AxleIke

Shouldn't have any issues.

xxxtreme22r

ok so I am looking at the idler arm fa5040 from autozone etc., the brace from northwest off-road and the bushings from SDORI. now onto the inner/outter tie rods and sleeves.

captain

kindof off topic but related- the relay rods that were recalled- where do the cracks form? it would be quick and easy to check them if everyone knew right where to look...

OutlawMike

From what I have read, the end pops off that is attached to the drag link on the driver's side. Then, no steering and into the tree you go. Right behind the head there is a thin section where the cracks form.

xxxtreme22r

http://www.toyotasteeringrecall.com/

peow130

You don't need to be able to weld to make relay rods out of DOM.
It's the threading and tapping that is the hardest part

xxxtreme22r

I can handle the threading and tapping. been there done that in the military.

peow130

then find some DOM tubing at the correct thickness and size, through the correct style joints on it (but beefier, i assume), and go to town.

xxxtreme22r

What ever I do now, I want to make sure it will pass class 7/7100 standards. So for the only full kit is from TC, however it wont pass because it has to be a factory idler. TC's relay rod is made for their idler. Although its a beefed up factory relay as far as I understood.

AxleIke

Not following that part. How do you get the tie rods to attach if you don't weld anything? Drilling into the DOM and mounting a tie rod end into it is going to weaken it, and cause the tie rod end to fail prematurely, as they are designed to have the entire length of the taper in contact with the metal they go into.

AxleIke

There are adapters you can use to work with a stock idler.

IMO, beefing anything else without beefing the idler is a waste of time. The idler will go LONG before anything else, even with braces.

I've bent two idlers WITH a brace. Only damaged one adjuster, once, and that was likely because one of the clamps was loose.

xxxtreme22r

the tie rod ends are threaded on one end with a ball joint on the other.

xxxtreme22r

If you look up a few posts I am gonna go with the idler from Autozone which has been said other than the TC one is the strongest and do a bushing upgrade and brace on it.

AxleIke

You seem to have missed what I was talking about.

The guy above posted something about making relay rods, or center links, out of DOM without welding. Either he has confused the terms, or he has some other idea that I'd like to see.

The relay rod has 5 mounting points:

1. Pitman arm
2. Idler Arm.
3. RH Tie Rod
4. LH Tie Rod
5. Steering Stabalizer.

So, If you have a piece of DOM, you can thread in the inserts to adapt the tube to the idler and pitman. What I want to know is how he plans to attach the two tie rods and the steering stabalizer.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

i would also suggest to upgrade your steering stabilizer. the OME stabilizer i put on made a huge improvement in how the steering feels in your hands. it won't necessarily make your steering components stronger, but will help with dampening a lot of side to side motions. side by side, the stock stabilizer looked like a hotdog compared to a bratwurst, so it's definitely beefed up.

repacking your wheel bearings would also be a good thing to address. loose bearings or anything loose for that matter will cause extra wear on everything else down the line and is quite dangerous to be driving around on. check for play by jacking up front end, grab tire at 9:00 and 3:00 and try to move tire by pushing/pulling your hands in opposite directions - if there's any play, they're loose and need attention.

upper and lower balljoints wouldn't be a bad idea to address while you're upgrading things. a 15+ year old rig with over 100k on it will definitely have worn parts even though they aren't "broken". all those little slight bits of play from your wheel bearings, balljoints, tierods, idler arm, etc, etc all add up and make your steering sloppy and difficult to align (or go out of alignment more often). after you swap them in, keep the old set as a trail spare (same thing for anything else you replace).

another good upgrade is an IFS truss/2nd crossmember; it will help keep your a-arms from spreading or contracting. you've already got one crossmember on the front of the a-arms, so why not put one on the rear of the a-arms and box it all in so nothing can flop around? The Sonoran Steel-style brace seems to be the strongest design, which is a piece of like 4x4 square tube with a braced cutout to clear the front d-shaft. I've got a RockTech brace (from trdparts4u) which is pretty much identical and i *think it cost half the price. I would not put on one designed like the Downey brace on my own vehicle, which is just a piece of round tube that's bent to clear the d-shaft. regardless, it's better than no brace at all, but there are pics floating around of some pretty torn up/bent ones. I would also suggest not to weld the brace in, but bolt it on instead. This will save you much headache should you ever need to remove your IFS diff for any reason.

not really an upgrade, but if you ever take out your CVs or your IFS diff, take out the 12 studs that bolt the two together and grind off the splines. this will make your studs removable which really helps make room and saves headache when dropping a CV or the diff.

xxxtreme22r

Steering stabilizer is done, using a procomp unit. I still have the OEM one on which I don't believe is working anyway but I left it. CV/wheel bearings will be done as well with the steering as I already got one torn boot. Basicallt what ever i take apart to do the steering and cv's is getting replaced. That's the way I am.

I contemplated the truss as well. I saw somewhere where someone just used a piece of 4X4 1/4 square tubing like you had mentioned.

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

yeah, you could definitely make one on your own. the toughest part would be the notch that clears the driveshaft. i think i read that the SS one is so expensive because he uses a piece of DOM tube to plate the cutout section. DOM is already expensive, let alone like a 5" ID piece of tube. I'm sure you'd be ok just using a piece of regular steel tube or even a piece of plate that you bend yourself to fill the hole. but anyways, if you're gonna start bracing things, might as well brace the a-arms too. it will also provide you with a new jacking point or a mounting point for a belly plate.

tc

I thought Sonoran Steel used Sched 40 or 80 pipe to plate the driveshaft cutout.

The tube is not 4x4 - Steve uses the size that matches up exactly, and it's not a stock size, so a bit more expensive.

xxxtreme22r

there is only a $15 difference between the two and they look exactly the same.

AxleIke

Yeah, a 4x4 won't fit. Pretty sure its around 3.5, but could be an in-between size, like 3 a 3/4 or something.