Build Tacoma 4500 build

Malburg114 said:
I looked for a set for this 2.5 Ram and seems everyone only sells them for the 3.0 ones. They are also a lot more low profile and in hindsight I should have asked if one of the guys would make a set for a 2.5 Ram but oh well. Already to much money invested in these clamps. They’ll work and I have a plan to make some plates to capture the end of the Ram to keep it from sliding.

Thanks
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gearhead fabworks

Steering Cylinder Clamps

American Iron offroad has 2.5"

Gearhead Fabworks Hydraulic Steering Ram Clamps
 
Im hoping 2.5 is gtg as well. I am using that size on my build. It seems like a compromise. but my first time as well.
 
Ugh. Thanks for the reminder that mine is sitting in the side yard and my wife is saying things like "it's like we have our own personal junkyard". Did you find that moving forced the build? :lmao: She's been wanting a new house in a new yuppie neighborhood, they advertise that the garages are "EV Charging Ready!" which means I can just plug in the welders...

I've been building in reverse, built the axles/engine/trans/tcase first. I haven't quite cracked the frame dilemma, I guess going with the 2x3 and just saying ****it to the stock frame is probably the smart way to go for something that's gonna get raced and beat like a $2 whore.
 
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Boomtacoma01 said:
I saw somewhere that someone was making the clamps for the 2.5s. If I find it I'll post the link.
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I saw the ones linked above and they’re just a little more than I’d want to spend. I got the clamps with the ram when I ordered so I’ll use them. I should be able to use atleast 3 if not all 4 clamps and with the groves for the clamps in the ram I don’t see them moving. I may en cooperate some plates that capture the end caps of the Ram but we will see. I was drawn to the hulse ones because the bottom part of the clamp welds to the housing making it fit closer to the housing but the others seem to be 3 pieces like psc’s
pennsylvaniaboy said:
Im hoping 2.5 is gtg as well. I am using that size on my build. It seems like a compromise. but my first time as well.
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For class rules I need a mechanical connection so using a steering servo and everything I’ve read and jr4x advised to use a 2.5 with the setup. Should still be better than just regular assist
 
DocRamsay said:
Ugh. Thanks for the reminder that mine is sitting in the side yard and my wife is saying things like "it's like we have our own personal junkyard". Did you find that moving forced the build? :lmao: She's been wanting a new house in a new yuppie neighborhood, they advertise that the garages are "EV Charging Ready!" which means I can just plug in the welders...

I've been building in reverse, built the axles/engine/trans/tcase first. I haven't quite cracked the frame dilemma, I guess going with the 2x3 and just saying ****it to the stock frame is probably the smart way to go for something that's gonna get raced and beat like a $2 whore.
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Mine said the same thing and i wasn’t allowed to buy anything else until we got married in June and I did something with this thing lol. Moving kind of helped lol. More of I got tired of it sitting in front of the house and there’s certain things I want to do to my other truck and rather than redoing a ton of things, I finally decided to start over lol

My hole house is offgrid and all my 220 stuff runs off a big diesel generator so I just have a wall of outlets everything’s plugged into 😂

The builds kind of snowballed. Original plan was to rob the axles, trans, tcase, shocks etc off my white truck to save money but I still wanted to be able to wheel so I just started ordering stuff as sales and things came for sale on marketplace. I also planned to use the stock frame atleast from the firewall to back wall but by the time I cleaned it, filled holes and boxed it, it just made sense to start fresh. The front frame section is .188 wall and since there’s a subframe under the cab frame, I used .120 wall there. The rear frame will either be .120 wall 2x3 or I’ll use 2 in round. Haven’t decided
 
Went out yesterday to mess with the ram mount more and decided it was a good idea to drop the ram on my foot. Not on purpose but my toes broke the fall and protected the ram clevis’ lol and in the process probably broke a toe. So my week off from work to do stuff around the house and work on this thing has turned into sitting on the couch as my foot barely fits in a shoe or boot. I’ll spare the pictures of my nasty foot and here’s a picture from trail hero of my other crawler hopefully tomorrow or Friday I can walk better and go back out in the garage

