Finally got my 30 year old Dream truck... Wish me luck!

You keep them monkeys locked up then. Lol

I’m close enough, shoot me a message if you get stuck on something or want a hand

 

I really appreciate that, thank you

 

if your curious on any questions about 95-97 single cab trucks they are some differences from the newer models if your curious my favorite mod so far that was super simple was adding the tach from a 95-97 2.4/2.7 truck they both have the 4wd light and are plug and play just make sure its a manual trans tach !!

 

That’s #1 on my list, would love the tach!

 

yea man ive done a ton on my single cab very similar to yours it can be frustrating finding the right one i found mine at pick n pull out of a single cab 2wd 96 truck and it worked perfect if your handy enough you can even change the mileage to match your truck hahah any other questions on these trucks let me know ! especially right now i have alot of time on my hands

 

Bought a 96 single cab in northern Georgia that had been driven into a tree but other than some cosmetic damage had a super solid motor, trans and frame.

I totally overhauled everything on the engine and wanted to blow my brains out at multiple moments trying to get everything to work right.

Now 6 months out I’m daily driving my dream truck! Still a lot to be done but I’m getting closer everyday.

reach out if have questions, I’ve learned a lot from the process.



Happy cranking!

 

nice truck bro ! are you planning any over landing i got the same setup basically and im finally comfortable with the mechanical side of the truck its time to start working cosmetically and leisure

 

Thanks! I was thinking the same about yours. Can’t beat that single cab look

I bought this as more of a a fishing/camping truck since overlanding isn’t really an option for me locally. I built a cool drawer system with a built in kitchen that I should post on here at some point. This weekend I’m going to replace the leaf springs to help support the extra weight haha

 

oh sweet what leaf springs did you end up going with ? i know our early single cab trucks are weird in some ways...

 

I actually went with the stock general springs. I was waiting FOREVER for the heavy duty ones to come back into stock but they don't even have an estimate of when they will come back. I'm running 265/75/15 so I wasn't really looking to get additional lift out of them. They look really high quality, I'll keep y'all updated on how they ride but $130 is hard to beat

https://www.generalspringkc.com/1995-1997-tacoma-4x4-rear-leaf-spring-4-3-1-leaves/

 

please do i was looking at the ome cs018r for our trucks and just removing a few of the packs im trying to throw a tent on top im worried about the sag ...

 

I was originally looking at these and then I watched a youtube video and they would have made my truck look stupid with the size tires I have imo. In my case I'm replacing original springs that have negative lift so "restoring stock height" is probably going to be nearly 4" difference.

really depends what you're trying to do and what size tires you intend to run.

Here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgMWzPYEH9w

 

Oh, that's def something I want to explore. I was actually thinking about that yesterday when I drove it to get it registered

 

Does anyone have a recommendation for a scan tool? As I was driving her to get registered and such the check engine light came on. I was not originally planning to drive her until I did the full fluid changes, but I did. So now I am going to be more vigilant about getting all that done before I do any cosmetic work.

In other news, I did receive my brand new 2 volume repair manual I ordered on eBay. So that's exciting news as well.

 

Question... Is there a difference between a 4x4 and a 4x2 on the cluster?

 

As far as soft brakes:
Inspect lines for leaks (unlikely but good to look).
Inspect front pads, if low, replace.
Replace brake fluid.

Personally, brake fluid replacement is something I'll pay a shop to do because I can never seem to get all the air out without a vacuum. A good shop can make quick work of it. Front pads is an easy job though.

 

Negative but 95-97 trucks need to be specific if your truck is 4cyl manual then the gauges need to match doesn’t matter if it’s 2.7 or 2.4

 

Years ago when I was just getting started fixing up old tacomas and had no idea what I was doing I bought an Ancel AD530. You could ball out and get something for hundreds of dollars that has slightly more features but in the nearly 10 years I've owned it I haven't feel like I've been missing out.

I keep it under the seat at all times to verify that the engine light is the same p0420 I've been ignoring for months

Ancel AD530

 

You can't interface with a 95-97 ECU in any meaningful way other than OBDII and it is only ISO J-9141 communication so really even the cheapest low buck scan tool will do more than this truck supports.

 

So let me test my understanding... It matters if it is a 4cyl or v6, and it matters if it is a manual or an auto for my truck. but the doner truck can be a 4x2? Sound about right?