PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

A good friend of mine divorced her husband a while back. The husband's current daily driver is a red 2002 Toyota Tacoma DCSB TRD 4x4 with 3.4L V6/auto. He and my friend bought the truck used about a decade ago when they were still married, for almost nothing. Now, my friend's daughter has just turned 16 and gotten her learner's permit. Dad wants to give the Tacoma to daughter, but daughter doesn't want the Tacoma because among other things she thinks it's old and beat up.

The Tacoma is in good enough condition that it will pass state inspection, but I haven't seen it in person in probably 8 years and my friend tells me it is rough. Among other things, the interior is trashed, the seats are worn out, and the exterior has the usual wear-and-tear associated with age. The truck was involved in a minor fender bender where the ex-husband tapped somebody and the damage was never fixed.

The truck has not been involved in any other accidents that I am aware of, and the title is clear.

The frame WAS replaced under the recall at some point after my friend and her husband bought it used, so it has a new frame.

The truck has 160K-170K on the clock and as far as I know runs good. My friend told me that the A/C and heat work, and I'm assuming the power windows, power locks, and cruise control work as well. This Tacoma is totally stock.

I told my friend that she should get her ex-husband to give her the truck under the guise of giving it to her daughter, and then once the title was in my friend's name we'd talk business. I told my friend that if she and her daughter really didn't want the truck, I'd be happy to take it off their hands no questions asked for $500-$1,000. I told her it was worth way more than that if fixed up and properly marketed, but that I would drive it as a 4x4 "winter beater," spruce it up a bit, and then flip it in the spring. My friend does not seem to have any problem selling to me way below what it's worth...

So, whaddya think? Yay or nay?!?!

 

Children these days, she just needs to tell her she either accepts it as her first vehicle or gets nothing and likes it.

 

That's what I said, but it sounds like my friend is gonna buy her something newer.

I really want this truck so I can potentially flip it for a profit.

 

Firstly: I'm sorry, is this free vehicle not good enough for you? Go buy your own then...


@PennSilverTaco don't flip it. KEEP IT. Get some off-road armor and some seat covers. Go play in the dirt/rocks.

 

Here is another idea I have...

The starting point would be a 2005-2014 RC 5-lug, preferably a 5-speed. Obviously, nobody in their right mind would rip apart a perfectly good RC, so I would start with one of the following:

1. A high-mileage and/or well-used example that runs and drives at least "fair" and has a clear title.
2. An example that has a rebuildable/salvage title as a result of airbag deployment but minimal body damage (airbag deployment will total even newer vehicles, even if there is little or no actual damage), a collision that resulted in significant body damage but no frame damage or other structural issues, or has freshwater damage.
3. If you don't intend on using the truck on public roads and plan to use it on private property and/or trailer or everywhere, then a truck with a certificate of destruction/export only/parts only/junk title or one that doesn't have a title.

 

Why not just make a lemon racer?

 

Let's start with project truck option #1, in which case we will assume you plan registering the truck for road use. In my opinion, you are absolutely crazy if you tear apart any Tacoma that has a clear title, runs and drives, and doesn't have severe frame rust.

If you live in a state that does not have emissions testing and/or safety inspections, then by all means remove the catalytic converter and straight-pipe it!

If you want a truck that's at least somewhat tolerable for daily driver duty and/or you don't really see the need to cut weight, then here's what you I would do:

