My most expensive ride home...

No doubt it can cause clunk and the endlinks can be replaced pretty easily. Quite few on here just remove the swaybar for serious off-roading so it’s not essential.
More importantly, you should prioritize your work. Top priority should be to make your rig safe so you’re not a danger to yourself and others on the road. From the few things I’ve seen in your pics, first would be to replace the leaking brake hose and then the missing caliper bolt and check them all for proper tightness. (90 ft-lbs AIR)

 

This is a good "project truck", and I mean that in a good way: Pick one of the faults seen in the pics or pointed out and work on it. Do them one at a time until they are all corrected. It's a self-fulfilling type of thing: one fix builds on the next and sparks incentive to keep on going to the next one. There is great satisfaction in correcting something that is broken so it's working again. Looking the pics from under the truck, it's worth saving. (IMO).

 

Well I am totally leaning into that comment because I am feeling it. I have got a number of things done on her. First and most important I was able to replace the brake line that was leaking with an extended line, as well we I got my hands on the bolt that was missing in the front caliper. My gf dad helped me bleed the breaks and I feel alot better about driving. The clunking sound I was describing last week turns out it was actually the brake caliper shaking inside the wheel due to that bolt being missing. Lol crazy. I was also able to get the ugly windshield rust atleast sanded down, somewhat treated and covered up. I went down to the auto color store here in town and got 6p4 Surfside mica base coat some primer and Clear coat. I got it looking good anything is better than it was before. I also got all new matching lug nuts the old ones were mismatched and some where Rusty. Small things like mismatched or matching lug nuts IMO makes a huge difference at the overall presence of a vehicle. I installed a new battery and did some upkeep on some electrical stuff that needed attention. Last but not least I went on ebay and found me a used oem center console which is nice.
Next couple of things on the to do list is getting my air filter sectioned off to keep it clean.
I picked up a 1st gen leer topper off marketplace in a trade. I'm stoked on havinh a topper with curvature to actually match the cab. It was off a tacoma that was involved in a roll over so it's got a couple of cracks and scrapes but I got them patched up and am contemplating trying my hand at color matching it with the truck since the repair over the windshield took only a few small passes to complete. Yeah I'm probably going to do that soon before it gets any colder. Lol my truck will look like a TMNT.
Thanks for your time everyone so far posting and keeping up with progress and the feedback from you all has been super helpful. I'll keep posting and I'll post pics with the topper on and color matched once it's done. It might end Up looking crazy and not like it but as far as we know we only live once so I'm going to keep going for it...

 

Outstanding! Looking forward to the pictures.

 

Seems like a sound plan and: you are already making progress! Make a written list on paper in a spiral notebook (I know) of all the things that need to be checked/done/replaced or corrected. (Include all of the things have already done as well.) I create an electronic record later using wordpad or notepad. In pencil: order them (1, 2, 3....) You will find some other things that will have to wait)so doing it in pencil (the order numbers) allows you to edit the order. I find it easier to look at it all on a sheet of paper using wordpad and put the whole record in chronological order. Leave space for notes "need a left handed suture wrench for revacillator r&r" ) and most important: costs. Take a picure(s) before you take apart or remove a complicated part/assembly. Your brain will remember it goes in this way or order...(until it doesn't), or you have a leftover clip, screw, bolt etc that you've never seen in your life. Drop all of the little bits in small plastic containers with covers.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

Mt girlfriend and her father always are telling me to write stuff down. I have a pen and paper right next to me. Hell I will be back in a bit with pics of the color matched shell here in a bit.

