Cam Alignment Tab Plates - BENT

Hey guys,

Been putting this off for a while, but finally decided it was time to fix it. During one of the many offroad trips, I've managed to bend the factory cam alignment tab's on my 07 Tacoma. I've included a picture below of the damage. I have purchase the TC Cam Tab Gussets, and just need them installed. Now, I am on a budget and was wondering what the cheapest route would be. First question, if I continue to run it how it is, is there a risk of it failing? Next, to get by for a while could I heat up the mount and attempt to pry it back to an original location? I do have a shopped lined up to do the full install, but their quote is expensive. If the TC gussets needed to be installed, should I order LCA bushings and bolts as well?

Again, just trying to get some feedback on what the best way to fix this problem would be. And if anyone has had this repair done in the past, would like to know what parts to buy.

 

Just keep driving it until the bushing needs replaced. You CANNOT just heat it up and bend it back, or you will end up melting the bushing. Unless it has knocked your alignment off, just leave until bushing is wore out. The cam tab gussets replace the factory ones that look perfectly OK in the picture. All you did was bash the piece at the bottom. It can possibly be bent back without heating it, but unless it is bent and rubbing on the control arm, forget about it.

 

The tab doesn't really look bent to me, but maybe I am missing something. I bent mine wheeling, but the alignment shop was able to hammer the tab back in place. My plan if they bent again was simply to have a welder put a bead of weld behind the tab to gusset it. No idea why people go to all the trouble of heavy duty plates when a simple weld will do the trick.

 

I always figured if I bent mine again I would just hammer it back in place and run a bead of weld along it to gusset it. Are you saying that I am pretty much guaranteed to cook my bushings if I do that?

 

Yeah sorry for the bad picture, but when comparing it to the other side only the bottom portion of the tab is bent. I will try and get a better picture today. It only threw the alignment off just a tad (nothing to be concerned of). The only reason why I want to get it fixed, is going over bumps it makes a "clicking" noise when the bent pieces rub on each other. Yes, I have isolated the noise to the tab so not really looking for the advice of checking other suspension bits and pieces lol.

 

@Bentrodder

 

But thanks for that idea, I think I am going to give that a try today and see if I can clean it up a little bit.

 

Uh, is that a rust hole in the upper left of the picture? Maybe you can get a whole new frame?

 

I wish! Unfortunately that is only a hole in the super strong factory skid plate. I had my truck in for inspection already and did not get the sweet deal of a new frame

 

Just found out mine are bent also and I have no idea how. I don't wheel mine so it's crazy how it just bent. Did the tac weld behind the tab help keep it in place? How did you bend it back? And did you remove the local to keep it from melting the bushings while welding?

 

So I ended up removing the entire LCA and cutting out the bent portion of the tab. I then welded in the TC cam gussets. I was already installing new front suspension so thought I'd just go this route instead of trying to "bend" the tabs back in place. I also found that part of the bent tabs were rubbing into the LCA bushing and was tearing it. So I opted just to spend the time and fix it right.

 

I'm thinking I'll just try to bend it back and get a weld behind it