Greg_Canada

Nice mod,
I notice a huge difference when my hubs are locked vs unlocked

truckmike26

Initial impressions are great. But it'd take a long trip to really magnify the difference. Unfortunately, the rear driveshaft still vibrates and the rust is really ugly (there could be a bored constable or a constable just a week outta constable school who could pull me over).

I changed the oil last week and wasn't too happy about how the trans. cooler lines looked so yet another issue to discourage long trips. Oh well. Lots of character-building.

truckmike26

So the rear driveshaft still vibs but I do drive it to work (a few mins. away) and other short trips around town. Unforseen circumstances have halted this build for the time-being but I figured this was worth posting. Two co-workers on two seperate occasions riding shotgun as well as my MOM (!) -- who hadn't been in the truck in ages (also in the passenger's seat) -- said, and I'm paraphrasing, "wow, this truck rides really well...it feels really 'tight'."

My ma turned 65 in April. I fixed other out-standing issues as well, but these springs I feel were a significant part of what she noticed. I've been test-driving new Tacomas the past while (long story) and I was completely amazed, dynamically, ride, etc., a '12 Tacoma is just fractionally better than this old pile. Truely incredible. The '12 had lots more power and much quicker steering, but wow, not too much has changed in 18 years.

truckmike26

The $900 I sacrificed last fall to fix the A/C paid for itself these past two days in the stress-reduction-stuck-in-traffic factor. Last two days in slow-moving traffic, 34 degrees C in the GTA, it's almost TOO cold. I had to dial it back a bit. The A/C's lame on start-up but once the fan clutch locks up, you almost need eye drops.

truckmike26

The rear driveshaft vibration is much more subtle than before but it's still there. I'm working on making shims to correct it but life B/S has got in the way for now.

Kruser3005

I installed these springs and found a vibration on the test drive. I installed 2* shims and the vibration remained. I am now chasing my tail to eliminate the extra vibrations. U joints? Slip yoke wear? more pinion angle? all the above? Great springs but too much height for my stock driveline. Good luck.

truckmike26

I don't think 2 degree shims are enough. After I installed these springs, I took an angle finder and compared the driveshaft angle to pinion flange angle and they differed by 8 degrees from square. So 2 degree shims would leave the pinion angle 6 degrees still out. I was in the process of making some 5 degree shims (leaving 3 degrees on the table) which in theory should be ideal. A recent article in Four Wheeler magazine touched on driveline vibrations and mentioned that 6 degrees is the maximum amount of wedge to stick in there before the spring perches need to be cut off and re-welded. The shims are still sitting on the mill which I haven't touched in six months because I had to pick up my life and move.

I'm all moved now but there still is clutter everywhere. So the '94 project is on hold right now. The house came with a huge concrete garage in the back so that's the current project -- getting everything set up and organzed.

I'm glad the Tundra fits through the doors (just barely):

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Kruser3005

That is great info, Thanks. I am hoping now that 6* will do. The parking brake cable is in the way a little when I increase the shim angle to 6* (more angle = more stack height). I might have to remove the two overload springs from my Ironman pack and run the single O.E. toyota over load springs. Then bolt the 6* shim onto the pack before installing the leaf packs. Then you still have to relocate the parking brake line. I am not against perch relocation, but achieving perfect alignment will cause my OCD to flare. Then I will get bogged down in details, when all I want is to get back proper suspension function when I haul my XR.

FYI
Eli at Camel 4x4 has provided great customer service and fast shipping here in the US.

Nice std Tundra.

truckmike26

Hey thanks. Just by rough eyeballing it looks like the cables would just start touching with 5 degree shims. I guess we'll see when we get there. But the driveline vibes are a much more unsettling problem.

aviator

Hey Mike

Nice to run into you at the Beer Store the other day... sweet garage... could also be an out of balance driveshaft causing the vibration issues... you want to take care of that one way or the other cause the vibrations will eat the pinion seals and bearings and then you need a new diff. ... trust me on this it happened to me...

truckmike26

Hey Paul, good to see you as well.

Highly, highly unlikely that the driveshaft is out of balance (in my case) because: zero vibration before the Ironman spring install; lots of vibration after the Ironman spring install. These are indeed real outback springs intended for lots of overload. Four to six-hundred pounds should level the truck close to factory but I don't haul that everyday like outback, adventuring people would (I run mostly empty).

Kruser3005

I installed some Tuff Country 6* steel shims this last weekend. I drilled out the 5/16" to 3/8" so my new Rancho center pins would slide right in. I bolted it all down with new 6" ProComp u bolts and it was good to go. I don't really feel any vibration at slow speeds any more, and the cruise to work on the highway went smooth as well. I am certain it is set to go now, the pinion angle is great and now really close the cv joint's angle behind my center bearing.
I then made a 2" relocation bracket for my proportioning valve.
However, this still leaves the park brake cable still disconnected. I need to make a bracket to extend the arm on the inside of the drum brake.
Thanks again for the info.

truckmike26

Good to hear. Glad to help. What was the Tuff Country P/N? The only 6 degree shims listed in the catalogue (online) are ones with either a 3/8" or 1/2" centre hole. I just may do the same thing.

Kruser3005

I was wrong about the brand, sorry. I bought these from my local 4WheelParts store. They told me they are Rubicon Express brand. They were 2.5" inch wide with 6* of slope. I paid 30$. Rubicon Express RE1468 2.5" 6*.

truckmike26

Okay, thanks for that. I'm so busy with work and things to do around the house I think this is a good route to go. I'm disappointed these springs didn't already come with some wedge. I mean, lots of people have had the same issue.

truckmike26

So I have the Rubicon Express 6 degree wedges. They seem well made out of cold-rolled plate and a counterbore for the centre pin. I thought about "engineering" a clearance bracket for each side of the parking brake cable along with shortening it with some thimbles and lugs but all that trouble doesn't seem worth it. It looks like it might be easier to just eliminate the bottom overload leaves and substitute these shims.

Aside from the parking brake cable issue, there's another: these shims add another 3/8" spring pack height AND lift, which puts them super close to maxing out the extension length of the rear 2.5"-inch Pro-Comp shocks I have now. I don't want to buy new 4"-lift rear shocks. So it looks like the only reasonable solution is to nix the bottom most overload leaf each side -- about a 1/2" inch worth of spring pack height and lift.

Kruser3005

That sounds like a good way to go. I thought long and hard about removing the last leaf too, but ended up leaving it. I made e brake brackets, to extend up over my leafs like 4crawler had on his page.

truckmike26

I too thought long and hard about it and I can't see myself loading this old pickup down to the point where that second, extra overkill leaf would come into play. The most weight I ever haulled was 1000 lbs. of sheep crap fertilizer (for peaceful, farming purposes).

truckmike26

So, quite a bit's happened in the last almost three years. But I finally finished repairing the rust and replacing the fenders (and a whole bunch of other non-buildup-related repairs just to keep this old thing running and safe) so an update is in order.

I've got those XJ Jeep 6-degree wedges in there. Before, as mentioned, the rear joint was running 8-degrees from zero causing vibes. I milled and drilled them to match the metric Toyota/Ironman dimensions and put them in place of the bottom-most overload leaf and they work perfectly running 2 degrees out. Zero vibes, zero drama. I had to cut the excess threads off the Ironman U-bolts as they extended down way beyond the clamps/shock mounts and weren't even square (equal length).

The front bars are adjusted to what I think is about 1" up (which I did years ago). I'm waiting for warmer weather to get under there with a tape measure to see where the front and rear ride height dimensions are relative to the factory specs. So, as it sits, I love it. Empty, it rides very firm, but a good kind of firm, not a harsh, jarring firm. No kidding. These outback springs could support 1,000 lbs. of gear and stuff no sweat.