PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

Too bad the column covers were not reassembled correctly.

 

Actually had the package the switch came in out in the truck. Just went out and got it. Part number is

$144 84652-02610 Windshield Wiper Switch

84652-02610.

 

lol i about commented on this, but the guy only paid $10 for install

 

Google, or Bing, or Yahoo

 

Yeah, but if a job is worth doing, it's worth doing right.

 

I don't know what the deal is with the steering column. It's lined up fine on the left side.

 

There are little fingers / clips that need to be lined up when assembling the two halves of the cover. It shouldn't be a big deal to fix, probably only have to take the screw out on that one side, line things up, and reinstall the screw. Sounds like a good warmer weather project for you, or do it sometome after you've driven the truck and it's already warm inside.

 

Is the switch the only part that is needed to go to intermittent wipers ? No need to change the wiper motor ? Thanks in advance.

 

Just the switch has to be changed. It even adds automatic windshield washer! You just pull the switch stalk back and it will wipe the windshield three times after the fluid is sprayed.

 

Great pictures. Did you think about a tailgate camera? I want to try to make it look as stock as possible. How long did the install take?

 

Install took a couple hours, and I didn't know that the truck was prewired for a backup camera at the time I bought the parts.

 

Thanks for sharing , I love when guys do a nice neat job and share........with photos

 

I am just wondering how LEOs, EMS/EMT, firefighters, and other first responders deal with the sh*t they see on a regular basis, like injured people. I had an experience almost a year ago, and what I saw got to me for a few days afterward. Even to this day it still comes back to me, and it wasn't even that bad an accident.

As many of my fellow Tacoma owners on TW know, I work as a bar-back and personally assistant at a popular bar/restaurant/music venue. Once in the spring of 2016 (about May or June; can't remember), my boss sent me to the local Acme to pick up various foodstuffs and supplies. I had just pulled my Tacoma into a parking space and had gotten out when I heard a loud crash. I asked someone standing nearby if there'd been an accident and she said yes. I immediately locked up my Taco and ran over to the crash scene to see if I could help. Like I said, I did not actually witness the accident, but I did end up helping and here's what happened...

An older Asian woman in a 1998-2003 Toyota Sienna minivan was traveling Southbound, and an older man going Northbound in a 2004ish Subaru Legacy Outback wagon made a left turn into the shopping center, in front of the minivan. The minivan struck the Subaru on the left front fender. Both vehicles were totaled, and luckily both drivers were wearing seatbelts, but neither one's airbag deployed. As a result, both drivers were pretty banged up. People immediately ran to help the guy in the Subaru, and by the time I actually saw accident, they had the Subaru surrounded. At this point I noticed the older Asian woman in the minivan, and she seemed to be in quite a bit of pain, but nobody seemed to be paying her any attention. As I got closer to the minivan, I realized it was still running, even though the front end was totally destroyed. I made way around the front of the van to the driver's side and opened the door. I quickly realized that the woman spoke very little English. The first thing I told her was that she needed to shut off the engine so it didn't seize or blow up or something. I can't remember if I shut off the engine or she did, but I then asked if she was hurt at all. She pointed to her left abdominal area and her left ankle. She did not die, but I think she had a fractured ankle, a broken rib or two, and possibly some internal bleeding. She was wearing her seatbelt, but keep in mind the airbag didn't go off.

At some point, I realized that none of the citizen responders seemed to be from the Doylestown area and didn't know where to direct the ambulance. Believe it or not, the local ambulance service was headquartered within walking distance of the accident. I took out my trusty iPhone, called 911, reported the accident, and then stayed on the line with the operator while comforting the Asian woman. They were able to pinpoint my exact location using my cell phone, and within minutes like three cop cars and an ambulance arrived on the scene. Luckily, a couple people had in fact witnessed the accident and were able to give statements. I told a responding officer that I'd called 911 and asked if they needed me for anything else. The officer told me I'd done all I could, and said I could leave, but thanked me profusely for calling 911.

