2005 Tundra novice build - "The Rez"

[Kpack]

Following this. Also drive a DC and looking to redo the rear. At least you have sliders! Looks like they saved you on those sections.

Is your front sway bar installed? Could be source of popping. I threw some new end links on and mine is making noise on the trails already.

My front sway bar is disconnected and has been for a year. LBJ's, tie rods, and Camburg UCA's all have around 10k on them. LCA bushings are new. The Icon coilovers are old and used, and definitely need to be rebuilt. The clunk/pop happens whenever the driver's wheel hits a decent bump....sounds like something is slightly loose. I will pull the wheel and torque everything down. Could be lower shock bolt, or maybe something is happening with the tie rods?

The rear springs make a lot of noise as well. Some popping, clunks, etc. I'm going to remove the block and put in some used springs with an AAL already installed. That should get me close to my current ride height with hopefully a better ride.

The rear suspension just doesn't soak on anything. Even with my rear shocks adjusted to the softest setting it seems the bed bounces all over the place. Today was almost embarrasing having the bed flex and bounce like crazy on the washboard. It almost felt like the truck was going to come apart, and it almost seemed to loosen parts of the truck.....doors make more noise now, dashboard creaks more, the passenger seat shakes more, etc.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would assume decent suspension would be able to soak up these rough roads. My current set up certainly does not.

 

[smokeysevin]

The stock leaf springs ride like garbage compared to a deaver pack. The catch is that you lose payload and they do sag. When I installed my G57 pack it made the truck feel like a Cadillac but you need stiffer shocks to keep it from bottoming out and really you probably should run airbags if you plan on towing anything because it will squat bad if you have much more than a couple hundred pounds. I consider about 400ish to be about the limit before you end up really squatted.

Sean

 

[bkg]

Your pooping is probably the coils... a rebuild of that coil overs and a bit of grease on the spring contact points may correct the noise.

The springs can only do what the rest of the truck allows it to do. If the frame doesn’t resist the movement, forcing the springs to absorb the terrain, you’re stuck trying to dampen the frame flex/movement - not an easy thing to do.

What adjustments are on your shocks? Compression or rebound?

 

[Kpack]

The stock leaf springs ride like garbage compared to a deaver pack. The catch is that you lose payload and they do sag. When I installed my G57 pack it made the truck feel like a Cadillac but you need stiffer shocks to keep it from bottoming out and really you probably should run airbags if you plan on towing anything because it will squat bad if you have much more than a couple hundred pounds. I consider about 400ish to be about the limit before you end up really squatted.

Sean

I've heard the same regarding the G57 packs. Nice ride, but much lower payload capacity. Would using Timbren's in the back help at all with towing?

What about Archive Garage/Deaver Overland packs? Would those ride okay with the bed mostly unloaded? Future plans are for a rear bumper with dual swing outs, but not much else in the bed, so mostly empty. I will tow with the truck.

Your pooping is probably the coils... a rebuild of that coil overs and a bit of grease on the spring contact points may correct the noise.

The springs can only do what the rest of the truck allows it to do. If the frame doesn’t resist the movement, forcing the springs to absorb the terrain, you’re stuck trying to dampen the frame flex/movement - not an easy thing to do.

What adjustments are on your shocks? Compression or rebound?

Is that coil binding then? I haven't exceeded the max amount of pre-load. Regardless they are overdue for a rebuild anyways. I'm thinking of having them revalved for progressive dampening (like King's) instead of Icon's digressive valving.

I've been worried that the frame is causing a lot of this bounce. I've considered boxing in the frame slightly in the area right behind the cab, but have heard from others that it makes the ride harsher. My ride stinks as it is right now, could it really get much worse?

My shocks are compression-adjustable. These exact shocks: http://iconvehicledynamics.com/shop...25-series-pbr-rear-shocks-wcdcv-0-3-lift.html

 

[smokeysevin]

The other packs are (to the best of my knowledge) still based on the g57 pack with extra leafs added so they will have slightly different properties but its still pretty soft.

I have not used timbrens so I can't comment on them.

