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Donu —uh— DeWaaalt Plaaaaneerrr
The Garage (What did you work on today?)
- Thread starter Chavannigans
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Welp.
I done it again.
Went off-roading a few weekends ago and blew one of my long travel bags. I didnt think I needed limit straps and extended bump stops because the extended travel airbag manufacturer in Australia called the shock manufacturer (Dobsinsons) to confirm they can play nice together and I took them at their word.
I had the rear axle completely articulated on a steep downhill washed out section and when it articulated the other way one of the bags came unseated from its top mount. So all the air went bye bye and we rode home on bump stops again.
Once I got it home I was able to pop the air bag back into its "top hat" but I dont want to f--k with this anymore.
Unfortunately I am way off into the weeds with this setup and there is limited information on how I need to make it all work together.
A manufacturer like Lexus and Scout will design their air ride systems for the factory suspension geometry and I was running about 2.5" of rear lift on the extended bags, which is beyond what the OEM design is and it all got pretty weird.
We had a Boy Scout campout this past weekend so I decided to abandon the air system for the time being and went full long travel with a coil conversion.
I reached out to my Toyota/Lexus homies, and my buddy that recently did the Dana 60 swap on his Lexus GX470 sold me his long travel Dobinsons MRR shocks and heavy progressive coils rated for 400lb static load for $200. I jumped on it because that setups is around $1,600 retail and I wouldn't have been able to snag it on such short notice otherwise.
Long story short, we made the trip.
The hitch carrier and rear cargo area were stuffed with totes, coolers, and camping accoutrement. (unloaded in this photo)
Didnt squat much at all, if any, with the full load of kiddos and gear.
Though I didnt install his heavy coils, and instead opted for Icon "Overland" progressive coils good for 3" of lift at 200lbs of load or 2" of lift with 400lbs of load.
The shocks were pretty dirty so I cleaned them up in the kitchen sink with some elbow grease and magic erasers. Probably spent more time cleaning the bellows than anything else, but I was happy with how they cleaned up.
The Prison Crocs gave me +5 Stamina -12 Charisma for the cleanup.
The bag on the left that is fully extended is the one that came unseated from its top hat.
You can also see the difference in shock lengths.
The shocks on the left are Dobinsons Extended travel Comfort shocks, which are longer than my factory shocks that they replaced, and the ones on the right are the real deal Dobinsons MRR long travel shocks. 16" collapsed length and a lot more droop!
I used a Metal Tech Stage II Airbag conversion that included the Key Cone dual-stage bump stops, also ordered some extended rear brake lines, Icon 52800 "Overland" progressive coil springs (so they dont fall out when the new shocks are fully extended, Apache Offroad remote reservoir brackets, and I also contacted Perry Parts to make some of their 3D printed bump stops for long travel setups.
Also had to remove the rear sway bar because the links are way too short now for that amount of lift so I ordered a few different sets of Toyota sway bar links of varying lengths and I think I landed on 3rd gen 4Runner rear links, so I will be reinstalling that soon as well.
The Perry Parts bump stops should arrive today so I will be installing those with the reservoir brackets tonight.
Did a ditch test to see how far I can go without the extended Perry Parts bump stops and it still had several inches of travel left in the shock.
The new setup isn't as cushy as my air springs, but it's definitely livable.
I done it again.
Went off-roading a few weekends ago and blew one of my long travel bags. I didnt think I needed limit straps and extended bump stops because the extended travel airbag manufacturer in Australia called the shock manufacturer (Dobsinsons) to confirm they can play nice together and I took them at their word.
I had the rear axle completely articulated on a steep downhill washed out section and when it articulated the other way one of the bags came unseated from its top mount. So all the air went bye bye and we rode home on bump stops again.
Once I got it home I was able to pop the air bag back into its "top hat" but I dont want to f--k with this anymore.
Unfortunately I am way off into the weeds with this setup and there is limited information on how I need to make it all work together.
A manufacturer like Lexus and Scout will design their air ride systems for the factory suspension geometry and I was running about 2.5" of rear lift on the extended bags, which is beyond what the OEM design is and it all got pretty weird.
We had a Boy Scout campout this past weekend so I decided to abandon the air system for the time being and went full long travel with a coil conversion.
I reached out to my Toyota/Lexus homies, and my buddy that recently did the Dana 60 swap on his Lexus GX470 sold me his long travel Dobinsons MRR shocks and heavy progressive coils rated for 400lb static load for $200. I jumped on it because that setups is around $1,600 retail and I wouldn't have been able to snag it on such short notice otherwise.
