Keystone State Thread

Hey -
Anyone recommend a place to get an 04 painted in the Philadelphia / South Jersey area?
Clear coat on roof and hood coming off getting close to potential rust.
Thanks!

 

Nice! I got the new Toytec Aluma Series coilovers/rear shocks, SPC UCA's, OME leafs/shackles, and a couple other odds and ends. Still deciding if I should get new wheels or go back to the stockers. For tires I'm thinking 265/75/16.

Gotcha, also I'm going to take an inventory ahead of time and try to have all new bolts on hand

 

How much rust do you have up ins? That was a limiting factor that made me go with all stock. I kinda figured if I spent a bunch of money and lifted it and put heavier leafsprings in, etc... that I might waste the money when I tried to go off roading with it and broke the frame in half or something like that. I looked over your list here and ponder the following potential issues for knowing you have backup parts, bolts, etc. The UCA's there on your list, do they come with the UCA bolts? I think I cut one of my UCA bolts to get it out it was so bad. The TW used ones I bought for replacement came with the bolts so I had the spare after I cut the one. The lower bolt for the front coilover that attaches in through to the LCA... I think I just barely salvaged mine knowing it stripped a little but had enough thread to still do the job. Lots of heat and patience to get that one out. But you may want to consider lining up a spare bolt in case you need to cut that one. Upper balljoint on one side was so dang seized in there that no kind of heat treatment got it out without ending up bending my spindle. Be ready for that one. I heated it back up and went blacksmithy on that and just beat it back to a right angle again after getting that balljoint out. Jerry lent me a kit for pressing those ball joints in that worked better than a rental at Autozone. For the rear leaf and strut job... the I had a devil of a time getting off the leaf spring U bolts. I was saving them to just use again. I see you have 4 new ones in that kit, which is handy to just cut the old ones and be done with it. But that plate that they mount through... Mine was rusted A.F. and I spent a good bit of time knocking off rust to re-use it again after doing some rust converter and re-painting. I believe I had a bugger of a time getting the old rear struts off the lower studs they hook on to, and I may have had to cut one of the bolts from the upper mounting that goes through the frame?

Then the kick in the nuts was I went to get inspected after all that work, and failed for rust on the body. So I could have made my life much easier if I knew I'd fail on rust because I ended up taking the bed off to replace it anyway and I could have so much more easily did the rear suspension work if I knew I'd have needed to remove the bed.

 

The suspension components and rear axle have a good amount of rust. The frame is solid and still has the coating on it that Toyota applied back in 2010. No body rust.

Thanks for recounting your experience there. I'm sure I'm in for a fight so going to start soaking it down in PB blaster now while gathering all the parts. Definitely going to buy new leaf eye bolts, UCA bolts, shock bolts, sway bar end links, and whatever else looks like it might be seized.

 

I've got my Duro-Bumps, Ruff Stuff shock mounts, Wheeler's extended brake lines all en-route for my shock relocate at GMF on 07/11. @skatefreak282 is prepping my GMF rear shock hoops. Gonna be a good day!

 

All this time and I only just remembered that sig picture is Bernie from Weekend at Bernie's! What was the inspiration on that?

 

Lol yes it is! I just think Bernie is a really funny character, my wife and I love that movie for whatever reason and quote it all the time.

 

Oh yea... Kevin, did you get some new bump stops? I didn't see that on your list.

 

Is it the end of the world yet?

 

No but that’s another thing I should probably get

 

No, but I can tell you that Monday was two weeks long.

 

. Debating on whether to get a 2020 Tacoma or just keep the '07. Only have 90,000 miles on it and it is in great mechanical condition but the body has some dings and the interior is okay. One part of me says "keep what you have" and the other part says "sure would be nice having a nice new Tacoma". I will probably kick this around for a year or so then get a 2022. Decisions, decisions.... Have a good one.

 

Morning Pennsylvania

 

Just keep it and buy a new one.

Edit: You'll get hardly anything out of an 07 4banger anyway.

 

*essentially sitting in bunker*

This storm looks fun.

 

I can throw a rock from the roof and hit the substation. If we get a flicker we have bigger problems.

 

I was in the same situation, Ken. I loved the '04 and it only had 41k miles on it...but I needed the dual cab and knew that I'd be looking at whatever I had being my daily driver. I've already got the '96 Z3 in the garage for fun - just couldn't justify having another vehicle to care for.

Good mornin' fellow Pennsyltuckyvanians!!! No rain here...yet. Actually a really nice morning but I can feel the humidity building. Rain is on the way. Stay safe!!