Cali raised SS cat shields

This is very disappointing… while the design seem sound. Execution left much to be desired.

 

Agreed. It is a drag that I have to run to the hardware store. As others have said, it’s a great price and design, but some other intricacies are left to be desired.

I may end up using the provided security bolts for the rearward portion of the brace. They should work since there isn’t any additional material from the shield mounted there.

 

Forget the "security" bolts. Just get allen bolts. And if I had to do it again, I'd have a bottle jack to hold the shield in place while I lined up everything else and started the bolts. Driver's side sucks ass, passenger is cake. Just get 40mm+ bolts for the forward part and you'll be fine. If the thieves bring allen wrenches to the crime scene they can have my cats.

 

There's no place at the rear, not sure what you're talking about. There are two bolts on the forward part that are supposed to take the "security" bolts, then there are two slots at the rear for the long trans crossmember bolts. That's it - 4 holes and 4 bolts hold the whole thing up.

 

The rear I’m talking about is on the support bracket. I’m going to use the included 30mm bolts that were too short for the front bracket holes after installing the shield on the rear holes of the bracket.

I just got home from Ace and picked up 4, M8x40 1.25 pitch bolts, button, allens to use on the front support bracket holes. Should be perfect. I’ll report back tonight. You can see the one included in the kit is the fourth one down, it’s M8x30.

 

Picked mine up from CaliRaised Friday and installed it myself. Got all hardware. Took longer than the videos show, but an extra set of hands would had helped. I did use my 4runners jack to hold the plate.
The hardest part was threading the bolts on the crossmember support brackets. I found using the jack to push up the crossbar slightly helped align the crossmember support bracket enough to thread the bolts.
All bolts fit (even the security bolts) and happy with the overall installation.

 

Aahh, gotcha. That certainly wouldn't hurt.

 

Alright, all done! Took me about 35 minutes. Actually had an extra spacer, an extra nut and three extra washers, lmao!

I will say using the M8x40 button-Allen bolts on the front brace holes worked like a charm! Super easy to thread in and I didn’t even need to use a Jack to hold anything in place. I used the provided security bolts on the rear brace holes. In retro spec I probably should have done one button-Allen up front with a security bolt also and the same in the rear of the brace. Oh well, maybe if I’m bored one day I’ll do that. I also dabbed a little anti-seize on the bolts.

 

When I attempted to install mines, I noticed the shields were touching the cats. I worry about damage long term so I pulled them off to check with the company before moving forward. Anyone's shield makes contact with their cats?

 

Yes my driver side touches! Hopefully someone from Cali raised chimes in.

 

For those who have them installed, is there any interference with routine maintenance. Like having to remove them to perform items.

 

Do either of your shields make contact with the cat?

 

Yes, driver's side makes light contact on the underside. Nothing to worry about. I do not have any rattling.

Keep in mind it's the converter's outer heat shield that is touching.

Ideally Cali would tweak the design and lower it a little, but I'm not unhappy with it.

 

Got an email response back from them. Looks like its designed that way

"Thank you for reaching out. What you are experiencing is completely normal. The catalytic converter on the driver's side has an extra heat shield that goes over the catalytic converter that is not found on the passenger side. The CAT Shield is stainless steel and can take the heat and will still perform perfectly with zero harm to the shield or the extra heat shield Toyota has in place.

The vehicle we tested this on had a slight touch, and we did a bunch of bounce testing and there was no rattle or concern at all. We designed these to be very tight and close so that off-road skids would fit below them. Tighter means better theft protection and keeps everything up and out of the way when off-roading over obstacles."

 

So I got on their chat and let them know about the missing hardware with my order info etc. Couldn’t wait for a rep to participate and I left the chat. Received an email shortly after saying they are dispatching the spacers out to me right away and apologized.
Good to know CR is making things right quickly and proactively.
If you look at the product info image, spacers are not shown in the hardware shot… but we know they are required for a more finished look.

 

It's not a finished look, they are required to properly install it. That rear portion of the cat shield bolts to an area, via those long trans bolts, where the crossmember is indented inward by a half inch. It would be impossible to properly draw those trans bolts tight without the spacers because you'd be crushing the cat shield into that indented area. Cali knows this and it's why they're shipping the spacers out. I'm putting this out there because I don't want anyone skipping this step.

 

So glad I didn’t have to bake in the heat to find this out.

 

LOL, it was hot as hell here when I put mine in. 90 degrees and the sun was on me the whole time. Good luck with the install and let us know how it goes.

 

I hear a sporadic creaking noise when I first start driving. Anyone else???
Also....I did not torque the bolts.
Anyone have the torque specs for the Transmission Crossbar and the crossmember bolts?? Or if needed

 

53 ft-lb for the factory bolts. I imagine same for the new ones.

 

What manual did that come from and where did you get it?

 

i just ordered some from Cali at the Toyota Jamboree

 

https://www.to4runner.net/toyota_4runner_service_manual-242.html

 

Today I received a new hardware package from Cali and it did contain the spacers. They are 3/8". For the record, I strongly disagree with these as much as I disagree with the 30mm security bolts - they are simply the wrong size. Per my prior posts and pictures, these spacers need to be 1/2" or the shield will hit the trans crossmember on the outboard side once everything is torqued down. I used 1/2" spacers and the shield was nearly touching that spot. So if Cali asked me, I'd revise the hardware package to include four 40mm bolts for the forward part of the shield, and 1/2" spacers for the trans bolts.

Has the Cali guy on this forum ever chimed in?

 

Ordered mine today. Thanks for all the tips in previous posts. Will go to hardware store just in case.

 

Hello Everyone,

Sorry for all the delayed response. We had some miscommunication with a former employee about the hardware kits needed for the Cat Shield install. If anyone is having any issues please reach out to us directly at info@caliraisedled.com and we can get you all taken care of. We are more than happy to help the community we just need the proper communication funneled through our customer service team so we can properly take action on your needs. We appreciate you choosing us and I will try to be more active moving forward

 

Appreciate the response Jake. Does that mean the hardware package will be modified to fix the issue with the too-short forward bolts, and the too-short trans bolt spacers?

 

Would really like some input on this, thanks

 

Installed mine yesterday. I don’t see how these would interfere with routine maintenance. There is still room to grease the front driveshaft, you will just need to come at it from the bottom instead of the side.

 

thanks, good to hear