Just Bought Stock '01 Double Cab TRD- Time to MOD

Guys-

First of all, I'd like to thank you for all the information you've ALREADY provided me before me even posting this. It has been incredibly helpful, useful and I've learned a lot already. Sincerely, thank you for posting and thank you for sharing.

Like the name says... I'm 3 Tacoma's in already. LOOOONG story short... I started out with a 2WD Double Cab (it was a gift) until I got it stuck in a creek crossing on the way to a duck hole in Central Texas on a Saturday and then had it traded in for a BRAND NEW 2011 4WD Tacoma that next Monday. I was in the Army at the time and not putting NEAR as many miles as I am now on vehicles. I put 117K + miles on that truck 6 years AND I was deployed for 2 of those years... I'm the GM of a sales/leasing company in Houston, TX and we have 3 different office locations in/around Houston so I now put about 30-35K miles a year on a vehicle.

So, after being rear-edned by a drunk driver and waiting on the settlement AND putting so many miles on a car, AND getting my wife a new car (Lexus GX) AND buying a Honda Accord [insert female body part comments here] for everyday driving because it gets good gas mileage and is cheap AND not being able to load my wife's GX up with muddy dogs/duck decoys/flat bottom boats with mud-motors AND liking the 1st GEN Tacomas AND needing one to take hunting/fishing/camping/off-road AND it being a 'border-line classic' in my eyes... I bought it.

My last Tacoma (the 2011) had all the stuff on it (bumper, rails, winch, tires, lift, rims, you name it...) and I got it all done by 4Wheel Parts while I was in Afghanistan, so I could come home and be finished so I could drive it for 2 weeks. (I was a single Captain at the time with 0 bills and 0 obligation to anything but the US Govt)... On THIS '01 I'd really like to do a lot of the work myself. Being now that I'm married, have kids, blah blah blah, and for the sheer fact that I'd like to learn about doing it myself- I'm really trying to order the parts and do the work so: 1. I'll know how to do it 2. I'll understand it and 3. I'll REALLY know how to maintain it perfectly. Also, when my son gets old enough (he's 3 right now) we can get a truck that we can work on together and he can put some sweat into and appreciates when it's his time to drive.

That's the cliff notes of where I've been...

Here is where I'm at right now...

1. Truck gets delivered to my door tomorrow.
2. I've got an appointment to get everything checked out on it and get the no-sh*** assessment of what is going on with this truck.
3. I've got a Sales Order from Wheeler's sitting in front of me right now with:
a. OME Complete Suspension System (2883 Coils)
b. NEW 'Top-Hat', Spacers, Shackles, Spacers, Bolts, Grease, Ect...
c. NEW UCAs (Upper Control Arms)
d. NEW Sway Bar Bushings
e. NEW Steering Rack Bushings Kit
f. TG Rock Rails
4. Get to work on getting everything installed ASAP

I have an air compressor, pneumatic impact wrench and am taking a trip to get all the sockets for this stuff here in the next few minutes.

I'll have some questions on some different stuff, but wanted to thank you guys and let you know where I'm at and where I'm going. I've read the entire post of @Box Rocket and that's more or less what I want my truck to look like- with doing the work myself.

Thanks again guys, and thank you for your help in advance.

-Ryan

 

Trying to add pics...

 

Very nice clean truck.

Those wheels don't look like they are original. They look like the 15" alloys from the 98-00 TRD's.

 

Good looking truck! First thing I'd do is the locker anytime mod (gray wire mod). I'd like to be able to use the locker on 4-hi. 2nd would be the air box mod (deckplate).

 

@DriverSound - For Sure. I'll be knocking that one out pretty quick. The lockers are pretty key for what I do- mostly mud and swamps down here in TX.

I was honestly thinking about keeping the rims and just putting 32's on it to not have to deal with the rubbing issue and not have to cut the fenders at all. Is 1 extra inch that big of a deal?

 

Def a nice looking truck! those are my favorite Toyota rims, had them on my 96 years ago.

Hows the frame on the truck? Looks as if it's been undercoated, looks like mine but better.

 

The frame has been under coated. I will find out what it looks like tomorrow when it's delivered! I honestly bought it from a guy out of South Carolina and had it shipped to Texas. It has super low miles for the year and I knew if I didn't jump on it, it was going to go quick!

 

Yeah, they do go fast if you don't act on it. I drove 4 hours one way to look at mine and picked it up on the spot. Make sure to post up some pics when you get it in tomorrow.

 

That is beautiful! Those seats are almost too nice for our truck-are they leather? Mod away but try to keep it nice like it is now and not ruin it with too much offroad crap.
signed-Old Fart

 

What kind of seat covers are those?

 

Looks great. Time to get some grease under the fingernails!

 

Yeah, for sure. That is in fact leather. I'm not going to go too crazy with it- I'm just trying make it look nice AND functional at the same time. I'll post some more pics tomorrow when it gets in.

Thanks guys!

-Ryan

 

32s will rub. You need to do pinch weld mod for 32s and 33s. Wont have to cut actual fender.

 

I love the interior, im jealous of the leather.

 

unicorn.. Congrats on the find!

 

I think that is an aftermarket leather kit. Looks great!

 

Those are 4Runner rims, yes? I don't know about TRD, I see them on 4Runners all the time.
Sweet truck. How much was it?

 

Very nice clean 1st gen and double cab!

 

If they are 16", they are 4runner wheels.
If they are 15", they are likely 95-00 Tacoma wheels. Those wheels came in two sizes.

 

I had an 03 with those wheels and they were 16's.