Crashnburn80's 1st Gen TRD Double Cab Build

Listed in the original post, part numbers linked for purchase:

(Note the current free shipping coupon FREESHIP at the dealer linked)
8111004110OEM right headlight new
8115004110OEM left headlight new
8162004080OEM Parking light left(broken)
8161004080OEM Parking light right(because OCD and must replace in pairs)

 

Thanks again appreciate it!

 

My front driver seatbelt is badly frayed on the lower belt edge making sliding the belt buckle not smooth and the belt doesn't retract well, sometimes getting closed hanging out the door. I finally got around to ordering a new one. Somewhat tricky to locate the correct part number as different years of 1st Gens have different part numbers as well as different cab configurations and different colors. Even the same 01-04 facelift doesn't have the same part number, 03-04 is different per Toyota than 01-02. The belts are also labeled as containing hazardous materials, so many places charge a hefty surcharge on the shipping. This dealer did not, and had a coupon for free shipping.

I ordered from here.
03-04 Double cab, front left, in Oak
PN: 7322004151E0

 

A bit too late but you do know about safetyrestore, yes?
I had my '02 Tundra belts done, very nice now.

 

Interesting, I had not. However between having to replace the frayed webbing and fix the retractor, it looks like the cost is about the same as a new OEM part.

 

Cost for me for 2 belts was less than what I see above, though maybe I skimmed too fast?

 

Hmm, when I clicked though it, it was $99 for the belt replacement plus $99 for the retractor replacement. Even if the belt was $75 for replacement and retractors were $99, I'd still pay a little more for a new OEM Toyota part.

 

I got pretty confusing replies from those guys on these details but from what I was able to decipher, pay once and they fix everything?

The belts on mind did not retract well either but I think some/most/all of that is the webbing itself rather than the retractor mechanism? And/or they can just replace a spring or some internal piece to refurbish that?

I agree new is always nice and if the other 3 belts are good then you're set but if you needed to do 4 belts it would get spendy. Also kind of fun to have the option of changing colors, but I wimped out and went color match on mine.

One thing you could do, you know, for science, is measure the before tension after swapping with the replacement, send it to them for service, get it back, and re-measure then compare to the new OEM. I'd be willing to split the cost of that with you to get a feel for how close they come.

 

I'm all for measuring things and science, but that sounds like work and money for little return.

I did find those OEM belts almost $10 cheaper, but it was east coast vs west coast and I didn't want to wait on the extra shipping time.

 

Thank you for this. Awesome info.

Just curious (eg dumb question) are any of the seat belts interchangeable?

Passenger front to driver front?
Driver rear to driver front?
Driver rear to passenger front?
Passenger rear to passenger front?
Passenger rear to driver front?

 

Toyota specifically sites location F/R and L/R with unique part numbers, so I'd say no they are not interchangeable. As @daveeasa pointed out a refurbishing service may be more cost effective if doing multiple, my only problematic one was the driver belt.

 

Swapped the plugs today and changed the oil. The 1st Gen 3.4s came with both Denso and NGK plugs. Toyota seems to have favored the Denso K16TR11 as the preferred replacement plug, so I went that route for replacement. With over 200k on the truck, I figured plug replacement was needed to set a known baseline. I ordered my Denso K16TR11 through my local autoparts store for next day pickup.



The plug is a dual prong pre-gapped .044" plug. It is worth noting the 3.4L operates on a wasted spark system, meaning with only 3 coils the plug fire in both the ignition cycle and also in the exhaust cycle. So the plugs fire 2x that over a standard plug, hence it would make sense to have 2x the ground electrodes to last twice as long, since the plug will see 2x the wear with how the system is designed.

New OEM Denso K16TR11


This is what was removed from the truck, Bosch Platinum singles.


Checking the Bosch gap vs the .044 spec


Wow. Nearly .070. So horrifically off spec. And yet the Tacoma idled flawlessly. After seeing how bad these plugs were I am just amazed the truck ran as well as it did.

Changed the oil 500 miles early today too. I've owned the truck for 3k+ miles, the service tag shows 4500k miles on the current oil. This oil is literally the cleanest oil I have ever changed out of an old vehicle. It isn't black, it is still very translucent and new looking. I seriously did a double take on the odometer. I've ordered one of the oil analysis kits to send samples in for a detailed oil break-down. I replaced the generic filter with an OEM Toyota one paired with Mobile 1 Full Synthetic High Milage oil. The OEM Toyota filters are widely regarded as the very best and ridiculously low priced, there is absolutely no reason to not use an OEM filter for a Toyota.


OEM Sumitomo ignition plug wires appear original, nearly 20 years old.



