Will These Helper Leaf Springs Fix This Toyota Tacoma's Problem?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.พ. 2025
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#fabrats #toyotatacoma #diy
Today we help another friend out who owns a Toyota Tacoma which he uses to track down cougars! He needs some new leaf spring installed and he knew just the guy to do it!
Make sure to follow along with us as we build and fabricate cool stuff!!
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The young'uns were watching Paul so intently that I thought they expected candy to come flying out of the 4 wheeler! And Paul's sage, loving, fatherly advice after the son gets hit by a piece of 4 wheeler schrapnel..."I'd move if I was you." How can your heart not be warmed by those words? Great video!
How about, "If you're going to be in the shop, you have to wear safety glasses?" It would probably work better if Paul wore them too, of course.
Measuring tapes are like reading glasses, it is easier to buy a few and leave them in strategic locations than look for them when needed.
lol , yeah i buy tapes in packs of 5 ( and always get bright colours )
Glad I'm not the only household with this problem
Nailed it
Couldn’t agree more Scott. In my shop, there are about five measuring tapes, and two places to “put them back” when not in use, but it’s good that I have five at times, because I can usually see one of them (Typically use the 26-ft Magnetic tip 1” wide tape from Milwaukie) as the size and shape make them stand out pretty well…
Yep I do that much easier then Chasing it
"Hit stuff enough with a hammer it will go in." My dad always said hand me the "persuader"!! I've persuaded a lot of stuff!!
my Journeyman called all hammers and sledges "Fine Adjustment Tools" :D
B.F.H adjustment tool
"And if that don't work? Get a bigger hammer!"
And if that don't work....GETTABIGGAHAMMA
We always called it Scientific Application of Applied Force, or S.A.A.F. for short.
Tip for Paul: Measuring tapes come with a belt clip. Hard to lose when it's attached to you. Plan B: buy LOTS of measuring tapes. Keep the videos coming, you guys are great!
7:57: 'You hit stuff enough with a hammer it will go in!' Paul my thoughts exactly, use it all the time!
Take care and be safe Fab Rats family!
I was told DONT FORCE IT-get a bigger hammer 😁
Bolts and Hammer, this a relationship which can lead to problems , often unable to screw the nut unto the bold.
For all those who may encounter this difficulty...
What I learned in cases a Bolt may give trouble, and it is long enough, screw a nut on it as far down as needed. Then *grind the top of the bolt and the thread* so it becomes smaller in diameter. When finished, drive the nut off the Bolt, and make sure you can twist it on easy with your fingers. One can use "a rasp" to clean the start of the tread. (rasp may be UK term for the tool I mean) LOL
Love seeing this channel grow.
And also that 'better not get your school pants dirty' was shades of my childhood once again. Y'all are doing things right!
1988 Chevy G20 van . Transmission, torque converter brake lines and leaf spring helpers ,made the 4300 mile trip down the Alaskan highway and the Yukon and British Columbia. And made the 4300 miles back with only a thermostat going.
Point being, leaf spring helpers do work, Alaskan highway had some bunny jumps for several miles ,my front end bottomed out many times.
OMG! So many memories flooded my brain when Mom started talking about the school pants!!! LOL. Not just from saying same thing to my kids but from my childhood as well.
U-bolts do stretch after the first tightening and won't re-stretch if reused . You will lose some holding capability when you reuse them although many people do ,usually without problems . You can check for proper torque by tapping each leg with a wrench . They should all ring to the same note . I always told customers to clamp the pack first and then tighten the centerbolt with an open end wrench . They are pretty soft .
It's fine to re use u bolts. Also check proper torque with a torque wrench.
Thanks for bringing us full circle with the ATV, I was wondering what happened with it. I know you got your hands (garage) full right now but I hope you revisit your tow truck project at some point.
This has quickly become one of my favorite channels. Great family dynamic. Keep it up Paul and fam!
I made a "mini pack" out of some old trail gear leaf springs to beef up the rear end of my Taco. Worked well and it rides better.
