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The TrailMaster (TM) lift retains stock geometry of the suspension, steering and axle components. It is done by dropping the entire differential down about 4-5" and creating a new cradle which holds the differential, rack and pinion and lower control arms.
****Update 9/26/09****
I've replaced the funky, scary and problematic Trailmaster "struts" which eliminate the upper A-arm with Fabtech 6" spindles. They are much beefier and are used for the Tacoma 6" drop bracket lift. They retain the upper A-arm and use uniball upper ball joints for better extension. 4WheelParts will sell them for $430 each. This does not include the hubs, which you need to get pressed out of your existing spindles and into the new spindles.
Installation
Installation is a bit a pain. You literally have to pull the entire front end out of the truck. Thats the differential, steering, and everything else between. You also need to cut out the front cross member that your rack and pinion is originally bolted to. So, once your committed, there isn't an easy way back. Installation Pics on bottom
Retrofitting into a 4runner
3rd gen (96-2002) 4runner front suspensions are just about identical to the 95.5-2003 Tacomas. Installing a Tacoma drop bracket lift into a 4runner isn't any harder, but, you will need to do a few small modifications for it to work correctly. The main one would be drilling 3 new holes in the top strut mounts. I took mine to a machine shop so it would be done perfectly. Plus, I didn't have a drill press. I had to grind down a brake line mount for the steering shaft to clear as well. My power steering lines also did not fit sufficiently. Instead of just unbolting them, and figuring a way to secure them by other means, I decided to cut them. Worst idea ever. I had no idea the amount of pressure that was held in the "pressure line". Turned out to work out since there was a hose shop not too far away that soldered it back together for me.
Now the rear is the real difference. The main concern is keeping the axle centered underneath the truck with the added amount of lift. This is possible by the great work done by Steve Schaeffer and Stubbs welding. I was able to get a customized panhard bar that drops about 7". I only needed one to drop about 5". I will remedy this soon enough hopefully. I am using the 9-wrap Land Cruiser coils (FJ-80) which amounts to about 4" of lift alone. Adding the 1.5" Poly Daystar spacer on top (with cone bump stops) amount to 6". It almost appears that the truck is perfectly level, which I am very pleased. Not to mention, the ride is not too hard back there. On 2/20/08 I installed some extended bump stops. This was a long over due mod that I lagged on. I didn't realize how simple it would be. I just cut a 4x4x4" rectangle stock, drilled some holes and ordered some super-soft Daystar bump stops. The result was nice. They are still a little short, but, help with the rubbing on the rear fenders. Instead of making them longer, I will attempt to trim the rear wheel wells.
High Center of Gravity...The obvious. Especially for 4runners.
Harder on Drive train (larger tires)
Extra Maintenance
Web wheelers think your gay
In all honesty, I think this is a great setup. If your going to keep IFS and want to run 35" tires comfortably, without cutting fenders and without a body lift, this is your best bet. My downtravel and uptravel are kept to be at a maximum. Aftermarket coilovers take up all of your down-travel and turn it into lift.
Obviously one of the main concerns with large lifts and thus larger tires is the strain on the drivetrain and axles (CV's). Running larger tires on CV's that are at high angles will break easier than those running larger tires and stock CV angles. Another reason why a drop bracket lift is good.
The other concern is ride height. Okay, this is probably the worst aspect of the whole setup. The high center of gravity. For the wheeling I do though, its perfect. I do long Baja expeditions for camping/surfing. I usually go in the dead of winter where I may expect deep mud pits, river crossings and large ruts. I'll also run into areas which are completely dry and will have deep moon dust which is just a trap for any 2wd truck or low center truck. Having large tires and a high center does help in all these situations, and thus made me go for the lift.
If you are going to do rockcrawling, go do yourself a favor and get a solid front axle rig, or build yourself one up. I didn't make this truck to rock crawl, and I don't intend to say I rock crawl. I am a full time surfer, and part time wheeler. This rig gets me to the surf breaks along the Baja peninsula, and gets me into the desert, and is fun to work on. I've already outlined why I did this type of lift above, and it works great. I do intend to do a solid axle swap down the line though, and I would enjoy having the stability and stoutness of a solid axle Toyota. (Check out the FJ40 I bought in my sig-line as well...)
Rear End:
FJ-80 Landcruiser FRONT coils
Landcruiser long travel Old Man Emu shocks
1.5" Poly Daystar spacer
Adjustable Panhard bracket made by Sonoransteel.com
The rear components were pieced together to give me a plush ride on road as well as match the front end. It turned out to be a great setup. My only problem is that its quite stiff... through the last few months, it has gotten better. If you end up wanting to do anything over 5" of rear suspension lift, the right way of doing it is to do a leaf spring conversion. Too much rear lift is going to be detrimental in the long run. The flex I get out of the rear does not impress me. Future plans are to do the leaf spring swap with some All-pro or Marlin springs.
Electronics/Interior:
Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx
Cobra CB Radio in ashtray
Sony CD/MP3 player with iPod jack
Hella 500 Driving Lights
Rear aux. backup lights (Great!)
