What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

http://www.truckinamerica.com/toppers/BedSize.htm

According to this from 74' to 92' it was an option.

 

Get a friend or 2 to help take it off. Replace what you need to, then paint everything under the bed before you put it back on. At least that's what I'd do.

 

Sounds like a plan. Should be relatively easy at the yard I can just use their overhead hoists.

 

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Forgot that you can actually find Toyotas in junk yards out west. Lucky

 

I went to three yards over the weekend, there were about six total. Probably the most I've ever seen.

Unfortunately they're 5-lugs, I have never seen a 4x4 Tacoma at a yard down here.

I'm restoring a 1998 5-Lug though so it's somewhat helpful 5-lugs are abundant - not many v6 5-Lugs though.

 

Still though thats a lot compared to where I'm at. ANY Toyota is stripped completely within days of getting on the yard. Tacomas are mostly parted out on Craigslist for insane prices.

 

Thanks

 

I was getting some calipers out of a Tundra once and I heard the forklift bringing in a new car. Unbeknownst to me, it was a new Tacoma. Curious, I looked behind it. There were about five or six Mexican guys briskly following it and as soon as he set it down someone took the injectors and the other guys were arguing with the injector guy while they proceeded to take the whole engine and transmission in less than 20 minutes.

Luckily they didn't care about the interior so I basically took everything of value inside.

How did they get the whole thing out so quick? They took a sawzall to everything holding it to the truck. Including the wiring harness...

 

My favorite yard doesn't allow power tools because people destroy other important or sellable things with them. I used an impact to quickly raise a scissor jack and got yelled at. Not because I was lifting a car but because I used a power tool haha

 

Oh they don't allow Sawzalls at Pick-n-Pull either, but I guess the people up front don't really care. More yards are stricter than others, I went to a P&P up by Travis AFB and they check your bags and toolboxes on the way in, and on the way out. I go to the P&P by my house so often they just wave me through the entrance, lol. They know me there as the crazy guy who buys all the car horns.

 

I used to go to one in Spokane that checked our bags going in and out. Really all they wanted to make sure we didnt take were tiny expensive things like injectors and that we didn't bring in things that start fires. They knew us as the guys that bought Chevy S10 parts and carburetors. Really never had to go there for my taco cause they didn't have any haha.

 

Well... I'm done with my latest project. Must say, I'm pretty damn proud of myself.

Borrowed 90 Amp Harbor Frieght flux welder, Harbor Frieght welding helmet and gloves with holes in the fingers... First time welding anything in my life, absolutely no one to tell me what I'm doing wrong... and all cuts made freehand with a 4 inch angle grinder.

Done!

 

Right on!!! I agree, pretty damn good for first time

 

Great job! Looks like it's strong enough.

 

I like the rings you added, and did you wire a brake light in there?! For a first timer I would say you have some skills I've free hand almost my entire truck build with a small grinder, pretty useful little tool

 

Yep, the brake light is wired through the cross bar that it's in, down the leg on the right and in to the back of the passenger tail light... wired to the stop light.

The rings were around $3.50 a piece at Home Depot. They have some smaller and larger sizes. They're stainless.

 

Funny sign at my local metal supply company.

On that note, I picked up some DOM tubing for my sliders...

 

Just purchased an ARB bumper and received it today. Question for anyone that’s bought one recently. Should it come with hardware and the turn signals? Mine doesn’t have any hardware whatsoever and no signal assemblies and no instructions either

 

Found my cruiser leak today, easy enough fix. Also put an F5 on while they were off the truck. Makes me wanna make that a permanent swap.

 

Do it.

Get some bead lockers for the taco haha