Long story short, we made the trip.
The hitch carrier and rear cargo area were stuffed with totes, coolers, and camping accoutrement. (unloaded in this photo)
Didnt squat much at all, if any, with the full load of kiddos and gear.
Though I didnt install his heavy coils, and instead opted for Icon "Overland" progressive coils good for 3" of lift at 200lbs of load or 2" of lift with 400lbs of load.
The shocks were pretty dirty so I cleaned them up in the kitchen sink with some elbow grease and magic erasers. Probably spent more time cleaning the bellows than anything else, but I was happy with how they cleaned up.
The Prison Crocs gave me +5 Stamina -12 Charisma for the cleanup.
The bag on the left that is fully extended is the one that came unseated from its top hat.
You can also see the difference in shock lengths.
The shocks on the left are Dobinsons Extended travel Comfort shocks, which are longer than my factory shocks that they replaced, and the ones on the right are the real deal Dobinsons MRR long travel shocks. 16" collapsed length and a lot more droop!
I used a Metal Tech Stage II Airbag conversion that included the Key Cone dual-stage bump stops, also ordered some extended rear brake lines, Icon 52800 "Overland" progressive coil springs (so they dont fall out when the new shocks are fully extended, Apache Offroad remote reservoir brackets, and I also contacted Perry Parts to make some of their 3D printed bump stops for long travel setups.
Also had to remove the rear sway bar because the links are way too short now for that amount of lift so I ordered a few different sets of Toyota sway bar links of varying lengths and I think I landed on 3rd gen 4Runner rear links, so I will be reinstalling that soon as well.
The Perry Parts bump stops should arrive today so I will be installing those with the reservoir brackets tonight.
Did a ditch test to see how far I can go without the extended Perry Parts bump stops and it still had several inches of travel left in the shock.
The new setup isn't as cushy as my air springs, but it's definitely livable.
My factory radiator sprung a leak on this trip, since its the original 22 year old radiator with plastic tanks.
I ordered a new CSF radiator from Summit Racing and it should be delivered tomorrow. It's over 50% thicker than the factory one and used B style cooling tubes that give even more surface area and strength than straight tubes.
All aluminum and TIG welded so it should outlive me.
its supposed to be a direct drop in. Also has a larger internal transmission cooler than the factory one too.
Should handle Texas summer without a sweat.
Part of why I wanted to upgrade it is I am strongly considering getting portals since I will be waiting a while for the BEV Terra to hit the road. I can still wheel it and drive home unlike my buddy that has to trailer his GX470 on Dana 60s with 40" tires.
It will retain stock steering geometry and reduces drivetrains stress by 22% since the applied gear reduction happens at the hub instead of my diffs now. So my weak 8" rear should churn 37"+ tires without exploding.
I reached out to 74 Weld to see if they have military discounts, and and also considering a new player in the portal world, Portal Pros.
They are still new and unproven, but I appreciate their beefier design philosophy and ease of repairs.
If a gearbox fails theirs are designed to freewheel if you remove the internal gears. So you aren't stuck if the gears start eating themselves.
They also use a pretty cool universal design that can be used at all 4 corners.
portalprosoffroad.com
motorsports.74weld.com
Either kit paired with 37" tires will give me more ground clearance than my buddy on 40" tires with the huge one ton diffs that hang down so low.
I ordered a new CSF radiator from Summit Racing and it should be delivered tomorrow. It's over 50% thicker than the factory one and used B style cooling tubes that give even more surface area and strength than straight tubes.
All aluminum and TIG welded so it should outlive me.
its supposed to be a direct drop in. Also has a larger internal transmission cooler than the factory one too.
Should handle Texas summer without a sweat.
Part of why I wanted to upgrade it is I am strongly considering getting portals since I will be waiting a while for the BEV Terra to hit the road. I can still wheel it and drive home unlike my buddy that has to trailer his GX470 on Dana 60s with 40" tires.
It will retain stock steering geometry and reduces drivetrains stress by 22% since the applied gear reduction happens at the hub instead of my diffs now. So my weak 8" rear should churn 37"+ tires without exploding.
I reached out to 74 Weld to see if they have military discounts, and and also considering a new player in the portal world, Portal Pros.
They are still new and unproven, but I appreciate their beefier design philosophy and ease of repairs.
