What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

If your rotors are still good: not warped, smooth with no grooves, doing just pads is super easy. Way easier than any vehicle I have ever worked on. The pads just slide out of the caliper after removing a small clip, the slide pins, and depressing the piston. This tool helps with that:

$24 Bittwee Car Brake Caliper Press Tool, 360° Rotation Auto Swing Ratchet Expander Wrench Compressor Brake Pad Spreader for Single Twin Quad Sextuplet Piston Disc Brake Caliper, Universal Fit

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSS7V18N

Here’s a video:
https://youtu.be/3GQq3R_bJUo?si=82dMrCh0t3Z3JzKB

 

Congrats on your -first- 100k miles. I also use the BSOC method for oil changes. (big sheet of cardboard)

 

Ok cool! Thank you!

 

Another thing that is very good to do to keep your new rotors from warping, is the bedding procedure: here is how it is done.
https://youtu.be/uP8LrTAc4I8?si=j8BKwqAwGRznTGzE

 

I also did my brakes for the first time with PowerBrake D-Line Pads and Rotors. Installed Bilstein 5100 shocks on the front as well.

Did have an issue with the driver's side lower control arm binding: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lower-control-arm-bind-when-changing-shocks.857117/

 

To be honest, it wasn’t that intensive of a job. Just take your time and use reference videos (or the opposite side wheel) if you aren’t sure about something. I was hesitant at first to try it, but eventually felt comfortable enough to do it.

This is one of the many videos I watched to prepare for doing it. I really like the Team Oil Drop stuff. And like you said, if you do just pads it’s not as involved. I considered doing pads only, but after 100K I felt like I was justified in swapping out the rotors as well.

 

Them rotors are interesting… are those wear grooves or just for cooling the rotor down?

 

OMG… these are expensive!

 

Was bored so installed these today. They work along with the factory horns for a loud as hell sound.

 

Lets have a sound clip!

 

Yeah, it's not cheap. I'm looking for more stopping power. They say the grooves clear friction gases, debris, and water.

 

lol yeah, a set of brembo blanks and some hawk pads would probably have been less than half that and more functional.

 

Thanks for the encouragement

 

I upgraded my solar panel from 50W to 100W. The panel is attached using adhesive magnetic tape.




Always taking the extra time to use split conduit tube and automotive wire harness tape. Also upgraded to MC4 connectors for the panel.




The panel fits great but I don't like the white boarder of the panel. The eyelets also prevented me from running the magnetic strip all the way to the corners. The new panel is also a plastic sheet rather than aluminum. But ultimately either it will stay on the hood and generate electricity or it won't. That is the test.


Most important is that it is producing more than 2x power. Here is a screenshot of my Victron solar charge controller. At 5:18 PM the sun is at about a 30° angle.

 

It's a good looking design and compliments the 3G and 4G Tacoma well.

If I was getting a Snork, I'd run one of those spinny boys at the top that does the Dyson thing with centrifugal (or is it centripetal?) forces to separate out the dirt from the air at the entrance to the snorkel.

 

Now that we're ice-free I removed the hockey gear from the back seat... and installed it!
Kudos to others who posted about this first. Now I can jack from the front center point with my RCI skids in place. Construction adhesive on puck topside and other half of puck on bottomside, sprayed orange.
FYI puck center point is 5-5/8" from CL of driver side bolt towards passenger bolt,
and 1-5/8" towards rear of line between them.
RCI plates created a strong 1/2" gap between alum. plate and molded steel jacking point on truck. Splitting a 1" puck and thickness added from adhesive worked out nicely to fill gap dimension and not deform plate during jacking.

 

Installed the Kwikvette Internal Bed Stiffeners (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/closed-internal-stiffeners.837114/)
Went smoothly, great product, precise fabrication, teriffic instructions on his site.
Purchased M10 x1.5thd 30mm flanged hex bolts from McMaster Carr (#93474A223) 2 x $8.60 per ten-pack.
I wore welding jacket, ballcap and facemask while drilling from underneath.
Hot oiled metal shavings are dropping on you while drilling Tacoma sheet steel.
Degreased and primed all holes after drilling.

 

This is the best time of year there. Or the months that end with er.

 

That alignment is beautiful! Nice job

 

I would suggest you check out the Hamilton Motor Company CarPlay module for the Tacoma. I installed one and it has been great over the last several months. It retains all the OEM controls and adds CarPlay and Android Auto to your Entune 2.0 head unit.