Flyer's '02 Tundra adventure build

toyotech

toyotech

Expedition Leader
Flyer69 said:
Well, it's been a long time since I posted any progress so here we go...

I discovered my lower ball joints had some play in them, and shortly thereafter I saw a 1st gen Tundra on the freeway with the right front wheel folded back due (most likely...) to catastrophic ball joint failure! That was enough of an excuse to move my front end rebuild up to # 1 on the priority list! After a ton of research, I decided on a set of Camburg UCA's. I also bought a new set of Toyota OEM lower ball joints, lower control arms, outer tie rod ends and sway bar bushings. I bought the entire LCA as a unit rather than trying to replace the bushings. In my research I discovered that it is a royal pain to press the old bushings out and new ones in, and often the LCA gets destroyed in the process. I also bought a diff drop kit and some braided stainless brake lines from Wheelers.

As I disassembled the front end, I found the upper ball joints were actually in pretty good shape... not bad for almost 200k miles. The instructions provided by Camburg with the UCA's were very clear and easy to follow, which no doubt saved me a lot of grief. Once I had everything apart, I cleaned up everything as best I could and hit it with some flat black Rustoleum. I also bought some weld-on spindle gussets from Total Chaos, but decided to wait on installing those until I replace my wheel bearings, which seem just fine for now. Thorough inspection showed my CV Boots were intact, so I left them alone for now.
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A couple of things I didn't expect:
1. The left rear LCA cam bolt was completely seized in place (installed dry at the factory apparently) and required a sawzall and 3 carbide blades to remove it. I bought a replacement from Light Racing and they shipped it overnight to me at no extra charge!
2. One of the 4 bolts that attach the lower left ball joint to the LCA wouldn't torque up and I thought I had somehow stripped it. I backed it out and found that the bolt itself had stretched! I got so lucky it didn't snap off in the LCA!! I immediately ordered 8 replacement bolts from my local Toyota dealer, so that set me back a couple of days, but in the end I am grateful.

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I used every bit of the special sticky grease Camburg provided on the UCA bushings.
After torquing everything up and a quick trip to The Tire Store in SLO for a pro alignment, the truck now drives better than new! Everything is tight and smooth like butter. I found a set of covers for my CO's at Poly Performance and slapped 'em on. They should help keep everything a lot cleaner and maybe slow down shaft wear due to grit. I'm super happy with the results. I'll probably replace the 14" 650# springs with some 15" or 16" 700#ers when I add a winch.
Click to expand...

Wow front end looks brand new. Nice job. Good call on replacing the LBJ and the bolts.


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Flyer69

Observer
I pulled the trigger on a new ARB 63 qt fridge. It has changed my life and I have absolutely no regrets and no more soggy food. I needed a way to run it in the back of the truck and add some extra amp hours, so I installed a deep cycle auxiliary battery in the forward part of the bed. I also built a custom switch panel and charging port using a cheap plastic project box off Amazon, a Blue Sea marine breaker panel, and a USB/Cig lighter port
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Mounting the battery was easy using a basic battery box and a bit of scrap 2x4. I ran some 6/0 cable ( a bit overkill probably, but it was what I had laying around...) to connect the batteries through the ACR charging relay under the hood. I'll post some pics of the relay setup later. The ACR unit automatically isolates the batteries when the voltage on either one drops below 10.8v, and automatically connects them when it senses charging voltage from the alternator or another charging source. So far it has worked really well.
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There was a convenient rubber grommet in the front right corner of the bed that I ran the cables through... easy.
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Photos of the fridge and some custom lighting coming soon.
 
Kpack

Kpack

Adventurer
toyotech said:
Wow front end looks brand new. Nice job. Good call on replacing the LBJ and the bolts.
Click to expand...

Yeah, no kidding....that looks super clean. Once I get my current projects done then I want to get back in there, clean everything up, and paint it.
 
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Flyer69

Observer
Time for new rubber. I got nearly 60k out of my BFG AT KO's, but I was ready to try something new. I have been lusting after the 255/85/16 Cooper ST Maxx, and after reading so many great reviews I ordered a set of 5 from my local dealer, The Tire Shop in SLO. I've only got about 500 miles on them so far but the ride is really nice, they are quiet on the highway and give great road feel.
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There is a very minor bit of frame rubbing at full lock, and i'm not sure yet what to do about it. Spydertrax 1.25" spacers on the front? Just live with it? it's literally right at the very end of the steering range. I found a brand new set of 5 TRD Ivan Stewart rims (unfortunately AFTER I bought the tires...), so when they arrive I will try them and see if there is any difference as far as rubbing goes. I've always wanted a set of those rims. According to the specs, the backspacing is the same as my factory rims, but we'll see. Will post pix once they get mounted up.

Any suggestions to deal with the rub, aside from different wheels? Opinions on spacers?
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On the way to me is a new set of custom Deaver 10-leaf packs from Archive Garage, along with a U-bolt flip kit with mounting plates for my Timbrens! Report and pix coming soon!
 
toyotech

toyotech

Expedition Leader
Looking good. I too will never go back to an ice cooler. I always hated dealing with ice and I get unlimited free ice from work lol. Wheel spacer will fix the frame rub but may cause body rub. You can adjust the steering stop as there isn't one. Just when the rack runs out of movement.


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Onegen

Member
Sweet truck, looks like I am following in your footsteps. I'm thinking about getting the sliders you have, how much did they run you and what do you think they weigh? How easy is it to remove that RTT? Thats just a few of the questions I have for you now haha.
Also I grew up in Atascadero and frequent that area alot, I'll make sure to say hello if I see you around the coast.
 
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Flyer69

Observer
Thanks Onegen. I got my sliders from Billy at Brute Force Fab. I cant remember exactly what I paid for them, maybe around $400? He did a killer job installing them, and even welded doubler plates to the frame where the sliders attach. Totally guessing here, but they probably weigh 50# or so each?
As for my RTT, I chose the hardshell because I didn't want to hassle with mounting and removal. If I wanted to take it off, it would just require removing 6 nuts per side. 2 people can lift it off. I have it mounted as low profile as possible using 40mm FrontRunner brackets on the crossbars, so its tight getting your arm in there but it can be done.

My Deaver spring packs and u-bolt flip kit are on their way... look for that post soon. ?
 
Kpack

Kpack

Adventurer
I considered getting double light cut-outs, but decided against it. I'm still wondering if I should have done it!
 
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