RockGoat Version 3RZ (6 Viewers)

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Very cool! Yea, I agree it would be nice to see a few mods you've done to your rig. I think it would be fun to do a mini mud meet with a few local rigs but looks like the old nor cal moderator moved to Tennessee lol. Last time I had my truck aligned they said I had damn near perfect caster numbers but its been so long I cant remember if I modified my front leaf pack after that or not. Is there a quick way I can check my caster using an angle finder?
An alignment shop can't really do much for these solid axles besides adjusting the toe (which can be done yourself) or helping detect a bent housing. They would have to be Toyota SA specific and make or stock steel shims and have the ability to do a "cut and turn" to be worthwhile.


Here's a snippet from 4crawler site on checking your caster

"If running taller than stock tires, you may want to reduce the caster angle a bit. The reason being that the effect of caster angle is to give a horizontal separation between center of the tire's contact patch and the point where the ball joint or king pin axis would intersect the ground. The taller the tire, the less angle is needed to create that same separation.Here is a link to Toyota solid front axle steering alignment specifications. On the Toyota front axle, an angle of approx. 6° up (front of perch higher than the back) on the spring perch provides a decent caster angle (Note: this measurement is related to but not the actual caster angle). At this caster angle, the stock front pinion angle will be tipped up ~5° from horizontal (or 85° from vertical). So every degree you tip the pinion up/down will result in the same caster angle change. Too little caster will give poor return to center and wandering at speed. Too much caster will give a heavier feel to the steering. Best to shoot for a caster angle in the middle of the range. Realize that the caster angle will change as you change the rear ride height, either due to changing the suspension or adding load. This can be in the range of 2/3° - 1° per inch of ride height change."
 
Went out for the first snow run with the RZ and it was absolutely tits. The increased torque over the 22re helps so much. I ran in the 2.28 case only the whole day. Running taller gearing and having that the torque to stay in that wider range of speed was very nice. It was also my first time driving the swap up Highway 50 towards the Rubicon. I was surprised to hang in 5th gear through some hills that I'd have to scream in 4th before.

Not sure if the non IG people can see this video. Maybe posting IG vids is redundant and not worth it.


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Speaking of torqueing bolts and steering topic - I did check torque on my knuckle studs and they were all a decent bit loose of the 71 ft-lb spec. Running up Highway 50, I had noticeably less vibration. I just do the tape measure method for toe. It seems to be tracking well and tire wear isn't concerning.

Thinking about doing the 7/16" bolt mod to the hubs next time I have them off the truck.
 
just do the arp stuff with loctite.
I considered it, but they're like $180-200 for a set. I can do both sides, including a drill and tap, with 7/16" bolts for $50. Getting rid of cone washers would be nice, but could be a problem for concentricity - that's main thing I see. Am I overlooking something?

Unless you're talking about the knuckle studs/keyed arms/sixshooter topic and not hub studs.
 
just the hub studs are like 85ish. frontrange is currently down
getting hub and knuckle are at the 180 price.
ftr i run arp in both and fror keyed arms.
stock nuts.
 
Got the rad on, hoses hooked up, and filled. I also put an after market water temp sensor in because I don’t trust that my gauge cluster is working correctly. When I overheated my 22re it read that all was just fine. So easy peace of mind to install a glow shift.

Welded some D ring recovery points onto front bumper.

And fabbed a heat shield to protect the fuel line/brake lines/wiring harness running near exhaust.

View attachment 3419986

Put a few bends in it and tacked it to that existing small heat shield that was bolted to frame.

Finished and painted
View attachment 3419987

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Looking at ideas for heat shielding, I’m debating between sheathing the lines or doing a heat shield out of aluminum. What thickness of metal did you use?
 
Looking at ideas for heat shielding, I’m debating between sheathing the lines or doing a heat shield out of aluminum. What thickness of metal did you use?
Sorry for the delay, I was on a road trip to Astoria. Damn I miss Oregon...

Anyways, I used 16 gauge for that shield because I had a lot of it laying around. Personally, I think the shield is good there over just sheathing. There are brake lines and depending how you run your fuel and electrical lines, those are present also. The ORS harness runs fuel pump wires down that way. Maybe some other wires I am forgetting. The shield gives a nice protected area. I haven't sheathed the speedo cable yet, but need to.

I did have a passenger along during my last snow run and there was pretty significant heat on the floor board he was feeling. I am thinking more heat shielding down there along the floor board would be nice. It's on my to do list.
 
I ended up copying what you and Liveoak did with the heat shield. I still have some extra stuff from the firewall to put on it to help as well, I appreciate it. I’m hoping to avoid heat issues in the passenger side as much as possible. If I have to I’ll add some heat insulation under the carpet to help out.
 
