What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

Geez I hope not, my pristine 2011 got totalled last year and I'm still not right. Of course my wife says I never was.
Be careful what you wish for.

 

Yeah, you right.

 

Had the Black Max Subaru around 18 months and very happy with it. After my son having been into the WRX scene I was convinced the Subaru brand makes good engines. Took a chance and couldn't be happier. I know Honda engines are good too.

 

You're a United States Marine! You'll adapt and overcome!!

 

Oh ok. I was guna be at 32.6". You think those would clear?

 

After getting over the initial shock of it I calmed down. Fortunately the positive cable is a 2 piece so all I needed was the short piece. I was sweating that I would need the entire 6 foot to the alternator. Ordered one for $35 and found no issues on the negative. Just never saw a 2 year old car that had eroded away the battery clamp. No ToyotaCare on the Ford so my fault for not staying on top of it. Really bites having to remove wipers, cowl and pan assembly to service/remove the battery. I have kept at least one Ford in the family since I worked at a dealer back in the 70's. Had at least 15 Ranchero-F150-F250 trucks, 5 Mercury mini-vans and cars, 2 previous Escapes and now have a 16 Escape and a 07 Mercury Mariner. But I also have had numerous Toyota cars, SUV's and trucks. So I split my brand loyalty. You can rest assured that the battery will be coated in protection from now on.

 

Thanks so much! Well this was my second attempt at it. My first attempt I received my TACOMA Raptor logo Vinyl from @amirak with another piece to cover my actual scoop as well. However, I had been told that I should apply the scoop piece dry instead of using the wet method because of the need to stretch it over the corners. However, that didn’t go well at all. I also had a lot of bubbles that I didn’t like. Would they have disappeared, probably, but it just didn't go down nicely. Therefore, I received my second piece of vinyl from @CBoy808 to wrap my Scoop. I applied it the wet method and it was so much easier. Like wow. I would definitely recommend applying both of them with the wet method. The Tacoma Raptor piece that lies flat on the hood was pretty easy. I made sure I measured from both sides and from the top of the hood in both corners. Then I took a piece of scotch tape and taped the middle section down and the opposite end I taped down as well so it wouldn’t have any chance to move. Finally, I just started on the one half and made sure it was down. No bubbles whatsoever and it was straight as could be. My OCD definitely helped in this project. Once I was good with the first half, I flipped and did the second half. That section came out perfect. No bubbles and straight on both sides. Then I had the pause because of my screwup. The scoop part is a little more challenging. Since I am a beginner I say at a lot of this stuff, it helped having two people. Applying it to the Top, Sides, Front and Back was easy. The corners were interesting. I used a hair dryer to heat up the vinyl and then stretched it around each corner. I tucked the access around all of it underneath the scoop. You have to make sure you have about an inch of vinyl hanging over the edge. I just took my time and it came out amazing. Applying both sections with the wet method helps you so that you have no bubbles because you use a squeegee or card of some sort to lightly pull from the center to the edge and it removes all of the bubbles. The only way you learn how to do it is just to go for it. Vinyl isn’t that expensive if you screw up anyways. Just ask or purchase a roll of it. It’s definitely a fun project and immediate satisfaction once you are complete.

 

That's what my wife says to me when she sees me on Tacoma World or when she comes home from the post office with pkgs. or after UPS or FedEx leaves a package.
She's a keeper! Tolerates all the mods I'm doing and $$ I'm spending on my Taco. Doesn't keep her from giving me a poke in the ribs every once in a while. Dohh!
Also likes to remind me that I'm no Mark Cuban and that I don't have his money!
Hate it when she's right.

Mobtown Cubby Doors on their way!

 

On second thought, it’s a block heater plug, or there’s a plug in hybrid Tacoma option in Canada.

 

Thank you!

 

Now that's a smart kid!

 

My wife said my RTT looked funny, no, she called it silly, when it came. But after our last 5-day trip in Death Valley, she was convinced that I was a genius for getting it. Go figure...

Edit: My daughter said some kids at her middle school teased her about the big black box on her car during pickup, but she likes it too and said “so what?” to them. Imagine that, a middle schooler saying “so what” to being teased!

I plan on demonstrating the benefits of having a new skid and sliders to my wife soon enough on our next trip...

 

Put in a Deaver AAL I picked up from CBI.

I have a slight vibration around 25MPH. I'll talk to CBI tomorrow and see what they say, but it looks like I need some shims.

During:

After:

 

Yeah bud...don’t listen to the haters. They want everyone’s truck to look like theirs or else it’s not cool...no originality....do what you like...your not doing your build for anyone but yourself!

