Build Thread: '05 Tacoma for Search & Rescue

[viatierra]

Looks like I am about 2.5-3 mph low on the speedo vs. actual speed.

Spiffy truck! If you do the Algebra and check it against various speeds, you'll see that your speedo will always be off around 10%. So on the highway you will be off more than just tooling around town.

On to the next Phase!
:lurk:

 

[DarkHelmet]

Spiffy truck! If you do the Algebra and check it against various speeds, you'll see that your speedo will always be off around 10%. So on the highway you will be off more than just tooling around town.

On to the next Phase!
:lurk:

Danke! The speedo was a bit higher than actual before the lift according to the GPS and now it is a bit lower than actual but less than 10% off so I am fine with it.

Phase 3 involves a rack. I showed my wife a pic of yours and she REALLY liked it. This is gonna get expensive quick!

- DH

 

[Overland Hadley]

This is gonna get expensive quick!

- DH

Things have a habit of working like that when you spend time here.

 

[offroad_nomad]

SAR vehicle mods are a slippery slope. One thought for consideration, you may want to work on improving your vehicles capabilities before adding all the expensive Whelen gear unless it's actually needed immediately. You're more likely to use offroad-related, recovery, communications, lights, navigation and personal sustainment (food/water, fridge, clothing and other storage) mods before all the auxillary warning lights and siren.

 

[DarkHelmet]

SAR vehicle mods are a slippery slope. One thought for consideration, you may want to work on improving your vehicles capabilities before adding all the expensive Whelen gear unless it's actually needed immediately. You're more likely to use offroad-related, recovery, communications, lights, navigation and personal sustainment (food/water, fridge, clothing and other storage) mods before all the auxillary warning lights and siren.

The Whelen gear was in before the truck got lifted. It is used more often than the truck leaves pavement as I am also an EMT for a rural agency. I am a big fan of warning lights as my previous SAR rig was hit from behind by an inattentive driver (luckly I wasn't in it).

But, point taken and the RTT, fridge, etc. is going to be coming soon.

 

[DarkHelmet]

1. Your call, but I'd just leave it alone and try and see if you can deal with it. Avoid full lock steering, especially on the trail.

2. I left mine like yours. Helps to keep mud and debris away from the important parts of the truck.

3. Yes - you should have bumper pads.

4. Yes - if you loosen all the allen head bolts, you can pull the head up a very small amount (1/4" or so) and rotate it to the position you like. Just don't lift it off too much!

2. I added a few more zip ties to help secure them and I am going to leave them.

3. Bumper pads were left out by ARB. They are shipping some over.

4. Success! I took the lower plate off my bumper last night and got out the allen wrench. Loosened them all and rotated the housing. Much easier to get to now. I also discovered one of the allen bolts head was snapped off. I'll need to call Warn for a replacement to keep dust and moisture out of the clutch housing.

Thanks!

I also found a great location to remount my siren/PA speaker behind the grille while I was in there.

Next phase - VisionX Offroad 6503 HID lights on the bumper. Those should be here in a couple weeks.

- DH

 

[DarkHelmet]

Clunking noise?

Anybody else with the OME 886 set-up please chime in.

I am getting a clunking noise when I hit bumps in the road. Not when I'm hitting small bumps but if I tag a depressed manhole cover or something like that I am getting a clunk noise.

I had the install shop check things over and they say all is well but it still doesn't sound right.

Looks to me like my sway bar may be hitting the lower spring braces on the shocks. There is very little clearance (less than 1/4") at rest. I can see the smallest hint of a rub mark on the shock tower but no dents. There is a minor depression on the back of the sway bar about the same spot.

Anyone run into this problem?

Thanks,

DH

 

[Jacket]

Interesting.....I responded to this thread a day or two ago, but I guess whatever outage Expo experienced lost the post. Anyway....

Yes - I have it too. For me, I have been swaybar-less for about a year and a half, so I don't think that's the issue. But some other coilover vendors sell a swaybar spacer to keep it off the coil, so it is certainly possible that you have the same problem as them. My theory is that the upper control arm makes contact with the coil at full droop - but I haven't spent time under there to investigate and validate my theory.

