Brett's average build thread

Well, I've actually made quite a few changes to the stock truck since I've been here, but haven't actually documented anything. I figure better late than never, so here is what I have done to date.
1996 Tacoma extra cab LX, 3.4 V6, manual hubs, 5-speed stick.
Current mileage -241,xxx,
Mileage at start of build-214xxx
Average MPG at start of build-18mpg using plain old unleaded 87 octane.

Suspension. Purchased from Toytec
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Old-Man-Emu-Tacoma-suspension_p_225.html
OME, 881 coils with 1/2" top spacer, Dakar leaves (part#CS019R on those leaves) and Nitro Charger shocks. A 1" diff drop kit was also installed along with a longer rear brake line from Wheelers. LT Racing UCA's. Swaybar is removed.

To eliminate rear driveline vibrations at all speeds after the lift I had to install a 4 degree shim at the axle and drop the carrier bearing 7/8". This is working well but is not optimal imo.
I plan on removing the shim and the carrier bearing spacers. Then I will cut off the spring perches and rotate the axle to the proper angle and weld in new perches with a slightly longer pad.
Unfortunately it's cold outside and the holiday season so this mod will have to wait until things go back to normal. I will be taking pics of this process.

I have 0 vibrations from the front cv's with the hubs locked in at any speed. So that was pretty nice.

Here is a shot right after the initial lift. 30" tires on 15" wheels. Thigh gap is kind of hot, fender gap not so much.


Pic of the cv angles with the diff drop installed


new tires and wheels came next. 265/75 16 Toyo Open Country ATII on KMC XD122 Enduro in black.


Driveway poser pic


Average MPG at this stage, lifted and bigger tires, 18mpg. Averaged through 2 tanks of fuel using 91 octane. I did the math twice.

 

Next mod was to prepare for a new front bumper.
Toyota thought it was cool to put the turn signals at the very bottom of the bumper. I was bummin' about that cause most of the bumpers I liked either didn't have a provision for signal relocation or I wasn't happy with how it looked.
Then I found this thread from Blackdawg.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/1st-gen-tacomas/186115-free-blinker-light-relocation-mod.html

So I went for it. Easy mod, no reason not to do it.
I won't go into detail as the link does a great job of that, I will provide pics of what I did.
Drilled an 1 1/8" hole in the location shown, I used a stepbit.
The plastic ring is what I cut of the blinker housing from down below.


Used some CA glue to give the mounting ring a quick hold in place


And some Liquid Nails to seal it up and hold it in place.


Had to install amber bulbs as mine were clear. Works great, highly visible compared to the stock location. Looks a bit cleaner.

 

Next in preparation for the new bumper I removed the stock tin.
Before


After. Not too pretty.


And painted the stuff behind it. I used Rustoleum Hammered finish in black because I had a can on the shelf. Otherwise I would have used black.


Now part of the fun for this was for me to do the install of the bumper as I haven't built a 4x4 in awhile and I like wrenching. Addicted Off Road is going to work with me on the install because the bumper I'm using is their new Tacoma Plate Bumper.
http://www.addictedoffroad.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=669
And I don't think they have actually made one for a 96 yet because of the frame length so mine will be the template. So truck will be going into their shop on Tuesday so they can work their magic.
Hopefully Scotty won't mind if I poke in occasionally to take a pic of the progress.

 

Teaser pics. This is all so far, they are waiting for a project file so they can cut the new plates. You may notice the plate gap towards the center, this is what is being re-done and the current holdup on the project. 96 Taco's have a flatter front end, this was actually forseen before the install started but was unknown at that time just how big the gap would be


One more. The gap is not that bad imo, I would have lived with it. Scotty however wants to fine tune it and get a tighter fit and I'm perfectly fine with that.


So currently waiting patiently in the middle of a Siberian deep freeze with lots of fresh snow and a newly purchased winch on the garage bench. (worth the wait!)

Update:
Bumper is coming along nicely!
Ready for the gussets...


Final pieces installed...


One more shot...Ready for final welds and a coat of paint


Apologies for the blurry pics, my droid has been around the block and should be upgraded but that takes money away from the Taco fund...

Update: Bumper complete.
Pics stolen from Addicted Off Road facebook page as he has a better camera.






Thanks Scotty! Looks great!

Winch install to follow.

 

Winch install



Added another item on the "to do" list, need to clean this mess up and add second battery...


Attaching synthetic line


Done deal.




