Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro

see post #1292 and my posts after on my thoughts. I picked up the Stage 1 Nitro Kit.

 

Heres another review I just saw- https://***************/2021/03/11/...e-review/?mc_cid=5ed6a9ca04&mc_eid=804155cb63

 

@Devir7 Link is blocked...?
@Jojee117 More insights to come- standby.

 

That’s odd. Well, if you’re interested it’s trailtacoma followed by .com the review is on the front page and down a bit.

 

@Jojee117 & followers,
Here are some pictures of the Ironman tool vs the Amazon 80-90 Hook Wrench for comparison.
For starters, I WAS able to lower the suspension while on the truck with the wheel removed using the Amazon 80-90 hook. It required a breaker bar and more sweat/effort than I expected, but it is possible!

It was not a perfect fit on the circumference of the adjustable strut spring seat which caused some scratches and wear marks on the finish. Not the end of the world and probably not a deal breaker for me, but worth mentioning.

First pic is intended to show the slight difference in the "circumference" of the two tools.
Pic 2 is just a different angle of pic 1
Pic 3 is the same, but has the IM tool on top of the 80-90 to show the difference better
Pic 4 is just a different angle of pic 4
Pic 5 is a side by side in size/build/design.
Obviously these tools were each designed for different uses, but after buying both, if I could go back, I would buy the IM tool at the same time as my suspension.
That being said, as mentioned, with a breaker bar and wheels removed, the 80-90 WILL adjust the suspension while on the truck!
The Ironman tool is designed to be an all in one tool, and is capable of tearing apart the struts for rebuilding whenever you get to that need. And in true Ironman fashion, it's heavy as shit!
Wish I could get a pic of each on the spring seat, but pics don't do justice trying to work around the tires.

 

Great write up! I have that one from Amazon and tried it about a month ago. I didn’t have a breaker bar that fit so I only got a few small turns before I stopped and agree with what you say. I may by the right tool one day but think I’ve not seen it in stock too often. I do want to lower mine 1/4-1/2 inch at some point but I don’t wanna screw up the alignment right now.
On another note, got tint done today!

 

I am and its solid

 

I've been working with the same shop to get everything dialed in after I self installed (lowered spring strut further, rotate tires & alignment) I've now got an appt to get the ECGS bearing installed, they're waiving the post alignment fee since they had the first ideas to work through the vibrations. I've definitely seen improvement, but its still a work in progress. Maybe something to be said about finding a shop that "gets it" and will work with you to get everything dialed in.
As mentioned, I haven't personally used the IM tool for adjustment, but I know the shop did and they didn't gripe like I would have with the Amazon tool! haha

 

I do wonder how you could get a cheater bar on that ironman wrench being that it's shaped awkwardly. I guess you could try a breaker bar with a large male hex socket in the end of the wrench. I don't know if I'd trust that much torque on of those bits though. Maybe lie a bar in-between the bosses on the wrench? Do you know if the shop removed the shocks to adjust, or did they do it while they were still on the truck? Otherwise if it gets tough I guess you can always whale on it with a deadblow lol.

 

Sorry if I wasn't clear. I used the breaker bar with the 80-90 hook, not the IM tool.
When I dropped it off at the shop, I left the IM tool on the seat for them to see/use. They used the IM tool to adjust while still mounted on the truck, I assume no breaker bar. As you mentioned, IM tool is an awkward size and shape to get a breaker on.

 

Thanks! Sweet ride and mine just shipped. I live in WI, any idea how to make the suspensions/leafs more rust proof? Going into spring, but with all of that washed salt from the rain; I was wondering if there's any grease or lubricant out there that can be sprayed safely onto them.

 

You can spray it with Woolwax or Fluid film. I liked Woolwax, it was black, didn’t smell as bad, a little thicker and claims not to mess up rubber/plastic like FF can. Based on the claims on WW site.

 

I'm so hands on with my vehicle, I'm curious... is that stuff not uber tacky all the time? Like, what about collecting little rocks and bits of dust? Does it not pick that stuff up while its active? I was cautious about using it for this reason and so externally hit some of the gear with some Por-15

 

It does stay tacky and will easily get on your hands/arms/head while working. It does collect something like dirt and grass but it usually falls off. It’s kinda like a grease. Here is a before and after. I have too many pictures of my truck on my phone but I always find a use for them lol.

 

How did you go about your axle shim install? Did you need a longer center pin? Any concerns about the length of the center pin and the axle not locking into place?

 

Using part of my write up from another thread. I also use the slotted shims from Headstrong Off-road.

Depending on your shims and comfort level will change what you to. I ended up removing the front u bolts and jacking up the leaf spring from the front. The shims are just a little too wide to fit between the u bolts. Which is good, now I’m pretty much not concerned about them sliding out.
I jacked up the front of the leaf just enough to fit the shim in there. If yours is not slotted and only has the hole you’ll need to go up higher. I also removed the brake line bracket on the leaf spring just to be sure it didn’t stretch. It looked like there was still a few mm of the center bolt going into the axle.
The vibrations are mostly gone. You may end up needing new u bolts, or buying the smaller shim. There was only .5-1.0 thread on each end. Since then, I’ve bought the Wheelers ubolt flip kit with Timbrens active off road bump stops. Hoping their here Friday. I’ll take another look when I put the flip kit on and let you know.

 

More a comment about lifts in general vs Ironman specific, but I just got the needle bearing replaced with ECGS bushing, big time difference! Still some vibrations, but only when slowing down from about 30-20 mph. Assuming it's driveshaft angles. It looks like @Devir7 has worked through the same task. You happy with the results after adding shims?
I'm tempted to just run it over to a driveshaft shop, have them get the angles dialed in and/or switch over to a 1 piece driveshaft.
Definitely more comfortable with the day to day driving now that the needle bearing is gone!

 

Good to hear you got the bearing replaced with the bushing and that vibration is gone.
Could your deceleration vibes have been there before the lift? I know I had some during braking around that speed too. It could still be driveshaft angles though.
If you have a shop near by you trust (and it’s not too expensive) it might be much easier and mentally better to just have them look at it and see what they recommend. I’m finally happy with mine now. I have a 1” spacer for the carrier bearing in addition to the shims and that’s pretty much gotten rid of all my vibrations from the 50 mph range.
I should have measured angles before the lift and even though I had everything ready, I was too excited to start.

 

That's another challenge with all this. I don't remember any vibrations when stock... I'm also not known for my memory.
Obviously I have now changed all suspension components, tires, and wheels. So any piece or combination of those may be a factor. I downloaded a cheap angle measuring app on my phone, crawled under, and while I'm not 100% confident I used it perfectly, I think the angle leaving the rear end is pretty different than the angle entering the t-case. I also didn't measure angles pre lift.
So far, I have the IM carrier bearing spacer and an addl washer on each side, I didn't realize I could need something up to 1" under there. May explore that a bit more.
Thats manageable, but in all reality I'll probably look for an old school driveshaft shop with dirty hands, dirty shop, and a ton of experience to trust with it. Haha

 

I knew I had them before I lifted but there were less of those after the lift. An inch might be a little excessive and maybe I missed a combination that would have worked better but I had tried no spacer, only the IM spacer, spacer and washers, and then the same after I added the shims.
If you’ve not seen it this thread might help. Honestly, I didn’t read all of it and just started throwing spacers till the vibes were pretty much non existent. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/drive-shaft-vibrations-solved-step-by-step.244535/