MatosTaco's Build Thread

Here's the process of getting the steering wheel into the truck
https://youtu.be/WxJTNhuE37k

 

I also just finished a mod I started a couple days ago. Since I shaved the holes for the windshield washers off my hood, I was looking for a new way to mount them. I noticed my Camaro has them mounted to the cowl cover, so I decided to try that. My old washers were in bad shape and I lost one, so I ordered some washers intended for the 2005+ Tacomas. I read on here that those have a better spray pattern and that was attractive vs just buying the older style ones with the dual streams.

Here are the ones I bought
20211101_200215 by Jose, on Flickr

I had to design and 3D print some adapters in order to mount them to the cowl (the adapters fit pressed into the cowl and are then held in with ABS cement).
20211110_195849 by Jose, on Flickr
20211110_173811 by Jose, on Flickr
20211110_173815 by Jose, on Flickr

I connected the two sprayers to each other using 5/32" washer tubing from Prestone (sold in a 6 foot length at Autozone) and placed a T-fitting in the middle of the tubing. This, in turn, connects to the tubing coming off the pump on the washer reservoir. The reason for the T in the center is to ensure even flow to both sides. I added a zip tie to each connection in order to avoid loosening over time (the T didn't feel all that tight on the tubing).
20211110_173819 by Jose, on Flickr
20211110_173827 by Jose, on Flickr

I used a single strand copper cable to fish the tubing from the pump through the fender well and out the cowl area so that I could connect it to the T-fitting. There is a readily available opening next to the reservoir through which you can put the tubing into the fender well.
20211110_184459 by Jose, on Flickr
From there, you can run the wire up the fender well into an opening that leads into the cowl area. I tested the wipers to ensure the tubing wouldn't become impinged on the wiper arms and it all looks good.

Here they are with the cowl mounted to the truck
20211110_173844 by Jose, on Flickr

A test showed that they were spraying properly, such that the windshield ended up evenly wet with the movement of the wipers.
20211110_184329 by Jose, on Flickr

 

I've got to say, I absolutely love the much cleaner look of having the sprayers on the cowl instead of the hood!
20211110_195930 by Jose, on Flickr
20211110_195732 by Jose, on Flickr

 

Another thing I want to do is to eliminate all of the chrome from my truck. For that reason, I ordered a new grill and bumper in black. I intent to paint them either body color or a gloss black, I haven't made my mind up just yet.

Here's the new bumper
20211109_213332 by Jose, on Flickr

I also got all stainless hardware to replace both the nuts that hold the bumper to the truck and the bolts that hold the valence to the bumper
20211109_213336 by Jose, on Flickr

I cannot wait! A couple of simple paint jobs and this front end is finally coming back together!
20211110_195831 by Jose, on Flickr

 

So cool it’s the details that really make a properly modded truck!!!!!
Love this!!!

 

Agreed, these little details make the truck feel more special!

 

Well, I got my new grill cut up for the Satoshi x Intake scoop setup and primed it along with the new bumper. Notice I'm painting the trim on the corner lights as well. Not sure why people always fail to do that.
20211120_213042 by Jose, on Flickr

I'm itching to get all these projects done so I can clean my garage of all this junk!
20211120_213035 by Jose, on Flickr

I did a quick test fit on the truck to see what the grill looks like. It's pretty funny looking like that lol.
20211118_203307 by Jose, on Flickr

20211118_203304 by Jose, on Flickr

 

I hit everything up with a filler primer yesterday. The plan is to sand everything down today and start doing base coat/clear coat.

I actually painted these parts separately so I would have room to move them around and get good coverage. They are only together out there so they can dry.
20211123_154134 by Jose, on Flickr

 

The hardware that holds the valence to the bumper bar was all rusted out. For this reason, I ordered stainless bolts but still needed to do something about the clips they thread into. I decided to take a stab at rust bluing these parts. I started by leaving them in a mix of salt and vinegar for a couple of days to peel off any finish and remove all the uneven rust. I gave them a good scrub with a toothbrush to reveal clean metal. From there, I brushed on a mix of hydrogen peroxide and salt. This causes the parts to rust uniformly. I then submerged the parts in boiling water until they turned black. Once the parts were black, I took them out and added the peroxide mix again, giving them a coat of red rust over the black. I then boiled these again and continued to repeat the process until I got the nice, jet black look I wanted. Once finished, you can seal the parts with oil or wax to prevent future rust. I left mine in a cup of motor oil. Once it's time to reassemble the front end, these will come back out of the oil.
20211129_220908 by Jose, on Flickr

 

I rolled the truck out of the garage earlier and set up a makeshift paint area. I definitely need to clean up this garage before taking on future paint projects; it is not a clean enough environment to use as a booth.
20211201_145418 by Jose, on Flickr
It's a pretty basic setup. Plastic bag on a picnic table and a small industrial fan to blow out the fumes (I opened the door partially while I sprayed).
20211201_150258 by Jose, on Flickr

 

Here are the parts once painted. They have a good gloss, but it is certainly not close to my best work. I did end up with some fisheye and some particulates in the paint, nothing I can't resolve with a wet sand and buff. Part of the issue is the paint I have is a few years old, and I really should have run the base coat through a strainer before mixing and not just strained it when pouring into the HVLP gun. Oh well, another lesson learned lol.
20211201_182012 by Jose, on Flickr

