Crashnburn80's 1st Gen TRD Double Cab Build

I think the Rivian fits most the daily light truck duties a Tacoma does ok. It will haul the bikes, Home Depot trips, dump runs, make a fine daily driver and family hauler. The 400 mile range is good, but add ATs instead of street tires and it drops to 340. The Rivian also uses highly inefficient coil resistance heaters, Tesla has moved onto heat pumps that are 2x+ more efficient. Coil resistance heaters are said to reduce range by ~40% in winter cold (~20 degrees), so that already reduced range of 340 miles may actually be 206 miles in the winter. While Teslas Model 3 with 358 miles may be reduced to roughly 286 miles in the winter using the more efficient heat pump. Then pair that with 220v Rivian charge times of 25 miles in one hour (for street tires, or 21.25 miles for ATs) vs Tesla's 44 miles, and no Rivian supercharger network and it just becomes less appealing as an only vehicle for driving distance, especially over the passes in the winter. EVs are certainly much more limited to mod, but this is also where having the 1st Gen is a plus. I also won't feel as bad about wheeling a $100k truck and stressing on the charge level.

 

Solutions are out there... I'm thinking of getting a Prius as a DD and keeping Crash's old 2nd gen for dedicated camping/weekend.

https://priusoffroad.com/

https://www.instagram.com/priusoffroad/

 

It can be done.

It's just not fun, yeah? At least that's my take.

An EV RC pickup would be my pick for mod-heaven. If I only had a couple mil of f-around money to waste

 

Wait until your friendly local cat thief turns it into a race Prius. They got my wife's last week, took them less than two minutes in broad daylight (security camera at work). Getting a cage around the new one, but would prefer this setup.

 

my old bosses prius has had the cat stolen 3 times. after the first time he did the clamp.. didnt stop them. then he did a clamp AND had a skidplate thing made by a shop... they cut through the plate and clamp again.

now it has an alarm setup to go off when the vehicles jacked up. plus the shield and the clamp...

all these thefts have happened in broad daylight out in the city on well traveled roads.

 

Sorry to hear about the heep

For some reason I thought the super charger was factory installed

Are you just going to buy a long block, install it yourself and then sell it?

 

Nice first gen! My dad had bought that exact same configuration, color, etc. brand new in 2003. When I see them pop up on this site like that I wonder if they could be his old truck. Unlikely, but he would have sold it around 44k miles probably since he only had it a few years.

 

Jeep didn't offer an OEM supercharger accessory option like Toyota. Same Magnuson brand though, I installed it myself, the progress starting in the Gladiator build thread in post #178.

I thought about DIY for a while, but what a PITA. I found a shop to swap an equivalent milage used long block. Also can't buy new ones at the moment with any ETA due to supply chain.

He happen to live in WA and sell it in 2006?

 

This guy disagrees

https://black.jmyntrn.com/

 

Around that time frame, but it would have been in a different state.

 

The blower motor has been making regular obnoxious squeaking, so before replacing it I decided to see if oiling it would help. These are super easy to remove, just 3 bolts/screws under the dash and a plug. I also pulled the glovebox, but that wasn't necessary.


Decided to bench test it before and after. The 6A power supply was not up to powering it at the full 13+ volts, but I didn't bother to swap supplies for my higher power units for the purpose. It seemed to squeak lightly whenever moved while running. The shaft had almost no play though.


Pulled off the motor access door and hit the bushings with some WD-40.


I really doubt it will work but figured it wouldn't hurt to try. Seems quieter on reinstall, but didn't sound any better on the bench. I've seen several stories of aftermarket units like TYC not operating silently, so I'd definitely replace with OEM if needed.
OEM blower motor: 8710304030 ~$147.

My OEM headlights, corner lights and washer tank have all shipped. Hopefully they arrive this weekend for install.

 

I prefer a bit more sidewall on everything. I think Jason from Engineering Explained said he switched to 18s as well because he had 2 or 3 pinched tires on a single trip in the M3P. What tires are you picking?

 

Remember when you were real man beast mode hunting for the lightest 37's you could get your hands on? And now it's 1500 for 8 extra miles of range? Oh how the mighty have fallen

 

Does yours have DRLs? Mine does and not sure exactly I need to do, in addition to the bulbs I already purchased, to get mine set up properly. Can't wait to see what you do to this rig!

