1999 Tacoma SR5 TRD Imperial Jade Build, Sweat and Tears

Waking up and on my way out of Moab I needed to do some stuff. Make right front CV shaft wasnt feeling good. I had a torn boot on that side and after driving behind the salt for awhile in the snow and rain I needed to lube it. I tired to grease it up right after but my grease gun wouldnt pump. I think the grease was too old and lost too much of the liquid. The day after xmas Napa was open so I got a new cartridge. Still didnt want to pump out the old hard grease in the line, so I just started banging on it and after 20-30 hard bangs on the pump it went.

This stuff is always nasty. Really hard to get off your hands and it gets everywhere in a non shop setting.


Filling up the ripped CV boot.


Got a plastic bag to wrap the boot to protect from water/salt and to keep from losing grease flinging all over the place. Used electrical tape to hold the bag. Then used a zip tie of hold the end of the electrical tape, so it doesnt unwrap.




Refilled up on dry ice

 

On the way out






Stopped here right before the freeway. Always looking for patches for the headliner, they didnt have any but got a shirt.

 

Before I get too far ahead, there was this really cool place called Navtec that does tours in Land Cruisers and Lexus 450's, they had a ton of they. Was super cool too see.

 

Colorado




















Cool Delica




Damn Vantop, going up the pass my mirror died. Seems like the battery puffed out. Would turn on then not show that its charing and turn off. Tried a bunch of times but it was does. Could of really used it since I can see out the back or the extra cab windows, and no more dash cam.

 

Elevation 11,158. The truck was really feeling the weight at parts going up the pass, I had to drop to 3rd and put my flashers going up the right lane. Was able to hold 50mph. Some type of forced induction would of been nice to make up for the elevation.


Coming out the tunnel over the pass

 

Just to touch on the MPG. Going up all the passes from Moab till hitting Vail I was able to get 266 when the light came on. Thats pretty crazy, considering me dropping into 4th and 3rd to pull some hills. Keep in mind this is when the light comes on solid, I could still go another 20 to 30 miles no problem. I still think the aero mods are working. Once again this is the type of milage I get unloaded driving on flatter ground.


iphone missed focus but, heres me pulling the hill in 3rd with flashers going 52mph still getting 9.5mpg. New radiator doing great never went past 191f.

 

Called my friend on the way to Denver and asked him to help me find a mom and pop outdoor store, he found Feral. Still looking for patches and some used gear for good deals.

Made it there before closing, found a used Leatherman for $5, some nice used 100% organic cotton Patagonia pants for $20 and a Denver patch. Been looking into try flyfishing, so Ive been on the look out for some gear, they had a used rod and reel that was carbon fibre and possibly titanium, was super nice but it the used price was like $400. Too much for something that Im not sure Im into. Would def like to have a rod though, would of been fun to try when I was in Moab.



Stopped at the Hops and Pie pizza place a couple doors down for a large pizza for the road. While they were making it I went in the Natural Grocers and grabbed some stuff.


Milage from when the light came on when my 10gal dump tank ran out. 450miles

 

No pictures going through Kansas. I was pushing through to get some miles under me and there really wasnt much to see. This leg was Moab to Topeka Kansas. I filled at Sincalir. I was thinking now was the time for the Aero mods to shine since it was all pretty flat. Well either I had strong head wind which could of been the case or Sinclair gas sucks. Light came on at 281. I was really hoping to break 300. My speed was anywhere from 70-75mph. I did a quick search and seen some people mention that they lost milage with Sincair by 2-3mpg. Also Im running the highest grade I can get, 91 0r 93 octane, just to help with detonation when pulling hills.

 

Woke up in Topeka. My plans are to not do another stay over. Im going straight to PA from Topeka. I avoided the toll on i70 in Kansas for the last part of the state, damn thieves.

Hoping to Phillips is better gas. Did a walk around. Everything looks good and running great. Wheel covers still holding strong. As a side note, never experienced any brake fade coming down the Colorado pass or any other time.






Going through Missouri I seen a Basspro and thought what the heck, lets see if they have some patches, nope, they do not. Its over hyped but it grabbed a bass pro hat because I like the colors and 2 carhartt hats, one for me and my friend. My hands are far from soft so regardless of the hype Im wearing it, plus I was wearing a Carhartt jacket in the 90s when I was in school.


I looked at the back tires when I was there and they looked like they could of been lower, possibly because I aired up in LA where the weather was warmer and I been going through 30f weather. As much as its a pain to untie the wire and risk it breaking I had to check. PSI was still 40, I thought since I was there id air it another 5psi to 45, so I did.

 

Airing that extra 5 psi was definitely felt. Butt dyno felt it accelerated up hills easier. I thought this tank of gas was gonna be good, but me having to go around the i70 and doing a bunch of stop and go at stop lights was gonna bring it down and in Missouri there was stop and go traffic for 40 min. Plus me being fed up with dump drivers going under the speed limit in the fast lane and having to floor it a few times up hills to pass them, I didn't break the 300 mark when the light came on. Keep in mind this is when the light came on so technically I could of went another 30 miles no problem and went to like 330, which is kinda crazy, just look at the photos, the truck is dragging its ass. As a side note, when the light comes on and I go another 10-15 miles to the gas station the pump stops at 16 gallons. From what Ive searched its a 18.5 gallon tank (Im not sure though). Thats another 40-45 miles at 20mpg.



