Blknblubkrdude's Cheap Taco

Having owned a few Toyota products in the past (08' Tacoma, 00' Tundra, 94' 4Runner, and now this 96' Tacoma) I was very shocked to find a 96' Ext. Cab / 4WD with a clean title for $3000 on CL!

It was for sale by a company named "ICF", who does surveying for the oil field... so I knew the truck was rode hard and put away wet!
I wasn't looking for a daily by any means, so I was not scared.

Talked to the company and found out it was a base LX, with the 2.7/5-speed and had a couple things wrong with it. Don't know if I should have been shocked to find out the OEM 2.7 had 245K miles, many of which were spent off road.

Went to their office with $2500 in hand, they accepted and I drove it home.

Short of an exhaust gasket leak at the manifold flange, A/C not working, and some slicks they call "tires", it really didn't need much maintenance short of a door adjustment.


There it is, just pulled off the 5" "bug guard", and it was ready for some TLC.
All oils changed, VC gasket, front T-case output seal, park plugs, Fuel filter, new belts, steering rack boot, front brakes, flushed brake fluid, pulled master cylinder out and greased contacts, pulled driveshaft to repair zerks that had been sheared off, erased OEM body decals, and took misc. wiring out from all the equipment the PO had in it.

I noticed the leaf springs were a little past worn out. Well, the worst frown I have ever seen. I wish I had taken pictures.

I called up Wheelers and got the complete suspension kit with the 881's, Wheelers 5-pack, BPV relocation kit, 5mm trim packer, and original NitroChargers.

While I had everything apart I decided the front end needed a refresh, so I replaced the control arm bushings (which can be found here: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1s...replace-upper-lower-control-arm-bushings.html ), steering rack bushings, MOOG LBJ's, UBJ's, and shackle bushings.

The R/L specific leaf packs combined with the 5mm trim packer do a very good job of leveling the truck side to side.
Even after some settling, the driver side actually sits slightly higher than the passenger, but sits perfectly level with me in it (185lbs)

Front torn apart:



Made an "intake" with a spare piece of exhaust piping and a plug I had:

Camping in the big horns:





Thanks for looking!

 

Sweet!!! I love cheep beater builds!

I have one going as well.

 

Sweet. And may I announce you win the hardest screen name to read in the history of TW. (mine at least)

 

Thanks? I go by this username on about 10 different forums, and even Xbox live

 

(And may I announce you win the hardest screen name to read in the history of TW. (mine at least) ) Tough to convey over the computer. Stared at it for about ten seconds dumbfounded then had the oh, alright moment and it all made sense.

 

That's surprisingly quick

 

Picked 4 of these XD Enduro 15x7 4.24" for $100 each with free shipping, lugs, caps, and stems.

Still on the search for some cheap 33x10.50 BFG AT's.

 

I like this thread! I'll be keeping me eye on it

I have a soft spot in my heart for 96's

 

What are you inferring?

 

Completely worn out 31x10.50 Firestone Destination A/T's on stock 15x7's:
Brand new BFG A/T 33x10.50's on KMC XD Enduro 15x7's:


5.4lbs per tire for much more meat is not too bad. The 4.24"BS fits perfectly with my setup also.

 

Put 800ish miles on this weekend, with camp gear and a KX85 in the back. The Wheelers 5 leafs held up great.
Best part is I managed 20.X MPG.

Hauling:

Girlfriend and I near Kirwin:

Luckily had metal detector, never would have found this:

The perfect smore:

Vertical mine in Kirwin:

A shallow portion of the Wood River:

 

sweet build man! gotta love the 95-97's

 

I definitely prefer the front end styling compared to many of the newer models.

 

At 250K my exhaust clearance specs were +double out of spec.




Closest Toyota dealer is 115 miles away, so I ordered the valve shims from Toyota of Dallas @ $7 a piece.

If anyone is curious they are 28mm diameter shims, and are sold from 2.50-3.30mm thicknesses.

 

Ever since new, I had a problem with my cab becoming VERY pressurized when the fan was on. I even noticed it when closing the doors.
I eventually heard a high pitched whistle coming from the rear window area when the fan was spinning.
I got out and the cab was becoming so pressurized that the third brake light was being pushed out and air was leaking past the seal.

First I located the vents between the cab and bed, and then loosened the bolts holding the bed down so I could slide it back. All you need is a 12mm socket for the fuel filler nozzle and a 17mm for the bed mounts.

To get the vents out pry on the bottom with a flat screwdriver. The top cannot come out first.

The problem is resolved on the right. The left one shows the foam that gets COMPLETELY clogged with mud and dirt after 247k/17 years. I used a 90psi air nozzle on one side and could not get air to come out the other. All I did was peel the foam off.


Although the vents have rubber flaps that should only allow air to vent one way (out) I though I'd add a little extra security against bugs coming in as the old flaps in mine were not closing all the way. I cut some screen from an old sliding door...


Two 14" Zip Ties fit perfectly


I added some sealant to the vents before installing because the worn out factory foam seal allowed the vent to not sit tightly against the body.


The difference in air flow is night and day. I now can run my fan on "Medium", and get at least as much airflow as I did on "High" with the foam on the vents.

 

I've been to Kirwin! Kind of an obscure place. If you liked Kirwin, you'll like the tour at the mine at South Pass City! Not much of an off-road adventure, but a cool mining operation, being restored. Nice state park campground (Sinks Canyon) between SPC and Lander.

You have to pre-arrange the tour, don't just show up.

 

Cool thread love the stance!

 

Looks sweet!

 

I always love these threads! Awesome truck!

 

My truck has been making a strange noise from the engine compartment for a while now, and it was at the same speed as the crank spins. Pulled the oil filter, cut it, and damn! Oil is shiny :-(

Any recommended engine builders that are experienced with the RZ's?