What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

Interior bedline prep, round one.

 

Did a few small things tonight while getting ready for my camping trip.
This has to be the easiest mod ive ever done:
Now i can charge my go pro batteries my and my ipad

Also put a few sheet metal screws in the bedliner piece on my tail gate. It used to be flipped up some and catch on everything. Its much nicer

 

Quick question for those that have gotten a radiator for their Taco, which brand did you go with? I was thinking TYC (because most of the time they are re-branded KOYO) or maybe an OSC because they seem to really know their shit when it comes to cooling and fitment.

 

I go on a camping trip and then everything blows up on the coil over question I asked

Thanks guys for your input, I will probably go OME mainly because I won't have to rebuild them and do any maintenance to them. Seeing that I live in an apartment and don't have the proper tools or space to work on rebuilding them it just doesn't make sense for me. But who knows my 5100's may work better once I get my bumper.

 

60k miles 4 years on my Fox give or take.. no re build needed, I had them re valved years ago but you do not need to re build these coil overs anywhere near as often as you will need to replace struts.

 

That's because you live in SD. Coilovers get trashed in climates like mine here in Utah. It's not uncommon for COs to need to be rebuilt every year. Living in a warm dry climate where you aren't worried about snow and road salt etc is a perfect environment for quality COs. If I lived in SD I'd have some too.

 

No argument that there is a significant difference in a highend TUNED suspension vs an off the shelf setup like OME. I understand your point Monte but your situation is somewhat unique. First off, the way you use your truck and the amount of offroad use it gets actually warrants a high end setup. Secondly, your truck is used almost exclusively offroad. Most of the people on this forum are spending 80% or more of their time on pavement. Sure a highend suspension is still nice on the road but you only benefit from a small fraction of the potential of that suspension on pavement. So that's why I think it's overkill for most people. Not saying it isn't nice. Also, if people want to spend that money, by all means go for it.

As for the cost of maintenance, your situation is also somewhat unique. Because your truck is used primarily offroad and you're not regularly driving it on salted roads your COs are probably lasting longer between rebuilds than a lot of people. You are also capable of doing the work yourself. But let's consider your comment of $100/rebuild for someone that pays for the work. Let's say you can find somewhere to do that at that price for both front shocks. From what I have seen in my area $100 is more common for each shock not both, but lets stay at $100 total. Here in Utah on a daily driven Tacoma COs take a serious beating. I mentioned before that it's pretty common for coilovers to need to be rebuilt each year because of the abuse of daily driving in crappy conditions. Uniballs suffer the same way, so factor in the cost of uniballs in the UCAs since most people with high end COs also have upgraded UCAs. Replacing/rebuilding that every year at $100-$200 a pop can add up. Now the other side of the coin. My OME setup has been on my truck for 5 years now with zero maintenance and no signs of needing to be replaced. I've also put over 100K miles on the truck in that time so it's getting tons of use year round on the road and offroad. Let's say I needed to replace the front struts this year. I'm looking at roughly $500 to replace them. In that same 5 years if I'd had to pay someone to rebuild by high end suspension each year at even $100 a pop I'm spending the same money. But in reality the cost of the rebuild is probably more (for most people that aren't doing it themselves) and most people are also not needing to replace their OME stuff every 5 years. Even at the amount of use I put on mine I don't expect to need to replace them for at least another 3-5 years. I could replace every piece of my suspension with OME stuff (~$1500 on the highend) every 5-7 years and be ahead on most long term costs of maintenance for a high end setup.

But just to be clear, not everyone lives in my area, not everyone lives in climates that are that harsh on the components, not everyone is daily driving their trucks in those conditions. So clearly there are variables that can make one setup more beneficial over the other in terms of cost. Like I said to Taco me Elmo, if I lived in San Diego like he does, I'd have a high end suspension too because it wouldn't require the same level of maintenance. For me, cost aside, I would also rather not have to worry about the hassle of rebuilding all those parts.

I agree with you and Goldfinger and others who feel like the Kings, or Fox, or ADS or whatever other high end setup is better. You're absolutely right. I have time in trucks with those setups and they're awesome. Awesome enough that I regularly consider changing my own suspension. But for me the variables aren't in my favor. Again, I'm not trying to tell anyone they shouldn't go high end if they can, just that most will only benefit from a small fraction of the capabilities of that suspension and it's a high price to pay when a more basic setup can still be very good for much less and still do all they need it to do.

 

In other news I got my RTT and bedrack up together

 

Few days ago. Went for a short run up one of the local canyon trails with a friend/coworker in his 2nd Gen.

 

I see you points Adam. I really do and can agree with you on basically all of them.

But I still believe that a higher end coilover will be a better choice in the long run even on a truck that sees 100% asphalt. And i was talking from that side as well.

While you are totally correct, my situation with Frankenstein is very unique to most and the capabilites i have to work on him is unique. I think you may have forgot i have a 100% totally stock 2003 double cab, just like you And i just put Kings on it with no lift on them. And im about to put some resi rear fox shocks on it this week.

It rides like a Cadillac. Where as Frank actually rides kinda rough on the road. Because the misconception there is LT is smooth over everything. And it sorta is. You just have to hit the bump hard to let the shocks take it But thats a side conversation so whatever.

Your comments on the salt and corrosive environments are also true for most COs. This is why id look at ADS. They use a different coating that REALLY fights off the rust and salt stuff. Id have got them for my double cab but i got the kings at too good of a price not to get them since the 160k stock suspension as im sure you can guess was in need of replacement horribly..But i don't think ive seen a rusted out ADS shock ever. Check them out man. Well worth the premium for that.

While 100k out of your OME is seriously impressive, the rubber bushings in those must be on their last legs. have you checked the rubber lower lately? id be mostly curious as to what they look like right now..I know on my 5100 they lasted a year or so. I still drove them like that but not exactly safe or ideal..

Still your points are valid and i get them. But i spend 80% of my life now in the city of St Louis and i still have Kings on my daily driver and i love it. Plus i know if i were to get a bumper or something up front..i could just crank up the CO. or i can rebuild them in another 50k or so. Which i know they will need new heims by then and shafts as the shafts are a bit pitted already and im the 3rd owner of them.


Still for simplicity sake, the OME is a very good option if not the best option. I know from the two rigs ive been in they ride okay, but im not sure id want them after having the setups i do now.

 

FWIW, the bushings on my OME COs are still looking just fine. They are poly bushings not rubber. I have had to replace the rubber (OEM Style) bushings that come in the fixed end of the Dakars however. But the fronts are still in good shape.

 

ah didn't know they where poly.

Cool!

 

Anyone know what this is? I found it under my side window while prepping for bedliner.

 

experimented with my magnetic light. Now I really want rock lights!

 

Doing a little remodeling on my sons Tacoma. Gutted the interior. dynamated and sound deadened the interior. changed interior color to black. I advised against it but he is the one that is going to be hot not me. Apolstered the door panels and installed a carpet kit. leds inside and out. Did the map light mod from a 4runner blue instrument cluster leds before the grill billet grill new bhl and turn signals. Painted bumper and plastic dipped chrome caps. It has been a busy two weeks. Taking a week off and then this.

 

Looks good

 

Thanks doins billis and ES bushing's next week. My son is helping alot. He is going to love or hate wrenching when we are done. So far so good. Having a good time doing the build.

 

Ooooooh I need to do that USB charging port thing. That is super cool

 

Attempted to rebuild my calipers but two Pistons were seized on the passenger side and one on the drivers side so they got replaced with dura last remans.

 

Loaded mine with 1072 pounds of landscape blocks and hauled it 40 miles home. Little truck got big muscles!