It’s so often stated by your groupies (like me) that your kids probably don’t know this but they are getting a better education than most all their peers. It’s great to see them just hanging out, being part of the scene. I can only imagine what their stories will be like when they are their parents age doing that stuff in 3D Virtual Reality for whatever TH-cam becomes. Thanks again,
You have an excellent point there. Their children are getting the most important & literally the best education. You don't need book learning for everything. Family time, working in the shop with their dad will teach them valuable lessons they would never get in school. That was a great point you had😊😊😊
I love you and Matt uploads videos same time. Double plessure for us!
My bolt-on spring helpers have made a big difference in carrying loads in my 04 Tacoma. I’m a weekend warrior who just makes runs to Home Depot and such.
Interesting
Which helpers? Roadmaster?
@@Gowaduv I put a set by Rough Country on mine. Never regretted it. Affordable, strong and easy enough to put on myself. Mine was a 2wd but I used the set made for the same year 4wd. Worked fine and gave me 2-1/2” of lift in the back when empty but settled down nicely when loaded. Never over loaded that truck again. Very happy with them!
Extremely envious of your shop Paul , ur a lucky man with a great family. Cheers Australia
Paul's training manual includes instructions like: "If you hit stuff enough with a hammer - it will go in."
And if it won't go, take a bigger hammer.
Paul is part mechanical muse and part suspension philosopher
"If you get hit by junk flying off the quad, don't sit there" 😆
A "Yorkshire screwdriver" as it's known in the UK.
'it it, son
Yes get a bigger hammet
When I do center bolts on semi truck leaf springs, or pickup springs for that matter, if there is room I use my balljoint press to hold the springs compressed against each other. That way I can get vice grips on the head of the center pin. Just an idea for you to keep the axle and ubolts out of your way. Keep up the good work!
Lunch and Fab Rats!! One of my favorite channels. Keep up the great work guys!!
Thank you for the content. Love watching the fab work and repair.
I miss those guest appearances by Michelle, and didn’t realize that all I have to do is tell her that I adore her laugh, enjoy when she smiles for the camera, and shows off her depth of knowledge on “Name that Part”…
I had flashbacks to 45 years ago when I heard the command from God above somewhere when she said “You better not get your school pants dirty”…. I used to hear that on a regular basis, and would normally go change, but there was a time or two when my “School Pants” would get dirty at School, and trying to convince my dear mother of that proved quite difficult. Doesn’t seem to have changed that much in 45 years and that’s good to know.
This is one of the best, if not the best shows on TH-cam, and having three updates per week is better, but I would watch daily shows if Michele could produce and publish them that quickly. Capturing the content in the Shop is pretty easy and straightforward for Paul (Sorry Paul, but I have to be honest)…. It’s cutting and splicing and adding the graphics, custom sounds, and packaging the videos to be published that takes a little more focused effort, and maybe a faster computer for the hardest working partner in this operation…. When you two have a half-million viewers for every video post that you make within a few days time, there is definitely a great demand for more of your content…. More Content = More Views, More Views = More Subscriber’s, More Subscriber’s is good for your channel and for TH-cam overall…
for add a leafs i've always used heavy C clamps on each side of the axle to clamp the spring pack together before torquing the center pin. works like a charm.
Great video keep them coming, love the real world builds and project’s. Knuckle busting is the best way to fab… Nailed it!
You know, instead of watching all that crazy s**t going on in TH-cam. I always come back to this channel. You live in reality and it's comforting to watch real people do real things. And I'm starting to say "let's get after it" with my kids lol. I'm also learning alot about the terminology and everything related to building a rig.
The trade was not worth while. What it was worth is a whole 4-wheeler or 2-dr XJ full of memories with your boy, and that's priceless. I'm really looking forward to starting my Trooper project with my son.
I love how you fit in some relevent clips from the Golden Nugget recovery, keep it up!
