Joe’s 4 banger build

Putting this together mostly so I can keep track of the progress I’ve made with this truck. I purchased it certified used with an extended warranty and 62k miles (73k now) on August 11th 2020.

It’s a 2.7 4cyl 5 speed so I’m not planning on anything crazy with it (for now). The main use of this vehicle will be commuting to work, but on the weekends it gets used for hauling kayaks to the lake or taking road trips outta state, those such things. Don’t get much legal offroading or long dirt roads here in congested North Jersey..

This truck will definitely be a slow but sure build!

As of 05/27/2021:
Suspension:

• 3rd gen TRD OR suspension
• Icon 1.5” progressive AAL
• 1/4” Headstrong front spacers
• 235/85/16 Toyo Open Country AT3 on 2nd gen TRD OR wheels

Exterior:

• Amazon 32” front light bar
• Amazon LED tail lights
• Paint matched front bumper
• Trimmed front mud flaps 4”
• Rain guards that don’t work
• Air injection pump mod
• Yellow fog lights
• Extang Trifecta 2.0
• OEM bedmat
• LED bed lighting

Interior:

• Backup camera added
• 12” Alpine sub
• Center console organizer
• LED dome & map lights
• Doggo platform and lots of her hair
• Climate control knobs
• Baja style seat covers
• Husky floor liners
• Intermittent wiper switch
• 20% tint on front windows + 5% windshield strip

Future plans:

• Bug deflector

A few maybes:

• Shift knob Short throw
• LCE header
• Cold air intake (I just want the whoosh sound)

I’m not entirely sure how to organize photos in a thread, so it’s just gonna be a dump from when I bought it till how it sits now. I’ll try not to bore everyone with mostly stock photos.

I’ll update and reply with fresh pics whenever I do something to it! Thanks for looking

 

How she sits today:

 

Felt the need for more horsepower so I instantly gained 20+ just by plastidipping the wheels. Just until I’m financially stable enough to buy some wheels and bigger tires (these only got about 12k on them). It’s like I’m in high school again lol

 

Diffs, T case, and trans fluids changed today. Put Redline in the trans and t case. Waiting on yellow fog lights, a stubby antenna, and a diff breather relocation kit to come in the mail. It’s the little things

Thinking of getting rid of the projector headlight project if anyone may be interested. Really just needs to be sealed and a good lighting kit. I’m looking to get tints in the future and don’t need to be slammed with a ticket for headlight modification on top of tints.

 

Cheap ass Amazon fogs in. Wouldn’t recommend honestly

 

Did the intermittent wiper stalk today. Thank god I don’t have to deal with fast/super fast speed wipers anymore.

Have parts to do the diff breather mod, once I decide if I actually wanna do it or not. Read a lot of people talking about condensation build up potentially rolling back down. Don’t know how much I believe it or not

 

Snagged this cap today for $100. Needs a key, weatherstripping JB welded back on, and gas struts. Well worth every penny though.

 

LED strips are in. Blue tape is just to hold sections that I put some extra glue on. Weather strip is epoxied back on. Third brake light is tapped into the tail light. Only thing that went wrong was the struts I ordered for the glass are too long. Successful day otherwise.

 

Picked up these TRD OR rims from a 3rd gen owner for the amazing price of FREE
Going to get the tires dismounted, give them a legit paint job (no plastidip this time) in a dark gunmetal gray and hopefully get some 235/85/16s mounted in a few months. Still in no rush because the 245/76/16s currently on the truck only got about 15k on them at this point. Definitely want some pizza cutter all terrains for the winter though. Also got the correct sized struts for the topper and adjusted the latch so I don’t have to slam the right side 3 times for it to catch.

This truck is officially a facebook marketplace/offerup/craigslist/ebay build haha

 

Cap was sold for a quick profit of $1000. Ordered up some Toyo Open Country A/T3s in a 235/85/16 E rated as that was the only load range available. Letting the aircraft stripper go to work on the free TRD wheels. Gonna go with a dark grey metallic color.

On a side note, Mavis removed and junked all 4 old tires from the rims for $10 total. I was so shocked I asked twice and paid up front. I was expecting $10 a tire

 

Pizza cutters are in and I think next time I will pay the $200 to have all four wheels chemically dipped and sand blasted. There are few things in life I won’t do to save some cash. I’ll be adding stripping painted over powder coated rims to the list. Pretty cool to see the polished faces underneath all the powder coat though.

 

How are the pizza cutters? I have a 5 speed 4 cylinder too and I’m deciding on new tires for winter… I was leaning towards 265-75-16 at this point but I’m not sure. You will definitely like having the aluminum wheels mounted, when I put them on the truck felt much quicker and softer over bumps.

 

I haven’t mounted them yet but they look great. I like the idea of having an e load tire and not having to worry about punctures as much. These toyos are 44 pounds each, 12 pounds heavier than the stock Michelin 245s. But these TRD wheels weigh 8 pounds less than my stock steelies so I’ll only be adding 4 pounds to each tire. Check out the 235/85/16 thread for more info on the pros and cons. They’re supposed to be good for cutting through the snow vs a wide tire will float on top. Unless you’re going through very deep snow the pizza cutters are probably a better choice.

And one more quick update, the wheels are finishing drying and should be ready to get the tires mounted Tuesday or Wednesday. Not perfect by any means but I think they’ll look good. I left the Toyota emblems taped so they remain chrome and match the lugs I’m getting in the mail.

 

Got the pizza cutters mounted

 

Extang Trifecta 2.0 added

 

Got some lights under the tonneau

 

Just some photos for the hell of it. OEM bed mat should be here tomorrow after a week of being lost in translation by USPS. Didn’t know it took 7 days to go from Long Island to just over the river to Teterboro

 

Haven’t been up to much with the truck. I ordered some quick fists to hold a shovel in the winter, just gotta come up with some drop mounts for them. Bought a pop n lock that was never used for $25 about 8 months ago. Didn’t realize it came with a cubby lock too, but got around to installing both today.

The cubby lock cylinder was missing the clip to hold it in place so I had to get a little creative. Made a clip out of a brass hook and threw some glue on there for extra security lol. Cylinder spins freely turning the latch so it’s all good.

 

Not much going on still with the truck. Just enjoying it as is. Put in a shovel mount and I plan on getting some cheapo traction boards before the winter.