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

Just finished up my radiator/timing belt/water pump replacement last night. Probably would have finished it late on Sunday night, except that the new radiator didn't line up perfectly with the holes and I didn't have a round file big enough to rasp them out with. Picked one up after work on Monday, had everything back together and running in a couple of hours.

I had just a bit of a leak from the radiator when I started:


Here's my totally high-tech counter-torque tool for the crankshaft pulley:


I was casting about trying to find something to plug the hoses for the ATF cooler and I settled on: two .30-06 cases from the scrap brass bucket. Worked like a charm.


Overall, job wasn't too bad, just took forever because I kept getting interrupted and, well, I'm just slow. Running great now, drove it into work today.

 

I'm slow too. If I start to rush or if I try to set a goal to be finished by a certain time then I start getting short tempered when things don't go right. Better to let it take the time it takes and enjoy it. Been many times when I put all the old stuff back together when it looked like I wasn't going to finish in time.

 

Oh yea. It's 2016. My truck is considered a classic now.



Frankenstein...a classic hahahahaa

 

Maybe in Wyo, in Washington mine isn't a classic until its 25yrs old.

 

lol yea, that would be awkward and defeat the whole purpose of putting them there

 

In Canada, the first gens get looks like a cocker spaniel sled dog. Nothing but shiny new F-Teen Thousands up here. If you make 4 years it's an antique.

 

Yeah you guys use more salt on your roads than a Texan uses on a typical American breakfast. Gotta imagine that helps keep the new car/truck business afloat.

 

Clean 300zx, a rare species. Nice doors too

 

Thanks! The 300ZX is my buddy's we were sizing/measuring everything for a turbo relocate so we can wedge an HX35 in it. I shall be claiming his current turbo for the Taco after we liberate it. It's like brand new though for being an 88. Notice it is parked right next to an EVO X as well. There's another EVO X in the garage but currently has no engine due to an unfortunate accident involving a block that was allergic to rods.

 

Ahh, you had the "tranny that goes ping!" mod.

 

So about this tack weld mod for the steering column....

So when going slow over rough terrain my steering does have a slight clunk. But it is very faint. Like I keep the steering wheel still but I can fell something moving and making a small thud at times in the steering column.

Is this the infamous clunk that gets fixed with the tack weld mod?

 

Mine didn't go away completely, but it helped ALOT!!!!!

 

So did you have a faint clunk like I described? Or was it worse?

 

a faint clunk. Wasn't horrible, but when wheeling it was definitely noticeable.

 

Those blocks that sneeze the rods out are really annoying, my buddies 5 banger Volvo has a nice inspection hole now though Man I wish my 88 car was half as clean as that Nissan, hell I'd settle with not being able to Flintstone in it. Always wanted to turbo my 2.7 but I need a daily driver and I'd probably detonate my engine because I'm way too boost happy anyway.

 

You know what you need to do to your 99 before you sell it?

Add a rock/bug shield.

 

Same product much cheaper:

$40 NGK (4412) RC-TE66 Spark Plug Wire Set

http://www.amazon.com/NGK-TE66-Wire-Set/dp/B000CJ8DC6

Or get it from Parts Geek. Usually the cheapest/

 

LMAO. this weekend... this weekend... I'll PM ya my #

 

Mine is a lot more than "faint" when I'm wheeling.

 

Guess I'm too dumb to take off a sway bar