Aftermarket shackle hangers question.. Went with Archive Garage

Alright LONG post.. I’m shocked and pretty damn excited right now so hopefully this makes sense when reading….
so I have no idea how this has cured it but the struggle from yesterday I had from the install turned out to be 1000% worth it for more than just the overall improvement of ride quality and handling of the truck since installing the AG HHs! I had no clue this would fix the issue nor was this intended to fix the issue but so far and I’m hoping it continues as of now it’s cured the annoying embarrassing noise I had coming from the front end.
I had a major squeak that had turned into a low pitched groan when I turned the steering wheel lock to lock.
It was so bad and embarrassing that I changed out basically the whole front end suspension components on the truck front complete LCAs w oem, JBA UCAs upper ball joints, both CV axles with oem, driver side hub and wheel bearings w KOYOs, brake pads with OEM TRD pads, sway bar bushings and end links, removed sway bar and end links, rotated month old set of Toyo open country AT3s, re torqued lower coilover mounts, greased everything liberally with white lithium and moly lithium based grease where needed, chsnged inner/outer tie rods and installed warfab sleeves on them so I started thinking that I over torqued inner tie rods when replaced them with oems and ruined my rack so lastly I’ve ordered a damn steering rack(I ruled out ps pump during process of elimination as I flushed and got all the air out of the hoses and felt the pump was fine) as last resort to fix it that will be here tomorrow! Basically spent a shit ton of money on new parts chasing this noise down throughout my process of elimination… also just to note I swapped out full leaf stock pack for Icon RXTs back in October and they’re set to stage 2. I hit a deer going about 40 mph on thanksgiving night but had no noise besides some leaf pack squeaks the rxts are known for until around mid March and have been chasing it down ever since.
Had no intent or reason in my mind to think the HHs could or would resolve the front end noise but bi god I have drove it around all day just to get a feel for the new(night/day ride difference btw) truck rear end hangers and that fucking noise is GONE!!! If it comes back I’ll be sure to report it but as of now it. Is. GONE!
@ARCHIVE do the hangers have any known benefits for the front end or relieving stress throughout the frame possibly? This is crazy and I truly didn’t expect it and keep thinking it’s gonna come back anytime now and it has not so far. I’m literally shocked about it tbh the front end is completely silent now it’s seriously odd and surely it’s not coincidental or something that I unbolted yesterday during install such as Lower shock mount or removing the spare tire chain and pulley? I just don’t understand how it’s disappeared like this

 

These have definitely been the most noticeable upgrade I’ve made to my truck so far and I’ve done ALOT

 

Glad you like them. Like I said....they really are the most noticeable mod right after you get them done. Sorry to hear about your difficulties with installation. Having the right tools around really does help. I am not a mechanic actually, I am a Psychologist by trade. I started working on cars and trucks for a while in my spare time but then when I got my taco in 2014, I started doing mods, research, and experimenting for custom stuff related to the taco. Then a bunch of us started helping each other out with modding and installing things on our trucks about 7 years ago....all learning from one another and passing on install hacks, and info to pass on to give people self confidence to work on our trucks. Now a bunch of us get together monthly to install lifts, do mods, and Install bumpers, sliders, and other stuff for wheeling. I have had a long standing relationship with Eric from @ARCHIVE since March of 2019 when I contacted him about being a vendor in a tacomaworld Northeast meet for Autism speaks. After I installed them.on my truck, I have help others put them on theirs knowing the huge benefits they provide. There may be many imitators but Archive Garage Hammer Hangers is the originator. Eric is a perfectionist and wasn't satisfied just making them and selling them. He is on his 3rd generation of HH design to dial them in.

Regarding your front end.....I am puzzled. Not sure that the HH's fixed your issue but I am glad that you are experiencing their other benefits.

 

Man that’s awesome! Wish we had a group around here that did that! Sound like a lot of fun! I don’t know what it could be that fixed it but it’s pure coincidence if it wasn’t the HHs bc I’ve tried replacing everything for a month to get rid of it!

 

I doubt HH solved a front end noise. I had an annoying noise like that on my 05 4.0 v6 (sounded like a bad squeaking ball joint), turned out to be the driverside motor mount little auxiliary support was scraping because the motor mount-to-frame bolts were apparently left loose when Toyota replaced my frame. Bolțs finally fell out at Silver Lake Dunes in MI, motor leaned, which helped me find the source of the noise, put new bolts from mount to frame

 

Yes the front end noise going away still has me dumb founded like it just doesn’t make any sense why it goes away after installing the hangers! It’s crazy! I’ve got an oem steering rack being delivered tomorrow via fed ex and idk if I’m gonna keep it or send it back now. Somehow the noise is completely gone. I mean not a sound up there anymore. I can’t believe it

 

Did you have the whole truck on stands? Like front and back, when you did the hammer hangers?

 

I did not. Only had the rear end on stands while installing and chocked the front tires

 

Btw if you were onn the fence about these I’d give a 100% recommendation if you have the tools and means to do it or a buddy who could help. Install was rough on me but completely doable and now knowing what to expect I feel that I could be a little faster.. makes a real nice comfort and ride difference and I haven’t even been off the pavement with it yet. I could feel a difference just making the turn out of my driveway. I just got on some back roads and felt it out then as I felt how it was gonna handle I picked the speed up and went around curves and corners and it handled amazingly. Took it out on the highway and got up to 75 and still felt amazing even over dips and bridges just took them like they weren’t there and normally they’d be kinda harsh at times unless I hit them just right

 

Maybe having it jacked up only in the rear allowed my new LCAs and bushings to settle. Idk all i know is it’s suddenly gone away

 

I had an issue where I was lazy and paid a shop to do a huge amount of work on my 2nd gen. They must have torqued the LCA's at full droop on the lift. It was screaching and moaning until I brought it to my alignment shop to figure out the issue and align. They noticed right away that they thought that was the issue, and it was....

 

I have them, love them and would buy again with no 2nd thoughts.
Incase anyone is on the fence here is the install video I watched from a random dude I don't know. Great video this dude is great. So great.

https://youtu.be/FMK5CW86mWg

 

Just amazing the noise hasn’t came back yet! Btw this is how the rack came delivered so I’ve set up a return on it already

 

Appreciate the vids this guy that you've never seen before makes. I used this and the one from Adv4x4 as guides when installing my set of the Hammers.

Yeah... that's definitely not a new rack. But if you decide to replace it later on, Tundra swap dat bish.

 

No but to clarify I did know it was a salvaged rack from a 2019 Tacoma that supposedly only had 15k miles on it when totaled! If the videos on tundra racks didn’t make it look like such a pain in the ass I’d definitely go that route!

 

It definitely looks like a pain, probably easier than the hammers though

 

Watched your video about 10 times while installing lol