MY FRONT SUSP BROKE...BIG TIME!!! PICS

Well just like a racing program or any type of experimental deal - you will find out what the schedule is. The other point that I would look at is working on limiting the impact on the components with bump stops, bypass shocks, limit straps, etc.

One other point is the issue of scratches and scrapes on components - failures are at 'stress risers' - caused by things like scrapes, rough surface finishes (look at an aircraft landing gear or connecting rods on a race engine - most critical areas are usually a 64 finish or smoother.

 

It's one of those days where your so excited and bolt everything up and take it out for a spin, only not to make it back home. The truck could have been worse but you were having some good luck there in the Parking lot instead of the Freeway. Anyways hope it comes out stronger when you get it back

- Rich

 

I dont know what that is... But yes. I agree. Although I dont see how a bump stop will prevent stress on those exact bolts that broke. Either way those bolts were gonna go or not. The wheel holds pressure upwards against those bolts and a bumpstop puts pressure downward on the LCA which is pulling against those bolts. But yes. They do need to be checked on a regular basis.

 

64 finish - A relative measure of surface roughness - picture the difference of a rough sand casting and a polished ball bearing. The less roughness, the less of a chance of one of those 'valleys' propagating into a crack. Think of if you put a notch in a strip of paper and pulled it on both ends. The notch (thinist point) would end up ripping.

Bump stops minimize the jolting of the components. In simple terms - vibration kills. In other terms, it is like having boxing gloves on verses being hit with someone's bare fists.

 

Holy crap

 

I think the 1st gen MC was a curse... First EverTaco now you... thank god my trucks way too wimpy to be in the top 10

 

Those bolts are a bitch. When I was replacing my cv axles last summer, I had to use a giant breaker bar to get those 4 bolts off, and in hindsight I should have PB Blasted them beforehand because they were on there so tight that when I got them off it stripped the threads on the suspension component, which, by the way, 2 of the 4 are only threaded on such a freaking tiny depth...like 7mm deep. Toyota should have just made the metal beefier.

Anyways, I stripped the deeper 2 holes, but figured out that they were only threaded for about 10mm of the depth of the hole, so I took a tap and tapped it all the way to its 20mm depth (twice as much thread!), and used some high grade bolts.

It really freaked me out how those 4 bolts are the weakest point in the whole suspension...and you can have beefy-ass control arms, but it won't matter because those 4 bolts will be the first to fail.

Anyways, I recommend anybody doing anything to your front suspension tap out those 2 holes and put some longer heavy duty bolts in there.

 

added some new pics to first post

 

Not to be too geeky but at first glance seems like a great answer... as long as it doesn't weaken the other part! Time will tell! Like I said, you guys running, jumping and walking with Long Travel are pioneers!!! My hat's off to you!!

 

here are the 2 bolts that were on the ground

 

Nothing changing them bolts won't cure... then change 'em again every 10,000 miles if it includes jumping!!!

Let's see the head of that bolt!

Your cure may lie here:

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/materials-and-grades/bolt-grade-chart.aspx

 

It looks like they could beef up the connection point between the spindal and the ball joint there, it looks really weak considering it is 2 small pieces of metal holding it together right there, just those 2 tiny ears on the spindals. Weird, seems like they woud make those bigger on an aftermarket spindal.

 

Those are probably forged pieces that have proven themselves - you would break a bolt or a ball joint before that would fail.

 

x2!

 

Yeah I see your point - scraping metal out of a system will usually weaken it...but I'm not talking about drilling anything at all. The holes are there and they're really deep, but in stock form they're only threaded half of the way.

I stripped the stock portion of the thread, but tapped the rest of the portion and put longer bolts in, effectively keeping the amount of thread in use the same. If you didn't strip yours, it would double the used thread length.

I'm only talking about the 2 bolts closest to the wheel. The 2 holes closest to the engine are tiny as hell and drilled all the way and there's nothing you can do about it.

Wow. The bolts just straight up broke. Does it look like a shear failure, or just being like pulled apart (tensile?) failure?

Either way, I'm replacing my bolts with the highest grade crap before i go wheeling again.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I feel your pain seeing your truck limping like that...when I was working on the cvs on that exact side and trying to fix my bolt problem, the damn thing fell on me. Luckily I didn't have the rotor on and I didn't mess up my brakes. Too bad about your shiny fenders, though.

 

Holy shit, glad you weren't hurt Matt.

Do you check those bolts often? Do these bolts commonly break like that? When I saw this first thing that came to my mind is that they must have been loose for a while? You did mention you had funny steering issues not too long ago? Maybe this was related?

Can't wait to see your truck out of the shop. That fender probably could be reglassed but it's probably not worth it. Time to get some of them urethane ones.

 

thanks for the link. i'll check the bolt heads later and see what they were

straight shear failure. no warning, at least none that i saw before hand...

thanks will, i wouldn't say i check them often but i do check them. after every wheeling trip i do a look over of the truck just to make sure everything looks in order. never noticed anything... but that doesn't mean the warning signs were there and i just didnt see them. who knows?

i can't wait either, it's gonna be sweet. the truck should be done by then end of next week. i was thinking about those poly fenders, but i heard they wont be available until january or so...

 

And remember a real torque wrench is your friend!

 

work has begun...

 

Nice!