Finally in a Tacoma (bitter sweet) - New(ish) member

Hey all, I have been lurking here and reading tons of posts for close to a year. Loved learning all about these trucks form all the OG Tacoma owners out there.

Figured it was about time to introduce myself and my truck, Oscar. Sort of long post below, but it's the story of my Tacoma that I love dearly.

TL;DR - I inherited a truck I couldn't afford from a buddy, and am enjoying every minute keeping his truck alive and on the road to adventure.

Oscar came to me late last year (2018) when Scott, a good friend of mine, passed away from cancer in his early 40's. Far too young... He had a 2001 regular cab, 2.7L 4x4 Base trim Tacoma that he purchased new off the lot. He racked up ~242,000 miles over the 17 years he had it. I met Scott while I was in Grad school in Boulder, CO, when I was way too broke to afford even a heavily used Tacoma off CL (Colorado cost of living is crazy...), but he always knew I loved these little pickups. Especially the First gen's (really only the First gen's, not a big fan of any newer trucks honestly).

As I was gearing up to leave Colorado and escape the crowds and costs that come along with the area, I found out Scott was not likely to live more than a year. When he gave me the news, one of the first things he said was that he wanted me to have his truck! I was a bit nervous about the high mileage, but stoked and honored to keep his Tacoma cruising. I knew Toyota had a reputation for longevity, and the number of members here with 250K plus on original equipment bolstered my confidence.

Anyway, when Scott passed, I had a shop in Denver replace the LBJs, Water Pump, and do a thorough inspection of the truck so I knew it was safe for the 1000+ mile trek to North Idaho. It needed some love after mostly being parked for ~2 years, but all indications were it was in good working order. I flew to Denver and picked it up from his partner (also a friend of mine) last December. As a bonus, she had me go through his collection of tools and take whatever I wanted! So I loaded up a 5 drawer Craftsman toolbox with well over $1000 of tools, shared some beers and memories, and set off on my trip home the next day.

The truck came with a beat up aluminum camper shell (hence Oscar the Grouch, with the beat up trash can look), so I packed a -20°f sleeping bag and camped in the bed of the truck on my 3-day drive home.

I spent the spring learning my way around the truck, doing some routine maintenance:
- Changed the spark plugs, PCV valve, and fluids in the transfer case, transmission, and both differentials.
-Flushed the brake and clutch fluid.
-Replaced the fuel filter (what a pain in the ass on these 2.7's!!!).
-Swapped out the leaking PS pump (the remanufactured one has whined since day one... to my annoyance), flushed, and installed an inline filter.
-Cleaned up and patched (bondo) some holes on the floor of the bed that had rusted through.
-Replaced a loose U-joint at the rear differential, and lubed all drive line Zirks
-Ran some seafoam through the intake, crank case, and gas tank
-New pads, rotors, and calipers
-New drums, shoes, and hardware
-New e-brake bell cranks and hardware
-Built a camping platform and put Leer 122 shell on for more headroom (I'm pretty tall..)
-Swapped solid rear glass with 4-panel slider for camping access
-Chopped up an old trail gear bumper for a Toyota pickup to fit the Tacoma - free from a buddy with a hitch built in!
-Probably some other little things I'm forgetting right now, too.

Still on the to-do list are:
-New catalytic converters (P0420 code)
-Check valve clearance and compression, replace valve cover gasket
-New Control arm bushings (upper and lower) -- just got a pair of OEM UCA's from @Marcoma91 shipped yesterday thanks for the deal!
-New Steering rack bushings
-New inner/outer tie rods
-New Upper ball joints
-New struts, rear shocks, and springs - deciding weather to lift... still on a budget and don't really wheel, just adventure driving
-New greasable shackles and bushings
-Picked up some 16" 1st gen 5 spoke 4runner wheels cheap on CL, in the process of cleaning them up for paint, inspired by @turbodb (sweet build and avdenture blog, turbo! - I'm in your neck of the woods -PNW, anyhow - so your write-ups are great inspiration for adventures)
-New tires (probably 245/75r16 load C DuraTracs - 3.91 gears and 2.7L are already slow with 235/75r15 so don't want to go too big)
-Pull the bed and clean up frame/reseal top of gas tank
-Possibly hitch mounted winch in the future
-And whatever else comes up...

Anyway, truck currently has 251,000 miles and running strong. Hope to see it hit 300K someday and more. Still thankful to Scott for his gift, and think of him on every adventure we take in the truck. Here are some more photos:

Early adventure with the old camper shell:


Road trip to CO for bumper and new shell:
Moab!



Gemini Bridges Road


Ready for the new shell! Looks great with an open bed...


New shell and first test fit of the chopped up TG bumper. The look has grown on me, and hell, for free I'll take it!


Oscar in his natural habitat:


Labor day adventure:


Road to Burnt Knob Lookout. Was a bit more Gnar than I expected (pic does not do justice) but made it up bone stock!




Anyway, thanks for reading! Stoked to be a part of TW.
-Josh

 

Welcome to TW

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

Great name for your truck. Welcome to TW

 

Welcome to TW and happy trails.

 

Welcome to TW

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld!

 

Aww hell. Welcome. Hoping mine is still around when I go and wants to keep it on the road.

 

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. This is a great community I am glad to be a part of!

Hope to meet some folk in person eventually. Anyone in the PNW who wants an adventure buddy some time let me know. I mostly cruise back roads and do human powered sports (hiking, skiing, biking, climbing etc) with my lady. But open to all adventures when I have the time!

 

Welcome to TW!