Dad's Truck

Hello, all!



This PreRunner came from my dad. He bought it new in 2002 in Michigan but retired shortly after and moved to eastern North Carolina. When my wife's car was totaled this past Fall (hit from behind), he generously gave it to us. He was procrastinating on selling it anyway; being well into their golden years, his wife stopped driving so they didn't really need two vehicles. It's stock and has 133K miles on it. I plan on pretty much keeping it stock. Only real plans are to remove the bedliner, put a hitch on it, and maybe replace the slightly crinkled bumper while I'm at it.

I have some hesitation with it being 2wd. For years, Dad would tell me "you don't need 4wd for the snow" but he lived in MI - very flat. I'm in the mountains of Appalachia. But, I do have another vehicle in the driveway that is true 4wd. I'm also fortunate that I'm WFH mostly, at least for now.

Been enjoying poking around the forums! Great resource!

 

That’s a gem. I’d keep it as stock as possible.

 

Welcome to TW!

 

I picked the truck up from my dad's house. He's about six hours away. After about an hour, I thought "wow, this is the most uncomfortable seat I've ever been in." Pretty strong statement from me, with an extensive history of long distance driving on everything from motorcycles to CDL trucks. I just figured that my father (big, but not that big) must have smooshed down the seat cushion over the years, though it is low mileage.

Somehow I stumbled across the "Seat Jackers" thread in the marketplace. Guess I'm not alone in my unhappiness with the seat, though I would never have figured out how to make it better. But lifting the front is the ticket.

Here's the contents of the DesertDoesIt Seat Jackers for the 1st Gen. I got the "two front buckets" set, lifting the front of both front seats. So, two nice strips of parts. Plus instructions, a large sticker, and a snack!



Here are the parts laid out (sorry about the greasy floor mat. Dad took really good care of his truck; can't believe the mat looks like this! )

In the pic below, I'm showing the blocks are in the correct location and orientation just prior to install. "Block to Floor" bolts are next to the OEM bolts (not reused); slightly shorter bolts (they're all allen) with washers go "Seat to Block".



It's really an easy install. All bolts came out / returned without drama. I even removed the decorative plastic caps over the rear bolts without cracking them.

The only hints I could give: When loosening the rear seat bolts, you really don't have to back them out far at all. Also, the seat tracks are pretty forgiving, so there's no need to worry about things not lining up perfectly.

I did try to take a comparison pic before doing the second seat. It doesn't look like much of a difference... it's hard to get a true perspective with camera angles. Eyeballing it, the change doesn't look like much. But when I jumped back and forth from one seat to another... It's amazing. I could easily, immediately tell the difference and really confident that this is going to be a game changer. Also, no change in headroom (I'm 6' 4") because the front of the seat is lifted but the rear is not.

So, first mod! But yes, going to pretty much keep this truck stock.

Can't wait to try out the new seating experience on a test ride!

 

Welcome to TW...

 

Welcome to TW.

That’s a great 1st Gen Tacoma that your Dad gave to you.

Enjoy!

 

And for that I feel very fortunate! Yes, he was procrastinating selling it (he's 80+ and selling vehicles is low on his "like" list) but he surely didn't have to just hand me the keys.
I do think he feels good that it is staying in / helping out the family.

 

Awesome truck, I’d definitely run real winter tires, with weight in the bed during the winter. Take it easy and should be good