Just picked up ! 4x4 little first gen.

Hello guys, my name is kevin. Ive finally stumbled upon a tacoma i can actually afford. Its the the perfect one to bring back to life since the body and frame rails are in pretty good condition beside surface rust. It does how ever have a little body damage in the rear by the tail light. Thinking ill just cut that section out of a bed when ever i find one at a junk yard or part out. Besides that im pretty new to the Toyota world besides being a toyota tech at one point and my 1jz s13 build. Ive never actually owned a toyota of my own haha. Wait i did, i had a cressida. Anyways! Im here for advice and what you guys suggest i replace since this thing has 300k MILES! lol. its a 2002. 2.7L 4 Cylinder. 4x4 model with auto trans. Nothing crazy for this car its gona be a daily... Well thats what we all say right? lol. Id like to fit some decent sized tires under there. maybe lift it a bit more. Thanks for the welcome in advance! give me ideas

 

The very first thing you need to do is protect that frame. invest a good amount of time and effort into cleaning it inside and out, and coating with something oily.

Second, don't go crazy with a lift or oversized tires. the auto and 2.7 will not do great without changing the gears in the axles. I'd go with a 265/75r16. my last truck had them and it did great.

 

yeah ive already planned on spending some time under there with a wire wheel haha. whats a good oily product to use that has some weight and will stick for a long time to come?

 

Maybe a sound system? If it doesn't need any maintenance, that is. Im still waiting to put mine in even though I got my tacoma two years ago.

Oh I guess the lower ball joints should be inspected too, Ive heard they like to fail because the front end design puts a lot of pressure on them or something. You might be able to find a thread that explains it better. But if they are fine then no worries.

See if you can lower your spare tire too.

 

I use waste oil from my vehicles and other small engines I use around the house. I have a little sprayer that I use in the spring and fall. I'm cheap and that has never failed. but you have to do it twice a year up here in wisconsin.

 

Fluid film the frame. 20$ for 2 cans at lowes and will last all year.