New Tacoma owner! with a few questions.....

[offthebeatenpath]

So, I'm a recent convert from the land of Jeeps.....I had (still have) a 98 XJ mildly built.
And I'm really stoked about my new Tacoma! It's an 03 crew cab, 4x4, 3.4, TRD. I'm excited to have a bit more room than I had in my Cherokee, as much as I liked it.

So here's a few of my questions:
-The truck has a 3" Fabtech lift on it, though I think the front shocks have been replaced, possibly with a TRD shock? Does that sound right? Any thoughts/opinions/concerns with the Fabtech lift?
-What are some of the first mods I should be considering as I get started on this? I have done some reading on the deckplate mod, the gray wire mod, etc, but other input would be greatly appreciated.
-I really liked the option on my Jeep to have the front sway bar disconnects to allow the front axle the ability to move independant of the body. Since I'm new to this CV axle business, A) is this even something that needs to be considered on a Taco? B) who makes stuff like that and what retailers have a wide variety of aftermarket products for Toyotas?

It's a bit weird to be asking these questions, as I know all of the answers to them for Jeeps, but not for Toyotas..... Thanks in advance for your help guys, I'm excited to be here!:wings:

 

[toy_tek]

Congrats on your new Toyota.

I don't know anything about Fabtech, can't help you there. But, information about what you plan to do with your vehicle will help the forum help you with recommendations and suggestions.

As a 3.4 Toyota owner, I can tell you, however, don't bother with the deckplate mod. Do a search here for the thread that has to do with "mods you wouldn't do again" and it pretty much tops the list. I drank the cool aid once, and ended up just leaving the plate in 100% of the time. I ended up replacing the airbox afterward anyway. Grey wire seems to be a legitimate advantage though.

For the swaybar, unless you're a dedicated rock crawler, I'd recommend just leaving the swaybar connected as it is. Otherwise you will notice significantly increased body roll on the road. Any articulation gain with it disconnected in a rock garden is marginal, at best. Not worth the trade off (from experience).

For an "expedition" vehicle, the Toyota in its stock format is quite capable. A little tire clearance, some armor & sliders and you're good to go a LOT of places. Comfortably and reliably.

 

[Excelsior]

Now, I'm just a newb here, but I've read a lot, and if my assumption is correct that the 3" Fabtech is a drop bracket lift (You'll notice a lowered box holding the front suspension- lower than the frame) then you might run into some trouble. DB lifts reduce overall suspension travel, and from what I hear, are just unwelcome in general. The real problem is that they are pretty much permanent.

 

[Applejack]

As previously mentioned, leave your anti-roll bar connected unless you play a lot on the rocks. The rear locker is enough to compensate for the lack of articulation. If you must have them I think a company called Wabfab makes some disconnects.
Lets see some pics!!:elkgrin:

 

[offthebeatenpath]

I don't have the truck home yet, so I don't have any pics- but I'll definitely post them when she's in the driveway!

Yeah, I'm not looking to permanently disconnect the swaybar, but just temporarily, as situations deem worthy. What I had on my Jeep was a manual disconnect, but is only slightly more work than locking/unlocking hubs. However, it does make a significant difference on the quality of the ride off-road. I will say though, that may be limited to the suspension design of the Jeep, and I never drove with it disconnected over 20mph, above that it is downright scary! It's great because it allows the suspension to cycle underneath the truck without shifting the body of the truck. IE, if you roll through a hole in the road on the right-hand side, it doesn't pitch the truck to the right, if the swaybar is disconnected.

Again, since I don't have the truck here, and I'm not all that familiar with Toy trucks yet, I'm not sure what the possibilities of this are on the Toyota, but I'm curious.

 

[twblanset]

If you go to Tacomaterritory.com you can find a write up on how to make some swaybar disconnects out of some pretty simple hardware. I've ridden off road for a few days without it and it does make it more comfortable. But, like you said, I'd definitely leave it on for the pavement.
As far as getting more power out of the engine, there's really nothing to do short of bolting on a supercharger. The 3.4 is a really reliable, refined unit. It is very nice. I've done the deck plate mod and it provides a little power but nothing that noticeable.
The only real shortcoming of the Tacoma is the suspension. If your truck still has the stock rear springs, I'd highly recommend some new OME leafs. I replaced all springs and shocks on mine and I wish I had done it the day after I bought it.
You'll love the truck. They are as reliable as an old dog, and they'll take you most anywhere.

 

[Luminoz]

So here's a few of my questions:
-The truck has a 3" Fabtech lift on it, though I think the front shocks have been replaced, possibly with a TRD shock? Does that sound right? Any thoughts/opinions/concerns with the Fabtech lift?

IMO I would get that fabtech stuff off there rikki-tick and get some OME goodies on there. Buddy has fabtech setup on his taco; he goes through CV boots like you wouldn't believe, and his junk rides like a dumptruck.

-I really liked the option on my Jeep to have the front sway bar disconnects to allow the front axle the ability to move independant of the body. Since I'm new to this CV axle business, A) is this even something that needs to be considered on a Taco? B) who makes stuff like that and what retailers have a wide variety of aftermarket products for Toyotas?

I just carry a 17mm gearwrench and a 6mm allen key and a few zip-ties. Takes me 5 minutes to get my swaybar out of the way. Makes a huge difference too. Definitely worth taking the time to disconnect it. Try it out!

Welcome to Toyota!

 

[offthebeatenpath]

Well, I was told it had a 3" Fabtech lift on it....I'm not sure if I'm disappointed or glad that it doesn't
Turns out it has a cheapo 2" lift: spacers and an AAL. At least there's no drop brackets. But it does ride pretty rough. The AAL is like twice as thick as any of the other leafs, so I know it's not flexing much. On top of that, it appears that I don't even have the stock Bilsteins in the rear any longer. Bummer.

The drivers side inner CV boot is torn(recently), where can I get the boot to replace that before the whole shaft goes bad?

I wasn't too concerned about this stuff, as we got the truck for $3k under KBB! We did borrow a bit of money for the truck, so serious mods will have to wait a bit, but they are definately in the plans!

 

[mayhem]

IMO your far better off with the spacer and the AAL vs. the Fabtech lift. I have the first year of the same truck and have been through about every upgrade without doing a SAS. The 3.4 is great, avoid a bumper if you want to keep some MPG's...

I would agree with pretty much what everyone else says as far as the deckplate mod & other mods.

 

[RusM]

Swaybars - I have one truck with em, one truck without. Our modified truck has them removed and a nice aftermarket suspension. No problems on the road or trail, and we usually have it load up pretty good with the flippac and such. I prefer the performance of the missing swaybars, it's a cheap mod and you can put them back on if you don't care for the drive. I wouldn't buy disconnects for a tacoma, just pull em off.

In my opinion the best place for the swaybar on these trucks is in the garbage. The only difference I noticed after I took it off was a better ride, this is with new OME shocks/springs though.
First mod, either skid plates or rock sliders.

 

[CA-RJ]

Wabfab Offroad has swaybar disconnects for $140, but like 111db said, I don't think they're worth the money.