2002 Sequoia Limited 4WD

[riparious]

Sal, I accidentally stumbled upon your build thread, and now I keep looking at Craigslist for Sequoias. I’m inspired!

You have put a ton of time and energy into optimizing your suspension. Can you share the performance outcome? How has it changed the handling for on-road, washboard dirt roads, and trails? Are you satisfied with the current setup, or do you feel there is more work to be done?

 

[Sal R.]

Sal, I accidentally stumbled upon your build thread, and now I keep looking at Craigslist for Sequoias. I’m inspired!

You have put a ton of time and energy into optimizing your suspension. Can you share the performance outcome? How has it changed the handling for on-road, washboard dirt roads, and trails? Are you satisfied with the current setup, or do you feel there is more work to be done?

I'm currently in the process of troubleshooting some steering and stability issues. I changed so much all at once, I have had to use the process of elimination to track it down. As a result, she's down for the moment, so I can't really comment on road handling yet.

It is my hope that once I resolve this, suspension work is done. I think that I've taken it as far as I can before putting on a long travel kit or going SAS.

And thanks! I'm glad I could inspire you in some way.

 

[Sal R.]

Pulled the SPC cams. They were the culprit for the steering, tracking, and stability, issues that have been plaguing my Sequoia since the initial installation.

See original post for updated details.

 

[Sal R.]

How has it changed the handling for on-road, washboard dirt roads, and trails?

After about 100 miles of shaking down the new front suspension on-road, I have to say, it does take a little getting used to. It basically steers like a race car, but rolls like a pig.

I used to be able to get away with not having swaybars, even on-road with the OEM hardware, but that's a bad idea with Solo kit with the stiffer Total Chaos rack bushings. Steering is super responsive with very little understeer with my car having about a 1.5" rake to it.

I'm not adverse to it. With the car properly aligned, I do have to be mindful about steering corrections, but it's not to the point where it is tiring or stressful.

Once I'm confident about the installation, I'll do an inspection to check for play, then shake it down a trail.

 

[riparious]

Thank you for the update. I’m excited about the progress.

 

[hurc85]

Sal, thanks for laying the groundwork with crown performance and getting the measurements done for the brake line kit. Talked to Eddie yesterday and ordered a kit. It was super easy because you did all the hard work for us. Appreciate all the info and thanks again!

 

[Sal R.]

Sal, thanks for laying the groundwork with crown performance and getting the measurements done for the brake line kit. Talked to Eddie yesterday and ordered a kit. It was super easy because you did all the hard work for us. Appreciate all the info and thanks again!

Glad it worked out. ?

 

[Sal R.]

500 mile trip report regarding the Solo motorsports MT spindle and lower uniball conversion kit.

200 miles without a swaybar, 300 miles with.

A front swaybar is a must for this kit. Without it, you will experience some squirrelly tracking at speeds 60mph+. The added unsprung mass of the solo kit changes the dynamics of the suspension. Not to mention the double shear heim steering coupled with MTs will grab onto just about any road imperfections. The front swaybar will keep driveabilty predictable on-road.

The issue is most prominent on a crown or when into a turning maneuver. The uneven weight distribution would cause an unpredictable cycle between oversteer and understeer at highway speeds.

As I said, the car turns like a race car but rolls like a pig in mud.

Debating on whether or not to hit the road this weekend or buckle down and keep going thru my to do list. Only a few more weeks til summit...

smh

 

[Sal R.]

MODIFICATION: Relocate Windshield Washer Reservoir

GOAL:
Retain/regain windshield washer functionality.

PURPOSE:
Remember this?

Well, I took it out soon after tubbing the fenders and firewall. As a result, I lost the capability to wash my windshield. It's incredibly annoying on snow, sand, and just overall dirty days.

MATERIALS:
AUDEW 12V Universal Car Windshield Washer Kit with Pump Jet Button Switch 160186

DURATION: 1 hours

COST: $20

HOW-TO:
Nothing to it, assuming you've already removed your OEM reservoir. Picked up the universal reservoir from Amazon.

Basically:

1. Remove OEM pump
2. Remove the float switch
3. Drill 1" diameter hole on bottom of the universal reservoir
4. Install one of OEM pumps from the OEM reservoir
5. Install float switch
6. Pull OEM tubing and wiring into the engine bay from wheel well (there's enough slack)
7. Cut, bend, shape a bracket
8. Drill and mount bracket
9. Mount the universal reservoir
10. Re-connect tubing and wiring

1" diamter hole for the float switch


OEM pump and switch mounted on universal reservoir


Reservoir mounted on custom bracket




No re-wiring was necessary. Once I broke loose the wiring and tubing from their mounts/tie-downs, there is plenty of length for both to be able to pull them back from wheel well and into the engine bay to reach the new reservoir.

 

[Sal R.]

MODIFICATION: 3-Jerry Can Holder

GOAL:
Maximize fuel range.

PURPOSE:
A single 5-gallon can doesn't do much for a pig like the Sequoia. For upcoming Death Valley trips, the more range the better.

SUMMARY:
Looking at the layout of my can holder swingout, I knew I could fit 3 cans for a whopping 15-gallons of extra fuel range.

However, I did not want to permanently add length to an already long vehicle, so after some trial and error, I settled on a "half-can" holder. It may look flimsy, but to help support the weight of the jerry cans, each can has a dedicated support gusset under the tray made of 12ga steel. I tested the supported weight by filling each can with water, which is heavier than gas.





The securing mechanism uses a round bar, welded dog-bone assembly that relies on nuts and threaded rods to clamp down the jerry cans in place.


Fuel is transferred using a siphon hose.

#OAF

 

[Sal R.]

MODIFICATION: Relocate Firestik Antenna

GOAL:
Maximum performance from the CB Radio.

PURPOSE:
When I reworked the can holder swing out, I found that the new can profile had negatively affected my CB radio performance, which was mounted right next to it.

SUMMARY:
To meet the required SWR limits (<1.5), the antenna needed to be moved. After toying around with different options, I lazied out, and mounted it on my front bumper.

It worked out. The end result was 1.3/1.1.

 

[Sal R.]

MODIFICATION: Relocate Ditch Lights

GOAL:
Move the ditch lights from hood to somewhere else.

PURPOSE:
I never liked the ditch lights mounted on the hood obstructing my field of vision. I felt it was obnoxious and drew too much attention for my liking.

SUMMARY:
Ultimately, there was a space on my front bumper that looked like a good spot.

 

[Sal R.]

MODIFICATION: Front Facing Camera

GOAL:
Enhance situational awareness in front of vehicle.

PURPOSE:
Having a wide field of view camera in the rear really helps out a lot when trying maneuver tight spaces. Whether it's on a trail or a parking lot, having a camera out back was super convenient. Since I had an open AV input spot on my headunit, I thought having a camera up front would also be great thing to install.

SUMMARY:
Considering that I still had to route the CB antenna cable from the front bumper, I figured this would be the best time to stamp out this nuisance mod and route them altogether.

Camera mounted on my bumper.


I routed all necessary camera wiring along the front end, through the passenger side fender well using the penetration for the washer reservoir, into the engine bay, then into the cabin thru the passenger side rubber grommet, along with the CB antenna cable.


Power for the camera was taken from the old front amp wiring harness (I wanted to keep everything together).

Positive was spliced into the gray wire.
Negative was spliced into the brown w/ silver band wire.

Testing with a multi-meter, the camera will power up on ignition and shut off on ACC off.

My vision for the camera is to help me navigate a trail making sure I follow a good line, situational awareness for obstructions and obstacles, better awareness during winching activities, and squeezing into tight parking spots.

 

[Leibbrand]

best thread on here, and I look forward to updates. Nicely done.

 

[Sal R.]

best thread on here, and I look forward to updates. Nicely done.

Thanks for the kind words.