Clewis215s 1997 Tacoma Build Thread

Hello everyone!! I previously made my intro (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/my-2nd-tacoma-is-here-to-stay.423388/#post-12105523) and started to introduce my next tacoma project. I decided it was time to start a build thread since between the time I posted the intro and now a few things have happened with the truck.

PREVIOUS LIST OF MOD PLANS:

01-04 front end swap
headlight retrofit
power mirror swap
repaint whole truck to fresh stock color with some color matching on bumpers, grill and mirrors
3" coilover lift with add-a-leaf
remove plastic bed liner and do a spray in bed liner
full stereo install
exhaust and intake
17" wheels with 33" toyo open country A/T 2's
tasteful light bars/pods
KEEP IT CLEAN AND FUNCTIONAL

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE:

Full cut and polish on the paint to restore it to the best it can be for now
Full tint all of the way around the truck (50% on windshield, 35% on doors, 12% on all of the rears) will be going darker on the rear, I thought it was going to be dark enough until after it was done
Pro Comp 2 1/2" front spacer lift with diff drop as a temp lift before I can afford the one I want
18x9 Fuel Mavericks wrapped in Toyo Open Country M/T 33x12.50's
Slight trimming and "metal work" to make the tires clear nicely
Picked up a test pipe for the exhaust just because sometimes while offroad I may use it

So the truck is off to a good start and i havent had to throw any unnecessary money at it, which if you have read my intro you will see that all I did was throw money at my last truck to get my nowhere. I am currently starting to collect parts for my front end swap and getting my shopping carts ready for when I will build my headlights.


*I will add pics later tonight or tomorrow of the truck currently*

Also, if you are on Instagram shoot me a follow @clewis_215 if you want more to see more regularly updated pics!!

 

Sub'd.

 

Day One right after I picked it up

Night number one after pulling the rack, mud flaps, wheel well moldings and front plate off

After cut and polish and tint

Test fitting the Fuel's and 33's off of my buddies 2nd gen

Late night slapping the lift and diff drop on

Boom! Lifted with wheels and tires on

Glamour shots with my buddy after he got his 20x12's

 

So I've got a couple of my parts now together for my front end swap. Just got my grill and filler pieces in the mail yesterday and last weekend I picked up a bumper off craigslist for a pretty good price. All that's left now is to find a hood and start building my retrofit headlights! Does anyone know what the best OE replacement hood is for an 01-04? T.I.A. Also what the best tailgate replacement it for OE?

Also since the last post I have installed a Bluetooth deck and my amp and subs that was in my last Tacoma.

Comparison of the look of a 01-04 front bumper on the 95-97 front end

Grill looks good but will look better on the truck!

 

95-97 front end is my favourite

im sure itle look good in the end though!

 

Too bad you're swapping front ends, nice truck though. What's you're end game plan for it?

 

@devinzz1 & Speedytech7 : I do really like the 95-97 front end as well but I also feel like it dates the truck a little bit since the front end on pickups looked relatively similar from 84-97. So I want a more updated look as well as I'm going to be building retrofit headlights for it and the 95-97 headlights just don't give many options that in my opinion look that great. I will more than likely be holding on to all of the stock front end parts at least for a while.

@Speedytech7 : As far as my end plan for the truck, I want a super clean daily that I can just hop in and go somewhere and it looks good. I've always somewhat favored the 1st gen tacomas and I feel like the focus has been on making super clean 2nd gens recently so I'm hoping this truck will help keep the 1st gens alive where I live. I want to do a little bit of interior swappage as well to the 01-04 center console to move the cup holders as well as maybe the driver and passenger seats. Performance will stay relatively stock unless I can get a screaming deal on a trd supercharger then that may happen (along with freshening up this motor or a brand new one). Suspension wise, I'd be happy with going up another 1.5" all of the way around but depending on which way the wind blows I also want to long travel it so we will see what happens there. You can read the rest of my plans for the truck above in the beginning of this thread or my intro thread (linked above)!

Thanks for the feedback guys I appreciate all of it!

 

Finally got my hood! $50 off craigslist just needs a little dent straightened and it'll be ready to paint! New headlight housings are on their way and I'll be ordering my retrofit parts here in the next week or so.

ALSO BIG UPDATE!!!

So instead of getting all totally painted, all of the swap parts will be getting painted and then the truck is going to get wrapped! The design is staying a secret at the moment... That being said I'll throw a couple hints out, it won't be one color, it won't resemble the stock color, and no it won't be camo! That's all you get to know for now!