Rear sleeping platform/storage
Garmin GPSMAP 60cx
I just bought this of October 2007. I am extremely pleased with this unit!!! It has amazing capabilities with how small it is. First of all, it is a hand-held unit which can be used for trails, hiking, camping, etc. Secondly, it is a city navigator with auto-routing capabilities. It has tides, hunting and fishing, and all Points of Interests to use with the "Find" menu. Also, I bought this unit because of the removable memory. SD Cards are close to nothing these days, and now am able to put more versatility. Some of the older models have internal memory which is really a bummer if you want to update maps and keep lots of waypoints etc.
Now I was a little unimpressed with the price Garmin tries to molest you with for its MapSource software. $150+ for City Navigator. This utility updates your basemap with auto-routing maps, points of interests, etc. I had assumed my 60Cx already came with this preloaded. Nope. Anyways, I found a great way of making it work for free. First off, you need to find a version of MetroGuide. This is the unlocked version of City Navigator, but, does not update routing capabilities... Just maps. However, it has the auto-routing on the PC!!! So, you just need to download this handy little program to transfer all the routing information. Img2Gps (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mdipol/img2gps/). Follow the easy instructions and your set.
Kragen 7" HID's
They are sweet and worth the $$!! Get 'em!
Street Shots....
Before on some random street(With low-beams on only);
After(low beam + HID's):
Garmin Topo 2008
After playing around with the Metro Guide and City Navigator, I decided to look into the Garmin Topo 2008 database. This is an unlocked addition to your Garmin GPS, and what that means is that you are able to get this to work without buying a license. So, if you know someone who has it, you'll be able to copy it onto your computer... Of course, this is probably illegal to do, but, just throwing it out there.
The program is great for those who wonder what the names of the certain peaks, rivers or passes are. It helps greatly out in places where you'd like to know more about to further explore. I highly recommend obtaining this program. It is great for those who offroad in the United States.
ARB Tacoma Bullbar Installed (2/20/09)
Installation required some light modification. Cutting off the frame rail ends and drilling a few holes. Not too bad. I will be boxing the frame ends eventually once I get the winch.
I removed the black strips
Front End Glory Shot -- Nice and Clean!!
Cobra CB Mounted in Ashtray
One of my most favorite "mods". Easily done as well! The first step is to remove your center console, and pull out the ashtray. You'll find 2 screws above where the ashtray sat. Removing these, and using a dremel to cut out the plastic behind, you'll be able to slide in a compact CB unit. The one thing I don't like about it is I had to use double stick tape to hold the CB in place. The funny part is that after 3 years of having this CB in, it has NOT ONCE fallen, made noise, or come loose. I sanded the plastic and cleaned with ethanol (or rubbing alcohol) and used mounting tape. Its worked great, and is in a place out of the way.
I ended up running the coax cable through the floorboards of the truck, and mounted the antenna mount to the rear bumper, out of the way of the rear hatch. Testing with friends, this current setup with the firestik 2 (adjusted) my CB has the longest range.
Sonoran Steel / Stubbs Welding 5" Drop Panhard Bar
This has been changed out to an adjustable unit made by Sonoransteel.com as well.
CBI Tire Carrier
The CBI Carrier is now sold! Reason why I sold it was mainly due to the absolute PIA it was to move up and down every time I wanted to access the rear. It was NOT economical for me. I use my truck for "expedition" trips into Baja where I am camping for at least a week, and like to pick up camp and move. Everytime I stopped, to access my cooler, I would need to drop the tire carrier. Everytime I set up camp, I need to remove the carrier and drag it out of the way to unload my cargo. I can see where it would be GREAT for those who go on day wheeling trips. Only needing to access it once or twice a day.
The carrier was built solid, and I am impressed with the sturdyness of it. However, once again, it did not fit my personal needs.
Sleeping Platform:
I have added foam underneath the carpet as well as cleaned up the carpet as well. It stays in my truck 100% of the time and is a great addition if you decide to only have 2 seats in the car
Home-made Bump Stops:
Baja 2008
Amidst the chaos in Baja, we ventured on a lone journey through the depths of Baja, only to be bitten in the ass in the end. The drivers side rear axle shaft snapped in two, resulting in my entire wheel coming off at 40mph and flying by me as my truck hit bottom and slid off to the side of the road. The people of Baja were so great and kept my truck safe for over a week as I bussed back to the states and returned with a new axle.
The break down...
Anza Borrego
The Squeeze:
Heart Attack hill:
Fish Creek:
Table Mountain and Corral Canyon
35" MTR's (315/75/R16)
Right after my Trailmaster install:
Installation Pictures of Trail Master Lift
This is what I came home with. $300 Gets you a pile of crap... eh...
All that crap sheet metal cleaned off, this is the final product:
Under the Knife:
Look Ma! No Crossmembers!
"Oops, I think I just cut something bad..."
A Pile of Crappy IFS Parts
Finally on all fours (I like it on all fours)
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__________________ 1996 4x4 3.4L 4Runner on 35's - 6" of lift, MTR's, E-locked, ARB Tacoma Bumper, Sliders and a cut off tail pipe.
06-08-2004, 03:18 PM
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