2000 Turbo Taco - Race Truck Edition, to include wannabe fabricator and machinist stuff(PIC HEAVY!!)

Learning to paint is making me a patient man. Lmao!

I ended up hanging some painter's masking film in my shop and making a decent sized paint booth. Laid the first 2 layers on the top of the hood today. I learned today that the paint manufacturer says no more than 2 coats at a time with a full day of air curing before sanding and adding more coats if desired. Otherwise the finish will get glossier with extra coats back to back(like the underside). I'm gunna sand it tomorrow and see how I like the finish before either deciding on more coats or just putting a satin clear over it.

 

With that gravity feed gun you really want to hang your panels and spray with the gun upright. You'll have a lot of inconsistencies if you're walking around the part and spraying at the floor. Every time you move the gun or change angles it will change the spray pattern because the paint is swirling around in the cup and possibly tipping far enough to pull air through the paint.

You can probably get a 3m PPS cup system for that gun which will alleviate a lot of those problems and you'll get much better results with it when you decide to do the whole truck.

 

I'll have to look into the cup system you're talking about. Is it the one with the single use plastic liners?

 

You have to get the adapter that fits your gun but the system works as a single use lid with a built in filter and cup liner that acts like a vacuum bag. You fill the cup/liner, screw the lid on and attach it to the gun upside-down. Spray the gun upside-down until the paint flows, it syphons all the air out of the cup/liner allowing you to spray at any angle without worrying about air intrusion.

 

Subd this one badass build.

 

just found this thread this morning and read all 11 pages , I don't see many people racing/ track days with tacos. I have a 01 S/C track suspension / caged /fixed cobra seats side step that see's track service , more road tracks then auto X . I'm very impressed on what you have done and how you find time /money to do all that .What is the main advantage of modifying the rear and are you saving any weight in the wrong area? I'm planning on doing the front and rear brake up grades but I'm not sure if the fronts will work with my 16 rims.

 

I didn't weigh anything, so I don't have any idea on weight savings.
For me, it was about getting rid of the archaic leaf springs for something that can control the rear end a lot better.
But also, because I thought it was cool. It has been an awesome challenge to figure all of this out without any formal training. Every single thing I've learned is either from watching things I'm interested in/reading about it online or just trial and error.

I love step sides btw. I may try to find a bed one day just because. lol

 

The leaf springs are very heavy and it puts a lot of unsprung weight on the wheels and forces the shocks to do more work so in the end your truck is probably going to take a set in turns and feel more like a car than a small truck.I did find a 4 bar link kit for our trucks and might go in that direction at some point. You went to 11 on your mini ! I would like at some point to follow you on a track /auto cross. I have done about 4 auto x's and surprised many people on what a small truck could do . How did you pick the spring rate on the QA's . there is way to much math for me to even guess.

 

Thanks man! I've only taken it for a spin around my neighborhood so far, so I haven't gotten to really experience how it handles just yet. It's gunna need some dialing for sure.

As far as spring rates, for the front, a really long time ago someone over on customtacos.com did some calculations and came up with 565lb being the best. I just stuck with it and it's been fine. For the rear, I called up QA1 and just talked to one of their tech guys. He helped me do some math. It wasn't super precise, but since I had some rough weights I think it'll be alright. I'd have to look again but I think the rears are 220lb.

 

I'm running custom wound 500 lbs springs in the front stock location , about 1 shorter than the old eibachs and my rear leafs are alcan 220 lbs. When you drove it did you have the bed on? Also adjusting those shocks ,you may have to do a test and tune track day to know what the truck is doing, I'm sure you driving it mostly on roads that may not be smooth and wondering how it will do ? My truck jumps around a bit on crappy roads due to the suspension being so stiff .What's nice about your set up is you can play with street /track shock settings!! I'm looking to do a panhard ,could you make me one ?$$

 

I did have the bed on. The roads I drove down were fairly smooth. But yeah, I def plan on finding somewhere to put it through it's paces to try and get it setup right.

If you're still running the leafs, I don't think a panhard bar would be much benefit. What's your goal there?

 

That CR looks like it's got a newer CRF frame. Maybe just a newer seat/plastics conversion kit? Here's a pic of 03 CR250R that I've had since new. It needs a Lectron carb and a PC pipe to go with the R304 shorty. Although the factory pipe matches pretty good with the Pro Circuit shorty.

 

You've got a keen eye! It's an 06 CRF250r that I put a CP500 conversion kit on.

 

Key phrase that folks lose sight of...."But also, because I thought it was cool." Words to build by. Greddy Clamps...cuz they unnecessary but, cool.

 

A bit of an update since I haven't posted in a little while:

This time of the year all of my projects slow down for obvious reasons. Lol. I've got my kiddos for Christmas and New years this year. There has been little to no progress on much of anything. The weather has also been mostly crap to try and do any more painting anyway. I did go pick up some different sanding discs for my DA in prep for more bodywork.

Hopefully next month I'll dive back in and make some more significant progress. If the SCCA is cool with me running without fenders, I'd love to take it to an event without the bodywork done, something that isn't necessarily a requirement to drive. Lmao! I'll have to inquire on that for next months event.

 

Typically bodywork is optional if you class correctly. Or just class it as "exhibition" or something to that effect. I forget the exact term, but basically you can class something that is safe to race, but so ridiculously custom or modified it doesn't fit in anywhere.

 

I know I keep blaming the weather, but it really has been crap. It did get warm enough to do some more painting today though, although I don't know how good it will ultimately turn out since the temp dropped again pretty quick as I was finishing up.

Side note, although I've already been moving pretty slow on this project as of late, I just learned last week that I got an assignment to New Mexico. I've gotta get a lot of things straightened out in the coming months, mainly with my current house. Repairing the minor things I've been putting off for years, and then selling it. Packing up and moving 24 hrs west sure is going to be fun. Lmao! The logistics of getting my household goods, and my tools\shop stuff, 5 vehicles (that's if I sell one!), 4 motorcycles, and a go-kart is going to be tough for sure. Luckily I've got a friend or two willing to make the haul with me. So we'll see how that goes. Lol. There's gunna be a west-bound-and-down convoy!

 

Hopefully you find a place with as nice a shop setup as you currently have! From the photos it looked killer.

 

Yeah, that's the plan. Options aren't abundant, but there's a couple.

 

It's been a while, and I haven't touched the truck since learning I was going to PCS to New Mexico from Georgia. But I got some news this week that I may not be going (family medical clearance issues). Still waiting on the definitive answers from the powers that be, but I've already requested the cancellation. Hopefully I can get back on this project very soon.

I've spent that past couple of months just working on my house and trying to get it ready to list, for it to turn out that I may not be leaving afterall...lol. But that's the military life for ya!