Alignment Cam Eliminator Kit

theesotericone

theesotericone

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Fredo Baggins
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Rapier46 said:
And have a permanently fucked up alignment?
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How would it be fucked? I'll be there when it gets done. I'll test drive it. I'll weld it. That fixes it as a permanently good alignment. The only things that would be able to change it are bent LCA's, UCA's, bent tie rods, or bent spindles. So when it gets fucked I'll know it something bent in the front end. Maybe I didn't explain this that well because it's really simple to understand. lol
 
4runner DOA

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theesotericone said:
How would it be fucked? I'll be there when it gets done. I'll test drive it. I'll weld it. That fixes it as a permanently good alignment. The only things that would be able to change it are bent LCA's, UCA's, bent tie rods, or bent spindles. So when it gets fucked I'll know it something bent in the front end. Maybe I didn't explain this that well because it's really simple to understand. lol
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I get it, but I don't think it's as simple as set it and forget it. Tie rods, ball joints, uniballs can all wear out and mess with your alignment too. Higher risk of doing damage at the LCA mounts, so you'll need to reinforce those too. The cams being able to move prevent damage to other components. You'll be more likely to bend a tie rod or blow your steering rack instead of the cams simply shifting.
 
theesotericone

theesotericone

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4runner DOA said:
The cams being able to move prevent damage to other components. You'll be more likely to bend a tie rod or blow your steering rack instead of the cams simply shifting.
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The cams moving when stressed hard is not a fuse that Toyota intended. I'll gladly take my chances with breaking other components to fix this issue. As far as other components wearing and altering your alignment goes that means it's time to replace those components. As long as you don't change tire size or ride height your alignment should stay the same.
 
theesotericone

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4runner DOA said:
He's gonna need a bigger box for all the spare parts he should be hauling around after this.
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Itaro said:
Big distance between should and will
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You guys crack me up. Please, in your vast knowledge, explain how what I'm planning on doing is any different then putting TC cam tab gussets on a rig? That also prevents the eccentric bolt from moving. So all those guys should also be reporting massive failures of front end components. Except they are not. Again, this is not a design feature Toyota made to save anything from damage. It's just a weak point if you wheel hard that is annoying as hell.
 
4runner DOA

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theesotericone said:
You guys crack me up. Please, in your vast knowledge, explain how what I'm planning on doing is any different then putting TC cam tab gussets on a rig? That also prevents the eccentric bolt from moving. So all those guys should also be reporting massive failures of front end components. Except they are not. Again, this is not a design feature Toyota made to save anything from damage. It's just a weak point if you wheel hard that is annoying as hell.
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TC gussets don't prevent it from moving. It just prevents the tabs from folding. I've still knocked my alignment out, even with them.
 
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Rapier46

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theesotericone said:
How would it be fucked? I'll be there when it gets done. I'll test drive it. I'll weld it. That fixes it as a permanently good alignment. The only things that would be able to change it are bent LCA's, UCA's, bent tie rods, or bent spindles. So when it gets fucked I'll know it something bent in the front end. Maybe I didn't explain this that well because it's really simple to understand. lol
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I haven’t looked closely, but doesn’t it lock the alignment cams centered
 
AssBurns

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theesotericone said:
I guess I didn't make the question clear. I will be using new 3/4 bolts not the cam bolts. So my idea is to cut out the old alignment cams and plate they attach to. Put 5/16th square plates in there place. Get it aligned buy moving the inner and outer LCA by hand. Tighten the bolts. Tack weld the plates to the crossmember. Take it for a quick test drive and if it's good fully weld those plates to the crossmember. That way there is no way of pushing an alignment tab over. It's all fully welded and non-adjustable.
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I get what you are saying. Not a terrible idea like the numb-nuts are saying above. What I would do is weld the back edge of the alignment tabs to keep them from folding over (or do the TC kit). Then just do the eliminator plates. Welding the plates isn’t terrible but seems like more work than it’s worth. A weld on the back edge of the tabs will gusset them enough to keep from folding over and the eliminator plates will keep things from shifting.
This won’t make everything else fail first. It’ll just keep your shit from moving. The LCA bushings is what takes the force now, which is how it’s supposed to be in the first place instead of the cam tabs folding or cams shifting.
 
theesotericone

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AssBurns said:
I get what you are saying. Not a terrible idea like the numb-nuts are saying above. What I would do is weld the back edge of the alignment tabs to keep them from folding over (or do the TC kit). Then just do the eliminator plates. Welding the plates isn’t terrible but seems like more work than it’s worth. A weld on the back edge of the tabs will gusset them enough to keep from folding over and the eliminator plates will keep things from shifting.
This won’t make everything else fail first. It’ll just keep your shit from moving. The LCA bushings is what takes the force now, which is how it’s supposed to be in the first place instead of the cam tabs folding or cams shifting.
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Don't worry man I'm not listening at all to what the overlanders are saying. That's why I quoted you. I should also get @eimkeith in on this convo.

