Old but new to me, need suggestions on lifts, paint, ect..

My Dad recently purchased a new Tacoma so he finally passed down his old one to me. Great ride, needs a few thing. Paint for starters, clear coat is pretty much gone at this point. Definitely going to need new shocks soon but for now they are holding up. I wanna do a lift but nothing to crazy, I'll be using this truck as a daily and for my detail biz.. And suggestions would be really appreciated

 

First off Welcome to TW! Nice Taco. would love to hear some more details on it! I know people to start like the 5100s and doing the coils as well!

 

Nice, you got the manual hubs already on it. I'd worry about paint last, but that's just me. How is it running and how's the maintenance been on it?

 

Thanks!! This place is dope! It's got some miles on it but the engine is great. The cooling system was completely redone about 2 years ago, but that's it everything else is factory. The a/c is still kicking but I think I have a leak in one of the lines, should be an easy fix. Radio works but my dad broke the volume button then tried to glue it back so I can't turn it all the way to 0 lol but'll but a new one is soon. 4X4 works great, no rust on the frame at all..small dent on the passenger side but other than that its in pretty good shape!

 

Yeah the paint I'll do last..got a few different ideas right now, thought about wrapping it but we'll see what happens. Maintenance has been good my dad did a good job of keeping up on the road. Had a system cooling issue but replaced everything, radiator, water pump hoses and thermostat. Runs like clockwork but I need to do a tuneup on, new sparks and wires, air filter that kinda stuff. I do have a small oil leak but a new gasket will solve that

 

I would leave it at the stock height if you want a daily for your business. Having a lifted truck is awesome, but not really practical especially if you will be lifting equipment into the back regularly. The ride will also be way smoother and it will put less strain on everything which in turn means less cost to maintain! Not to mention your fuel economy will remain better closer to stock.

As far as paint, well, clear coat is a tricky thing to repair. You can do the good ol' home garage fixes with factory matching spray paint but you'll never get it looking how you want. And that paint never lasts as long as you think it should. If you want nice paint you're better off taking it into a paint shop and getting it completely resprayed, though this will be expensive. If you are dead set on doing it yourself then it is possible. I have painted a few cars in my driveway though I wouldn't recommend it. The most important step is the prep work. The longer you sand and prep the nicer your paint will look. It cost me about $300 and took around 2 months to do my last car and the paint has held up pretty good even considering I used Rustoleum.

Congrats on the new truck! These really are amazing machines.

 

Hey man. Did you consider dipping it? https://www.dipyourcar.com/ I know no one personally that has done that, but all the stuff I see makes it look easy (although who knows). I would consider it for my truck if it were as easy as they say. If there are any opinions on here re: dipping your truck I'd be interested.

Shine ON!
Pete.

 

How many miles do you have on it? By 250k I'd highly recommend replacing the front suspension as all the ball joints tend to wear out.

 

Almost any type of refinish you do will require the same prep to come out the best. For sure paint or wrap. Either one of those done first class will cost about as much as the truck is worth.

For something a bit unique, try Monstaliner in white. Since the truck came white, the jambs/under hood and all that will be just fine. And you can take your time an do one panel at a time, no spray equipment required. Inside the bed gets the same product, just in black or dark gray.

You get a durable finish, easy to clean.

www.monstaliner.com

 

If you just want a small lift, I’d say good suspension setup with some lift would be Bilstein 5100s all around. It’ll level out your truck and they perform great on road and on light trails. If you want more than a little lift then it’d be smart to invest in aftermarket upper control arms, adjustable height coilovers, and either add-a-leaf for the rear suspension or a new leaf spring pack (Dakars or for something that performs better off road, Deavers).

Just don’t cheap out on lifts involving spacers. They work but can cause more harm than good in some cases.

Just my 2 cents

 

That's where you goof'd. Spacers aren't for off-roading theyre meant for looks and thats about it.

 

I believe it, thats why I never recommend anyone use spacers let alone if they're going to be going off-road. Gotta spend some to get some

 

Lots of people install 5100s with no issues at all. Others can't stand them from day one. When I first got mine I wasn't too crazy about them. Pretty stiff. They will break in a bit, but there are a lot of people who swear by OME Nitrochargers with a passion! Depends on what you're willing to spend. You could just keep the stock height buy some 4600s and call it good.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld! Usually when I put out the welcome mat to TW I also tell 'em to hide their wallet! It can get spendy here really quick!! Hahaha!!

 

For straight up ride quality you'd recommend the 4600s?

 

Cool, appreciate it. I think there's some others that say it from experience too, so it's always good reconfirming or hearing more experiences

 

They were original stock shocks on mine (OEM). They were fine.

 

I'm running 5100s right now. I feel EVERY bump on the road.

 

That's exactly what I do not want. Thank you for being honest

 

What psi you run in the tires? Are you poly bushings?