After the 10 gallon dump tank was used up, the light came on at 470. There was a lot of really high front and cross wind. Indiana has some of the shittist roads Ive ever driven on in my entire life. That part of the i70 is utter shit. The state needs to be investigated for embezzling that money, because it def aint going to the road. Even the newly paved parts are garbage. A bunch of that had to of ate up a bunch of my milage. I thought I might make it to 500. Its crazy how the road turned to glass dead on the Ohio state line.

 

Stopped at another Phillips, put in 93. Head and cross winds were crazy. Nothing I could to do preserve miles. Even going 65mph didnt help. So I wrote if off and used cruise control at 70mph and just let it pull the hills at that speed. My leg was starting to get to me. Was about 750 miles into the drive for this stretch.

Got a little ahead of myself, heres some photos going through Missouri and St. Louis.

Seen this guy in Missouri, from Idaho, wonder if hes on here.


St Louis Arch








Never fails, every time I open the damn door. Im fixing this.


Checked on my fix from back in Moab. It ripped a little but the hole is still covered.


I heard some banging and pulled off. The head and cross winds were so nasty it pulled the bottom of my corner light out.

 

I was 20 mile shy from my destination and low on gas. I knew I wasnt going to break the 300 mark because of all the winds. Despite the aero mods when the wind is really blowing hard it really catches the top box. Not bad but enough to kill miles. The Yakima top box is actually really designed well. Its dimpled like a golf ball and I dont really hear and wind noise.

Also thought to pull of all the aero mods on the last tank to measure the difference but the wind was so crazy it wouldnt be accurate.

Last tank. 279 when the light came on.


440 when my 10 gallon dump was done. Pretty low.


I used this as a chance to double check and see whats left in the tank when the light comes on. Had to go another 18 miles to get gas. Dont pay attention to the gas needle, I took the photo after filling up.


With the extra 18 miles it took 16.3 gallons and I didn't a couple extra pumps after it clicked off. So if its a 18.5 gallon tank theres still a bit left. So when the light comes on it seems to me it comes on at 16 gallons.

 

Made it and unloaded. Gotta be close to 2000 lbs. The sag was pretty crazy. (*not sure why the gif isnt playing correctly*)


*Since the gif wont play right*



Wide lens doesnt really do justice.

 

Some aftermath shots.



Rust


Brake dust behind the cover












A lot of rust on the bike. The chain was brand new. I thought about running a cover and I actually had one with me, but it would of killed the aero.




Top box didnt move at all, even with crazy winds.

 

When I took the mirror out, I dropped it and it opened for me. Hopefully none of the ribbons ripped. Gonna order a replacement battery and hopefully that fixes it.

 

I guess I should recap the trip, my brain is still a little scattered from not sleeping much and doing 14 hour legs.

Everything went really well. No problems really. Gas milage and power for being so weighted down was better than I thought. Truck held 70 mph really easy. Even 75-77mph when the wind wasnt crazy. Pulled normal hills just fine.

The truck was still pretty controlled considering the rear shocks didnt have much travel to work with. Ill see how well they survived when I drive it next.

New radiator did great. If anyone has gone through the whole thread, Im pretty sure my running hot problems I was chasing from when I bought the truck was from the radiator being cracked this entire time up till now, it would only show up in 100f+ heat. It was cracked in a spot to where it didnt leak fluid it would just let out the pressure causing it to boil early.

If theres one thing I wish I would of done before the trip was, figure out an electric fan, to boost power and gas milage a little. Ill need to look into that. See if theres something I could pull from a junkyard that might have a thermostat of some kind on it to trigger it. Not sure if all newer type cars are just run off the computer. Maybe theres a 90s car out there that had a thermostat on the fan that was triggered off the external radiator heat. Or if there a sensor I can thread into the coolant to trigger it.

Also a front splitter could of been fun to try but the mpg is decent enough for me right now. Ill probably get to the back spoiler soon to complete the rear.

The trip just solidified that I need to get fully setup for doing trips to places like Moab for a week. I need to dial it all in with the diesel heater and some on board water. Im gonna look into pulling the extra fuel tank from the bed and making another one to go under where the spare tire is. Im gonna need to make it in a way to keep the spare. I think Ill try and keep it around 10 gallons, that seems to be the right amount. Itll be nice to centralize the weight and free up the bed.

 

The used stuff I picked up in Denver at Feral. Bummed I passed by a cool gear exchange in Kansas (Big Muddy Gear Exchange) without knowing it, till it was too far to turn back.


The patches I collected along the way

 

The battery I ordered from Amazon for $7 came in. Time to solder it in.




Replaced


Nope. Still wont charge. The red light on the charging cable is on though.


Probably should of done this first. But I bench tested it with a different cable and it charges. No idea what happened to the cable in the truck. The indicator light is on and the fuse is good. That cable has never moved, so theres no way for the cable to get weakened. Kinda sucks, I had and new extra one and I think I tossed it before the trip.

 

Just to jump back in time a little before I start posting a bunch more stuff. This is from about a year ago in Feb of 2024, I did a trip up in Norcal by Chico in the Mendocino National Forest when I went out a few nights by myself deep in the middle of nowhere. I forgot to post about it.

There was a ton of fallen trees all down the trail I was going down. I spent hours cutting them with a saw then dragging them with a strap hooked to the truck. Most of the shots are just iphone.