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Malburg114 said:
Mine said the same thing and i wasn’t allowed to buy anything else until we got married in June and I did something with this thing lol. Moving kind of helped lol. More of I got tired of it sitting in front of the house and there’s certain things I want to do to my other truck and rather than redoing a ton of things, I finally decided to start over lol

My hole house is offgrid and all my 220 stuff runs off a big diesel generator so I just have a wall of outlets everything’s plugged into 😂

The builds kind of snowballed. Original plan was to rob the axles, trans, tcase, shocks etc off my white truck to save money but I still wanted to be able to wheel so I just started ordering stuff as sales and things came for sale on marketplace. I also planned to use the stock frame atleast from the firewall to back wall but by the time I cleaned it, filled holes and boxed it, it just made sense to start fresh. The front frame section is .188 wall and since there’s a subframe under the cab frame, I used .120 wall there. The rear frame will either be .120 wall 2x3 or I’ll use 2 in round. Haven’t decided
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Mine started with the white lie of "I'll just do a quick leaf sprung yota SAS" and then I found a 4L80 for $20 on FBMP and temptation got the best of me. If I'm gonna SAS, I wanna run 40's, which would be mean to the yota axles so I should just go to tons, and the 4 squirrels in the 2RZ aren't gonna be happy, so if I'm gonna run tons and fodeez might as well drop an LS in, and I've always wanted to run a turboed LS, and we're already doing it, so oh well, here we are... I'm down to the final parts collection, for the price of DOM up here in Montana, it's probably cheaper to order a cage from TE Designs.
 
DocRamsay said:
Mine started with the white lie of "I'll just do a quick leaf sprung yota SAS" and then I found a 4L80 for $20 on FBMP and temptation got the best of me. If I'm gonna SAS, I wanna run 40's, which would be mean to the yota axles so I should just go to tons, and the 4 squirrels in the 2RZ aren't gonna be happy, so if I'm gonna run tons and fodeez might as well drop an LS in, and I've always wanted to run a turboed LS, and we're already doing it, so oh well, here we are... I'm down to the final parts collection, for the price of DOM up here in Montana, it's probably cheaper to order a cage from TE Designs.
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I saw the te designs cage and it’s nice. I can get a 20-24 ft stick of 2 in dom for about 200 dollars so I’m sure I should have just bought the te designs but I’m to cheap and would still need to add tubes and modify to work with my frame. I also really liked the jhf subframe and kind of wish I started with that but for the most part all the steel has been left over things from other projects.
 
In regards to the clamps, my ram came with the two piece clamps that are supposed to bolt into something. I'm not a fan of that, so I welded the bottom part of the clamp and then tapped that part (I think for a 1/2" bolt?). I tacked it while bolted to the ram, and have to use a mallet to install the ram and a pry bar to remove it, she is an extremely tight fit. Now the bolts don't get loaded in shear so even if the bolts came loose it's not going to move or fall out. It's wickedly strong and stiff while using the hardware the ram came with. Food for thought.

EDIT: should mention these clamps index into grooves on the ram, the other options people mentioned might be for something else like if you're relying on friction to clamp a smooth ram which is not how these work.

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snivilous said:
In regards to the clamps, my ram came with the two piece clamps that are supposed to bolt into something. I'm not a fan of that, so I welded the bottom part of the clamp and then tapped that part (I think for a 1/2" bolt?). I tacked it while bolted to the ram, and have to use a mallet to install the ram and a pry bar to remove it, she is an extremely tight fit. Now the bolts don't get loaded in shear so even if the bolts came loose it's not going to move or fall out. It's wickedly strong and stiff while using the hardware the ram came with. Food for thought.

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2.5 ram?
 
pennsylvaniaboy said:
2.5 ram?
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2.25, though I would apply the same logic to any mounting setup that uses the clamps that index into the ram.