If a gearbox fails theirs are designed to freewheel if you remove the internal gears. So you aren't stuck if the gears start eating themselves.
They also use a pretty cool universal design that can be used at all 4 corners.
GX470/GX460 Portal Axles
Deliveries Expected to Begin Early Summer 2026 Limited Quantities Available Our Portal Axles are designed to simplify the upgrade process while delivering the performance needed for serious off-road use. The bolt-on design eliminates the need for welding or fabrication, making installation...
portalprosoffroad.com
Legacy Toyota Portal Axle | 74Weld Motorsports
motorsports.74weld.com
Either kit paired with 37" tires will give me more ground clearance than my buddy on 40" tires with the huge one ton diffs that hang down so low.
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I'm always worried I'm gonna drop one of my rear coils at full droop on my Toyota. During static droop testing, I can easily pop them out by hand. I hadn't really considered progressive-rate springs until reading your post. They're usually a little longer for the same amount of lift in my experience.
Yep. Usually Eibach makes all of the coils for all of these companies.
Sometimes if you read the spring rates and lengths, they are identical between companies and just have different colors and prices.
I think Toytec has some Superflex progressive coils that are light but also droop like crazy. Icon has some. Dobinsons and many others do too.
Just look at the specs for whatever you are wanting for as far as free standing height and rates.
My buddy was worried about my coils falling out if it didnt use the Dobinsons springs his kit came with, but my Icon springs were identical in height just with a lighter spring rate.
I also recommend Key Cone style internal bump stops that go inside the springs. When you flex out they can often keep a spring in place even if they are a little short.
The Key Cones in mine are too short for the amount of travel my new shocks have, but will keep my springs from falling out if I go nuts. The Perry Parts bump stops are outboard, mount to the frame, and contact the axle tube closer to the backing plate when they bottom out.
What kind of vehicle are you talking about specifically? I would be glad to help you find a few options for progressive/Slinky style coils.
Right up your alley with your past, an FJ. Still the stock rear housing, longer shocks, adjustable control arms, Superflex rear springs, longer sway bar links (gotta keep the sway bar for how I drive on the street). Overall, I've got my shock valving, spring rates and everything dialed in how I want it for a happy medium between lots of travel and still cornering hard(ish) on the street, it's just the loose springs that bother me. Even the bump stops are perfect, giving me about 1/4" between my tires and inner fenders when stuffed. Got a link to the bump stops you're talking about?
Edit: Just found the Key Cones. Any idea what the compressed length is?
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I can try to measure them tonight.
The Key Cones vary between 4.75" and 5.25" from what I have read.
The Perry Parts bump stops are pretty neat. They are 3D printed and have air channels to cushion hard impacts but also smooth gentle ones by letting air escape faster. Some people say they are almost as good as hydro bumps.
AB2R Rear Bump Stops
Sold as one pair, two bump stops Compatible Vehicles Toyota FJ Cruiser Gen 1 Toyota Sequoia Gen 1 Mitsubishi Montero Gen 2 Product Height Regular Length Shocks: 87 mm Extended Travel Shocks: 113 mm Hardware Included Four threaded sleeve inserts and four bolts are included as pictured
perryparts.com
If you have a long travel setup, message them with your collapsed shock length to make sure you get the right ones.
My set was not listed on their website and I had to pay a little extra for them.
Well, like many days, no physical work was really accomplished. Well not technically true - no physical work was accomplished in the garage, but time has been spent on a different "hobby" (I used to build a decent amount of hand made rosaries - now it is more of a lent thing). Work today that is kind of garage related was on my new EV. Picked up a beater golf cart yesterday, with plans on rebuilding it better, faster, stronger... So today was doing research on the first round of restoration/upgrades.
Stupid project, will end up putting in many times the cost of the donor cart into the final project. Beater needs new batteries - so first will be an lithium conversion coupled with converting it to an AC motor. Suspect the second round (ok, second round will probably be a sound system - but that is incidental) will include rebuild the suspension (it needs a major overhaul as well - so will probably go long travel, while replacing most of the components as well). Then will decide to either keep it looking like a beater, or do make it look good (paint job/wrap, custom seats and custom aluminum work). Sad, but I will have more into the project than a new cart if I go down the rabbit hole too far - but it will also be better in most measurable ways than new.
Anyway, if I can not get the Scout EV I want NOW, figure building a custom EV is the next best thing while I wait.
