Rickashay's 04' Tundra - The Legend of Doug

Hi TW!

I have lurked here for several years, just never had a Tacoma and still don't. Nothing against them, actually I almost bought a 14' DCSB about six months ago, just have always decided against a car payment. Which brings me to "Doug", my 2004 Tundra AC Limited:

I bought the truck as a work rig back in 2013. My company pays a vehicle allowance and I didnt want a huge new truck payment so I scourned the market for an old but well kept Tundra. I planned to drive it for work and pretty much mile it out and some point sell it.

I bought the truck from the second owner in April 2013. The second owner had only owned it for about 6 months. The truck was purchased new at my hometown (at the time) dealership. It was dealership serviced since new by the original owner until about ~155,000kms. After that it was serviced by my Toyota Master Tech friend who started his own shop in town, after getting in a dispute with the dealership. He did the full Timing belt service there at 160,000kms. I then bought the truck in 2013 with 175,000kms. This truck has had documented, interval oil changes since new and has been meticulously maintained. Currently it's sitting at ~228,000kms.

It was initially named "Doug" because of how plain, souless, and boring I thought the truck was. Just something reliable to get me from A to B. Little did I know how much I would come to love this truck and discover, that despite me being a half-bread ginger, it did have a soul. (haha) I do not/did not drive this truck gently. I drove it for work for about a year and put on about 50,000kms of painless miles. I have really come to appreciate the size of the cabin. I am 6'6" tall and the coming from the cramped quarters of my previous Toyotas, this is something I really appreciate.

I've had a lot of old Toyotas, but more recently (5 years ago) I had a mildly built 95' pickup that really was what got me bit with the mod bug and introduced me to offroading.



I sold the pickup in favor of more interior space and more refined drivetrain/powertrain. I bought a stock 98' 4Runner and this is where "things escalated quickly."

The Dirt Duster in its prime:

20120203-IMG_0606.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

I sold the 4Runner after my friend decided he wanted to sell him Arizona original, low mile, 80 series LX450. The LX450 was a "dream" Toyota for me. "Tom Cruiser" on my first voyage to Moab/California spring 2014 with my Dad's Tacoma (for TW posterity)

20130507-IMG_2424.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Sitting pretty:

20130920-IMG_3648.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Some people may think I'm crazy for selling the LX. I already miss it dearly but since I was promoted I really don't have the endless hours of a University student, or the budget to spend on repairs for the old LX. Not to mention, the driveability was lacking. IMO it was more gutless than my previous 4Runner, I hated the seats, and just missed the driveability of the IFS. I do more expo style adventures up here in Canada with the occasional technical trail. I plan to do more long distance trips to Cali, Moab, Alaska, and Baja and I wanted a platform that could be comfortably driven on the road as well as off. I was planning on swapping the motor in the LX but I just don't have the time available to take on a project like that at this time. So yes, I sold a gorgeous LX450 to build a boring Tundra named Doug! haha

I feel with the correct mods, the 1st Gen Tundra can be a very good platform. 2UZ - nuff said. My plans are to have a "mid-travel" IFS rig on 35's. I will eventually bob the bed, do front/rear air lockers, and a crawlbox, with an assortment of overland/camping mods.

The ultimate goal is to build a truck of compromises - one that is not exceptional at any one thing, but good at all things. I find it rather ironic that I also made a huge compromise (my Lexus) to even land in this position, so the reasoning is fitting.

As always, I'm stoked and blessed to work with ARB (Matt) and SCS (Vin) on this build and want to continue my thanks to them for being such cool dudes and awesome vendors.

