2001 4x4 4runner build. At Molasses pace

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
one two three, suck in!!
Hahaha!
Here it is in its first use. It was great!!
4-1-074Peaks005.jpg

4-1-074Peaks009.jpg
:pROFSheriffHL:
 

kcowyo

ExPo Original
Nice work!

I'm partial to the 3rd gen green Sport 4Runners myself. I looked long and hard for a green 'Runner with the hood scoop, but we wound up with the silver SR5 instead.

The Cargo Caddy and your platform looks like a great solution for maximizing space and gear storage. Hope it continues to serve you well.
 

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
Thanks guys!! For my first carpentry venture I'm very excited and the words of encouragment help! I wasn't sure whether it would look hack to the outside observer!! A little lift and I'll be ready to tag along on more real adventures...

Wil, here is some free advertising for all of the flys and bee's up on four peaks. I expect a royalty check if they buy anything!!! haha
:bike_rider:
4-1-074Peaks043.jpg
 

xcmountain80

Expedition Leader
Man I didnt even think of that! If I didn't already have a roof tent indoor sleeping might have been the way to go. Good Job keep it coming.

Aaron
 

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
Haha! The cowboy hat is a MUST!! :26_7_2:

Thanks! I like the roof top, but it was out of my price range. I used a $50 gift card from christmas at home depot plus 25 bucks and about 20 dollars in hardware and latches from ACE.

I 2nd McMastercarr! When I was at donahoe we'd bet on how fast stuff would show up. We'd hit the online order button and some dude would show up within 5 hours with the part. Crazy!! ALso, I used it just recently to by a clevis with a bigger capacity than the normal offroad ones that warn or any other co makes and for less too!:clapsmile
 

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
New stuff.
4-28-07bloodybasinroad005.jpg

PLUS
4-28-07bloodybasinroad010.jpg

Equals
4-28-07bloodybasinroad007.jpg

and
4-28-07bloodybasinroad012.jpg

Once you get some 255-85-16 cooper st's you get
4-28-07bloodybasinroad041.jpg

4-28-07bloodybasinroad043.jpg

4-28-07bloodybasinroad044.jpg


edit: comments to donahoe: go back to a normal recessed shrader valve (they wont because people kept poking them and then going whoops I let the nitrogen out), get a new plastic bag sealer (still using the same crap ass one from when I was there that wont seal the bag so all of the bolts are everywhere), Go back to the othe spring manufacturer (several chunks of powdercoat were missing off the springs)
 
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jeffryscott

2006 Rally Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
That looks awesome ... I know the Donahoes, but what are the rear springs?

I like the Cooper's too. Can't wait to see it all in person,

Jeff
 

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
Thanks Jeff,
The rear are performance products springs. They are supposed to be 1" lift, but when your coming from out lowrider 01's they provide about 2 inches.

Heres my rationale:
I put bilstien 5100's on the rear as well. Steve at sonoran steels design offers more lift and more travel. I didn't want the extra lift, its top heavy enough and I like going fast sometimes.
The Old Man Emu kit provides more wheel travel, but they are the old emulsion style shocks. After about 50 miles of driving on roughwashboard roads at an average of 35mph my donahoes were warm to the touch, the 5100's were hot enough to cook an egg or take off some skin. (thats the reason i didn't go with the old man emu or any other emulsion type shock) They would have fadded about 10 miles in and been worthless for dampening.

On the tires:
I love my pizza cutters. Highway speed and power has changed, but very little. So far so good.

I've gotta come and visit my parents sometime soon. Maybe we should organize a little trip to the falls in reddington and then up the back way to mt lemon? Or some other trail near town. :wavey: :victory:
 

jeffryscott

2006 Rally Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
a Redington run is always good. Just let me know when you are coming and I'll try to be available. That would be fun ...

I don't know anything about the internals of the Donahoe's, can you explain how do they differ internally from the OME or Bilsteins? And how do they stay so cool over the rough stuff without an external reservoir?
 

SOAZ

Tim and Kelsey get lost..
Jeff,
I was comparing the billies and the others.
The 5100's have oil where the piston moves inside of the shock. Then there is a "floating piston" or really just think of it as a wall to keep the nitrogen pressure on the other side of that wall. This keeps the oil as oil so it doesn't get aerated.
The other types of shocks (dampers if we want to be correct) are emulsion and have oil and nitrogen in there, mixed. If you move an emulsion shock up and down two or ten times the valving feels one way. If you do it 20 or 30 times the oil and nitrogen have turned into a frothy foam that has a completely different valving property. This new foamy mix moves through the piston (which controls the valving) MUCH easier than pure oil so your valving goes from what you feel driving down the road to a much more mushy feel that at some point will almost be non existent in a resistance sense. Then you are riding on the coils basically. (as long as you dont hit any big bumps some people love this, picture an old cadillac going down the highway and bouncing along, its a nice ride until you hit the big freeway bump and cant stop shaking)
http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/Images/SHOCKS5.gif
The center pic is of an internal reservoir shock. It works the exact same as an external. The only difference is the volume of oil.
Another good example http://www.tonyfoale.com/Articles/Springs/Spring2.gif
These diagrams show the simplest technology of a shock. The ranchos, Old man emu's etc lack the piston. They are simply filled with a prescribed amount of oil and then pressurized.

The idea of the front coilovers having an external reservoir helping them is:
An external reservoir would increase oil volume BUT that oil volume would not be increased enough (unless you used a LARGE reservoir) to overcome from the increased heat that the oil traveling through right angles and a thin hose would create.
The other benefit of external res is increased shock travel with the same body length when compared to a internal res shock. (Just look at the diagram, when you put the res somewhere other than internally it saves some room thus letting you put a longer shaft into the shock body) Hence what fox calls its short bodies. (An external res shock that takes advantage of the extra room with a longer shaft)
This is worthless for the tacoma/4runner suspension since our cv's can barely handle the stock travel let alone a 3 inch increase. 1 inch extra is pushing it.
 
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