2004 Toyota 4runner Race Runner Shocks Part 2 - brake Line Routing - Photo 33244858

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Another detail was the brake line routing. With just a single coilover, the stock brake line routing (with an extended brake line to match the Total Chaos suspension system) worked fine. Adding a bypass shock directly in front of the brake line mount begged the brake line to interfere with the shock. Running a new flex line along the upper control arm was an ideal way to re-route the line and avoid potential problems.

1109 4wd 01+2004 toyota 4runner race runner shocks part 2+front angle

When we left off last time, the shock hoops were ready to bolt up to the frame and the coilover buckets had been gusseted. Time to attend to some very important details. For one, the shock reservoirs needed a home.

Another detail was the brake line routing. With just a single coilover, the stock brake line routing (with an extended brake line to match the Total Chaos suspension system) worked fine. Adding a bypass shock directly in front of the brake line mount begged the brake line to interfere with the shock. Running a new flex line along the upper control arm was an ideal way to re-route the line and avoid potential problems.

Sweet Performance is a small shop that’s big on service. Sweet specializes in automotive fluid transfer products whether they’re brake lines, transmission cooler hoses, or engine oil cooler lines. Owner Dave Bottomley had the proper brake line fittings in stock to match the OEM Toyota brake plumbing and brake line brackets. This is a DOT-approved brake line fitting that’s about to be crimped.

The disc-shaped brake line holder is also a safety device that keeps errant fingers out of the crimper.

The fitting on the top is a direct match for the Toyota caliper bracket. The one on the bottom adapts the flex line into a juncture that originally connected to hard line. The hose is DOT-approved braided steel with a black vinyl sleeve on the outside.

At the left of the photo you can see the junction block where the hard line used to connect. Thanks to the Sweet adapter, there’s flex line there now. Also note the slight wave from the extra length in the flex line underneath the control arm. This extra length will straighten out when the control arm pivots upward.

This double-tabbed half-clamp was made by slicing a tube in half down the center and then welding two pre-stamped tabs in place. This will reliably keep the brake line away from the shock.

Thanks to the correct brake line fittings in stock at Sweet Performance, the brake line connects to the caliper bracket just as a shorty OEM brake line would. If you’d rather use competition-style brake fittings, Sweet keeps those in stock, too.

With the brake line handled, it was time to create a home for the shock reservoir. This spot next to the frame looked promising, but the reservoir sat below the bottom of the frame rail, looking vulnerable to damage.

With this reservoir position, the hose hit the rebound adjuster. No good.

Sheet metal surgery was needed to create clearance for the shock hoops’ upper bolts. The innermost bolt was reached best from above with the help of some socket extensions.

The outermost bolts were reachable from under the fenderwell, but they still needed holes overhead in order to get the longer bolts in place. An end wrench was the right tool for the tightening job.

Needing some sage advice, we called Sway-A-Way and spoke with engineer Brian Bell. Bell advised attaching the reservoir directly to the shock hoop down tube and letting the hose touch the firewall. He also recommended attaching an abrasion barrier to the hose at the contact point. Reusable zip ties held the reservoir in place during tack welding.

Final welding is done. The lower end of the reservoir is just above flush with the bottom of the frame, placing it out of harm’s way.

This looks like progress! The hoop’s painted, bolted on, and is now home to the shock and the shock reservoir. The brake line’s routed cleanly and doesn’t hit during steering or suspension cycling. Anti-abrasion pads (slices of radiator hose) still need to be added at the reservoir hose/ firewall contact point.

It’s time to fill the shock reservoirs with nitrogen. Kartek’s liquid-filled pressure gauge is built with rugged use in mind; the liquid-filled gauge is able to withstand clattering toolboxes and rough access roads while staying accurate. Yes, many off-road shops have nitrogen-filling equipment, but owning it yourself lets you fill your shocks over and over no matter what the hour or day. It’s empowering. Start by threading the pressure gauge in place on the end of the shock reservoir’s Schrader valve.

