Panhard drop bracket option? (3 Viewers)

[drkdss]

My drkdss bracket arrived a couple days ago and I installed it this morning… coming to this thread to comment on my install and I see @drkdss himself, posted, after my bedtime, some details I wish I had read before completing installation, more on that below.

Install with the 40 gallon LRA is possible but you have to get creative with your jack and attach the track bar loosely first thing or you will not be able to get that bolt in later.

After some trial and error I got everything loosely installed and torqued in the order shown on the install video. Based on post #420 of this thread I did that calculation and was over 3, 4.25 in fact, so I used the top hole. Track bar is now reading level on a bubble level. Based on @drkdss after bedtime post (#425) I may or may not want the track bar level and a post install drive could be confirming this as my steering wheel is now slightly turned right but truck seems to track straight. This could also be completely unrelated due to an ongoing alignment saga which currently has my caster set 3.3 on left and 3.0 right. I know, I like to complicate things

I’m calling a new, much closer, alignment shop in the morning who should be able to take customer input instead of going by the book specs to get caster squared up.

Not sure if this matters or not but measuring center of wheel to fender truck sits at 22.5 on all wheels except right rear where it’s 22. All gas tanks full, drawers full, rear swing out bumpers, 2722 springs, and bags have 5psi.

So, should I be in the lower hole or leave it as is? Once I have gear and my camper attached I’m running way more weight back there and bags will be 50-60psi.

I’d say the lower hole. It will visually be str8 but gives you room to load up and it gets back closer to str8.

If it’s completely str8 now. The more weight you load up , the more it will start to angle the other way.

Do you have adjustable track bar ? If so you can fine tune it.

 

[linuxgod]

My drkdss bracket arrived a couple days ago and I installed it this morning… coming to this thread to comment on my install and I see @drkdss himself, posted, after my bedtime, some details I wish I had read before completing installation, more on that below.

Install with the 40 gallon LRA is possible but you have to get creative with your jack and attach the track bar loosely first thing or you will not be able to get that bolt in later.

After some trial and error I got everything loosely installed and torqued in the order shown on the install video. Based on post #420 of this thread I did that calculation and was over 3, 4.25 in fact, so I used the top hole. Track bar is now reading level on a bubble level. Based on @drkdss after bedtime post (#425) I may or may not want the track bar level and a post install drive could be confirming this as my steering wheel is now slightly turned right but truck seems to track straight. This could also be completely unrelated due to an ongoing alignment saga which currently has my caster set 3.3 on left and 3.0 right. I know, I like to complicate things

I’m calling a new, much closer, alignment shop in the morning who should be able to take customer input instead of going by the book specs to get caster squared up.

Not sure if this matters or not but measuring center of wheel to fender truck sits at 22.5 on all wheels except right rear where it’s 22. All gas tanks full, drawers full, rear swing out bumpers, 2722 springs, and bags have 5psi.

So, should I be in the lower hole or leave it as is? Once I have gear and my camper attached I’m running way more weight back there and bags will be 50-60psi.

I have the same steering wheel issue. Well, mine pulls right if I let go to follow the steering wheel, but if I hold the wheel straight the truck goes straight. My caster was 3.3 on both sides IIRC and I suspect that’s part of it. IIRC Slee said pulling is typical of lifted trucks. I don’t think it’s the bracket because at normal level if anything it should be better, plus it’s routinely had a pull to the right even before this, and I’m fairly sure a lack of extra caster on the right just makes it worse. I can pull my specs but thrust angle was actually slightly better with the setup.

BTW in my experience the lower height on the right will cause a slight pull right. Throw a 10mm trim packer on top of the RR coil.

 

[Artie]

I have the same steering wheel issue. Well, mine pulls right if I let go to follow the steering wheel, but if I hold the wheel straight the truck goes straight. My caster was 3.3 on both sides IIRC and I suspect that’s part of it. IIRC Slee said pulling is typical of lifted trucks. I don’t think it’s the bracket because at normal level if anything it should be better, plus it’s routinely had a pull to the right even before this, and I’m fairly sure a lack of extra caster on the right just makes it worse. I can pull my specs but thrust angle was actually slightly better with the setup.

BTW in my experience the lower height on the right will cause a slight pull right. Throw a 10mm trim packer on top of the RR coil.

I’ll grab the 10mm shim, in the mean time I’ll inflate that right side bag more to offset and level it out to see how that goes.

I’ve not had issues with the truck pulling before I knocked the alignment out many miles of dirt track in Wyoming last year. Ever since then I’ve been chasing the alignment from the first one that was done at a “toe and go” local tire shop. The next shop corrected all that but pulled out caster from 3.0 to 2.7 which has lead to steering wheel feedback, another alignment where caster is set at now (3.3 and 3.0) and this mornings installing of this track bar bracket. I just need to solve one thing at a time before muddying the water but with a big multi week trip coming up in 23 days I have some nagging maintenance items to complete with a hard deadline fast approaching.

