Because We're Not North Enough To Be NOVA, We're Just Stuck Between the North and the True South

I vote for Alum Spring Park, but I can't get anyone to answer to see if it fits all the requirements.

 

I have a winch mounted in my new bumper!

I have a bumper WITH a winch in it!

What's the Gauntlet?

And it's got a water crossing so you can feel all off roady and such

 

ME TOO!!!

 

Didn't structure my sentence correctly, the name of the golf course is The Gauntlet.

 

Gotcha. Thanks

 

Haha in due time I'm sure!

 

That would be cool too. You have to drive through a stream to get there.

 

And the proof is in my Wild Crow thread, starting at post number 36

 

@Salty_Dog ... Looks like I got rid of my mud flaps..sorry man

 

2nd gen Taco friends... PSA:

Change your core support bushings. Just do it.

 

mine looked like that 8k!

 

3rd gens got it too? That's awful. These have 122K on them, but I'm sure it's needed to be done for a while.

 

What are those? And where do they hide?

 

See the shiny gold washer?



Some people call them "radiator mount support bushings".



I wish I had a picture of before. But this gap was quite a bit tighter, and the flare was rubbing on the top of the bumper.

 

Ah...okay. I'll take a peek when I do my next oil change in a few weeks.

 

Not something I even knew about, so thanks for the PSA.

 

There's a thread about it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/polyurethane-radiator-support-mounts-cab-also.361346/

Which is where I learned about it. Found the link to the bushings on Amazon:

$28 Energy Suspension- 9.4101G UNIVERSAL MOUNT

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CN9BZ0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Of course, like most things, the more you off-road it, the worse they'll be/get. And the driver's side will be worse because the battery is sitting right there, and it's heavy. Eventually, the top one will collapse completely, the metal sleeve inside will be the only thing holding the core support, and it'll start to bend, then tear. There's pictures of that on the first page of the thread. Only thing I did different was I didn't use the big washer on top of the top bushing. It wasn't metal to metal to begin with, so I just went with that theory. They honestly have been sitting on my toolbox for a couple months, so those pictures weren't fresh in my mind, so I just winged it. I'm satisfied, and I don't have any squeaks or clunks.

But seriously, the gap between my bumper and fender was way smaller. It wasn't touching, but I've got rub marks on the top of my bumper where it's flexed and has made contact. I'd say I've got a good 1/2" of gap now over what it was. And I think it even closed up the gap a little I had between my hood and fender, which fits like shit because the fender is a shitty Chinese aftermarket one that's about as thick as a soda can. The hood is too, but it's a Keystone, so it actually fits damn near like it should.

I figured today was a good day to do it, I had to notch out my resi brackets to go around that bolt for the ARB bumper (you can see that in the picture too), so while I was under there with the truck on the lift, I went ahead and knocked it out. Probably more of a pain with a stock bumper, but if I was in "let's do this" mode, I could have done it in 20-ish minutes. And for $30, it's worth every penny.

 

20 minutes and $30 for replacing old worn out parts seems like a good trade off to me.

 

Absolutely. You will need a floor jack to push up on the core support just enough to get the top bushings swapped. I did it on the lift at work, and I've got an aftermarket bumper and not much wheel well liner left, so I was able to wedge a block of wood and one of those tall support stands under the outside "wing" of it and push up. Factory bumpers and wheel well liners will probably make it a little different.

As bad as those looked, it's got me considering doing the cab mounts next.

 

Sounds pretty easy and since I am running a stock setup, I can do this in my driveway. Or better yet, open it up as a day for others to come over and drink beer and work on stuff.