Life and Times of Carrie T. Acoma - WildLands Build

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Here is the continuing story of Carrie T. Acoma

I first ran into Carrie when she was younger, in her awkward stage in looks, and full of dreams of becoming a sexy rig. Wide eyed and eager, she let me inside to take the wheel for the first time. I mean, look at that smile!



A couple years went by without much change. We drove many highway miles together and to many beautiful places, but that 'first truck' spark was fading. She would also catch me checking out her younger sisters from the years 2001 to 2004 in parking lots or online which made her feel unwanted. This lead to a deep depression.

To show my compassion to Carrie, I decided to give her a gift. A gift that would change our lives forever. The gift of a face lift.



At last, she felt loved again because I would always look back at her when walking away. This confidence lead her to get new shoes, new cap, LASIK eye surgery, and other accessories she would have never dreamed of.



She then got in with the wrong crowd. Trucks that showed her her true potential. She started becoming less of a good girl by losing her chrome and gas milage and gaining amor and glory.




Here are the life and times of Carrie T. Acoma

Exterior
01-04 Front end conversion
Colormatched grill
Retrofit headlights with Panamera shrouds and Morimoto switchbacks
Gloss painted black flares
In vent window visors
Leer colormatched campershell
Debadged
Hidden hitch
Rear dif breather relocate
Removed plastic bedliner
Rhino Rack roof rack
01-04 taillights

Amor
Trail gear low profile bumper
All pro rear tube bumper

Interior
Aftermarket Alarm System
Shaggin wagon camper platform

Audio
FHX700BT Pioneer double din radio
Bluetooth
Rockvill 10" underseat powerd sub

Boots
OEM 2013 Toyota Tacoma rims
Hankook Dynapro AT 265/75/16
1.25" Spidertrax wheel spacers

Suspension

OME Nitrochargers
883 coils
Dakars Springs

Soon Future

Timing belt
Winch

Removed Mods
Satoshi grill
Lights behind grill
Toolbox
Bullbar
Hockey puck and brick suspension
Valence flood pods


Maintenance Log (since I realized I should be doing one)

4-4-16 - Oil change at 169410 miles
7-9-16 - Spark plug and wires changed at 171493 miles
8-2-16 - New tires at 171600 miles
9-1-17 - OME Nitrochargers, dakars leaf springs, LBJs, tie rods at 177800 miles
10-6-17 Oil Change Mobile 1 20,000 mile oil & air filter at 178876 miles
10-7-17 Axle seals
10-11-17 Wheel rotations 179007
10-22-17 Rear diff fluid change 179145
11-30-17 o2 sensor replaced 179500
12-17-17 EBC rotors and pads 179700
12-23-17 fuel filter 179800

 

Pre facelift Carrie mods:


First 'mod' was add country girl mudflap stickers. The vinyl is still on there 5 years later! (until removed Oct 2017)


Then I tried to attempt a Satoshi on the front. Some things I learned from this are: I cut the mesh to small, cut way more than you need then trim from there and be sure everything is prepped well and things have sat for their right amount of curing time. It was all good though because since I was the first to do an 98-00 grill, custom car grills gave me the mesh for free

 

That didn't help the front end look better as much as I wanted. Kinda like a third gen, looks good at an angle but from straight in front it looks like crap

 

So I bought a chrome bullbar that everyone on here just loved.



Also added some lights behind the grill





But the output was shit so they were for looks/ and or spotlighting homies doing drug deals in the alley

 

Next was the cheap kids way of lifting a truck. A metal brick in the back and a puck up front. Is it bad that the metal has changed colors? Time to get that off soon. Excuse the greek letters, was trying to be cool for a semester. Didn't work out.

 

Then a bunch of random shit, lots of dip, and things coming on and off the truck.

Now post face lift Carrie:

 

You can see the whole right up here - 98-00 to 01-04 Front End Conversion

Basics though

Switch hood



Remove innards



Assemble



Then 2 months later, get hood painted by sketchy guy on Craigslist

 

Found a bumper too and colormatched it next. Love the style of the 2012-15 bumpers and want to recreate that.

 

I'm really digging the color match bumper.


Looks really good.

 

Ooof forgot to finish updating this thread.

Thanks! It's gunna look guud when I do the chrome and find someone to fabricate a valence bumper

 

ooh! Fancy.

 

After 4 years of pavement pounding with street tires I decided to pavement pound with some ATs

Hankook Dynapro AT 275/75/16

I guess I didn't use wise searching for tires. They rub so had to get 1.25" spidertraxx

Then took her hunting to test out

 

Ehh, I'll update later

 

Update this josh! I wanna see that bumper!!

 

coming soon

 

Then was time for LASIK eye surgery. Here is pre-operation wash. Followed by my retrofit write up! How not to do it..



Stock output was shit. Wish I got pictures of it but tough to see much on highways at night.

So took the headlights out. Popped them in the oven



Opened them up. Pop the projectors in there



Realize you have the wrong wire harness



Then put them back together



fuck yeah, love it when things go wrong

 

Maybe it was a good thing because I would've left it chrome. So I got the right wire harness and tried again. Retrofit write up number 2!

Opened back up, cut down shroud, look at the mess you are about to start



I grew some balls and painted the light, no going back now. Attached shroud and halos.







Put back together

 

Realized chrome is ugly af so colormatched a grill

 

What do you know? eBay halos burn out weeks after install. get to open them up again




Maybe it was a good thing because I wasn't happy with the quality of my first go around. Ordered some morimoto switchbacks instead so they are white and I look cool when I am turning. Also added some black to the corner so it would blend into the side marker better, sanded the shroud, repainted, and other stuff.

from this:



to this:



installed:






also added colormatched corners