2008 tacoma build up #5 front lift point& guard

[lqhikers]

this is the last major build to be trail ready.as we do not plan on using this rig for extreme 4 wheeling i was willing to lose a few degrees of approach to be able to have a front lift point to be able to use high lift to get unstuck if needed,even with my 2002 reg cab taco with same type of lift point i never had it hang up. as i have stated in other posts i have tried the other type of lift points (wheel lifts that High lift sell)but there are conditions that they do not work. high lift contact point is such that if truck slips off jack it does not hit truck. that being said i would not recommend this mod for most new trucks as i have not been able to find out if putting solid steel in front of crush zones would hinder the operation of air bags (if any body has any input on this i would like to hear their thoughts on this ?) as in past i made the guard removable to be able to mount winch if wanted (fits in receiver mounts held in by bolts) all brackets were built to use factory mounting points no welding or drilling of frame.build time 12 to 14 hours.distance from top bar to truck is 2" as the weight of truck does distort approx 1"when lifted.drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

 

[pvstoy]

lqhikers great work ups on your rig. Clean and functional.

Now you need a three week road trip to get out there and enjoy all your labor ..............

 

[lqhikers]

pvstoy mind reader!

pvstoy,we are getting ready to do just that.going to leave next week for a trip up through Utah Escalante staircase area,stopping in Zion etc,staying at calf creek campground for a couple of days,then heading down the back way to lake Powell then back home!should work as a break in trip!drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

 

[flinchlock]

FYI...

I read lots and lots of posts on http://www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/tundra/ and there seems to be much itching about the wide open grill in the 07 Tundra and problem with rocks poking holes in the AC cooler and costing $600 to fix!

It looks like the Taco grill is also wide open.......

Mike

 

[pvstoy]

up through Utah Escalante staircase area,stopping in Zion etc,staying at calf creek campground for a couple of days,then heading down the back way to lake Powell then back home!

I went to Lower Calf Creek Falls and the campground was full. Everybody had thier wiperblades covered. The crows like to remove them for you as it turned out.

If you head out of the campground and turn left on hwy 12 and head up the hill, that will take you above the falls area. Take the first side dirt road to the left on the flats and it deadends to a spot to camp. You can walk over to the edge and look at the canyon. On the Utah Road & Recreation Atlas on page 76 it is marked as a Overlook.

Have a great trip and watch out for the wet slick roads

 

[lqhikers]

pvstoy's trip info response

thanks for the input,we learned about the crows last year when we went through calf creek.we did not spend enough time last year,thats why this years trip.we talked to the camp ground hosts last year and they gave us some info on 4 wheel area's to explore which is what we plan on doing,again a good way to break in new rig!drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

 

[erod]

lqhikers, great work on your rig, your posts are always a pleasure to read. that rig is looking great, can't wait to see some posts of it in action! have a great trip! cheers!

 

[Sam]

iqhikers,

The manufacturers always say not to add anything in front of the vehicle because of airbags, but of course Toyota and others have huge liability issues. I think if anything it's not that the airbags would not function it's that they could be more sensitive. By adding steel tube and connecting it to the frame you may end up hitting something relatively minor and the force would be transmitted to the vehicle and SRS system in a way that the engineers never intended, and trip a sensor.

I'm just giving you my random thoughts here and thinking absolute worst case scenario. In reality air bag systems take a massive amount of force to trigger and the force needs to come from a specific direction. I think of you were to be involved in an accident then the lift points you installed would break, bend whatever and then the force would continue through to the vehicle and sensors as the manufacturer designed. I don't see that it is much different than you hitting a steel sign post first during an accident it's just that that sign post is attached to your truck.

 

[brett13]

iqhikers,

The manufacturers always say not to add anything in front of the vehicle because of airbags, but of course Toyota and others have huge liability issues. I think if anything it's not that the airbags would not function it's that they could be more sensitive. By adding steel tube and connecting it to the frame you may end up hitting something relatively minor and the force would be transmitted to the vehicle and SRS system in a way that the engineers never intended, and trip a sensor.

I'm just giving you my random thoughts here and thinking absolute worst case scenario. In reality air bag systems take a massive amount of force to trigger and the force needs to come from a specific direction. I think of you were to be involved in an accident then the lift points you installed would break, bend whatever and then the force would continue through to the vehicle and sensors as the manufacturer designed. I don't see that it is much different than you hitting a steel sign post first during an accident it's just that that sign post is attached to your truck.


Good point. I wonder if airbag deployment depends on bending metal or some sort of sensor(s)? (or both). If it is sensor derived, such as an accel/decelerometor and yaw sensors/gyro to determine direction, then I double anything in front would affect it much. I dunno. Just thinking out loud here. Truck looks awesome though.

 

[b team]

Air bag sensors are accelerometers. To much decel and BOOM! There as a good amount of "saftey factor" built into air bag systems in that they don't deploy unless you hit something pretty hard. Also the air bag monitor computer looks for certain factors before it deploys the airbags in newer systems.

 

[lqhikers]

air bag input on #5 build up

after reading input on airbag's deploying i agree that under most conditions they would function as built. i made guard in front no wider than frame rails figuring that most impacts are corner related not straight head on,compromise to reach a happy medium to make truck meet the purpose we use it for!drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

 

[DLN]

lq,

Once again top notch fabrication and design. Looks like the truck is about ready to go get dirty.