So you push your 1st gen offroad - what cracks next?

I was on OME 882 coils when I discovered the cracks in my buckets. I think those are 550lbs.

Not sure we'll ever really know what causes it.

 

For a brief moment we thought it could be a geometry thing as it seemed the passenger side was more prone to it. But that doesn't seem to hold water now.

Likely just fatigue of the metal and stress put on it.

 

I’m gonna have to look through this whole thread because I was planning on making my 2003 my off-road/ camping truck

 

No reason not to. Just the reality of building a 20+ year old truck and using it for off-road things.

 

Steering rack mounts hopefully fixed. The flat spot for the D bushing wasn't very flat anymore cause the bolts were pulling out, so I replaced it.

 

surprised the whole mount wasn't fucked. Thing is pretty flimsy.

Think at one point Eric made a full one out of 3/16. Maybe. Or that might have been Jerry.

 

I looked over the rest of the mount and didn't see any other issues.

Hopefully it doesn't just rip it apart now that everything else is more solid.

 

haha yeah that seems possible.

 

There was a company that was making a billet D mount IIRC too but it wasn't cheap.

 

https://optoffroad.com/collections/...s/hd-billet-rack-clamp?variant=43582732927234

 

A solution searching for a problem

 

I'm not sure about that. Mine was all sorts of bent. I hammered it back relatively close before reinstalling.

 

Seems that people either rip off the mount onto the frame for that side of the rack, or the D shaped clamp

 

I think you’re the exception to the rule

The OEM mount may not be the perfect design, but seeing how the mount can deform (which you just replaced) I don’t think a $120 billet clamp is the right solution.

 

Dude, you (somehow) cracked your *doors*.

I thought we were pretty sure that it has to do with the front shocks extending to their max length, and then becoming the limiting factor in the suspension. This reverses the forces on the top of the coil bucket from pressing down to pulling up. That huge swing in force (to Monte's point) causes fatigue, and eventually failure.

The solution is to install limit straps so that your shock (and tower) are never supporting the full weight of your wheel/tire/etc.

 

Yeah seems cool. But doesn't solve the mount getting ripped off.

 

Queue some company coming up with weld in billet x-members next.

 

ha yeah right.

Although with your engine out, I'd seriously be welding in some plate in places. Engine perches, crossmemeber and steering rack mount. Plating that stuff would certainly be worth it before the LT goes on.

 

I plated the engine mounts and the coil buckets. I think that's enough for now it wasn't terribly hard to take the engine out if I need to go back and do some more later. But I'd like to be driving this thing very soon that way I can get started on tuning and actually wheel this season.

 

I am just glad to see that there's someone still developing stuff for 1st gen Tacomas and 3rd gen 4Runners.