What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

With the warm weather, took a ride to Flagpole Knob and Reddish Knob here in VA. Flagpole was a good time, nothing too crazy. Too tough I guess for a couple Jeepers, they turned around before the top. Very dry though, makes for an easy clean up. Reddish Knob had better views, all paved road. Even ran into another Tacoma.

 

RCI sliders. Flew solo with a floor jack & 2x4. Regarding the two common troublespots: 1) Pre-threaded the bolts to ensure they would thread smoothly. Then used painters tape to hold the ‘support bracket frame inserts’ in place and they held enough to get threads started. 2) No good tricks for the forward-most-inner-frame bolts. I did drop a nut and used a grabber tool with a magnet heavily taped on the end to fish it out. All in all not bad but be patient with yourself. I thought the jack approach worked fine - but having a friend can still be good to help avoid potential stupid moves.

 

Not sure I’d want to see pictures . . . .

 

Added a sign to my shop entrance where the oil changes, tire rotations and all other magic happens....

$22 Shop Warning Sign - Personalized with your name!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017TBV83K?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

Hey like those seat covers! So many out there would like to know how comfortable they are and if they are worth it. Did the ol check the transmission fluid and found it was a 1/2 qrt low! Fixed that after much studying.
Then messed around with a scrap piece of leather and did this to my handbrake, popped the cap on an adult beverage kicked back.

 

I’m not sure you noticed this but you can’t get that piece of the center console out of the truck without removing the additional leather on the hand brake. There are a couple mods, like the larger cup holders, that require that.

 

Unplugged the PRO shifter button ECT mod. Reinstalled the original ECT button location. Truck is tuned so I don’t really need to activate it on the fly.
I kept hitting it when I drive. I’ve driven MT all my life, so I grab my stick majority of the time.

I just use it for my garage opener.

 

Test fitting new wheels. @Discount Tire do you guys have any deals on 285/70r17 Wildpeaks at3w in load range c?

 

oh man McHale that stinks, i get my cover on Monday. I’m going to open that box nice and slow!!

 

Make sure you trash the center cap and get a better one. The center cap that comes with those wheels sticks out far and looks funny.

I grabbed these. For my methods...

 

I will when my wallet stops hurting

 

Ha ha. Yeah I hear ya

 

I grabbed my gerber knife that uses utility blades and tried cutting those shipping straps while pulling up. The knife slipped and the blade went straight into my thumb.

What REALLY sucks about it is after spending all day today trying to get the tonneau to sit flush I decided to return it. I'm going to do a separate post with pics tomorrow. But long story short, they redesigned the side rails (and they now suck) and there are a few things I saw that would become problematic down the road.

So I gashed up my thumb for nothing.

Which cover did you buy?

 

wash/correction/wax day today.

tried the chemical guys 'hydroslick intense gloss' stuff this time. supposed to be a si02 based ceramic, we'll see how long it really lasts..
still need to do some correction on the window glass from the previous owners hard water stains, and maybe find an update variant to aquapel, but for the most part it's done for now.

 

I already expressed concern and sympathy, so I can do this ...

1> Do they charge a restocking fee for red stains?
2> You DID get a tetanus shot out of it all.

 

Use proper tool for the job.
Knives aren't for everything.
When using a knife while pulling up keep all body parts out of the way including thumb and face.
Lotsa posts and seem not too smarts.

 

I had my heart set on finding on OEM cover, but I can’t seem to find one for a long bed. I decided to go with the rough country hard cover. I’ve seen mixed reviews on it. If I don’t love it I’ll send it back and save my $$$ over the winter and get a diamond cover.

 

I have a story I will not share details on about my thumb and a hammer. Suffice to say I was slightly pissed about needing to undo a joint on a wooden-rack and was distracted. I survived.

If we look into your past, and the past of anyone, we will find a "distracted by <fill in>" that is "not a proudest moment".

 

I got blood all over the pavement by my front door, a drop or two on my pants and shoes, and a little on the box.

I reopened the wound, scrubbed it with soap and water and shoved my finger into a shot glass full of rubbing alcohol. I then put some polysporin on it and a band-aid. I'm just crossing my fingers now that it doesn't get infected. I hate doctors and hospitals.

Too bad you're not in the midwest. I have a buddy with a brand new OEM long bed cover he wants to get rid of cheap (it was on the truck when he bought it and he removed it when he got home along with all the pieces). The cover I'm sending back is the Rough Country low profile. They have GREAT support (and I mean GRRRRRRREAT) but I didn't like the dual rail per side design. Their install video shows a single rail on each side. Other install videos show a single rail on each side. The one I'm sending back has one rail that mounts to your accessory rail, another rail that mounts to that rail, then the top mounts to the top rail. It was a terrible design IMHO. For some reason the left side rail had a slight bend to it so when you tried to close the cover, the left side would not lock into place. WAY too many variables. The original single piece design was far better and I'd have kept it had I gotten that. Mine also had some shipping damage so sending it back is a no brainer.

 

As you make your way through life, two rules will never bend
Never whittle toward yourself or piss into the wind
Mine isn’t a knife moment…