The man in the Subaru was able to walk, but immediately sat down on a stretcher. I was heading into the Acme by the time the medics were helping the Asian woman. I've been involved in a few fender benders myself but never a serious accident, and I've witnessed a few minor to moderate accidents prior to this one. I've also driven past or been in the car when my parents were driving past some serious accidents quite a while after they happened, but this wreck involving the minivan and the Subaru is the only one I've encountered where someone was actually injured and I was actually helping an injured accident victim. The cop told me I could leave, but the image of that woman in the driver's seat of her destroyed minivan, clutching her side in pain, with a look on her face I can't describe, stayed with me for a day or two after the fact.

I have family and friends who are police, fire, and EMT/EMS, and I know from what they've told me that one of the most important traits is to not become emotionally attached to a particular person or case. Even the most hardened police veterans I've seen on reality shows have described having a hard time detaching themselves emotionally and/or remaining neutral.

My question is, how do you guys do it? I sure don't think I could...

 

@LocoLocal

This was WAYYY back in 2013, I think like May-June? Just about any vehicle enthusiast who lives in the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley area probably remembers the cruise night held at Shady Brook Farm every Tuesday from May to August, and also remembers how mad they were when they found out 2013 was going to be the last year. I believe the cruise night started in like 2006, and then they shut it down because of a combination of things. I've heard everything from the owners of Shady Brook wanting to charge admission for both spectators and people showing their vehicles, up to and including residents and local police complaining about the traffic generated by the show. Anyway, I only found out about the cruise night when it was in it's last year, and I went just about every week. This was back when I lived in Furlong, and I used to take Almshouse Road but discovered that taking Swamp Road was a much quicker route.

ACCIDENT #1 (May-June 2013):

The first accident occurred on Almshouse while I still taking Almshouse. I was right behind a rear-end collision. A vehicle several cars ahead needed to make a left, but it was a 2-lane road there were cars coming from the opposite direction. Some of the vehicles were moving slowly, and teenage guy in a white GMC Acadia rear-ended a brand new Honda Civic. I was right behind the GMC and did not initially know that an accident had occurred. The GMC just stopped suddenly with a jolt, and the driver threw their hands up in frustration. After a while, I put two and two together when I realized traffic wasn't moving. I put my truck in park, turned on the hazards, and got out to investigate. The teenage driver of the Acadia (probably his parents' car) was sobbing uncontrollably, and my first instinct was to ask him if he was hurt. He told me he was not hurt. The Acadia had pretty much no damage, but this brand new Civic probably had a couple grand in damage. The rear bumper was damaged slightly, and the trunk lid would probably have to be replaced. The driver of the Civic was very chill for someone whose brand new car had just been rear-ended, as was his friend. The kid in the GMC, still crying, said "I'm sooo sorry!" The guy who'd been rear-ended cared more about the well-being of the kid than his brand new car, which I find commendable. Both the teen and the guy with the Civic pulled into the parking lot of a nearby baseball field, along with myself and another witness. It was quickly determined that nobody was injured, damage was incredibly minor, and it was pretty obvious who was at fault. The guy in the Civic told me that all was good, and I didn't have to stick around if I want didn't want to, so I continued to the car show.

 

@LocoLocal

Accident #2:
So, not long after I witnessed the rear-ender on Almshouse, I realized that taking Swamp Road was a far quicker way to get to Shady Brook Farm.

Five to ten minutes after I left my house (this was my parents' old place in Furlong), I witnessed a single-car accident.

