329

 

In the rear, I'm running stock whelelers super bumps, no shims. I'm running a 1/4" spacer on my front bumps, maybe you're thinking of that.

When I first went to RCD shock I didn't know how much the wheelers bump would compress so I had to guess. My guess was wrong, I overestimated. So I have more room than I thought. I could use a Billstein that collapsed down to 17" and extended to 28". That's the 5125 model I mentioned does that.

Yeah so many if us started with the ome, lol.

The valving is identical between the two model shocks I listed, 5125 and 7100 are series numbers, and after that were models I listed. So dampening, vehicle handling all be identical.

The cost is $75 vs $155 each, if you shop around.

I'd choose the 5125 because it does the job.

If you wheel so hard that your shocks get too hot to touch by by bare hand, then reservoir, or if you like the look, lots of choices are made from form, but I'm generally not like that.

That's for recharging with nitrogen after you rebuild or modify the valving since disassembly is required.

The 7100 you can rebuilt in your garage, the 5125 is only rebuildable by the Bilstein Factory. But it's also an inexpensive shock. Just because it's inexpensive doesn't mean it's bad a lot of people see the price and probably think it might not be good, that's just not true.

I bet the cost to rebuild it at the factory is more than buying it new, so I would just continue to run it for 3 to 4 years or 5 years or whatever and then just buy a new one. The 6112's are the same factory rebuildable.

The higher end performance shocks, as far as I understand it can be rebuilt in your garage with the right tools, not too complicated, just need to know what you're doing and have the desire to do it.

I'm running stock coil from Bilstein. Maybe talk to Wheeler's off-road, they have some coil choice now I saw on their web?

Lots of people run the 5100 with 886 spring. No problems I'm aware of.

Yes. Time not enough.

 

Hey Nick. What's the charge on these? I wouldnt be having the truck shop install as my truck is stranded going nowhere in my driveway currently.

 

That Burt Monroe fix was awesome. Wonder who's idea it was- and what everyone else's faces llok like when they saw that it actually worked.