Help! Resources needed

I recently was able to obtain my late brother in-laws 1995 Tacoma (V6). He absolutely loved this truck, and wanted it to go to my wife when he passed but my father in-law threw a fit and kept it. He drove it for about a year and essentially junked it up and has left it sitting for about 8 yrs (in the yard). I'm going to try to restore it, doing as much of the work myself as I can. I know it needs:

- new battery
- all fluids drained/flushed/replaced
- rear wiring harness
- new paint and dents popped out

I'm looking for any advice on what else to check/look out for. Any recources (technical manuals, best place for parts, etc.)

This truck has a ton of sentimental value for my wife, so I plan on fixing it up nice for us to use on our farm, but still have to be cognicient of our budget. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

Your father-in-law is a douche bag.
There are manuals all over the internet. Find one specific to the year and model of the truck.
When you are ready to parts, and you'll have a long list, use PartsOUQ.com. You can add your vehicle on the site and search parts specific to your vehicle. Makes it real easy. Ships from Dubai, but it is worth the savings.

 

Gotta love family . . . right? :-\

Wondering why you say this, mice? Insulation rotting off? If it works don't fix it.

Cosmetics should be last on your list.

If it's been sitting, address mechanical issues first (especially on a budget.) Of those, safety issues first (like brakes!) It will add up over time, but most of it can be done as budget allows (trust me, I know this one LOL)

You could have someone look at it, but if you want to do it yourself, most of it is completely possible with a basic tool set. A Haynes manual will get you through most maintenance, but you may be able to find a downloadable version of the FSM (Toyota Factory Service Manual.)

Overall visual inspection first, get it jacked up and look under, look for leaks, cracking rubber which can be under the hood and various places in the suspension. Engine drive belts will probably need replacing. Mine (2003) looked fine, nice and tight - until I took them off.



Up front look at the bushings at the lower control arms and upper control arms, look at the shock bushings (mine's a 2003 and they were shot.) Have a look at the steering rack bushings. A sloppy oil change can cause these to rot out.

If it runs, take it on a short run and look for troubles.

After sitting for 8 years, brakes are probably a must, check the shoes/pads but likely just replace them, might even consider rebuilding/replacing the rear brake cylinders and rebuilding the calipers, these are low-dollar items even for OEM.

OEM ball joints will surely be an absolute must, these trucks have a reputation for breaking them at the worst possible moments and it's likely no one has ever replaced them on yours. Don't go cheap on these, go OEM, the entire weight of the vehicle rides on them and even the OEM lower ball joints need regular replacement.

How is the rust looking? In case you don't know, these have a box frame that often rusts from the inside out, usually starts back by the shock/leaf mounts. Get under there and start tapping along the frame looking for rust rot.

You will need tires. I bought mine in 2018 and one of the valve stems broke off, which should have been my clue. Plenty of tread on them but the shop said the state wouldn't let them repair tires that old. I guess that's a good thing, they are rubber and rubber does rot, X 10 if left sitting in a yard for 8 years.

I use RockAuto for any non critical aftermarket parts - things like wipers, radiators, etc. Suspension parts and critical parts, go OEM, and McGeorge Toyota is one of the best priced places for OEM parts. You probably won't be looking at suspension any time soon, but I recently found that suspensionlifts.com offers great prices and solid service on shocks or coilovers.

Good luck on the revival, lots of work ahead.

 

Dang, sorry to hear about the situation. Thank god the truck wasnt completely "junked" to the scrap yard. From that one picture the body looks like its still in great shape! Not sure where you're located but here in Hawaii, rust is the prime suspect. Door jams, frame, brakes, window frames, drip rails, etc. I'd definitely check the harness and hoses to make sure they havent been eaten by anything. Aside from the truck being neglected, in all honesty, this seems like a really cool project you're taking on. Cant wait to see it progress.

 

I’m sorry to hear about your father in-law, as well as the condition he left the taco in.
You’ve come to the right place for all your Tacoma needs, wants and everything
in between, welcome aboard matey

 

Welcome to TW!!

Good luck restoring the Tacoma!

 

Thanks for the detailed response! Pretty much the same mindset I have coming into this, mechanical issues first before cosmetic. I'll be sure to give everything you mentioned a look. I haven't been able to get underneath it yet, gotta get it out of the tall grass first. I did replace the battery yesterday and the engine turned over.

One of his dogs got under there and ripped it up. Wondering if it got anything else too

 

Thank you. Pardon my ignorance, what is "the bst"?

 

It's the Buy, Sell, Trade portion of the forum:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/buy-sell-trade.17/

There are subforums there. You'll peruse the 1st Gen Parts Marketplace I'm sure.

 

Yeah but you can't even look until you have 50 posts. :-\

 

Unless things have changed in the last few weeks.

That is not true you just can not post for sale parts .Nor post any replies.

Till you have your 50 posts .

You can look and send a message if you are interested in something.

 

as mentioned, mice.
Around here they love the cabin filter bay and chipmunks would have the air intake full of acorns by now.
They'll also do a number on wiring and harness.

 

Welcome to Tacoma World!

Add your location to your Tacoma World Profile, and you might find you have a neighbor on TW who has similar interests and some experience.
I found the most helpful start is a parts list for that year,model, with drawings and part numbers. This helps you at least use the "official" nomenclature for that gray thingy that adjusts...whatever.....
https://partsouq.com/ is a good source, once you get the hang of the navigation, and it loads very, very slow.

 

I feel your pain, little different because it was my sister’s truck to do with what she wanted, but 6 years of sitting and the paint is completely shot, already had close to 400k miles and a blown head gasket, otherwise it was in great shape for a 97.

“Restore” restore starts to turn into the equivalent of finding a 53 Mercury in some farmer’s garage. Paint alone could be approaching 5 figures if you’re being meticulous.

It’s really tough because these trucks are almost or in actuality classic car status. They sold brand new in the mid $20k, they often get close to that now in good not even great condition.

My thinking is it gets to that point where it’s like a 60’s-70’s Detroit car. Is it a high level trim like an SS, or a base model? You might dump a lot of money fixing up a Lemans and it’ll never be as valuable as a GTO.

There are people in here with far better perspective than myself, but if I were faced with the decision I might talk to as many professionals in the field as I could to establish a baseline cost before sinking a bunch of money they will far exceed its value, unless its value to you is just to enjoy it.