Crackhead resurrection

Pics of us driving home with me holding the shifter in place.

 

Earning stripes.

 

This may be an option, it does come with radio controls which is nice.
Not sure if year differences comes into play here...

https://nashville.craigslist.org/pts/d/hendersonville-toyota-steering-column/7568856789.html

 

Oooooh, multiple upgrades in one! Clock spring, radio controls, airbag, new everything!

 

Steering column support arrives tomorrow Via "FedUp." I'm hoping to have everything installed, and fixed either by the weekend, or during... Thanks again @shifty`, and @Jack McCarthy for digging up threads/making thread here or there to help with this repair.

I've been doing some mechanic thinking on why that corner piece is so "weak." It's designed that way to protect the transmission linkage, and the cable. That's the "easiest" thing to repair out of all the things that could go wrong with that whole idea of shifting... Would you all agree?

 

Truthfully I haven’t given it much thought in years. A thin steel plate sandwiched between the two cast pieces could aid in preventing it from coming apart by holding the screws I suppose. It’s just a bad design with the materials chosen.

 

If something is going to be a clear fail point, you beef it up. Either by casting extra supports into the part, making it a 2-piece clamshell design, adding more material on the thin sides (northeast/southwest as the part sits) or similar.

I haven't seen this happen in the '05-'06 trucks, so something must've been improved later. I can't think of a way to beef it up, really, and if it's simply a casting issue and/or metallurgy problem, they may've fixed the later casts, so the new part may actually last longer. If not, enjoy the next 20 years until the new part fails!

 

I finally got my steering column support replaced today. I tried to do it in the cab, and it just wasn't happening.



I figured out where all the squeaking from my steering shaft was coming from, or part of it. The upper bearing as seen below is rusted to hell and back. The lower bearing was a little better. I lubed both of these with anti-sieze as it's all I had on hand.



I ended up having to remove the whole column to get this job done which let me fix the intermittent horn, and the squeaky shaft too. Guess it was a bonus.



@empty_lord do you know if these are OEM markings or Junkyard markings? Gut says junkyard, but lack of mangling on anything makes me think OEM.



Anyways, these pivot points were a bitch. Ended breaking the bracket to get them out. I don't own a slide hammer.


Taking everything apart really let me see how nasty the inside of the truck is, but it did let me lube everything up. Everything that slides got a healthy coat of anti-sieze. I would have used grease, but I didn't have any.



I "pre-tapped" the lobular screws before putting the new shift mechanism on.


Finally starting to go back together!



I even lubed the joint at the tilt steering for the steering shaft. Again, with anti-sieze...


The horn contacts were dirty/corroded from the humidity that's apparently been in the cab at some point. Brushed it off, and lubed this with anti-sieze also.


I got everything back together, and then went for a test run through the yard. That shifter is fucking smooooooth now along with the the steering shaft no longer squeaking.



This is crackies new resting place until his abilities are needed again.

 

Yeah even my steering column is nowhere near that crusty rusty. My guess is junkyard swap. FYI…Autozone used to rent the slide hammers. I don’t know if that’s changed or not. Great work though. Glad you got your squeak fixed.

 

Looks like yard markings

 

Damn... Are they all the same through all the years?

 

00-06 access and reg cabs are I believe.

 

Thanks Dan, I'll add this to my WTB thread as a "non-important" but if you see one that's in good shape... snag it.

How is your truck coming along?

 

Definitely JY markup there, FWIW. So, someone's been in there before. That's interesting... Wonder if this isn't the first time it broke?

 

@shifty` took me a second to find your words. I agree.

Mom just sent me this.

 

body shop is booked full till march

 

So... while I was "away" I almost killed crackie. Left late going to the new job, and hit a patch of black ice. The ass end swung out to the right of me, and I was skooting down the road sideways. Passengers side first. I tried to steer into it, but it didn't do anything. Once my front wheels got off the pavement, the 4WD pulled right directly towards this telephone pole. I cut down one of the support guide lines or grounds or whatever it is. @Cummins3500 would know exactly what it is. Maybe @Outbound too.

Here's pictures from that morning. The flash on my phone reflecting off my case is that "glare" you see.





Pictures from the gas station down the road a ways.





Pictures of my quinoa I spilled all over the fecking place when I was trying to steer away from the telephone pole...



Daylight pictures from the new Job.






Pictures of the scene in daylight.

 

Also documenting the ice event.


And now the first thaw...

 

I just call them support lines. Maybe grounding wires too, but I'm not sure. Almost all our power lines are below ground.

Glad you didn't crack up in Crackie.

 

Glad you're OK and crackie rides again. Guy wires is what we've always called them, but regardless we are glossing over the biggest question from those "incident" photos. Sonic sells quinoa??

 

I'd always heard to called guyed ("guide") wires because they're used on guyed towers. To the point I usually just write "guide" so people know wtf I'm talking about.

Learned something new today.

Noah, it could've ended way worse than it was and actually looks like it ended in almost the best possible way. If you were an asshole, you might not've been so lucky

 

Ya'll talking about kite catchers?

 

Uncle caught the back tire of his wheelie-in-progress CR125 on one. That's a bad day at the office. And a visit to the ER.

 

Collar bones intact?

 

Black ice is so common here in the PNW so I forget that y’all don’t typically deal with it in the south. Glad you’re ok though.

 

And they call me "shifty". Sheesh.

(I can't believe I missed this opportunity prior)

 

Cractivities

 

292K

 

What kinda TP you run in the cold? 35 psi? 45psi? Charmin double ply?

 

I run 35 all the time. Hot or cold.