The first week of Tundra ownership:

20120513-IMG_1604.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

The most recent build thread worthy photo I can muster:

20130726-IMG_3204.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

Parts Incoming:
- 315/75/16 Toyo MT's
- Fox 2.5" Coilovers with DSC adjusters
- Wheelers rear progressive AAL
- Poly Steering Bushings
- Stainless ext. lines F/R
- LSPV bracket
- SCS F5's 3.5" BS
- TC upper control arms
- TC spindle gussets
- TC coil tower gussets
- ARB Dual Compressor
- ORS silicone CV boots
- Wheelers "superbumps"

Mods waiting for install:
- ARB 6 ft awning (leftover from the LX)
- ARB 47L fridge (kept from the LX)
- Borla catback exhaust
- IS300 Leather/Suede seats (leftover from LX)

I plan on doing some extended travel shocks in the rear suspension but I want to get the tires and leafs installed before I order shocks. I will be pairing the front Fox's with some rear 10" or 12" Fox shocks, just need to see if I can fit in the wheel well or if I have to cut into the box.

Last weekend @mrbeggins was kind enough to give me a hand with some cutting and welding. He did such a good job tubbing his Tacoma that I knew the Tundra would come out similar. I parked the Tundra in preparation for the 35's.

Last Friday night I pulled the passenger fender, removed the strut (to allow the suspension to cycle fully), pulled the fender liner, and was ready to roll come nightfall. I forgot to take an initial photo of the passenger side, but here is the driver side before cutting for reference:

20131107-IMG_3938.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

After removing the fender I threw on my old spare 315/75/16 MT/R Kevlar on a 3.5" BS SCS F5 (same wheels I'll be running on the Tundra), to see how much cutting it would need:

20131107-IMG_3917.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

This morning I removed the kick panel and pulled all the wiring and 4WD computer modules away from the firewall. I then removed the carpet and insulation to expose the bare-inner fender. mrbeggins had brought his templates of cardboard from when he tubbed the firewall on his Tacoma. We used those as a base to trace the opening we would cut, and then trim from there. He actually said the Tundra needed less trimming than his Tacoma. I soaked some rags in water and placed them on the inside area to be cut. It helped to keep the sparks down and away from the wiring.

Traced and removed using a grinder and cutting disk:

20131107-IMG_3926.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr


20131107-IMG_3928.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Debris starting to pile up:

20131107-IMG_3927.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

After several test fits, some hammering, and tin snipping, we came up with this:

20131107-IMG_3933.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

The small holes were drilled to use as tack points once we started to weld.

All welded back up:

20131107-IMG_3934.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr


20131107-IMG_3935.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

And the money shot - sitting on the bump stops @ full lock:

20131107-IMG_3936.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Threw the strut back in and started to prep the other side.

20131107-IMG_3940.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

I went back solo the next day and cleaned up the panel.

I masked off the area around the perimeter.

20131108-IMG_3941.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Then went to town on the seam sealer:

20131108-IMG_3948.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

While I was waiting for the paint to dry (literally) I decided to open the box of Powerstop drilled/slotted rotors and ceramic pads I had sitting on my shelf. I did the front brakes as the primer/seam sealer was drying.

20131108-IMG_3943.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

 

Sub b/c I'm a fan!!!

 

Hey some traffic! I feel like I'm hidden off in the corner over here on TW. haha

Thanks for subscribing Vin! I'm heading down to pick up my reeeeiims on Friday. Pretty pumped.

 

LOL, I'm sure you'll gain some traction once you start posting more pics and updating this build. You have a way of doing that jussssst fine .

 

Sub'd! Excited to see this thing "grow" Addison. Looking forward to seeing some pics on how the other side looks after the seam sealer!

 

Haha thanks Vin.

I'll grab some pics tonight as I'm heading there to change the oil in my Subaru. Should have the wheels and tires on by Sunday!

 

UPDATE - Nov. 23, 2014

I ended up taking Friday and Monday off work in order to get some good dedicated time on the truck. I ran to Montana on Friday and picked up a car full (literally) of gear that I had waiting at the border. I got up fairly early on Sat. to get started. I had a few things I wanted to accomplish but the ultimate priority was getting all the trimming and clearancing wrapped up.

I first put the fenders back on and removed the flares. Below you can see the trimming of the actual fender:

20131121-IMG_3955.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr


20131122-IMG_3971.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

You can see that the "tub" removed about 3" of sheetmetal. Also note how I had to removed the lower most mounting point for the fender. This is something I had to remedy in order to keep the bottom of the fender secured with the factory mounting point no longer available.

