Oldie2007 - The Little Big Red Readers Digest Renovation, Revival, and Restoration Thread.

Totally Shocking! - Phase Nine; Letting a Pro Replace the Shocks and Struts!

All right folks, this is just a STOCK replacement. If height goes up, it's just because they are new parts!. I bought a neat little rolling stool, a shot hammer, and some impact attachments to do the work. I was going to sit in the driveway (with no tree shade anymore), and just do one wheel a day. Because Little Big Red can sit if I need. I got a quote from @Texoma at Triple C Chop Shop, and I could not turn it down. The pix are not all great, and don't have a lot of text because I needed to stay out of the way. The man is a one man tornado - he never stops moving. You need this stuff done? Hit him up. WHY - ONE HOUR for this. ONE freaking hour. So here we go!

$95 Monroe 171371L Monroe Quick-Strut Complete Strut Assembly

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009AA5QJ6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (one each side Left and Right)

$32 Monroe OESpectrum 37280 Suspension Shock Absorber for Toyota Tacoma

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009AA5SSA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Backed into the shop.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009AA5SSA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I told you he worked fast - he's a blur!



Up we go, and off we go!











And the fastest man in the world finishes the front, so on to the back. Me, I am staying out of the way!






the
And, anticlimactically, is it! Back on the ground, no higher, no lower. So, no real before and after. Happy that the underside work showed no other issues either.
After some crap that apparently fell into the front brakes worked it's way out, SUCH a nice ride home. No Christ Craft - a regular truck. WOW.
And I will put in one more props for the Triple C Chop Shop. @Texoma never stopped working the whole afternoon I was there. He is a freaking monster of mechanicism.
And I don't know what's next, but, wait, there's more!

 

Looks good!!! Chris is the man im always impressed how effiecnt an througho he is when I've had work done.

 

​

 

This is what labor of love for and dedication to your Tacoma looks like. Keep the updates coming as you continue on your journey. It's been great following your build thread; it's inspired ideas for my own Tacoma!

 

Let There be MORE Light! - Phase Ten; Replacing last years DRL LEDs, Changing out the OEM Fogs for Yellow, and cleaning up a harness.

Yup, my bargain LED DRL lasted a year, primarily due to the fact that when I attempted to Loctite the brackets to the bodies to keep them secure, the Loctite ATE AWAY all the plastic. I taped the crap out of them, and epoxied them together anyway, mostly because I already made the harness and installed it! So, asked the son for some new cheapies for Christmas, and .. off we go!

Things not looking as clean, and a few segments have failed.



Yup, this is what I held them on with! Creative, no?


And, before they hit the trash can, it was $15 well spent.



OK, new ones getting wired up to a connector, so I can unplug and remove the grill as a whole & testing.



And time for


Next day.... grill has to come off for all the work. It's a sunshine Saturday!


The LED are tape backed, but I am going to do something different than planned. So, I put some duct tape over the back to try and prevent it from peeling off. Don't need the adhesive, but don't want it to just be sticky and collecting things either.



Magic potion applied, harnessed, and mounting made for wiring




So, I already know this works. You have to wait. "Onward, through the Fogs!"

Never found any real clear instructions of pics, so surmising "it can't be that hard". Here we go. Originals are in very bad shape, and I want yellow. The Christmas present from the beautiful wife!



Look inside, you will see a "dimple" protruding through the housing. You have to PUSH on that thing with a screw driver to get the inside of the lens to move "out", then there is a "tab" on the outside of the vehicle that holds in the opposite side. I needed a long flat blade to help. Can't take pictures, don't have four hands. (So push on the INSIDE of the vehicle, and try to help it pop out, then it releases from the tab on the OUTSIDE of the vehicle)


Old Vs. New? Old ones were plastic, not glass as I expected. New ones are plastic. Will be treated and polished as such. YELLOW!
Spare lamps and sockets too!


See that black thing at the back - the adjuster screw fits into it. Far easier to remove the old, and beat the new into place I found. I learned as well, when putting them back in, line up the INSIDE tab, get it into the hole, then BANG the outside to lock into the tab. Brutal.....




In they went, and I had to remember I needed headlights on to have fogs. No intent to make them "anytime".



Good, everything works, just one more thing before I put it back together... When I made the fan harness, all I had was 1/4" split loom. I had ordered 3/4" and not got to it. Plus a disconnect for the fan power. I didn't do the disconnect, because I really need to pull it back out, and didn't need to at this time. But, this got all the wires back inside protection!




So, that's it. Put it together, and what da ya got?
Bippity

Boppity

BOOO!


Two more phases stared in December in January coming up! BUT WAIT, there's more.

here's the stuff:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01015DBWW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$14 LEADTOPS Daytime Running Lights LED White Light L-Shape Strips 72 SMD Glass Lens with Back Sticker 12V DRL 6W DIY LED Lamp 100% Waterproof (2 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FQ7FZH...olid=1M82UTEATX8DT&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

Awesome job Kurt. Looks fantastic!

 

Thank you sir!

