Cincinnati Area Thread (Tri-State, Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana)

Oh, yeah that would be my game plan....but I dont know where the damned Tacoma guys are haha. I've only ever messed with leafs at mod days since I have a FJ.....

Regardless if you have frame on stands and jack up the axle it will let you undo the U bolts without killing yourself typically.

 

Have you determined it's safe to completely remove the overload?

 

Yeah. Both Icon and Wheelers actually recommend installing their 3 leaf AAL kits without it. I only did it for the extra 1/2” of lift and had no idea it was partially responsible for the harsh feeling I was getting over bumps in the rear.

I talked it over with Marie when I ordered my Elka suspension and she even said they were considering including a 1/2” flat shim with their 3 leaf AAL kit for the extra lift and to discourage people from keeping the overload.

 

Well, then get yourself 4 c-clamps. Might be able to do this without even unbolting the end bolts.
Clamp the entire pack with 2, clamp the rest of what you wanna keep with the other 2. Remove the center pin. Back off the clamps holding the overload. Reinsert center pin and trim it. Remove last 2 clamps.

Might work, might not.
My plan to pull one leaf outta my Dakars was clamp them all together, pull center pin, slowly back off clamps, remove leaf in question, reinstall everything. Drink a beers.

 

Perfect. That’s pretty much exactly what I was gonna attempt to do. Except I shouldn’t need to trim the center pin since the 1/2” shim is almost exactly the same thickness as the overload leaf it’s replacing. It even has a hole in the middle for the center pin so I should just need to get the overload out and swap in the shim.

And yeah, I figured after I’m done painting the drums/hubs I’d just go ahead and finish up the rear of the truck before I move to the front. I’ll get the new Elka shocks installed and swap the shims in place of the overload.

 

You'll need to take off your u-bolts, you will not be able to get the center pin out and/or you won't be able to lower your axle low enough to lift the leaves over the center pin, so you'll need to take them off.

Jack up the frame, support frame with jack stands. You'll need a floor jack under the rear axle to raise/lower the axle when needed.

Also you'll need 2 ratchet straps. The axle will most likely shift and you won't be able to get it back in the alignment studs. You'll most likely need to pull it inward and forward with ratchet straps.

 

I assumed he was already taking off the u-bolts ....but...TacomaWorld

I never fooled with strapping the axle. I probably should measure or something. But, I need an alignment and I've not had the tires/wheels balanced again after getting them from @Jibbs.
Who knows, I probably have wicked axle wrap and need shims. Or I'm crab walking. Or my driveshaft is fuqt. Or some thing(s) is bent. Never see anything visually, so I lean toward alignment and wheel/tire balance. The KM2s have served Josh and me very well, they've already got one foot in the grave.

 

@dirty deeds - I apparently read the posts too fast....I thought he asked if he needed to unbolt the U bolts or just loosen them.....the question was about unbolting the entire pack. Oops.

The ratchet straps only help guide the pins into the hole in the axle. My truck needed it because the axle moved around like a raw hot dog while I was taking the old leaves out, and I couldn't muscle it up to the pins by hand.

The rear leaves/axle doesn't have adjustable alignment bolts like on the front. I don't believe there's any aligning that can be done to change the alignment. So, I think crab walking would only indicate a bent frame, bent hangers, or alignment stud that isn't properly set into the axle. But I'm not an alignment expert, so my assumptions could be off.

 

Ah, I gotcha. I have 2 floor jacks, so it's been kinda nice to reposition the axle. Leaving the DS connected makes it a big ol pain in the wiener though.

 

Haha, I’m glad you guys have so much confidence in me. I definitely intend to remove the U bolts. I didn’t think there would be enough movement just loosening them. And I’ve actually removed them and lifted the packs before to add angled shims, twice... (during a time of extreme frustration fighting driveshaft vibrations). I had a hell of a time getting the packs back into the alignment holes after that adventure, but I also didn’t use any C clamps and had a crappy jack that was barely tall enough to move the rear axle. Thankfully my custom one piece rear drive shaft fixed all of my vibrations.

And if anyone wants to come lend a hand or just sit around and kill a few beers, I always welcome wisdom and a second set of eyes. I sprayed a few coats of paint on the drums last night and it’s not like the truck is going anywhere anytime soon.

 

Looks Awesome!

 

Now do mine!

 

Thanks guys. Now I don’t feel as bad about installing wheels without center caps. And it’s not a terrible process, just a bit time consuming. My OCD made it take a bit longer than it probably should have but I also don’t really want to have to do it again any time soon. I taped off the hub and wheel stubs and sprayed two different Rustoleum products on the drums. I started with two base coats of flat black high heat paint and after that dried for about a day, I removed the tape from the hubs and then hit the whole thing with three light coats of Rust Reformer.

Now it’s onto replacing the rear shocks and removing those overload leafs. Once that’s done I’m going to continue working my way forward with the Rust Reformer on the frame and rear driveshaft. Once I get to the transmission, I’ll change gears and turn my attention to the power steering rack and front suspension. I might get the truck out of the garage by the end of June. Lol.

 

Maybe by June, DBBB will be open and we'll all be ready for some fun!

 

I wanna know how you're pulling this off in high humidity. I never spray paint in the rain, garage or not.

 

I think high temps plus humidity is what kills spray paint. I didn’t have any trouble at all doing it in the rain. But I also let it dry longer than normal because I was afraid the humidity would cause it to stay wet longer. But with the temp in the mid 50s or so it wasn’t a problem at all. Had it been 80+ I’d have likely opted to wait.

 

Go cat, go! Just impressed it looks that good!
I never had great luck with temps below 60° and high humidity. And damn near everything I've painted black or was sent PCd to me, needs rattled

 

Anyone going to Appalachian Toyota Roundup Labor Day weekend? A buddy of mine that lives in Florence and I are probably going. Curious if anyone else goes or wants to go.

 

Any event details?