Junkers88

New goodies got here today. By the end of the weekend my lift will be complete.



Thank you 4crawler!!!!

Matt16

Those are going to absolutely TRASH you're idle arm, rod ends etc, and your CV's are going to EXPLODE. You don't want those.

I'll PM my address, I run a little recycling service for aluminum.

I look forward to getting those as soon and I can figure out how to align the truck myself. The SDORI page didn't help.

Junkers88

I'm trying to find out how to align mine also. All of the sites I visited have great write ups but none of the pictures work and I learn better if I can see some photos. I did find one or two on here that had pics so I might have to print several sets of instructions and cobble them together to get a finished print out.

Matt16

Do a write up! YT needs one badly.

Junkers88

Really? Well I'll do what I can.

Jay351

Sweet Going swaybar-less?

EviL inside

google "string alignment"

http://www.extremehowto.com/xh/artic...ticle_id=60130

another good method

a4runnerfreak

Junks, are those 1.5 or the 2" adapters?

abecedarian

look like the 1.5" adapters.

alignment isn't as hard as one thinks. most important things until you can get to a shop with proper equipment: camber and toe. you want the front wheels as close to vertical as possible and as parallel as possible.
if the tires tilt in or out at the top, adjust the front and rear adjusters the exact same amount on both sides.... if the tires aren't parallel, adjust the tie rods the exact same amount on both sides... until they are.
easy enough with a minimum 36" level and some soapstone or chalk to make marks on the ground.
... and bounce the heck out of the truck any time any thing is adjusted.

I installed the lift on my truck and was only out 1/4" on toe, and that included working on a slope, using my eyes and not a level and replacing the tie rod ends and upper ball joints.

abecedarian

personally, I would never use a string to the rear to perform a field alignment- no guarantee that the rear axle is parallel to the frame or offset identically to each front wheel. with a lift, it's even more pronounced since with IFS the front wheels travel in a slight arc- closest to the frame at full extension and compression, furthest away about mid travel.

using the level I mentioned above, make marks on the ground near the front and rear edges of both front tires. Then after doing the work, try to get the front tires as close to those marks as possible (if they're off, adjust so you're off the the same amount on each mark).

Junkers88

Jay,
No I'm leaving the SB in for the time being.

4runner,
Those are 1 1/2" and about as big as I want to go on the front end so I can save my CV's from damage.

abe,
Thanks for the explanation on that although I'm still confused. It just seems so complicated.

abecedarian

it's not complicated at all.

your lower a-arms have adjuster bolts (2 each). those adjuster bolts push the a-arm out or in. moving the a-arm in or out adjusts your camber. your tie-rods connect the wheels to the steering so if the tie-rod gets shorter, it pulls the front of the tire in towards the frame, and if it gets longer, it pushes the front of the tire out away from the frame.
you end up with a problem if you don't turn the front and rear adjusters the same amount, then the tire moves front-back too, which will affect your caster.

if you want, when you do the work, PM me and we'll get on the phone.

Junkers88

Ok so the camber is how the tire sits with relation to the ground either like this / \ or like this \ / right? What I want is something as close as possible to straight up and down, or "even" yes? The "toe" is how the tires are closer together in the front of the tires than the back? So caster is how the tires are forward or rearward in relation to each other??? God this can't be that hard but I have to admit that it scares me to start messing with the steering on this thing but at the same time I don't want to drop the 140$ that the local alignment place quoted me for aligning a "modified" 4x4 and that's just to put it on the rack and diagnose it....... the labor is extra.

I'll probably be calling you and thanks for the invite to talk me through this.

abecedarian

okay... yes...
looking at the truck from the front, looking towards the back, with your eyes at hub level:
camber is your tires sitting like | |, or / \, or even | / or \ |. you want | | (or as close as possible).

toe is like looking straight down from above the hood/bonnet at the wheels...
toe is: | |, or / \, or \ |, or something. remember... you're looking DOWN on the wheels. so if the wheels are / \, that's positive toe (the distance between the front edges of the tires is more than the distance between the rear edges)... and if the wheels are \ /, that's negative toe (the distance between the front edges of the tiress is less than the distance between the rear edges).

caster is a whole other beast that, on our trucks is a delicate dance between camber and toe, and best left to the alignment tech.

algranger

I just got a lift today too! Congrats! Get some pics up soon.

abecedarian

Where's your lift thread homey?

Junkers88

YEAH!!! What's up with the "no pics post"???

904_runner

Nice, waiting to see them!

i like the coors on the coaster, but "ah ill just toss these bolts and spacers on the table!

nmtoy

Junkers, If you decide not to do it yourself check out 4wheelparts, they did a great job aligning my 4runner after I put the BJ spacers in.

I think I paid around $100.00 and my tires are still wearing really evenly after a year and some hard wheeling.

Lots of guys here hate on them, but I have had good luck there.

Robb

Junkers88

For your information I placed them gently on the table..... and if that hole in the spacer was larger I'd be making love to them intstead of posting about it.