 

[skrypj]

I have the same steering wheel issue. Well, mine pulls right if I let go to follow the steering wheel, but if I hold the wheel straight the truck goes straight. My caster was 3.3 on both sides IIRC and I suspect that’s part of it. IIRC Slee said pulling is typical of lifted trucks. I don’t think it’s the bracket because at normal level if anything it should be better, plus it’s routinely had a pull to the right even before this, and I’m fairly sure a lack of extra caster on the right just makes it worse. I can pull my specs but thrust angle was actually slightly better with the setup.

BTW in my experience the lower height on the right will cause a slight pull right. Throw a 10mm trim packer on top of the RR coil.

Every Toyota truck I have owned has pulled stock or lifted even after alignments. My GX was bad.

 

[Artie]

I’d say the lower hole. It will visually be str8 but gives you room to load up and it gets back closer to str8.

If it’s completely str8 now. The more weight you load up , the more it will start to angle the other way.

Do you have adjustable track bar ? If so you can fine tune it.

Thanks for your input!

I do not have an adjustable track bar but have no issues installing one.

I see your point about the lower hole and weight loading… looks like I’ll be back under there tomorrow to make this change. I did run out of stroke on my jack so maybe I can get a spacer on it and get the extra inch I need to clear the LRA and make this a much quicker ordeal.

 

[Artie]

I just went out to the garage with the level to check again, it’s actually slightly higher on the bracket side… I know what I’m doing in the morning.

 

[linuxgod]

I’ll grab the 10mm shim, in the mean time I’ll inflate that right side bag more to offset and level it out to see how that goes.

I’ve not had issues with the truck pulling before I knocked the alignment out many miles of dirt track in Wyoming last year. Ever since then I’ve been chasing the alignment from the first one that was done at a “toe and go” local tire shop. The next shop corrected all that but pulled out caster from 3.0 to 2.7 which has lead to steering wheel feedback, another alignment where caster is set at now (3.3 and 3.0) and this mornings installing of this track bar bracket. I just need to solve one thing at a time before muddying the water but with a big multi week trip coming up in 23 days I have some nagging maintenance items to complete with a hard deadline fast approaching.

I’ll be interested to hear your result so please do update when you have everything sorted. I think more caster in the P/S will help me but TBH it feels like I’m trying to make up for something else since the wheel is straight when driving straight, it just wants to turn to about 12:15 or so if I let go (and the truck subsequently follows).

 

[drkdss]

Ok here’s the damage report. Lol also yeah I kinda exaggerated the frame damage . For some reason the last time I looked (baja and super dirty ) I guess it was just real dirty. There’s basically a ding. I fully used the bracket as a bump stop over many many miles down in baja with confidence based off data in the jeep, ram and 4runner world. We have sold prob over 25k brackets or more. s*** I’ve sold about 5k 4runner brackets in the last 1.5 years !! It’s truly been a blessing !!

And the shorty in a Red.

Whoever has the closest bday to me I will give the hold standard height version I just took off away. You can always just cut off the top and then paint it !

Dec2nd. Game on!!

 

[WMM3]

What would the fix be if my 2 inch lift is causing the rear driver side to be lower and the axle slightly shifted? The driver side rear spring looks like it’s not straight possibly because the track bar is forcing it. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[drkdss]

What would the fix be if my 2 inch lift is causing the rear driver side to be lower and the axle slightly shifted? The driver side rear spring looks like it’s not straight possibly because the track bar is forcing it. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Is it shifted to the driver side ? As in you have more wheel sticking out ? Measure from the frame to a tire knub and take note. Do same on other side make sure it’s same knub. Sometimes some are in more than the others. Depends on tire brand.

 

[WMM3]

The passenger side rear tire is slightly (just under half inch) in making the rear driver side stick out by same. Tires are Toyo AT3 285-65-18. The rear lean is also to the driver side - driver side half inch lower when measuring both top of wheel well to top of tire and top of wheel well to ground.

 

[drkdss]

The passenger side rear tire is slightly (just under half inch) in making the rear driver side stick out by same. Tires are Toyo AT3 285-65-18. The rear lean is also to the driver side - driver side half inch lower when measuring both top of wheel well to top of tire and top of wheel well to ground.

So for sure it’s sticking out more on driver side do to slight lift. The track bar brackets whether weld on or my bolt on will address that for the most part. The lean I have seen some coils clap out on one side. As in it was somewhat defective and lost spring rate. This has happen many times with a buddy who has specific coils for the ram market.

