I just scored a 2002 Double Cab LTD - advice needed re: post-lift vibration (page 2)

Greetings all,

I just discovered this site last week while deciding on this purchase. This is my third Toyota pickup. First was a 1989 4cyl manual single cab 4x4 that I bought used back in New England in 1999 for $3300. I got 65k out of it, including a cross country move, 4 years of college, and some trips to some seriously remote places in Idaho and Montana before it gave up the ghost. She had some serious rust on her from 10 years in New England salt and while she never let me down when the timing chain went it was time to retire her. Second was a 2002 4cyl manual access cab 4x4 bought used in 2004 that I just traded after putting 90k trouble free miles on. Only thing I ever replaced other than consumables was a sensor in the engine that cost $200. She was in good shape but I hated the manual 4cyl, she was needing some work, and 2 kids later I needed an occasional kid hauler too, which she just couldn't do safely.

This is my new truck. An absolutely mint condition 2002 Lunar Mist Limited Double Cab V6 auto. Truck has 86k original miles and is nearly as perfect as one could hope for. She had only one previous owner and spent her entire life in the Seattle area, probably garaged. In case anyone doesn't know the western side of the Cascades is a great place to buy used vehicles: virtually no snow in the winter below 1000', no salt, and mild, relatively dry summers without searing sun and heat. Anyway, the interior is literally like new, there's no rust anywhere, and there's only a few very minor exterior blemished other than a couple of small dents in the rear bumper, which I'm going to replace. She even came with a bed extender, alarm, and Undercover brand bed cover. The only signs of any use in the interior are some wear marks on the steering wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock. I'm thinking that's indicative of a middle aged woman with excess hand moisturizer.

So, after many hours spent on this board the last week or so here's the shopping list:

*Rear bumper. Probably will get a factory replacement, but not sure (see optional items below).
*Toytec 3' ultimate lift kit.
*BF Goodrich T/A 265/75R16 tires (10 ply).
*Seat covers to protect the interior from my toddlers (still haven't researched these yet).
*Thule or Yakima aftermarket roof rack towers, crossbars, and wind fairing. I will be hauling kayaks at some point once my kids get out of diapers. I also want to address the Subaru-esque look of the OEM racks.


Possibilities:
* There's a small chance I might get a ARB front bumper and replace the running boards with N-Fab steps, but for now I'll run with the above. If I do decide on an ARB I will probably get something other than a factory rear.

Any advice or critiques on the above shopping list is greatly appreciated. I won't be doing any crawling with this, mostly just commuting to work and taking it to the woods to recreate with my buddies and later my kids. I do work as a professional forester and firefighter, so while I'm not as hard core as most of you, I do appreciate solid equipment and I've definitely been on some knarly roads in some of the remotest country in the lower 48. Somewhere I have a picture of me chasing a Cat D9 dozer down a fire line in Oregon in a Chevy 2500, until then here's my new used Tacoma:

 

Nice truck! Where do you work as a forester? I'm currently a forestry major as an undergrad!

 

Worked all over for private, state, and US govt. If you want any free anonymous internet career advice let me know.

 

Interesting.... Has the truck been in an accident? Why is the rear bumper chrome and the front painted? Otherwise gorgeous truck and congrats on the find.

 

My truck is the same way with the front bumper painted and the rear chrome. I know for a fact it hasn't been in any accidents.

 

The Tacoma brochures for 2001-04 show that was how the bumpers came on a Limited.....painted front, chrome rear.

 

The limited trim had painted front bumpers and chrome rear bumpers.

 

Toytec ultimate lift received. I originally went with the AALs, but after further thought and examination I decided to replace to the factory rear leafs with OME Dakars. Toytec was great to deal with as far as the exchange went. It cost me extra shipping, but such is life.

 

Good choice, I got the same leafs and they're sweet

 

Here's the truck with the lift installed. Took a casual 7 hours and a few beers with a friend. The front was much more of a pain than I thought it would be, the rear was a snap. Not the greatest pic I realize but you get the idea:

 

I've put about 45 miles on it since the install Monday. I get the faintest hint of vibration at different speeds, particularly at about 50mph. I found a place where I can get BF Goodrich T/A KO 265/75r16s at $195 a piece, so tomorrow it's off for 5 new tires and an alignment, we'll see how it does after that. I figure I can sell the tires it came with for about $200 for the set. If the vibration persists I guess I'll need to research the Toytec shims.

I was surprised at how cushy the Bilsteins are. I'm used to 3/4 tons with factory suspensions for most of my off-pavement driving(work), so the ride quality was a surprise.

I think for now I'm going to leave the roof rack and running boards as is. The rack doesn't look so bad with the lift, she's surprisingly solid, and I have no immediate needs for anything different. The jury's still out on the running boards. I don't need or care for them, but the wife and kids will probably appreciate a step when climbing into the truck. Still researching a replacement rear bumper and considering something more robust to replace the front. Badland Bumpers is pretty close so I might call them up and see if I can stop by and scope out their product in person.

 

Good looking truck!
If you decide to part with the roof rack, I can help fund your new setup! Just drop me a message.

 

Nice looking truck. I have a white 2002 Toyota Tacoma TRD Dbl cab auto tranny 3.4L (Legend Canopy) purchased locally (Seattle area) in Sept 2009 and now have 247,000 miles on it. Presently identifying suspension upgrade including rear springs such as Wheeler’s 1.5 lift 5 leaf Rear Spring Set $459 or All-Pro Standard Duty Leaf Springs $399 and Bilstein 5100s.
My loads include the 200 lb canopy, 60 lb canoe on roof rack, about 150 lb stuff in rear truck bed for totals in the 200-500 lb range. I have Yokohama Geolander LT 265/75R-16-S (8ply) tires which are about 32" diameter. Use rig for daily driver, USFS roads, and logging roads. Are you aware of any 4x4 shops in the Puget Sound area other than 4x4 Olympic Supply in Snohomish WA? Mike

 

You could try a carrier bearing drop first to see if it helps the vibrations. But you might need those 3 degree shims..

since you got the ultimate lift kit like i did (i got the boss kit w/ dakar leafs) I'm going to warn you about the one problem i had/have. The 5100's for the rear suspension are too short for the OME leafs. They don't need to be replaced ASAP. But i would recommend finding some 10" travel rear shocks in the near future..

 

That's disappointing to hear, especially since ToyTec sells this as a complete kit...

 

No, sorry. Fortunately for me I'm good friends with a mechanic who does all my work out of his personal shop. Haven't been to a retail place in years...

 

exactly how i felt. You will learn that when you buy things like that its better to just buy it in pieces. Even though it is more hassle you will end up buying all the right things.

 

Well after the new tires and alignment I still had vibration issues so I ordered up some 3 degree zinc axle shims from Toytec:



Pic of install. Pretty simple really. Remove tires/rims, put stands under frame and floor jack under axle, unfasten e brake etc, use c clamps to hold leaf pack together, remove u bolts and center pins, insert shims, and you're done:



The shims come with new center pins, but they were way too long for the Dakars. The spacers on the other hand, which are also included, are definitely needed to make sure the center pin seats properly in the hole in the axle:

 

Here's how she looks now with the new 265/75r16 BGFs. The shims gave me a little bit more lift in the rear. I'm currently at 39" from pavement to fender in the front and 39.5" in the rear, which is just about right. Basically a 2.5 inch lift:

 

Congrats, nice truck, now, how about the language? new truck, (to you)mint condition,
It is what it is, a 12 years old (nice) truck.