New move in

Hi, so I've driven a (mildly custom) 92 2WD pickup for a few years and love it more than anything I've ever driven. As such I've been a resident of the Toyota Minis forum. Well, my wife got a new job and has been driving it to work, but due to family circumstances it's time to swap the pickup for something with A/C.

So I found an 05 2WD Taco for the right price and told her it would be a good swap for the pickup. I will really miss how the pickup drives, but the overall ride quality in the Taco is so much better. So as I dig for information about Tacos, TW is the foremost authority on the internet and a treasure trove of information for the trucks. It's a pleasure to be part of this community and am excited to be part of this more as I pack up and move from Toyota Minis. Thanks for having me!

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome to tw. Now why on earth would some one get ride if one of the best picks ever made is beyond my comprehensive.

 

I know, right?
I still have time to back out of selling the pickup, but I kind of need the cash at the moment. I've told myself that if I really want a project car, I'll buy a Stout someday and swap in a 1UZ if it will fit. No first hand experience on either Stout or 1UZ, just read a lot of threads that make it look easy.

Working on some decent pics, here's my pickup as it sits right now:
So, yeah, just stock on the outside. Other than the hard folding tonneau and the chrome Pop and Lock tailgate handle that I just put on like a week before we decided to buy a Taco.
When I say mildly custom, I mean all the little 4runner pieces I added like a clock, passenger side grab handle (because corners even at low speeds see a lot of body roll), lighted cigarette lighter, lighted Ash tray, lighted glove box, and intermittent wipers.
I have chrome door handles, too, but haven't put them in yet.
I'm particularly proud of my FJammer stereo, though:

Would have liked to have added some Lincoln mkVII meshies painted white, but never found any.
Someone put Maxima wheels on their 93 that really looked good, but I didn't want to run the spacers. My bro in law mechanic said he doesn't trust them. With the offset being higher on the Taco, I'm seriously considering it now, though.

If I could get my Taco to sit still, (wife loves driving it) I could get some pics of that, too.

It's impulse red with beat up paint and a magnetic gray shell that the PO bought used. I considered selling the shell and getting a tonneau, but I find the functionality of the shell is leaps and bounds above the tonneau.

 

As promised the taco is sitting still enough to get a pic

Just a base... For now.

Looks good against my backdrop of garage junk.

I (sort of) straitened the tailgate. Now I need some reinforcement. Relentless fabrication looks like a good solution.

 

I can't part with my 93 either. But was ok with cash till I joined tw ever since than I'm eating ramen noodles,

 

Ummm
So those don't go together. I guess the PO never wired up this used shell he bought off the classifieds. Funny... he said he was an electrician
And that trailer wiring is so corroded it probably doesn't do anything.

Also not sure how to clean that nasty back window if it's just solid.

Ewwww. Upholstery cleaning is due. I saw this once in an 80s Eddie Murphy movie. When your big hair leaves prints, you have too much product.

 

Look up *Official* Ask A Detailer Thread
Great cleaning advice there

 

What's this?

Well that's not a Toyota part. Looks like whoever put this in wasnt a TW member. Oh, man, they didn't even get the right cover, just Dremeled though the old one, and it's loose. That's gotta come out.

Looks like Cyclops could use a new eye. And I can't see more than 50 ft at night, so probably needs adjusted, too.

And looks like some new paint is in order.

 

Thanks, i haven't seen that one yet!

Good looking 93, by the way.

 

Does this look bent to anyone else?

Seems a little saggy. I saw a chrome bumper with a recieve on it for $60 in the classifieds, that might be worthwhile.

So. Many. Switch. Blanks. I think power mirrors are on my list. A BluLogic seems like a good plan, too. I wonder if I can get a metra kit to trim and my FJammer in here?

 

You can clean up the headlights with toothpaste. The cruise switches look like they came from a dodge. I would try clay bar n wax before a paint job. Or instead of painting you can wrap it. @boogie3478 wrapped his truck n it looks pretty sweat. And the bumper looks bend. I would look behind the bumper to make sure the bumper blocks are still straight before installing a new bumper.

 

So I met a guy in Cali one summer who said his buddy was going to buy Mother's chrome polish in bulk and repackage it as headlight and paint restoration. (He was kind of sketchy). I thought of doing that for the headlight before buying anything. I'll give toothpaste a try though. I might look into the clay, I can see primer or bare metal showing in several places, plus the nasty rust spot and peeling clear coat on the roof. I don't think clay will help with those
I looked into wrapping my 92, but it seemed like most of the wrap places usually say that trying to wrap something with dents and peeling paint is generally not a good alternative for new paint. It kind of highlights the imperfections and either doesn't hold well or further damages peeling. I had a vintage fridge that I was going to wrap so I bought some samples and wrapped my phone with them. It got pretty beat up over time, though.
I don't know what would take more abuse, a truck running around town and on the freeway, or my phone jangling around in my pocket next to my keys.

@boogie3478, your wrap looks great! I haven't made it very far through your build thread or videos, but how do you feel your wrap has held up, especially with what looks like regular wheeling?

 

Thanks man! Wrap is doing great so far and it's really easy to clean. I don't even have to towel it dry after washing and get zero water spots.

 

Ah, snap. Just found oil spots on my garage floor. Looks like I'll be changing an output seal and a steering rack. Output seal is no problem, but I'd be lost on the steering without the wealth of knowledge here at TW.