DravisAR

Keep in mind, I know quite a bit about gears, tires, lifts...ive been reading up for quite a bit on all the yota stuff. I just have no "real life" experience with them Well I just picked up my new rig, and on the 100 mile drive from where I bought it, I noticed a couple things.

First off, my truck is an 85 longbed, with bobbed bed, 4" Skyjacker suspension lift, 2" body lift, 35 MTs, etc. 251k miles with rebuilt motor.

How much do your beds "shake" or wobble on the frame? looking in my rear view mirror, my bed shifts anywhere from .25 to .75" back and forth past the edge of the cabin when im on the freeway at certain speeds. Its not horrible, but its vibrating pretty good. Id say its a "high pitch" shake...if you were in it, itd put your feet to sleep.

How "harsh" is your ride with a similar setup? My shocks feel incredibly stiff and the truck almost "bounces" over speedbumps etc. The steering is pretty "boat" feeling...theres almost a delay between turning the wheel and the truck changing lanes. Im used to it, doesnt seem completely unnatural.

is it possible to get an alignment on trucks like this? My steering wheel is about 45 degrees from where it should be when centered...im thinking the previous owner never got an alignment or balance and thats the root of all my problems so far.

Thanks guys,

Alex

EWAYota

not sure about the bed shifting, i have a thought, but not sure enough to suggest it. you've got a lift with 35's and a solid axle. your not gonna have a very smooth ride and yes, you can get an alignment for your truck. take it over to les shwabs, see if you can find a firestone, get a lifetime alignment package for as long as you own that truck.

rocket

iTrader: (1)

Look under there to see exactly what your 2" BL is made of cause that could half your problem.

Your #1 solution if your BL is in bad shape:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...Kit.shtml#FAQ5

6. What if I have a flatbed on my pickup and only need to lift the cab, do I have to buy a "full kit"?

* No problem, every kit is built to order. If you only need 6 blocks for the cab, that's what you order. If you've bobbed the bed on your pickup and only have 6 bed mounts instead of 8, that's what you order. If you only want 3/4" or 1.5" instead of 1" or 2", that's what you order. For example, an Ultimate lift kit for a pickup cab (only - bed replaced w/ a frame-mounted flatbed) would include 2-2" and 4-2.5" dia. blocks and 1/2 of a pickup hardware kit, since the flat bed is attached to the frame directly and probably won't be lifted. Contact me for special pricing on these combinations.

DaveInDenver

My guess is the body lift is the root of the bed shaking. My bed shifts around a little driving down the road, but I have a camper on it that affects that. If I open my back window, the front lip of the bed bounces forward and back maybe 1/2". Not enough to touch the cab, but it would squish my fingers if I shoved them between the bed and cab. Move everything up 2" and the relatively lightweight bed could shake like a hula girl on the dashboard.

The back of my truck bounces up and down, that's due to the springs and shock combo I have. Soft springs and my shocks seem a little underdamped for the weight. If I take the topper off or put in a full load, things are smooth. But with just the topper and the small box of things I keep all the time, the springs aren't quite loaded enough and shocks are just a little too soft, so I'll get an oscillation sort of bounce on just the right road surface.

As for the boat steering, that doesn't surprise me with push-pull steering & 35" tires. I bet the truck was not aligned after the lift, which is why the steering wheel is crooked, too. I'd first get it aligned and the tires balanced and see if things smooth out a bit. Probably couldn't hurt to have the rear propeller shaft balanced, this can also create a high speed vibration.

mytruck

Your steering wheel is probably off-center because of the drag link.
http://www.ultimateautoaccessories.c...duct_Code=K748

..."These vehicles have solid axles front and rear with leaf springs. The front leafs are different on each side with the driver side spring having slightly more arch. The 4.5" front springs have degree shims attached to improve drive shaft angle. Drag link angle is critical. The stock Toyota drag link is a one-piece, non-adjustable unit that connects the pitman arm (at the steering sector) to the steering arm (at the front axle knuckle). As the truck is lifted, the distance between these two points is increased creating two problems. Since the stock drag link is now too short, right hand turning radius is decreased and the steering wheel is moved off-center.
The increase in drag link angle can cause a tendency for the truck to drift and wander, especially on well-worn or grooved driving surfaces. In extreme cases, it can even cause contact between the link's lower end and the spring-to-axle U-bolt..."

Jim