marathonracer
Adventurer
This truck just keeps getting better. Good call on the hoops simple protection plus it ties the lines of some of your other tube work together. If you go with a hard rtt why would you have to change your bed rack?
*Rickashay's 04' Tundra* - A build of Compromises
- Thread starter rickashay
- Start date
toyotech
Expedition Leader
Love the bumper. I like that the hoop matches the bed rack hoops. Good job!
700x18"!!! You will need to compress the spring to 16" just to install it with preload adjuster backed all the way off. This would pretty much give you 2" of preload and set you right in between Sean and I. Sean is at 2.15" preload and I'm at 1.9" preload.
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700x18"!!! You will need to compress the spring to 16" just to install it with preload adjuster backed all the way off. This would pretty much give you 2" of preload and set you right in between Sean and I. Sean is at 2.15" preload and I'm at 1.9" preload.
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theBullfrog125
Adventurer
Hard shell RTT's open straight up and are designed to be parallel to the truck. They would look super dorky to be run perpendicular, could probably be done but since they don't fold at all it would stick out the sides of the truck a lot.
In other words a hard shell RTT is rectangular when collapsed, and a regular RTT is more or less a square.
toyotech
Expedition Leader
Any photos of them installed and are they hard plastic or soft plastic or rubber ?
seanpistol
Explorer
Bumper looks good man! Need to see the side profile becauseyou hacked more bedside than I did.
rickashay
Explorer
Thats what I am thinking but I hope I can get them onto the bodies!
Replication is the greatest form of flattery my friend! haha I am actually very pleased with the design. I am sure you will have some excellent and unique ideas to ad to your own. Love your front bumper BTW!
Yah short term though I think. Might put some piano hinge infront of the hitch receiver and mount the plate there.
Yah they should be awesome for keeping the truck nice and clean too.
Thanks! If I go hardshell, I will need to go above the roof line.
Yah it does tie in rather nicely!
Regarding preload, any idea how much "lift" you and Sean have at those numbers? We have trimmed fender so that measurement wont work. Almost need to measure frame height in order to compare, but then that doesn't account for tire size differences. I kinda like the idea of the coilover preload adjuster being at the very top though.
Yah Rally Armor wasnt cheap! Wish I knew about the Sparco ones prior.
I'll make sure to get a good pic this weekend. The hole for the flare mount that is the first one up from the bottom of the bedside is where I cut to and then tapered it back to the bumper. I think I trimmed ~9" on the tail light end.
toyotech
Expedition Leader
Well I need to break my springs in and see how much they settle. Sean's looks like his settle some based of his lower a arms at ride height. If I had to guess its just about level with my rear which I guess is 1 inch taller than the front stock and I added wheelers 3 leaf progressive aal I'm assuming gives it 1.5-1.75 lift?? So I say my front would be sitting around 2.5 lift with my off-road bumped and winch.
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rickashay
Explorer
THanks for the Info Jose! We shall see... not going to get them mounted for a couple weeks yet. No rush cause I don't have a bumper/winch up front!
rickashay
Explorer
UPDATE - Archive Garage Shackle Flip Kit (SFK)
I appologize for the delay. This write-up has been a long time coming. I have been through several renditions of thought for my rear suspension setup. With the lack of support for the 1st Gen Tundra it seems like the only options for the rear are lift blocks, 3 leaf-progressive AAL, custom leaves, or crazy SUA Deaver or Cantilever setups. The later systems mentioned above would be great but are built more in terms of wheel travel numbers and not necessarily weight carrying capacity. I even deeply considered the Chevy 63" leaf swap as it seems fairly common and would yield me good flex and also load capacity (I actually purchased a RuffStuff Chevy Swap kit). In the end I guess i realized I wanted something simple, adjustable, and something with the ability to alter as my vehicle needs progressed. When Eric @ Archive Garage mentioned he was going to CAD design a SFK for the Tundra, I was sold.