1. Start with chassis/suspension/brakes; either install X-Runner suspension or some other performance-oriented suspension, or fabricate your own suspension; Convert brakes to 4-wheel disc and install slotted/cross-drilled rotors and high-performance calipers/pads from Brembo or another performance manufacturer. If you plan on off-roading, the install a long-travel suspension setup instead of an X-runner setup.
2. Do everything you can possibly do to the engine to make it faster while still complying with emissions regulations; exhaust, air intake, ECU, turbo (we are talking about a 2.7L 2nd gen here in case you forgot), etc; the 2.7L makes plenty of power in stock form, at least in my opinion, and makes about 132hp at the wheels; Getting that figure to 150-170 at the wheels, while still being able to pass smog in California, should not be difficult!
3. I would personally never remove the A/C, but if not having A/C doesn't bother you, then removing the A/C system in its entirety is one of the easiest ways to cut weight; operation of the heater and defogger will not be affected; Again, unless the truck was a diehard off-roader or track toy, I highly recommend against removing the A/C!
4. Add exterior accessories like fog lights, bug deflectors, and rain guards.
5. If the project truck does not already have a decent aftermarket stereo installed, then by all means replace the stock system, especially if the truck is 2005-2008!

 

Made some new friends today!

 

@booted
@Iamraiderpower
@Jamesboy2233
@Plain Jane Taco

What does everybody think of 1991-1996 Dodge Dakotas, specifically the 1992-1993 models?


July 26th, 2014:

Mohnton, Pennsylvania

 

I wanted one. I test drove one. It was not comfortable.

 

I drove my boss’s 6” rough country block & spacer lifted 2013 f150 today. Drove fine except it felt too disconnected from the road. From all the things I hear about its comfort, I expected better seats though. The seats were really not much better than my Tacoma. Also, no rear view camera...

 

@booted
@Iamraiderpower
@Jamesboy2233
@Plain Jane Taco


My dad owned a 1992 Dodge Dakota LE supercab 2WD with the 3.9L V6 and 5-speed manual transmission. He bought it new in 1992 and had every intention of holding onto it for a while. However, the winter of 1992-1993 was particularly bad in our area (some people might remember the 1993 "Storm of the Century" in March of that year). My dad actually got hit in the Dodge Dakota in March 1993, by a woman in a Toyota Tercel who'd spun out on the ice, while driving in that storm. The damage done to my dad's Dakota was remarkably similar to the damage my Tacoma received from a drunk driver more than 20 years later, but that's besides the point. The woman in the Tercel had good insurance and my dad's truck was fixed, good as new, but that was besides the point. After the so-called storm of the century, my dad decided he wanted a 4x4. He traded the Dakota for a new S-10 Blazer in June 1993. Anyway, the point I am trying to make is that I have a bit of a soft spot for these trucks, and the fact that my dad and my uncle both owned one at the same time probably had something to do with it! My dad bought a brand new Dakota Super LE from Keystone Dodge in the Allentown, Pennsylvania area. His younger brother knew the dealer and got my dad a deal on this truck. My dad has always been the type to settle for whatever is on the lot. As a result, the truck my dad bought did not have a posi rear. This probably had something to do with why it was so shitty in the snow. My dad liked his Dakota, and after my uncle (same one who got my dad the dealer) drove it, he decided he wanted one too. My uncle, however, almost always orders vehicles (he even ordered his new Tacoma S-runner in 2002). My uncle's truck was a black 1993 Dodge Dakota Sport regular cab short bed 2WD, with the same drivetrain as my dad's (3.9L V6 and 5-speed stick), but my uncle ordered his with a posi rear. My uncle always goes out of his way to make sure every new RWD truck he buys has a posi rear. The Sport trim was actually "lower" than the LE trim, but my uncle's '93 had more options than my dad's '92. My dad's supercab actually had just about every luxury feature except power windows and power locks. My uncle ordered his regular cab with everything, including power windows and locks.

 

Backup cameras weren't mandated in passenger vehicles (which includes light trucks) until the 2017 model year...

Unless it was a really loaded XLT or FX4, or a top-trim Lariat, a 2013 won't have one...

 

I caught up with the owner of the white 1992 Dodge Dakota Sport later on that day (this was at the 2014 Keystone Diesel Truck Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway), and got the opportunity to not only take some pictures but ask some questions about the truck. The owner acknowledged the fact that the truck was beat up and had definitely seen better days, but also said it was one of the best trucks he'd ever owned (he didn't buy it new). He said that truck ran and drove great, and refused to die; and basically said that as long as it kept going and passed inspection, he'd keep driving it. If I remember correctly, the truck had almost 200K on the clock at the time.

