SwampYota's 2003 Tacoma Build

Lift Install, Day 3

April 18, 2019 - We took Tuesday and Wednesday off and came back to the project on Thursday to do the front end. This included replacing the coilovers and Upper Control Arms. This was surprisingly easy except for that damn ball joint on the UCA connecting it to the spindle. I tried a couple different ball joint pullers to no success and finally, after I'd had enough, got a hammer and beat that fucker until it blasted out of the spindle. Finally done! Man did it need an alignment.

 

Good looking truck, enjoying the build thread!

 

Thank you!

 

New Tires, New Wheels and a Lifetime Alignment

May 21, 2019 - All the beating and banging plus the new suspension components had put this thing way the hell out of alignment. Luckily Firestone is only 3.6 miles down the road, that was a wonky drive. Steering wheel was facing 2:00 when driving straight. I loaded up the 33" Cooper STT Pro's and the 17" Toyota SEMA wheels (part #

$1,180 PTR20-35110-GR (Fits: 4Runner - Tacoma - FJ Cruiser) (4)

PTR20-35110-GR) and hit the road for my appointment with Firestone.

I told Firestone I would be keeping the Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs since they only had 11,114 miles on them as well as the stock 16" alloy wheels. The tires are with a TW member in Virginia and the wheels will be going to a TW member in North Carolina in two days.

 

Oil Change and PCV Replacement

July 20, 2019 - Well it took 4 years but I finally ran out of free oil changes from the dealership I bought this at. This is not a daily driver and in those 4 years I haven't even put 20,000 miles on it. For the oil I chose Mobil 1 5W-30 full Advanced Full Synthetic High Mileage. I used the Toyota brand oil filter, part #

$54 90915-YZZD1 Oil Filter 1 Case (QTY 10)

90915-YZZD1 even though you can use the larger

$54 90915-YZZD3 Oil Filter 1 Case (QTY 10)

90915-YZZD3 filter. Maybe next time. Finally I replaced the oil drain plug gasket with Toyota part #

$9 90430-12031 Genuine Toyota - Oil Drain Plug Gaskets (QTY10)

90430-12031.

For the PCV I replaced everything since I didn't know when it was last changed. Parts replaced included the valve itself, Toyota part #

$16 12204-62010 PCV Valve Sub-Assembly

12204-62010 and the grommet, Toyota part # 90480-18001. The ventilation hose needed to be replaced as well since it was dry rotting. I used Toyota part # 12261-62041. If you ever do this very simple maintenance just be careful with the grommet, it tends to be dried out and cracked and pieces of it can easily fall into the engine while removing it.

 

That wheel and tire combo came out sweet! I like the grey wheels on a white truck.

 

Thanks! They’re a thin wheel, only 7” so you can’t get too thick a tire but I’ve always liked them.

 

Rear Differential Oil Change

July 27, 2019 - Let the maintenance continue. Redline Full Synthetic 75W90 and replaced the drain and fill plug gaskets, Toyota part #

$21 12157-10010 Toyota Oil Drain Plug Crushable Steel Gaskets Set of 10 OEM 12157-10010

12157-10010.

 

Transfer Case Oil Change

August 3, 2019 - Working my way up, this week the transfer case. Redline Full Synthetic 75W90 and replaced the drain and fill plug gaskets, Toyota part # 90430-18008.

How 'bout that SOS Concepts coozie?

 

Manual Transmission Oil Change

August 10, 2019 - On a roll, this week was the transmission. Redline MT-90 Full Synthetic Gear Oil and replaced the drain and fill plug gaskets, Toyta part # 90430-18008.

 

False Start

August 30, 2019 - I bet you thought the front differential oil change was coming next. Nope, I got sidetracked but that'll come in December.

I ordered a winch earlier in the year, a Smittybilt XRC 9,500 lb. part # 97495. It was on sale, too good of a deal to pass up but almost immediately I regretted getting the steel cable instead of the synthetic rope. No worries, I reached out to MasterPull out of Bellingham, WA to rectify that issue. Their customer service is top notch and after telling them some information from my truck and winch they got to work on my product. A couple weeks later my synthetic winch rope arrived.

