'03 Prerunner 4WU 3link up-date

Damn i think i paid 75 bucks for one from marlin.

 

Hmmm, which one (mount) did you go with?

In the pinch I was in... I couldn't find a rubber isolated mount. I didn't want to go solid.

Thanks for the reply.

 

Looks awesome!

 

Thank you sir.

 

... then the price went up significantly. I bought it from them. CJ hooked it up on the fast delivery.

 

Wow!! This was back in 2008 lol.

 

Just whatever stock replacement that I found on rockauto.com. I have the chain drive case with a R150F transmission, so my mount is on the transmission (or adapter, I cannot remember without looking.) think I paid about $40 or so.

 

So here is a bit of an up-date:

Went to Howe Performance Steering in Lakeside yesterday. They gave me tips on installing their pump, reservoir and in-line cooler kit I purchased but was not installed due to time, and the parts I had worked in regards to hoses, fittings and the like. The Howe parts will be on the truck by the end of next weekend, not the one coming up.

So, Justin Howe put me in touch with Jimmy Wietzel who builds high dollar trophy trucks in Santee, CA. As my frame measures 20" from the ground, Jimmy informs me of some changes I need to make to the bracketry in order to make all work together since it is so low. Also, I will need to add a support connecting each shock tower to minimize frame flex. Adding to that, I will add material to the lower link brackets and re-drill to bring the link back 1/2" and lower it 1" in order to maximize full up travel.
I will need to rotate the driver side lower link bracket 13 degrees to align it with the link on the axle in that my axle WMS is 62", much narrower than the 'normal' 3 link axle width of 65", so I am told. I will plasma cut that bracket to alignment and weld it back.
Also, the top heim link on the 3rd needs to be lowered to the 2nd of two provided holes in said bracket. Cool so far.

This is not a bang on 4WU... remember, this build is a one-off and not been attempted with parts from 4WU with this set-up. A total learning experience for all, I'm the guinea pig which I'm cool with as long as everyone prospers after the fact.
Brian informed me that he will call in a month to get numbers on different locations so he can provide the best product going forward.

I still have a few weeks to tinker but I guarantee it will be killer when complete. I'm bummed I will miss TDS this weekend.

Stay tuned.

 

Currently 20" Very low for sure. I am on 33's which makes a huge difference in set-up.

As my previous post states, there are some things I'll work through and once complete, I will pass that info along to 4WU so he can take notes and go forward from there.

I will say... the guys @ Jimmy Weitzels were diggin' the build, AND, they build 400-500K trophy trucks. Hell, their shop had 4 builds going on while I was there. Awesome stuff.

 

Up-date #2:

This past weekend, I made a new trans cross member, installed it and removed the temporary piece. Done.
Removed the DS limit strap tab on the link bar, relocated it about 20 degrees, aligned with the upper tab and welded. Done.

I need to mess around with the DS lower link bracket. It's quite a bit off in aligning with the lower bracket on the axle. Appears there may be a chance of binding, dunno.

The DS motor mount has a small gap on the upper side, motor vibrates a bit in gear at idle. Gotta think on that one.

I hope to have the power steering lines made this week if I get the time.

I'll post pics this weekend.

 

Here is a small up-date towards working on the small things that add up in time, most of which I do not have.
1. Adjusted the angle of the drive shaft, TC flange. I was off by 3 degrees. That's done.
2. Now that I have a new TC cross member, removing the temporary allowed me to see where my Inch Worm box had been leaking for 3 years. Simply drained the TC, pulled the galley plug, add a bit of silicone and run it in till it bottomed. Leak repaired.
3. Trimmed a small portion of the DS fenderwell as it sat on steering box and vibrated badly. Done.
4. Used Scotchbright on the newly installed parts. Primed & painted what I could reach. Next weekend, my brother will let me use his shop to have the forklift give the truck full droop and get the areas that I missed. Done.

Here are some pics of the progress:

 

So here is another update:

Been busy with work which eliminates working on the details.
I had Viktor Doktor, owner of Dok-Tek Racing, look things over as there is a gap between the DS frame perch & the motor mount.
At that point, the frame was sucked inwards 3/4".

Viktor will use a porta-power to push the DS out, add a cross member and gusset accordingly. He will then install a new mount.

The added 3/4" will allow me to attach the firewall plate, where the steering linkage goes through the firewall, and hopefully eliminate some of the binding while turning at low rpm's.