It has been a pleasure working through the prototype process with him... Eric now designs Fire trucks for a living (and 2nd/3rd Gen Tacoma SFK kits) and the level of quality and expertise in his field is apparent in the design. The shackle hanger is a burly work of art and takes into account all the funky angles going on with the rear of the Tundra frame. Five mounting points with huge Grade 8 bolts make sure the bracket is fastened properly. I really liked the idea of the SFK because I could use my current OEM leaf pack with my installed 3 leaf-progressive AAL and expand from there. The kit was designed around achieving minimal lift figures from stock. Unfortunately I already had the AAL installed so I cannot comment on "lift over stock" numbers but after installing the kit, my truck only lifted approx. 0.5" in the rear. My truck has largely variable loads in it depending on season and current setup with my cage and tent, but I would be interested to see some numbers with this kit installed on a "stock" application. It utilizes the factory shackle too (my current setup) which is another plus if your trying to keep it simple. Going back to "expanding from there..." is why I wanted to go down this route. As cargo loads and vehicle uses often change you may find yourself wanting to tinker with rear lift height. With the factory setup you really can't make any simple adjustments to height as your load changes. Now, I have the option of simply changing the shackle length to raise or lower the rear depending on the final setup of the truck. I seem to keep adding rear weight (just built a rear bumper) and I am going to lose that 0.5" of lift that I gained. Conveniently, Eric is also building 6" greasible shackles with will raise me back up AND increase my suspension droop figures due to the longer leverage arm (factory shackle is 4.5" long). This longer shackle should raise me 0.75" over the stock shackle - results will be posted once it lands!
As for droop, I will admit, I was rather excited when the kit landed and did not re-calculate my rear travel/droop numbers using the factory hanger and 3 leaf AAL. I had taken the measurements before and just thought "Oh I'll use those old measurements" but low and behold cannot find those figures now and am kicking myself for it. I am hoping that the other prototype (ahem... sean_pistol) can get a measurement so we can compare with actual figures. I will say my seat of the pants feeling is that I did gain a small amount of droop by keeping all things constant except the SFK itself.
Feel free to discuss and ask questions below. I will try and help wherever I can and Eric from Archive Garage is also on Expo. The next post is my installation instructions which are a work in progress.
I appologize for the delay. This write-up has been a long time coming. I have been through several renditions of thought for my rear suspension setup. With the lack of support for the 1st Gen Tundra it seems like the only options for the rear are lift blocks, 3 leaf-progressive AAL, custom leaves, or crazy SUA Deaver or Cantilever setups. The later systems mentioned above would be great but are built more in terms of wheel travel numbers and not necessarily weight carrying capacity. I even deeply considered the Chevy 63" leaf swap as it seems fairly common and would yield me good flex and also load capacity (I actually purchased a RuffStuff Chevy Swap kit). In the end I guess i realized I wanted something simple, adjustable, and something with the ability to alter as my vehicle needs progressed. When Eric @ Archive Garage mentioned he was going to CAD design a SFK for the Tundra, I was sold.
It has been a pleasure working through the prototype process with him... Eric now designs Fire trucks for a living (and 2nd/3rd Gen Tacoma SFK kits) and the level of quality and expertise in his field is apparent in the design. The shackle hanger is a burly work of art and takes into account all the funky angles going on with the rear of the Tundra frame. Five mounting points with huge Grade 8 bolts make sure the bracket is fastened properly. I really liked the idea of the SFK because I could use my current OEM leaf pack with my installed 3 leaf-progressive AAL and expand from there. The kit was designed around achieving minimal lift figures from stock. Unfortunately I already had the AAL installed so I cannot comment on "lift over stock" numbers but after installing the kit, my truck only lifted approx. 0.5" in the rear. My truck has largely variable loads in it depending on season and current setup with my cage and tent, but I would be interested to see some numbers with this kit installed on a "stock" application. It utilizes the factory shackle too (my current setup) which is another plus if your trying to keep it simple. Going back to "expanding from there..." is why I wanted to go down this route. As cargo loads and vehicle uses often change you may find yourself wanting to tinker with rear lift height. With the factory setup you really can't make any simple adjustments to height as your load changes. Now, I have the option of simply changing the shackle length to raise or lower the rear depending on the final setup of the truck. I seem to keep adding rear weight (just built a rear bumper) and I am going to lose that 0.5" of lift that I gained. Conveniently, Eric is also building 6" greasible shackles with will raise me back up AND increase my suspension droop figures due to the longer leverage arm (factory shackle is 4.5" long). This longer shackle should raise me 0.75" over the stock shackle - results will be posted once it lands!
