Thread: Tacoma frontend rebuild

So we worked on a buddies 01 tacoma for 9 months last year building it to class 7 specs. We caged it, built our own 3 link, and built our own 4x4 front susp that would cycle 15" bumped and strapped. We raced a few mdr races but dnfed usually due to problems with the front susp (was my first time fabbing and designing and shit didnt work as well as I hoped). We sat down and discussed what to do and what we wanted to accomplish and so we are now going 2wd. Truck before




4x4 frontend



Morning after hitting a large rock formation at 75mph during the night race.


The last barstow race we had small probs like power stering line getting cut and a tie rod unthreading, but what took us out was our limit strap came apart on us and yanked the brake line off.



The BIGGEST issue we were having was that we would scrape the front crossmember and lower arms on EVERYTHING in the des. We need to be under 78" OTW to be class 7 legal and with that limit and stock front diff it was going to be very difficult to pull anymore travel/clearance with 4wd. We have now decided that new high clearance xmember and 2wd will be better. With 2wd and new crossmembers we will be getting more travel (b&s at 19-20), more ground clearance (about 8 more inches), cleaner travel (better camber curve), 35 inch tires (yay swapmeet!!), bypasses, and WAY better steering setup (thank you camburg kinetik truck for the idea). We have VERY low bumpsteer while tires are turned (under 2 deg while full crank and zero when straight).

Pic of cad drawings


Tear down





cnc cut and bent pieces


welding so far




We are aiming to race the apr 4 mdr race.

Looks pretty sweet. Keep posting pics of the progress, looks interesting

Who did the cnc work for you please?

Nice parts comin out of santa maria! Lets see some weldz

Originally Posted by socalmoto

So we worked on a buddies 01 tacoma for 9 months last year building it to class 7 specs. We caged it, built our own 3 link, and built our own 4x4 front susp that would cycle 15" bumped and strapped. We raced a few mdr races but dnfed usually due to problems with the front susp (was my first time fabbing and designing and shit didnt work as well as I hoped). We sat down and discussed what to do and what we wanted to accomplish and so we are now going 2wd. Truck before




4x4 frontend



Morning after hitting a large rock formation at 75mph during the night race.


The last barstow race we had small probs like power stering line getting cut and a tie rod unthreading, but what took us out was our limit strap came apart on us and yanked the brake line off.



The BIGGEST issue we were having was that we would scrape the front crossmember and lower arms on EVERYTHING in the des. We need to be under 78" OTW to be class 7 legal and with that limit and stock front diff it was going to be very difficult to pull anymore travel/clearance with 4wd. We have now decided that new high clearance xmember and 2wd will be better. With 2wd and new crossmembers we will be getting more travel (b&s at 19-20), more ground clearance (about 8 more inches), cleaner travel (better camber curve), 35 inch tires (yay swapmeet!!), bypasses, and WAY better steering setup (thank you camburg kinetik truck for the idea). We have VERY low bumpsteer while tires are turned (under 2 deg while full crank and zero when straight).

Pic of cad drawings


Tear down




cnc cut and bent pieces


welding so far




We are aiming to race the apr 4 mdr race.

Awesome work! Are you thinking of making this a productions kit? If so please PM me pricing, very interested.

nice work socal... been watching your stuff on ttora since the truck had deavers... the new frontend is going to be awesome and your 4x4 front was looking good but i understand the practicality of the new front!

keep up the good work making art

Wow your not fucking around! Must be nice having all your plate pre-bent and laser cut and an interesting steering setup. I like it. Keep up the good work!

Mike

Thanks for all the comps. Im not thinking of selling this as a kit anytime soon . . . or ever. Its going on our personal race truck and I would like to race it and see what it feels like and if its actually good. And if we can get a win in class7 next year then I may keep it to myself hahaha

We got the pieces cut here in town at image hotrod. He bent all the pieces on a hydraulic break according to the drawings we gave him, he wire wheeled all the edges, and undercut and later drilled out all the holes we labeled as bolt holes so the tolerances were tight. It all went together pretty smoothly and all the gaps are what I wanted them at so welding was a snap. Ive been up till 1am the last couple nights welding. My camera kind of sucks at close up shots but the owner of the truck has a WAY badass camera so Ill wait for his pics of the welds.

How many design hours do you think you have into it? Did you model the shocks too?

What snout/hub combo is going to be used?

Thanks

Originally Posted by coletrain

How many design hours do you think you have into it? Did you model the shocks too?

What snout/hub combo is going to be used?