On the topic of ram size, I know nothing, but I would probably try to run the largest diameter ram possible and the fastest orbital and whatever pump works for that. In the rocks I think the 2.25 ram can be hard to turn sometimes and I assume a larger ram is more force to fix that. And for going fast I started with a 3 turn orbital and realized a 2 turn (at a minimum, maybe even less than that would be nice) is a lot better to get that twitchy control so you can correct fast enough at speed. All things I've learned from my first hydro setup, but the welded/tapped clamps are one of the few things on my setup that has been perfect and I stand by :grinpimp:
 
snivilous said:
2.25, though I would apply the same logic to any mounting setup that uses the clamps that index into the ram.

On the topic of ram size, I know nothing, but I would probably try to run the largest diameter ram possible and the fastest orbital and whatever pump works for that. In the rocks I think the 2.25 ram can be hard to turn sometimes and I assume a larger ram is more force to fix that. And for going fast I started with a 3 turn orbital and realized a 2 turn (at a minimum, maybe even less than that would be nice) is a lot better to get that twitchy control so you can correct fast enough at speed. All things I've learned from my first hydro setup, but the welded/tapped clamps are one of the few things on my setup that has been perfect and I stand by :grinpimp:
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i was looking at them clamps and where did you get them at?
 
chaplinfj60 said:
i was looking at them clamps and where did you get them at?
Click to expand...
I bought the full hydro kit from Howe and they were included. I don't see anything specific on the invoice, and their website shows rams with the clamps so I think it's just standard hardware with the ram, I don't know specifics.

EDIT: I put this edit in a previous post but will put it here too--- Should mention these clamps index into grooves on the ram, the other options people mentioned appear to be for smooth rams where you're relying on clamping friction to hold the ram.
 
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snivilous said:
I bought the full hydro kit from Howe and they were included. I don't see anything specific on the invoice, and their website shows rams with the clamps so I think it's just standard hardware with the ram, I don't know specifics.

EDIT: I put this edit in a previous post but will put it here too--- Should mention these clamps index into grooves on the ram, the other options people mentioned appear to be for smooth rams where you're relying on clamping friction to hold the ram.
Click to expand...
When I bought my ram from Howe, it also came with the clamps. I also did the same as you and welded the lower clamp halves to the plate they sit on.
 
snivilous said:
In regards to the clamps, my ram came with the two piece clamps that are supposed to bolt into something. I'm not a fan of that, so I welded the bottom part of the clamp and then tapped that part (I think for a 1/2" bolt?). I tacked it while bolted to the ram, and have to use a mallet to install the ram and a pry bar to remove it, she is an extremely tight fit. Now the bolts don't get loaded in shear so even if the bolts came loose it's not going to move or fall out. It's wickedly strong and stiff while using the hardware the ram came with. Food for thought.

EDIT: should mention these clamps index into grooves on the ram, the other options people mentioned might be for something else like if you're relying on friction to clamp a smooth ram which is not how these work.

1731610368443.png


1731610357146.png
Click to expand...
The psc clamps are similar in there are in groves on the ram but it has a block that’s steel that’s tapped and you weld on while the actual clamp part is aluminum. Essentially 3 pieces. The block is about an inch tall and after staring at it all some, I can’t get it much lower without cutting into the actual housing which I have no intentions and I don’t want it to stick much farther forward as I feel I’ll catch it a lot like I do on my current truck. Psc gives the spacing for the holes so maybe I’ll trim the weld blocks some and on the plate I weld them to, I’ll drill a hole and tap it to match if I want it any closer.
What thickness is the plate under the weld blocks that you tapped?

Im hoping to make this steering box a 2 maybe 2.5 turn box vs the 3.25 or whatever it is now. I remember reading what all is needed to make a Saginaw box less turns but will have to go back and find the info.
 
Malburg114 said:
The psc clamps are similar in there are in groves on the ram but it has a block that’s steel that’s tapped and you weld on while the actual clamp part is aluminum. Essentially 3 pieces. The block is about an inch tall and after staring at it all some, I can’t get it much lower without cutting into the actual housing which I have no intentions and I don’t want it to stick much farther forward as I feel I’ll catch it a lot like I do on my current truck. Psc gives the spacing for the holes so maybe I’ll trim the weld blocks some and on the plate I weld them to, I’ll drill a hole and tap it to match if I want it any closer.
What thickness is the plate under the weld blocks that you tapped?