Hey land..if its any consolation mate, mothers have been telling their sons "you better not be getting those school pants dirty son!" ever since boys wore pants to school..50yrs ago my own mum told me that very same thing too. Love your work awesome family
Good old spring pack center bolts. Way back in 1979-80 I took a year and was traveling the length and breath of Mexico and Central America in a built up 1976 CJ-5. In Guatemala the front right center bolt sheered off and the front wheel jammed back against the back of the fender well. I was on a cart path in the mountains. I happened to have two extra center bolts, a high lift jack and the hand tools needed to install a new center bolt. It took a good part of a day before I got rolling again. I attracted a small crowd of curious locals. Good people.
I was on a rough mountain road in Guatemala when one of our Toyota Hilux pickups broke a rear leaf spring. It’s amazing what the locals did with some heavy rope and rocks as jack stands. We made it up that mountain and back down without any issues. Yota lived to fight another day.
Such a cool story, it sounds like you were very well prepared for that trip. Did you buy that CJ-5 new? Would love to hear more thanks for sharing.
@@datalorian I did buy it new. It was the cheapest CJ-5 on the lot with the 232 strait six. Not such a good idea as I had to put a whole lot into it to beef it up. I had the leaf springs rebuilt twice. Leaves added the first time for added lift and a second double wrap main leaf. It turned out that AMC stopped using the Dana 44 rear end in the 1975 CJ-5. It was an AMC 20 rear end. It had two piece axels with a tiny little woodruff key that did not do well under low range. I went through 6 rear axels in fairly short order. Then the welds in the rear housing were breaking loose. I finally got myself a Dana 44 rear end. Swapped the ring and pinion from 3.54 to 4.27. Ran a Detroit Tru Trac front differential and a Detroit Locker in the rear. I installed a mild cam in the little six cylinder engine along with an after market intake manifold with a 500 CFM Holly two barrel carb. I tweaked the crap out of the carb so it would run when leaning up down or sideways. I also ran strait six headers with split pipes into two separate collectors. I had a 25 gallon, just about bullet proof gas tank made for it. Better front seats and seat belts along with a full roll cage. I was running big old Maxi Trac bias ply tires.
It was a good Jeep
@@MewFushisDad Man i bet you wished you would have kept it all these years later! Awesome story
@@mails5054 My girlfriend at the time, winter of 1988 borrowed my Jeep and hit a patch of ice on the road. From what she said I believe that the Detroit Locker spun the rear end out and ended up tumbling that old Jeep. It was seriously mangled. I was expecting a new truck within days. I had special ordered it late Summer and it finally arrived just before Christmas 1988. It was a 1989 Dodge W350 One Ton Pickup. I ended up parting out Jeep.
Paul you never disappoint great video.hech truth is all of your family and friends make all of your videos amazingly awesome and great. just wanted to thank you and your family an friends for taking time to make all the awesome content in you're videos great job can't wait to see what's next for the golden nugget
Honda quads are great machines. Mine is coming up 17 years old and still works perfectly. Always kept maintenance up on it.
I realize that it’s not in everyone’s budget, but the best route for increasing spring rate and lift is a new set of leaves. I’ve had some made by Alcan in Grand Junction and had good luck with them. Increased the rate and added an inch of lift on my ‘15 Taco. I’m sure there are other companies that do the same work.
You're supposed to use C-clamps to get the pack together before tightening the center. With how cheap aftermarket metal is these days, it's a high chance of ruining threads if you try to torque them together with the nut and pin. Luckily your U-bolts were long enough to make easy work of it in the end, a good trick.
Michele we miss seeing you on camera….I know u we’re on today, but it’s not been as often….please don’t let life keep you so busy that you can’t enjoy yourself doing TH-cam with your Family…….remember you ALL started this TOGETHER & had Family Fun doing it!!! 🥰🥰
Paul try useing 2 large c clamps to compress leaf springs …it work great…
Doesn’t stress the threads…
Love your channel and your kids taking master classes with your work..
I’ve used big c-clamps to pinch the leaf springs together once added the as a leaf in place so the center bolt doesn’t take the brunt of the pressure.
Always fun to watch you fixing stuff
Seems like only yesterday you were homing in on 100K subscribers. Now almost triple that. Congratulations on your success!