Good new is aside from that everything has been running well. I have been driving a bit here and there. Finally got the Evap Monitor to clear. That's all 8 without any codes! The smog referee wants to see pictures of this along with all the swap items as a prescreening before an appointment. So time to get cracking on that to get this thing stamped off as kosher.
OBD monitors.jpg


Speaking of making it Kosher - I am 99% sure he won't be cool with my 2" extension boot to push the airbox past the fuse block and into the spot where the old battery used to sit. Anything from the air filter back towards the engine can't be modified without a special CARB approval... heh.

So I ordered a K&N cone filter "cold air intake" that should clear through between the fuse block, the coolant return hose, and go over the header. Not sure how "cool" that intake will be given it's a giant pipe right over the header. Heat shielding in that area is probably in my future as well.

One issue I have is a very very low idle when starting the engine after it's nice and warm. After I get driving and then come to a stop and idle the idle is good. I am thinking IAC issues. Any other thoughts from you guys? I'll probably pull it apart and see about cleaning it out here when I install the new intake.
ETA: OEM PN 22270-75040 is like $260... Not really wanting to pay for that. Aftermarket are like $150, but I am unsure of quality.
 
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I'm not sure if this thread can help you out,

 
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Good new is aside from that everything has been running well. I have been driving a bit here and there. Finally got the Evap Monitor to clear. That's all 8 without any codes! The smog referee wants to see pictures of this along with all the swap items as a prescreening before an appointment. So time to get cracking on that to get this thing stamped off as kosher.
View attachment 3610079

Speaking of making it Kosher - I am 99% sure he won't be cool with my 2" extension boot to push the airbox past the fuse block and into the spot where the old battery used to sit. Anything from the air filter back towards the engine can't be modified without a special CARB approval... heh.

So I ordered a K&N cone filter "cold air intake" that should clear through between the fuse block, the coolant return hose, and go over the header. Not sure how "cool" that intake will be given it's a giant pipe right over the header. Heat shielding in that area is probably in my future as well.

One issue I have is a very very low idle when starting the engine after it's nice and warm. After I get driving and then come to a stop and idle the idle is good. I am thinking IAC issues. Any other thoughts from you guys? I'll probably pull it apart and see about cleaning it out here when I install the new intake.
ETA: OEM PN 22270-75040 is like $260... Not really wanting to pay for that. Aftermarket are like $150, but I am unsure of quality.
My 2rz swap had a nasty idle surge after reaching operating temps, no trouble codes. Tested the iac and one side had an open across the terminals. Replaced it with a napa echlin part because I didn't want to pay 250.00 either...it has been working great so far.
 
So I pulled the Idle Air Control Valve out. It ohmed right where it should be on both sides.
IAC ohm.jpg


I threw some wires on a deep cycle battery and cycled the IAC. It was dirty, but it closed fine. Switched to open it and it didn't open all the way... but it did open enough for me to see a dead FLY SITTING IN THERE. :rofl:
IAC fly.jpg


So cleaned it all up, including the throttle body, and threw it all back together. You can see it opens much wider now under 12v.
IAC clean.jpg


throttle body clean.jpg
 
Moved onto the airbox. Cut the bottom out to bring it down below the hood.

Plasma cut a floor of 16ga steel. Had to tweak it with a few subtle bends to shim up the gaps from my crooked cuts and then JB welded it onto the box. I’ll throw a coat of paint on it this evening.

I ordered a 3” section of 80mm tube to bridge that gap. I’m 99% sure the ref won’t stamp off on this, but I’ll probably just pull my hood and remove the 3” section and just let it flop there to get stamped off. I’m also not thrilled that there isn’t really any room to let larger particles settle to the bottom of the box, but it is what it is.
View attachment 3404430
So on the airbox topic. As I have mentioned, I am in CA and have to pass a smog referee inspection. CARB does not allow modifications to the intake system (post airfilter - that's why snorkels can be added I believe). So my 80mm extension I used to make the airbox push into the old battery spot probably will earn me a no go.

So to get around that, I ordered a K&N FIPK Intake System PN 57-9012. It has a CARB sticker that has a EO number that makes it smog legal. On 1st gen 4runners/2nd gen trucks it fits decently into the old battery tray area. It does rub on my coolant return line, so I may trim that to get it in a little tighter when I drain my coolant next.

I got it off Napa for $300, but it looks like they're up to $350 now. Honestly the quality is pretty trash for that price IMO. The HDPE casting feel cheap and the bumps are brass threaded inserts that are molded in and the molding looks cheap. However, I would recommend it for anyone looking for a CARB legal solution. Or the Trailgear Rock Ripper is the same design really but with a stainless tube and does not have the "cold air damn" that won't work anyways.

This actually frees up room for me to mount my coolant overflow better. I need to come up with fixturing for both the air damn and the reservoir still.
K&N intake.jpg


And the good news: the IAC inspection/clean out in my previous post fixed my idle issue. It feels REALLY good now. The freer flowing intake may have helped some small amount, but i attribute the change largely to the IAC job. MAN I love driving this thing.
 

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