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Tacoma BS Thread

151K views 834 replies 56 participants last post by  hotajax 
#1 ·
Starting a BS thread for us 2nd Gen guys and gals...in case you didn't figure it out from the thread title.:D

I'll sticky this soon but want to give you a chance to see it before moving it up there.

I know Dark Taco was going to change his oil today, anyone do anything interesting?
 
#513 ·
Yeah, that front plate is pretty heavy. I dented it once when I hit an underwater rock dropping into a creek...the creek I'll be crossing tomorrow actually.
 
#514 ·
Finally replaced the lift struts on the A.R.E. hard tonneau today. They have been weak for the past few years (nearly 10 years old now), but are a bit hard to find and I've been putting it off. Recently found them on Amazon, and at a better price than I had seen them before. Quick easy job and works a lot better now!
 
#516 ·
Video quality of the cube isn't great, but this is the environment I love (same reason I live in the mountains).

First three videos might be boring. Purpose was for showing the local NorCal guys the trail and lake. Fourth one shows height above the valley where we started. Fifth one shows what happens when I forget the cube is on the roof. :facepalm:

Going up the hill.


Coming into the lake


Going back down


Purpose of this one shows the view up top and the switch backs (difficult for a DCLB) without backing up.


And this is what happens when you forget your cube is on the roof. (Cube has a strong magnet)
 
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#517 ·
Finally got my new free headlights thanks to the TSB on them. Both of my lenses were bubbled and cracked. The rest of the light looked great though. Still happy to have brand new headlights on an 07. Definitely make the truck look a tad bit nicer.
Of course on the way home my front drivers side mud flap broke and was slapping up against the front part of my door on the freeway so it left a bunch of scuff marks. Glad they wiped off easy. Weathertech Mud Flaps have been ordered though. The review on them seem to be pretty positive.

 
#518 ·
Finally couldn't stand seeing the Tacoma so dirty (it hasn't been washed in a long time because of the ongoing drought). Yesterday I gave it a sponge bath, sort of. A couple quarts or so in Mrs. Splicer's finest Tupperware, a pinch of baking soda, and a soft microfiber cloth. Cleaned up pretty nicely, at least it looks worlds better than before. Now if I could just eradicate that black widow that took up residency near the left rear wheelwell grrrrrr.....
 
#519 ·
Those spiders do seem to like the area behind the rear wheel up in the fender, don't they. :lol:

I washed mine once back in June. It's quite dirty after all the off-roading I'be been doing. I have mud clots hanging from the fenders. Since I plan to hit the dirty roads again this weekend, no point in wasting the water on it.
 
#520 ·
It had been about 3 yrs since I did anything beyond a wash on my 05. Claybar, polish, and wax...almost 10 hours later(sore arms too) it looks and feels nice.
I am thankful we do not have the drought issues here in cornfield county, and not just from a standpoint of not being able to wash the car. I hope that pain is eased and not flooded away.
 
#521 ·
The truck has been geting a bit more TLC than usual these days. I finally put my Moto Metals back on after taking them off for the winter. Truck had a horrible shake afterward. Got me thinking the MM are lug centric not hub centric and the truck always seems like the tires need to be balanced when they are on. Did a little bit of reading and ordered some hub centric adapter rings to make the MM's hub centric. Put them on this morning and the truck is as smooth as it is with the OEM wheels. The shake is gone! I am definitely a believer in hub centric adapter rings now!
 
#524 ·
Dan glad to see you figured out the shaky-shakes. This has been a hot topic for years. Despite the fact that Toy says their wheels are hubcentric there are still those who insist on them being lugcentric. I simply cannot use LC wheels on mine as it shakes like a washer out of balance. My truck is so sensitive that I have to use HC wheels + the Haweka adapter to get it so it does not shimmy. Its a real pain but works.
 
#526 ·
Absolutely! I have them -- unfortunately they have rarely seen snow -- and they are an excellent highway tire. Of course, there are also other great highway-only tires that lack any off-pavement capabilities. Depending on your circumstances, more comparison shopping might be in order.
 
#527 ·
Yeah, I threw them out there based on your criteria of a little "more aggressive" tread. I'll say right now that if you like the tread pattern for that desire, you'll like the tires. It's really one of the best, if not the best, tire out there.

When these Duratracs wear out, I'll be considering switching back to them. The highway noise of these are just so loud and have to get them balanced more often. I think I had the michelins balanced twice over their life. In less than 6 months, I'm at that now with the Duratracs.
 
#528 ·
I was getting bored with the look of the truck, and the chrome...so I plasti-dipped my emblems a few days ago. I need to take some pics. For my first attempt I think they turned out ok. I have to peel and re-dip one on the tailgate. When I was peeling the overspray, it peeled a bit into the letter.

I plan to plasti-dip my rims in the near future. They are looking pretty sad and the chrome is beginning to fail...more to come...stay tuned!
 
#535 ·
Changed oil yesterday after a long drive on the mountain back roads (in last year's King Fire area). Got home and popped the hood to begin and smelled the coolant again. Any time the engine gets really warm, I smell it. Thorough inspection still reveals no leaks or evidence of any leaks whatsoever. Fluid level is still at full. This really stumps me. It must just be the smell coming out the overflow bottle since those aren't really sealed. Been smelling it for a good 10 years, so it must be normal.

On another note, I see my steering rack's boots on both sides are wet on the bottom from a leaking rack.
 
#536 ·
Sounds like you are going to angle the wifey for new wheels:lol:

Perhaps the coolant is leaking from a place that is not readily visible. A dreaded leak at the heater core has always haunted me as it is a bear to get to. You can see the inlet area of the heater core if you look underneath on the driver's side and use some small mirrors. Follow where the tubes come through the firewall.

The leaking rack is troubling. It might be possible to get to the seals on both sides without removing the rack. But not 100% sure on that. I've had great success with leaks using the White Shepard stuff (old name, not sure of new). Had substantial leaks on my old Subaru at the seals coming out of the transaxle. It completely stopped both leaks but it took about a week IIRC. I'll see if I have any of the hydraulic flavor still around; if so PM me and I will get you some to try.
 
#537 ·
If the coolant is leaking, it would be amazingly small because the reserve never gets low. Well, it does get to the Min mark after about 6 years which is probably due to normal evaporation. No evidence of leaks, no loss of fluid, must just be the smell coming out of the bottle when it gets hot.

Yeah, I saw one of the guys on TW or elsewhere had tried some stuff to slow the leak that helped a little bit. I just checked the PS fluid and it's still above the Min. I think I filled it to Max back in Jan 2011. Could have been leaking for a good year for all I know. It's not something you notice when changing the oil. I just happened to have my wheels cranked all the way when parked offroad yesterday and glanced under to inspect when I saw it. Both boots have that damp look to them which is weird that both sides would start leaking at the same time. :dunno: But I figure I'll wait a bit longer. Maybe next summer. Such a small leak now that I'm going to hold off on it and monitor my PS fluid level.
 
#538 ·
Went out to lunch with our prior manager who is retiring in December but is has been on vacation since April 1. As I'm walking up to the front of the restaurant with a couple coworkers, I see a 2016 blue DCSB TRD Sport parked out front. I pointed it out to them. Go inside, have lunch, head outside and chat a bit with my former manager. As we part ways, he heads toward the Tacoma and I see the lights flash when he unlocks it. :lol: Funny that it turned out to be his.
 
#540 ·
Wow, TW really has gone in the toilet. Had a friend say the same to me recently. He's probably reading this since he's a lurker and was going to start following TN. :hi:

Anyway, it seems that every thread now goes off topic with pages and pages of BS that it makes it futile to try and find the status or resolution. What a waste of what used to be a good resource!
 
#543 ·
I haven't seen any moderating going on. TW has always played it loose and fast with no limits on the foul language. Seems like it's coming back to bite them in the butt.
 
#546 ·
IIRC, I did five coats. I had to peel my first attempt because I got impatient and put it on way too thick and ended up with narly run marks. Multiple thin coats is ideal. It took until my third coat before it was thick enough to not let some of the chrome show through.

I pretty much used a whole can in the process on my second attempt and finished product.
 
#547 · (Edited)
Picked up a new addition for the garage yesterday to make working on the truck easier...

Picked it up used off the local classifieds. Guy was getting a divorce and needed the money. He said it only has about 5 hrs of rum time on it.

Now I need to pull a 240 v line to the garage to power it and I'll be cooking with gas.

 

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#552 ·
Changes out my tires this morning. Took off the Motometals with worn out BFG AT KO's and threw on my stock TRD Alloys with a pretty much brand new set of BFG AT KO's as we are expecting our first measurable snow fall this afternoon and evening. Compressor didn't run at all after the initial fill while completing the job. The thing is a beast! I am a happy camper! :banana: Took me about a half hour to swap all four tires. I don't know why I waited so long to get an impact...turned a job I dread into rather enjoyable garage time! :D
 
#549 ·
I read alot about the HF compressors. They actually get pretty good reviews. I picked up a HF 1/2" Earthquake impact a couple weeks ago to try to use with my 6 gal pancake compressor, and then stumbled across the monster. They are supposed to be beasts for the money.

I am sure the compressor is more than I will ever need, but I figure no one ever complains about having too much air...:lol:
 
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