 

Been a busy couple of weeks...

Installed the Carharrt seat covers in the fronts. Fit is decent, nicely cut around the driver's side controls. Will see how it is after a few months of work. I would have liked to see some additional strapping to allow for tightening of the covers.

Installed the https://mattgeckoleds.com LED under hood lights and the bed lights. They add a great lighting for the hood and cargo area - the hood lights were handy running wires for the rears. Instructions were pretty clear, could have used a little more clarity when installing the combination hood/bed. Matt - I'll send you a note with some thoughts for the instructions. I am pretty retentive about wiring so I spent too much time getting wiring hidden, shrink wrapped and in looms. One thing that posed a bit of an install challenge was the placement of the lights in the bed. Nothing to do with the product. I have a backflip tonneau cover, so the bed rails are lowered. I also use the mounts to store my hi-lift so mounting under the rails means they are mostly covered, at least on the passenger side. I ended up mounting them under the lip of the tonneau cover. If I ever pull it off, the plan is to install quick-connects between the front strip and the sides and the switch to allow for removal without tearing out everything.

Painted up my shackles and receiver post so that in the event I have to pull out the gear, it's clean and well marked so it doesn't disappear.

And then used the truck for truck things and worked on my FJ. Cleaned the belly of the beast. A spring pipeline job a year ago was still coating the underside of the truck. Got under and chiseled away at the cement, took off all of the skid plates to clean them off and took it to the big rig wash where they have a ramp that allows you to walk under and wash the underside. Then pulled off the factory running boards and removed the ARB winch bumper for sandblast and bed liner application. The ruck was handy for hauling parts. Special thanks to one of my clients who let me use the shop forklift and hoist. Sadly, I thought about taking pictures, but that was after the work and I was enjoying a cold one - poured by a fellow Taco owner and forum user, at a local brew pub.

 

Put Mobtown sliders on. These are beefy and definitely aren’t going anywhere! Thanks for building such a quality set of sliders @Mobtown Offroad !

 

put my Ray 10's on. With Nitto Ridge Grapplers

 

I had a girlfriend years ago, Vietnamese, She came over with her family, at the end of Vietnam, she was 2 years old. Her dad was a pilot in the SVA. When they came here he worked as a auto mechanic...and died after just after a few years, from what she told me broken hearted of sorts since they left a big family behind and most were killed in 're-education' camps. Her mom has been in a mental hospital after a few years of her father dying. Pretty tragic.
Another friend of mine, teammate on a Men's indoor volleyball team I played on for years, came over as part of the 'boat people' from Vietnam when he was 4yrs. old. His father was also a pilot in the SVA. He lost his sister and parents in Vietnam, 1975. He was adopted here, became a pilot like his dad. He's retired now.

We...should never have been in Vietnam. The few people I knew, that went there and came back alive (US Army ground)....got messed up mentally....understandably.
And they suffered once they came back state side.....by people here. They should have been given heroes welcomes that they survived and treated as such. I have the utmost respect for them.

You're right on the former Marine thing, my bad. He is a long tall Texan, 6'-4", from Abilene, Texas. Always had a cowboy hat, boots, Texas belt buckle, flat top burr haircut and those Wrangler creased knit pants, drove a older Chevy 4x4 for years, even though he could have driven something much nicer....to him it worked, it was a truck what else would he need. Worked at NASA. One of the most down to earth, nicest, trustworthy people I have ever met. His son did good, just first year back his dad at least told me he was struggling with his living here and his 'brothers' still in Iraq.
So just as a 'funny'....when Clinton was prez and the whole kiss but don't tell military thing, gays in the military was raging on, I told him if he had heard that enlisted people would not have to salute officers anymore, they could just blow them a kiss.....he just looked at me and smiled and said that wasn't funny. ; )
Even at his age of 62, I'm sure he could kill me into a pile of goo...

 

Fiddled around and made up some raptor lights, I'll get around to wiring them in at some point...


Was more preoccupied adding a new hitch accessory...

Since I know someone will ask...
Salem Cruise Lite 201bhxl 24' overall 4200ish lbs dry, loaded will be just under 5200, which is about 80% max, so I feel fine with that. Towed fine. You can definitely tell it's back there. But didn't feel like it struggled at all or couldn't handle it. Proper WDH and sway control set up, plus a properly adjusted brake controller is key. If I ever take a trip on roads I think I'll have an issue (extended elevation/incline or weather) I'll just use the 1500 instead.