My 2nd tacoma is here to stay...

Hello Everyone! I'm glad to have finally joined the forum instead of just lurking.

Now to my Tacoma story...

Last April I had traded my 1999 Mustang Cobra to my buddy for his 1995.5 Tacoma. The truck was absolutely badass! It was a Red with tan interior, ext. cab 3.4 5 speed 4x4 that was tastefully done up. The truck was all power locks, windows and mirrors, AND even had the FACTORY SUNROOF! oh It had a small spacer lift with an add-a-leaf on it with some 32's as well as an E-locker rear end swapped into it. Well, my original intentions was to do a tacoma width 3 link SAS on 37's and blah blah blah, all of that expensive stuff. After a couple of months of owning the truck and doing a couple of little things on my own, (debadge and fully cut and polish paint, super nice stereo install, got rid of all of the chrome and exhaust), I ran across an 85 4runner on craigslist. I had always wanted a 1st gen 4runner and it for whatever reason spoke to me... I ended up trading the tacoma for the 4runner and some cash. That was the worst mistake I had ever made, all I did was sink money into the 4runner and only was able to wheel it once in the 8 months I owned it. Near the end of me owning the rig all I wanted was my tacoma back. I tried everything I could to either trade back with the guy or trade for something else he wanted and then get my truck back. He didnt budge, he loves the truck and I cant blame him. So I was able to get my 4runner sold eventually and went out and picked up another 1st gen...

Chapter two of my Tacoma story...

I took the money I made off of the 4runner and ran straight to craigslist and found myself another first gen. I was able to get a Paradise Blue Metallic 97 that is exactly identical to what my 95.5 was only no sun roof, no power mirrors, no locker and all stock. When I got it there was a huge ladder rack on it, mud flaps, and the stock chrome and rubber "flares" if thats what you want to call them. The first night I had it all of that stuff fell off and it got a good bath which it hadn't had in a while. It has now been about a week, and I have done a full paint correction detail to bring the paint back to life (clear is going on the hood and basically all gone on the roof) and just today got the whole truck tinted so I was no longer driving in a bubble. Only couple interior things it needs are a driver seat belt (it doesnt like to feed out) and an ash tray insert.

Plans for this truck:

01-04 front end swap
headlight retrofit
power mirror swap
repaint whole truck to fresh stock color with some color matching on bumpers, grill and mirrors
3" coilover lift with add-a-leaf
remove plastic bed liner and do a spray in bed liner
full stereo install
exhaust and intake
17" wheels with 33" toyo open country A/T 2's
tasteful light bars/pods
KEEP IT CLEAN AND FUNCTIONAL

Thank You for reading, I look forward to everyones feedback and I will post up some pictures when I can. You can follow me on Instagram for more updated pics as it goes @clewis_215!

 

Sounds sick. Congrats!

 

Thank you!

 

Wow welcome to TW. Start a build thread so we can watch. And reconsider the 95 to a 01-04 front end swap. The 95 has one of the coolest front ends with the square headlights. Maybe just swap out the bumpers.

 

Thanks! I'll start a thread once I get some things going on it. I do love the 95-97 front end but I want to be able to build retrofit headlights for it to be able to have better output. The 95-97 headlights just make it really hard to build a clean retrofit that both looks and functions how I want them to. I am going to keep all of the stock parts that come off of the front end so that if down the line I decide I want to go back, I can.

 

Welcome!

Oooof, that first part of your story was painful to read, lol. Sounded like a great truck, although like you I've always dreamed of owning an awesome solid axle, '85 (or earlier) 4runner/pickup. I may have done the same thing in that situation and gone for it as well.

Glad you were able to get back into another first gen! I sold my '99 Tacoma 10 years ago when I went to school, missed it like crazy ever since and finally got to a point in life where I could get another one. Found a mint condition '04 earlier this month. It's a good feeling

 

Glad your back in a taco!

 

It was a very bittersweet ownership of the 4runner haha. As much as I loved it, it just was not practical and I knew I definitely let the wrong truck go! But that being said, I will not be making that same mistake twice!

 

Just curious, what was so bad about the 4Runner? I was *this* close to doing exactly what you did, but the owner was being a jerk so I pulled out last second. I'd still love a 1st gen 4Runner but I don't think it'll ever happen.

 

It wasn't that it was a 1st gen, it was THAT first gen. The motor and drivetrain was all questionable and mildly reliable, there was a lot of stuff done to it that was not properly done the first time. I never had the opportunity to wheel it because I was constantly rebuilding/redoing stuff the prior owners did incorrectly or just that could be improved. I WILL own another 1st gen 4Runner that's for sure, but I will be buying it all stock and building it from the ground up, or if one of my buddies is getting rid of his maybe I'll get it off them, but not another build that I don't know the history on. 1st gen 4runners themselves are sweet! I will miss the truck on warm summer nights cruising around with the hard top off and the soft/bikini top on... but that isn't what I need right now haha.

 

Welcome!

 

Thank you!

 

Everyone who hasn't, go check out the build thread I started! Looking for input and always open to ideas.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/clewis215s-1997-tacoma-build-thread.428044/