Project Toyota Tacoma Doublecab

Quick semi-hijack if I may (please keep responses to the point as to keep this to a minimum).

How are stock TRD double cabs? Cool style, reliable, rear locker etc but wonder how they perform, esp. breakover and departure angles.

What tires fit stock?

OK, thanks and back to the build.....
 
I Lean said:
Do you get full lock-to-lock steering with the way it's set up now? It looks to me like the drag link will get friendly with the axle-side track bar bolt when you turn.
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Full lock to lock dead on no rubbing, about a 1/2" to spare is the closest it gets. Only rubbing is on the diff cover with the tie rod.
 
Houndoc said:
Quick semi-hijack if I may (please keep responses to the point as to keep this to a minimum).

How are stock TRD double cabs? Cool style, reliable, rear locker etc but wonder how they perform, esp. breakover and departure angles.

What tires fit stock?

OK, thanks and back to the build.....
Click to expand...

31 inch tires stock, horrible departure angles.
 
Got my driveline made. Only cost $120 over what they had originally quoted me. They added a 2-3/4" tube then the 12 splines and the 1350 yoke. I also got the front finished and painted. Now just need to weld up the rear perches and she's ready to roll, sorta.
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leafs do actually allow the body to twist side to side steering like it would if you ran coils without a trac bar, just not as bad. our bronco is a great example of it and I am in the process of installing one as of tuesday next week. definently will help street manners too.


Hey lewis whered you score that diff cover at? that thing is sick!!
 
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Greg said:
Just curious, but why the track bar combined with the leaf springs?
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It really doesn't seem right especially offroad as it will cause all kinds of extra stresses and binding when its flexing. It does however help in on road manners taking out any play in the leaf springs side to side. Most leaf sprung vehicles that use a crossover type steering have them from the factory, wranglers, superduties...It will be easily removeable if I decide to take it off when it comes time to wheel. Supposedly the closer it is to the same angle as the steering the less bumpsteer and binding it will cause when flexing. I made sure and reinforced the frame because I built a trac bar when I had my scout and it ripped the frame open when I pulled it out of the garage and tried to turn.
 
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YJ_Auzzy said:
Hey lewis whered you score that diff cover at? that thing is sick!!
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I assume you are talikng about the front. I have one like it in the rear that I made. I can't remember where the front came from but ruffstuffspecialities makes them.
 
lewis said:
I assume you are talikng about the front. I have one like it in the rear that I made. I can't remember where the front came from but ruffstuffspecialities makes them.
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The front looks like Ballistic Fab to me, unless you just welded on one of their skulls.



Truck is looking awesome. You work much faster than I do. Thanks for hooking me up with the drag link too.
 
"Most" leaf sprung vehicles DON"T have track bars... and the ones that do seem to use it as a band-aid for bad suspension design... Superdutys, YJ's...now name 5 more vehicles with factory track bars, leaf springs, and a crappy ride. :D Well?

It's your truck and there's nothing wrong with leaving it there but it shouldn't be necessary... swaybar w/disconnects is nice w/soft springs on the road but.... trackbars belong w/coils AFAIC. What I mean is-- the motion that trackbars help with should be negligible if any on a leaf-sprung truck.

you're doing very nice work though and I don't mean to derail the thread. Carry on. :D
 
It depends on the type of leafs and the brand. I have had an SAS 89 chev and it had no trac bar and I didn't ever notice any side to side with tuff country springs. My springs on the tacoma are pretty soft. Side to side I was getting 1/2" to an 1" of play/flex.Too much for on road for me.
 
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Finally got the rear spring mount done after only a month of working on getting the rear axle in line with the front axle. Also got new 3" springs on the front which improved my shackle angle. I als got it out of the garage today. A few observations.
-Bump steer is so bad its scary (don't really know what to do to fix)
-Speedo cable is way off, it said 60 when I thought i was going 30
-Power steering was working at first and now pump is making some grinding noises and no longer working very well.
-Can still burn tires pretty easy

new springs shackle angle

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rear diff
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Pics of the rear spring mount that I made.
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Wow bro, all your brackets look amazing like as if they came from the factory! great build bro! I would suggest adding another steering stabilizer and steering box brace to help reduce the bump steer. as for the pump, our bronco was doing the same thing, and what we determined to be the cause was the steering link on the axle (tierod, draglink I forget which is who) was rubbing on the diff cover and did not allow it to go pas and was stalling the pump so we re-did it with a little smaller tubing with some bends in it to clear and it stopped growling at us.
 
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You're getting bump steer because your front track bar is too short. It needs to be the same length and angle as your drag link. If you just make your frame side track bar mount longer you can probably fix it. I was going to say something about it earlier in this thread, but I didn't know how open to suggestion your were. ;)
 
Take this mount:

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And push the end out from the frame kinda like this one:

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Right now it looks like your track bar is 6 inches or so shorter than your drag link. That's where your bump steer is coming from. A steering stabilizer will not help the problem.
 
Everything I researched said it just had to be the same angle and plane. No one ever said anything about same length. I have like $300 into that got damn track bar. I measured it and its 5" shorter. I will take it off and drive it to see if the handling improves. I can't see it making huge bump steer problems on what is suppose to be a smooth road. I know guys with this setup with drag link 10" shorter and they have no bumpsteer. I need to check my toe in to see if thats off, could be where I am having issues.Thanks for the info. I would have made it the same length to begin with had I known.
 
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Think about what the track bar does to the axle as it moves through it's cycle. Since one end is fixed (at the frame), the other end moves in an arc (not straight up and down). Since it looks like your track bar is pretty much flat at rest (unless those pics were at full compression or something), your axle is pulled towards the driver's side when the suspension compresses (when you hit a bump), and then back to the passenger side as the suspension rebounds to normal height. Since your drag link is longer it moves in a different (larger) arc. So when you hit a bump and the track bar pulls the axle towards the driver's side, the drag link pulls the steering knuckle less to the drivers side, since it's moving in a bigger arc. This effectively turns your wheels to the passenger side, turning the vehicle right, and then back left as the suspension rebounds. This is how bump steer happens. If your track bar is at a downward angle then the directions will all be reversed, since a bump would cause the track bar to become closer to flat, and thus move the axle to the passenger side, and the drag link would move the steering knuckle less to the passenger side, causing you to turn left, but you get the idea.

Now, if your track bar is the same length as the drag link they will travel in the exact same arc. If they are at the same angle, they are in the same point in that arc, meaning when you hit a bump they both pull on their respective parts of the axle the same amount, so the steering knuckle doesn't move in relation to the axle and you don't get bump steer. It doesn't matter where the track bar is in relation to the drag link (it can be higher, lower, or further right or further left), as long as it is the same length, and at the same angle.

Make perfect sense?:ugh:
 
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