silverbullet02's 2002 Regular Cab Build Thread

Hi everyone, after lurking on here for a few months I have finally decided to start my own build thread. I didn't know much about vehicles when I started, but now only a few years later I've learned more than I ever thought I would!

My truck is a 2002 Tacoma Single Cab 4x4 base model with the 2.7L engine. It has manual everything, and I absolutely love it! It was handed down to me from my dad on my 16th birthday with 249,000 miles. It currently has 267,000 on it.

My mods list is pretty short so far, but it will definitely grow

Mods

Red = Replaced/No longer in use

Audio:

• JVC KD-G310 CD Receiver
• FlexSMART X3 Mini Bluetooth Adapter
• Pioneer DEH-X6800BT
• Kicker KSC68 6x8" Speakers

Communications:

• Uniden Pro-520XL CB
• Pyle 65 Watt PA Horn
• $20 Uniden BC7 Bearcat 7-Watt External Communications Speaker. Durable Rugged Design, Perfect for Amplifying Uniden Scanners, CB Radios, and Other Communications Receivers.,Black
  Uniden BC7 Communications Speaker
• 3' Firestik
• Heavy duty spring
• Quick disconnect
• Firestik Hood Channel Mount (Repurposed for use in the bed)

Electrical:

• Blue Sea 6 Bus Fuse Block with Negative
• Paranoid Fab Double-Din switch panel
  • CB Radio switch
  • 30" Light Bar switch
  • Passenger Eject switch

Interior:

• UltraGuage
• Paracord Wrapped Grab Handles

Exterior:

• New Headlights
• Bushwhacker Extend-A-Fender Flares
• Welded Frame

Lighting:

• Cali Raised LED 30" Light bar mounted in the lower front bumper valence

Performance:

• LCE Performance 3RZ Pro Flow Exhaust System (Magnaflow)
• Stickers

Suspension/Wheels/Tires:

• SCS Matte Gunmetal F5's 3.5" BS
• 265/75/R16 BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2s @30psi
• 2.5" lift from Wheeler's Off-Road consisting of:
  • OME 881 Coils
  • Front and Rear Blistein 5100s
  • New top plates, stem cushions, and washers for front shocks
  • Wheeler's Multi Leaf AAL 1.5" 3 Leaf Progressive (Includes new U-Bolts and center pins)
  • Wheeler's 4x4 Differential Drop Kit with Skid Plate Spacers
  • 2 new Lower Front Strut Mount bolts
  • 1/4" Polyurethane Top Plate Spacer (for compensation for the driver's side lean)
  • Rear Brake Proportioning Valve Relocation Kit
  • 19" Red Extended Rear Brake Line

Armor:

• Trail Gear 58" Weld-On Sliders (Waiting to be installed)

Future Plans:

• Tundra Big Brake Upgrade
• Re-gear
• Addicted Off-Road front bumper
• Wheeler's Offroad Stainless Steel Front Brake Lines (Purchased)
• Rear Locker (Either Toyota E-Locker or ARB Air Locker or Harrop E-Locker)
• Bumpstops for rear suspension
• Skid Plate set

Current Picture - 5/19/18:


First Post-Lift Picture:


The first picture I have... 'Merica!


Some random stock pictures:



In the fall after I inherited the truck, I had some fun in a corn field! It was a ton of fun, but I am still finding bits of dirt and corn husks months later...



A few months later, in December, I was involved in my first accident. I slid down an icy hill into a support cable for a telephone pole. I learned a valuable lesson, and luckily the damage was not too bad and no one was hurt.


Soon everything was fixed (an expensive lesson), and I took the opportunity to install brand new headlights! They sure make a world of a difference!



A few months later, when winter turned to spring, I finally pulled the trigger on my first "big" mod: Bushwhacker Fender Flares. I really like how they completely covered the rust on the bedsides of my truck, and in my opinion, they made my Tacoma look like a brand new truck!


Well, that's all for now. In the future I'd like to get a lift with new wheels and tires, as well as a roll bar and some lights. Any tips/guidance would be much appreciated!

 

Snapped a nice picture after I washed my truck the other day



EDIT: Going to add in a maintenance record here for my own reference:

265,000 - Rotated tires, used anti-seize on the threads
265,000 - Oil change with filter
265,000 - Cleaned throttle body
266,900 - Replaced upstream O2 Sensor
267,000 - Replaced passenger outer tie rod on trail
267,345 - Alignment
267,000 - Oil change (No filter)

 

Today I picked up my truck from a welder friend of mine who worked on the frame for me (I don't know how to weld). Since this truck has spent its whole life in the northern states, it's frame pretty much looked like Swiss cheese. My dad never takes his vehicles into the dealerships for any reason, and he wasn't even aware there was a frame recall let alone that he had to have it under coated to activate the warranty. So this is our solution for missing out. Tomorrow we will be undercoating it so it does not rust any further that it already has.

