Purchased 2002 taco need help with brakes

Hey guys I am new here and just picked up a 2002 Tacoma Xtra cab auto. I am currently just trying to do some items for it to pass inspection.

When I go to look up my truck for parts it lists like DLX, Pre runner etc. What do I choose there? It is an extra cab (4 Full size doors) and is a V6. I am assuming Pre runner?

One of the parts I need is a trim piece that snaps right under each headlight. It is a rectangle piece and snaps in right under each headlight. For the life of me I cannot find it or make it out on a diagram. I assume the piece comes primed then I just need to paint it. Can anyone give me a part number for that?

There seems like a lot of site to order parts from which is good. What I can’t find is a really good site to look at like a microfiche of the truck. I found a couple but I could not make out the pieces I need.

Next on the list is the brakes. It needs new front rotors and pads that look like a pretty easy job. Now the rear drums are a different story. For the life of me I could not get the drum off last night. I looked on line and tried the trick of screwing in the threaded stud into the two holes on the drum to pop it out but those holes have been stripped prior. I tried to re tap but with it on the hole is not deep enough to re tap it. I also lubed and beat the heck out of it and it is frozen.

So any ideas how I can now get that apart? Once I get that off I can un-seize the emergency brake on each side too. I need to find a good diagram of that rear drum too because the whole assembly is bad. The shield I call it on the inside the hub slides into is so rusted you can see inside the hub assembly. This is the piece the brake line and 4 bolts screw into. Looks like if it was not rusted so bad that would stay in place and you would just replace the guts inside. Not good as I am sure it is all rotted to hell in there now.

For the truck itself the guy did have the frame treated so that is good through Toyota till 2018 I believe. The other thing he did about 5k miles ago is the water pump and timing belt. So for me now it is just inspection items.

Any help suggestions would be great

 

Welcome to TW!

Camelback toyota has pretty good diagrams on the parts store. There is a member on from camelback that can help you out.

Is it ok to put a torch on the brake drum?

 

I was not sure if it was ok to do that so I did not try. I was afraid with brake fluid etc of a fire

 

sounds like you need to adjust the shoes down so the drum will come off. theres a rust ring inside the drum that it gets stuck up on a lot of the time. But did you try a hammer to knock it loose first? You might try Rockauto.com for some parts too, they have the bumper filler piece for about $3!

 

I banged and banged on that thing and nothing. I sprayed the hell out of it with PB blaster beat on it some more and it would not come off. I wanted to fix it myself but if I cannot get it off there I will have to bring it somewhere to get done.

 

If it has 4 doors it's not an Extracab, it's a doublecab. Spend a little time finding out what you bought. It will save time and money when buying parts for it.

 

01-04 TOYOTA TACOMA FRONT BUMPER/GRILLE LOWER FILLER (UNDER HEADLIGHT) (PAINTALBE) RH=PASSENGER SIDE

http://www.amazon.com/TOYOTA-TACOMA-HEADLIGHT-PAINTALBE-PASSENGER/dp/B007BL4VVU/ref=au_pf_ss_14?ie=UTF8&Make=Toyota%7C76&Model=Tacoma%7C1037&Year=2003%7C2003&carId=&n=15684181&s=automotive

^lower grille filler trim is what you're looking for, just make sure you know which side... they are left and right.

Rockauto is a pretty decent parts supplier for what you have, I have a 2003 v6 ext-cab (extended cab = 2 door with a backseat) yours sounds like a double-cab if it has 4 full doors.

Also, for future reference you want to try and get OEM parts as much as possible for things like clutch and electrical where aftermarket does not really provide more performance and the OEM brand is AISIN. They make good stuff.

 

Thank you that is the one. It is the right side.

 

Not being a smartass, but is the ebrake set?

 

cutoff wheel, cold chiesel, bfh. Cut the brake drums deep as you can if not all the way through. Stick a cold chiesel in the slot you just cut and hit it with a bfh.

 

That is off. It is like the dam thing is welded on there.

 

I am going to do this over the weekend did samething with drums on snowmobile trailer and they came off after that

 

Did you get the e brake free. i have used a torch to heat an loosen up. the cable gets full of dust salt and rust, bad design IMO. But as it was cooling tug on the cable as cooling releasing and applying pressure this has free'd mine up. then oil every time you change your oil as PM