TORSPD: NEVR

OEM it is but I bet your weld holds better

 

Cataloging some Bimmer progress. Upgrading the cooling system fan and hoses. Got the controller mounted. Riv-nuts FTW!

HPS hoses, now on the Taco and Bimmer. The Dayco upper hose was loosing its ability to maintain form. It was ballooning up under pressure and looked like it was soon to pop. More plies in the HPS silicone than the Dayco hose, will prevent that.



The fan is meant to be on a thicker radiator, but also designed to with with OEM. That being said, we'll see how well it works with the gap.

Need to finish the wiring and top it off.

 

One last oil gasket to do on the car, and then time to focus on some turbo manifolds. Just keep getting delayed while trying to get this car up to consistently good.

 

@Coupe

 

@Torspd

 

Years ago, maybe 2008, I was carrying a heavy piece of equipment in the bed of the truck. Prior to the TSB (which I never had done BTW), and me getting the bed mat, that piece of equipment slid into the tailgate.

Scrolling through the forums, I was motivated to get in there and scope things out. You all may have already been in there, but I never had.

Dismally weak construction. Too thin a gauge of stamped steel. I am surprised how robust the plastic, or whatever material, is to have kept it all from further damage.

@Lucario Runner turned me on to this company, for a stronger tailgate panel. One look at the product, and it was ordered in a flash.

https://aloffroadusa.com/products/toyota-tacoma-trailgate-panel-2nd-3rd-gen

I am sure there are others who've had worse damage, but here is mine and the implemented fix.



Installed some stainless rivnuts, and used some scrap angle (from an old bed frame ) to suck it up flat. Worked perfectly.

Have not yet had the chance to clean up the crack and weld it yet, but it will be soon.

I have a good deal of that bed frame left over, so I am going to chop it up, and slide it under and weld them in. Really reinforce that sucker.

May even rivnut the holes for the tailgate panel. Stupid plastic clips.

 

I remember when i lowered ur tailgate and compared to mine it was like a leaf and a brick. Its like you got the lotus elise tailgate.

 

My tailgate is still bowed out the same way. I just said eff it, couple extra cubic inches
On my prior Taco I cut out a new panel from black diamond plate my dad had leftover. He did the whole front of his RV. Looked pretty good for a free mod but no cup holder points lol

 

Weight reduction, without the rigidity engineered in. They saved everywhere. Lol.

That was a good idea! I admit though, the cup holders sold me. Definitely some functionality points and perfect for tailgating. Been doing a lot of bike riding lately. After each ride, I would think, "some cup holders would be nice." Boom!

 

I also got the top lip replaced with steel. Not a weight savings mod.

https://mobtownoffroad.com/product/2005-2015-toyota-tacoma-tailgate-reinforcement-cap/

 

That's pretty dang nice! I have a spoiler to bolt on, which is metal. Needed the tailgate to be flat though. Should give the same structural reinforcement as that piece. Had that sucker for years. It is a subtle spoiler.

Not a F&F whale wing.

 

In today's episode of Torspd Nevr, we'll talk about the tailgate, and reviving a red booger.

A MIG welded at this point is a must. The arch popping ( I am sure a professional welder knows the proper term) destroys my tungsten and diffusers. Very very frustrating. Any tips for TIG welding these body panels is welcomed.

Had this old bed frame about to go to the scrap yard, but found a way to give it some new life.


If the OEM steel gets too hot, from my observations, then it looks like it pops, and shoots straight to the electrode, and diffuser/cup. A very delicate and lengthy procedure to try to add filler to the base metal, until enough is there to be able to add the base sheet metal to the new metal.





Need to add in the middle angle to the two outer pieces welded in. To finish the bottom at least.



Here is splatter in your eye....

 

The Red Booger. The story of its revival....That truck has sat for years. 3k buy, almost 17 years ago. Like any good booger, it has glued itself to its owner. He loves it. Now is his right time to get it running well enough for day to day activities.

We have an evolving list of upgrades to do to bring it back to lasting road worthiness.

 

Didn't have to dig in too far, to find the root cause of why his A/C only blew hot...had a minor leak.


The cataracts old.

Headlights were the top priority. Even in the darkest pitch of night, it was like having two dim candles for headlights.
The new freshy fresh.

 

Driver interior door handle , you had to pull the rod to open the door. The plastic had deteriorated. Replaced those. Not worth of pics.

The shifter however, had failed on him some years ago. The story was the the shaft snapped on him one day while driving. He pulled it and an associate MIG'd it back together to get it running. By this point, that was now a Swiss gear shifter. Always neutral....

Mind you, a pound of more dirt that grease was removed from the shifter. Leaving this comparison of the bushings. The white plastic bushing on the ball, was closer to a white ring.

All that is left for now, are a fuel filter and fuel pump.

 

As for the Bimmer, still chasing an idle, low oil pressure issue. Tried a couple things on that yesterday, prior to working on the Booger.

New parts are to be on order soon. Some will be arriving soon. Then truck and 2TR header time.

 

Use a cup wire wheel on an angle grinder to clean the paint off the steel, but be careful to not take too much material away. You're not really gonna get a good tig weld with that much paint there. The steel should weld fine but cleanliness is a big deal for tig. We all get lazy and underestimate that here and there it happens, i'm guilty myself. Also maybe a standard collet and ceramic cup without the little mesh bit but it will still get messy. The part with the mesh on the gas lens can be purchased on their own and it's only a few dollars (5 ish) i usually just keep a handful of those around and a couple dirty #8 cups (smaller= cheaper) for welding messy stuff. Sometimes you can also make a quick pass without enough heat to make a puddle but enough to melt the paint, hit it with a wire brush to get the shmuts off then make your weld pass

 

Thank you @not_nick . I know it seems like I had a ton of paint on there and didn't clean it off thoroughly. I actually sprayed on some weldable paint, doing as you said, grinding and using a wire wheel. I removed around a 1/2" away from the weld sight.

I tried the heat on the metal. Kind of how you described. Except that after doing so, I went straight to adding filler. I may this time, hit it again with a wire wheel after heating, just to see if any more can be removed. It may actually help. That may be where my mistake is.

Also, I ordered some silicone bronze filler. To try to braze it.

 

Ah okay, hard to tell looked painted in the photos. Those welds still looked good anyways. Tig sib is wild learning to use it first time !

 

Thanks mate!

"Tig sib" I take it that is an acronym for silicon bronze, yes? I have rarely used it. Only once for some art. I was recently watching a Banks Power episode on YouTube, and they were at an offroad performance shop. The owner said he preferred using that filler when attaching components to the body, when TIG welding. In the construction of their Trophy Truck builds.

That got me thinking to give it a try. I can post up that video if your interested?