The Getaway...Crom's build and adventures

I'm using Dyna beads in my tires and I like them a lot. They automatically balance the tires, just like a top-loading washing machine self balances with a load of laundry.

I'd recommend calling Innovative Balancing and talk to them. They are a small shop, but they've always taken my calls / called back when I called.

They're in New York State. (585) 467-6028 http://www.innovativebalancing.com/

I've heard of road force balancing tires when normal balancing doesn't work, but I've personally not seen / or experienced it.

Good luck!

That really sucks. I have to say though, I'm not at all surprised. Me thinks OME is unserious about off-road performance, and more about selling kits to the masses. Somebody in Marketing / Sales is in charge of R&D Specs. probably.

For me, Bilstein all the way! I can highly recommend the Bilstein B110 shock. I've not quite had them on for 6 months, but as far as performance goes, I've been completely satisfied. When it's time to replace my front I'll probably go with the Bilstein 6112.

 

There is the set up I am going to go with too, Crom. 6112/B110/Dakar

 

Ny 6112s have been entirely satisfactory. I will measure down travel out back tomorrow and reconsider my shocks then, but the B110s have the virtue of being reasonably priced.

 

It's not reasonable price that concerns me...so Kings or Icons are in play LOL. Ramon The GB Pimp still hasn't done the GB on Kings yet...

 

I always have a pair in my kit, and especially backpacking of all places. If near a load water source or very windy, it is very helpful. Backpacking in Humphreys Basin (North of Piute Pass in Kings Canyon NP) once with my wife, thw wind was so violent in this desolate bowl that they were a godsend. We had the fly on the tent not just because of potential T storms, but for dust and sand abatement into the 3-season tent.

Another time we were sleeping in the back of the truck at the McGee Canyon campground, and that was the windiest night i'd ever experienced. It felt like several bears were rocking the truck back and forth violently, the it sounded like a jet engine for quite some time. It was howling straight down the canyon into the site, which sit in an old glacial moraine just west of 395 south of Mammoth.

 

Pre-furb FTMFW. Did you happen to see my 1st gen prefurb pics? I think I posted them in Pete's squeaky Dakar thread. I think I still have 4 cans of moly lube left over...FTMFW.

Curious to what degree your leafs were covered in mill scale and rust? My 1st gen Dakars were horrid brand new, and I flap-wheeled then before doing the moly etc. It looked like they had been sitting in a seaside warehouse before they bothered painting them.




Curious if I should expect to be flap-wheeling the 2nd gen leaves, too.

One more Q: Did you also do the CB drob, or just the 3-degree shim? I'm planning on the shim while it is all apart, then only adding CB drob if a vive issue arises.

Thanks for your great pics as usual. I am starting to get a little bit more serious about planning the lift now, and I'll be doing the flip and superbumps too. Your AAL add and overload delete has me thinking too, especially with the shim in there. Seems this setup would allow more compression than the double-overload setup, thereby giving a little more droop on the opposite side.

 

I use the cteck 7002 model and like it. It works perfect and is a great product.

 

Never had to do the CB spacer / drop.

I used the 3* axle shim right off the bat.

My truck has a little bit of take off shudder 0-5 mph and then it's all smooth. I've always wanted to measure my drive line angles for fun, just to know, but don't have the time, and truck doesn't seem to have any issues.

Yes I saw your pics in that thread. Very helpful. Thanks.

My Dakar leaf springs were about the same at yours, maybe slightly better shape. I don't think that I would go through the process of painting each leaf again, if I had to do it all over again. Mine rust a little bit on the sides and in between no matter what it seems, and I'm fine with that. When it's convenient I'll reach for black spray paint or hit them with the moly which turns them a silver color. lol

Today on a new pack I think I would just wipe them down, and spray paint the outside of leaf pack, reconfigure the pack, Drill the leaf ends for spacers, lube and install. Andy I'd probably go with a poly bushing in the front eye, and the shackle / frame bushing as well.

It was one year ago this month that the Dakar's went in.

Here is a neat pic of my old worn Toyota factory leaf vs. the built Dakar one.


Old tired worn Toyota leaf pack, under daily driver truck weight.


Dakar working under compression last December in DV.


Dakar in tension.


I love my Dakars. Great value for the money.

 

Hey Nick, what do you use to convert the camp stoves and stuff that are made for the 1 pound bottles to use the 5 or 10 gallon tanks?

 

How do I know if it does?

 

I picked up a hose with proper fittings that goes from the tank and then has a male on the other end that looks like the top of a green bottle.

