'03 Prerunner 4WU 3link up-date

If you're not doing hydro-assist, what were you getting at Howe and having hoses made for?

 

I purchased their 1500 psi pump along with reservoir, filter, in-line cooler & misc hardware.

 

I was talking about hydro assist not full hydraulic steering - which apparently is not street legal in some states. But I've never heard of hydro assist not being street legal.

So are you not doing hydro assist? What is your ultimate tire size goal?

 

^... my bad, I misunderstood you.
Hydro assist is what I'll be running.

As for tire size, 33" are the largest I will go. Just had a new set of General Grabber AT2's installed yesterday along with an alignment. It was waaay off so it steers much nicer. Had it washed & waxed too, 1st time in more than 4 months. I'll get some pics posted of it later this morning.

I decided to not install the power steering components today. My dads shop is 25 miles away and the bearing is the transfer case is getting worse. I don't want to do anymore damage to whatever else inside.

Thanks for the reply & tuning in. More to follow.

 

Interesting. Guess I missed your project goals earlier during the thread.

I thought you had those tires temporarily until you finished the project to then get bigger meats. Man, that's a lot of work and money for just 33"s which will give you slightly more clearance than with IFS. I guess it all depends on the trails that you wheel.

Good idea about not continue to drive until you figure the tcase situation completely. You do not want to grenade anything inside!

 

^ I've had the same size and brand for quite some time. I bought them after Thanksgiving as I couldn't pass up $165.00 per tire.

If my wife could drive a manual trans vehicle, I'd do that swap too which would allow me to go up to 35's and not kill the 2.7 motor.

At this time & place, my ultimate goal is to have an LS motor, auto trans and hooked to an Atlas TC.

 

There's a local guy here that has a 2.7 with 1 tons rolling on 40" tires and an auto tranny, and he does just fine. So it can be done

 

Wow... I am guessing its not a DD like mine.
With Toyota based axles, the lowest gear ratio is 5.29's of which I have.
I do not know what ratios are available for the Dana axles.

 

The lowest Toyota ratio is actually 5.71 but nobody runs it.

The most common Dana gears are 5.13 or 5.38.

I've got to ask... If you're staying on 33's why are you going so big on the link kit? Why even link it? Pretty big goals of a LS, atlas, ect just to be held back by your tire size. Not to mention Toyota stuff isn't going to hold LS power.

 

^ I didn't know of the 5.71's... got me thinking now. Why aren't they talked about on the forums?
Eventually, this will not be a DD. The LS and Atlas are just goals I've set for myself when I retire in 6 years. I need to have a toy to tinker with.

Here is a shot with the new tires... and I finally washed it after 4 months.

 

I will say this truck is going to be one kick ass sleeper rig!! With a reg cab truck, linked, locked f/r, and with a crawler will embarrass most trucks sitting on larger tire sizes. If i didnt wheel on boulder strewn trails, that are rutted up from Tim Cameron wannabees I would have kept 33's, but i need the belly height with my limo.

This truck would walk damn near all of moab i bet and probibly never break!

 

Thanks Slander... my hope is to do these trails in the future. Work is in the way most of the time.

Didn't do much of anything this weekend. Getting it to the shop Wednesday night to have the 4.7 Lefty and trans cross member worked on. Hopefully all vibration issues are corrected so I can move onto other things to tinker with.

Thanks for the replies. More to follow.

 

There are trails in AZ and UT that have rocks taller than your truck

It really all boils down to where you wheel and the engine power/torque you have. Down here people tend to run big meats because trails are quite unforgiving. But if your are not going to be doing hard core rock crawling you'll be fine. There are plenty of mild trails around here as well. But then again, why do a SAS if not for rock crawling?

I also agree that if a LS is coming down the line the toyota parts will be vulnerable. The atlas will be ok for sure behind that engine but the axles - especially the ring/pinion - will see a lot of stress. With a V8 you'll be safer with 1 ton axles.

You have a nice build going on there. It will be a capable and dependable rig.

 

^^Thanks for the comments...

Ya know, it's like any project. Once you get started, where/ when does it end.

Had I even thought of the LS stuff before the beginning of 2015, I would have ordered different axles. By the time that thought popped into my brain, I had ordered/ paid for the Diamond axle and had ordered the 4WU 3 link kit. I've had the Lefty for 2.5 years so changing it out at this point is useless.

Again, when it is no longer a DD for my wife, things will get interesting. Should be a fun swap.

More to follow.

 

I hear you. I've changed directions quite a few times. Still gathering a few parts before the SAS starts.

There are so many options. It's overwhelming at times.

 

^ Yes it is.

What axle you going with again?

 

D60 Kingpin from a late 80's F350. For the rear, 14bolt from a late model chevy (those come with disk brakes from factory already).

I agonized about axle choices. Went back/forward so many times. Eventually settled on 1 tons because I ended getting 40" tires and there's no way i would feel comfortable with toyota axles and tires of that size.

The other thing was price too. The front D60, built to the hilt, was a few hundred dollars cheaper than the quote i got for a built diamond.

The D60 is obvioulsy heavier but it gives room for engine upgrades in the future and even bigger tires.

There's pros/cons to every axle. Tire size was a big dtermining factor for me

 

Excellent. When will the build commence?

 

Target goal is this month. Still waiting on some parts. Don't want to start missing parts to then have the truck on a lift forever

 

These are very valid points. I have decided to ditch my land cruiser axles and go to tons as well because while my fj60 front/fj80 rear and are holding up very well to the turbo and 40's, tons will give me room to grow should I feel the need for more HP or 42's. I priced out diamonds running my internals and I can build tons for $2k cheaper and have stronger axles, more width, and greater steering throw.