I bet the Toyota owner is happy with the results and the 4 wheeler is steering and riding like new again. Good Job as usual.
I think if you had the specialized tool for every job, you'd need triple the space just for those tools. Patience is definitely the best general tool in the arsenal.
Great vid's !
Love watching all the major builds; YOTA, Jimny, and all the other stuff ! Waiting for the new heart beat in the "Cornfield Corvette" !
Paul,
Please look into Timbren axleless wheel supports.
Your friend Matt does several rescues from the sand dunes. Imagine:
1- A car dolly with axleless supports and wheels the same size as the banana, and a dual hauling insert with a ball as well as, a winch.
2-A trailer similar to Matt's except with a single pair of wheels the same size as the banana and being made with:
a-aluminum frame,
b-diamond mesh where the cars wheels roll,
c-a full width mesh ramp at the back, and winch.
3-An adaptable aluminum trailer that can rotate 30 degrees around the central axis and has a collapsible front support (pipe in a pipe), such that the width can be reduced by a third and a carrying cavity for a motorcycle would be formed by combining the two halves. Then this trailer would be slender going to a rescue and the main challenge would be the retrieval after the broken vehicle is trailered.
8:47 - That 4-wheeler can carry some cargo / people. Was a good idea to replace parts on the front end before the recovery trip. This OHV appeared to be very useful on Ed’s Suzuki recovery.
"This shouldn't take very long" are words I never mutter when working on a project
Enjoyed. Kroil penetrating spray works well to free rusted stuff. Seen Matt on Diesel Creek use it a ton of times!
Awesome teamwork with your boys
thank you for the video now days i watch more you tube then regular tv
I like the fact that you get the whole family involved.
Always get a smile when I see a new video posted
Awesome job as usual Paul!!!!! How is the suspension on your new truck coming along?????
if you hit stuff enough with a hammer, it will go in...
perfect.
reminds me of the time, my Uncle was chasing a heifer down a ditch with the 62 Chevy and hit a boulder. put a V in the front bumper. Had to remove the bumper to get the truck down off the boulder. Beat the bumper back in shape with a couple of sledges. :)
all he said was "I wish you hadn't seen that."
Add magnet to the back of your tape measure and put them on the lift main part so that you always know where they are at. Love watching you.
I think they make those center bolts out of the softest metal they can find. I gnarled up mine. Nice to see I wasn’t the only one.
I've seen a drill and bit used to walk bushings out. Stab between the bushing and the housing, it'll roll around the outside, and pull the bushing out as it goes.
I've tried this before and I've always end up breaking the bit off.
Great video, next time please put a light inside the fender well. Then we could see what Paul is doing.
always a great show. thanks for sharing
Center bolts are not designed nor intended to compress the spring pack. The factory uses presses to compress the pack then tightens the center bolt to hold them in alignment and together until the u-bolts are installed. I have modified lots of spring packs on heavy duty trucks and have had lots of center bolts strip if we tried to compress the pack with them.
And an ATV isn't designed to carry 5 people....but it worked. Too many people confuse the "right way" to do things and the real world.
Well Paul, in the gualed bolts defense, the center pins install instructions do say not to use the center pin bolt and nut as way to squeeze the leafs together 😬
You are exceptionally good at this youtube stuff, having found you through Matts whatever. Please keep up the good work
I had AAL in my first Tacoma and I removed them immediately. The truck rode horrible empty. I now have rear airbags that I can adjust on my newest Tacoma.
Hey Paul !! Great job on both !! Have a good week & guess still waiting on some parts for ""Goldie Nugget "" !! 😃🤠😎🤓
Boy, I am quite excited to see yall start working on that XJ!
That Honda turned out to be the best trade of the year !
Tape measuring device.. I must have 7 or 8 somewhere in my shop also.
Landon is becoming quite the supervisor. I’d have gone for the heat, myself. Probably wouldn’t have been the best option, but it would have been fun for a minute or two.
Didn't leave you stranded. Key words their. God bless.
I can watch these videos all day. Pretty sure i have lol. Love the content. Ordered a shirt and three decals. Cant wait for them to get here
New fab rats video? I see, I click!
