What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

Not today, but last night I changed the valve cover gaskets, installed new spark plugs and wires. Today I hope to install the new Skid Row skid plates!

 

4" deck plate mod on my 2.7 L with mouse defence!!

 

how tough was the gasket? i need to do mine sometime since the last time i got it serviced, the guy said its starting to leak

 

That depends.
Have you ever done this before?
Have you already studied up various lift installation writeups on this site and others?

Don't attempt to R&R the shocks from the coils without a serious, heavy duty spring compressor. That is the most potentially dangerous aspect of the job (aside from not using jackstands and having the truck fall on you, which smarts something fierce). If you aren't comfortable doing that or don't have the right tool, you can have a shop do it. Just take off the entire coil and shock assemblies and take them to a tire and wheel shop, which usually have a wall-mounted compressor.

 

did you put it in on the right side (as when facing front of truck and box is installed) of the air filter box?

i put my deckplate on the front of the air box

 

Nice what size are they?

 

it says 33x10.5x15.....they look good

 

Those tires and rims look clean. I sometimes wonder what my truck would look like with just the stock look like that, and now I have an image lol

 

Nice

 

I think my first mod might be a new grille..mine has a tiny crack in it, its really not a huge deal but it bugs the shit out of me. Lol.

 

Got my PA State inspection done yesterday.

Passed with flying colors, and got an emissions exemption because I only put 2300 miles on the truck in 12 months.

Today I replaced my wipers with some Bosch Icons. Took all of 30 seconds to do.

They're on sale $8 off/pair at Autozone until 4/2.

 

instead of the canopy?? or you gonna make a rack to go on top of the canopy??

 

Changed the oil (Pennzoil Platinum Synth), new wiper blades(Michelin), Topped off my wiper fluid( RainX 2-n-1 bug and de-icer), Aired up the tires.

 

thanks for the compliments very very pleased with the look. now i have to go take them out and get them dirty to see how well they do off road. however im not the least bit worried about them under performing.

get at least one friend, and at least a day for each end of the truck. the rear isn't very hard. but the front is a bit daunting and can be a PITA. a few tips i learned after installing my 5100s.

1 break lugs

2 jack the truck up and take off lugs and tires.

3 remove sway bar at the bolt that goes through the brackes on the uca and the brackets that hold it to the frame. 4 bolts on each side of the frame and 2 bolts for the uca bracket. leave it off and drive around with it after install to see how you do without it. it will improve your flex offroad and if you can drive safley on the road you dont really need it. as ian said "its like a condom, safer with it, but more fun without"

4 to remove the strut:

5put the jack under the uca and support it when the strut is fully drooped and in its neutural position

6 take off the top 3 nuts that hold the top plate in the bucket (NOT THE MIDDLE ONE, this holds the strut together)

7 break the bottom shock bolt on the uca and take it out. you till probably have to hit it with a screw driver and a hammer from the otherside to tap it out

8 pull out strut and it should just drop out

9 when you get the strut out take it to a place what will compress it and put your new parts on because the rent-able ones from auto zone are not worth the trouble. they are a huge pain in the ass.

to get it back in:

10 slide the strut in top first , with the 3 top plate bolts back in the holes making sure to have the eye at the bottom of the shock lined up with the bracket and put the nuts on just enough to keep it fromfalling out.

11 have your friend push up and down the brake assembly with their foot (thus forcing the uca to go up and down) so you can line up the bottom of the shock with the bracket on the uca and slide the bolt in (MAKE SURE IT GOES IN THE WAY IT CAME OUT) when sliding the bolt in you may think the cv is getting in the way... its not.

12 once you have the uca at the right level with the shock slide the bolt in. to get it through you will probably have to put a screw driver through the hole where the sway bar bolted to and hit it with a hammer to tap in the shock bolt. its a slow process tapping in the shock bolt, but it will get there eventually. when you are tapping it through keep moving the uca up and down and twisting the bottom shock eye so it lines up smoothly with the mounting holes and you can tap the bolt through.

13 tighten everything back down, and tighten it again in a day or so



when i did this it took 4 hours one night just to get the driver side strut out and get the new shock on the coil. the next day we did the passenger side and it took an hour and a half total. and that included the half hour it took to take the strut to get it compressed.


if you have any questions just ask, it can be intimidating and complicated the first time. good luck!

once you have the

 

Nice explination^^^, I also used a wall monut spring compressor when i did my 5100's and eibachs and it made it much easier than using the rentable ones from autozone...I only spent about 2 hours total on both sides of mine though the second time around when i did the spacer lift originally it took me and another member around 4-5 hours total...just take your time and be sure to have all your tools ready and a good weekend with nothing else to do and it should be a snap!

 

we need some more pictures in this thread..

today i took off my LED fog lights that i had on the side of my rack (just not enough light) going to put them either in my bed or under the bumper as back up lights.. any suggestion on which spot or somewhere else to put them? -note- im gettin two KC lights to put on the rack backwards also.

 

In the toolbox Thats where i plan to put some led lights for night time when im out wheeling or just need to get something out the box

 

yes put it on the right side...easier to get at then front

 

i just thought about putting one in the tool box and then one under the tool box to see the bed. or maybe just both in the tool box but thats a lot of light for a little box.