This is some more info from Prado owners dealing with the same issue-
all info from the 120scool list.
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> >Do you have a photo of the spacer tubes on the
> car cause i do have
> an ARB sahara bumber and i'm worried too.
> >
> > Looks like Toyota and ARB have finally realised
> the problems
> causing
> > the firewall cracks. They have both stopped
> replacing the front
> body
> > mount spacer tubes with shortened ones when
> fitting their bullbars.
> >
> > I spoke to my ARB dealer yesterday and he said
> both ARB and Toyota
> > leave the originals in now and that ARB is going
> to make a kit
> > available to revert back to the standard length
> ones.
> >
> > I can't find my originals, so ARB are going to
> give me a set they
> > have laying around.
> > I would imagine that when they are changed back
> the gap between the
> > bullbar and the front fender will increase, so
> the bullbar may need
> > to be adjusted.
> >
> > I will let you know how it goes.
> >
> > Below is a post I made earlier on the topic:
> >
> > "I have seen discussions in other area's of 120
> prado's cracking
> > below the bonnet hinges on the firewall.
> > This has been blamed on the vehicles being
> fitted with an ARB steel
> > bar, winch and dual battery.
> > I have an ARB bar, winch and dual battery
> fitted, so have some
> > concerns.
> > In my opinion it is not the extra weight of the
> bar and winch that
> > is causing the problem,( the bar is attatched to
> the chasis, not
> the
> > body). But is caused by the body mounting
> spacers that are replaced
> > during the fitment of the ARB bar.(fitted the
> bar myself).
> > These spacers control the distance the body sits
> off the chasis. My
> > theory is that if the front two spacers are
> replaced with shortened
> > ones (supplied in the ARB kit, about 20mm
> shorter), and the rest of
> > the spacers on the body mounts are left standard
> height you are
> > effectively pulling the body down at the front.
> The next body mount
> > back is under the firewall. So you are trying to
> bend the front
> down
> > from this point. Naturally this is where the
> stress will occour.
> > I have spoken to ARB about this and they say the
> spacer is required
> > to be shorter because the body mount rubbers are
> soft and you will
> > get up to 2" of movement of the body. They also
> state that Toyota
> do
> > this when fitting their bars.
> > ARB know of 4 vehicles in Australia that are
> fitted with ARB bars
> > and have cracked at the firewall. They say these
> vehicles are used
> > extensivly on corragations, and that Toyota are
> repairing them.
> >
> > There was also talk of ARB not fitting dual
> batteries in the 120
> > because of this problem. They have denied this
> and say they don't
> > actually make a tray for the 120 (at the moment
> they modify a tray
> > from an 80 series). But they have a tray coming
> out for the 120
> > soon.
> >
> > I might look into replacing the shorter spacer
> with the original
> one
> > and then replacing the body mount rubber with a
> firmer one. (this
> is
> > what I believe should have been done in the
> first place)."
> >
> > Slads
________________________________________
Toyota aren't Bad are they
The cracking is a a known issue with Toyota.
My 120 series is used for normal 4WDing, no hard rock climbing, mainly
touring, done the Simson, Cape York and the Victoria High country, after
50,000km ended up with cracks in the fire wall and inner guards.
Toyota rejected the warranty claim as it had a steel Bar and After Market
Springs and shocks, They said the problem was caused due to the compression
of the front body mounts, After I got the car fixed I checked out the amount
of body movement and there is a heap of flexing of the chassic and body. The
body mounts need to be as per the factory set up to allow for the flexing,
With the mounts compressed something had to give, in my case the body
cracked.
The only thing is
A- The aftermarket Bull Bar company were doing the same as Toyato (Toyato
were compressing the body mounts when they were fitting Toyota Sovereign
Bull Bar) They too started having cracking issues and stopped compressing
the mounts.
I checked out 2 second hand 120 series in a Toyota yard, one had compressed
mounts, the other didn't, both were fitted with the Toyota Sovereign
bars,mind you when I put this to Toyato there answer was " was the Sovereign
Bar fitted by Toyota"
B - Another person I know has a 120 series with Toyota Sovereign Bar and
Toyota Super Winch, with King Springs and Belstien Shock and the body mounts
are NOT compressed, and he to has started to have cracking in the inner
guards (Different spot to mind) At this Stage Toyota have rejected his claim
due to the fitment of the after market springs and shocks, hes still working
on the issue.
So what is the problem ? Driving on corrugated roads ?
Dennis
________________________________________________
I had only done some beach driving with factory suspension, Darren (ATS)
showed me the cracks when I got new suspension fitted, and after going on
the great Central road - which is a well maintained dirt road - I noticed
the serious crack had appeared. In the end I couldn't waste time stuffing
around with Toyota for months so I got a welder mate of mine to fix them up
and also fix up all the crap spot welding in the front end.
____________________________________________________
I spoke to ARB head office earlier this year, before fitting an old man Emu
kit to my vehicle (obviously worried about the cracking issue). The guy i
spoke to said that the cracking was known. It was brought to their attention
mainly in the mining areas in the west of the country, where vehicles had
been subject to pretty hard lives on corrugated dirt roads (and as Darren
pointed out, hire car companies had also expressed concern in those areas).
ARB told me it wasn't just vehicles with aftermarket suspensions or other
accessories - some were stock standard. He then went on to explain why the
cracks could occur. He also mentioned to me that the OME suspension was
actually initially softer than the factory setup (but became firmer when
compressed), so it should actually be kinder on the vehicle than the factory
setup. We finished the phone conversation talking about the type of driving
that i would expect to be doing and he said that ARB look after their
customers, so i find it "interesting" that Toyota could claim that only two
vehicles have been reported.
___________________________________________________
We have done several with ARB bar, toyota bar, our suspension, shortened
body crush tubes,
some of which have over 180,000km on them now, and only one has stress
cracked, which had
ARB suspension before ours, and had a heavy hit in the front on a sand dune
which put a
40mm gap bar to headlights, and hit the front fenders into the a pillars and
doors.
This vehicle stress cracked the firewall, inner fenders and inner lower
guards right above
the shockers, which have now been fixed.
We inspect them when they come in, so we can make the cracks apparent to the
owner before
we fit suspension up, and not have them wondering after.
Regards Darren McRae
ATS 4X4 90 Fyans St Geelong Sth 3220
Phone 0352 216599
Fax 0352 231826
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