I absolutely love how Toyota's Black Sand Pearl looks in the light, one of the reasons I have used it so much over the years. Believe me when I tell you, pictures don't do it justice. I will definitely have to paint my future Supra in this color!
20211201_191710 by Jose, on Flickr
20211201_191720 by Jose, on Flickr

 

The paint has flashed on the surface, so I carefully moved everything so I could take apart the painting table and put the truck back in the garage.
20211201_191725 by Jose, on Flickr

This is the temporary hangout until I roll the truck in and rest it in the bed
20211201_203238 by Jose, on Flickr

You can't really tell, but I applied the same paint to the mesh that's on the old chrome grill. I will be transferring that mesh to the new grill...just as soon as I find my Allen wrenches
in all this mess rofl!
20211201_203801 by Jose, on Flickr

I went ahead and started peeling the tape off the corner lights. These came out really good!
20211201_203547 by Jose, on Flickr

I really love how this looks and cannot wait to see it all on the truck!
20211201_204450 by Jose, on Flickr

 

I absolutely love the contrast the black grill makes against the color of my truck!

20211202_101158 by Jose, on Flickr
20211202_101051 by Jose, on Flickr

What a shame I got all this random grit in the paint and will have to sand the entire thing back and re-spray it.
20211202_203541 by Jose, on Flickr

However, I did find the culprit. I noticed low paint flow throughout the process. Upon closer inspection, both of my HVLPs needed new filters and I was in need of a new regulator. I got both at Lowes and my bumper ended up coming out much better as a result. I will say, my air compressor is really under specced for the larger of the two HVLPs; it kept running as I was painting. I foresee a larger one in my near future

 

I actually corrected my HVLP issues shortly after I began the bumper- so it got a rocky start. However, I am quite happy with the final result. I think a wet sand and buff will leave this thing 100% perfect.

20211202_200824 by Jose, on Flickr

20211202_200819 by Jose, on Flickr

 

I ended up deciding that there was no way I was about to sand down that entire grill. Instead, I decided to follow my original plan of making the headlight buckets and lower area by the mesh a flat or satin black. So, I sanded all of that down and hit it with rust reformer by Rustoleum. It dries a nice, satin black. Not sure how it will hold up in this area, but it looks really good. Best of all, it's an extremely subtle difference that you don't catch if you aren't looking for it.

Here is the grill all taped up
20211203_142400 by Jose, on Flickr

Post spraying with rust reformer
20211203_143203 by Jose, on Flickr

The final result, very subtle and just looks fantastic to me
20211203_151211 by Jose, on Flickr

I also prepped my 3D printed scoops by giving them a vapor polish in a massive rice cooker I have for that purpose
20211203_155929 by Jose, on Flickr

 

From there, I assembled the scoops and the mesh to the grill. Don't mind the mess that is my dining room- that's another project we are working on lol.
20211203_180536 by Jose, on Flickr

Here is the completed grill, mounted up to the truck. I was unable to get all of those stupid clips to line up perfectly and quite a few either broke or got deformed (the aftermarket ones that came with this grill are definitely not as nice as the factory Toyota ones)
20211204_154742 by Jose, on Flickr

I can't wait to have the hood clear coated and the hood latches paint matched to the grill. The truck is going to look sick!

 

Wow that contrast really does make it look cool! One thing I would do is make the grill scoops sit a bit further back so it looks flush with the grill.

 

It turns out that the bolts I got for attaching the valence to the bumper were too short. I ordered some 30 mm long ones in order to get this together and I am pretty sure they actually sent 40 mm ones instead. Oh well, they did the job so 40 mm it is.

As you can see, Christmas decorations are also going up, so I have a ton of boxes down from the attic lol
20211205_193351 by Jose, on Flickr

I know that no one will see these, but I just had to do it like this. I will know they are there and that makes me happy!
20211205_194459 by Jose, on Flickr

 

I got the two grill filler pieces painted and installed.
20211209_090101 by Jose, on Flickr

I then painted the back of the bumper with Rust Reformer for added protection. I love the contrast it gives vs the outside of the bumper
20211210_170905 by Jose, on Flickr
20211210_170913 by Jose, on Flickr

I also did a couple coats of Plasti-Dip on the lower valence in order to make it a nicer black.

 

I also painted the bumper mount brackets in the same paint and then installed the bumper. I have to say, this is the worst paint match in the history of paint matches rofl! I'm not sure if it's because of the color of primer I used, the age of the can of paint (like 10 years), the oxidation level of the paint on the rest of the truck, or all of the above lol! However, the bumper has a noticeably bluer tone to it. In any case, I do need to repaint the entire truck as it is peeling up top, so this may be a good excuse to get going on that project.
20211210_191559 by Jose, on Flickr
20211210_192216 by Jose, on Flickr

You will notice that I haven't reinstalled the bumper lights. This is because I did not like how they looked against the painted bumper. I am thinking of making a black brake duct with an LED ring around the perimeter in order to fill this all in.
20211210_192221 by Jose, on Flickr

Paint match aside, I do love how sinister it looks now!
20211211_183239 by Jose, on Flickr

It will look awesome once I clear coat the hood
20211211_183859 by Jose, on Flickr