Drivers side front


Drivers side leaf spring area


Drivers side rear wheel area


Passenger side front


Passenger side leaf spring area


Passenger side rear wheel area


After only a day of driving with the welded frame it's amazing how much firmer the truck feels, it must have been flexing pretty heavily before.

 

Celebrating the 4th of July with flags and (stock) flex!

 

Today I had some spare time so I wrapped my grab handles in Paracord. I like the way it looks, it's useful and adds a nice touch to my interior, not to mention a little more comfy to grab onto now! This thread has the video I followed for it, it's pretty easy to do
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/paracord-oh-shit-handles-tut.408833/


You can see where I Velcro-mounted my Ultra Guage as well.

 

A lot has happened in the past month as far as my truck is concerned. I completely wire wheeled and undercoated my frame, and I tried out some rust converter as well. It all appears to be working quite well (not to mention the black underside looks pretty sharp!). I don't have any pictures of the process or final result at the moment however...

Another mod that took place was the replacement of the radio head unit. It had already been upgraded from stock about 10 years ago for my dad, but I was looking for something a little more modern. The FlexSmart X3 Mini worked very well for the price, but my manual transmission seemed to mess up the radio signal it was putting out sometimes, making it extremely fuzzy and unpleasant to listen to. The radio I chose for the replacement was the Pioneer DEH-X6800BT. It has all the features I could ever want: Bluetooth, Radio, CD, USB, Aux, handsfree phone capabilities, as well as variable color illumination settings. My friend and I wired it up and and installed ourselves and I think it turned out great! I ended up matching the buttons to the orange color of my dash and matching the display to that of my UltraGuage. I think the contrast looks pretty good! Also, I ended up running the microphone up the driver's side A Pillar underneath the rubber, where I clipped it to the visor.





Although I don't have any pictures, I got a set of 16" SCS F5's in Matte Gunmetal with 3.5" BS! Vin was great to work with! They will have to wait for the lift to go on though...

Finally, I got around to ordering some new suspension hardware from Wheeler's Off-Road!
I am going for about a 2" lift with all the new equipment. Dan and everyone who answered my questions on TW was very helpful throughout all my research and the buying process.

Here's what I ended up going with:

• OME 881 Coils
• Front and Rear Blistein 5100s
• New top plates, stem cushions, and washers for front shocks
• Wheeler's Multi Leaf AAL 1.5" 3 Leaf Progressive (Includes new U-Bolts and center pins)
• Wheeler's 4x4 Differential Drop Kit with Skid Plate Spacers
• 2 new Lower Front Strut Mount bolts
• 1/4" Polyurethane Top Plate Spacer (for compensation for the driver's side lean)
• Rear Brake Proportioning Valve Relocation Kit
• 19" Red Extended Rear Brake Line

Next on my list: Install the Lift!

 

Looking good! That flag is the best mod

 

Thanks!!

 

Well needless to say, it has been a busy couple of weeks as far as the truck is concerned! It started out with a professional install of my lift kit (I decided I did not want to deal with the years of corrosion myself). I have to say I really like the Blistein Shocks/OME 881 combo. The truck feels approximately 200% better on the road. There were bumps on the highway that were so violent that they used to shut off my cruise control, and now I don't even notice they are there! I compressed one of my old shocks and it never sprang back... I think it was time for replacements! Oh, and sadly the shop wasn't able to fit the 1/4" Spacer in on the driver's side, not sure if there is a trick for how to fit it in or something, but I figure I can live with it as the slight lean isn't noticeable to me.

Here's the last picture of the truck with stock suspension


And here it is with the lift installed (Still running the stock 225/75/R15 tires/wheels)


I liked the look of the lift and stock tires/wheels, but with my 16" F5s sitting in the garage I had an excuse to upgrade to new tires as well! I ended up going with 265/75/R16 BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2s. Paired with the gunmetal F5s they look really cool in my opinion. I've only had them on a few days now and I've already received multiple compliments. We will see how they hold up being daily driven on a gravel road. The only differences I've noticed due to tire size is a noticeable but not awful loss of power. There is maybe one or two hills on my drive that require me to downshift to fourth gear when it wasn't necessary before. Otherwise, the Taco is handling the new shoes wonderfully!




I also took some rough measurements of the height of my truck (measured from my garage floor the the middle-bottom of my Bushwhacker Flares).

Stock:
Rear Passenger: 35 1/4"
Front Passenger: 34 1/2"
Rear Driver: 35"
Front Driver: 34 1/2"

After Lift:
Rear Passenger: 37 1/2"
Front Passenger: 36 3/4"
Rear Driver: 37 1/2"
Front Driver: 36 5/8"

After Lift and Tires:
Rear Passenger: 39"
Front Passenger: 38 1/2"
Rear Driver: 38 3/4"
Front Driver: 38 1/4"

Interesting how the driver's side is now EXACTLY 1/4" lower than the passenger side. It's a shame the shop wasn't able to fit the spacer in...