Not too happy with the control box on top, I want to install it under the hood and run a 3 way toggle inside the cab and move the plug assembly for the handheld control to the front in an obscure location.
It was around -2 degrees outside when I installed this so this will have to do for now.

 

The only aspiration mods I have done was to install a K&N air filter when I bought the truck. I have no plans to do the deck plate mod, add a snorkel, or an aftermarket cold air intake. The exhaust, while trimmed due to the lift, will remain stock.

The only reason I mention any of this is because I saved too many spots here and felt the need to post something trivial to fill it up.
My noob showeth.

 

Now for mechanical stuff that has been done recently.
New clutch, steering rack, ball joints and carrier bearing. All oem, purchased from local Toyota dealer and installed by trusted mechanic cause he's cheaper and I like his work. Also this particular type of wrenching I don't enjoy as much as I used to. His is a small business, I run a small business. Please support small business.

Next I did the Seafoam thing. No pics of this process but a mildly interesting story.
I read the thread several times and the instructions on the can several times to get the confidence to try this.
I bought the can you pour in the tank and suck through the vacuum line.
I introduced 1/3 of the can through the recommended vacuum line and waited 15 minutes per the instructions and also poured the rest in the tank.
Starting it up and revving it produced a small amount of smoke for a short period of time but nothing like the vids. It did make the exhaust smell noxious for about half a tank before it went back to normal.
I topped off the tank after the smoke died down and reset the odometer.
MPG with Seafoam in the tank after treatment-19.7mpg
MPG on the next tank-20.6mpg
I did the math twice.
Driving has been mountain and city combined.
I used to get 18-20 in the past, more on the 18 side. I haven't seen 20 in a couple years so this was a surprise. I'll be paying close attention to this and will of course share the results. Still running 91 octane and will be from now on so as not to skew the results.

 

Short list:
Box in rear of frame as well as reinforcement. The wheel hop is intolerable imo. Longer spring perch pads will help with this as well.
Sliders
Rear bumper
Skidplates
Rear locker
To be announced as they take place.

 

Looking good so far and I'm sure I'll catch you on the trail one of these days.

Oh, and good name Brett. Not a ton of us around.

 

Post#4 edited with teaser pics

 

Looking good! What did you get for a winch?

 

Thanks! Addicted Off Road does great work!
Smittybilt XRC8 with the synthetic rope.

 

I painted up the bumper before I left the shop tonight. Should be ready for a test fit on the 04 Double cab just to see if it fits before we mount it on Brett's truck for good.

Brett, it should be ready to go around 10am though.

 

AWESOME Thank you Scotty!
Be sure and get pics on the 04 (I'm sure you will).
I really appreciate all the hard work you and your crew put in on the bumper, definitely worth the wait.

 

Hey, nice build. It's good to see another manual hub old school taco on here!

 

That looks great! Do you know how much the bumper by itself weighs? I was going to get the addicted tube bumper. I might consider that plate, but I'm trying to keep weight down.

 

70 lbs. same as our tube bumper

 

Bumper and winch with synthetic line is around 130lbs.

 

In preparation for re-locating the winch control box, I found some 2ga welders cable (30') and spent some time soldering lugs to the ends. It's still too damn cold outside to start this project but it may warm up in the next few days.





more to follow as the weather permits...

Update:12/20/13
After buying 2ga cable, the copper ends and all that is needed to relocate the control box, I decided that it really is a fools errand and I'll explain why...
There are 5 heavy cables associated with the winch. Two for the battery and three for the control box to winch connection. Moving the control box under hood would have left me with 4-2ga cables running from under hood to bumper, the three for the control box and the ground cable. The positive cable goes direct to control box.

This would have been a pain in the ass if I have to remove the bumper for whatever reason, I would have to disconnect 4 cables and thread them thru.
Not to mention the wiring needed to relocate the hand control to the front bumper. Not difficult to accomplish, but in the end not really necessary. Currently there is only the positive and negative cable to deal with.

I would still like to have a three way toggle inside to operate the winch from the driver seat. Easy to accomplish, I just need to decide where i want the switch mounted.

So I apologize if any were anticipating this project, I have decided to put it on indefinite hold for the time being.

 

Higher octane probably won't help the mileage. Was this test done after installing the plate bumper? I was just wondering if the aerodynamics of the truck changed enough to hurt the mileage. If this is after the install, I'd say, probably not.