You should start the threads by hand, but lightly snug the gauge onto the valve with an end wrench.

Twisting this handle clockwise opens the valve and lets nitrogen flow into the reservoir.

Kartek offers this regulator and hose kit assembled and ready to go, upping the convenience factor. To get the desired pressure, open the valve on top of the tank (sold separately via your local welding supply store) and then dial the regulator valve to the pressure you want.

Press the air chuck onto the shock pressure gauge to fill the reservoir with nitrogen. Read the liquid-filled gauge and adjust the pressure by adding nitrogen with the tank or releasing it with the Schrader valve. Once you’re happy with the reservoir pressure, turn the gauge’s valve counterclockwise to lock the nitrogen inside. Disconnect the filling gauge from the reservoir and you’re all set.

We’ve got bump stops, limit straps, and Johnny Joints for the rear suspension. We’ll tackle the Johnny Joints this time. Start by putting the rear of the ‘Runner up on jackstands and chocking the front wheels. There’s no need to remove the wheels. Life will be easier if you work on one link at a time.

The Heim joints on this suspension were a bit weathered, but hadn’t worn to the point of rattling just yet. Still, the Johnny Joints are an ideal choice for a daily-driven rig like this one because they last longer, provide a slight cushion, and run quieter than Heims. What’s more, you can replace the urethane inserts very cheaply should they happen to wear out. Grease zerks make maintenance easy. These Johnny Joints are a custom configuration that’s more closely documented elsewhere in this issue. We’ll focus on installing them here.

With the link removed, measure the eye-to-eye distance. You’ll want to match this once the Johnny Joint is threaded into the link.

In addition to swapping the Heims for Johnny Joints, we’re upgrading the OEM metric hardware to SAE Grade 8 with all-metal locknuts. Why? It’s much easier to find SAE Grade 8 hardware, and the all-metal locknuts will stay tight much more reliably than the non-locking OEM hardware.

The first step was to ream the urethane bushing’s sleeve out to 9/16-inch using a reverse-spiral reamer and plenty of Edge cutting cream.

The corresponding axle bracket was reamed out to match. The frame end bracket was already configured for the 9/16-inch bolts, and the Johnny Joint’s ball center was chosen to match.

The frame end bracket fits a 9/16-inch bolt already, but the Total Chaos link skidplate has to be modified to clear the larger Johnny Joint housing. This meant pulling the skidplate off and taking a trip to the band saw.

There’s a lot of steel plate trimmed away here, but overall the frame end bracket is still much, much stronger than stock. If there’s enough clearance for the Johnny Joint to articulate, we’ll probably bridge a new plate across the bottom edge of the link skidplate and gain back every iota of lost strength. The good news is that the Johnny Joint housing is incredibly tough and can withstand many direct rock hits.

The lower link is freshly fitted with the Johnny Joint, has been adjusted to length, and is now ready to bolt up.

The axle moved slightly once the link was removed, so a ratchet strap pulled it back into place. Note that we’re connecting the strap between the axle and the frame, skipping over the jack stand.

With the link bolted in place it’s the best time to cinch down the jam nuts. There wasn’t a 1-1/4-inch end wrench on hand, so a heavy-duty adjustable wrench worked instead.

Note to self: re-connect the parking brake cables to the lower links.

The upper link fasteners were similarly upgraded, but 1/2-inch bolts and 2-inch Johnny Joints were used in place of the bigger stuff on the lower links. At the frame bracket, there was a slight gap between the Johnny Joint ball center and the frame bracket, so a washer (circled) was used to fill the space. Next, note that there’s no room for a locknut on the Johnny Joint’s shank because I selected a bolt with a partially-threaded shank when I built the custom Johnny Joints. A fully-threaded shank would have been a better choice. There’s no way the Johnny Joint can unthread, but I’d still like to have the security of a locknut. Stage II won’t officially be complete until rear bump stops, rear limit straps, and some front shock tuning are added. Stay tuned.