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

I've had good results with it also in gunmetal. In my case, due to the front wheels being baked by the disc brake heat in the early days, turned out to be more chip resistant than the rear. If I do it over again, I will rotate the wheels through a period of time on the front so they get exposed to more heat for curing.

 

Whatever you do, do not ever let any brake cleaner get on that finish. Even just overspray. It will cause the clear coat to get little spiderweb looking cracks. Otherwise its a great finish, just not chemically resistant. I did a previous set in the Dupli Color graphite color with a gloss clear. Looked like powdercoat from a few feet back.

 

Installed a new Interstate 24F battery. The 90-day battery it came with was way undersized -- like a lawn tractor battery. I can tell it likes the CCAs.



The green really brightens up the look with red. Now it's starting to look Italian.

 

i am not Italian but spent a month or so in the country, looks like a bright green battery, looks good against the black parts in there!

how long do those batteries usually last, if you have used them in the past?
gets much colder up north here than where you are so it may differ for me

 

did you paint this frame?
looks blacker than it ought?

 

You ever make it over to Concord let me know, I’ve got an extra set of those cupholder tabs. I ordered two sets a couple years ago assuming they’d be cheap and break. Still going strong. They’re yours if you want them.

 

I started buying Interstate from Firestone last year. Too early to tell. I got tired of the 36-month Advance batteries developing a short at month 39. The failure rate for them had become way too predictable. A battery short wreaks all kinds of havoc with Nissan electrical systems. So I had been proactively replacing batteries as soon as the warranty period ended. I hope the Interstate batteries last longer.

 

Dont have any trips planned to Concord, but Ill gladly pay shipping! They should be fine in a padded yellow envelope.

 

i have been quite anal just like my pops was (mom calls me stupid for doing so lol) in recording fill-ups each and every time for the past 1/4 century
my ledger book is 'fairly' accurate to a certain degree since I have had my truck new ... the 4cyl I traded in only has/had 2yrs worth starting at about 1400 miles
I have not had opportunity to enter it all into excel and keep a running tally with charts, graphs, the works, etc.

 

since my stock battery burned out in maybe 2oo5 (will have to double check..) i have been using the Sears diehard battery and seem to last about ~7yrs

 

Yeah man, I’ll run to the post office and get a shipping quote tomorrow or Thursday while I’m out and let you know. Just PM me your zip code.

 

love that stuff, surprising what it can take off and doesn't leave any shininess or mess up the color at all.

 

So I'm doing a frame swap and I think Im gonna need/want to replace a few bolts here and there, Im wondering what the most common nut and bolt thread sizes are and if high strength grade 8 will be ok.

 

mmm 4th gen

 

hey question for you! i have a 03 i35 sitting outside thats running like absolute shit. camshaft over advanced. are the oil control valves common on these to go bad?

 

I had an 03 max and I think most people have issues with timing chain oiling but I think the cam phaser has a direct feed from the pump so maybe it is just a bad adjuster. My advice would be to rob one from a junkyard cause it certainly isn't a common failure

 

i know of the chain issues. but theres no correlation code. i'll grab an accuator and see what happens.

 

Yeah I have the arb inflator to so I’m a need some batteries

 

Got around to swapping my blinkers over to the marker lights in the bumper and replaced the side marker lights. I originally dremeled out a spot in the side markers for the stock blinkers. But after the side marker broke I didn’t want to do that again.

 

I'm all about VQ30s. No VQ35s yet. I've replaced the tensioner on VQ30s that I have. It's a little harder than an oil change but not much. There is a metal gasket that came along in a TSB for the VQ30 that sits behind the tensioner that helps it retain oil after shutdown.

Behind this door lies the tensioner on a VQ30.



So be careful to rotate the tensioner so you don't lose control of the plunger by keeping a finger on it. If there is too much chain slack, they start running like crap. I have a homemade guide pin that I use to keep the tensioner in position during installation.



Before changing the tensioner it sounds like a diesel.

https://youtu.be/_LOwA-VvKOk

After changing the tensioner. Purrs like a kitten.

https://youtu.be/yPDIfbQCvBw