I haven't quite decided what I want to do next on my truck, possibly a light bar in the bumper, a new muffler (Magnaflow?), or maybe a CB radio in the ashtray with an external PA system. I really haven't decided though. If you guys have any ideas please let me know!

 

With school getting started again, I haven't had time to update my build much, but a lot has happened!

First off is the truck picture I took with my friends on the first day. Two of my friends have trucks, a 2001 Dodge Dakota V8 and a 1992 Chevy K1500 V8. Clearly I'm a little outnumbered in the cylinder department...


A few weeks later, a massive flood happened in our town. Bridges were closed, and the entire park was under water! The water even came over the road near my house, so I took the opportuinity to snap some nice pictures as well as explore through some mud.





Loving these SCS wheels and BFG KO2s!



I also added some horsepower


Waxed and washed our two "fun cars" as well... can you tell we're a Toyota family?



More to come soon...

 

In early October, my dad and I went out to Wyoming to go elk hunting. I had a cow elk tag. We were hunting about 45 min northeast of Casper. I eventually got a shot at a cow, but missed since she was in the brush. Regardless, it was quite the rush and I look forward to the next time!! Every day we hunted off the peak in the first picture. One afternoon we went out looking for new hunt areas and ended up doing a bit of mild off-roading. I'd say my dad's F-150 handled the terrain well! The adventure gave me a little bit of practice at wheeling too.







Snow at camp... and our heater broke

 

When I returned the UPS man had left me a gift

 

What were the deciding factors for your suspension setup?

 

I wanted a setup that was actually built to handle off roading, however I also wasn't looking to drop thousands of dollars on kings or similar setups. The shop originally recommended a Rough Country setup, but this website always tended to recommend Old Man Emu. It was a little out of my price range, so I changed the shocks to Blisteins. I'm very happy with the ride quality on and off road.

So in summery: price, quality, and tacomaworld recommendation were the main factors.

 

I've been terrible with updates lately, since school has been taking up all my spare time. I installed the LCE Pro-Flow exhaust system. Its a little bit ricey, most noticably at higher RPMs, but I think it has managed to get a V6-like rumble out of the little four-banger! Also, I just received all the parts for my CB Radio and PA system. I went with the Uniden Pro-520XL and 3 foot Firestik antenna. Hopefully I will get it all installed this coming weekend!

 

I like the way you think. Looking for something similar for my single cab. Do you mind if I ask the total cost?

 

It ended up being around $900 from Wheelers, and that included shipping as well as front strut assembly. It costed about $300 more for installation at a dedicated 4x4 shop.

 

Well, my friend and I got the CB and related components installed this weekend! I had to create custom brackets to hold the relay/fuse block and the PA horn.




The CB radio install in the ashtray went very smoothly with just a little dremel work required. This webpage shows what you need to cut: .
I followed the post by TacoDell (with the blue lines). For anyone who is gonna do this install I would highly recommend finding a coaxel "elbow connector" so the CB can slide all the way back into the dash.



All the electrical work with the fuse box went well. We tied the relay into the remote turn on wire for my stereo, so any fuse box accessories will not drain my battery.



I mounted the PA on the opposite side of the engine bay. I really like it so far! It's pretty loud without an amplifier, but I may add one in the future just for the heck of it. I set up a small Uniden speaker underneath my seat to hear incoming transmissions a bit better.



The antenna ended up on the driver's side bedrail. I repurposed a firestik hood channel mount for the antenna.




Overall, I'm very happy with the result. The CB will add some functionality and the antenna looks pretty sweet! The PA will allow me to yell at my friends and have a little bit of fun from time to time.

 

Well it has been quite a busy summer, not only did I complete some more mods on my 02, I bought another Tacoma: a 2013 Baja TX 6MT. I added a 30" Cali Raised LED light bar in the lower valence of the 02, and I also added in a Paranoid Fabrications bracket for my switches. Although I can't get any pictures right now because college is in full swing, I have to say I am quite impressed with the amount of light the bar puts out! I don't even need to to have my headlights on to see! As for the switches, I used OTRATTW switches, and even added in a "passenger eject" switch to scare my passengers

The 2013 is a whole different animal than the 2002. It only has 30k miles on her so far, but already I've completed the Fog Light anytime mod, the rear differential breather relocation mod, and I color-matched the grille. This weekend I am going up to the Iron Range OHV Area to test her out!



I won't clog up this build with any more pictures of the Baja, it has it's own dedicated build threat in the 2nd Gen section! Sadly I won't be able to do much with the first gen until about May, when I am out of school and can slowly begin turning her from daily driver to a true off-road rig!

 

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