I get that just bending back the factory tabs and welding them would work. The whole idea of grinding off the factory cam plate will also allow me to get a look at the slot in the mount. Once it's open I could also possibly enlarge it. If I go 1/4" further outboard on the rear cam slot and 1/4" further inboard on the front cam slot I should be able to get a bit more castor. I don't know how bad that will affect camber but I think with the SPC's I should be able to still get camber dialed.

This is why I need to be there when it's aligned. Once I'm happy with it I'll weld it up and not have to worry about it again. So, thoughts on enlarging that factory slot to allow for more castor?
 
4runner DOA

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I was only an alignment tech for 2 years and saw plenty of damage from people hittimg curbs as hard as we hit rocks. At a real shop before all this laser shit started. I'm not stopping you or trying to talk anyone out of it, I'm just giving logical advice as to what's gonna happen next.:noidea:
 
Itaro

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4runner DOA said:
I was only an alignment tech for 2 years and saw plenty of damage from people hittimg curbs as hard as we hit rocks. At a real shop before all this laser shit started. I'm not stopping you or trying to talk anyone out of it, I'm just giving logical advice as to what's gonna happen next.:noidea:
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Like I said :popcorn3:
 
theesotericone

theesotericone

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4runner DOA said:
I was only an alignment tech for 2 years and saw plenty of damage from people hittimg curbs as hard as we hit rocks. At a real shop before all this laser shit started. I'm not stopping you or trying to talk anyone out of it, I'm just giving logical advice as to what's gonna happen next.:noidea:
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I don't hit rocks hard. Example, I've never blown out a side wall on Coyote Flat. lol
 
theesotericone

theesotericone

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4runner DOA said:
Naw you just break spindle bolts.
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I break shit all the time. It's part of playing the game I choose to play. If you mean LBJ bolts then yep I've broken more then a few. Not a single one from hitting a rock hard though. It's a known weak point in the 3rd gen 4runner front end. Hitting a rock on a forest road hard enough to blow out a sidewall not so much. lol
 
4runner DOA

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theesotericone said:
I break shit all the time. It's part of playing the game I choose to play. If you mean LBJ bolts then yep I've broken more then a few. Not a single one from hitting a rock hard though. It's a known weak point in the 3rd gen 4runner front end. Hitting a rock on a forest road hard enough to blow out a sidewall not so much. lol
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I've blown out tires doing less than slamming it into a boulder sticking out of a ledge. Just happens to be my luck. You be you Matt.
 
AssBurns

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theesotericone said:
Don't worry man I'm not listening at all to what the overlanders are saying. That's why I quoted you. I should also get @eimkeith in on this convo.

I get that just bending back the factory tabs and welding them would work. The whole idea of grinding off the factory cam plate will also allow me to get a look at the slot in the mount. Once it's open I could also possibly enlarge it. If I go 1/4" further outboard on the rear cam slot and 1/4" further inboard on the front cam slot I should be able to get a bit more castor. I don't know how bad that will affect camber but I think with the SPC's I should be able to still get camber dialed.

This is why I need to be there when it's aligned. Once I'm happy with it I'll weld it up and not have to worry about it again. So, thoughts on enlarging that factory slot to allow for more castor?
Click to expand...
If you have poly bushings, you will probably have a hard time getting more caster. I tried and i couldn’t flex the bushings enough to push everything max forward. if you have rubber bushings still, they will probably just wear out fast. There is plenty of room to work with on the stock slots.
4runner DOA said:
I was only an alignment tech for 2 years and saw plenty of damage from people hittimg curbs as hard as we hit rocks. At a real shop before all this laser shit started. I'm not stopping you or trying to talk anyone out of it, I'm just giving logical advice as to what's gonna happen next.:noidea:
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Why beef anything up then if the manufacturer designed things to move or break in series. I don’t see how welding the alignment cams will cause anything else to break. Your cams shouldn’t be moving in the first place.
 
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