As for droop, I will admit, I was rather excited when the kit landed and did not re-calculate my rear travel/droop numbers using the factory hanger and 3 leaf AAL. I had taken the measurements before and just thought "Oh I'll use those old measurements" but low and behold cannot find those figures now and am kicking myself for it. I am hoping that the other prototype (ahem... sean_pistol) can get a measurement so we can compare with actual figures. I will say my seat of the pants feeling is that I did gain a small amount of droop by keeping all things constant except the SFK itself.
Feel free to discuss and ask questions below. I will try and help wherever I can and Eric from Archive Garage is also on Expo. The next post is my installation instructions which are a work in progress.
Last edited:
rickashay
Explorer
Installation
Archive Garage SFK: http://archivegarage.com/products/2000-2006-tundra-sfk
Archive Garage 6" Shackle Kit: http://archivegarage.com/products/tundra-lt-shackle
I take no accountability for issues or accidents you may have while following my "guide" below. Always work safely and double check your work. Remember, this is a guide for reference sake only! Hire a professional certified mechanic or fabricator if this is out of your range of skillsets.
Tools:
- 19mm socket
- 19mm wrench
- 17mm socket
- Breaker bar
- Torque wrench
- PB Blaster (not necessary)
- Drill
- Various bits up to ½” (Eric can provide the bits with the kit if needed)
- Punch
- Grinder or Dremel (not required but is helpful)
- Paint/Primer
- Hammer
- Floor Jack
Measurements:
I will update this as we gather more data on suspension travel. My suspension travel numbers may differ as I am running Fox 10” stroke shocks. Factory shocks are much shorter in travel and will limit the droop values for the this setup and the factory hangers.
1) Un torque the rear lug nuts. Do not remove the lugs completely but break the torque so they can be removed once the rear wheels are in the air (or use the E-Brake later).
2) Chuck the front wheels and lower your spare tire and remove it. This just allows more space for you to work on installing the SFK
3) Using the floor jack, jack the rear of the truck in the air, with the jack under the rear diff housing. You will want to jack it fairly high to allow more room to work underneath later.
4) Place the 2 jack stands near the front leaf hangers on the frame. I used the arms running from the rear supports of my sliders to the frame, in order to support the truck. Ensure the jacks are set/locked properly and that the truck will sit level and support itself. It took me a couple time to get it situated perfectly.
** Remember you will need to set the truck high enough so that when the wheels are off and the leafs are fully drooped that the drums will not touch the floor **
5) Remove the rear wheels
6) Now lower the floor jack so that the leafs are fully drooped and remove the floor jack. Your suspension should now be fully "flexed" out and the truck should be fully supported by your jack stands. Keep the floor jack under the diff housing with minimal upward tension.
7) Spray PB blaster on the rear leaf shackle bolts (may not be required) and lower shock mount bolts (both sides of truck).
8) Remove the 17mm lower shock mount bolts on either side or truck.
9) Remove the 19mm bolt that mounts the shackle to the factory shackle hanger. This will be the bolt that is NOT running through the leaf eyelet.
