Eccracer104’s not totally stock 16’ CM 4x4

Sweet, thanks for providing those pics, Im convinced that with the new lift height our steering stops being ineffective and we gain more steering angle than OE. Out of curiosity how many turns from center to lock in each direction do you have?

- jason

 

I want to say 2.5 rotations, but I’ll need to check.

 

Hey Mike, I have 2 of those Arcan jacks. I highly recommend the Pro Eagle pad/extension mod. You'll want to talk to Chuck and get the center bolt too.

 

Nice Mike

 

Very nice Mike, 37’s are the new 35’s. Lol
What alignment shop were you recommended, East County Alignment?
I have the issue of shop hours mirroring my work hours. My last two alignments have been expensive, paid for alignment plus a Lyft to and from work. I don’t work close to a shop I trust to align my truck so the Lyft rides get pricey.
You can get the alignment pretty solid at home with patience, a tape measure and one of these.
Johnson Level & Tool 1886-0000 Magnetic Digital Angle Locator w/ 2 Buttons, Orange, 1 Locator

$30 Johnson Level & Tool 1886-0000 Magnetic Digital Angle Locator w/ 2 Buttons, Orange, 1 Locator

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H7HVGES?_encoding=UTF8
I’ve only watched it being done but haven’t attempted it myself.

 

Lmk if you want me to take it to Chris… we could swap trucks for a day…. ​

 

Good to know! The jack is great but doesn’t lift the truck anymore unless it’s from under LCA or rear axle. I’ll definitely look into this.

Thanks Francis!

Haha totally.
Yeah, was going to go there. I more of less understand the effect adjusting the uppers and following this thread for guidance.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/how-to-do-an-alignment-at-home.136/

I’ve also read @osidepunker advice on home alignment.

Yup. Going to grab one of those or the like and cut some steel to match my wheel so it’s easy to replicate over and over.

Thanks Sunny! I’ll keep you posted!

 

Whats on the grinder er agenda today...

 

At my nieces birthday. No truck stuff today.

 

cool enjoy. thinking otay mountain trail tomorrow

 

Round 1 DIY alignment:

Man oh man is there a learning curve. Got it significantly better than it was before, still going to need some more adjustment but much improved.

 

Partly note to self, partly note for others:

Alignment notes for heimed uppers:

Set LCA to max caster -
Rear cams are all the way out - to push the rear of the lower arm out.
Front cams are all the way in - to pull the front of the lower arm in.
UCA heims are the opposite -
Front heim was brought out some, but the rear heim closer to the cab was brought out further which aided in adding positive caster.

Disclaimer - no idea if this is true for all - but it’s what worked for me.

I still need more adjustment to add a little more caster and take away some of the camber but now I have a sense of what does what when adjusting.

Edit: budbuilt engine skid needed to be notched to access the rear of the front cams. Pulling all the skids proved incredibly helpful as LCA cams are torqued to ~200lbs

 

Just got my power steering recall notice. Have any of y’all gotten that done yet?

 

Oh! And went to get my tires rebalanced since there’s mild shake at 55. Tech is saying I have a slightly bent wheel. So that’s sweet. Not bad enough to lose air thankfully. I’ve yet to take the wheel off and inspect it.

 

I got it yesterday but the way I'm reading it is, you don't have to worry about it unless you had a steering gear repair since 8/5/21.

 

Yah that’s the way I read it

 

My current rack doesn’t have any issues that I’m aware of, just 87k on it and I’m thinking a fresh rack on Toyota’s dime isn’t a bad idea.
As far as I know it’s never been touched.

 

From my quick read of the recall it sounds like you have to have the new steering gear and one of the indicators is that it's seeping/leaking PS fluid. I'll keep an eye out for leaks and go from there.

 

Ahh good to know. I’ll poke around it. I haven’t read the letter yet, nor have I really looked for leaks.

 

How I read it too. Looks like only a very limited number of production months, or repairs during a brief window would be affected.

 

yeah received it for my 21... only applies if you had a repair after a certain date

 

cannot like this...

 

Make it the spare

 

That’s the plan. @Porschetech29 is hanging on to a take off for me when he mounts his new tires. Once I get that I’ll swap the bent wheel to spare and mount that tire to it and swap the current tire to the good wheel.

 

Next step is figuring out what the hell to do with a full size spare

I’m thinking about making a tire gate. Not sold on that yet, but at the moment it seems like the best solution.

 

had the same dilemma, ended up deciding to strap the spare into the bed when needed for trips using the SDHQ Tire Strap and SDHQ mount Kit (both on back order...who knew people actually use this stuff...lol) and store it in the garage when not in use...

If you're looking for a bolt on component to replace tailgate, take a look at wilco.

 

They make good straps! Haha.

I could throw it in the bed, but with my RTT mounted so low I’d need to adjust my camp gear storage to fit everything. I try to keep the inside mostly open so my dog has room to be comfortable.

I’ve seen the Wilco options, just too much money. If I DIY one it’ll be bolt on as well. I was trying to figure a way to make it swing open and drop down but that doesn’t seem feasible.

 

Welcome to our world! I got rid of the back seats and use a threaded rod to keep the tire in place. I know, not ideal for the dogs, which I put the tire in the bed when the dogs are in the truck.

I bought the ADD spare tire carrier, which I’m going to somehow figure out a way to mount inside the cab so that the tire is vertical up along the back window. That way dogs and tire can both fit

 

yup, everyone's situation will be different especially with loadouts and all. I too will be planning on installing an RTT as low as possible to keep CoG down. but hopefully won't be needing the spare anytime soon (just jinxed myself now). Ideally i'd like to keep it mounted towards the tailgate for weight distribution, but I figured loading the tire in first would be a butt load easier than a fully loaded 65 qt cooler, especially when trying to maneuver under a low mounted RTT.

All about compromises.

 

Hahaha I’m in for the crash course!

It’s funny, I had always thought I’d just strap it in the bed because I wouldn’t get an RTT but my gal feels safer up high as opposed to a ground tent so here we are.

I’d have so much room if I gut the back seat! And maybe I’ll explore that option more, build a platform or something. But there have been many times when the back seat has been needed for my nieces.

Lol, quick knock on wood! Mine is about 2” above the bed rails. About as low as one can go. I’ve contemplated shifting the RTT back and slipping the tire between the tent and the cab at the front of the bed - but in the event I need it it’ll be a bitch to get out. Definitely the most cost effective solution though.