I'd just turned right from Lower Mountain Road onto Swamp Road, and I was just cruising along without a care in the world. It was warm out, but not unbearably hot, so I had the windows down and the A/C on in my Tacoma. I had my iPod plugged into the stereo and was jamming to Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. I was paying attention to the road, but I'd kind of fell into a trance. There was a gray late model Honda Civic in the opposing lane, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw this Civic lose control, swerve, and go right off the road for seemingly no reason. The Civic swerved to the right, going off the road and into a ditch; then it got airborne briefly, slammed down hard into the adjacent cornfield, and slid across the cornfield. The Civic then found it's way back to the road, going back over the ditch and landing hard on the pavement, straddling the double yellow line about a car-length-and-half in front of my truck. This all took place in under a minute, but it seemed to take longer.

There was this extraordinarily brief period of time where I was thinking "Did that just happen, like, right in front of me?" Then, I threw the truck in park, turned on the hazards, and ran full-steam to the Civic. The guys in the Mini Cooper behind me also got out to help.

This gorgeous 30-something woman who had been driving got out of the car crying, and ran around to the right rear door, where her daughter was sitting. Her daughter was crying too, but both were wearing seatbelts and neither was hurt. Turns out the girl, who was like 7, was upset because she'd been watching a movie on her iPad and the impact of the crash sent the iPad flying. Once it was apparent nobody was hurt, everybody but me and the two guys in the Mini had realized they weren't needed and left. Now we were left a seemingly disabled 2010 Civic partially blocking the road.

The damage to the Civic was weird. The body of the car was not really damaged at all, but the front bumper was pushed up, there were clumps of dirt and grass stuck in various parts of the car, and the suspension and undercarriage seemed to be damaged. The wheels were at odd angles and the car was sagging to one side. The impact did not disable the vehicle, nor did the airbags deploy, and the engine remained running for a good 10 minutes after the actual accident. The engine was making weird noises and there was a small amount of steam coming from under the hood, but the car was running. The woman was too shaken up to drive, so one of the guys from the Mini got behind the wheel of the Civic and pulled it off the road into a driveway, then shut off the engine. I pulled my truck into the driveway and one of the guys moved the Mini into the driveway as well. The Civic ended up getting towed, but I don't think it was totaled. I've seen vehicles damaged much worse than that Civic that weren't totaled (but probably should have been).

One of the guys from the Mini called the police, and the first cop on the scene was an older man who I didn't know. This was still in Buckingham township and I actually knew most of the Buckingham Township Police, specifically the sergeant (who has since been promoted to lieutenant) because I'd interviewed him for an article for my college newspaper about a year and a half earlier. This first officer to respond was very nice and noticed that the little girl was still pretty upset, so he joked around with her to cheer her up. With a big grin on his face, he asked "you weren't driving were you?" The little girl cracked a smile and told him no. Remember how I said I knew the sergeant? He was the next to respond and immediately recognized me. Knowing I was a journalism major, he was hoping I'd write a good witness statement that would reduce the amount of paperwork he'd have to fill out. The officers of the Buckingham Township PD are awesome, period.

Anyway, I filled out a witness statement saying what I'd seen, and also wrote down my name and phone number. Both the guys from the Mini did the same thing. I honestly think the woman was texting or messing with the radio or A/C or something, because I do not think there is any reason that Civic should have just lost control. The weather was perfect, and the Civic did not blow a tire or anything, but nobody was hurt and that's what's important. The sergeant stopped traffic so I could back my Tacoma out of the driveway, and after a thank you from the other responding officer, I continued on my way to the car show.

 

You need a dash cam. Great investment in my mind.

 

This was back in 2013. I purchased two dashcams last year...

 

Ah. I didn't read the link for the first one until just now.

 

Alot of it is a matter of understanding that you are there to do a job and take care of others. We are still people that have emotions that sometimes come out on calls. There have been several times that my partner Officer has had to intervene to prevent me from continuing to yell and scream at people. We all have off days and they are hard, But it happens. Not becoming attached becomes harder once you become a detective that handles the cases from start to finish since you deal with the same people throughout. But that is just my .02.

 

I agree with Charlie. There is no way I could do what the first responders do and keep my sanity. My hats off to all of you.