[kellen.kellen]

Ok so right now im running just the j66 soa with stock length fox 2.0,s.

The trucks travel now is is lmtd by both the shock length and the shackles.

I talked to someone at deaver and they said that spring is capable of 13 inches max.
My good friend runs a Fab shop and we're talking about possibly getting some extended shackles from ruffstuff specialties and using the j66 either soa or sua and making a shock hoop in the fender well similar to the TC 5 lug one to run probably a single 14 inch bypass.

I just wana make about 12 -15 inches of rear travel a to make a solid mid travel setup.

Has anyone used the deaver 10 pack like this? Does this make sense or is it just a waste?

Pictures of anything Similar?

 

[06HAOLE]

I would ditch the j-66 and pick up the Defined Engineering SUA kit. It's good for 15" of travel.

 

[tacosupreme]

You can get a good used set of springs for under $500. I think there is a set of deavers on rdc for $350. Do it right, or you'll kick yourself when you redo it later. Even pulling a set of chevy springs from the junkyard would be better than the stubby ones you have. You will be suprised at how much faster your truck will be, and how much "safer" it is after SUA and you get some droop back there.

 

[mpower]

i tried every way possible to make the j66 pack perform and stay consistent and it just wasent happening.the 13" i am limited to right now preforms obscenely better then when i had the j66, king 2.5's and light racing jouncestops getting 11" of travel .

so thats why i developed the bolt in spring under kit. it solves soo many problems and its the least intrusive way to get the rearend to preform and the cheapest as far as im concerned.

negitive arch is what kills it. not only does your spring rate go to shit in negitive arch it fatigues the spring and kills your ride height.

your going to do nothing positive by putting longer shackles in there no matter which way they are situated and if you do get 13" out of the pack its still gonna be hard to get the pack droop out smoothly .

what more can i say . ive done it and its a waste.

 

[kellen.kellen]

Ahhh I need to start saving.

This is pretty much what I want to accomplish with what I have now or access to. (likely just a bypass though)

MPower, you are defined engineering correct? I think I was emailing with you a couple weeks back about your kits. Im all over the place right now lookin for the best performance and cost for what I want. I may be lookin in your direction. Does your kit use a longer leaf pack as well?

With some help from my friend we can easily make a hoop like TCs. I don’t see why TC’s kit does not work for a 6 lug or why they don’t make one tho.

I just don’t want to get everything together to go that route and then run into some unforeseen issue.

Am I missing something?

Mpower with your kit, assuming I would fabricate a hoop similar to the TC one, can I make 13-15 inches using a 14 inch shock and keep the 3 inch LR air bumps with my existing bedsides? I don’t intend on running a tire any larger than a 285.

thanks all

 

[marcmittelsteadt]

The only down side is you have to run wheel spacers to clear the shocks in the rear which puts added stress on your wheel bearings.

 

[mpower]

Ahhh I need to start saving.

This is pretty much what I want to accomplish with what I have now or access to. (likely just a bypass though)

MPower, you are defined engineering correct? I think I was emailing with you a couple weeks back about your kits. Im all over the place right now lookin for the best performance and cost for what I want. I may be lookin in your direction. Does your kit use a longer leaf pack as well?

With some help from my friend we can easily make a hoop like TCs. I don’t see why TC’s kit does not work for a 6 lug or why they don’t make one tho.

I just don’t want to get everything together to go that route and then run into some unforeseen issue.

Am I missing something?

Mpower with your kit, assuming I would fabricate a hoop similar to the TC one, can I make 13-15 inches using a 14 inch shock and keep the 3 inch LR air bumps with my existing bedsides? I don’t intend on running a tire any larger than a 285.

thanks all

yeah , im mike with defined engineering.

and yes the kit i produce uses a longer proprietary deaver leafpack. you will be able to get the full 15" of travel and keep the stock bedsides/flairs with 285's on a 4.5bs or less wheel . with some trimming of course. any tire bigger than that or on a wider offset wheel that that may have some clearance issues

the way the shock hoops are setup on the tc 5lug kit places the lower shock mounts lower than the leafpack hangs down . the bigger concern is that there is no crossbrace to keep the framerails from twisting to all hell. it works but its not right and thats probably why they dont produce a 6lug kit.
if you want to put longer 2.5" shocks in theres almost no way to do it without cutting into the bed a littlebit. or theres the cantilever setups but im sure you wont want to spend the money going that route.

ive been wanting to do a less intrusive shock tower setup to fit a 12" shock but i just dont have a stock truck to work from . it will have a removable crossbar at the minimum. theres no way around that if im putting my name on it.

same shock hoops and shocks pre and post SUA

before sua droop . at ride height loaded the spring was flat with a normal load

heres limited droop with the SUA setup :xpimp:

trimmed fender

 

[mpower]

The only down side is you have to run wheel spacers to clear the shocks in the rear which puts added stress on your wheel bearings.

maybe with the 5 lug kit and the previous generation tacomas. but im clearing 2.5" shocks WITHOUT wheel spacers and my tires dont rub the shocks at all . even at full articulation.

 

[marcmittelsteadt]

maybe with the 5 lug kit and the previous generation tacomas. but im clearing 2.5" shocks WITHOUT wheel spacers and my tires dont rub the shocks at all . even at full articulation.

Good to know. I got rid of my 05 5 lug and bought a 2011 double cab 4x4. Does your kit retain the drive shaft as well? Are your shocks 2.5 " smooth body or bypass?

