PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

And I am off to get one of the company minivans washed! Unfortunately, it's the 2012 model with no backup camera...

 

I hate this van...

Less than 118K miles and the transmission has already failed once!

 

Too quote @ColoradoTJ the one time...

“It is a Dodge...”

 

In 2010, a 2007-2008 Grand Caravan broke down in bumper-to-bumper traffic in front of me on a highway in Jersey and had to be pushed off the road...

 

@Pinay

Did I tell you that I pulled the trigger on the chrome wheel skins? Gonna sand em' down and paint 'em gunmetal!

 

Niiice! I'll be waiting for the pics on the truck!!

 

Probably gonna get the "You need to save your money" lecture from the parents, but considering that I quit my Lego addiction cold turkey I don't think a mere sixty bucks is a big deal.

 

I think they might look better than if I'd gotten the steel wheels painted!

 

Paint and sandpaper is relatively cheap; I believe I spent $7.50 for the silver paint I used on my grille insert...

What really drives me nuts is that a lot of these self-righteous retail employees will card me to buy spray paint even if I'm paying cash!

 

I kinda like the wheel skins better anyway because they are a one-piece setup, and would entirely bypass the center caps; I was cleaning my wheels the other day and didn't realize how banged up my center caps have gotten!

 

And if I got the rims painted it would be more or less free, but the logistics make it a pain in the ass...

My uncle lives in South Carolina, and has a lift in his shop down there, but the Tacoma is not the most desirable vehicle to make such a long trip in especially with a passenger like I'd planned on doing; My uncle was unable to bring his equipment up from Myrtle Beach last time he was here, and even if he could do it, we don't have access to a lift here and we would have to remove each wheel individually and put the truck up on jackstands…

Plus, my truck would be out of commission for close to a day no matter which way we did it!

 

Though maybe I should ship them to Myrtle Beach and have my uncle sandblast and paint them, then ship them back. Actual wheels cost a fortune to ship unless you're Tire Rack or something, but glorified hubcaps shouldn't be too terrible in terms of shipping cost!

 

Plastic; Don't think they come in metal...

For sixty bucks, I am not expecting a top quality product, but I trust my uncle to do the job without breaking one of them; When my uncle is done with them, they will certainly look more expensive than they actually are!

 

I'm reviving this thread (BUMP)!

 

that’s hot

 

Let me set the stage for you:

I park my Tacoma on the far side of my driveway. Since it's car #3, it gets the least optimal parking spot which is at kind of an angle that's farthest from the front door, so I have to walk around my dd 4runner and my wife's car to get to the Taco.

One day I'm off to the hardware store, so I walk around the 2 vehicles, get in my truck and back up as usual. The only problem is my wife's car was still occupying the same space it was when I walked past it 15 seconds earlier.


tldr; I backed up into my own vehicle, in my own driveway.

 

I bought a third gen one time. Man that was stupid.

 

Was as slick as snot and it started walking to the edge, decided to spin the rear into it to prevent any major damage. What hurt most was getting my buddy with the Jeep to tug me off my tail so I could skinny peddle my way out of the mud hole. Needless to say but this event was the catalyst for a number of the upgrades that followed.

 

Got stuck, was high riding above the ruts and slid down into them, good thing my friends were within radio contact.

 

Back into a fence post at work and, needless to say, have decided to finally pull the trigger on an “armored” rear bumper; Looking to spent $500 or less.

@Mobtown Offroad is my first choice, but I’m open to all suggestions. Thanks!

BACKSTORY: I call this the Bad Luck Bumper because I've nothing but bad luck with factory bumpers since 2015...

I was rear-ended by a texting driver in March 2015; She took full responsibility for the accident and her insurance company paid out roughly $1,200 for damages to truck which included the rear bumper.

In October 2017, just over 7 months after the first accident, I was hit by a drunk driver, who damaged my new bumper and then some. That recidivist scumbag lied to his insurance company despite having gotten a DUI, they believed him, and my insurance company was forced to eat the cost of fixing my truck. Unfortunately, since my truck was more than two years old at the time, USAA would only pay for an aftermarket bumper.