Bought my first Tacoma :)

Hello friends, I've been searching for a Tacoma ever since I sold my 2007 Tundra Double Cab SR5 5.7L 4x4 with 185k miles about 4 months ago. The tundra was great, got it on ebay for the same price I sold it for (2 years and 20k miles later). I just didn't need such a big truck and the gas mileage was terrible. I also didn't want to invest in mods on a truck I wasn't going to keep for a long time.

Anyways, last week I picked up a 2010 Tacoma DCLB SR5 4x4 with 127k miles for $11k (no trd package or manual transmission - per Toyota's decision, but at least this one has the towing package). Has lots of great paperwork from the previous owner, who was the second owner from Cape Cod. This was his 3rd Tacoma. Older guy and very nice, so I tried not to beat him up too much on the negotiating.

Under his ownership and since 2016, notable work included: steering shalt replaced, TSB rear leaf replaced, new spark plugs, frame replaced, new brake lines, new rear shocks, and various basic maintenance. Truck is stock and mechanically looks and sounds good...except the Tacoma ticking, but I am happy it is not an exhaust on my ERG valve/headers, like my Tundra had.

So far I have done a MAF sensor cleaning, throttle body cleaning, removed the secondary air filter, and did a seafood treatment. Everything looks good, except calipers are pretty rusty and header bolts too, but I don't hear any leaks and I can replace the calipers down the road. The blower fan sounds like crickets live in there, but I will tackle that later on. Also, I have a 2005 4Runner with TRD Pro wheels & KO2 (size is 285/ 75 or 70 I think), that I bought for my dad to use, but he decided to run his 220K+ mile Highlander into the ground...so now my goal is to lift the Tacoma and swap out the wheels and tires.

My main reason to lift the truck (besides looks), is so I can fit the oversized tires on her and level her out. I don't really do much off-roading or heavy hauling, but I want the ability to handle some rocking terrain in the future. Only dirt roads I see in MA is when I travel to dirt biking trails. Loaded bed would mostly be furniture, and maybe a shell for camping down the road.

That being said, my plan is to:
-Replace the front shocks (and top shock bushing) with Bilsteins 5100 and set them at 2.5".
-Leave stock UCA and Coils on for now (since not off roading and limited budget after buying a new truck).
-I will get a 1/4 driver side shim/spacer for lean
-Install AAL 1.5" - probably deaver or wheeler...brand is probably not a big deal since it is just a piece of metal.
-I would also like to get a shock extender for the rear shocks to help them out, and since the articulation is just vertical, I don't think it will be too sketchy and should actually be helpful with reducing the strain on the stock shock (that only have 10k on them)
-A probably get an extended bump stop (which I read was recommended).

After measuring the height from bottom of center wheel hub (was easier to find the bottom part for each wheel) to fender measurements were:
Driver side 21"
Passanger 21.5"
Rear Sides 23.25"

I think it should be pretty level once the AAL settle in. My math shows a .75" difference after lifting, but that is minimal rake (I think) and should handle loads/hauling better. If it is too much rack, I'll invest in an aftermarket bumper for the ugly chrome stock one or get some Coils to bring the lift to 3"

Then will swap out the wheels/tires, get an alignment and move onto the other future projects and goals. I honestly will probably have my mechanic do the suspension work. I think I could pull it off, but I would rather just not - compressing the springs and shocks is a bit nerve-racking to me Also, I am happy to give him work during this time when money is tight for most small businesses.

I would love to hear any feed back from you guys. I don't think I will have to do CMC with that lift & tire combo...plus the TRD Pro wheels have a 4mm offset. But I have herd mixed stories and I am fine with melting back the fenders.

 

Excellent and welcome to TW!

 

Pic:

 

*besides looks*

Welcome to the group!

 

Welcome to TW
If replacing front shocks with Bilstein get the OME coils and leave the billies set at zero . The coils will do the lift ! Buy once , cry once
@HeadStrong Off-Road @Wheeler's Off-Road Inc @Toytec Lifts

 

Welcome!

 

Nice plan. Welcome!

 

Welcome to the forum and nice truck! To me, looks like you got a good deal out of it. Nice all those items, including the the frame, were replaced. Happy modding.

 

Welcome!

 

Nice truck.
I'm curious: how did the truck like the seafood treatment?

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.
Good luck with the new truck.

 

Mine gets seafood regularly & must like it, no complaints yet. Oh yeah, Welcome

 

This guy has a better plan than me and I've had mine for over a year! Welcome friend

 

Welcome to the world of Tacomas

IF there is anything that we can assist you with please feel free to PM us

 

Thank you for the recommendation @lynyrd3 we truly appreciate it!

 

Thanks everyone.
I wish I could stretch my budget to include the OME coils, so the 5100 could sit nicely at 0, but figured I could do that down the road
...along with the UCA, once they crap out on me

 

Nice truck!

 

Lift kit install went smooth. Paid $250 to install the Bilstein front shocks, driver side shim, AAL, and shock extender for the rear
(with new top bushing on rear since it looked worse than the fronts and I only got one kit). Then another $60 for the front end alignment. (Total costs of parts & labor was about $680).
Got about 2 inches of lift in the front, 1.5 inches in the rear. Which is great, because I have about 1.25 inches of rake unloaded, but I was expecting about 2.5inches in the front.
Also the driver side shim worked great.

Swapped the TRD Pro wheels out from the 2005 4Runner I had, but of course the Tacoma wheels didn't fit back onto the 4Runner. I guess the limited trim of that year 4Runner had bigger front calipers, thus, rubbing against the inner wheel of 16 inch or less rims. So, I searched around for a few days and found a set of 2019 4Runner OEM wheels (265/70/17) with some worn down tires for $250. Tossing those back onto the 4Runner so I can sell her.

I am very happy with the lift and wheels - truck handles great, eats up bumps, but still handles tight on corners.
No bed bounce, probably because the rear shocks are stock and pretty soft. No chop needed, but I did use a heat gun to push back the inner wheel well/fender.

The lift certainly helps the aesthetics of the former land yacht appearance of this DCLB. Everything looks balanced.
Excited to get her into some woods and light trails this summer.

This past weekend I scraped off some rust and painted the skid plate & trailer hitch, installed some Carhartt seat covers in the front, that came with the truck,
made a cover for 2/3 of the backseat for the doggo, and washed the truck.

Next mini project will be painting the chrome grill, decals and rear bumper with some plasti-dip.
I am thinking gun-metal gray to match the wheels.

Also, going to start researching on installing a new headunit with bluetooth or apple play, that works with my steering controls. Lots of info on here that I'll dive into.
I'll attach some new pics as well.

 

Looks new!!! That baby is gonna run forever

 

New Pics

 

Great looking truck and excellent wheel choice!