BigFishAllDay's Truck Thread

Looks good. I will be doing the same to mine here soon once I get my 33's and gears installed. LMK if your cosmetic changes include different bumpers. I may be interested...

 

I'm not usually a big fan of the gold Tacoma's, but wow this one is beautiful!
Great looking truck! Congrats on the purchase, I'm looking forward to seeing your future mods!

 

sub'd! Loved tomtoms build can't wait for whats next

Not to mention love the SCS rims

 

I got a few more things taken care of on the truck yesterday...

- Adjusted the parking brake. Brake now holds the truck on my steep driveway, but I still leave it parked in gear.
- Replaced the Hi-Lift jack with a new 60" standard version.
- Installed the new license plate (required de-pinning/re-pinning WeatherPack connectors for plate lighting)
- Used a sledge to bend the ends of the spare tire support brackets to better center the larger spare under the bed.
- Installed a cable lock on the spare tire, both for security and to add redundancy for keeping the spare in place should the factory winch cable fail.
- Evened out the front trim job, which required more cutting on the P/S.
- Restored the headlight lenses, both were in rough shape.

I didn't take pics of most of that, but for the record here's a before and after on the headlights:



after...



And the passenger side after refinishing... this side was in worse shape to start....



The product I used was MothersNu Lens. For $27, it included a drill attachment and sanding discs that attach with Velcro. You start with 800 grit, go to 1500, then 3000, and finish up with the polish using the foam powerball. The passenger side headlight took about an hour because it was half covered in some kind of clear coating that had been applied to prevent yellowing (didn't work). The coating was peeling and flaking and looked like crap. The driver side took about 20 minutes after having practiced on the P/S.

Hopefully the refinish lasts at least a year. Coming from 3rd gen 4Runners, I'm not used to having plastic headlights that dull over time. My 'Runners all have glass lenses. The Mothers kit has enough supplies for a second round, so I should be good to go when the time comes.



And just for the hell of it, something you guys have never seen before... a Hi-Lift jack!



I've got parts starting to roll in, so there should be more coming soon.

 

Good times. It felt way too natural taking the grinder to this truck... I guess I got used to it on my 4Runner. RE the bumpers, I think you would be one of many who might be interested. Based on my research, the Elite products have a strong following and a lot of residual demand. For now, they'll be staying, but the front will be coming down for some modifications.

Thanks, man! The Imperial Jade Metallic (dark green) is my favorite color for both Tacomas and 4Runners, but that color is hard to come by around here. Regardless, color would only be a major factor for me if I were buying a vehicle new. For used vehicles, I can work with just about anything. Thanks for checking out the thread.

The cool thing about having bought this from Tom is that I've been able to watch the progression of the truck first hand, and have even participated in some of the modifications. What I have in store won't go nearly as far as Tom's work has, but it should be fun.

RE the SCS wheels, I agree... . I like them more every time I look at them.

 

Sub! Now I get to follow this truck all over again

 

Well son of a bitch..didn't know the guy sold his rig. Looks to be in capable hands though

Hold on to that front bumper man. Never let it go. Collectors piece now.

 

For real...

 

Proud owner

 

you're a lucky one!

 

Great work as always Nick!

I had a chance at an Elite but couldn't manage it at the time. Always regretted that decision. Can't wait to see what you have in store for it.

 

Glad to have you along for the ride(s)...

Most still don't. It happened kind of fast and out of the blue. I like to think I won't completely f@#k it up.

Maybe I'll get a doggy bed for the bumper and bring it inside at night... kidding... but I can't believe how much people love these things. They are a nice looking bumper, but IMO leave A LOT to be desired when it comes to the design/strength of the mounting points. I'll likely cut off most of the mounting arrangement and re-do it.

If you have a look at the pics, the front bumper mounts are already bent such that the bumper tilts upward at the leading edge, contacting the grille and resulting in the rear end of the side wings tilting downward and creating a funny gap against the fender. This was the result of a light off road hit to the shackle mounts while Tom still owned it.

I've owned both an ARB and an AOR bumper, and would say both are much stronger than the Elite design.

Thanks, man. Are you ever gonna post some pics of the new wheels on the Tundra? As I said above, I can't believe how people drool over these bumpers. The situation has me half contemplating selling it, buying an AOR bumper, and pocketing some change.

 

You won't. Not by a long shot. You'll put your personal stamp on it which is actually a pretty smart and detailed one.

Yeah. They look cool as shit but after getting one, I found the issues. You saw some of that when you welded the skid mounts on. At least you know that part is solid.

 

I beefed up my mount points a bit. Had been pretty solid since after i bent it winching. Did it to another friends too. Woulda been okay if the mount plate was 1/4'' at least.

 

I don't know that there is a better looking set of wheels than the SCS F5s.

 

Interesting to hear an opinion on Elite from someone who isn't just a fanboy. Also, I wouldn't be too proud or boastful of owning something made by someone who defrauded so many on here.

Sell it to one of those fanboys and buy something else. You'll probably come out ahead.

 

Thanks, Tom. I'm glad I have your vote of confidence. I like to think that if I didn't, you probably wouldn't have sold me the truck. RE the bumper, I'm sure you remember all the times I commented about it sitting crooked, or hitting the grille, etc. That kind of stuff is on my pet peeve list.

I've been following your thread and trip reports for a long time, and I remember reading about that in your build. I'll keep those ideas in mind when I get to looking at mine.

The SR8s are damn nice too, but the F5s are magic on a first gen Tacoma. Initially, I was leaning toward an OEM option, but the F5s won out in the end.

I like the look of the bumper (except the stinger... too high), so I'll probably make my decision to keep/sell based on how much work it will take to strengthen the mounting system. However, If I had a buyer at a price that would get me into something else, I'd strongly consider selling.

Once I take it off the truck, I'll get some pics to better illustrate the weaknesses in the design.

 

Somebody would be willing to give you the price, guaranteed. You could start a feeler and if it peeks you're interest you can go through it or just fix it. That's what I would do

 

Sub. Followed the other build too. Addicted off road bumper on the 4runner?

 

I did some research a while back and saw some people talking crazy numbers, like $1500, for a second hand Elite bumper. I couldn't believe it. I'd sell it today for that price.

Yeah, it's an addicted bumper, but I modified it a bit. Notice the center section in particular is fully plated, no tube across the front as they are sold by AOR. I cut it up and rebuilt it as soon as I got it.