 

What @TacoSTIG said exactly. I use a Mr. heater hose to adapt from the ACME threads on the 11lb. or 20lb. bottle, to the 1"-20 female throwaway cylinder thread. The hoses can be tempermental at times, but they do work.

 

Or one like this for those of us that live in the cheap seats...


http://www.samsclub.com/sams/stansp...00000406072&adid=22222222627000015391&veh=sem

 

Tagged.... nice build!!!

 

Like your thread @Crom, you seem well organized and very meticulous, kinda like myself, attention to detail....that was a Navy thing but the technology edge comes through as I seen some where your are affiliated with a technology training organization....My self having a long background in technology corporations most recently as a CCIE with Cisco Systems I can relate....now retired.

I always believed that the golden triangle of the southwest is PHX-SD-LAS Vegas.

 

Hi Nick,
Forgive me if it wasn't you but back when we were discussing the poly cab mounts I could have sworn you mentioned that you had to take your truck to the dealership for a bad cab squeak/creak noise that you had ? If so did you ever get that resolved ? Did you ever find the exact cause ? My creaks and squeaks in the back of my cab started a couple of years ago right after I installed the poly body mounts. Since then I have read every thread I can find about door seals, rear windows, pinch welds etc etc and I just can't track down the cause of the creak I have...and it is driving me batshit crazy :/

 

Hi Jason, I feel your pain.

Hopefully this will help.

Your memory is correct. And yes, I found the cause and solution, thanks to a good dealer tech and Toyota Corporate.

In 2010 I had Toyota of San Diego to go to work solving a body creak noise in the drivers door sill / lower A pillar.

The symptom was creaking sound especially off-road, but daily driving over speed bumps, and opening drivers door. The cause is stress in the folded sheet metal, of the so-called "pinch weld". The noise is the stress being relieved.

The assigned tech solved it by opening a case with Toyota corp.

The tech removed the fender liner to access the the hole to the pinch weld. Using a straw attachment, he sprayed Toyota branded penetrating oil into the pinch weld.

It worked, it made my truck silent. It was surreal when I picked up the truck and test drove it!

As far as I can tell, all the oil is really doing is allowing the folded sheet metal to flex / slide gracefully so the god damned noise doesn't happen.

In 2012, the passenger side was starting to creak a little bit. Armed with this knowledge, I performed this procedure myself on the passenger side of the truck using liquid wrench. It worked. It completely silenced the popping / creaking sound in the door sill / A-pillar area. I took pics and did a small write-up in this thread:

creak over bumps

Here is the relevant post (from 2012):

Bottom line first: Penetrating oil permanently solves creaking noises emanating between the body panels.

Just wanted to report that I had creaking sound coming from the passenger side A pillar. It slowly developed over the last few years and I decided to solve this myself since I was was out of comprehensive warranty.

Here is how I applied the oil.



The noise was gone in about 1 hour and appears completely gone 12 hours later. The noise was never as bad as the drivers side which creaked from day one off the dealer lot.

The bottom line is my truck is now completely silent when the door is opened or weight is applied to the door sill.

If you do this put down some cardboard to collect the oil as it will drip from the pinch weld. It took me about 45 minutes to complete this job by myself. I took my time studying the body panels on the truck.

 

Thanks.

Thank you and congrats on retirement. I am really excited about retirement from my job. Only 20 years to go, one day at a time. Time flies now, goes so fast it sccares me sometimes. lol

 

Thanks, that gives me another avenue to chase. My creak is happening while driving even at slow speed in the neighborhood just as the frame/cab flex over the slightest bumps. I could swear that the noise in my truck is coming from the back of the cab somewhere. I read a thread about rear door seals creaking so I lubed those up - did nothing...drove with the rear doors cracked open - creak still there. I removed my rear seats ( bucket seats ) to make sure that was not in the equation since they were installed around the same time as the poly body mounts...no luck. Next, I removed my entire stereo system that is all integrated into what used to be the OE rear storage compartments...no luck still creaking and even louder because all that stuff was not dampening the sound at all.

I am suspicious that it is the pinch weld near the rear C pillar... I should be able to access that by removing all of the rear trim and float some penetration fluid in there....may the force be with me ...or I just may burn this bitch to the ground... those damn creaks are driving me nuts !

 

I really hope you nail it. Vehicle noise irritations kill me...

Two thoughts...

There is an access port to the rear of pinch weld, on the exterior of the cab, at the lowest part of C-pillar. Can't miss it, look between bedside and cab. Pull grommet, super easy to access!

A mechanic's stethoscope can be very useful if you have wife or friend drive while you diagnose the location of sound. Lisle makes a quality mechanics stethoscope set 52750.

Good luck!