2007 Tacoma 2.7L work truck

Haha thanks! I almost kind of wish I got maybe something a tiny bit larger or perhaps with more lip, but at the same time I really don't care about the whole lifted mall crawler look or care to spend extra on it. Main reason I chose these is I wanted some LT tires especially for my rear. The regular load rated tires felt a bit soft and all over the place when I'd really load it up with engines, scrap, material, argon tanks, etc. Anyways when I was buying the LT tires I saw tire rack had these for only 90 each. I think they still have them, if not for that price, you could prob ask them for a deal. They are:

16x7 Focal X BLK PAINT

Only thing is I had to tell them it's for a custom old car and delete the Taco, otherwise they said by law they can't sell them mounted without TPS sensors. No way I'm wasting 150+ when I got a nice digital shop tire inflator.

And also for some reason the rim said max tire diameter 28" on the inside of it? So Tire Rack was a bit surprised when I emailed them about it after I got them, because they didn't see it on there and they mentioned they never saw that before. So they said "technically" they can't approve that combo. But I said w/e and threw them on. They hold up just fine through all the abuse I've thrown at them so far.

Also I recently had a wheel bearing hub assembly from another car fall through my flatbed (need to finish covering a few sections) and get pinned between my wheel and the springs. It started making such crazy grinding noise and I drove on it for a few miles before pulling over. Scared the hell out of me when I realized what happened. But it took no more than 1mm of alum off the inner lip lol. Still pretty solid . Just glad it didn't get pinched and blow the wheel out.

 

I’ve known thousands of guys of varying capability over the years. Not as many at Alex level. This guy is the real McCoy.

 

Hahah, you guys are too nice! That means I need to put some serious elbow grease back into this thing to upkeep the reputation . Airbags time! Actually I seriously need to make progress on the Vmac-air installation because 70 CFM (even if I get half that, at smaller idle) is serious air! I dream of the day I can ditch the 550ish lb gasoline air compressor and have more room and better mpg/acceleration.

 

How am I just seeing this now? Sweet build. Love it. I couldn't go as deep as that because they frown upon that here in the Peoples Republic of Kommiefornia, as far as anything emissions goes here.

 

Haha, thanks man! You made me laugh about Kommiefornia. I'm a bit spoiled by Florida. Even in Ohio where I grew up (partially after Moscow) we had emission checks and every car was a rust bucket so naturally I got into cars when I moved to FL and realized there's vehicles out there that actually have working threads and can be taken apart. Over the years I've been pulled over by cops for speeding while literally missing half the doors on my car (going to JY for more, asked cop if ok, he said just don't fall out lol) ran more than enough straight pipes to make my ears ring long enough to get over that phase, and just done all sorts of crazy stuff. I think I'd hang myself in California if I had to deal with all that shit lol.

I had to weld cat replacements for a guy who drives a box truck for a living and he caused me so many headaches over making sure we get cali approved cats and blah blah blah just in case he ever gets one load to go deliver there.

It sucks for people in states where you can't have any CELs. I thought about doing certain things the right way and simulating circuits and flashing the ecu and etc. But the truck runs great and there's no need for me to spend money on eliminating codes.

 

Cali is quite the PITA when it comes to motorsports. Got the hotrod experience years ago when there were still ways to, how do we say, bend a few rules. I get my kicks these days with bikes, boats and airplanes. No rules there, yet.

Oddly enough, there are still a lot of modded cars and trucks roaming about. The Asian guys build some amazing machines. Badass turbos, full on legal engine swaps, super trick stuff.

 

That's awesome. Lol I know one of those guys. Steeb38 On IG. The guy is a wheel guru. Knows anything and everything about wheels. I gotta ask him how they get around it. I heard some guys will literally reconvert their cars between each check haha. Makes me feel pretty fortunate to be in Florida.

 

Awesome fabrication skills man! Also, thanks for introducing me to VMAC compressors! As if I didn’t already spend a small fortune on fabrication tools. Are you still going to run an air tank or just let ‘er buck?

 

Thanks . I'm still debating with that one. I think I will but maybe an array of them or something I can stash under the truck somehow. I'm used to having at least 30 on reserve so it will be hard to let go of that convenience. It'll usually last me just long enough to do a little wire wheeling or carbide burr die grinding on little jobs without having to run it more than a couple times. I guess I'll see how it feels at low idle. If I have to idle it at what they really want, then I'll def have loads of air tanks because it would pain me to just see it sitting there at 2,000 rpms lol.

