Hi all, I'm new to the forum but I have been lurking for a while and I must say, their are some nice trucks here. My favorite part of this forum is seeing peoples innovations and creative ways to get where they want to go. I have had several 2nd gen Nissan Pathfinders in the past that I slept/traveled/lite four wheeled in, but I wouldn't call them a "build." I finally got my first truck and I am excited for it. I was looking for a truck, preferably a toyota, in my meager price range that would be reliable. I found this 2001 Tundra 2wd SR5 in great shape with 98,000 miles on it for a song. I still can't believe the price I paid. Half the cost of any other comparable Tundras on Craigslist. Here is the plan:
A. It is a daily driver (so no crazy mods)
B. Other than DD, it will haul mountain bikes (2-3 times a week in CO mountains)
C. House projects/general truck stuff. I believe a truck is a tool, I want it to be usable, so no bobbed bed or spare tire bed mount.
D. Camping, duh. A fair amount of camping hopefully and mostly involving mountain bikes
E. I'd rather not add mods that I'm not going to get good use out of (shouldn't this just be a good rule in general)
F. I plan on driving this truck well over 200k
Here it is when I brought it home: (why is this crooked here and not on my computer?)
The paint was faded on the roof, so I plasti-dipped it black. Turned out great! That was about 6 months ago and it has been super durable through the winter and is not noticeable. Couldn't have asked for any better considering it cost me $15. I also redid the sound system (no pics sorry) Pulled out the old deck, XM radio reciever, amp, and subwoofer and installed a new 12" sub with custom box under the rear seat, new 300 watt amp, and new JVC head unit. Sounds awesome. I also got a Dakine truck pad that hold 7 bikes on the tailgate.
On the outside I decided I wanted the truck level, with the ability to run some bigger tires. I didn't want the standard 3/1 leveling kit though. I measured the back height vs the front and found the stock back height to be 2.5 inches higher than the front. Easy fix, I installed 2.5" lift spacers on the front, got an alignment, and voila! Problem is, the 2.5 inch spacer lifted the front 3" and pushed the back down 1.5 inches. doh! I have an AAL going in in the very near future to help correct this. While doing the lift I also got crazy with some more plasti-dip to see what the stock wheels would look like black. I will be doing this permanently (not with plasti dip) in the future as I like it a lot.
Before lift: (The picture flip doesn't make any sense)
After lift (but before springs had settled and before finishing the wheels):
All done:
In the immediate future (this week), I be lacing up a set of 265/75/16s. Again, mostly for DD with practicality in mind, but with the occasional need for extra traction. I haven't decided between the Cooper Discoverer AT3's and the Hankook Dynapro ATM. Probably will depend on which one I can find for a better price. Thoughts? I also have a set of Energy Suspension Rack and Pinion Bushings on the way. Timing belt service also will be done ASAP.
Future plans include:
Half bed rack (so I can still carry bikes over the tailgate and haul camping gear)
Custom front bumper guard (summer welding project)
Spray-in bedliner (needs to be redone)
Possible an air compressor of some kind.
A bit more in-cab organization. (any good ideas?)
Bilstein 5100s (down the road a ways)
Maybe new UCAs? (I feel like I will probably want these to run the truck as long as I want, but man are they expensive for a little horse shoe thing)
A. It is a daily driver (so no crazy mods)
B. Other than DD, it will haul mountain bikes (2-3 times a week in CO mountains)
C. House projects/general truck stuff. I believe a truck is a tool, I want it to be usable, so no bobbed bed or spare tire bed mount.
D. Camping, duh. A fair amount of camping hopefully and mostly involving mountain bikes
E. I'd rather not add mods that I'm not going to get good use out of (shouldn't this just be a good rule in general)
F. I plan on driving this truck well over 200k
Here it is when I brought it home: (why is this crooked here and not on my computer?)
The paint was faded on the roof, so I plasti-dipped it black. Turned out great! That was about 6 months ago and it has been super durable through the winter and is not noticeable. Couldn't have asked for any better considering it cost me $15. I also redid the sound system (no pics sorry) Pulled out the old deck, XM radio reciever, amp, and subwoofer and installed a new 12" sub with custom box under the rear seat, new 300 watt amp, and new JVC head unit. Sounds awesome. I also got a Dakine truck pad that hold 7 bikes on the tailgate.
On the outside I decided I wanted the truck level, with the ability to run some bigger tires. I didn't want the standard 3/1 leveling kit though. I measured the back height vs the front and found the stock back height to be 2.5 inches higher than the front. Easy fix, I installed 2.5" lift spacers on the front, got an alignment, and voila! Problem is, the 2.5 inch spacer lifted the front 3" and pushed the back down 1.5 inches. doh! I have an AAL going in in the very near future to help correct this. While doing the lift I also got crazy with some more plasti-dip to see what the stock wheels would look like black. I will be doing this permanently (not with plasti dip) in the future as I like it a lot.
Before lift: (The picture flip doesn't make any sense)
After lift (but before springs had settled and before finishing the wheels):
All done:
In the immediate future (this week), I be lacing up a set of 265/75/16s. Again, mostly for DD with practicality in mind, but with the occasional need for extra traction. I haven't decided between the Cooper Discoverer AT3's and the Hankook Dynapro ATM. Probably will depend on which one I can find for a better price. Thoughts? I also have a set of Energy Suspension Rack and Pinion Bushings on the way. Timing belt service also will be done ASAP.
Future plans include:
Half bed rack (so I can still carry bikes over the tailgate and haul camping gear)
Custom front bumper guard (summer welding project)
Spray-in bedliner (needs to be redone)
Possible an air compressor of some kind.
A bit more in-cab organization. (any good ideas?)
Bilstein 5100s (down the road a ways)
Maybe new UCAs? (I feel like I will probably want these to run the truck as long as I want, but man are they expensive for a little horse shoe thing)
