Installing cat shield soon

Got my heavy duty alu Talons Garage cat shield today. Of course, no instructions. But I assume it will be obvious where the shield fits and where the 5 bolts (3 long, 2 short) go. Looks like a very nice part and very heavy duty. I also opted for the security bolt kit. Hardware looks OK. Bolts appear to be SS but the washers and nylon locking nuts seem to be regular zinc coated. That seems a little cheesy for something that will live where it does so I may try to source some SS replacements. Too cold to get do this job today anyway...

Anyone here installed this item? I can recreate the wheel but it never hurts to learn from those what have gone before.

 

@Talonsgarage
@Talon2006

 

Lots on YouTube just search 2022 tundra cat shield

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/new...heel-tire-question.111089/page-2#post-2878143

 

I printed install instructions off the website.

 

From their site: https://www.talonsgarage.com/_files/ugd/e80c86_555d4257e4e84bd481775f6474455143.pdf

I’m a moron. What I didn’t understand was that, when you initially install each bolt, you’re just trying to get the plate secured (so it’s hanging without needing support underneath). After the plate is on, THEN go through and tighten everything up.

 

Mine just came and I pulled the instructions from their website. Turns out that I have an issue that I asked about here last week but got no answer. The front of the Talon cat shield uses the same threaded holes in the crossmember as the rear of my TRD engine skid. Figured they could be sandwiched and e-mailed Talon, and they replied very quickly with the answer. Yes, sandwich it in but you need to bend a little tab on the TRD plate first. Great customer service, but could have had that in the instructions in the first place.

 

bending that tab had me spinning for 30mins, I couldn’t figure it out until I took it all off. I didn’t see you ask it but I think I’ve posted it in a different thread previously.

 

Even their e-mail didn't really cover it properly. They just put a circle around the vicinity of the tab, but no close up of how it needs to be bent. I am guessing that will be obvious when I get into the job. And another bad thing about this is that it will further complicate oil changes by also having to work around the cat shield. Sheesh. Maybe I'll take the TRD skid to a machine shop and get a door put in it.

 

I’m waiting on RCI skid plates with CAT Guards, coming out late this month. In addition to the CAT Guards, I was going to install CatStraps. I’ll keep you posted.

 

Take the TRD skid plate off fully but leave the 2 front bolts in. Bend the tap up with a screw driver, lay the other plate on to see the 2 sets of holes align. Then put the trd one back on with the 2 front bolts as hangers and use a box to hold the weight close to the truck then man handle the other plate under and get the 2 rear bolts started and go from there. I do think oil changes at the dealer will be a hassle now but really you just take out the same 4 bolts for the TRD skid and have a pipe stand holding up the cat plate.

 

I am a DIY oil changer. So my 15 minute oil changes on the Tacoma are a thing of the past!

 

Why did Toyota stop putting a door in the TRD skid for oil changes?

 

Like that rare animal... elifhino. I heard that 2nd gens have a door but not 3rd. I wonder if the doors on the old gens were for the filter or the pan? Doors work pretty good for filters where the oil drips straight down, but maybe not so much for the pan drain when it comes shooting out. A lot would depend on the details... how high up the drain bolt is, the angle it comes off the pan, etc.

 

Oh, and another issue is that with the 3rd gens both the oil filter AND the drain plug are covered by the TRD skid (if you have that accessory) and they are not that close to each other so I am not sure a door (or doors?) would be practical.

 

One more question: Talon provides 3 of those 4" bolts and their instructions say to install one of them in the front of the plate and into the through hole in the frame member. But with the TRD skid plate in place there is no way to get above the frame member to install the nut for that 4" bolt. They obviously believe that bolt is necessary to provide extra support for the cat shield, but if you can't install that alls you have are the 2 smaller metric bolts holding up the cat shield AND the rear of the skid plate. Really not thrilled with this but see no alternative.

 

You can reach above to get that nut on you just need to get fully under the truck, here’s the TT video and there’s a part where she puts it on with the trd skid plate. I’ll take a pic of mine

https://youtu.be/sH0kV5fe4Bo

 

Saw that already and unless I missed it thinner TT plate does not get a 3rd bolt in the front like the Talons plate. I am just going to get on this and see how it goes and what kind of access, if any, we have to place that 3rd bolt. I have big paws so I am not optimistic. So, I guess I am damned if I do and damned if I don't. If I AM able to install that 3rd bolt oil changes will be even more difficult. But if I don't the plates may not have adequate support. Mostly I just damn all the catalytic converter thieves making us go through this nonsense.

 

I looked on the talon website and don’t see where a 3rd bolt is used, are you sure it’s not a spare bolt?