The following is info I've learned from the 1992 and 1993 sales brochures I have...

This truck has the Sport trim, which was aimed at the younger crowd. Priced in between the base trim and the top LE trim, the Sport trim included a good selection of standard features for a pickup truck at the time. Rear-wheel antilock brakes were standard in 1992, and 4-wheel antilock brakes became an option in 1993. The biggest news for 1992 was the new line of Magnum engines for the Dakota. From the debut year of 1987 through 1990 or so, the only engine choices were quite anemic to say the least. The standard engine was was 2.5L I-4 making barely 100hp, which remained virtually unchanged through the mid 1990s. The top engine until 1990 or so was another version of the 3.9L V6, which made just 125 horsepower! A limited number of 1989-1990 regular cab short bed 2WD Dakotas were shipped out to Shelby and fitted with 5.2L/318cid V8 engines producing about 175 horsepower. Apparently, Carroll Shelby bought himself a brand new Dodge Dakota as a shop truck and was understandably unimpressed with the truck's performance, so he dropped a 318 in and modified the truck accordingly. The Shelby Dakota quickly became a MOPAR-approved package. By 1991, a 5.2L V8 was an option in certain Dakotas, but it still made just 175 horsepower and less torque than the Shelby version. 1991 Dodge Dakotas look similar to 1992 models, but not identical. The easiest way to tell them apart is because all 1991 Dakotas have sealed-beam headlamps. By 1992, only the base Dakotas had sealed-beam headlamps. 1991 Dakotas still had the 125hp non-Magnum 3.9L V6 as the middle engine choice.

Enter the magnum...

For the 1992 model year, both the Dakota and the Ram lineups received updated Magnum engines. The Ram had been available with the Cummins since 1989, but it's gas engine options were relatively lackluster (the same as the Dakota). The Magnum 3.9L V6 (which my dad's '92 and my uncle's 1993 both had) produced 180 horsepower, and the Magnum 5.2L V8 produced 230 horsepower (more than the full-size Chevy and Ford trucks of the same time). What sucks is that the V8 was only available with an automatic transmission.

 

NICE!!!

 

Believe it or not, while ABS was standard, power steering was an extra-cost option on base 2WD Dakota regular cabs. Opting for the Sport trim gave you power steering as standard. With the Sport trim, you also got full instrumentation (tachometer, etc), an AM/FM cassette, unique interior trim, and a bunch of other options. One could order a Sport as loaded or as stripped-down as they wanted. The 2.5L 4-banger was standard, though from what I've seen was fairly uncommon in 1992-1993 Sport models. Most got either the 3.9L V6 or the 5.2L V8. The trac-loc (posi) rear was an extra-cost option (my uncle's 1993 had this, the white 1992 in the photos does not). You could order your Sport with A/C, cruise, tilt, and power everything like my uncle did, or you could just get the bare minimum. I saw a blue 1992-1993 Sport regular cab on eBay maybe 6-7 years ago that had been special ordered for the sole purpose of being fast. It has the 5.2L V8, which by default came with a 4-speed automatic transmission, and it had a 3.92 posi rear. It had no A/C, no cruise, no tilt, and rollup windows. Since it was a Sport, it came with a cassette deck by default. The owner had added some mild performance mods to it and intended to race it, but ended up mothballing it for like two decades. It had obscenely low miles and looked like a brand new truck, and it was gone in less than a week.

 

I had a 2001 R/T reg cab Dakota HCI and was a blast to drive

 

@Iamraiderpower
@Plain Jane Taco

July 26th, 2014:

Mohnton, Pennsylvania

 

I don't know if the badging on the hood scoop is truthful, but if it is, then this beast has a 426cid HEMI under the hood!


June 6th, 2015:

Easton, Pennsylvania

 

It’s a 5.9 stroker kit