Totmacher's maybe not right but it works Build

Wife thought this was hilarious.
It is the real purpose for the center hoop on aftermarket bumpers...
Since I don't have a winch, the plate inside the bumper is a perfect place to stand to reach top of the engine.
Throttle body and some other parts cleaned up nicely now.
Found a stick under the air filter housing.

 

all clean.
Clean enough anyway.
Truck has been washed twice and driven through the rain since last wheeling trip but there is still mud/silt up in there.

 

I've sprayed mine off twice and driven through 2 days of rain but not washed it yet so it still looks like shit, just minus the caked on mud

 

I like the 2 tone. Haha

 

sorta fixed my jacked cv boot. Somehow had suctioned in to wrinkle over on itself. Grabbed the bootclamp in my fence pliers to loosen it, heard air suck in as boot expanded back to normal while I pried on the clamp. Couldn't get the clamp back tight and couldn't get it off either so there is now a hose clamp tightened over it. Guess I'll have a shop replace clamp eventually.



edit: nevermind. ducktape it is. i overtightened hose clamp. it broke.

 

freshly painted skid plates. Gunmetal metallic now instead of red.

Air filter doesn't look too bad at all for having at least 1 real wheeling trip, multiple dirt road fishing/camping spot rides and 23,000 miles in 12 months.

 

DIY bedside reinforcements nearly done.

Pics and how-to coming soon.

 

Good looking truck buddy!

 

Subbed, I want to see where "no beer" gets me.

 

so i went out looking for a M12-1.50 thread high strength bolts...

I'm now 4 shots deep and waiting on dinner. 6 shots still on the table. Don't think the brackets are getting done today.

 

I have some I think. Will be grade 8 or higher black SHCS. What length you need??

 

AHA.
I found where Toyota bitched out and used non metric.
Tie-downs at back of the bed are 7/16-20 thread, not M12.

 

Brackets done. Ratchet strap has been removed. Bedsides appear to be pretty much where I wanted them. Grease lines on the tailgate catches looks like I'm back to original position from before the caps splayed it open. We'll see if my amateur welding skills hold up over time.

FYI about stock bolts back there.
* Small bolts at top, around taillight, etc are M6x1.0 thread. They are weaker than the weld nut they go into and you can easily torque these bolts in 2 (better that than stripping the weld nut though).
* Swivel tie-down is 7/16-20 thread.
* Big bed bolt is

$13 M12x1.25 mm Self-Locking Nylon Insert Hex Lock Nuts, Pack of 6

M12x1.25 thread.

 

Notes and pics for research purposes if anyone else wants to make their own bedside brackets.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-bedsides-reinforcement-brackets.485409/

 

What's the point of this?

 

mainly relieving stress from lower corners before it cracks. Other guys have had bed splay enough to crack the oem metal. Also squares the bed back to original width for tailgate latches to strike the right spot.

 

Had a horrible rattle. Sounded like shit driving in parking deck at work.
Finally found it.
Pebbles in a heat shield.
Rattle seems gone but tapping exhaust sounds like sand in the pipe at the low spot where it crosses under the transfer case. As long as the rattling is gone, oh well.


Maybe it's time to chop off the whole exhaust.

 

i had the same thing in my brake dust guards. horrible sound, but just some rocks on sheet metal...

 

Age: ~30 hrs.
Already grinning for daddy.
Turns out this is how you stabilize the arm of a newborn with a fractured clavicle. Tie a blanket or wear long sleeves and safety pin it down. I don't trust pins so blanket it is.

 

She's precious.