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

Yeah I remember Austin got a bad set from Camelback a couple years ago that only lasted him 10k miles or so. I think 30k - 50k is respectable if you wheel a lot, given the design they really won't last long when pushed hard

 

see what?

 

You can get those destaco latches from mcmaster. They're not too pricey.

And yeah, those damn LBJs don't like to last very long when you really use your rig. Need to check my current set.

 

Awesome, Ill look em up. Will definitely be cheaper than cbi.

yeah I mean I guess it could be worse, my tire could be under my truck

 

Well driving Holcomb creek twice this summer alone claimed lots of shit. But the truck has gotten a lot of abuse in the last two years.

 

Hey! I went through extra efforts to keep my spare underneath.

 

Well shiat man, put some more effort n get your front tire under there already

 

city 17.5 ... highway ... to fast to calculate going over speed limit

 

hey that’s pretty good! I see 16.1 and I’m content. I get real happy when I see 16.5!! Lol. My taco has a little extra beef though.

 

What are the current offerings for 1st gen skid plates?

I’ve found 4x innovations, skid row, bud built and RCI.

I’m currently leaning towards RCI, any suggestions?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fs-1st-gen-stainless-steel-skid-plates-nepa.369111/

 

@1997tacomav6 you need an updated pic in that pose with those new headlights!

 

I did see that one as well but it looks like he only offers the front engine/IFS plate. I’d like to buy the whole set and be done with it.

 

If you want plates all the way back behind the Tcase... my suggestion is BudBuilt.

RCI Tcase skid plate is only listed for 96-02 4Runner. The rear of it attaches to the rear most cross member. Tacomas don't have that cross member. The Budbuilt skid set comes with a cross member.

I got 4xInnovations skids... I like them, they're heavier than Budbuilt... but they don't have a Tcase skid. I'll end up ordering a Skidrow Tcase skid and beefing it up before I install it. (that's on the list of things to do this winter, but there's a lot of other shit on that list too... lol) Also... the 4xInnovations skids I got are not exactly lined up. Making putting them on a bitch. (It's not too bad... just enough to kind of piss me off every time I have to do something with them).

 

Another year of wheeling and camping is in the books. I find myself here writing a rig review as one of 2020's first posts, for the last couple of trips that we took in 2019. By and large, the truck performed well on those trips In Search of Overlooks in Death Valley and though an unexpectedly snowy trip to the Mojave Preserve. There were - as always - a couple things worth calling out - so without further ado, let's get to it!

Rig Review: Death Valley & Mojave 2019 - What worked and what didn't?

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If you missed any of the story, check it out here:

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [rig review]​

 

Great feedback, thanks. My plan is to build my own cross member for the transfer case if I go the RCI route. The weight of the 4Xinnovations turned me away since my truck is already getting heavy.

 

Just condensation right? Haven’t really ran the truck much to get warm for the last week.


Oil on the dipstick looks fine, will check the radiator when it cools down.

 

You quit that

 

That looks like tapioca pudding!