NOTE: the suspension should be fully drooped out and is not under tension, so it should not pop out with any force. Once the bolt is removed, the leaf pack should stay exactly where it is, as the floor jack is now supporting the axle assembly and leafs.
10) Flip the shackle out of the way to allow access to the factory leaf hanger. The leaf pack and shackle will still be in the way – raise the floor jack until the leaf eyelet and shackle are almost touching the underside of the bed. You will now need to drill out the rivets that attach the factory hanger to the frame.
11) Grind the round heads off of the factory rivets so that the heads have a flat spot in the center. This is not necessary but will make drilling them out more accurate and easier.
12) Now use the punch and hammer to punch the starting point for your drill bit.
13) Drill out the rivets, starting with a small bit and working up to the final size of ½”. Ensure to keep the drill perpendicular to the frame and try to avoid having oval holes however possible.
This is the most difficult part of the process. Remember to lube the drill bits and take your time as it is quite awkward getting a drill in there with the bedside interfering. I drilled the upper left (when looking at the factory hanger from outside the frame rails) bolt out from the inside, opposite to all the others.
14) Once it has been fully drilled out, a good ********** with a hammer should pop the hanger off of the frame.
15) Grind the mounting surface flat with a flat disk or similar, to remove any old rust or debris that were hidden behind the OE hanger.
16) Lower the floor jack so the leafs are now below the frame rails. This will enable you to mock up the new bracket.
Comparison: Old vs New
17) Mock up the Archive Garage SFK to ensure fitment with the mounting points of the new hanger with the holes you just drilled through the frame.
NOTE: You will have to insert the one upper forward mounting bolt from the inside of the frame, as shown in the photos.
Mock-Up:
18) Once it has successfully been mounted, remove the bracket and apply paint/primer to the frame where you had ground it smooth. Allow adequate time to dry.
19) Permanently mount the new SFK bracket.
NOTE – Corrosion: I sprayed a layer of Fluid Film over the new paint layer once it had dried and then mounted the SFK in place. Fluid Film is a wax/oil based product that I spray on the undercarriage each year to avoid corrosion and I have excellent success with it over the years. Eric @ Archive Garage suggests applying a bead of silicone to the top of the SFW bracket to help mitigate water ingress in behind the bracket. My thinking was that the fluid film would still allow everything to breath (as I didn’t seal it with silicone) and will just mitigate the rust probability. Keep in mind the factory bracket also is essentially “sandwiched” to the frame rail (using the rivets) and has minimal rust/corrosion behind it with no fluid film or silicone in the 12 years and 250,000kms my truck has driven. Do as you see fit for rust/corrosion evasion on this step.
20) Torque the SFK bracket bolts to 80 ft/lbs.
NOTE: The kit comes with locknuts and washers, eliminating the need for Loctite.
Installed and Torqued:
21) Remove the factory shackle from the leaf eyelet, paying attention to it’s direction. You will have to rotate the shackle 180 degrees and re-install it if using the factory shackle.
22) Install the shackle (factory or ext. length) to the leaf eyelet. Do NOT torque the shackle bolts at this time.
NOTE: If using the factory shackle, be sure that the “brace” that ties both sides of the shackle together, is now facing rearward when it is in it’s new mounting position, as shown in the photos below.
23) With the shackle installed back on the leafs, raise the floor jack until you can align the shackle mounting bolt with the holes in the SFK bracket now on the frame. There are 3 mounting positions which allow slightly different lift heights and will allow you to optimize your shackle angle once the truck is sitting back down on the suspension.
NOTE: I am currently on the middle mounting hole with my 3 leaf AAL and factory shackle in order to get ideal shackle angle at static height. It is recommended to have a shackle angle between 10-30 degrees from vertical.
New shackle orientation once on leafs:
24) Once everything is lined up, install the shackle bolt and tighten finger-tight.
25) Once both sides have been completed, re-install the shocks onto the lower axle mounting points.