It's annoying for sure, and I've slightly adjusted my driving style to try and prevent it, but it still comes up every now and then.

 

[DarkHelmet]

Gremlins...

Interesting.....I responded to this thread a day or two ago, but I guess whatever outage Expo experienced lost the post. Anyway....

Yes - I have it too. For me, I have been swaybar-less for about a year and a half, so I don't think that's the issue. But some other coilover vendors sell a swaybar spacer to keep it off the coil, so it is certainly possible that you have the same problem as them. My theory is that the upper control arm makes contact with the coil at full droop - but I haven't spent time under there to investigate and validate my theory.

It's annoying for sure, and I've slightly adjusted my driving style to try and prevent it, but it still comes up every now and then.

Thanks Jacket! I took a look and no evidence of the UCA making contact with the springs. I spent the weekend supporting a bike ride for the MS Society up in McCall as an EMT. Fun weekend and I put about 300 miles on the truck.

I spent the weekend on some bumpy paved roads and had a few days to chase down gremlins causing rattles. I think I have found most of them.

1) License Plate and plastic frame. Fixed by removing plate frame and chucking the frame in the trash. The frame only hung around on the original bumper to keep the metal plate from rubbing on the paint of the bumper. Now that that is gone... no more free advertising for my dealership! I may need to use some steel stays to strengthen the plate as it is prone to flexing and bending now.

2) Missing bolt on right rear side of one of my factory skid plates. Fixed with zip ties for now until I can order a replacement bolt.

3) More fairings in the wheel well. I may need some washers and self tapping sheet metal screws to secure these down better.

4) WINCH ROLLER FAIRLEAD. The vertical rollers are bouncing all around. I secured them with zip ties as a temporary means of verifying they rattle a bit. Seemed to cure the worst of the noises.

I need to chase down a few more possibilities. I'd like to get rid of as many of the rattles as possible but more importantly make sure the suspension and bumper are secured and installed properly.

Cheers,

DH

 

[HMR]

I spent the weekend supporting a bike ride for the MS Society up in McCall as an EMT.

Sorry I missed it. McCall is my home away from home...
What was the route for the ride?

 

[BriansFJ]

Nice rig! I'm working with a lot of similar goals for my FJ Cruiser for El Paso County SAR in Colorado. I'm also an EMT so looks like we have a lot in common. I'll have to watch this thread closely and maybe someday get off my duff and do a build thread of my own.

 

[DarkHelmet]

Sorry I missed it. McCall is my home away from home...
What was the route for the ride?

Day One was from Camp Pinewood (300 S. Mission St.) to the Burghdorf turnoff and back along Warren Wagon Road (60 miles).

Day Two was from Camp Pinewood to Tamarack Resort and back via Farm to Market Road.

Good times. No major injuries to riders. Just a few band aid wounds. We did have a citizen along the course that a couple of our EMT's just happened to pass that was having a cardiac event.

We spent Saturday night at one of our member's house on the lake. It was a great weekend.

- DH

 

[DarkHelmet]

Nice rig! I'm working with a lot of similar goals for my FJ Cruiser for El Paso County SAR in Colorado. I'm also an EMT so looks like we have a lot in common. I'll have to watch this thread closely and maybe someday get off my duff and do a build thread of my own.

Thanks! Always great to meet other rescuers. While I was up in McCall over the weekend we stopped by the fire station for a tour and to meet the crew. I walk in and meet one of the FF on duty and think to myself, "he looks familiar." Turns out he was part of Seattle Mountain Rescue while I was part of the ESAR team in Seattle. He moved to McCall the same year I moved to Boise. Small world.

- DH

 

[Spikepretorius]

I'm loving this thread.

 

[BriansFJ]

Always great to meet other rescuers.

Agreed!:rappel:

Maybe in addition to all the great truck buildup detail, you could include some info on what team and personnal gear you will have as your SAR loadout?:safari-rig: