Newcomer, "New" 2007 Tacoma Owner

Yep, it’s the same rust check. The Portland franchise is the first in the US I’m pretty sure.

 

One of the best Canadian commercials of the 1990's...

 

Picking the truck up next week, most likely. Will have the oil pan replaced, and will be ordering the front brakes and calipers once I get it back and am able to make sure it's all set.

Was chatting with @MurderedTacoV2 on this thread, who works at the dealership. He had some great advice about continuing follow ups to the mouse intrusion and water leak issues. More to follow as I dig a little bit on those.

Gotta do brakes sooner than later, but some fun stuff planned with a new HU, Tonneau Cover, and better floor mats.

That was before finding Tacoma World. The mods list now is several pages, and would register significantly as a percentage of GDP in several smaller developing countries. This place is dangerous.

Which does raise a question; is it considered good etiquette to start a build thread, if you're only doing basic stuff to your truck?

 

I did a build thread focusing on fixing all of the broken things on my truck/changing oil and drivetrain lube etc. Didn’t get too much action in the reply department. I wouldn’t say it’s bad etiquette at all you just may not generate too much interest. Your truck is a lot worse off than mine was however, so I think it’ll be a more interesting read. The way I see it we all have a thing for Tacomas, so at some point in time someone is going to come across yours thread and find it interesting. Just my .02

 

Thanks, @kyledamon ! I may actually go ahead and put one up. It would certainly be in the spirit of “if this lunkhead can do this, anybody can”.

I’ll try to close out the loop in this thread once I get the truck back, for those curious about how things turn out.

 

I picked the truck up at the dealership today. No surprises or gimmicks. Just one $11K invoice for Toyota Corp, and one MUCH smaller invoice for me for a new oil pan, and inspection sticker.

All systems seem to be working fine, and they even resolved the "clunk" it had going into 4wd. Probably a badly under-lubed drivetrain, but whatever it was, I'm glad it's settled. The major problem is still the awful, horrible stench in the cab from 10 years of mouse infiltration all through the heating ducts. I'm afraid that there aren't going to be easy fixes for that, so I have some research ahead of me. I really like the 5-speed transmission paired with the 2.7 - it seems to be a great match.

So here are the "after" shots.



From here on out, any updates on the truck will be posted to a build thread I will start over in the 2nd Gen neighbourhood. Thanks again to folks who posted encouragement and advice through this crazy initial 3.5 months of Taco ownership, 3 days of which the truck actually spent in my possession.

 

Throw up the link to the build thread when you make it! Also if you wanna chit-chat there is a New England B.S. thread as well, plenty of people from the area!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-england-b-s-thread.204874/page-6947

 

Thanks, @BananaPeelOut ! I appreciate the invite and interest. I will link out to it if and when I work up the nerve to start one. I am certainly representing the shallow end of the skills pool when it comes to mechanical ability on this forum.

 

People don't care if you suck at it or not. Truth is it is usually mostly for yourself, to keep track of progress and the like. A lot of dudes drop serious coin or are ridiculous fabricators and have a bunch of people following their threads but that is not what it's about. Do what you want though, it's America!

 

Looks great, man! Check out all that shiny black! Overtime you can replace the other color parts as necessary. For now you could also take a wire brush and spray some rust inhibitor on the parts that you (hopefully) won’t be replacing. Drive shaft, gas tank, etc.. really everything for that matter. There is stuff that is designed to turn rust into this gray paintabe surface. Then you just gotta paint it. A lot of work but will pay dividends down the road.. Then get that thing fluid filmed before first salt! You’re fortunate to go through this during this time of year cause you have the longest possible time without the salt.

Looking forward to the build thread!

 

I hadn't thought about that, but it's a great point. Planning to have it treated this Fall, for sure. I didn't realize that you have the rusty bits painted and protected. That's worth some elbow grease, at least for the stuff I can reach. The shock mount on the passenger side rear axle is ghastly. May be looking to replace the entire axle, if that's a repair that is doable. Drive shaft looks ok, although the grade fitting at one joint was almost gone, which makes me nervous. But, I guess if it ain't broke, it will serve as a daily driver up and down 95 for a while!

 

Your coilovers and UCAs seem to have seen better days. FWIW If I was in your position, I'd consider picking up a TRD suspension package off Craigslist. I see them posted there all the time. People replace their essentially new suspension components with aftermarket and sell their stock TRD parts for next to nothing. Not sure where you are located, but here is an example of what im talking about: https://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/pts/d/toyota-tacoma-suspension-kit/6581258905.html

Installing yourself can be a fun project that will give you a better understanding of how everything works.

 

Thanks for the link. I'm set for springs on the rear, but yes the shocks all the way around are crispy with rust, and the UCA's were in really bad shape. Thanks for the link, and the idea of what to look for. Does the price on the one you forwarded look reasonable to you?

 

Woah man that's some serious rust. Congrats on the truck though and you saved that thing's life with the new frame... It definitely could have a long life ahead of it. If I were you I'd try to save my money and hold back on the fun stuff for now. Really look into some stock suspension parts, you can find them pretty cheap here on the forums. Not sure if you need them but I have my stock front/rear shocks and UCA's from putting in aftermarket ones for my lift, I was going to keep them if I ever needed them but if you want them PM me.

 

Thanks, motodude95 - PM sent. Very kind of you.

Good advice about putting the "get it working" mods first. I do have a couple fun items on the list, but nothing really big in that light. Right now, it's all about getting the source of the smell suss'd out, and cleaned up.

~Kirby

 

I second what both of those guys said.. plenty of “used” parts avail on this forum and Craigslist. Plus if you swap out your Rusty’s for some TRD OR Bilsteins it could be some good material for your new build thread.

As for the smell, you could have the truck detailed and they’ll remove the carpet and seats and clean em up. I had it done at the Ford dealship next to my house and it they did an AMAZING job on my old first gen for $150. I had previously tried to detail and thought I did a good job but these guys made it look almost brand new.. Just a thought. Would more than likely take care of your smell.

 

I think he may need to find the source. Also surprised a dealership actually detailed a car well.

 

I remember my father's late 80's and 90's S-10's always had vinyl floor liners in them. Made SO much sense when you're carrying guys around between muddy job sites. My mom would just grab a rag and a bucket and could just wash it right out. I'm thinking something similar may happen here...

Detailing isn't a bad idea, but I do think the source is at the bottom of the heating system. I need to get a borescope for the Guitar Repair business anyway, and I can easily cook up a vacuum hose that will reach down to the core. I'm still optimistic that I won't have to tear much of the dash off to at least find what else is causing it.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Bought a used Tacoma (2008) last year. The previous owner forwarded me a "frame-inspection" letter before the winter. Yesterday was a nice day here in MA. I stopped by a local dealer and was told my Tacoma failed the inspection and was not safe to drive. What?! Your post is very informative!

BTW, the loaner I got is a 2019 V6 w/ automatic transmission. However, I love my 2.7L manual shift Tocoma more although I only have it a few months. Hopefully, I'll have it back w/ everything functional. Still a little worried...a big surprise! The previous owner told me 2nd generation has nothing to do with the rusty frame issue when I bought it. This is my 1st Taco.

 

@snowshovel - best of luck during the process. Happy to answer questions as they come up. There's some work I wish I had gotten done while the truck was apart, but by and large I feel that the experience was really good, overall.

What's the transmission and engine on your 2008? I love my truck. So glad I kept it.