Newer member seeking guidance on maintenance

Hello TW! As the title suggests I'm relatively new to the Tacoma world. I've had my 09 AC TRD OR M/T for about a year, bought it from a guy with 175k and now I'm rounding 195k and it's time I got my hands dirty on my front end. Shes a little clunky and a little squirrelly at higher speeds. Thanks to some awesome and helpful gentlemen here at TW I'm acquiring some low mile 2019 oem TRD OR shocks front and rear and coils as well as a set of oem uca's. I've gathered from the site that this should be a compatible swap but the coil overs are not assembled.

Will my top hat fit the new coil and shock? Also I'm sure the clunk I hear is balljoints and since I'm replacing the upper with the uca, should I look into replacing the control arm as well? Or any end links that might cause highway sway? I will feel around with a pry bar to get an idea. I want to be over prepared but I don't want to break the bank on pointless replacement if they don't make a difference. Is there any hardware I should look into for this swap? I've gathered to never reuse leaf spring u-bolts but I don't have new leafs lined up yet, are there any other hardware or general no-no's I should know about?

Thank you in advance!
Names Dan

 

Since you're in New York, where they salt the Hell out of the roads, you should check your frame. If your frame has a 10mm rust hole, and you qualify for a free frame, that'll get you new lower control arms, alignment cams and free labor. If you ask nicely, they'll even install your 3rd gen take off shocks.

As for the top hats, just buy new ones. They're only about $30 each.

 

That's good to know! I checked the frame when I bought the truck and it seemed solid but I'll give it a once over next time the driveway dries up. I thought remember hearing that for a frame swap the vehicle had to be owned by the same person for so long? Is there any truth to that?

 

Nope. Doesn't matter who owned it, how long they owned it, what state it's in, what state it was previously in, or what color it is.

The only stipulation is that it has to be less than 12 years old from date of 1st use and that it's not a reconstructed, salvage, or flood damage branded title. With an '09, you're coming up close on the 12 year mark, but you have a little bit of time. Find out when that day is and keep a very close eye on your truck. 1 day past the 12 year mark and you're SOL.

 

Welcome to Tacoma World. Pretty much anything you’ve ever wanted to know about tacos can be answered here. Not by me, I’m still learning and very greatful for this site.

 

Awesome that's very good to know thank you for the info I'll have to do a very thorough check. These are the tidbits of info I need! Lol. Any general related maintenance/ownership tips are much appreciated

 

Thank you! Yeah I've already discovered a wealth of info from the TW gurus and hope to learn a lot more. Still learning to navigate and search the site

 

Might be worth checking you’re tire rod ends as well for play. Especially since you’ll a have it all apart and need an alignment afterwards anyways.

 

Nice thanks for the tips! I was wondering why I had unequal pad life when I did a brake change. I had wire brushed and greased the guide pins before reinstall but I'll definitely get a pair knowing that's why. Thanks for your help, this is exactly what I was looking for