The stock pack is like 3 leaves with an overload while the Deaver pack is 11-13 that are super thin compared to the stock leaf.

You sort of need to pick if you want a harsh unloaded ride or a wallowing loaded ride if you just run leaf springs because you can't really get a good middle ground.

Some people recommended running the stock pack from the tundra with the icon mini pack in place of the overload leaf but I have never run that. I tossed around running the stock pack with a cut down or removed overload leaf but never did it, its free to test at the least.

Other people recommend swapping the stock pack for the 62" chevy pack for a cheap long travel kit. I got a decent deal on my g57s and I have been really happy with them but they do have limitations.

Part of the way to mitigate the problem with a softer pack is to have stiffer shocks to help the hard bottoming out but you lose a little comfort that way. With my cantilever setup the rear stiffens up as it compresses (motion ratio is climbing which makes the effective damping get stiffer as it gets closer to bottoming out)

The best setup (in my opinion) is to run g57's with airbags as helper springs so you get the soft ride of the springs when unloaded but can add some air to the bags and compensate for the extra weight if you need it. I am hoping to get that done soon when I get a few minutes of downtime to get the mounts made.

I have daystar bag cups for the lower mounts so you don't loose droop travel, airlift dominator 2500 series bags which were the longest travel bags I could find without going huge, and a firestone air line kit that will be getting plumbed into my air tank with a 3 way valve or solenoid.

I also tossed around the idea of running hydro bumps but I ran into trouble fitting them where I wanted to and the bags have internal bumps on them so I am less worried about it. Air bags don't help with the "bucking" that leaf springs have under hard hits since they are not damped like hydro bumps but its better than metal to metal.


Sean

 

[bkg]

Is that coil binding then? I haven't exceeded the max amount of pre-load. Regardless they are overdue for a rebuild anyways. I'm thinking of having them revalved for progressive dampening (like King's) instead of Icon's digressive valving.

Maybe... also check to see that the coils aren't hitting the frame. On my Tacoma, they are w/in about 1/8" in a couple of spots.

[/quote]
I've been worried that the frame is causing a lot of this bounce. I've considered boxing in the frame slightly in the area right behind the cab, but have heard from others that it makes the ride harsher. My ride stinks as it is right now, could it really get much worse?

My shocks are compression-adjustable. These exact shocks: http://iconvehicledynamics.com/shop...25-series-pbr-rear-shocks-wcdcv-0-3-lift.html[/QUOTE]

It's also just having correct expectations.. you're built for "general" use, not pre-running or rock crawling, so there will be compromises along the way.

 

[Kpack]

It's also just having correct expectations.. you're built for "general" use, not pre-running or rock crawling, so there will be compromises along the way.

Very true, and I completely accept that. My truck will never be a rock crawler or a pre-runner, and really has to be a jack of all trades. Daily driving, cargo hauling, towing, washboard forest roads, and technical trails. I know it's a lot to ask of it, but I'm sure that the current suspension set up can be improved tremendously.

I might give Archive a call and see if they have had any customers running the Overland packs with a mostly unloaded bed. I like the idea of the G57's but I don't want to totally lose my towing and cargo capacity.

 

[zelseman]

This is a really cool build! Love the ammo cans!

 

[BattleCat]

It's also just having correct expectations.. you're built for "general" use, not pre-running or rock crawling, so there will be compromises along the way.

Very true, and I completely accept that. My truck will never be a rock crawler or a pre-runner, and really has to be a jack of all trades. Daily driving, cargo hauling, towing, washboard forest roads, and technical trails. I know it's a lot to ask of it, but I'm sure that the current suspension set up can be improved tremendously.

I might give Archive a call and see if they have had any customers running the Overland packs with a mostly unloaded bed. I like the idea of the G57's but I don't want to totally lose my towing and cargo capacity.

Hey man, I've been enjoying your build while contemplating/starting on my own. 2006 Tundra DC 4x4. I just got done installing Fox coilovers with Camburg UCA up front and the ArchiveGarage overland leaf pack in the rear. Currently it is completely unloaded in the bed until the Habitat arrives. It's sitting high at about 41 from ground to center of wheel well on 255/80r/17s.