I'll get photos of this process as well.

The list of 'things to do' is getting smaller.

Thanks for tuning in.

 

Yet another up-date:

Last weekend, Dok-Tek racing installed a chromoly cross member just in front of the oil pan bolts. That came out nice.
The issue with the motor mount was disturbing. Not sure why but, it was removed and cut, can't figure that one out and, when re-installed, it went in upside down.
I did have a new mount on hand so in it went, correctly. That cured all of the motor vibrations as the locating tab on the mount went into the locating slot on the perch.

Still messing around with the T-case cross member I made... gotta get the correct output flange angle figured out.

 

Got the drive line vibe figured out, thanks to Phil on TTORA. He came up with the magical degree number for the output flange on the T-case.

So, if y'all are wondering, the Cardan takes the 'hit' for correcting the degree differences on the T-case & pinion flanges.

My OEM pinion angle is 77-78 degrees. Regardless of what that number is, if you have a Cardan, the T-case output flange must be 0 degrees, or 90 degrees if you are using an angle finder tool like I have.

Also, I mounted all Howe Performance steering components, measured for hose lengths so I can have them made on Monday. I'll install all of the components next Sunday and post pics.

Now that that's settled... on to the next fix which is steering linkage. Once this is corrected, I am hoping the firewall plate will line up so I can seal the heat coming in from the motor compartment. That too I'll get pics of and post.

It's getting there... just a bit overwhelming at times with so many variables compounding multiple issues.

Thanks for tuning in.

 

So wait 4wu did all the swap work and left you with a bunch of stuff to fix?

 

Yes sir. Honestly, he gave me an install price and I feel he lost his ass.
For the last 3 weeks prior to my driving it home, I drove up there to assist in completing it. Each time, it was like it was when I left so nothing was happening while I was not there, kinda bummed me out.

I simply couldn't afford the rental car any longer... hell, I had it for 2.5 months.

The small details, which there is a long list of, keep adding up.

While the winds were bad in Simi Valley, it blew his canopy/ awning into my truck, denting the hood in 3 places and the DS fender in one and multiple deep scratches around the truck. These repairs will be handled for $1,150.00.

Attention to details, as you know, are huge in reaching a functional end result. I have over $300.00 in new brake lines I've purchased which still need to go on the truck.

 

Whatever the install price was that they gave you, it seems like it was not worth the savings at the end if you have so many loose ends to deal with in order to finish the project on your own. Plus you have to eat another $1,500 worth of paint damage that happened at their shop? How is that your fault?

Not saying that 4WU does not make a good product or that it is a bad company. They obviously have a good reputation for a reason. Honestly, their brackets are the best looking ones in the market period.

Unless you agreed from the very beginning that they would just burn the suspension brackets/located the axle under the truck and you would finish the rest of the project on your own; there's just something about this whole thing that doesn't sound right.

 

^^ the truck was to be completed and I drive away. Paint repair is $1,150.00. His install price was 5.2K cheaper than anyone in my area. Had the paint & dents not been an issue, I'd still be ahead, including the car rental costs. Now you see why I went with him, plus he built the brackets so to be consistent, had him do the install.

I felt bad for him as my truck was basically a 3rd job for him. Realistically, it would still be at the shop had I decided not to take it. Taking possession was my decision.

Don't get me wrong, his kit is awesome, everything works and so on. I was unaware of the amount of small things that just keep surfacing. I just like my stuff right, that's all.

Time was not on my side, or his. It got to the point of either continue paying for a car rental or take it home and deal with all of the small things, which I did.

All will be good once I complete it. I did repair the exhaust yesterday. All leaks are gone. I'll, finally, get the proper angle set on the T-case cross member today which will allow me to get some poser flex shots too.

It's getting there.

 

Got you. Ok, I stand corrected!

I guess I missed the part where it was your decision to take possession of the truck. From how I read you earlier posts it seemed like they just gave you an incomplete project to deal with on your own. So that's the part I was referring to as "not sounding right."

Also, sorry for misquoting the paint damages

I totally get where you are coming from. A SAS on a tacoma is a HUGE project. Even when you think you've covered everything then something else comes up! As of now, the start date of my SAS has been delayed for a little over year; most of which has been waiting for parts and also dealing with vendors that didn't follow through. Very frustrating. But I also changed directions a couple of times and ended going with 1 ton axles, so that delayed things even more.

Anyway, glad to hear you moving towards the final goal of your project.