Bought used Tacoma what should I do?

That would require a lot of work to it... I mean extend wheelbase, driveshaft, etc..

You can not take 5ft bed out and place 6ft bed on it and call it done... Because it looks odd... you need to move wheels back in little bit to look right and you need to adjust stuff under the bed such as wheelbase, driveshaft, lines, etc.

 

Just flatbed it or find a donor bed and

 

They call them ‘windows’

 

Flush your steering rack.

 

If I may ask. What do you mean by. "I know I don't have a real truck..."?

 

Maybe he has a imaginary truck...

 

Well, for a while we did have a imaginary cabin air filter.....

 

Does the drivetrain noise go away when you let off the gas and coast? Seems like that’s what my truck used to do. Turns out it was the u joints and center bearing were bad; so you could look into that.
Do you have a rear diff locker, if so maybe verify that it does still work. A buddy of mine bought a truck with one, lady he bought it from never used it. When tried to engage it, something went haywire be and the locker stayed locked and blew his diff

 

Definitely change your timing belt and water pump if it hasn't been replaced, typically every 100k miles. Check the valve cover gasket and check for seepage, replace that if it is. Change all fluids so you know they're correct and fresh.

 

Are you serious? Because I have tried mine on pavement just for a few feet at 2 mph and you can really feel and hear the rear tire scrubbing on turns. I can't even imagine what it would feel/sound like driving around like that, it would be noticeable to even to pedestrians. In those parking lots with slick surfaces the tires would squeal like a stuck pig.

Expensive mistake.

 

Out of curiosity - what failed first?

Especially since a temp fix was so easy- just remove the actuator and manually move the fork. A little bit of knowledge (and roadside tools) would have gone a long way there.

 

Not sure what exactly failed. The diff blew almost right after he “unlocked” the rear and the shop said something got stuck.
In our defense, neither of us knew it was still “locked”; he had unlocked and shifted out of 4lo then proceeded to take off down the highway. The light turned off and it “clicked” so we assumed it was good to go. He didn’t have the grey wire mod yet, so we figured it shouldn’t still be locked.

 

I would certainly do some more lookin into the frame corrosion issue and do the hammer test to be certain the little rust isn't a through rust issue. I would get a six pack of fluid film cans and a couple brewskies and have at 'er! The best stuff I know of to mitigate what's there and keep the good stuff good with frames and undercarriages. I tried the NH Oil Undercoating and it really didn't do much good but causing the rust I had flake off in chunks...a lot of chunks. I bought a donor truck with a replaced frame and switching over. Might want to keep your eyes open in case of that eventuality. Not to be a buzzkill.

 

Yeah I think Im gonna start with just a nice big coat of fluid film and maybe in a year or so look into maybe getting a new frame or coating it properly

 

if their experience is anything like mine they're probably used to hearing "That's not a REAL truck like my uncles's DodgroLet Ford FTEENTHOUSAND full size that could pull a train"

 

I changed the gear oil and no more noise. Thanks for the suggestion! That oil was so dirty and I've never seen more metal shavings stuck to a drain bolt before definitely was over due for a change

 

Credit @Black DOG Lila ; he mentioned it first. Are you considering an ATF flush? I would replace the ATF filter and do a drain/refill but take notice, and maybe not do the drain/refill, if you find metallic particles in the pan.

 

Is this an early sign that the valve cover gasket is leaking? oil leaking all around my engine or is this something else?

 

Your valve cover gaskets are toast and have been for quite some time judging by the build-up.

 

Looks like I know what I’m doing this weekend . Timing belt and water pump will have to wait