FullTankHank
Adventurer
I can't wait to see it all tub'd out....going to look so mean with the 35's.
*Rickashay's 04' Tundra* - A build of Compromises
- Thread starter rickashay
- Start date
4Running Daily
Observer
Why Fox?
rickashay
Explorer
Thanks guys! haha yeah the snow sucks and the anticipation is killing me too!
Why not Fox? lol
A high performance shock is a high performance shock. It's the valving and possibly the coil (progressive vs. digressive and weight rating) that makes them feel different. SAW, Icon, Fox, King, Radflo, etc etc are all rebuild-able and you will hear pros and cons for any of them. My reality is that this truck isnt a DD anymore so I can afford the downtime that WILL be required for a shock rebuild every 2-3 years with this type of shock. I chose Fox because I simply liked them on my 80 and have always liked Fox suspension (in my mountain bikes too). The CDC reservoir was also a nice "plus" for me . Not to mention that The Gear Shop will soon be doing Fox rebuilds in house, so not having to send my C/O's away to the US for servicing is also a big perk.
The other real alternative for me is the new OME BP51 suspension. Once it comes out in my application I could be persuaded to sell the Fox stuff and go that route in hopes of having a lower maintenance setup that still has good shock performance, but time can only tell.
seanpistol
Explorer
The OME Bp51 are pretty damn cool... can't wait to see em in person.
I have FOX on my highly modified snowmobile, because they're the best
I have FOX on my highly modified snowmobile, because they're the best
seanpistol
Explorer
Very, very doubtful. If not impossible. I'd expect to pull all the fenders and find a solution to the holes. Either fill them and paint, or something easy like this-
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...ling-holes-fenders-after-removing-flares.html
I've had great experiences matching our 056 Toyota white and clearcoat with rattle cans from automotivetouchup.com. It's about $10 a can.
On my tailgate I used clearcoat from a local auto paint shop and it eventually turned yellow and I had to redo it with paint from automotivetouchup. Looks good years later.
rickashay
Explorer
Thanks for the link. My buddy actually did that on his bobbed and tubbed 1st Gen Tacoma. Looks pretty good and I will be going that route if I can't get the flares to work. I'll know this weekend...
UPDATE
My Fox C/O were ordered 4 weeks ago. Fox said there will be another 4 weeks until they land. Something about them being custom made because they don't make them very often. My bet is that they are waiting to have a certain quantity on order before they produce a batch. Good things come to those who wait right?
TC UCA's, spindle gussets, and coilover gussets are in. Leaf pack is in.
Was at my garage last night until 10:30. Did two coats of Tremclad paint over the tubbed panels (inside and out), let dry for an hour while I played around with my Subaru. Before I left I added a fairly heavy layer of bedliner to the panels. Ready to go for this weekend to get it all put back together. Wheels and tires will be mounted on the truck Monday. Getting pretty excited, this weekend should be failry eventful in "Doug's" buildup.
MojaveMadMan
Observer
Fox does top quality stuff and it does take them time. When I worked professionally as a fabricator we literally worked 4 blocks down the street from Fox and they still took a month or two on custom orders. They only have one guy who does all of their welding because he is one of the best, they need to have coatings applied to shock bodies after they build them, if these have custom top caps they need to make them then have them anodized. It's not BS, and when they make non-common stuff it takes time. They really do take pride in their stuff and it takes time to make it right and to the quality you expect. It's worth the wait. I have used all the different brands of shocks and Fox does have the best quality, it's very apparent when you get them and see what they do to make them!
rickashay
Explorer
I actually was provided with an alternative to the Fox's knowing the wait was going to be so long, however I am quite sure I have made the right choice in just waiting it out. I'm sure they will be a thing of beauty.
Lol too much talk in this forum, not enough progression...
rickashay
Explorer
UPDATE - Nov. 23, 2014
I ended up taking Friday and Monday off work in order to get some good dedicated time on the truck. I ran to Montana on Friday and picked up a car full (literally) of gear that I had waiting at the border. I got up fairly early on Sat. to get started. I had a few things I wanted to accomplish but the ultimate priority was getting all the trimming and clearancing wrapped up.
I first put the fenders back on and removed the flares. Below you can see the trimming of the actual fender:
20131121-IMG_3955.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
20131122-IMG_3971.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
You can see that the "tub" removed about 3" of sheetmetal. Also note how I had to removed the lower most mounting point for the fender. This is something I had to remedy in order to keep the bottom of the fender secured with the factory mounting point no longer available.
I crafted a small strip of leftover sheet metal as a bracket. I have heard of people using a large self tapping screw and drilling upwards through the remaining fender and into the rocker panel. This would have been easier but I am not a fan of drilling into area of the body that I dont have access to, like the rocker. I'm ALWAYS worrying about rust and water intrusion so I had to come up with something else.