 

For me, the heartache with the Jeep is the effort to get those sweet wheels

 

Yeah, the low profile tires have been known to get sidewall damage on poor roadways. The goal of course will be to be faster than a stock Model 3 performance, while also having longer range similar to a Model 3 Long Range. On the 18s, I'd likely look at the Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires that come stock on the Long Range, in the same stock 235/45r18 size. The MXM4s weigh 25lbs, but are also a low rolling resistance tire helping on the range front. The Pirelli P Zero (stock Model 3 Performance tire) in the 235/45r18 size actually weighs less at only 23lbs which is more appealing for weight, but it is not a low rolling resistance tire and also is a summer tire not suited for cold temps. I'll have to do some more research to see if I can find a suitable 235/45r18 low rolling resistance tire that is lighter/higher performing than the MXM4s.

Remember when that one year old vehicle threw a rod, dumped all its oil on the highway and sent smoke signals to the next county, and then Jeep refused to cover anything? On top of that, they had the audacity to bill me for the rental car they lent me. Cost 5 mortgage payments cash out of pocket to repair, and a month later and still no truck. Yep, pretty man beast sounding...

Mine does not. But there is a way to disable the headlight DRL function. Quick search I saw this, though I'm sure there is a dedicated thread, unplug the wire shown in post #60597.

I never did get them. I ended up with some that were a close second through, and actually worked better in the end for my build with no lift. The Method 313s I wanted were .5lbs lighter with 5mm more poke than the Vision wheels I chose as my second option, but without the lift the Visions were actually perfect.

 

I know! That was the worst part. I think it was a sign…

 

Fixed the broken driver seat side today, and added the the reinforcement recommended by @JasonLee from @mechanicjon (The link below has easy to follow youtube videos for install)
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-tacoma-seat-trim-side-cover-reinforcement.501569/

Here is what it looked like. Minor, but the mildly annoying to see every time you open the door.


Only 1 hole needs to be drilled for the reinforcement install


Steel reinforcement bracket installed. I painted mine with rustoleum as well as the hole drilled in the OEM seat bracket. The bracket prevents the side for the seat from applying pressure to the plastic panel when entering and exiting the truck, preventing the cracking from reoccurring.


Installed the new OEM Driver side seat plastic panel in tan new. 71812-04010-E0 ordered from a Toyota dealer off ebay


The reinforcement is solid and well thought out. I may preemptively add one for the passenger side, though it does not currently have the issue. Happy with the outcome.

I mentioned before I'd post a frame pic. The frame is completely rust free, not even surface rust.




Next I need to remove the terrible backup camera system the PO installed.

 

Back on Tesla tires in 235/45r18 All Seasons, the Michelin MXM4 Tesla tires are a hard tire to beat. I'm looking for a lighter than stock (25lbs) low rolling resistance all season tire or a significantly lighter all season tire. Pirelli has a couple offerings worth considering, which are the lightest options I've found so far in the two catagories. The Cinturato P7 All Seasons are a low rolling resistance tire like the OEM Long Range with greater tread depth and 1lb lighter than stock the stock Long Range MXM4 tires. Looking at even lighter all seasons, the Pirelli P Zero All Seasons come in at an impressive 22lbs, or 3lbs lighter than stock long range tires.

To put this in context, 3lbs x 4 tires is 12lbs of rotating mass on the outer most part of the rotating assembly (where it matters most). Rotating mass has 4x the performance impact as static mass, meaning removing that 12lbs at 4x is equivalent to about 48lbs of mass removed from the car which is listed as weighing 4072lbs, or about 1.2% vehicle weight reduction equivalent. The lighter weight will help in acceleration performance and general range, but for long range cruise the lower rolling resistance should be more beneficial. Both the Pirelli's top out prematurely early with a V-speed rating at 149mph short of the cars capabilities, whereas the MXM4s are rated to the proper 168mph. But I don't plan on tracking the car, so I don't consider 150+ mph speeds a factor.

 

I like the research going into these tires. Where do you get the rotating mass is 4x static mass? Not questioning you, but genuinely curious. I've tried to find a factor to multiply added tire/wheel weight by before but never really came up with anything concrete.