MODIFICATION: Solo Motorsports Mid-Travel Kit, SPC Cams, ICON ET Coilovers, Limit Straps
GOAL:
Improve the IFS system and make it more resistant to key suspension and steering failure.
PURPOSE:
If you hang around the various first gen Sequoia/Tundra/Tacoma and 3rd gen 4Runner forums long enough, you find that the IFS-related components can be pretty scary when the fail. Notice I say "when."
Basically, maintenance is required for components like the lower ball joint, upper ball joint, inner and outer tierods. One cannot afford to ignore these key components.
If any one of the above components fail, you completely lose steering and suspension control. Imagine losing your front suspension or steering while driving 65mph on a highway.
Because this is a single failure prone system, adding some redundancy and strength will go a long ways towards improving reliability.
Having addressed the drivetrain, transmission, steering, differentials and transfer case, the front suspension needed some love.
MATERIALS:
Solo Motorsports (SM) custom fabricated spindles
SM lower uniball joint conversion
SM double shear heim steering conversion
SPC alignment cams PN:25445
OEM lower control arms
Pyrotect 6" limit straps with clevis hardware
Icon Extended Travel coilover suspension w/ 700lb springs
DURATION: 8 hours
COST: $3800
HOW-TO:
There's an abundance of YouTube video for replacing the spindles, removing the lower control arms, removing the lower ball joint, etc. I won't go into the details here since there's a lot to cover. I will, however, add my notes and observations on how my installation differed from the what you will find on the net.
Before tearing into the system, preparation is key. Last thing you want is to be dead in the water because of an oops. Because I run a fairly "tucked" wheel spec, I needed to check clearances between the tire and spindle. If I needed spacers, I wanted to know beforehand so I can have it in-hand, in advance.
To do that, I laid my spare face down, placed a rotor in the wheel, and then set the spindle to mock up an installation.
All clear. Time to get to work.
Here is my order of operation after vehicle is on jack stands and front wheels removed:
- Pop off axle nut cover, remove axle nut
- Remove brake caliper from spindle and all associated hardware and lines
- Disconnect ABS sensor (there's a connector at the frame)
- Unbolt (qty. 4) lower ball joint from spindle
- Unbolt upper ball joint
- Remove spindle with ABS sensor still installed
- Unbolt outer tierod from lower ball joint
- Remove inner + out tierod assembly together
- Remove alignment cams
- Remove lower control arm
All out.
Considering I'm tearing down the whole front suspension, I opted to install new alignment cams and new lower control arms. The new lower control arms were a must because 1) my bushings are shot and 2) the control arm lower ball joint mount needed to be modified to accept the uniball, which I explain in detail later.
First, the SPC alignment cams. OEM vs. SPC.
The SPC cams uses a delrin sleeve, as opposed to a metal one. Metal sleeves cause a lot of headaches when it seizes due to age, wear, and tear. Sometimes, they had to be cut out. Luckily for me, mine popped right out. Because I was replacing the inner and outer tierods with SM units, I did not have to move the steering rack out of the way to slide out the OEM cams or install the SPC cams. Without the tierods installed, there is no reason to move the steering rack.
After the removal of the OEM cam, I found the the sleeve length was not the "right" length. Both sleeves are the same length, while the cam kit had a long and short cam bolt.
Front sleeve is short:
Rear sleeve was too long so I cut it to fit.
It fits.
I still installed it. Hopefully, it does not pose a problem in the long run.
UPDATE:
Since the install, I have been dealing with some white-knuckle squirrelly steering, tracking, and stability issues. The car was not driveable above 40mph.
After a painful process of elimination, I traced it to the SPC alignment cams.
SPC vs OEM Cam Bolt Diameter:
The SPC cams are thinner by 1/4" compared to OEM.
While the included Delrin sleeve makes up that difference inside the control arm bushing, the difference in diameter results in added play in the control arm under load where it mounts to the frame. This added play causes the control arm to shift while on the road and results in my suspension losing its alignment settings.
Fresh wear marks on the cam side and in the bushing side corroborated my theory.
Re-installing the OEM cams resolved the unstable steering issues completely.