4Wheel & Off-Road Homepage 4-Wheel & Off-Road
Get Adobe Flash player

Ultimate Taco: Part Dos

131 0409 Taco 17 Z
Before we started on the front... 
   
  read full caption
131 0409 Taco 17 Z
Before we started on the front suspension we assembled the axles. Dynatrac built the Dana 44 axle to fit the truck, but also so that off-the-shelf axles would fit in a pinch. Our long-side axle is from a '74-'79 Jeep Wagoneer and the short-side is a '73-'78 GM 1/2-ton truck, both with 30-spline ends. The stub shafts are 19-spline deals like GM used in '77-'87 1/2-tons for strength purposes. We are running chromoly shafts from Superior Axle and Gear, 300M U-joints from CTM Racing, and some Warn premium hubs. This should hold up to our abuse with a lightweight vehicle.
131 0409 Taco 18 Z
The front suspension will... 
   
  read full caption
131 0409 Taco 18 Z
The front suspension will also be a link design, but rather than four links with a Panhard, the space requirements dictated only three links. To make this work we have two lower links with only one upper link on the driver side to control fore and aft movement and axlewrap. Then we will use a Panhard to control lateral movement. Again, we locate the axle square under the frame and attach the lower links.
131 0409 Taco 19 Z
An important part of the front... 
   
  read full caption
131 0409 Taco 19 Z
An important part of the front geometry is having the Panhard bar running parallel to the steering drag link. The optimum design would have the Panhard and drag link the same length and parallel while running as horizontally level as possible at ride height. But of course, redesigning a suspension around a vehicle's frame means making concessions. Our Panhard bar will also be made of 1 1/2-inch 7076 aluminum bar stock.
131 0409 Taco 20 Z
With the front suspension... 
   
  read full caption
131 0409 Taco 20 Z
With the front suspension mocked up, we flexed the axle to be sure everything would clear, and then measured for front driveshafts. We sent our old driveshafts to Tom Woods Custom Driveshafts to be modified. Notice the upper link mounts.
131 0409 Taco 21 Z
For steering we decided on... 
   
  read full caption
131 0409 Taco 21 Z
For steering we decided on a Scout II steering box. We first mocked everything up, and then sent the box to BenchWorks in Phoenix to have it rebuilt. The marks on the box show the full throw from left to right. Howe Performance Steering will use these marks when we later send the box to them for a hydraulic-assist setup.
131 0409 Taco 22 Z
It soon became apparent that... 
   
  read full caption
131 0409 Taco 22 Z
It soon became apparent that the inner fenderwells would need to be removed to clear the tires and front 14-inch Bilstein 9100 Rockcrawler shocks. This also required moving all the stuff that mounts on the fenders. We decided at this point to remove all the ABS parts and go with a standard braking system. That's all the space we have this month, folks. Check in next time when we finish up the suspension, and head for some more tricks.
BenchWorks Steering Systems
www.benchworksteering.com
Marlin Crawler
1543-B N. Maple
Fresno
CA  93703

www.marlincrawler.com
Bilstein Precision Gear
12351 Universal Dr.
Taylor
MI  48180
800/522-2707 Orders
CTM Racing
www.ctmracing.com
QA1
www.QA1.net
Drive Line Service Shaffer's Off-Road
4Wheeler's Supply
www.4wheelers.com
Superior Axle & Gear
888/522-AXLE (2953)

superioraxle.com
Howe Performance Steering
www.howeperformance.com
Tom Woods Custom Driveshafts
(877) 497-4238

www.4xshaft.com

Prev | 1  | 2  | 3

Toyota Tacoma Research
Toyota Tacoma Being one of the most popular cars in its class, the Toyota Tacoma offers good performance and quality. The V6 standard engine in the Tacoma gives you 236 horsepower with an estimated 18 mpg. It comes with comparable warranty coverage to other vehicles in its class. You may also be interested in the Ford Ranger and the Jeep Liberty.

Related Photos

131 0409 Taco 01 Z 131 0409 Taco 03 Z
131 0409 Taco 02 Z 131 0409 Taco 04 Z

Related Articles

More Related Content