I haven't taken it on any test runs other than my pretty steep slightly rutted out gravel driveway. It does seem to soak up the bumps better than before. Keeps my rear firmly planted.

I'll be getting my rack and pinion bushings replaced and alignment done Thursday for a hunting trip over east of the mountains this weekend. That'll be my first real shakedown so I can report back to you after.

We're pretty local to each other so if you want to see how its sitting and driving in person we could make that happen.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Kpack]

Hey man, I've been enjoying your build while contemplating/starting on my own. 2006 Tundra DC 4x4. I just got done installing Fox coilovers with Camburg UCA up front and the ArchiveGarage overland leaf pack in the rear. Currently it is completely unloaded in the bed until the Habitat arrives. It's sitting high at about 41 from ground to center of wheel well on 255/80r/17s.

I haven't taken it on any test runs other than my pretty steep slightly rutted out gravel driveway. It does seem to soak up the bumps better than before. Keeps my rear firmly planted.

I'll be getting my rack and pinion bushings replaced and alignment done Thursday for a hunting trip over east of the mountains this weekend. That'll be my first real shakedown so I can report back to you after.

We're pretty local to each other so if you want to see how its sitting and driving in person we could make that happen.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

That definitely sits pretty high with the bed unloaded. I'd definitely be interested in seeing how everything feels if we can ever get our schedules to match up. I'm running a different size tire than you, so the measurement from ground to fender is going to vary. What is the measurement from center hub to fender? That will give me a much better idea of how high it actually is.

How do you like the King's up front? I'm considering revalving my Icon's to progressive like the King's are. And what shocks are you running in the back? Extended brake lines at all?

 

[smokeysevin]

Just a FYI, the deavers do sag over time and its about $100 to ship them and $100 to re-arch.

I just got my rebuild kit for my G57s and it was $75 all in.

Sean

 

[JCMatthews]

I'm running stock springs and Bilstein 5100's up front. In the rear I have generic add-a-leafs from the local spring shop and Toytech shocks. Could tell a huge difference when I put on the Toytechs. I really like how how it rides. It is a little stiff, but the rear bottomed out a lot before.

 

[Smileyshaun]

I don't know if you have ever taken the rear springs out but if you have make sure you diddnt over tighten the shackle bolts , it's a very common thing to do that will cause binding and a ruff ride . if the springs are still stock and never been touched pull it apart and check all the spring and shackle bushings to make sure they aren't all seized up , also make sure to put a little live between the springs themselves most have a plastic pad at the end of the springs that are ment to be lubed from time to time

 

[Kpack]

I don't know if you have ever taken the rear springs out but if you have make sure you diddnt over tighten the shackle bolts , it's a very common thing to do that will cause binding and a ruff ride . if the springs are still stock and never been touched pull it apart and check all the spring and shackle bushings to make sure they aren't all seized up , also make sure to put a little live between the springs themselves most have a plastic pad at the end of the springs that are ment to be lubed from time to time

I wouldn't be surprised if the shackle bushings are seized. Every other bushing I've removed on the truck has been seized. I had to cut off one of my stock lower shock bolts on the front, and a shop had to cut off all for cam bolts as well. All of them were seized to the metal inner bushing sleeve. Part of why I haven't pulled the leaf packs off yet is because I'm dreading doing it. I wonder how much cutting I'll have to do.

 

[Smileyshaun]

I wouldn't be surprised if the shackle bushings are seized. Every other bushing I've removed on the truck has been seized. I had to cut off one of my stock lower shock bolts on the front, and a shop had to cut off all for cam bolts as well. All of them were seized to the metal inner bushing sleeve. Part of why I haven't pulled the leaf packs off yet is because I'm dreading doing it. I wonder how much cutting I'll have to do.

start hitting them with pb blaster a week or two ahead of when you plan on pulling it apart , this is just my method but if they are really stuck on there I will torch the bolt off on both ends or if i can get a sawzall blade on the inside of the bracket makes it easier to get the leaf out and try pressing them out on the bench . Bolts are cheap compared to hours of frustration beating on it under the rig