26) Lift the floor jack so that you have enough room to re-install your tires.
27) Raise the floor jack until the weight of the truck is off the jack stands.
28) Lower the truck back down to let it now sit on the suspension.
28) Torque shackle bolts to 98 ft/lbs once you are satisfied with the shackle angle.
29) Torque lugs to required specs.
Full Compression - shackle angle:
Full Droop - side profile with factory 4.5" shackle and 10" shocks:
Full Droop - factory 3.93" shackle and angle with 10" shocks:
Archive Garage SFK: http://archivegarage.com/products/2000-2006-tundra-sfk
Archive Garage 6" Shackle Kit: http://archivegarage.com/products/tundra-lt-shackle
I take no accountability for issues or accidents you may have while following my "guide" below. Always work safely and double check your work. Remember, this is a guide for reference sake only! Hire a professional certified mechanic or fabricator if this is out of your range of skillsets.
Tools:
- 19mm socket
- 19mm wrench
- 17mm socket
- Breaker bar
- Torque wrench
- PB Blaster (not necessary)
- Drill
- Various bits up to ½” (Eric can provide the bits with the kit if needed)
- Punch
- Grinder or Dremel (not required but is helpful)
- Paint/Primer
- Hammer
- Floor Jack
Measurements:
I will update this as we gather more data on suspension travel. My suspension travel numbers may differ as I am running Fox 10” stroke shocks. Factory shocks are much shorter in travel and will limit the droop values for the this setup and the factory hangers.
1) Un torque the rear lug nuts. Do not remove the lugs completely but break the torque so they can be removed once the rear wheels are in the air (or use the E-Brake later).
2) Chuck the front wheels and lower your spare tire and remove it. This just allows more space for you to work on installing the SFK
3) Using the floor jack, jack the rear of the truck in the air, with the jack under the rear diff housing. You will want to jack it fairly high to allow more room to work underneath later.
4) Place the 2 jack stands near the front leaf hangers on the frame. I used the arms running from the rear supports of my sliders to the frame, in order to support the truck. Ensure the jacks are set/locked properly and that the truck will sit level and support itself. It took me a couple time to get it situated perfectly.
** Remember you will need to set the truck high enough so that when the wheels are off and the leafs are fully drooped that the drums will not touch the floor **
5) Remove the rear wheels
6) Now lower the floor jack so that the leafs are fully drooped and remove the floor jack. Your suspension should now be fully "flexed" out and the truck should be fully supported by your jack stands. Keep the floor jack under the diff housing with minimal upward tension.
7) Spray PB blaster on the rear leaf shackle bolts (may not be required) and lower shock mount bolts (both sides of truck).
8) Remove the 17mm lower shock mount bolts on either side or truck.
9) Remove the 19mm bolt that mounts the shackle to the factory shackle hanger. This will be the bolt that is NOT running through the leaf eyelet.
NOTE: the suspension should be fully drooped out and is not under tension, so it should not pop out with any force. Once the bolt is removed, the leaf pack should stay exactly where it is, as the floor jack is now supporting the axle assembly and leafs.
10) Flip the shackle out of the way to allow access to the factory leaf hanger. The leaf pack and shackle will still be in the way – raise the floor jack until the leaf eyelet and shackle are almost touching the underside of the bed. You will now need to drill out the rivets that attach the factory hanger to the frame.
11) Grind the round heads off of the factory rivets so that the heads have a flat spot in the center. This is not necessary but will make drilling them out more accurate and easier.
12) Now use the punch and hammer to punch the starting point for your drill bit.
13) Drill out the rivets, starting with a small bit and working up to the final size of ½”. Ensure to keep the drill perpendicular to the frame and try to avoid having oval holes however possible.
This is the most difficult part of the process. Remember to lube the drill bits and take your time as it is quite awkward getting a drill in there with the bedside interfering. I drilled the upper left (when looking at the factory hanger from outside the frame rails) bolt out from the inside, opposite to all the others.