 

[mpower]

Good to know. I got rid of my 05 5 lug and bought a 2011 double cab 4x4. Does your kit retain the drive shaft as well? Are your shocks 2.5 " smooth body or bypass?

yes the stock driveshaft is retained, no modifications reccomended for the 4x trucks.The 2wd trucks driveshaft cycles fine , the slipjoint at the transmission dosent "bottom out" into the trans and has more than enough spline left when the ds is at full extension. the only problem with the 2wd trucks is that the carrier bearing plunges front to rear along with the driveshaft causing premature failure. this is a problem with all 2wd tacomas SUA or SOA . the solution is to have either a new rear section of driveshaft made to the right specs with a slipjoint , so the plunge is taken up in the rear ds like the 4x4's. or go to a junk yard and get a 4x rear ds assembly and swap with the 2wd rear shaft, get it balanced and problem averted

my shocks are king 2.5" smoothbodys. if you order king bypasses you can have them made to be remote resi and have the bypass tubes clocked so it has smooth sides . thats the only way to fit a 2.5 bypass under full articulation without notching the frame or using wheel spacers. wheel tire combo will have an influence as well.but honestly with hydraulic bumpstops and basic valving in a s/b 2.5 youll be set , if you need to go faster than that you need to link it.

 

[kellen.kellen]

yeah , im mike with defined engineering.

the way the shock hoops are setup on the tc 5lug kit places the lower shock mounts lower than the leafpack hangs down . the bigger concern is that there is no crossbrace to keep the framerails from twisting to all hell. it works but its not right and thats probably why they dont produce a 6lug kit.
if you want to put longer 2.5" shocks in theres almost no way to do it without cutting into the bed a littlebit. or theres the cantilever setups but im sure you wont want to spend the money going that route.

Hey Mike,

I never really thought about the amount of stress that would be placed on a shock hoop inside the fender well without that crossbar.

you obviously have a good knowledge of this similar design, so I have a question for ya,

if i were to make a shock hoop that wasnt as tall as the TC kit that angled the shock backwards ( say in direction of the existing shock mounts) and then either made a lower shock mount that dropped the shock slightly lower than the stock one, would that allow me to run a longer shock like 12-14 inches and alleviate stress from the hoop? not needing that crossmember?

 

[mpower]

Hey Mike,

I never really thought about the amount of stress that would be placed on a shock hoop inside the fender well without that crossbar.

you obviously have a good knowledge of this similar design, so I have a question for ya,

if i were to make a shock hoop that wasnt as tall as the TC kit that angled the shock backwards ( say in direction of the existing shock mounts) and then either made a lower shock mount that dropped the shock slightly lower than the stock one, would that allow me to run a longer shock like 12-14 inches and alleviate stress from the hoop? not needing that crossmember?

well #1 i dont reccomend angling the shock backwards . only 1:1 or angled forward if space or getting more travel than the stroke of the shock is needed.you might be able to get a 12" shock in there under the bed without the lower shock mount being too low. but dont forget the more the shocks are angled the less effective they are and the more compression valving is needed.

if you care anything about the longevity of your frame a crossbar between the hoops is a must. the problem is you have no other way than to mount the mounts for the shock hoop off the side of the frame . anything higher than the top of the frame rail is going to be a leverage point to flex the frame back and forth as the load is applied and relieved. now the one thing that may help is if a brace is made that attaches to the shock eye bolt on the hoop and the other end will attach to the front leafspring bolt. this should triangulate the hoop in multiple planes and possibly give it the rigidity it needs. like i said i have a good idea how to get it to work i just need a test truck thats not so modified to try it on

 

[tacosupreme]

I've got a full bed cage tied into a cab cage and my frame STILL cracked to shit. Granted most guys don't abuse things like me, but the point remains.

 

[mpower]

I've got a full bed cage tied into a cab cage and my frame STILL cracked to shit. Granted most guys don't abuse things like me, but the point remains.

yep i wont weld any to these trucks anymore if i can help it. even with plating its prone to cracking where ever you weld.the metal dosent like the heat .my motor mount plating has been doing pretty good since the last time i crack checked. but im not stripping the paint to crack check again anytime soon , last time i checked was about a year ago when i pulled the motor.

correct me if im wrong but on the 2nd gen tacomas the frame is heat treated in multiple pieces and then riveted together. some places of the frame are only .076" thick, now granted its laminated in those areas but the welded layer can still tear.

everything's gotta be bolt on if you dont want to be chasing cracks with the welder all the time. thats exactly why my cage bolts onto the frame and all other structures from now on will be mounted the same way.

 

[tacosupreme]

Mine cracked from the rivet holes, and when I weld I do the stitch weld thing so the heat isn't so gnarly. Do a puddle, wait, do a puddle, wait...it does fuse the two pieces of veneer together. All the other cracks on the front of the frame originate from factory welds, not mine. Also I haven't had any more issues with the coil buckets or motor mounts since doing the engine cage.

 

[mpower]

Mine cracked from the rivet holes, and when I weld I do the stitch weld thing so the heat isn't so gnarly. Do a puddle, wait, do a puddle, wait...it does fuse the two pieces of veneer together. All the other cracks on the front of the frame originate from factory welds, not mine. Also I haven't had any more issues with the coil buckets or motor mounts since doing the engine cage.

wow cracking from the rivet holes? i havent seen any of that yet .but your tacoma probably has the most offroad miles and im sure you beat the living piss out of it so im not surprised. . i need an engine cage next cuz i always suspected that tying it all together is the key to alleviating the stress on the front frame. im sure the rear needs it even more now that im caged too.

 

[tacosupreme]

It blows my mind that it even runs. 75K and counting, in the dirt daily with the skinny pedal mashed. The "next one" will be full tube chassis, it's just not worth screwing with stock stuff.

 

[08pretaco]

Go with Mikes.

Came across this: http://solomotorsports.com/images/products/tacomaRshockhoop/index.html