Thanks

The CAD drawing shows Toyota straight axle hubs

Mike

Originally Posted by coletrain

How many design hours do you think you have into it? Did you model the shocks too?

What snout/hub combo is going to be used?

Thanks

Originally Posted by only1mikey

The CAD drawing shows Toyota straight axle hubs

Mike

Yep theyre the older 4x4 hubs and snouts. Everything in the model I measured the parts in real life (not fake life) and drew them up. Most of the parts like heims and unis I already had drawn from other projects that Ive designed and I really cant put a number on how many hours its taken. Most of the time I would get done working and go watch tv and draw things up in sw, I never logged hours. If I had to guess id say the susp and steering was somewhere between 50-100 hours. hahaha large ballpark

Work looks nice but one problem your truck is no longer 7 open legal you are not allowed to modify the frame in anyway. All you can do is add material to damaged areas. You can change mounting locations but that about all you can do. Your truck is a candidate for 1450/1400/7200/6

I'm probably wrong but I thought the SCORE rulebook said "no modifications to the frame rails". If thats the case this truck should be fine in 7open
Eric

i believe BK berry 7-open Toyota was a subedframed 2wd toyota p/u and he raced no problem.

Originally Posted by mcyota7200

Work looks nice but one problem your truck is no longer 7 open legal you are not allowed to modify the frame in anyway. All you can do is add material to damaged areas. You can change mounting locations but that about all you can do. Your truck is a candidate for 1450/1400/7200/6

the frame has not been modified.. just the cross members..

Yeah but he didnt remove his stock subframe.Original stock frame configuration must be retained. Lengthening or narrowing of frame is not permitted. Removal of material is not permitted. Damaged areas of the frame may be plated with the same thickness of metal as that of the original frame thickness (i.e. 0.25-inch thick frame = 0.25-inch thick plate). The plate area may only be as large as required to cover the damaged area and to allow for the welding of the plate to a non-damaged area of the frame.

Originally Posted by trfytoy

the frame has not been modified.. just the cross members..

I'm just going what I learned when I helped a 7 open team. We modified the cross memebers and were DQed and the truck loss all points for the season.

Originally Posted by socalmoto

So we worked on a buddies 01 tacoma for 9 months last year building it to class 7 specs. We caged it, built our own 3 link, and built our own 4x4 front susp that would cycle 15" bumped and strapped. We raced a few mdr races but dnfed usually due to problems with the front susp (was my first time fabbing and designing and shit didnt work as well as I hoped). We sat down and discussed what to do and what we wanted to accomplish and so we are now going 2wd. Truck before




4x4 frontend



Morning after hitting a large rock formation at 75mph during the night race.


The last barstow race we had small probs like power stering line getting cut and a tie rod unthreading, but what took us out was our limit strap came apart on us and yanked the brake line off.



The BIGGEST issue we were having was that we would scrape the front crossmember and lower arms on EVERYTHING in the des. We need to be under 78" OTW to be class 7 legal and with that limit and stock front diff it was going to be very difficult to pull anymore travel/clearance with 4wd. We have now decided that new high clearance xmember and 2wd will be better. With 2wd and new crossmembers we will be getting more travel (b&s at 19-20), more ground clearance (about 8 more inches), cleaner travel (better camber curve), 35 inch tires (yay swapmeet!!), bypasses, and WAY better steering setup (thank you camburg kinetik truck for the idea). We have VERY low bumpsteer while tires are turned (under 2 deg while full crank and zero when straight).

Pic of cad drawings


Tear down





cnc cut and bent pieces


welding so far




We are aiming to race the apr 4 mdr race.

I dont know any specifics yet on your design nor would I really know since I am not a fabricator/engineer but the work looks top shelf! So I take it you are cutting the frame off at some point in the front? I cant wait to see this completed

No, frame is staying, just new crossmembers with new control arms pivots.

This new design looks like a huge improvement! Just out of curiosity, how long are the steering "swingers"?

James

Originally Posted by mcyota7200

your truck is no longer 7 open legal you are not allowed to modify the frame in anyway

Originally Posted by PrerunTN

ISCORE rulebook said "no modifications to the frame rails".

My 2006-2010 score book also says no frame RAIL mods. It never said anything about the crossmembers. If you were dnf'd due to that crossmember mod, then you were wronged. We did not narrow the rails at all, the new crossmembers actually was a snug fit, but no hammers needed. Heres bk's truck and if you look you can clearly see that his whole front subframe is tubing.

http://www.desertrides.com/features/...ass7/index.php

We're too far into it now and well have to find out later whether or not score will follow their own rulebook, but Im hoping they will

Originally Posted by F1sleepy

This new design looks like a huge improvement! Just out of curiosity, how long are the steering "swingers"?

