Cool Uncle “Build”

This thread will document the process on my current Tacoma, it’s a 2000 Reg Cab 4x4 with the 3RZ.

I bought the truck from a friends dad May 2024, luckily I knew about the truck and I was persistent enough and serious enough that eventually he decided to part ways with it and I was the first and only phone call. The truck was supposed to have a blown engine(got a couple different versions of when/how it happened), it didn’t matter because the year prior I had purchased a 2001 Access Cab truck that ran and drove but was rusted in half and I happened to save the engine/harness/ecu for a different project.

Short story long, I got it running with the original engine, it sounded fine, took it for a short drive and the oil light started flashing, then it sounded bad, very bad. No worries I bought it assuming it was blown up and already owning the engine to put in, well that turned into putting a new oil pump and pickup tube in it and freshening the gaskets and seals then putting it in. Since it wasn’t a necessity to get the truck on the road I only worked on it when I felt like tinkering, because if this it took me a year to get the engine in and bolted to the transmission, get the exhaust connected, reinstall the accessories and get it on the road.

Yes it took me 1 year to do what most do in a weekend, and I actually did the work in 3.5-4 evenings so it’s not like I worked on it often at all and it was done mostly in a Wednesday afternoon after work, then had it running a couple hours after work the next day then Friday I got it legal and been driving it since.

This is all the “boring stuff” nobody really takes the time to document, but I plan to do all the repairs to have a stock truck, then start doing mild and tasteful mods to make it a cool daily I can hop in and go anywhere and be prepared for anything.

If you’ve made it this far you deserve some pictures, so without further adieu…

The day I brought the Regular Cab truck home


The day I brought the parts truck home, it was sad to see one like this because aside from the obvious this old man had really taken great care of his truck and I made sure all the usable parts went to good homes.

 

Some pictures from the “swap”



Once I got it running


Swapped the seats for some grey ones I picked up from a semi local guy last year that came with a center console for a DC truck
Before


The replacements, I’ll get some after pictures tomorrow


Tonight I reinstalled the AC compressor, and charged it, best “fix” yet

 

The new seats and console, these are the second best repair I’ve done. AC is still first.


Now we’re all caught up. I’m on the hunt for a black drivers side fender and door, then I’ll do small lift, tube bumpers and sliders, a nice 32” A/T tire (I’m a fan of the Wildpeak AT3). I’d love a camper shell for the bed, but that’s something I’ll only buy if I get a smokin deal on it.

 

Basically free take-offs from a 3rd gen 4Runner. The tires it had on it were awful and they shook/roared terribly, not to mention one was plugged in a spot that was impossible to seal so it leaked down. These will get me around while I finish repairs and ordering parts for the build.