 

Let There be MORE Light! - Phase Ten (B) I didn't replace the OEM Fog Switch, but I Wanted To!

I got help from several friends, who found threads I could not, and passed along advice. It was some combination of using a jack-knife, butter knives to be a slim jim on the sides, or removal of the dash. Heck, one thread even started with taking the steering wheel housing apart! ALL I really wanted to do was pop out the OEM Fog switch, and compare it to the KIT Fog Switch. The Kit having a cool LED, which, of course, I REALLLLLLLY wanted. Because.

Somewhat anticlimactic, but here is goes. And no Toyota switches or dashes were harmed in this adventure.

Quick pix. What I had


A jackknife, or two old butter knives were suggested. What I had was a Butter knife with 1990's bondo remnants, a skinny old nail file.


Trying the dual blade side to side wiggle - nada (AKA - Slim Jim technique). Not barely room for even the skinny file. But, I did get some movement by gently prying from the top.


Just a little out was enough to grab it







Feeling good, as it has a connector on the back


Bad pic, OEM is just the emblem, Replacement kit switch has indicator LED


But, the bad news. OEM 4 Blade connection. Kit has 5 PIN connection.


Yes, suppose I could have cut up the kit harness, and figured something out, but not going to. Leave the harness and switch alone, and someone with no fogs can get a super bargain harness!

Oh, the harness on the blank switch is probably for the INVERTER OPTION, because I have the 2007 Sales Brochure, and an SR5 Prerunner would have had the inverter with either TRD option up. (I was hoping for something cool, like ejector seat!)

Thanks @KENNY, and @MattCowsmasher !

 

great write up

 

A Real Step Up! - Phase Eleven; Replacing the Original Aries Step Bar with a Used Predator Set!

This started innocently enough. A friend in the TTC was selling a new set for a good price. I guess most everyone I know has removed them for sliders, but I got interested because I have replacement knees, and ingress into the Taco is a little bizarre. My wife is also shorter, and I thought it would help her as well. Well, avalanche of "me needing new steps"! The more I saw, the more I wanted to swap, but it was not planned on my current budget. Yet here we are, and here we go!

First the credits!
@RobP62 for starting this, being about my size, having a wife about her size, and experience to tell me they would be good for me.
@FastEddy59 for making me a great offer on some literally brand new steps.
@jlusmc for making his "gently abused" free to a good home, and meeting me closer to my place than his to drop them off!
@Texoma for applying some gentle banging and bending to make the damage fit again.
@MattCowsmasher , as always, for being the source for information I can never find and he always can!

So, here they are in a backyard, being in the way. You can see the bent step (back passenger), and it turned out to have a couple broken welds. So, I went from picking them up in Bastrop, then off to Triple C in Lago Vista, back home to wash them off and get started.





Home, a little work on the break, and then lots of JB Weld into the fixed bracket.




Then, it rained for days...
Into the back yard for some detail clean up, and a coat or two of black satin Rustoleum to make them all new to me!





And it rained some more....
Finally Saturday, to the truck! Driver side first - make sure it all works using the same hardware.








That worked! So, lets do the other side!






So, everything that got done this week in one photo? Almost!



Thanks guys for your help! As always, but wait, there's more.

 

Kurt,
I love posts like this! There's never such a thing as too much info. Love it Love it Love it!

This definitely worked out for you!

All I want to know now is what the wifey thinks?!!!

Rob

 

Kurt your a great story teller. They look really good an hope work better for Yall.

 

She didn't know what I was doing all afternoon. So I told her how easy it was to get in now (but I am still practicing), and she said "good, that means I get to drive!"

 

NIIIICE! I know she's going to appreciate them more than the tubes!

 

Looks sharp!

 

Thanks guys! Means a lot from y'all.

 

You're ma Boy Blue!

 

The build looks great. How did you replace the interior lights with LED's?

 

One of the simplest things I've managed! I don't see them below in "Products". It is

$10 Yorkim 194 LED Bulbs White 6000k Super Bright 5th Generation, T10 168 LED Bulb for Car Interior Dome Map Door Courtesy License Plate Lights W5W 2825, Pack of 10

$10 Yorkim 194 LED Bulbs White 6000k Super Bright Newest 5th Generation Universal Fit Pack of 10, T10 LED Bulbs, 168 LED Bulb White T10, 2825 LED Bulb, W5W LED Bulb, 194 LED Interior Lights for Car
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JRE38EA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$8 Yorkim DE3022 LED Bulb Super Bright DE3175 Festoon Bulbs White, Error Free Canbus 6-SMD 5730 Chipsets, DE3021 Interior Car Lights 31mm LED Bulbs for dome map light - Pack of 4

$11 Yorkim 31mm LED Bulbs White Super Bright LED Interior Car Lights Error Free CANBUS 6-SMD 5730 Chipsets, 3175 Festoon LED Bulbs, DE 3175 LED Dome Lights, De3021 LED Bulbs, De3175 LED Bulbs - Pack of 4
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZKTXJA4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Paste may not be what I wanted, and there is probably already better available.

 

Thanks.