James

thanks. The swinger holes that drive the uprights are 4.875" from the pivot point

thanks for the link to that bk fab truck... i have never seen that truck and all i have to say is fuck! i need a ride in that

Originally Posted by bLANd

thanks for the link to that bk fab truck... i have never seen that truck and all i have to say is fuck! i need a ride in that

Ya I looked at those pics a hundred thousand times before starting on ours. Ive even got a pic of it out in the garage near the door so I see it everytime I walk out to work on my buddies taco haha. His truck and dan baggs are the biggest inspirations for the build.

Well either way nice work and if you are called out in 7open then just race class 6 in Score

looks great. how long you been doing this?

Originally Posted by mcyota7200

Well either way nice work and if you are called out in 7open then just race class 6 in Score

Thanks. Hopefully it works out cause it was a pain in the ass getting the otw under 78" with a-arms.

Originally Posted by danna

looks great. how long you been doing this?

First prerunner I ever rode in was this truck and I started fabbing and tig welding almost 2 years ago on this truck.

We got new motor mounts in and both sides swinging. It traveled 21.5" metal to metal with good camber the entire path. Unfortunately the 12" shocks are a bit taller than I thought and we were too high in the engine compartment and so well be bumping it a little lower. The ride height should be the same as before with at least 12" uptravel and 8.5" of ground clearance at bump.

damn... up pretty late.. neighbors pissed you worked so late or just didnt post the pics for a while? lol.. looks super good dude.

Originally Posted by desert_silverado

damn... up pretty late.. neighbors pissed you worked so late or just didnt post the pics for a while? lol.. looks super good dude.

Hes got some pretty understanding neighbors...

We need a shop steve!

looks fucken badass!

Originally Posted by trfytoy

Hes got some pretty understanding neighbors...

We need a shop steve!

must be nice... i get bitched out for baerly any noise late at night.

I think you guys made a wise choice ditching the 4wd. The design looks great! Great fab work! Keep the pictures coming!

-Ben

looks nice keep up the great work man

looks good steve, now design me a center mount kit for my toyota on your fancy computer, so I dont' sepdn 2 weeks cycling everything by hand.

Originally Posted by 85yota

looks good steve, now design me a center mount kit for my toyota on your fancy computer, so I dont' sepdn 2 weeks cycling everything by hand.

Im up for the challenge!!

Originally Posted by trfytoy

Hes got some pretty understanding neighbors...

We need a shop steve!

As soon as I come across some money well get the shop!! And my neighbors are pretty badass. When I first started building this truck I only cut shit with a cut off wheel so it sounded like a fucking dentist office all day long. I asked them if they minded and they said they didnt mind just keep it down if they have a backyard party or family bbq . . . and theyve been cool for 2 years now. FUCKIN AWESOME!!!

Originally Posted by 85yota

looks good steve, now design me a center mount kit for my toyota on your fancy computer, so I dont' sepdn 2 weeks cycling everything by hand.

Awwwwwwwwww so look whos too good to talk on the phone but wants to write shit all over the internet!! hahaha if you really want that shit just come by and give me dimensions.

So we got some of the cage work done and shocks mounted. It only cycles 18.5" cause I didnt expect the shocks to be so damn tall and we lost some uptravel. Were thinking about not running a bumpstop at least for now so the bumped and strapped travel will be around 18".

We also found out that with the new steering box it hangs way out in front (where the radiator was supposed to be) and we have a new radiator coming thats a smaller area, but dual pass. Weve also got the new bumper design in our heads to still protect the steering box way out front and weve got steering ujoints and materials on the way. So hopefully on the weekend we can pull the engine and weld up everything. Then its just redoing brake/fuel lines and putting in a new tranny.

close up weld pic


Shocks mounted

weld have always looked nice but are a whole lot better than even 6 months ago! (wish i could tig)

there is no castor...that shit will never work..








ha ha jk jk... material should be here today, Ill machine everything tonight.

Originally Posted by bLANd

weld have always looked nice but are a whole lot better than even 6 months ago! (wish i could tig)

Ya the welds are getting way better but still not great. I suppose they never will be as Ill always want them to be better . . . until that "one day" and then Ill die hahah

Originally Posted by trfytoy

there is no castor...that shit will never work..
ha ha jk jk... material should be here today, Ill machine everything tonight.

Oh chingy!!! You better be on it and not watching pedobear stuff again.

shit looks really sick!! good luck at the races. cant wait to see you out there. il be sure to stop by if i see you and look at it!