geekhouse23's "LIFE'S WAITING TO BEGIN" Overland & Home build and all the Adventures in between!

Have something weird happening...

@boogie3478 posts a video, I think to myself "yeah, I should probably do that", head to Amazon, and then a package shows up..odd.



https://youtu.be/exLfmrVqinU

 

Stole these from @EatSleepTacos but I was wondering if anyone else has photos of a cracked radiator support before and after pics:



Hopefully have @GARSHA91 take a look this weekend and come up with a game plan.

Any suggestions are welcomed.

Battery coming soon (ordering next week)

 

Just welding the crack shut didn't work, it tore next trip out. I cut out the section (second picture) and then welded new metal there. That held for awhile and finally tore again. Here are some other threads on it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/shes-ripping-apart-click-bait-i-knew-it-was-coming.685302/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cracked-sheet-metal-above-radiator-body-bushings.636828/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/core-support-is-tearing-itself-apart.564190/

 

no pictures, but i tack weld it every 6 months or so, give or take depending on what/where I was driving

street driving it lasts around 6 months for me, but one good outing in the woods/rocks can make it a weekly thing

i only have issues on my drivers side though, my passenger side has held up so far

 

Not a bad idea if my brother can put up with me doing that (probably should do it on his truck too).

 

Thanks bae.

Tube front end is pretty much out of the question at this point.

I think I have a good idea of what I can do or have someone do with a new core support from Rock Auto. Probably a more cost effective option in the long run without the truck being down for months. Appreciate the help.

 

my biggest mistake was avoiding it for many months and letting the crack slowly grow, what started as a small hair line crack grew into roughly a 4 inch long crack/tear

after fixing/welding it the first time, and now tack welding it every few months as soon as the first small hairline crack starts, its been much better

 

Luckily, I haven't been wheeling in a few months (almost a year), however, with the bigger battery coming, and hopefully some wheeling trips planned this year, it needs to be taken care of. Could be better, sure and I will admit it has been overlooked (always in the back of my mind)...it's time to address all these little things now.

 

Well, looks like I'll be adding tie rod ends to the list for the overhaul list..I was leaving the gym and noticed a slight clunking noise at full lock and did a quick check of the front end when I got home to see if anything was broke, loose etc. Noticed the driver's side outer tie rod end boot/bushing was torn:



Bad angle.

Everything else seems fine. Although, I think this weekend I will put her up in the air and do a more thorough check and see what else could be needed and place an order Saturday.

Brand suggestions welcomed.

Moog? ACDELCO?

 

After some further research, I think I'm going to stick with OEM.

https://toyotaparts.mcgeorgetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-outer-tie-rod-4504609340

Seems that Moog quality has declined and there is an issue with boot design.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/moog-tie-rod-ends-vs-oem.395702/

 

Hoping @boogie3478 can work his magic and make my OEM to OEM swap 2 and a half minutes:

https://youtu.be/ZM2KK5oHaJo

Making it look easy..

 

ANYTHING is possible... but to be fair only 1 side was shown in that video so realistically you should expect the job to take 5 minutes.

 

I was thinking about that after I posted...

I know it will take at least 5 minutes.

 

Just wanted to make sure you realized you were in for the long haul going in.

 

- Purchased the tie rod ends this morning..$14 for shipping is kinda ass. I went with OEM after hearing horror stories about the Moogs.

- Grabbed one of these from Amazon too:

$50 Orion Motor Tech OMT 5-in-1 Ball Joint Separator, Pitman Arm Puller, Tie Rod End Tool Set for Front End Service, Splitter Removal Kit (RD06)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01A0AWELW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1R5RH6SRZN4Q4

Going to be spending some time in the garage this weekend working on some projects to get the chaos organized and clear some things out. Going to convert the garage to "summer mode" too.

 

NTD

 

I was able to get in the garage this weekend and get some work done. Not as much as I had hoped to get done, but, progress nonetheless.

I kept going back and forth between the 72 and a 56 with a 26 in the garage bay but the 26 won't fit under my workbench so that idea is out. The 72 will fit in the workshop, but it'll be snug. The hope is that the 72 will be the end all be all for storage, be a solid work surface (to keep the work table in the garage clean and clear) and I can always expand vertically too. I want to build a hoist for the RTT still and the ability to put the motorcycle and roll cart in the workshop to have a spare bay in a pinch (if ever needed) would be HUGE. Organizing and emptying out the garage bay is the overall goal.

Part of achieving that goal now is getting a shed out back. Nothing crazy. Just need it to keep the yard tools out of this workshop area and the garage bay. Extra space would be cool to have for long term storage as well; my bicycles, yard games (bags), fishing gear, cooler caddy, spare parts and spare wood leftover from projects would be ideal to remove from the garage space. A shed would really do wonders in keeping the garage space clean and clear (I have OCD).

Got the second shelf built this weekend in a couple hours:





Couple things on the to-do list is as follows:

1) dismantle the craftsman toolbox; the top pieces will be removed and sold. The bottom will be kept to keep my dad's saw on top (wooden top). Actually, I am tossing around the idea of building a cart for the wood saw that makes cutting 10' 12' 14' 2x4's easier. That 4 drawer Craftsman toolbox will be located under the chop saw. It'll hold the circular saw, spare Dewalt drills, and those "wings" that help hold up 2x4's etc. Something like this:



2) Jack stand storage wall; when you walk in, to the right, there will be a jack stand storage wall with hooks to keep the jack stands out of the way. Something like this:



I need to reinforce the studs in that wall and remove the drywall to reinforce the wall for those 6 ton jack stands

TREs came in yesterday too:

 

Welp..after 3-4 years of struggling with these "off the shelf" garbage brand batteries, that chapter is finally coming to a close. I am heading to my mom's on Sunday and it is supposed to be a beautiful 65 degrees out. Perfect weather for replacing a shit battery.

Grabbed my CBI battery tray box that I got from my brother for Christmas and noticed there was no hardware in the box; bolts, nuts, bigger battery tie down etc. A quick search of the inter webs and I found this:

https://***************/2020/05/21/cbi-offroad-battery-tray-install-2nd-3rd-gen-tacoma/

It referenced a link to new j-hooks:

Schumacher BAF-J10 Battery Hold-Down Kit - J-Bolts, Hooks - Hold Down and Secure Your Car Battery

https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-B...0YHRQK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&language=en_US

Ordered those and they are supposed to be here Friday.

Got the SDHQ battery terminals assembled (minus the anti-seize) and ready to go.

I will grab any tools that we will need (in case my brother doesn't have something) and hopefully, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will have a new 31M installed in the truck Sunday afternoon.

 

What size battery did you go with?