OME (Old Man Edition) '03 Tundra build

[TachedOutOffRoad]

Long, long time Toyota guy building my first Tundra.

Thanks to Seanpistol, Rickashay, and the other excellent threads on here for inspiration!


Bought a truck that I've wanted for YEARS! Been looking forever and found the perfect one the day it was posted and bought it the next morning.
Well see if I actually like it when it gets shipped...

2003
Tundra
3.4L V6
5 speed manual
4x4
1 owner
160k
white with old man edition camper shell

EXACTLY what I have been looking for. Know its not what everyone wants, but I love love driving a manual more than I love two more cylinders. My DD is a 2.7L 4Runenr with a manual.


Also picked up a little TRD super charger to help with the fact that its missing two cylinders :wings: my first SC.

The back story on this motor:
-I went on Peterson's 4WD Ultimate Adventure as the "Toyota guy" in 2007 and meet the folks at Slee Offroad
-two years later, Joe there makes a wiring harness for my 3RZ buggy
-two years later, my buddy calls to get a harness made and ends up just buying this whole SC engine with a harness and tranny attached from Joe
-he sells it never having run it
-that guy sells it to his brother in law
-he posts if for sale the same day I buy the tundra, and I "have" buy it

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

plan:
-baseline repairs/ maintenance
-install SC
-small lift (5100s?)
-tub firewall for 315/75r16s
-winch and basic armor
-chop bed sides
-SAS in the fall with a 9.5" land cruiser diff and FJ80 outers in a custom housing




some old rigs for fun

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

these are NOT my trucks! want I'm looking to do though :drool:

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

Keeping these LX450 wheels and new 315"s off of the FJ60 I just sold to fund the OME build. Some of my favorite wheels. I have a set of 17" split spokes off of an old Sequoia as well, but may keep them around for 35-38's after SAS. Free to dream.

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

Bad news: the image uploader on this forum is terrible!

Great news: real time shipping just confirmed and it will be picked up tomorrow early and hopefully delivered before noon Friday before I go out of town! WOOHOO!!

 

[HighPlains]

Nice! Im looking forward to watching this take shape! I miss my Tundra every day.

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

Thanks! I super excited.

I'm about to go out of town for 5 weeks and wont get to play much, but hope to have SOME time to play with it a little and order the right parts parts.

Not looking for a hardcorps rock crawler anymore, just want to go as deep into the woods as I want and not worry about it. My 60s were super cool, but old and could never pull a real trailer. My 80s were cool, but I hate an automatic and they couldn't tow either. Both got 10-11 mpgs with too small of tanks. Tundra may only get 14, but it has a 24? gallon tank. I'll ride it IFS for a while and have fun while I scrounge up SAS parts. My sons runner is dual locked so now a have an inhouse riding partner.

Hope it gets here Friday before me and the kids go camping.

 

[SportsmanJake]

Very cool! You have some big plans for the truck!

I want your 4.3 gears if you ever decide to get rid of them!

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

I'm not known for my patience. More know for selling a good truck if I can make a few grand on it BUT this is what all my land cruiser buying low, fixing, and selling high has been working up to (I hope). It is on paper anyway.

I don't see me spending big $$ on ifs. Just don't. Will do it for a minute, but if I do the work, time, and $, into the front end, it'll be a 9.5" diff and not a 7.5".

Plan is to drive it until all the parts I want are sitting in garage. No more sitting on jack stands for months like the builds of old. That sucked.

Have high hopes of having a fun truck (and a good thread!)

 

[blueranger501]

Did the v6 Tundra’s come with 4.30s? 2nd dibs that would be a nice swap.

V8 Tundra tank is 26 gal, not sure if the v6 is smaller. I would expect 9-10 towing, 14 average is what I get with 285s and stock 3.91 gears

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

Real time! Be here late tonight!!

Did the v6 Tundra's come with 4.30s? 2nd dibs that would be a nice swap.

V8 Tundra tank is 26 gal, not sure if the v6 is smaller. I would expect 9-10 towing, 14 average is what I get with 285s and stock 3.91 gears

My kids V6, 4.88, auto, 285"s only gets 15. 3RZ, manual, 2WD, Runner only gets 21. Not a Prius guy myself though.
Yes sir, 4.30s! pretty cool. It would be a nice/easy swap for some 33-35"s and a V8. It'll be a few months, but it is the plan to have 4.88s-5.29s depending on transfer case(s) and big tire size.

As far as I can tell, it shares everything the same as the "big motor" Tundra's except the motor/tranny/tcase. Its just a fat Tacoma at the end of the day.

It cracks me up how I love the absolute most plain looking OME (old man edition) Tundra EVER! Damn that is a vanilla truck!
Beauty is, in fact, in the eye of the beholder.

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

She showed up at midnight and I left the next morning early to go out of town, but I'm very happy. Camper has a few rust spots, but rest of truck is really clean. Old man before me took good care of it. New Toyota battery, oil changed at dealer since new, good tires.

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

Bought some Tacoma wheels and good tires off of a high school kid so it doesn't look quite as old man-ish. Those stock wheels have to be the ugliest ever in history.

PS pump bearing was squealing so got to swap that too. LOVE being covered in burnt PS fluid! SO much!

Still have only put about 60 miles on it. Really really run to drive. Its only about 3" longer and 3" wider than my bro in laws 2015 CC Tacoma. His bigass fender flares may make it same width even.

I'm working out of town for the next five weeks and will be putting 500-600 miles a week on it so break her in right.

I'm not in a rush to SAS it. Its really nice and clean right now! I will wheel it IFS, 5100s, trimmed body, and then decide if the breakage and lust for 37"s+ needs to be filled. The wife graduates this summer and that will determine some $ plans too. I am still sticking with I'll SAS before I drop the same $$$$ for IFS upgrades.

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

She's here!!

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

This motor has a good PS pump on it.... that I just bought a few days ago.... what a dummy!! Oh well, it's only money.

Who needs a 5VZ harness for their buggy?