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

vinyl blinds (think thats what there called. like the curtain type deal that goes in front of a window. I used a strip under my rack to prevent direct contact.

 

how do you like em. I ordered 3 that should be here this week.

 

What speaker adapters did you guys use for your 1st gens?

 

plywood+jigsaw+15minutes



or you can find molded plastic ones on eBay

 

Learned that my UBJs are about toast and now deciding if I should just replace the UBJ's or upgrade the UCAs in the process... Hmm... so many options... (current UCAs are Light Racing)

 

Having grease-able uppers was a consideration but the replacement UBJs for the LC uppers are grease-able and I can get them for about $75-80. Any new UCA would run a lot more and I'm not sure it would be worth it.

 

I like them a lot so far. Construction seems decent. Came with clear and diffused protective covers. Haven't really been able to put them to the test on dark mountain roads, but I think they'll throw plenty of light. I think they look a lot better than the light bar too.

 

i much prefer round lights myself. my hella 500s have degraded over the years with 55watt hids in them.

 

I thought about making the cuts myself. Did the math on plywood/mdf, abs/hdpe and the adapter plates will have to work. Not alot of options because the factory adapter has the speaker at a slight angle. This last speaker adapter I bought is suppose to be specifically for the 1st gen tacomas so I'll how that goes. If not than I'll go abs/hdpe

Like so

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol-dM0dUjqU

 

Ok guys, need your expertise.
My wife's 02 prerunner needs new coils, struts, and rear shocks (124k). She does not want it lifted. NAPA, KYB, or maybe if I can talk her into it OME880's with nitrochargers.
What say you?
Also need a fuel filter and diff fluid for hers and my 03 4x4, what are your suggestions. Mostly dd, I wheel mine but mostly FS roads for camping, snow wheeling etc, nothing extreme.
Thanks in advance,
Mike

 

I would go with the old man emu even if that's over kill for what your wife needs. As for diff lube I used Lucas synthetic heavy duty

$29 75w-90 Synthetic Gear Lube - 1 Quart (Pack of 2)

75w-90

 

Plus you can show that inner fender who's boss with the grease nipple.

 

That's where sits

 

Thanks for your response, I guess I was hoping for suggestions with some meat to back it up. Why would you choose it, advantages/disadvantages, cost/benefit etc
If I was to use synthetic, do I need to flush the diff beforehand? Why is synthetic better?
I have run with standard for 112k, yes I have changed it, just trying to do more work myself and be better informed. Thanks. Mike

 

Personally I would stick with regular old dino oil in the diffs, it is recommended for things that rarely reach temps high enough to boil the water content out of them. Many of the popular synthetic oils are hygroscopic meaning they absorb water content from the air (not a lot mind you) but that is why popular diff builders advise against it for long term. Dino oil is cheap and changed at regualar intervals (like 30k for diffs, performs great). Synth oils are great for just about everything else on the truck though.

Suspension on TW almost always has a cult following behind it on TW, find the cult (thread) and you find the info you're looking for. That said he probably offered up OME as a solid choice because when sold as a complete set it tends to ride satisfactorily and be low maintenance (better than from the factory without being stock), it also has lots of choices for controlling lift height (if any) and load carrying. Any questions specifically?

 

I didn't think that on synthetic diff oil. Well I'm changing it soon then

 

I wouldn't sweat it too much, just nice for peace of mind. One of those rare times when synth should have a shorter change interval.

 

Yea, true. But who wants that thought at the back of there mind that there diff has water in it and potentially rusting.

 

If I went with NAPA or KYB is there a downside, poor performance, short life? I can get NAPA with coils already assembled and rear shocks for $400 no shipping. OME is $700 plus shipping and $ 40 for my mechanic to assemble. Both will require an alignment after install. She only drives it 3 days a week.

 

I put a new battery in mine. 6 years on the old one I thought was pretty good.