"The Hammer" 1996 2wd extended cab build

About two months ago I found a guy selling a 2wd extended cab Tacoma. It was in rough shape, needed an alternator and likely other things based on the condition it was in. But it ran and drove! I ended up not buying it then because I was about go out west for a couple of months and just didn't need to spend the money on a project car right then. But, I got back a few weeks ago, got back in touch with the guy selling the truck and he still had it! I have just started working for myself as a carpenter/handyman, and my Subaru just isn't going to cut it anymore.

The owner was a really cool guy and a painter. The truck had been his work vehicle for years, but now he has a van that is a better vehicle for him. He actually had driven the Tacoma since he was 16, (and he is now 38!) Before that it was his brothers. Obviously it needs ALOT of work, but he definitely could have sold it for more to someone else. I think he was just excited to sell it to someone that could actually use it, and not someone that was going to take advantage of the low price and flip it.

I went and checked it out and we agreed on a price, but right before we went to go do the title transfer we noticed that gas was leaking out around tank as it was running. It was already a great deal and less than you expect any running car to cost in this market, but he told me he would knock off a couple hundred bucks if I still wanted it. We agreed on it and went to go do the title transfer. As we were leaving the bank the previous owner told me he used to call it "The Hammer." And so the name remains.

The week after I organized a tow to get it to my mechanics shop to get the gas leak fixed. I ended up getting the alternator done as well; I could have done it myself but I really wanted to turn the key and drive it home from the mechanics shop without worrying about the car dying on the way home.



I went and picked it up a couple days later. Alternator and fuel tank vent line replaced and it was ready to drive home. My mechanic informed me of a couple of things needing to be replaced. Most urgently, there were several missing or damaged wheel studs; one of the front wheels only had 3 out of 5 wheel studs usable. He also told me that the rear brake lines looked like they were going to be gone soon. So it will probably be back at his shop soon to have the brake system overhauled.

I drove it home, taking the long way home to avoid the main roads and police officers, as the tags are very expired. The check engine light came on and honestly it drove horribly. It didn't seem to have much power and I had to really floor it to get it to jump into the next gear and accelerate. When I got home I checked it with a code reader and I got the P0325 code, and found that was why it felt so terrible to drive.

The next day I began to take stock of what needs to be done, and shit it's going to be alot of work! This thing has been used and abused for many years and lots of overdo maintenance needs to be done. Here are a few pictures so you can get an idea about it.







So far I have this on my list to do, but I'm sure it will grow

- New ignition lock cylinder (you have to jiggle the key for a minute or more to get it to start right now)
- New door lock cylinders (Current key doesn't work in door locks)
- Knock sensor replacement
- New carpet or vinyl floor (seems like there is a leak in the cab or the windows were left open in the rain for a while. moldy, dirty, and a very bad smell)
- New seats or may try and clean them and put covers on them
- Replace broken wheel studs
- New tires (tires are almost bald right now)
- Fix tailgate handle
- Brake overhaul
- Mount jobsite box in the bed

This truck has always been and will continue to be a work truck so I won't be making it perfect, but I've been dreaming of a project car for a while so I will definitely be doing some fun stuff to it. I'm really excited to have truck that is essentially a shovel with wheels. It's simple, covered in dried paint splatters, and has some body damage. I've always wanted to have a vehicle I don't have to care about if someone backs into me or I drop a piece of lumber on it. So far I've always had somewhat nice cars, and I feel like I have to care when they get damaged because I spent so much money on them! But with this Tacoma I don't have to worry about that.

That's all for now! New door and ignition cylinder arriving this week, and I'm going to be deep cleaning the interior and taking care of the knock sensor soon too. Thanks for reading

 

Got home today and saw my ignition lock cylinder had arrived in the mail! Which is a good thing, because I took this thing to get inspected and tagged on Monday and when I tried to start it up to drive home I could not get the key to turn. Took at least 5 minutes of sitting there jiggling it back and forth, but then I finally got it.

So anyways I got home and wanted to throw this in before it got completely dark. I had watched a video on it last week, and it's one of those rare times where it really is as easy at it looks. Got the new one in in about 10 minutes and it fires up perfectly. May replace some wheel studs this weekend