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

I’ve been meaning to do this. How did you attach it to the bed rails?

 

I’m cuttin TOOBZ

 

Fuel for dayssssss....32 gallons.

 

I have CBI with a kick out! I really like the kick out for added protection

 

Stole this idea from @2BeersPlease. Needed a new place for my cb antenna since I took my stock bumper off.

 

installed JBA UCA on one side. Waiting for the replacement Ball joint to finish the other side.

 

3/8-16 Nutserts. For now there are two on each side, and two on the front. I used the deep unistrut on the side rails, and the shallow on the front. There is some custom cutting needed at the end to clear the angled bulkhead. I originally thought to add more nutserts at a future date (I only had a handful on me so I went with the surfaces that are flat to the rail first). I am going to use angle brackets to join the three pieces at the front corners, and I bolted up my toolbox into them tonight (drilled through the top of the bed sides, and into the side of the unistrut, then installed nutserts there as well). That along has strengthened the entire assembly like crazy. I am going to add another strip of shallow unistrut to the front of the box as well, to attach my hilift and odd and sods. I will probably grab a half dozen or so spring nuts and put them in the front strut rail and bolt the box in there as well.

 

Notched the corner of the cab tonight and beat/folded it back with a hammer...no longer rubbing on turns unless it's a full lock and stuffed scenario...progress.

 

4xinnovations

 

Got cracking on some sliders.


Found some plate





I’ve got this planned. A little different than the old Tacoma and a little different than the 4runner sliders I made.

 

You mentioned using a plasma cutter, was that to cut the unistrut? Not cutting into the bed, right?

 

Correct. I was freehanding the ends of the strut, but a cutoff wheel on a grinder made it much easier. I only used the plasma because I had it (and now the damn contactor circuit is acting up, so I will be putting my Electronics Guy hat on soon to address that).

This is completely doable with hand tools. Drill motor, drill index, angle grinder, cut/flap disks, ratchet set, that's about it. The only "special" tools needed are nutserts (ok, more of hardware than tools, but whatever) and a nutsert tool. Some folks have success with a couple wrenches and a thrust washer to manually compress nutserts, but I personally don't have 3 hands to manage that, so just bought the tool. It's been WELL worth it, best tool I have bought this year.

Basically, this is a Two Banana job on the "Shade Tree Howler Monkey banana scale" (see http://www.4crawler.com/Banana.shtml for details )

 

Smittybilt has a nutsert tool for like $35 I think. Works well. I’ve used it many many times

 

I've had mixed results with their products. There's a reason I call them Shittybuilt.

I bought this:

$67 Astro Pneumatic Tool 1442 13" Hand Rivet Nut Setter Kit - Metric & SAE W/ 60pc Rivnuts

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TODXQW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I read the reviews on it, and the reviews on the one you referred to, on Amazon. Given that some people just ought to be banned from buying tools, one has to get a feel for the majority opinion on an item when dealing with tools. I went this way, and haven't been disappointed.

 

Oops commented in wrong place. Meant to say "Very nice fishmouth for your connection. How did you form it?"

 

Love K02s.

 

Thanks man, 2 cuts with a cut off wheel and 30 seconds on a bench grinder.

 

And stuck.




But surprisingly we got out pretty easy.

 

brings up some flashbacks from my Pismo trip. Even with 4wd if you slow down in that deep sand, you're 'effed. Had to air down to < ~8psi a few times to get myself unstuck lol.