Yeah, I'll be considering changing my shocks too after seeing what happened to you. I have video of you on Slickrock, but not of the bangs. I'll try to post those tonight.

 

The picture uploading to the website seems simple enough...I just tried it and it works fine.

If you want to host videos on the site...contact Ftoy#36 (Mark) and he'll take care of it.

I'd "really" like to keep all our pics/videos in one centralized place so we can all know where to access them.

If you can't get the pics to upload, just post them in here and we can upload them that way...but please, try the picture uploading on the website...and thanks for your patience.

http://www.se4rj.com/gallery

 

Shut up Banjo.

 

Why not just throw some limit straps on there and call it good?

 

Guys,

My appologies for the inconvenience. I upped the setting to 50000kb per user and appreciate all the guys that have signed up.

You can upload video just contact me to do so. We could use some video on the main pages. Brian and I are developing content now for it.

How to Upload

Log in and create a username (keep your screen name)

Select UPLOAD from the icons and you now have a choice of uploading 10 pics at a time.

Choose which gallery your pics belong in (Carnage, Trail, Crawfords)

That's it.

 

I told you guys all this along time ago. I know Andy, you have the stuff to install, I don't think most people realize how wrong and dangerous front shocks that are too long can be.

This all hit me in Moab (There's that word again) in fall of 2004. I wheel the FJ-62 for 2 days and knew that the sprung under SA was "Bananas!" and that I did not break that axle on Rocker Knocker from any tourqe as it was crawling. The droop had to be reduced and I had to figure out two more things.

1. How to put a SA on the thing and have everything from the factory still work like it did from the factory so a guy like Andy can drive the truck and other then the lower gear ratio in the steering box, not notice anything different.

2. Get up Rocker Knocker.

Misson Accomplished. As you know, I am the ONLY 3rd Gen on the planet earth to get up Rocker Knocker on it's own power, no winch. The fact that there is only one way to do it and it's not obvious, Brian Ellinger had to tell me how to do it and you go 35 degrees to the side, you better be darn low and have a big boy from Wisconsin along.


A set of TRD Tokicos and you can flog that 7.5" IFS locked up all day long.

 

Well DUH!

 

FWIW, We are going to Moab (I know that word again) at the beginning of October.

If anyone wants to fly out or have your vehicle shipped there, as strange as this may sound it would be worth $1000 in transport fees to wheel in Moab. No kidding.

Let me know and we'll set you up. I can even come up a few days early and take you on the standard stuff Poision Spider/Gold Bar Rim/Golden Crack and teach you the ins and outs before all the other meat balls get there.

I really enjoyed Tellico and those are some fantastic trails, but nothing compares to Moab.

 

Steve, sorry to hurt your feelings a few posts back, just messin' with ya as usual! I'm definitely going to try to make the October trip with you guys, possibly in a Ranger or something at least. Who knows at this point. I still have to sell my wife's car and then decide if I'm going to wait to see what comes out in 2007 or not? I just hate the fact that I'll miss a lot of the summer riding if I wait for 2007 models to come out.

Chris

 

It would take a lot more than that to offend me, you know. Anyway I really hope you get your Rump Ranger, that thing was really fun to drive.

I still think it would be hilarious to pick up a set of golf clubs and haul those around on the trial.

Arizona street legal’s those things you know.

 

yeah, it's a shame that the nice long droop is a CV killer. i'm going to the blue TRD's since i already have them. straps are just another option. i'm scratching my head and wondering if anything can be done to the design of the CV's to either strangthen them or "extend" them to allow for more droop.

 

Why would you want more droop on a tire that has no weight on it?

It is pointless.

Someday Grasshopper, you will learn.

There are already Arizonans running Cryo'd half shafts with 35's.

 

no.... what i meant by that is to somehow modify the outer housing of the CV so that it won't break under the extreme droop caused by the OME's. i don't want to extend droop even more.

if i would have not broken the CV, then i could have finished slickrock and possibly the ledge at the top under my own power w/o winching.

i'm just saying that it's a shame that we haven't come up with something to strengthen the CV's so that a SAS isn't the ONLY option. for some of us, that is YEARS down the road at best.

 

I know Steve! I'm glad you enjoyed driving it down trail 5. It was a lot of fun watching you get used to staying in the throttle just a tad to keep the engine braking working versus cruising down a little faster than desired. Had a blast, and I'm hoping that I can get out of our credit card debt definitely by October and get one of them for myself by then to ride out in Moab with you guys. That would be a blast to say the least!

Chris

 

Andy, my opinion on this would be to try the blue shocks or put limiting straps on to prevent the droop, get rid of the top out spacers to make sure you're not limiting the upward travel, keep the stock bumpstops, then see how well it does locked up front up the harder trails. Steve is saying you can flog it pretty hard with the front locker, which would be sweet, because all you really need is a solid 3 wheel drive anyways, right! As long as the tire on the ground is pulling hard and your other front tire is slightly lifted off the ground you'll probably be just fine. Basically, you'll just lift off a little more often.

But, for those with open front diffs I hammered my front end with the OME shocks with no trouble, slickrock being one of those places. I think the jury's still out on the open front diffs, because I definitely wasn't easy on mine when I needed to give it some serious throttle. The biggest thing here is just being careful not to over brake it to transfer power, which is the only reason I broke down at Fain's Ford. Stupid mistake!

Chris

 

I think the easier solution than modifying axles is just not buying the obviously NON TESTED Old Man Emu Prado parts.

Stick with genuine Toyota stuff and save you money to have your truck car hauled out west.

As impressed as I am with the ARB lockers and bumpers, I am equally unimpressed with the Old Man Emu line. Even the crap on out FJ-62 is OK, but Alcans and Bilstein 5150 all bolt on would have been less expensive and far superior. There are two pieces of the OME line I do like, the FJ 60-80 steering stabilizer is a really nice piece and the FJ-60-62 leaf spring shackles, not the leafs, but the shackles are very nice.

Our FJ-62 leafs ride hard and guess what do not give consistent lift. Woulda coulda shoulda got some Alcans.

Great Lockers and bumpers, but I would like to meet the fool testing the suspension stuff.

Anyone want to buy a full Old Man Emu FJ-60-62 lift. I could use some Alcans.

 

??? when did you pick up a work truck???

yeah, i'm with you there on the OME's. i don't like the rear springs, hate the front springs, and now i'm not caring for the front struts. the rears haven't done me wrong, YET.

 

This is from the Frankenstein Lift, it's an OME front shock and a stock shock. There is a blue Bilstein boot because the OME boots don't fit in Cornbred Spacers. This is all long before the Tundra coils and is all now obsolete.



It more than obvious you have a good 2" more shock there. The TRD shocks are longer than the stock 4Runner shocks and do not bind even with a SINGLE 3/8" top out.

 

I like the feel of the bilsteins a lot better than the softer valved OME's.

Chris

 

A few months ago. I already have a second SA for it. Big surprise eh.

The rear N86 is a fine shock in the Heavy Duty version. The comfort is a wet noodle.

For 1/2 of the cost I think the FJZ-80 shocks with all the fixes is more bang for your buck. Add the superflex joints and you have a serious rear suspension.

Yes Bret made it up with Slickrock my super duper rear end doing most of the work I bet. Bret is also one of my best beta testers.