Your unique mod on the 1st Gens

It won't be, you could literally just jump it with a t-tap in 5 mins to test it.

 

I didn't know that. I bought the lenses only, not complete assemblies. I thought they were interchangeable, but I had to modify my 01-04 tail light housings with a dremel to get the smooth lenses to fit. No biggie, though, it only took a few minutes per side.

I only have the lenses but if you want them I'll sell them to you.

 

I want to add one of these to my truck, could you elaborate on the installation? What model did you get, how did you wire it, etc.

 

Latest:

Skid plate illumination with weatherproof switch:



Tool box switches that control bed lights, lights on tool box, and tool box lights:

 

Sure, there are a few people on eBay selling the complete kit with wires and sensor and etc.
The gentex 177 mirror is a GM mirror, IT IS auto dimming so the lights in the rear mirror automatically
dim the mirror, you also have a compass and a temperature indicator.
The hardest part is fishing the wires through the front of the head linier one at a time and then fishing them all through the headlinier to the right side pillar. You need to remove the PLACTIC side pillar and run the wires for power and the wires for the temp sensor that you will attach to the very front of the truck by the horn. 2 wires run to this sensor, the other 2 wires run under the glove box area( remove the glove box) and find a ground by the glove box frame and hot wire to the cigarette light so that when the key is off the power to the mirror is off also. The mirror will drain the battery if you connect to a hot wire that is not controlled by the ingintion. My cigarette lighter does not work when the ingintion key is off. The mirror is larger than the original mirror and does hit the visitor on the drivers side when you flip it all the way down. But it's not a big deal

I REPLACED THE 177 MODEL WITH THE 453 MODEL
ITS MUCH BETTER

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...mp-compass-auto-dimming.553041/#post-17999152

 

How did you mount the mirror itself to the headliner? I have the mirror that has the map lights, like this:



So to clarify: Two wires (pos/neg for Thermostat) run to the engine compartment for the temperature probe, and two (pos/neg +-12v) runs to a power source. Is that correct?
I want to get one of the mirrors with a thermostat and HomeLink so I can ditch the garage opener.

 

Yes that's correct, I removed the metal mirror support from the lamp housing that holds
the Toyota mirror and attached the gentex to the windshield with the glass tab.
I wanted the homelink also but the problem for the 1st gen Tacoma is there is little room
and this gentex is about as large(wide) a mirror you can install because if it's any bigger the sun visors
on both side will hit the mirror when you drop them down. With the gentex depending how you
center it on the glass one visor will hit the mirror. Also you need to cut in the plastic wire tab cover that covers the wires from the mirror to THE headlinier along the windshield.

 

SO....has anyone or does anyone know if a deck rail kit off a 2nd or 3rd gen tacoma will fit a 1st gen?

 

What do you mean by deck rail kit? The tracks the around the bed?

 

YES, i came across a set and wodmered if anyone has tried to mount them or not?

 

I remember seeing someone who did it. Can't remember who though. Shouldn't be hard.

 

land cruiser style brush bars are unique for a tacoma i guess

 

I have them installed, so nice.

 

I bought a homelink designed for a visor and installed it in my headliner. Connected it to my map lights for power.

 

Got pics of it? How difficult was the installation? I assume it ain't too hard.

 

The sides were easy, my hands were to big to do the front, so my wife did it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-we-got-ham-and-bmw-too.401380/#post-11164014

 

I loved the deck rails the moment I realized they existed. They cost an arm and a leg to buy genuine or aftermarket ones. I found a couple of solutions:

You can use a product called "Unistrut" which is commonly used in the construction field for mounting or framing various equipment to walls like conduit, plumbing, utility boxes, junction boxes, wall supports, etc. It's basically an extruded "U" shaped track. They sell nuts that fit inside that have a 3/8 (or something like that) threaded hole so you can screw in an eye bolt or whatever you want. It's the closest thing to a factory Toyota bed rail. It's also incredibly cheap, with it costing like $15 for 10 feet.



You can also use aircraft seat rails. Boeing, Lockheed Airbus, etc. use it to mount chairs and equipment to the fuselage on commercial airliners, and they're also commonly used for strapping down cargo and offering tie-down points. This is much much more pricey that Unistrut, but provide a cleaner and functional system. A user on here (can't remember their name) put down this type of rail in their 1st gen.



EDIT: I'll be damned, it even looks like genuine Toyota OEM bed rail accessories will fit into the Unistrut. I was over on the 2nd gen forums and people use the Unistrut bolt and nut in their Toyota rail system, so it looks like accessories are interchangeable.

Unistrut is the closest thing to the 2nd/3rd gen factory bed rails and you'll save a lot of $$$.

 

THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!! THANK YOU SO MUCH, will be doing this in the immediate future!!

 

No prob! Make sure to post pics if you do it. I have to do it myself in the future.

 

I use the tiedown fitting with the quick disconnect(pucks we call them). nice to put them where you want rather then the whole rail, but preference is different. added 4 per bedrail(had to drill, oh well) works well. their use at work is extension and they are strong and light aluminum so if you find a deal would be worth it. if its expensive, let me know, might find some in the "trash" at work...