 

So here are the pics of the color match on the topper I ran out of paint in the fourth quarter but I thought that might happen since I had half the paint to work with compared to the primer I was using. But I made sure to get all tye areas that are the most visible. I will have to go buy another can or two to finish it up maybe this weekend. I had a few really big cracks I had to patch up with those fiber glass sheets and resin. No rear door unfortunately I might just pull the frame for the rear door on the white topper I still have and somehow finagle it on there or something idk.
I took a couple pics of the front to show you all since I took care of the rust hole that was right above the windshield I know it's not a complete fix for it and rust is a bitch. I figure if this truck was any younger I would go for a more serious fix. However I did grind out all the rust that was under where I painted, patched the hole with jv weld steel stick then rust reformer body filler primer paint then clear. I am so excited to have that thing covered up and looking better. I feel as though I can feel proud of my truck. What you guys think of the color match shell. I thought it was going to be to much and I wouldn't like it. But I do I really do. Anyhow I feel good after all the real maintenence I have got done so far as well as the unnecessary cosmetic details I have taken care of. But really with the rusty hole above the windshield covered and feel halfway decent about how it was done atleast with money in consideration I'm super proud of my truck. Enjoying where I'm at in my journey and excited for the ups and bracing myself for the downs that are still to come. Happy with the progress.
Let me know what yall think of the pics. TIA everyone.

 

Looks good! After some of the big jobs (like the roof) take a break and work to take care of the little stuff too: missing antenna, gas door... little details make a big difference: In the immortal words of the great Jake Blues:



"Fix the cigarette lighter....."

 

My freaking gas door doesn't have the metal pieces to mount the damn lock cylinder on idk what to do about it. And I already have antenna on the way and I am just a few lug nuts short of having them all thr same lol I been swooping them up at the pick and pull when I go there. I did however get the air intake situation figured out got that done just a few hours ago.

 

Go search local pick and pull yards if you've got them. Rare to find 6-lug models to pick through at those, but body and interior parts (like a fuel filler door) can be pulled from 5-lug trucks (that you are more likely to find in a pick and pull) and used on your 6-lug truck.

Then you could either take those pieces needed to mount the lock cylinder and put them in yours, or just paint match the new door and use it.

 

Here is the close up on before and after on the rust above the windshield.

 

The only thing close to what would be compatible on our trucks is they have 1 3rd gen 4runner at the one by my house. That's where I got the air intake set up. The 4 runner has fender flares but I don't know if they would even fit or look decent oh my truck so I haven't gotten them. The seats are something I would be interested in but idk how many modifications would be needed to make them work. They have the speed cluster I might need since my truck is popping a cel for my vss. Idk if it would be compatible or not maybe??? I checked my vss with the ohm setting on a multimeter and it was pulling I think 8ohms. I need to look into seeing how many ohms would mean its still good. But it might be my cluster cause yesterday I looked down and saw my rpm meter was moving but it eventually just glitched out and stopped moving showing my rpms as if they were maxed out at 8. It hasn't moved since then. And sometimes my odo will show the letters odo and it will only show partial numbers making it impossible to make out the mileage.

 

That intermittent nature of those problems makes it sound like a loose electrical connection somewhere.

 

That's what I was thinking I just don't trust myself in pulling the dash apart

 

@Bertoloco867 You got this. PITA but you can do this. Lots of how-tos in this forum.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-dash-trim-removal-1st-gen.528257/

 

Well on another note I was looking around underneath and I came across this I dont know what to make of it I know toyota didn't really Taylor wire harness to each trim line (I think I'm saying that correctly) so maybe it's just supposed to be like this but have you any idea?
I know i need to get that connector covered up I will soon. But initially I saw the ones plugged in unplugged all together but I only saw the one connector to connect it to.

 

Thanks for this link when I was driving home from work I somewhat felt inspiration to get this dash open and see what I could do. The cluster off a 3rd gen 4 runner probably wouldn't work would it.

 

Where do those two single wires go?

 

I dont know I'll have to take a better look tomorrow

 

Someone has done some jerry-rig there, if I had to guess the unconnected wire has a problem and they bypassed it.

I paid way too much for mine too but not with as many issues. You already know the good news, you have a good frame and it's a great place to dump money - err - it's a great project truck. :-D

Since no one has mentioned it, with an unknown history you have to assume the lower ball joints need to be replaced. They are possibly the weakest point on the Taco, and recommendations are to replace them at no more than 70K. The bolt shears off . . . . search around here for ball joint failure, you'll see some real horror stories of what happens. I would also question whether you should just go ahead and change the timing belt.

That's the beauty of a project truck, always an excuse to avoid honey-do's, "I needa wurk onmah truk." :-D