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

Should ride smoother, AALs increase the load capacity and stiffen the ride on an unloaded bed. Back when I put the AAL in my Dakars it noticeably stiffened the ride

 

The wheelers spring is noticeably less stiffer than the lowrange. The size difference told me that as soon as I opened the box.
Lowrange spring is much thicker and short. Wheelers is thin, yet longer.

 

Oh I see so you didn't remove the AAL you just swapped it out for a different one?

My Expos have a few leafs in them that are very short just like that Low Range AAL, whereas the Dakars were comprised of all long leafs. Dakars rode smooth but couldn't hold weight, the Expos hold weight but don't ride smooth. Makes sense what you experienced with switching AALs

 

I swapped one without pads on it to one that had the pads in hopes of eliminating the squeaks. Guess part of it was the leaf packs themselves. Oh well, aside from dropping the coin on some deavers, there is no other options for me. Gonna live with it until the day comes when these cheap aftermarket springs start sagging.

At least it doesnt pop anymore when I get in and out. That honestly got on my nerves worse than the squeaking. And the truck sits almost exactly level now.

 

I've got a hole saw...

Got to this point and had a beer and a cigarette...


Then said fuck it, and did it.

 

I got a hole saw. And the testicular fortitude to cut your truck. lol

Dude, I was hung over as fuck when I tackled my snorkel install. Not the business.

 

Get the 3.5" Milwaukee hole saw, it works like a charm and cuts right through like butter. I made the mistake of trying to use a more shallow 3.5" hole saw from Harbor Freight (only one they sell) and it wouldn't cut through the fender.

 

I put the rivets in, but I put some silicone in the holes for the water

 

There was a lot of talk about that on the main Ebay Snorkel thread...personally I just used the rivets. On that note, get a good rivet gun...they're decent sized rivets and those cheap rivet guns that you squeeze off by hand take a lot of hand grip/strength to pinch those rivets off.

Some guys used self tapping screws instead and a few others I think went the double side tape route. I like the rivets because they hold 100% tight with zero play at all, and unlike the tape I don't have to worry about it coming undone and moving around. Self tapping screws should work too, only advantage I see to those is that they're easier to remove if you ever need to.

Since the kit came with rivets and that's what was recommended, that's what I used and have had zero issues with movement or water leaking into them. I didn't use silicone but haven't noticed any issues with water.

 

Its probably stainless rivets that they send you if it takes a ton of force to pop them. Use aluminum ones instead and they snap off with ease.

 

You're better off showing up with part numbers and having them confirm.
Go to this site, enter your VIN and then find this same page:
http://japan-parts.eu/toyota/us/200...b/3_674460_010_/tool-engine-fuel/1904_starter

 

I said fuck it and drilled the A-pillar holes, filled em with silicone, and sent (small) self tapping screws into that bitch.
My buddy had rivnuts… he was going to come over later... but it started to rain, and I'm too impatient about that shit.


Not sure I'd trust 3M tape. At highway speeds I'll bet there's a lot of wind force on the snorkel intake.

 

Rivnuts?

 

I got the starter out and have it disassembled. The labels print on the side is worn away. all I can make out is the letter v. The copper connectors inside have some corrosion and our grinded down a bit. I'll take it to the dealership tomorrow along with the VIN number and hopefully that will be enough to get me the right parts. Thanks for the help guys I will update later.

 

So... Looks like we'll be making our way from Phoenix to Ft Carson CO starting Friday and all day Saturday. Anyone in the Santa Fe/ Taos/Trinidad/Pueblo/Ft Carson areas know where we can find some good Tacos?

 

Tia Sophia's is pretty awesome if you're planning on cruising through downtown Santa Fe.

 

We may do that. I'm going to see if we can make it from Phoenix to Gallup on Friday. (Wont be getting in to Phoenix till about 2:30, then have to meet up with my kid (@GuideWithVegvisir), then meet up with @Speedytech7... so probably wont hit the highway till around 5:00)

If we do make it to Gallup, it should make Saturday a relatively easy drive to Ft. Carson... so hopefully we'll have some time to tool around a bit on Saturday.

 

Hey guys, I jacked up my truck the other day and noticed that when I hold the tire at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, I can wiggle the wheel/tire with a clunking sound. Wiggling the tire at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions feels very tight and lifting straight up on the tire with a pry bar between the shop floor and the bottom of the tire feels very tight as well. I'm thinking this is a sign of bad tie rods, but I'm not sure how to identify a bad tie rod vs a bad wheel bearing. I haven't observed any abnormal sounds while driving and no one wheel seems to get hotter than the other after driving a while. What are your thoughts?

 

Self trappers don't last. After 3 years mine were stripped out. Rivnuts are the way to go. It's well worth having the tool for a lot of other sheet metal projects too.

I wouldn't trust tape. If a branch grabs the head of the snorkel and pulls the tape off its going to have a lot of leverage on the fender.

 

Mine has some play in the steering when I move it side to side at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions as well, following this to see what others say.