Hey all-

I have to remove my upper control arms later tonight, and was just looking at the scenario. The nut will come off the bolt that runs thru each end of the arm that connects it to the frame no prob. How do I get that long (prob about 12") bolt out once the nut is off?? It has to come out of the front side of the vehicle, and there is only about 2" of space for it to move in that direction. I was thinking that maybe once I take off the nut, the one end of the arm will be free and then allow me to swing the bolt around a little a find room to pull it. If anyone could help me here, it would be awesome...I am working on getting us 4th genners new upper arms from Inland Truck, and as soon as mine go out tomorrow, it should be about a week long process.

Again, any direction would be great. Thanks.

Billy

 

Alright, so I ran a ton of searches and am still clueless about how to get those bolts out...I am gonna check out both Inland Truck's and Total Chaos' web pages for any insight.

Billy

 

Self bump...anyone??!!?...LOL...I'll quit harassing ya'll now.

Billy

 

I couldn't tell you, but I'm going to be working on my truck tomorrow at the Auto shop on campus. I don't know if you're working on your runner there, but I could take a look at it.

 

Oly-

Hey, thanks for the response...you work at the shop on campus often??? I have never actually been there, but I hear it's only like $5 with unlimited access to tools, etc.

Alright everyone...either you all knew how easy this was going to be and were not answering as you knew I would be able to figure it out, or ya'll just haven't done it...I doubt the latter. It took less than an hour to jack up the front end, yank my tires/wheels, disconnect the ABS lines, pop the ball joint, loosen the bolt that holds the control arm on, and yank it out. The bolts do not look like they will clear the sub frame upon initial glance, but they do, and actually have plenty of room to be removed. They are torqued to about 80-90 lbs.

I'll take a few pics, just to help any of you who plan on replacing the upper control arms. All in all, piece of cake. I did notice that I have a tear in my right CV boot, so Lance- I know you had to replace one of yours...how bad was it??

Also, I was looking at doing a front diff. drop, but couldn't figure out how to lower the front without bringing the back down with it...maybe I am am missunderstanding this one. I looked at Brian's write up and easily understand how to add a spacer to drop the front part of the diff, but about 6-8" behind the front bolt are two more bolts. Is this a change with the 4th gens, or am I missing something??

Alright, so the control arms are off to So-Cal to Inland Trucks. The new ones will add 1"+ of lift and offer more articulation and be pulled back from the tire a bit. I think they are going to be a great addition. I'll be sure to get as many pics and info up as possible. Thanks for putting up with me ya'll.

Billy

 

This will be the first time that I've worked at it, but from what i hear, it's a nice place to work.

 

Oly-

Sweet deal, fill me in about the place...

Billy

 

Billy:

My CV Boot was trashed because my front swaybar fell apart. So therefore, my cv boot looked like swiss cheese. Probably different from yours.

CV replacement was done at the stealer cuz they had to order the part. (special order). Since it was special order, I just had them install it as well .... It's not hard to do yourself but you'll need some time to work on it (something I don't have right now... busy at work)

 

Billy/Lance


How much of a lift do I need to level out the front of my rig. I'm not looking to go extreme like you guys just want a nice level out look. I found a one inch front lift from Daystar, just not sure if thats enough. What do you guys think?

Thanks

Victor

 

Basically what you need to do is figure out how much your front is sagging. Somehow on my 4runner, the front sagged soo much (after offroading) so I was in dire need of a major lift up front. But since I know you haven't done much your shocks/coils should be in relatively good condition. I would think you're front is about 1-1.5" lower which means you really only need like a 1/2"-3/4" spacer to attain the 1-1.5" height.

Hopefully I'll hear back from cornfed or something to get something working. This will be promsing for everyone so I"m working on it hard for everyone. Give me some time and I"ll see what I can do.

In the meantime, you can try the daystar lift. The daystar lift is a two piece set on the front so maybe if u only install one of them, you might be able to level out the truck. PM me for details as I will be interested in taking the rears from you as I need spacers for the rear ASAP

Thanks!