Stupid project, will end up putting in many times the cost of the donor cart into the final project. Beater needs new batteries - so first will be an lithium conversion coupled with converting it to an AC motor. Suspect the second round (ok, second round will probably be a sound system - but that is incidental) will include rebuild the suspension (it needs a major overhaul as well - so will probably go long travel, while replacing most of the components as well). Then will decide to either keep it looking like a beater, or do make it look good (paint job/wrap, custom seats and custom aluminum work). Sad, but I will have more into the project than a new cart if I go down the rabbit hole too far - but it will also be better in most measurable ways than new.
Anyway, if I can not get the Scout EV I want NOW, figure building a custom EV is the next best thing while I wait.
Installed the Perry Parts bump stops last night.
Here is the factory bump stop vs the PP BS (I didn’t use that acronym to save time, it just appealed to my inner child)
The factory rear and new PP BS
The rear PP BS are also in now….
But I was pretty miffed when I realized the remote reservoir brackets I was sent was a matching set of two drivers side brackets
Waiting to hear back from the vendor on getting the correct passenger side bracket.
Here is the factory bump stop vs the PP BS (I didn’t use that acronym to save time, it just appealed to my inner child)
The factory rear and new PP BS
The rear PP BS are also in now….
But I was pretty miffed when I realized the remote reservoir brackets I was sent was a matching set of two drivers side brackets
Waiting to hear back from the vendor on getting the correct passenger side bracket.
I did not realize that that you can buy crocs that give a status bump. Can to share the location of your mechant's shop?
"Khajiit has many wares." is all I remember. Ran into the dude on my way to the WalMart in Windhelm.I did not realize that that you can buy crocs that give a status bump. Can to share the location of your mechant's shop?
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I was too excited to get this installed after I got off work, and forgot to take more photos.
She’s in there now though!
My old one was leaking where the plastic tank meets the aluminum housing on the very bottom of the drivers side.
Looks like I caught it early.
She’s in there now though!
My old one was leaking where the plastic tank meets the aluminum housing on the very bottom of the drivers side.
Looks like I caught it early.
Installed Dirt King upper and lower control arms yesterday… in the rain. Set up a little party tent over the Lexus and got after it, so I don’t have many photos.
They are significantly beefier than stock with serviceable and greaseable Moog ball joints. The Dirt King lowers are especially robust with a full boxed design and integrated aluminum skid plates. Together they shift the lower arm forward and the upper towards the back. Much needed shift in geometry for what I have planned.
Used a paint marker on the lower control arms cam bolts before I got started and it seems to be pretty close now that it’s all buttoned up.
Also installed some OEM strut hardware was installed as well, because why not?
Was a little perplexed by the need to install the included bump stop extensions, but I guess the top of the lower arms sit lower than the factory ones.
I took a short test drive this morning. Tracks straight and feels tight, like a sports car now. Steering wheel is still perfectly centered. Definitely getting more feedback but doesn’t make any creaks or popping sounds when I turn over bumps.
Still dropping it off first thing Monday to get it aligned.
We are heading to Houston for a family road trip on Wednesday so I wanted to get a few things squared away before we leave town.
Also replacing my spark plugs with Bosch dual iridium 9603s and replacing all 8 ignition coils with OEM Denso units when those arrive on Monday.
Should be good for another 215k miles.
(Ta Da!)
When I was upgrading the radiator I noticed the serpentine belt is also looking tired, so a green Gates belt is coming as well.
Finally pulled the trigger on some Weather Tech floor mats too.
We leave Wednesday so it will be a bit of a scramble to get it all done before then since I am still working on some projects at the University Monday and Tuesday. But between the Denso 12 hole injectors I installed last year and the new plugs and coils it should pick up a few MPG and be much happier.
I am not sure if my body or wallet will recover first from all this boring stuff...
Trying to get a solid baseline before I go nuts and install portals and 37”s later this year.
The Dirt King uppers and lowers actually shift the front wheel forward about 1” and add about 4* of caster, so it should prevent the need for firewall tubbing. I will probably get away with trimming the bumper and a body mount relocation kit.
Still waiting for 74 Weld to release their billet steering rack, which will be the final piece of the puzzle to bomb proof the suspension and steering systems.
I am still debating on whether or not I want to blow the factory 8” rear differential or go ahead and swap in a East Coast Gear Supply bolt on Dana 60 rear with 4.10s and electronic lockers front and rear before putting the portals on.