Im hoping to make this steering box a 2 maybe 2.5 turn box vs the 3.25 or whatever it is now. I remember reading what all is needed to make a Saginaw box less turns but will have to go back and find the info.
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Okay similar but different. The Howe clamps only come with the top and bottom part of the clamp and both are steel and that's it. The bottom half of the clamp ships as a through hole but I tapped it and then welded it, so the clamp bolts thread directly into the bottom half of the clamp.
 
Malburg114 said:
Mine said the same thing and i wasn’t allowed to buy anything else until we got married in June and I did something with this thing lol. Moving kind of helped lol. More of I got tired of it sitting in front of the house and there’s certain things I want to do to my other truck and rather than redoing a ton of things, I finally decided to start over lol

My hole house is offgrid
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1. Question I got is are you gonna sell the crawler to recoup costs or keep everything? No I dont want to buy it, asking for the group.

2. Interesting. Care to share details?
 
Penetrode Offroad said:
1. Question I got is are you gonna sell the crawler to recoup costs or keep everything? No I dont want to buy it, asking for the group.

2. Interesting. Care to share details?
Click to expand...
Not really sure what I’m going to do with the crawler. I’ll probably keep it and see how much I use. Not really sure how much I’ll actually race the new build. If it’s a lot I’ll keep the crawler as a dedicated trail car. If not maybe it’ll go to 35s or 37s and drive it to town and back and easy trails. But I also have a stock 89 pickup I daily to keep the miles off the ram and an 83 pickup on 35s that acts as a daily/dirt road pounder so not sure how many cars I actually need. I’m just kind of attached to it as it was my first car and my dad and I have built it from stock up.

I live in a small community in the mountains (about 100 homes, 50-75 residents depending on season) No power was ever ran to the community so we are all off grid. Have an hoa with a community well. They take care of the roads and trash and other things. My house is all on batteries and solar and generator for a backup. 110 stuff runs off the batteries. 220 is a pretty big draw and to keep from damaging the batteries, I run all my 220 stuff off a kubota lowboy 11k diesel generator. I have two. Both are auto start so I flip a switch for the one connected to the garage for 220 stuff and the other is on a controller that automatically kicks on if the house gets low. Pretty much like living in a regular house except for having to fill the diesel tank.

I have a bunch of machines and run them with no issues. Bridgeport, lathe, plasma table, welder etc. I’d love to have real power again but you get used to it. Eventually I’ll make the garage power system separate with its own batteries, inverter and solar or ideally buy another lot and build a real shop.
 
Malburg114 said:
Not really sure what I’m going to do with the crawler. I’ll probably keep it and see how much I use. Not really sure how much I’ll actually race the new build. If it’s a lot I’ll keep the crawler as a dedicated trail car. If not maybe it’ll go to 35s or 37s and drive it to town and back and easy trails. But I also have a stock 89 pickup I daily to keep the miles off the ram and an 83 pickup on 35s that acts as a daily/dirt road pounder so not sure how many cars I actually need. I’m just kind of attached to it as it was my first car and my dad and I have built it from stock up.

I live in a small community in the mountains (about 100 homes, 50-75 residents depending on season) No power was ever ran to the community so we are all off grid. Have an hoa with a community well. They take care of the roads and trash and other things. My house is all on batteries and solar and generator for a backup. 110 stuff runs off the batteries. 220 is a pretty big draw and to keep from damaging the batteries, I run all my 220 stuff off a kubota lowboy 11k diesel generator. I have two. Both are auto start so I flip a switch for the one connected to the garage for 220 stuff and the other is on a controller that automatically kicks on if the house gets low. Pretty much like living in a regular house except for having to fill the diesel tank.