I crafted a small strip of leftover sheet metal as a bracket. I have heard of people using a large self tapping screw and drilling upwards through the remaining fender and into the rocker panel. This would have been easier but I am not a fan of drilling into area of the body that I dont have access to, like the rocker. I'm ALWAYS worrying about rust and water intrusion so I had to come up with something else.


20131121-IMG_3961.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

You can see the bracket on the right how I folded it into a "U" shape to hook around the pinch weld. Below shows the finished product. I drilled a new hole through the pinch weld and then had the bracket attached to the fender. This way I did not drill into the rocker panel but still have a secure mounting point.


20131121-IMG_3966.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

The bracket is laying on the inside of the fender.

Trimming the front factory bumper was fairly straight forward. Just cut as much as possible while still retaining the flare trim attachment points.

20131121-IMG_3963.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

All opened up sans-flares:

20131121-IMG_3965.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Today, despite my hangovers best attempt to ruin my day, I persisted and decided to hit the garage once more. I want to have the ability to run the flares and keep everything as factory looking as possible while still allowing the big tires to clear. I may remove the flares at a later date if I find them becoming problematic on the trail but I do prefer the flare look. I was even able to retain the inner fender liners to help keep mud and debris out of areas it shouldn't be, although I did remove a LOT of the plastic so they are still functional tire clearance wise. I clipped the flares back on and trimmed everything inside while trying to leave the outer shell alone. I wanted it to be fully trimmed and functional but not visible at a glance.

20131122-IMG_3972.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Lots of creative cutting disk work and melting plastic. Used a few zip ties along the way too! haha

Inside shot of the front portion. I ended off trimming the inner fender liner where the paint pen is showing.

20131122-IMG_3974.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Trimmed the factory mud flaps right back too. Inside shot of the rearward trimming:

20131122-IMG_3973.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Mud flaps back on, even ended up covering that ugly bolt sticking through for the fender mount bracket I made.

20131122-IMG_3976.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

A good problem to have:

20131122-IMG_3977.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

A better shot of the new kicks:

20131122-IMG_3994.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

Wheels and tires are at the shop. They will be mounted up tomorrow at which point I'll be getting them mounted! So stoked to see it all come together tomorrow!

 

UPDATE - Nov 24, 2014

As promised, I got the wheels and tires mounted today. Pretty stoked how it came out, I think it looks pretty cool being so low. I'm stock height in the rear and +1" in the front with my leveling kit. I might end up adding some wheel spacers in the rear to poke the rear out a little more but it will depend if I can clean the fender during articulation.


20131123-IMG_4008.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

I drove the truck around town a little bit and was very surprised at how well it drove. I always hear people say that when upgrading tire size "they felt no difference" but I know thats not true. You will ALWAYS lose power with additional rotational mass and bigger tires, the question was how bad would it be? Very liveable in its current form. Honestly I could probably lock it and leave it with the current gears. It will be a different story when I start adding weight but SO much more driveable than my 80 on 35's or my 4Runner on 33's. Gotta love the torque from the 2UZ!

A couple more:

20131123-IMG_4005.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr


20131123-IMG_4002.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr


20131123-IMG_4001.jpg by RickaShay24, on Flickr

So far zero rub except at full lock on the frame. WIN.

 

low and stuffed, NAILED IT!!!

 

sub'd!

 

Thanks gents! Stoked to have the truck back on wheels again.

 

Looks great!

 

Sub'd, Always wished my Dad never sold his 04 and instead passed it down to me.

 

Nice rig....sub'd

 

Sub'd. Always had a soft spot for first gen Tundras.

 

Finally a decent first gen. Sub'd! Also, how are you liking those Powerstop brakes?

 

Sub'd I know this is going to turn out badass! Like his 3rd gen

 

Looks awesome! I was cracking up on all your truck's names, and your dads Tacoma is pretty bad ass too!