Since portals push my wheels out 4” I’ll need to order some custom Braid wheels with around +55mm offset to pull the wheels back in a few inches and reduce my scrub radius
Billet cams, port smoothing, new valves and springs, tune, upgraded Nomad valve body and long tube headers will likely go on next year for Phase II. Along with some body work, McQueen wide body fenders, and some Toyota “Midnight” paint.
All of this got me thinking, that it would be so cool to have an EV that has less parts to maintain or upgrade to get a fraction of their performance….
They are significantly beefier than stock with serviceable and greaseable Moog ball joints. The Dirt King lowers are especially robust with a full boxed design and integrated aluminum skid plates. Together they shift the lower arm forward and the upper towards the back. Much needed shift in geometry for what I have planned.
Used a paint marker on the lower control arms cam bolts before I got started and it seems to be pretty close now that it’s all buttoned up.
Also installed some OEM strut hardware was installed as well, because why not?
Was a little perplexed by the need to install the included bump stop extensions, but I guess the top of the lower arms sit lower than the factory ones.
I took a short test drive this morning. Tracks straight and feels tight, like a sports car now. Steering wheel is still perfectly centered. Definitely getting more feedback but doesn’t make any creaks or popping sounds when I turn over bumps.
Still dropping it off first thing Monday to get it aligned.
We are heading to Houston for a family road trip on Wednesday so I wanted to get a few things squared away before we leave town.
Also replacing my spark plugs with Bosch dual iridium 9603s and replacing all 8 ignition coils with OEM Denso units when those arrive on Monday.
Should be good for another 215k miles.
(Ta Da!)
When I was upgrading the radiator I noticed the serpentine belt is also looking tired, so a green Gates belt is coming as well.
Finally pulled the trigger on some Weather Tech floor mats too.
We leave Wednesday so it will be a bit of a scramble to get it all done before then since I am still working on some projects at the University Monday and Tuesday. But between the Denso 12 hole injectors I installed last year and the new plugs and coils it should pick up a few MPG and be much happier.
I am not sure if my body or wallet will recover first from all this boring stuff...
Trying to get a solid baseline before I go nuts and install portals and 37”s later this year.
The Dirt King uppers and lowers actually shift the front wheel forward about 1” and add about 4* of caster, so it should prevent the need for firewall tubbing. I will probably get away with trimming the bumper and a body mount relocation kit.
Still waiting for 74 Weld to release their billet steering rack, which will be the final piece of the puzzle to bomb proof the suspension and steering systems.
I am still debating on whether or not I want to blow the factory 8” rear differential or go ahead and swap in a East Coast Gear Supply bolt on Dana 60 rear with 4.10s and electronic lockers front and rear before putting the portals on.
Since portals push my wheels out 4” I’ll need to order some custom Braid wheels with around +55mm offset to pull the wheels back in a few inches and reduce my scrub radius
Billet cams, port smoothing, new valves and springs, tune, upgraded Nomad valve body and long tube headers will likely go on next year for Phase II. Along with some body work, McQueen wide body fenders, and some Toyota “Midnight” paint.
All of this got me thinking, that it would be so cool to have an EV that has less parts to maintain or upgrade to get a fraction of their performance….
Finally got back on the fun car. Got a bug up my butt a while back that the audio wasn't good enough in my 2012 Mustang Convertible. Honestly, it's a convertible so it will probably never be that good but I decided to try and improve.
I've replaced the head unit, the factory speakers and added an amp. Still have some fitment work to do on the mids in the door. While I'm thinking that through I figured I would start on a custom sub box.
I have discovered that I absolutely hate woodworking. MDF is pure evil. To be fair I may have gotten a bit ambitious for my first foray. I should have built a simple box but I wanted to go hard mode and build something that fits more custom. I'll post some pics once I get somewhere and if anyone cares to witness my frustration.
Regardless, a frustrating day in the garage is better than a quiet day in the office.
I've replaced the head unit, the factory speakers and added an amp. Still have some fitment work to do on the mids in the door. While I'm thinking that through I figured I would start on a custom sub box.
I have discovered that I absolutely hate woodworking. MDF is pure evil. To be fair I may have gotten a bit ambitious for my first foray. I should have built a simple box but I wanted to go hard mode and build something that fits more custom. I'll post some pics once I get somewhere and if anyone cares to witness my frustration.
Regardless, a frustrating day in the garage is better than a quiet day in the office.
Hope these hold up better than your last round
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