I have a bunch of machines and run them with no issues. Bridgeport, lathe, plasma table, welder etc. I’d love to have real power again but you get used to it. Eventually I’ll make the garage power system separate with its own batteries, inverter and solar or ideally buy another lot and build a real shop.
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Sounds like heaven other than the HOA. 😉
 
No real updates. Dropped the Ram on my foot last week and broke a toe and it wouldn’t fit in a shoe.

I sold my truck camper a month or so ago and been looking for an enclosed to add a bathroom and kitchen and beds and finally found one so bombed up to Reno/Sacramento area on Thursday right in a break between snow and grabbed this 32ft haul mark edge gooseneck. It has so rust I didn’t find till I got home but should work good for my needs
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Finally some more progress on the Ram. Rebent the tube on the front for more protection and extends a little farther out. Drew and cut a plate to mount the weld blocks and will probably weld a nut incase the blocks ever strip out. Needs a few more gussets on the back and a cap plate and some more plating and it’ll be done. Kind of wish I put more a bend in the tube to cut the back side and have it flow into the housing vs how I did but with a plate to cap it, it’ll be good.
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Ended up welding the truss on and tacing all the steering brackets back on so I could get the axle under the truck. I’ll wait to fully weld the steering till I make the tie rods and figure out the drag link. I also took the time between welding the truss to fix the passenger motor mount to clear the upper link and ended up fully welding the upper link mount. Still only tacd to the housing though.

I also cut a bunch of triangle supports for the back of the plate the ram clamps bolt to along with a cap. Should look pretty good all done.

Not a huge fan of how I terminated the tube in the passenger side. It wasn’t till after I made all the braces and support that I realized I should have bent that side more and notch the back side for a cleaner look. With another plate or two and some paint I don’t think it’ll be noticeable though.
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The way I made the frame left a decent hole where the a pillar needed to land. I took the time today and boxed that in and super happy with how it came out. Clean and simple. I added a center brace incase of a rollover so the tube isn’t landing on an empty box. Should be plenty strong and think it cleans up the corners super well.

Thinking I’ll finish the steering next to get a panhard mounted to find full bump while I wait to order shocks and hubs.
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Hoping to drill the steering arms tomorrow. If my math and research is right, should be roughly 8 in from the center of the kingpin for the tie rod to mount to. The drsglink I’ll wait till I figure out pitman arm length and as that should determine the hole in the arm location.

Plan is 1 in back and centered side to side. Should leave plenty of meat and I’ll dual shear the arm similar to the pictures below
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Going the steering arms drilled and mounted back up. Threw them in the mill and angled the head 10 degrees forward to match the angle built into the arms and get the bolt to lay flat.

Made some tie rods and got a drsglink mocked up. Pretty happy to see at full lock the tie rods are straight with the ram shaft which means I somewhat know how to read a tape measure. I’ll need to space the tie rods down but I can make spacers later. I need to get a mockup panhard in to make sure the steering box location will work. I started with the drsglink the same length as the pitman arm from the kingpin but ran into clearance issues. I’ll have to do some more checking but it should work on the same hole as the tie rod.

I’m guessing the final pictures are close to full bump but I won’t really know till I get the hubs ordered and a tire on. I have the truck sitting a little higher than ride height so maybe I’ll adjust it down and do some measuring to see if I need to get it higher.
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You’re going to land the drag link to the tierod location, correct? I’m guessing you didn’t have a sufficient bolt on hand?
 
WiscoF100 said:
You’re going to land the drag link to the tierod location, correct? I’m guessing you didn’t have a sufficient bolt on hand?
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Yeah I originally tacd the one bolt the same distance from the kingpin as the pitman arm is but there was still throw left in the steering box so I moved it out to the same hole as the tie rod which seems it’ll work but needs to cycle it a little more. I had clearance issues with it on the back bolt.


All the bolts are temporary and just what I have laying around. I got this question so many times on some pictures I posted on Instagram lol I don’t have enough misalignments, missing a few heims etc. once I get everything close to its final location, I’ll order the rest of the heims, correct misalignments and the steering will probably get some crazy strong bolt like an f9 or something. This is all just mockup considering I don’t even have the back of the car made yet lol
 
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