2000 TRD OFFROAD MT (Black Betty aka Black Hole aka Tamiya Bruiser II) Rebuild Thread

Yo yo yo Tacomaworld!!!!

So, I have UPGRADED!!!!

Been driving a 2016 TRD OR AT for the past 2 years. Prices have gone INSANE!!! since then. I'm looking to make a quick 8-10 grand selling that truck.

A couple of weeks ago I got this hair-brained idea that I can sell the 16' buy a used Taco, a used Miata, and lose my monthly payment.

Right when I had lost all hope of finding a good deal on an older Tacoma, I picked up this.



Quick rundown of what I know about it. Keep in mind, at this point I have only owned the truck for 2 days.
-2000 TRD Offroad
-Manual Transmission
-157,000 miles
-Fabtech 6" bracket lift kit. The more I learn about this kit, the less excited I am about it. Drivers side front damper is bent. I will replace all the shocks first thing. Truck sits low in the front. I cannot get my finger between the bump stop and the frame on drivers side (bent shock side). I know this kit is designed to work with factory springs. I think with bumper, winch, lift, etc. the stock springs are not cutting it. I will replace these with the shocks.
-35x12.5R15LT Goodyear Wrangler MT/R, worn slap out! Will replace before winter.
-Significant gear reduction. On 35" tires the speedo reads an estimated ~10mph over at 55mph. I will ascertain the ratio as im going through the truck more.
-ARB front bumper
-Unknown steel rear bumper
-Warn CE M8000 winch with steel cable. Does not work, I expect this to be an easy fix.
-Onboard air, converted York style AC Compressor. Does not work. I can't get the clutch to kick on. Found the switch but switch only has one wire. I'm thinking if I can engage the clutch it may work. Truck came with a nice little 5 gallon tank with a pressure switch but it is not connected. Work is needed for this system to be fully functional.
-Battery relocated to inside cab. This must move! Not sure where to go.
-Leaking transfer case (expecting simple fix).
-Possible leak between transmission and transfer case. Not sure on this have not done much to diagnose this yet.
- KC Lights (Need Yellow light caps!!)
-Almost zero rust on frame or under truck.
-Significant rust in a couple of places on the bed. Light rust on bumpers. Will slowly treat rust. After all rust is addressed i will likely respray truck myself. I'm not looking for perfect paint. This is a truck and a toy.
-Probably needs all ball joints and steering rack replaced. Steering feels loose and vague. (More than it should) Worn tires could definitely be contributing to this.

This Taco Truck is to be used primarily as a toy with occasional duty as a truck. Initially (once some preliminary safety work is completed) it will be used as a daily driver until I can find a steal on a Miata. I live 15 minutes from the Rockies so It'll mostly be used there for camping, trailing and just enjoying remote areas. Truck must be reliable enough to use as a daily and capable enough to go anywhere. I'm not looking to conquer the most difficult obstacles but I want to be able to get to them and go around them.

This thread is to help me keep track of work I do to this truck AAAANNNNNDDDD to hopefully give you guys and gals, at least, some entertainment. I will also be looking for some advice along the way. I'll ask specific questions, I'm not really looking for advice in general.

Questions to follow.

Enjoy!!

 

Question on this lift. I am guessing that this is a 6" lift. When I measure between the old LCA attachment point and the new LCA attachment point I measure 7". See below.


What gives? If this is in fact a 6" lift, I have lost an inch of ground clearance! Initially I was thinking the front was low due to improperly sized springs and a busted damper. But this is a big concern for me.

Are all of the 6" Fabtech Bracket Lifts guilty of the sin? Why would the good people at Fabtech do this to me?!?!

 

ooof the step on the rock slider

 

Lol, yeah, thats going to dissappear very quickly!!

 

So image from the previous post. Anyone ever take the Fabtech bracket and shorten it? Cut a couple of inches off the top and reweld some bracing to regain that ground clearance.

 

Most people either revert the truck back to original (find a cross member off a wrecked frame) or SAS it. The fabtech kit is garbage. Don't waste any money on modifying it. Unless you have lots of fab skills and time on your hands.. but then why not just SAS it and "do it right".

 

Having come from an 04 Jeep Rubicon with Death Wobble, solid front axles are a hard no for me.

I have (am) definitely considered (ing) deleting the lift. My issue there is I want this truck to remain inexpensive. I want to remain on 35s and I don't mind the cutting involved to get there. But the parts bill to do this is higher than I can afford right now. I am already planning on outlaying a significant amount of cash to bring this "budget" truck up to snuff. Peoples definition of budget is a per person thing.

My budget is Zero.

 

For now, I will be repairing what I have.

 

Well, sell it and start over- Going to be a ton of work to remove or modify that lift.

 

I think I can make a quite capable truck from what I have. Peoples definition of capable varies... I do want/need those controls arms up.. I'll put a fat skid plate between the two brackets. No way is this thing not smashing down on rocks...

 

Anybody have any idea what I have going on here with the rear leaf springs? I'm assuming; overload spring has been cut/removed and multiple leafs have been added. And the shackle adds lift as well.

TW please help me figure out what I have here.

My concern is when I replace the front shocks and put in proper springs im going to be riding (even higher) high in the front. I'll have that horrible lean thats so popular nowadays. Personally I like the rear a smidgen (maybe a few smidgens) higher than the front. Anything else looks wrong. Below is how close my bump stops are to the frame as she sits. Driver.



Passenger


I really appreciate any help on this. I did not realize how much I would loathe this lift before I purchased the truck. I may end up removing it in the future, it is just not in the cards at this time... At this juncture. It wouldn't be prudent... he he... he he... sorry...Now I am just trying to make the best of the current situation.

 

Those aren't stock leaf springs (the forward eye is military wrapped). You'd have to see if there are any identifying marks on them. I recall the FB lift kit involving lift blocks in the back- so maybe the PO did something smart and get a custom pack built/arched at some point.

And yes, those are much longer shackles; at least + 1.5". So the springs would need to be around +4.5" to match a 6" front lift. I don't really recall any off-the-shelf 4.5" springs, but that doesn't mean I remember everything.

 

Kyle sold another one?

If this isn't your daily driver, don't waste $ on attempting to improve the excrement suspension. As mentioned before, find a cross-member and rebuild it the right way. Too bad you are against a SAS. That's my .02.

 

Man, sell your 3rd Gen and either buy Prerunner in great shape and use this truck as a parts truck...or take that money and invest it into this truck.

Looks like some overspray here and there with rattlecan, wonder if they were trying to hide rust.

How's the frame looking? If it's good, ignore the Prerunner idea. I was going to suggest taking all the 4x4 components from the current truck and moving them over.

As for the kit, get rid of it.

 

Right?

40s n tons is the only way

 

Death wobble and Jeeps go hand in hand though.

I've been in older Toyota Pick Ups (solid axle) and haven't seen or heard of the issue plaguing them.

 

Pics of the bent shock please. And replace those front shocks with some bilsteins and the front springs with some OME 880.

 

Is there a specific location I might find a stamp?

So, I'm assuming (agian) the easiest way to match the front would be a longer shackle. I will not be using blocks.

So... opinions on putting 37s on a truck that is already so tall? I am trying to overcome the drop bracket with tire. I am concerned that this thing will be way too prone to rolling. I am pretty sure the 37s will clear (may require some minor trimming) based on the fact that the suspension is almost fully compressed (in the front) as it sits and there appears to be tons of clearance.

 

I know it still happens to brand new F-250s. I am just done with solid front axles on a daily. If it were a trail rig only I wouldn't be so averse to the idea.

 

You also have longer shackles in the rear.