'Ole Black Hood herself'

Finally made an account now that I've turned my 2000 Taco into a whole project.

I've had this ole lady since I've had my DL (going on 17 years) and my step-father bought at 35 miles in 2000. 344k miles. 'Ole Black Hood Herself'

Only major repair until now:

• New to me (2015) tranny
• New clutch (2015)
• New timing belt and thermostat (2024)

Some "Upgrades" thus far:

• Rancho suspension from way back when I was a broke E1 in the Navy (2009)
• ARB bullbar (2015)
• Winch (2015)
• Skid row offroad skid plate (2015)
• A sweet 10inch box sub with a built-in amp that I got when I turned 15 (2007)
• Rattle Can OD paint job
• Magna flow exhaust (2015)

Probably some other things that I can't think of off the top of my head.

Story time:
Been busy with work and life after starting a PhD program so decided it was time to give her some TLC. She spent 4 years in ME winters with some negligence on my part for the underside. I took her to the shop to have my exhaust leak fixed (more on that in a minute), full brake system replacement, and my headlights adjusted (yes, I have been that busy until now).

The mechanic (I am in FL now BTW) called me and said my truck didn't have any frame to left to weld to and that to fix it would require a whole new frame. Further, that I should just total out the truck and collect the insurance.

Well, this truck has some sentimental value between having been worked on with friends who I served with who are no longer with us and the amount of times that I've traveled around the country and lived in her, so I paid him the $300 for looking at it and drove her home. (he didn't even adjust the headlights for me.)

Sat on it for the semester and waited until now to decide "yolo, im going to take this bitch apart and see what I can do." I wanted to see if the frame was as bad as I've seen on some trucks who are still on the road in ME.

Taking it off this last weekend and there is still plenty of metal, yes, some stuff like the rear leaf spring shackle mount and smaller areas need some love but that is what welding is for. So here is the project list so far. Forgive the shyte hand writing

Here is some the bed off of her

And here is proof that there is still some metal


Yes, she needs love. Also, about that exhaust leak I had.
Yea, It was held on by the mounting gear....that, there was no metal left on that, ill give the mechanic that lol.


There we go, I guess this is the start of my rebuild, doing everything myself.
I can't get rid of this truck, she has been my home when I was homeless, carried me more places than most people have been, and has some memories that I can never make again.

"Drive the wheels off of her then replace the wheels"...or in this case fix the frame. Yes, I am aware the list or parts and tasks will get longer, it is what it is. Im also keeping track of costs in a spreadsheet to test my theory as to whether or not doing all this is actually cheaper than buying a new car that i've justified to my wife. OEM repairs yes, the parts I will be getting, probably not lol.

Cheers.

 

Welcome to the forum

From what I can see there you have plenty to work with, keep the thread posted with progress.

If you need some guidance just ask, there are plenty of skilled folks who will be glad to share their experiences.

 

Very experienced people here who are very willing to help.
Everyone here share the same love as you do for their 1st gen and stick together and help each other out.
You have thousands of people here who wish the same for your truck as you do.
Goodluck

 

Welcome to TW and FL, I live in southwest central FL, have been to many junkyards over the last few years, one in Orlando and several in the Tampa/StPete/Clearwater area also been to a few in smaller towns in the center of the state. Here is what I see, in the metropolitan area pick and pulls when a first gen shows up its picked clean by day 7 the only thing left is the cab and the FRAME, bed gone, doors gone, fenders gone, drive train gone and interior gone. In the non metropolitan area pick and pulls they last a lot longer and the drive train is the first to go and the rest of the vehicle last quite awhile so what's my point ? I see Your frame is savable but its going to be a lot of welding and small bits that will need to be replaced, consider keeping an eye on these pick and pulls and trying to get a whole frame that will come with a lot of the small bits you will need, food for thought.
R/

 

TW is the Encyclopedia of Toyota Trucks. Very smart and Talented Members. Never hesitate to ask questions. Someone will always chime in with advice.

 

YO
Welcome

what I would do first is dig in deep here and search “rusted frames….where should I look…..common rust spots/areas” for yourself

Get familiar with the info you absorbed
inspect your frame
Then post a thread with pictures of your concerned areas

lots of Rust Belt help here fur sure!!

 

Oh yeah
If u took off bed without posting about that PITA job……
1-rust just might not be that bad
2-you’re not a rookie wrencher

Cheers!!!