So let me know what your thoughts are and wrap ideas, I'm still open to options though I have a design mostly set in my mind. TIA!

 

Ivan Stewart style?

 

those colors never get old!

 

I have always liked that and didn't think about that! If the truck were headed in a more Offroad style build I'd be all for it but because it's going to be mostly my daily with occasional light wheeling I'm favoring more "street" designs you could call it or "new school" I suppose. Thanks for the input I definitely did not think about that!

 

If my truck were painted white from the get go and all it would be is just making the graphics then that's a whole other story, it would probably happen then haha

 

Don't do this to me, Man!

.

 

So the swap hasn't happened yet, but I've done a couple solid road trips recently to get her out of town. Just yesterday I took one of my buddies to look for a 2nd gen (I connverted him from his jeep ways), we came up empty on a truck but us and another friend smashed up to the Tahoe area for some sweet views, fun roads, and hammocking adventures. Here's a couple of pictures of where she took us yesterday! (456 miles of adventure that day!)

 

Sorry for no update recently, I've been trying to collect all of my parts as well as doing a couple other little things to the truck. So on to the actual update... I did a 2.5" custom cat back with a magnaflow muffler and a turn down over the axle. I also finally got all of my retrofit parts!!
Retrofit parts list:
Vision clear headlight housings
2x Morimito D2S projectors
2x 6,500k 35 watt HID bulbs
2x Porsche Panamera projector shrouds
2x Morimoto XB35 computer
2x Morimoto XB Ignitor
1x MotoControl Bi Xenon harness
2x LED Concepts 110mm color morph halos
2x LED Concepts 80mm color morph halos
1x LED Cencepts Bluetooth controller

 

UPDATE!!!

Headlights are all built and about ready for paint and final assembly! I love the way they came out and want to build more haha.

Alsooooo I scored complete (and then some) Fabtech 6 inch lift off of the craigslist for $400!! I'm gonna go through it and freshen everything up that needs it then paint all of the crossmembers and everything. Now I gotta get some upper control arms and order some coilover a from King.

Getting closer and closer to painting what's needed before I can wrap it. The wrap design is set in stone just waiting for the final design to be wrapped up (no pun intended... I think).

 

So after a really long two days worth of cutting, drilling, grinding, welding, hammering, and the occasional cussing at the truck I got the old stock core support out, and the new 01-04 one painted and in. Also got the underneath of my new hood, lower bumper valance, grill, and headlight bowls all painted. There have been some parts that were not ever (to what I saw) mentioned in previous threads about swapping the 95-97 front end out for the 01-04. I'll elaborate and do a full write up later on with every little piece I needed to do mine. I ordered Sunday night (with 2 day over night shipping) the last two structural pieces holding me from getting everything totally completed and assembled in hopes they will be here before Friday. Friday I'm off to a weekend trip in the Redwoods with a ton of beautiful photo ops and I'm trying to be able to take the truck on that trip. Not everything will be finish painted and I'll still need a couple of small things to make it look complete, but I just want it too look the part of the new truck.

With all of that rambling aside, here's a few pics of what I've been doing the past two days!

The last time she halfway resembled a 97!

The rest of the front of the truck stripped, ready to start removing the core support.

Stock front end parts! For sale! Haha

New hood getting some color underneath

New core support turning green

Oopsie the old core support just fell out!

Headlights and bumper valance about ready for paint!

Boom! 2014 Subaru black metallic

New core support about ready to start burning in!

Using my squirt gun to plug weld the new core support in.

Looking the same... Only different.

Some of those new welds holding her in.

How she sits at the end of day two of the harder work!


Only three more nights to hopefully get her buttoned most of the way up for my trip Friday!!! I hope she makes it!

 

The fabtech lift for $400!??!?!?! You lucky son of a gun!! I will making a build thread here shortly because my truck looks nothing like my profile picture now. I want those wheels! Sharp looking truck

 

Yeah it was a steal! So the front end got done for the trip, didn't update right away because it got done at 2 in the morning on Friday, I had work at 10, and then left for vacation at 3 so everything was a bit hectic. Everything ended up going on pretty nicely and fitting well. Still have some fitments to adjust and plenty of stuff to paint but here she is!

 

Man those headlights are badass! How much did it cost you for everything to retrofit those headlights?