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

pretty sure your wallet feels more like this tho:

 

That's actually the one thing that is different between 3rd gen runner and taco. They have different tie rods and ball joints. Just a heads up

 

Went to the local U-Pull It to get an Ignition Control Module for my 95. Came home with:

Looks good until...why does life always have a "down side"?

 

Has the ultra rare extra cab Toyota running boards. No joke those things are rare as fuck, no one bought them. I want a set

 

Part out?

 

I bought it because for a truck in this part of the country (Indiana), the frame and underbody are cherry. The hit was above the frame, but wiped out the front body mount, rad, & probably condenser. V-6 LX with 255,000. I got it for $1400. I feel I can: 1.) put $5-700 in parts plus my labor (w/o paint); 2.) use the frame as a donor for my 95 with 2.7 and 155,000 miles and a swiss cheese frame.

First step is replace rad and T/A cooler and run the engine & check trans function. Compression check. Parts list...$$$?

Good news is all fluids and exhaust pipe residue look pristine. LH door and windshield undamaged. No obvious previous body damage other than scratches.

Bad news engine room main W/H relay box was damaged, but TBD on how bad.

 

You can buy vehicles off the yard at U-Pull It? At my local Pick-n-Pull I’ve only seen “running” cars for sale. The cars already in the yard I don’t think you can buy whole.

 

Same.

My 04 was inspected back in February. Still solid and an ass load if scale. Blows my mind that there are no perferations. No additional coating applied.

 

@Itchyfeet

Those must have been added later, or are they disguised here somewhere. If I do part it out, I will let you know.

 

We can at the yard I frequent: both before they ever enter the "process", meaning the yard pulls what they want first; or just after the yard pulls what they want. Once they are out in the yard, they cannot be purchased as a whole unit.

Edit: I got this one the day after this truck came in, so the company had not touched it yet.

 

I've been to almost every single Pick-n-Pull in California and what I found interesting is only one of them actually took parts off the cars before they were sent to the crusher. I noticed all of the wiring was mangled on all of the Cadillacs and Buicks I was looking at, turns out they have teams of people who salvage the harnesses out of them for Copper.

 

It looks like you can still save that truck. You just need a new fender apron and front end.

 

These guys have a multi bay garage at the entrance to the yard and they pull high demand engines, transmissions, and aluminum wheels (for scrapping). Then, they let them sit in a holding area for a bit and see if they get a sale. If not, then they are sent to the yard as space allows. They will still sell you those parts, but just at a premium vs you pulling them yourself. Just another way to take advantage of desirable parts.

Tacomas are very rare.

 

Yeah, I think most of it will buff out.

 

Same here. Once they're put into the yard, the engine and transmission are gone in twenty minutes. I love telling this story:

 

Wow.

 

Likely bought out of the Toyota dealer accessory catalog after the sale. These were made by Steel Horse if I recall. They made a bunch of Jeep bling back in the day, but either the company went out of business or was bought out by someone. I'd love to have them, but the shipping would kill us both

 

It's the same in the Midwest. Those guys are all over that yard. I am amazed what they can do with so few tools. They walk in with some channel locks and a screw driver and come out pushing a wheel barrow with a transmission in it.... and their clothes are still clean! And, of course, it's 95 and humid.
I really admire their work ethic.

 

I always go all-out when I go to the yard. I bring two wagons full of almost every tool I own, including all my speciality tools when I travel across the state to all these junkyards.

And then I see these guys with a Wal-Mart plastic bag of channel locks, one or two screwdrivers, and a 25 piece socket set take out an engine in less than twenty minutes.

 

They are indeed much smaller.

That said, He is planning on swaping to the Taco ITRE and the LBJ so it'll be an upgrade.