14) Once it has been fully drilled out, a good ********** with a hammer should pop the hanger off of the frame.
15) Grind the mounting surface flat with a flat disk or similar, to remove any old rust or debris that were hidden behind the OE hanger.
16) Lower the floor jack so the leafs are now below the frame rails. This will enable you to mock up the new bracket.
Comparison: Old vs New
17) Mock up the Archive Garage SFK to ensure fitment with the mounting points of the new hanger with the holes you just drilled through the frame.
NOTE: You will have to insert the one upper forward mounting bolt from the inside of the frame, as shown in the photos.
Mock-Up:
18) Once it has successfully been mounted, remove the bracket and apply paint/primer to the frame where you had ground it smooth. Allow adequate time to dry.
19) Permanently mount the new SFK bracket.
NOTE – Corrosion: I sprayed a layer of Fluid Film over the new paint layer once it had dried and then mounted the SFK in place. Fluid Film is a wax/oil based product that I spray on the undercarriage each year to avoid corrosion and I have excellent success with it over the years. Eric @ Archive Garage suggests applying a bead of silicone to the top of the SFW bracket to help mitigate water ingress in behind the bracket. My thinking was that the fluid film would still allow everything to breath (as I didn’t seal it with silicone) and will just mitigate the rust probability. Keep in mind the factory bracket also is essentially “sandwiched” to the frame rail (using the rivets) and has minimal rust/corrosion behind it with no fluid film or silicone in the 12 years and 250,000kms my truck has driven. Do as you see fit for rust/corrosion evasion on this step.
20) Torque the SFK bracket bolts to 80 ft/lbs.
NOTE: The kit comes with locknuts and washers, eliminating the need for Loctite.
Installed and Torqued:
21) Remove the factory shackle from the leaf eyelet, paying attention to it’s direction. You will have to rotate the shackle 180 degrees and re-install it if using the factory shackle.
22) Install the shackle (factory or ext. length) to the leaf eyelet. Do NOT torque the shackle bolts at this time.
NOTE: If using the factory shackle, be sure that the “brace” that ties both sides of the shackle together, is now facing rearward when it is in it’s new mounting position, as shown in the photos below.
23) With the shackle installed back on the leafs, raise the floor jack until you can align the shackle mounting bolt with the holes in the SFK bracket now on the frame. There are 3 mounting positions which allow slightly different lift heights and will allow you to optimize your shackle angle once the truck is sitting back down on the suspension.
NOTE: I am currently on the middle mounting hole with my 3 leaf AAL and factory shackle in order to get ideal shackle angle at static height. It is recommended to have a shackle angle between 10-30 degrees from vertical.
New shackle orientation once on leafs:
24) Once everything is lined up, install the shackle bolt and tighten finger-tight.
25) Once both sides have been completed, re-install the shocks onto the lower axle mounting points.
26) Lift the floor jack so that you have enough room to re-install your tires.
27) Raise the floor jack until the weight of the truck is off the jack stands.
28) Lower the truck back down to let it now sit on the suspension.
28) Torque shackle bolts to 98 ft/lbs once you are satisfied with the shackle angle.
29) Torque lugs to required specs.
Full Compression - shackle angle:
Full Droop - side profile with factory 4.5" shackle and 10" shocks:
Full Droop - factory 3.93" shackle and angle with 10" shocks:
Last edited:
rickashay
Explorer
Good call. I have no plans for swing-outs and just wanted it as low-pro as possible, thus the design. Easily adapted though for swing-outs!
I was approx 0.5" higher after the SFK. My post was split and there is some info on the previous page. It was designed to bolt in with minimal change in ride height... if you want more lift you have the option of going with a longer shackle and/or leaf pack configuration.
I'm pretty sure Eric is now selling them or close to. Fire him an email to be sure.
http://archivegarage.com/products/2000-2006-tundra-sfk