Their stuff is pretty confusing and lots of things to figure out. I have to sit down and refresh my memory on most of it and do some trial and error experimentation on it. One thing I don't like is how they're somewhat customizable but usually made specifically for certain trucks like F350 with a specific engine and etc. So when you call to ask VMAC questions they kinda go "huh? wtf?" and you feel like some kind of a peasant on the phone lol. I got mine for about 800 for the kit removed from some municiapl vehicle on eBay. They usually sell for 1.5-3k if you hunt around. If you're patient you can prob snag one up for a decent price. Only thing that scares me is if anything on them breaks then it's insanely expensive to get replacement parts. My compressor may even be shot for all I know, but I took the chance on it. Just the replacement compressor unit alone is 3600$ last time I checked. Here's the core of all the confusion, it's the interesting oil and air tank with all the baffles. I think the principle is it has to have an oil mist and has to separate it before it's output. The oil mist I'm guessing forms the seals on the tight tolerances on the screw mechanism.





I've always wanted a rotary screw so badly, I am more than fed up with the loud obnoxious piston compressors. As far as I know, VMAC makes the world's smallest rotary screw air compressors and I think one of only two companies that even makes them for vehicles. I wouldn't mind one for the shop too if I could afford it, but most are 3 phase (lacking at shop) or look like a mad science project when they're used and taken apart. I wouldn't want to try to restore or fix a heavily used one.

VMAC also makes certain units with a gasoline engine that are slightly more affordable. But listening to obnoxious air cooled small engines makes me hate my job. So I'd never go that route either.

 

Hahaha yeah the price tag definitely made my heart skip! I’ll probably never find one for a decent price, but jeez it would be fun to tinker with! Im surprised we don’t have more options in 2019 for ways to compress air. Is everyone else actually ok with pistons hammering away all day? Anyway, good luck with the install and hope it works great!

 

Thanks, and exactly the thoughts I was having as well! But hey at least we got fidget spinners. Thank god we invented those things instead of something useful lol.

 

A few updates. I thought my Chinesium valve cover was cracked and leaking. Turns out the gaskets, even Beck Arnlery ones, suck! To anyone with a 2.7, take note. Felpro, even though they're not my favorite go-to brand for gaskets, actually revised them a little and made the gasket way deeper to compress and seal the surface better. I was quite thrilled to stop smelling burned oil occasionally during takeoff. Engine is looking pretty fresh considering it's got 248k on it right now.




Picked up a tube bender for $ 600! Not a bad deal considering it came with 3-4 dies (still gotta go through all the parts) which alone sell for 100s. I still have a little more work to do to it but I might have a go at making a tubular bumper or something soon.



This looks a bit confusing but I'm making a dessicant air dryer/filter for my compressor for the humid Florida air to help with painting. I want to spray one of my fenders soon to test it out and a new Iwata LPH-400 gun. Not my best welding, but eventually I'll get there. I think the rods I have right now are too big (1/16th and I need .040) and I need a few other things to improve my beads. But it holds pressure and got leak tested. Still about 75% finished though.



And this is just kind of for the lols and wtf factor. Did some welding work for a body/collision shop and hey, why not help myself to some bonus metal before I leave. I was laughing half the drive. Definitely a good way to not have any tailgaters. I've since bought ratchet straps and put on some D rings on the side. Most of the bunjees went in the trash.

 

Forgot the promised picture of the P/S delete in one of the updates. But yeah the electric steering is fantastic. I might put in the manual rack from the Kia Soul later too, need to pull it at the junkyard. It's pretty straight forward and simple, nothing to it. Would clean up the bay even more.

I was quite happy finding a belt that fits. I know I'm missing one rib but I never get screeching from the belt and I have a light electrical load. Technically it's less friction, but it was just convenience of what was available at the time. Deleted one of the idler pulleys too. Butt dyno registered a couple ponies after the P/S delete but nothing to write home about. Mainly I'm just happy I gained some more room and lost some hoses.

 

Also forgot to post compartments I made for chemicals and stuff in the rear window area. It doesn't interfere with the seat and holds a surpriseable amount of stuff. I want to make more later. I also made a rack for my TIG rod carriers that locks them in place so they don't fall out when driving.

 

I'm really liking that rack. Great Idea for maximizing space in the reg cab