Over 200k with destroyed wrong plugs running on ancient old ignition components and it still runs absolutely perfect. A true testament to Toyota's engineering quality.

 

Stuff like this lends to Toyota's cult following. My 1992 I had from new for 14 years made me a believer. Are Toyota's perfect? No. But the head gaskets on my 1992 3.0L failed twice. Once under warranty and again out of warranty. Toyota and the dealership covered it in full the second time. Truck never, ever left me stranded and we did a lot of road trips and exploring with it before kids. Finally sold it when our first kid came along and I couldn't fit the car seat in the extra cab part. Still got crazy money for it after 14 years. Mind you it was well maintained. Loved that truck.

 

The 3.0s were not great, in that generation you definitely wanted the 2.4. I had a mint 94 22re manual that I loved where everything was manual (hubs, windows, locks), the truck was great. I liked the old wing windows. Bought it with less than 100k miles from the original owner who was too old to drive it anymore. It fell victim to the same cause as yours, couldn't fit a carseat in the back.

 

That's a walk down memory lane, @crashnburn80! I bought my '92 in '99, with about 124K on the clock. Thru '08 and over 206K on the clock, when I upgraded to a supercharged '04 Tacoma, I never had any real trouble with the 3.slow. Aside from lacking horsepower and torque, it was reliable and always got me where I needed to go, thru a lot of crazy winter conditions and off-road miles in the Colorado high country.


My '13 is a nicer/better truck in (nearly?) all measurable ways but, to this day, I miss things like the manual transfer case, wing windows, and more agile feeling of earlier generation Pickups and Tacomas.

 

The 3.0 worked quite well for us. I don’t know if the Canadian versions had the wing windows tho. Mine was all manual except for the hubs. Lots of fond memories with that truck. Was perfect for a young couple without kids. Great around town due to its size. No hard core off roading. Most folks back then focused on the solid axels rather than the new IFS models.

Mine a couple months old here.



Having fun here.



When I couldn’t get the car seat in the back of the 92 I could not afford a then 2006 4 door Tacoma. Went with a 2003 Pathfinder. Lasted 15 years until we purchased our 2020. Your 1994 looks awesome. I personally loved the looks of these MY. Then again I love the looks of all Toyota Trucks. Very Happy with the 2020 and so glad to be in a Toyota Truck again.

 

Another beautiful Toyota Truck. Love the styling. Even the steel wheels. My 2020 is amazing compared to my 92. The 2020 is now a “midsize truck” and more bloated. However, we can get both kids in the back. Yes, lots of snow wheeling around town in the wee hours of the mornings with the 1992. I too loved the simplicity of manual everything. The chrome rear step bumper was an option back then. Also, no A/C either but was a dealer installed option if wanted. After 16 years it still had the original clutch when I sold it. I dunno, maybe I’m being overly sentimental. But the truck left a big impression on me.

 

It all rings true here too. Gf had a ’99 T4R, so I got a ‘00 offroad MT xtracab. Always felt it was just a bit too long for my taste, back seat was too small to be useful and the bed was too short or the truck too long. Two years later I sold it near what I paid and got the 2002 Tundra. So stoked to have that one back. When I was looking for a third gen in 2020, I really wanted AC OffRoad MT. Probably lucky that’s not an option. Test drove an AT I4 AC and decided v6 was a must have. It was a bit of a battle between MT and LB, MT won out. If I were doing it now, I might have gone LB AT after all. Because the ‘05 is pretty satisfying for MT fun. But I didn’t plan that out and it sure is ridiculous to have three trucks, two MT and two RC, not at all a family friendly selection. Especially while my DC 3rd gen sits because I need to wire up the front speakers. Hah.

 

One more for nostalgia. My 2003, brother’s 1998 and my 1994, all in red for a moving party.

 

The AC does not blow cold and with upcoming weather getting into the mid-upper 80s I decided to take it into Toyota to have the AC checked out. It appeared all it needed was a system recharge, no leaks discovered and everything else works fine. UV dye was put into the refrigerant to detect leaks, with none found Toyota said to bring it back in a month for a complimentary re-check on the AC system to make sure there are no leaks. AC now blows cold. While it was there I also had them adjust the parking brake, as the hold tension was insufficient.

Their courtesy shuttle was taking longer than anticipated, so I opted to uber back to the house after waiting a while. The service adviser credited me $15 (of $20) for my uber expenses for the inconvenience.

The seatbelt I had ordered could not be shipped due to hazardous materials (aka explosive charge) so I reordered through a local dealer and picked that up today in person as well.

Finally my new NGK ignition wires arrived today too, hoping to get the starting back to perfect with the new plugs.