Next issue was replacing that cheap shit roller with a hawse fairlead. Let me tell you, there are some companies out there that think very highly of their fairleads so I spent some time searching. Ironically enough, the quality/price equation brought me to Pelfreybilt. Specifically it brought me to the Pelfreybilt inventory purchased by Bay Area Metal Fabricators. Ironic because I was now putting a Pelfreybilt fairlead on an Elite Off Road front bumper. The bad juju on the front end of this truck almost warrants a vanity plate. Not familiar with Pelfreybilt? Well, here you go https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/pelfreybilt-information-release.566156/.

The fairlead arrived with two nicks in it that were deep enough to potentially damage my synthetic winch line. To be fair, this inventory was sold as is and BAMF said there could be damage as it was moved from SoCal to NoCal. Nothing some high grit sandpaper and a vise couldn't fix.

Alright, got the winch! got the synthetic line! got the fairlead! it was time to install......or so I thought. As I was installing and reading the instructions I realized the battery needed to have 650 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps). Shit, I wonder how many CCA's mine has? 530. No winch today.

 

Cover to Camper

November 8, 2019 - When I bought the truck it came with a roll up tonneau cover. The brand is Access but I'm not sure which model number since it was on the truck when I bought it. It's a good-looking accessory but not very functional and I had recently started looking for a camper shell. Well I found one thanks to the Southeast CL Finds Thread a couple hours west of me for $220. It needed a little elbow grease but the price was good and I got to drive through the Appalachians for an afternoon so I call that a win. I still have the tonneau cover, can't bring myself to sell it.

 

Jon your truck is really looking great

 

Thanks Maner! I got a few more updates to add and I’ll be up to date. Also got quite a few mods on deck, just waiting on some time to do it.

 

Look forward to seeing what ya do

 

Another Road Trip, Another Bumper

December 2, 2019 - When you live on the East Coast and drive a 1st Gen Tacoma your options for bumpers are limited. All fabricators seem to be west of the Mississippi and some of those have even stopped supporting this generation of Tacoma since apparently we don't spend enough money. So you can either pay astronomical shipping charges or wait for bumpers to pop up on Tacoma World. That's how I got my front bumper in 2018 and on December 2, 2019 that's how I got my rear bumper.

@cantey had purchased a Relentless Fabrication 96-04 Tacoma Wrap Around Rear Plate bumper but never got around to installing it before he decided to sell the truck. The bumper was in Jacksonville, FL which is about 6 hours one way for me but the price of fuel was less than shipping a new one from Nevada so I made an offer that was accepted.

The problem was I blew my driver's side CV boot 3 weeks prior helping my brother move. I have a ton of Hertz rental points from work so I rented a minivan and off to Florida I went. 6 hours there, a quick bite at Bono's BBQ then 6 hours home with a new to me rear bumper.

 

Busy Day - Proper Clamps and Crud-Removal

December 28, 2019 - I was pretty motivated that day, must've been the leftover apple-wood smoked and glazed Christmas ham and the time away from work. Ever since I replaced the cooling system hoses the top radiator hose had a slow leak. I figured it must've been those aftermarket clamps so I ordered some OEM clamps from Camelback Toyota, part # 90467-37005. Drained the system, removed hose, reseated, put proper clamps on, refilled system and problem solved.

Next, the camper shell I bought was filthy with dirt and tree sap from sitting outside in the woods on a pallet. Cleaned that filthy thing up.

 

Busy Day Continued - Battery for the Winch

December 28, 2019 - The winch I bought earlier in the year needed a higher CCA battery than I had. Luckily a Tacoma World Group Buy came along for Northstar AGM batteries. I ordered an NSB-AGM24F with 840 cold cranking amps, plenty to manage the winch. Also, since it's an Absorbed Glass Mat battery I don't have to worry about it leaking and corroding anything like the prior one did to my battery tie-down. Speaking of that tie-down, this battery was a little taller so I had to stack some washers.

 

Busy Day Part 3 - Out with the Old...

December 28, 2019 - I got the Relentless Fabrication bumper back from powdercoating and was eager to install it. This bumper did not go with my tow hitch so the Curt Manufacturing Class 3 Trailer Hitch, Class 3 Ball Mount, 2" Trailer Ball, T-Connector Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector, Mounting Bracket and 2" Rubber Hitch Tube Cover that were installed on June 25, 2016 needed to be removed.

That little project ended the day. Tomorrow is bumper install.

 

Rear Plate Bumper Install

December 29, 2019 - 130 lbs....glad the nephew and little lady were there to assist and also thankful they didn't drop it on my head while I was attaching it.