 

It is in step 1. See the red circles and the text that describes the third long bolt that needs to go in front notch on the passenger side only. That's why the kit comes with 3 of those longer bolts.

e80c86_555d4257e4e84bd481775f6474455143.pdf (talonsgarage.com)

 

Yes I see now, they have the 3rd bolt for the front and then 2 in the back. I was talking about the rear 2 being able to get at, i dont think you need that front 3rd 4” bolt and if you have the TRD skid then you can’t get to it. I’m going outside to look at mine

 

Well, the designers seem to think you need it or they wouldn't have provided it. Oh well. I shot them an e-mail question and we'll see how they weasel word the answer. I am curious. I am also not happy with the poor documentation regarding the installation with the TRD plate, especially since many of us here will have that accessory. He did shoot me an e-mail to show me where that tab is, but not good enough to show how it needs to be bent even though I am sure I can figure that out. But really, the directions should cover this stuff.

 

That 4” bolt is just used as a hanger, they want you to put that in first then use the slot in front of the hole to hold up the plate for you. Here’s a pic of where you’ll have to fit your hand to use that bolt. Not ever brand uses it

 

Yeah, I understand how and why it is there. But can you get your hand and wrench in there with the TRD in the way? I can't tell from your photo. THAT is the question. And is having that tab out of the way intended to provide room for the bolt?? Again, no help from the directions. LOL. Not sure about other brands but this Talons shield is a very heavy duty piece so maybe needs that extra. In any case, I am going in.... Let you know later how it turned out.

 

OK, skid plate is off and I see how the tab interferes. It needs to be bent down so the Talons plate will sit flush. No big deal. No idea about the bolt yet, however. Tundra is a bit lower underneath than I thought, this would be easier if it was jacked up a bit. But I can't get my QuickJacks out of the garage with the Vette in there and the Tundra blocking the driveway. If I can't pull this off on the ground I may have to shuffle them and try again. Jacks will have to come out since Tundra will not fit in garage width or length.

 

Just got a reply from Talon that you need to use that 3rd bolt and that getting a wrench on it is "doable". LOL. I guess we'll see. If it is too much of a PITA I will sell the Talons shield and just rely on insurance for the cats. Although it isn't so much the $$ as the inconvenience if they get stolen.

 

OK, to follow up on this thread, job done. WITH that third hanger bolt. The whole trick to this is not to follow little miss MexicanFoodTunes video and try to use the loosened skid plate to support the front of the cat shield then bolt it up. Uhuh. You do that you can't install that 3rd hanger bolt because the skid is in the way. So, you need to install the Talons shield first, making sure to index it properly with the 2 front bolts that screw into the threaded holes and THEN install and tighten down that front hanger bolt. This ensures that the holes are aligned properly and stay that way when you come back to put the skid back on. Once that hanger bolt is tightened down you remove those 2 bolts, then reinstall the TRD skid plate.

IMO, now that I see how it works, this Talons design is actually superior to those that don't have a front hanger bolt. First, that front hanger bolt takes some stress and weight off the 2 smallish rear skid plate bolts. Second, it provides added security because you can't get to that bolt to remove it without first removing the skid plate. This makes would be thieves' job that much harder. And third, when you go to do your oil changes you don't have to support the cat shield or mess with it in any way. Just remove the skid plate like you always do and replace it when done.

The other surprising thing is the lack of clearance. I had more room to crawl under and work on things with my Tacoma than with this Tundra. This job would have been a lot easier had I used some ramps or my QuickJack to elevate it just a bit.

It would have been nice if Talons had had a couple of notes on this install with TRD skid plate in the first place. So, I provide them here for anyone else who might need them. Anyway, here's a few pics and I hope this helps someone.

First, here's the tab that needs bent. You can see how it would keep the skid plate from sitting down flush:


Here is the tab after bending. Use a hammer, or dead blow hammer, screwdriver or pry tool. Whatever:



I used a small scissors jack to help support the shield:


Final, you can just make out the head and washer of the third hanger bolt between the cat shield and the skid plate at the front right. This bolt holds the weight of the cat shield so the other 2 smaller bolts only have the normal load of the skid plate:

 

I think I remember emailing you, and I know my wife emailed you a few times. I am sorry for all the confusion. My wife and I talked about it later and I think she thought you were talking about the 2nd gen TRD pro plate.

This is a great write up! I am going to go back and review our instructions and see how I can make them a little better with the information I found here.

 

The key takeaways are that the TRD skid plate needs to be removed and the Talons shield put in place first including that front hanger bolt. Then temporarily install the cross member bolts in the cat shield to maintain alignment whilst you tighten all the hanger bolts down which will lock it in place in the correct position. Then reinstall the skid, including the cross member bolts.

The other part of the problem is that folks here refer to some videos for other cat shields that apparently don't use a front hanger bolt, which I believe is a poor design choice on their part. But they include an easy install method where you use the loosened skid to hold up the front of the cat shield while you place the rear hanger bolts. But if you do this with the Talons you can't then install that front hanger bolt.

Great product, BTW.

 

@Talon2006. Would you kindly send us / me an updated copy of your installation instructions (for the OEM TRD front skid plate present condition)? Thanks
ps: mine is the painted steel version if that makes any difference