Long Time Looker, First Time Poster

Hello TW!

Since this is my first post, I'll give a bit of background. I'm a sophomore aerospace and mechanical engineering student going to school in North Alabama and my Tacoma has been in my family since 10 miles on the odo. I purchased it from my Dad over a year ago when my first car (a Mini), as my best friend says, "wet the bed". The chain tensioner went bad after I had sunk some heavy money in basic repairs and it was just a mess. When I bought it, I was a senior in high school and I liked that it was fast, agile and unique. I wasn't thinking about reliability or longevity, because I was young and dumb, not that I'm not anymore, but I was more so then. By the time the Mini crapped out, I had learned to drive a stick and I didn't have a choice but to take the old man's pickup. At first I was hesitant, I'd never really had the chance to fall in love with it. I'd grown up in the backseat and been around for a few of Dad's off-road adventures, but I'd never really taken it out on my own. Needless to say, since then it has never left me high and dry, never not-started, never broke down, etc. There are only 146k on the odo right now so its barely broke in. However, when I inherited it, it needed the timing belt, water pump, plugs, all the fluids changed, replace a rusty wheel well and put in a bed liner, tires and a new window regulator. I also ended up having to put a new clutch and flywheel in it too. The clutch was going bad, I'd learned to drive stick on it, my mother had driven it for a few years and with the old man's off roading, it just was gone. Needless to say, I've sank 3k or more in just the tuning up and as far as I'm concerned it was probably the best investment I'll ever make. However, it does have frame rot. I am originally from central CA, 15 minutes out of Pismo actually, but I've lived all over since then, including two different locations in PA. The frame was sprayed by Toyota and as of this past June, had no perforations and Toyota won't replace it unless it had holes in it. Most of it is surface rust, I will admit, but someday it will need to be replaced and I hope to do that myself, years down the road obviously.

As of right now, my mods are relatively few and far between:
-Light bar on the front valence
-Satoshi grill, I like to say its a Land Cruiser grille, but whatever (pictures included)
-Bed liner
-Skid Plate (pictures included)

Mods in the making:
-Roof rack (will attach pictures as it is currently)

My list of things to do:
-Replace busted CV axle as well as tie rods, arms, ball joints, steering knuckles and while I'm at it put an OME suspension on it. Lot of work, I know, but I've been collecting parts and I want to do it right, even if I'm busting my rear. It's going to be a summer project
-ARB front bumper w/winch. Hopefully an end of summer thing
-Some brand of tube bumper on the rear
-Upgrade to FJ black TRD wheels
-Maybe sliders. Probably DIY this Fall

While at school, I help run the engineering machine shop and teach to intro to machining classes and I operate out of the shop most of the time. Most of my time is occupied running CNC for different teams, clubs, profs, or other sorts of stuff. In the spare time that I've had, I made myself a new skid plate as well as working on the roof rack. I wanted both a certain way and I couldn't find any that fit my wants, so... I made my own. The rack is almost done, I have to paint the shell, it's going to be all black, paint the rack black too, bolt them on and wire it up. I like to think I'll have it painted next weekend, but that may be optimism on my part. I also have to paint the fender flares, I originally went with a Rustoleum bed liner, but that has just peeled off and it looks like a bear attacked my wheel wells. I'm going to try Herculiner and hope for better results, but I'll see. Any tips and advice would be quite welcome.

Other than that, I'm taking it one step at a time, I'm still paying my parents back for it, have engineering school, and I have a girlfriend, so sadly the mods and fab can't take 100% of my time. I'm already told I spend too much time in the shop, anymore time and I might not come out of it.

Sorry I don't have a great pic of my rig, I don't normally take many pictures when I'm out and I just don't have a lot of the pickup as a whole.

 

badass lil taco, man! looks great.

 

Welcome aboard . Taco looks sweet . keep the pics coming and don't forget

 

Welcome to TW!!

 

Best part is, it comes from the factory ready to 4x4, no need to mod much! Your dad had it right.

 

Welcome.

 

Welcome to TW! Great 1st gen.