Tiffany the Taco

Hey, I think I saw that you installed the Tundra brake upgrade on your truck. I think we have the same wheels too. Did you have any issues with them fitting with the wheels? Did you notice a big difference after installing them and would you recommend installing them?

 

The only issues I had with the wheels was the tire shop stacking the stick on weights too high. Since the caliper clearance is so small, the weights got knocked off by the caliper.

There was definitely a noticeable difference with the Tundra brakes, definitely worth it.

 

So basically if the weights aren't double stacked I should be good clearance wise?

 

Yep you should be fine. I think they may have triple stacked mine.

 

Thanks and good to know!

 

Since moving to philly I've had to park my truck on the street, and over time I've gotten used to it. Then this happens...


According to the home owner where I parked, a guy on a bike rode up, yanked on the rear latch, broke the lock, and stole my ratchet straps out of the back. Then the next night, someone smashed the side window and stole the toolbox that was at the front of the bed (even though the back was unlocked at that point). The home owner actually saw the bike guy, not the window smashing.

When I moved to Philly I had to get new insurance and decided to get $0 comprehensive coverage in case something like this happened. I was informed by geico that the side window is not serviceable, so they are going to replace the entire topper. This is kind of ridiculous, but I'll go with it since I don't have to pay anything.

The other crazy thing is that between the time that I reported this incident to the police and actually taking the truck to a repair shop, someone reported my truck as "abandoned". Philly police will tow it within 5 days of being reported if it has a broken window. Therefore, I cannot park on the street until it has a new window. Even though it's a bed cover, and you can get open bed covers. There's basically an APB out for my truck, so if the cops come across it, they will tow it.


On the positive side of things, this means I get a brand new topper for free. I'm going to see if they will let me choose the options when ordering it.

 

Well, after a month Geico determined that they could not replace the window. They told me that every shop they called refused to do it. They are giving me the cost of a new topper plus 25%. They were actually afraid that it was going to total the truck. I'm still kind of in shock that they gave me so much money.

So now I have it back and I'm going to replace the window with some tinted polycarbonate for ~$50.

 

Started working on replacing the broken window with polycarbonate. I was able to first make a cardboard template, then transfer that to masonite. I did a test fit with the masonite just to make sure I would be able to get it in and out without problems. The only way to do that is to remove the entire window frame and then unscrew the vertical support at the back for front section of glass.

I wasn't able to locate any rubber/vinyl glazing that matched the stop stuff, so I'm just going to use RTV silicone. Hopefully I don't mess it up when installing.

 

Finally replaced the topper window with some 1/8" tinted polycarbonate.
I also replaced the bulb seals on the rear door at the same time.

 

Killer build, sir. Definitely going to study and implement some of your modifications.

 

Philly sounds like fun.

 

Finally found some non-power 4Runner Tan Leather seats on craigslist and installed them today. The only bad part is on the driver seat side bolster. It is cracking from age. I might try to repair it, but we'll see.
Like most people before me, they discovered that 3 of the 4 bolt holes line up. The outside rear holes are almost exactly 1.5" diagonally forward at 45 degrees. I plan to make some brackets at work tomorrow so I don't have to drill new holes in the floor.
The outside front mount is at a 45 degree angle, but I just beat it with a mini-sledge to get it where it needed to be.

All of the photos of 4Runner seats that I have seen online have the center stitching running vertically, not horizontally like these. I am wondering if these were recovered at some point.

 

Scored a 4WD AT shift console with the extra cup holder for pretty cheap. I decided to design and print a cup holder insert to go where the 4WD shifter would go. I plan on converting my truck to 4WD sometime in the future, but for now I have 4 cup holders!

 

Installed a Prinsu toprac that I got from truckbrigade.com. Took about 1 week to arrive and it was a super easy install. I will probably adjust the positioning of it in the future, but it will work for now. I need to move one of my sculptures from my office back home before I move to TX, so I just needed to get it up there.

I decided to go with the longbed version even though the top part of the ARE MX is only ~55". I'll most likely push it back about 3-5" in the future.
My long term goal is to make my own version for the cab that will line up with the toprac. It will have much taller sides and be kind of like a basket.

 

Truck's looking nice!

You're moving again? Are you looking forward to a warmer winter this year?

 

Haha yea, I’m skipping the northeast winter! Moving to San Marcos, TX for a new job.

 

Sweet man! That's a cool area. Not too far from both Austin and San Antonio

 

Yea I'm excited to have outside space, living in Philly in a row house is really limiting. Plus I've had to park my truck on the street for 2 years.

 

Yeah that would suck parking such a nice truck in the street. I've had a garage for the last 15 years so I would struggle big time with that. I get sad just parking in the driveway overnight once in a while when I have a project going on in the garage.

 

Just completed a 1750 mile move from Philadelphia to San Marcos, TX. I towed a completely loaded 5x8 U-Haul cargo trailer. We did Philly to Nashville, Nashville to Dallas, and Dallas to San Marcos. It was a long drive, but the truck did fine other than blowing out an EGR gasket in the middle of the trip. I kept my eye on my transmission temp and made sure to leave plenty of room for stopping.