What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

Looks great Jim! Should've hit me up, I might have been able to help. Still, looks great!

 

No problem in Md but you can always move the plate to the carrier......during the day. Guess it depends on the cops.

 

I didn't expect it to take so long.
My son stopped by on his way from work and that was GOD SEND. He finished up the last third of the work for me. I was tired AF when he arrived.

Did you get the envelope with your decal?

 

Steve,
Ultimately I'm going to add some Matt Gecko bed lights under the truck and use the harness another member is selling (can't remember his name off the top of my head) that ties into the overhead lights.

With that setup the lights will come on when you approach (keyless entry only), use the fob to unlock or open any door. Just like the overhead lights. Also I think you can add a switch to be able to use them as rock lights.

Of course you don't get the ditch light feature like the mirrors which are just freakin' awesome!

 

eBay/Amazon trd overlay

 

Damn, was all set to install my TC bed stiffeners when DOH I did not have the drill bit to drill the holes. The worst part is I had the bolts out ,tail light off and then came up short. Lol. Looks like a full weekend, installing the TC UCA’s now and bed stiffeners. Wish me luck

 

Once you get the bit it will take you tops an hour to complete the mod. I recommend getting a good bit to make the drilling easier. I think I went with a dewalt titanium bit. Drilled through the bed like butter. Good luck!

 

That was exactly the bit I was thinking too..

 

I think the hardest part was getting the bigger torx bolts off the bed. I picked up the bit at autozone and had to put a ton of elbow grease into it to get them off. Those suckers were stubborn for sure!

 

Glad it wasn't just me. No way I'm going to get those back on just as tight.

 

Yea when I took it off from tonight I had to really crank on it. Makes sense though as it does hold the bed to the frame. Hopefully I tightened it up enough lol. May need a longer ratchet to get leverage,

 

They probably had medium grade locktite on them. You don't want to over tighten them and break something..

 

I even looked for the blue and didn’t see anything maybe I should add it this weekend. Thoughts?

 

Well I just got back from my work convention and I had some boxes waiting from me. Finally!

Universal 3/4" Black 4.75 Ton D-ring Shackle With Red Isolator









Here’s a link to where I purchased these sweet Shackles.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/163033506066

More pics from the website:

 

yeah but I had to go somewhere last minute

 

Thanks Katie! 8 bucks is a steal!

 

Yeah... drums may last longer, sure, but disc brakes can stop the truck a LOT quicker when set up properly. To me, that makes them superior.

I am working on my truck all the time myself, which was another reason why I didn't mind doing disc brakes, I know how to change rotor rings and pads and can do it fairly quickly if im already in there to rotate the tires or clean the brakes off or whatever so its easy enough for me to keep up with the maintenance

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/big-ole-brake-upgrade-thread-for-third-gens.525568/

 

It was the best mod that only I will know about.

Doing the entire interior was well worth it for me, but road noise doesn't bother a lot of people. Its important to note that it won't be dead quiet inside, but it will reduce outside noise significantly. To sum it up simply, while on the highway before, my radio volume was at 23 or 24 just so that I could hear, now the volume is a a 7 or 8. More enjoyable ride, but overall better for my hearing. It also gave me a chance to wrap all wiring and joints with felt tape to get rid of any squeaks and rattles in the future.

The biggest difference is in the doors and floor, since that's where the majority of unwanted sound comes from (tires and traffic). The roof makes little difference on a normal day, but you really get the benefit of it when it rains. Where I'm at, rainfall is absolutely deafening when driving, and I just turned my radio off or decided to have a conversation with my wife after it stopped raining, now I only hear rain on the windshield. It's actually relaxing.

I planned for an entire week, but wound up taking 4 days or so.

Sound Deadener Showdown does a great job of detailing the how to, without being too vehicle specific, and Don will answer any questions. I documented some of it with photos, but didn't detail the steps on paper. After taking out the interior, I started with the roof, and ended at the floor. Precisely cutting the mass loaded vinyl was the trickiest part for me. The biggest thing for me was carefully labeling and organizing each part that I removed so putting it all back wouldn't be as difficult. I planned for an entire week, but wound up taking 4 days or so.

I would recommend reading all through this page, even if you buy other products. Most places or people will wrap every inch in Dynamat, but this is very expensive, and only solves half of the noise issues. Don is great at explaining the concept of what need to be accomplished to optimal sound deadening.

The biggest thing for me was carefully labeling and organizing each part that I removed so putting it all back wouldn't be as difficult.

 

Sweet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks damn good.

Yer gonna love it !!!

I went a slightly different route...but have been enjoying the growl ever since. Nothing wrong at all with the factory sound....but a bit more ballsy sound is fun. I grin every time I crank my little Taco up.

HELLSYES !!!!

I'd have to leave immediately....telling the boss that I just came down with some type of random sickness...that only has one cure......to sit on the den floor and roll my new wheels around.....like a happy fat baby playing with his toys.

Not ammo.....he received four boxes of badass. Wheels made from harnessed hurricane and lightening bolts.

Watching this with interest, my friend.

I'd really like to get some puddle lights on my Taco.

Just this week.....Monday morning, in fact.....I'd left one of the grills out front instead of rolling it back into the garage. The coals were still too warm on Sunday night to feel good about doing anything with it.

Anyway.....at O'dark'o'muddfukkin'clock Monday morning....I'm walking out to my truck....Yeti coffee mug in one hand....briefcase, keys and phone in the other on my way to work.

Just for the record....it's a badass tactical type briefcase made by Sig Sauer....not a yuppety type. It's the type Chuck Norris would carry if he ever had the need.

So.....I'm approaching the drivers side and hit the unlock on the key fob.

This turns off the darkness in my cab and lights it up mighty.....which sorta makes the area around/below the truck seem darker.

I'm a couple feet from the Taco and reaching for the door handle.....and something scurries outa from beneath my truck and rushes past me. "WHATTHAFUKKAMIGHTYDAMNITMAN!!!!!!" my large arse is high stepping and trying not to drop stuff. Neighbor's dogs start raising hell.....either at my panicked battlecry or at the scent of the Chupacabra-beast thing that came out from beneath my sleeping Taco. Damn near pissed myself.

Hell.....I was halfway to work before I remembered that I had coffee along for the ride.

Fukked me up so bad that I forgot to hit the blessed ECT button when I crunk it up.



My takeaway from this close encounter with the Chupacabra werewolf was.....a) install more motion sensitive lighting in the parking areas of the driveway b) get some damn puddle lights installed c) don't leave the grill out cause it attracts unwanted creatures......but this isn't likely....the grills will run when and where they run.