That harbor freight light is the best. I have three of them.
That atv should last you a long time. I bought a brand new honda foreman rubicon trx500 back in 2003, rode it like i stole it every chance i got and that thing still runs strong today. I passed it on to my brother and he still uses it on his property.
How do you like the habor freight new tool cart 🤔 does it fit alot of tools 🔧
a swift kick and or hammer has helped me too! Keep up the great videos!
Good work Paul, almost nothing goes exactly to plan, but you get there in the end…
Derek makes me laugh, he calls his hammer Tonya Harding…🤣
👍🏻🇷🇴🇬🇧
"Gillooly" also works.
As always, I enjoyed your video. I do wish that the lighting would have been better under the fender of the four wheeler.
On a completely different topic, I was on google earth the other day just looking around. I switched down to street view and was delighted to spot the taco in front of your parents house.
:) You make me smile every time i see you all together (:
I love your channel! All of you Be blessed and well and safe!
Awesome video Paul!! Keep up all the hard work buddy!!!
I used air bags. I could easily adjust the air pressure depending on the load
Should’ve got with the Road Master kit. They are awesome and make the truck sooo much more stable especially when cornering.
Love the show love what you do it is great
next time you do those bushing take a wedge and beat it in behind the edge of the bushing they come right out i just learned it recently they are terribly stubborn
Those add a leafs will make the truck squeak like crazy I installed on my tacoma and had to end up cutting pieces off side wall of an old tire to put on top of the ends to stop all the squeaks
Don't remember seeing that little clip from the "golden nugget" recovery😂 Matt's team must have edited that little clip out😂😂😂
Paul is right, anything will go into place if you hit it enough times with a persuader tool, better known as "hammer"😂😂
I've had to add helper springs to my 2014 trd sport. I'd sit on the tailgate and it would drop an inch. Now it takes a bit for it to drop an inch now.
The kids around 6:20.....crack me up. The dude in the black shirt has a look on his face like, 'Let me in there, I could do better!" haha
Should look in to hellwig helper springs. I have a set and love mine adjustable for different weight
My 2000 Taco could use a set of those. Paul in your opinion what would be a good pair of replacement leaf springs? Mines a 4x4 not lifted, I was thinking old Man Imu and yes they are the original leafs currently on my truck.
you're about to get rained on. best line ever!
I really think you and Matt should try to do the 2.5 hrs of LeMullets with Cleetus..right up your alley !
I did that to and S-10 once for work.
How heavy are these dogs haha!
Mom's are the best thing on the planet...I loved my mom. Unfortunately she died at age 60 and I am about to turn 67 in a few weeks. She smoked and I never even tried smoking. I believe my wife will live to be a hundred...baring any unforeseen accidents. We were the party of someone hitting us and fleeing the swan. My wife broke her spine in three places and had to sign off on a very risky surgery...or be a paraplegic. Surgery went well and she is a school teacher during the week. On the weekends she fly's skydivers in our Cessna 182. She is one tuff 60 year old lady. Yeah mom's!!!
Hi Paul and Michelle. Charlotte nc loves you
👍👍I know you all had fun, bit I wondered why you didn't just daisy chain a bunch of ATV's ( maybe 5 ) to pull Ed's LJ up that narrow trail.
With how light Ed's Suzuki was pre aeration( rust de weighting), any reasonable quad with a winch could have pulled it out by itself. I've seen plenty of quads tow start reasonable size tractors that weigh orders of magnitude more than the Suzuki
Canada/Mexico spec leaf springs fix the Taco load sag problem without affecting ride quality. You can get these springs through US Toyota Dealers.
Love that 4 wheeler!!!
Hey Paul. Question. What brand of cordless tools do you use? Thanks and love the videos. Keep em coming.
Winning w/that Magnetic Light. Winning pho sure
Excited for more golden nugget videos.
The only tool you need to get bushings out of atv is a Long bolt or piece of all thread we with bolts and washers. 1 side with bit washers will sit outside the arm and you tighten nut here and pull the other side through the a arm.