 

Biff-

Hey, I just got off the phone with my boy Dalon at Inland Trucks...he said you were running that way with your rig...sweet move! That way you'll be able to check it all out and get it aligned right after they are installed, instead of just getting them in the mail like me. Dalon was very excited to have your runner coming into the shop.

As far as the front lift, Lance pretty much covered it. You roughly double your height at the wheel in comparision to the heigt of the spacer you put in, so a 1/2"-3/4" spacer would probably be ideal for you. You could even get one made for almost nothing...I am adding another 1/2" worth of a spacer while my rig is apart right now. Feel free to continue asking questions.

Lance-
Hey, what did the boot run you, and how much did they charge you to install it?? I may be leaning in that direction as well, as I am very busy...though I still hate going to the dealer...let me know...thanks. Also, I have been checking in with downey on a weekly basis regarding thier kit...do you know anything I dont?? Also, I think adding the rear spacer to your lift coil will be sweet, that is my plan as well.

Billy

 

Actually I went with 4x4 performance center. Ended up going with a 2.5" Daystar lift, turns out my front is sagging big time. I was quoted the following prices

$100 for the 2.5" Daystar lift

$220 for the install (est. time 2-3 hours)

$120 for the Alignment


From what I've heard here on the board the lift shouldn't be that hard to install. What do you guys think am I being ripped off or should I do it myself.

Victor


Billy sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread. This is my last post here.

 

Biff-

Hey, no biggy on the hijacking deal...doesn't bother me at all. Sweet to hear you are gaining some altitude...the blower plus a lift...that's gonna be one sweet ride.

The lift is a very easy install, if you have a garage and a few tools, you could do it no prob...less than an hour for mine. 2-3 hrs totaling $220 seems a little high...$70-$100 per hour?? And a $120 alignment, i would check around on that one...i have never paid more than $60 for one...that seems ridicuously high...but it is cali. Keep us posted...good work!

Billy

 

Biff:

Since you're local to where I am (Los Angeles), I have no problems helping you out with the install

This will make it a great learning process for the both of us. I am certain other members would love to join and help you out. THis way you can save some $$...

If you can wait till March, I'm free then!

PS: Alignment sounds abit too high.... I get charged around 40-50ish... I could be wrong though as that price was for a honda accord.

 

Billy:

If you look at the swaybar and imagine the end link disconnected from the swaybar itself but connected to the arm, you can see the damage that can happen on the boot itself.

Because of this, I am certain you can't get a swaybar disconnect like the previous gen 4runners. I am working on something but it looks grim right now..

How did your find tear? Usually it's because of extreme angles.... anyway, let me know

 

Billy, I just got back from working on my truck at the ASMSU auto shop. All I have to say is wow. They've got every tool that you'll need, they've even got all the air tools. I was in there for about 4 hours or so and it only cost me $9.50. They've got 3 regular stalls (which I used) and they've got 3 lift stalls.

 

Lance-

The tear in the boot is actually on the other end of the rod where the CV joint boot is (where the rod coming from the cv connects to the frame. I am not sure of the exact terminology of what this rubber boot is called, but when I yanked my control arms the other day, i noticed some grease on it...I further inspected it and found a small hole/tear. There appears to be a metal ring that connects the rubber boot to the frame. What exactly have I torn/done?? I could take a pic if that would help. Let me know, thanks.

Oly-

Hey, great to hear that the campus shop is sweet. I have always been told that it is a killer deal. I'll have to make a trip over there sooner or later. Give me a ring one of these days and we'll go get these things dirty...I don't know of many trails around here, but I'm sure we could figure something out...later all.

Billy

 

Billy:

Sounds like a torn boot... Might be the angles are abit harsh now? Not sure.... Fix it again and if it happens then you know you have too much lift.

 

It actually was torn before we put the lift on...i just didnt give it much attention until it was leaking grease...there is just a small hole in it...my CV angles are still much less than 10 degrees, so I am not too worried there. Thanks for the help though.

Billy