20131121-IMG_3961.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
You can see the bracket on the right how I folded it into a "U" shape to hook around the pinch weld. Below shows the finished product. I drilled a new hole through the pinch weld and then had the bracket attached to the fender. This way I did not drill into the rocker panel but still have a secure mounting point.
20131121-IMG_3966.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
The bracket is laying on the inside of the fender.
Trimming the front factory bumper was fairly straight forward. Just cut as much as possible while still retaining the flare trim attachment points.
20131121-IMG_3963.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
All opened up sans-flares:
20131121-IMG_3965.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Today, despite my hangovers best attempt to ruin my day, I persisted and decided to hit the garage once more. I want to have the ability to run the flares and keep everything as factory looking as possible while still allowing the big tires to clear. I may remove the flares at a later date if I find them becoming problematic on the trail but I do prefer the flare look. I was even able to retain the inner fender liners to help keep mud and debris out of areas it shouldn't be, although I did remove a LOT of the plastic so they are still functional tire clearance wise. I clipped the flares back on and trimmed everything inside while trying to leave the outer shell alone. I wanted it to be fully trimmed and functional but not visible at a glance.
20131122-IMG_3972.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Lots of creative cutting disk work and melting plastic. Used a few zip ties along the way too! haha
Inside shot of the front portion. I ended off trimming the inner fender liner where the paint pen is showing.
20131122-IMG_3974.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Trimmed the factory mud flaps right back too. Inside shot of the rearward trimming:
20131122-IMG_3973.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Mud flaps back on, even ended up covering that ugly bolt sticking through for the fender mount bracket I made.
20131122-IMG_3976.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
A good problem to have:
20131122-IMG_3977.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
A better shot of the new kicks:
20131122-IMG_3994.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Wheels and tires are at the shop. They will be mounted up tomorrow at which point I'll be getting them mounted! So stoked to see it all come together tomorrow!
I ended up taking Friday and Monday off work in order to get some good dedicated time on the truck. I ran to Montana on Friday and picked up a car full (literally) of gear that I had waiting at the border. I got up fairly early on Sat. to get started. I had a few things I wanted to accomplish but the ultimate priority was getting all the trimming and clearancing wrapped up.
I first put the fenders back on and removed the flares. Below you can see the trimming of the actual fender:
20131121-IMG_3955.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
20131122-IMG_3971.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
You can see that the "tub" removed about 3" of sheetmetal. Also note how I had to removed the lower most mounting point for the fender. This is something I had to remedy in order to keep the bottom of the fender secured with the factory mounting point no longer available.
I crafted a small strip of leftover sheet metal as a bracket. I have heard of people using a large self tapping screw and drilling upwards through the remaining fender and into the rocker panel. This would have been easier but I am not a fan of drilling into area of the body that I dont have access to, like the rocker. I'm ALWAYS worrying about rust and water intrusion so I had to come up with something else.
20131121-IMG_3961.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
You can see the bracket on the right how I folded it into a "U" shape to hook around the pinch weld. Below shows the finished product. I drilled a new hole through the pinch weld and then had the bracket attached to the fender. This way I did not drill into the rocker panel but still have a secure mounting point.
20131121-IMG_3966.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
The bracket is laying on the inside of the fender.
Trimming the front factory bumper was fairly straight forward. Just cut as much as possible while still retaining the flare trim attachment points.
20131121-IMG_3963.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
All opened up sans-flares:
20131121-IMG_3965.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Today, despite my hangovers best attempt to ruin my day, I persisted and decided to hit the garage once more. I want to have the ability to run the flares and keep everything as factory looking as possible while still allowing the big tires to clear. I may remove the flares at a later date if I find them becoming problematic on the trail but I do prefer the flare look. I was even able to retain the inner fender liners to help keep mud and debris out of areas it shouldn't be, although I did remove a LOT of the plastic so they are still functional tire clearance wise. I clipped the flares back on and trimmed everything inside while trying to leave the outer shell alone. I wanted it to be fully trimmed and functional but not visible at a glance.
20131122-IMG_3972.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Lots of creative cutting disk work and melting plastic. Used a few zip ties along the way too! haha
Inside shot of the front portion. I ended off trimming the inner fender liner where the paint pen is showing.
20131122-IMG_3974.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Trimmed the factory mud flaps right back too. Inside shot of the rearward trimming:
20131122-IMG_3973.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Mud flaps back on, even ended up covering that ugly bolt sticking through for the fender mount bracket I made.
20131122-IMG_3976.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
A good problem to have:
20131122-IMG_3977.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
A better shot of the new kicks:
20131122-IMG_3994.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr
Wheels and tires are at the shop. They will be mounted up tomorrow at which point I'll be getting them mounted! So stoked to see it all come together tomorrow!
4Running Daily
Observer
Looks great!