 

[WMM3]

So for sure it’s sticking out more on driver side do to slight lift. The track bar brackets whether weld on or my bolt on will address that for the most part. The lean I have seen some coils clap out on one side. As in it was somewhat defective and lost spring rate. This has happen many times with a buddy who has specific coils for the ram market.

Thank you. I have the Dobinsons springs so hopefully they line back up after I make the changes. How can I go about purchasing the bolt on?

 

[drkdss]

Thank you. I have the Dobinsons springs so hopefully they line back up after I make the changes. How can I go about purchasing the bolt on?

I’m not allowed to post it here but just look my name up. You will find it.

 

[WMM3]

I’m not allowed to post it here but just look my name up. You will find it.

Done. Appreciate it.

 

[WMM3]

I’m not allowed to post it here but just look my name up. You will find it.

In your experience, do the springs go back to straight after bracket installation? They've been on for a little over a year.

 

[drkdss]

In your experience, do the springs go back to straight after bracket installation? They've been on for a little over a year.

The coils will do what the buckets tell it to do for the most part. You should be all good after correction.

 

[Casual Cruiser]

Ok here’s the damage report. Lol also yeah I kinda exaggerated the frame damage . For some reason the last time I looked (baja and super dirty ) I guess it was just real dirty. There’s basically a ding. I fully used the bracket as a bump stop over many many miles down in baja with confidence based off data in the jeep, ram and 4runner world. We have sold prob over 25k brackets or more. s*** I’ve sold about 5k 4runner brackets in the last 1.5 years !! It’s truly been a blessing !!
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And the shorty in a Red.

View attachment 3627259

Whoever has the closest bday to me I will give the hold standard height version I just took off away. You can always just cut off the top and then paint it !

Dec2nd. Game on!!

I’m march 29th birthday!

 

[Artie]

Progress report.

I moved track bar to the lower hole on the DRKDSS bracket, based on the drive afterwords this is the correct one for me. There is about a half inch more rear tire sticking out the passer side versus drivers side, looks like to get the rear end perfect I’ll be looking at adjustable track bars, would trailing arms also need to accompany this?

I had an alignment done this morning at a shop that was recommended to me by a neighbor who has a big lifted dually. I’ve been by this shop before and hadn’t considered stopping based on the curb appeal and parking lot that’s usually full of Carolina squatted bro-dozers. Having now driven my Cruiser post alignment I’ve now realized that if anyone could make a Carolina squatted bro-dozer road worthy they must be a wizard on the Hunter machine because my Cruiser is finally almost perfect. There is still a slight amount of torque steer during lower speeds between 2k-3k rpm’s but it’s slight and at highway speeds the truck tracks straight while towing, which was my main goal.

The alignment tech could not produce a print out because the printer was out of ink and when I asked for a picture of the read out on the Hunter machine I was informed it had not been saved. Very annoying, especially for a detailed files type of guy like myself; however, in discussions before and after alignment he stated he did as I requested and put caster on both sides at 3, this was correcting the alignment from last week caster of 3.3 drivers 3 passenger. The rest was already good to go so no changes there.

I will run this for our upcoming summer trip and explore the track bar and progressive springs later this summer. I’m at 20k on this current setup and I’m heavy and tow about 75% of the time on and off road… I think components are settled in or wearing and I need to think about how to make adjustments to eek out the best ride moving forward along with how to rotate in shock rebuilds with my BP51’s.

 

[jkeithw]

I am running the @eimkeith drop bracket and i have contacted the cross member of the frame, and bent the drop bracket a smidge. No witness marks on the driver side just the passemger side with the drop bracket. Hard to tell if there is anything other then a superficial scratch on the frame from where the drop bracket contacted it.

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hey, sorry - haven't had a lot of SM or forum time this year, so I've missed some tags around here.

Yep, there is not a lot of overhead clearance on this platform compared to other Toyota models—it sort of tells you what the company's use projections were, considering they expect these to carry some load more or less daily. Position-wise, it's a fine line between kissing the cross-member without extending bump stops and missing the coil if the mount were angled to slide past the cross-member. (I like that you've retained the inner coil bumps, btw - I retain those as well as they don't really interfere with articulation but improve bottoming on square hits.)

Design-wise, I have to deal with some compromise here to get a height-adjustable (and therefore tunable for different loads/setups) part, so this variant is shaved down as much as I feel comfortable with while retaining both mounting heights. In this scenario, you could trim the rearward ear to clear, but I'd probably leave it as-is now that it has found and defined its operating space unless it bothers you, so as to retain the upper hole option if you ever change it up suspension-wise. From what I can tell, it doesn't look like the in-use contouring you've done there has limited the movement of the joint.

The installation looks good.

Are /were you getting any noise on contact that you're aware of?