Poorboyota26
Adventurer
there are a lot of things that have to be done to get a truck project like this on the road. Most of them aren't worth taking pics of...so I didn't. My camera is on the fritz so Cell pics it is...
2.16.10
The bed I purchased is badgless and has a silver fender flare but since I still have the body work to do I didn't care too much about it. I can either paint the front one silver or strip the paint off of the rear.
2.20.10
Outside in the snow. At this point the bed is being held on by the four rear bolts. 2 at the end of the frame and the two directly behind the rear of the fender-well. I still have to weld on the front mount but couldn't do it without the bed on.
I also bought a spare E-locker housing and a complete front diff with axle shafts. I had the rear housing checked by an alignment shop but they didn't get the front right so the rear is questionable. And for 150 bucks I couldn't go wrong. It's always good to have a spare around, especially if it's an expensive part.
A little write up on the journey to get the bed:
It's Saturday and an extremely busy day for my wife and I. Study session at the college, 1year birthday party for a friends kid (my wife bakes cakes), and I have to leave for Grand Junction after attending both.
I leave the party at 4 and head to the house to pack the rest of the stuff and do one last check on key parts that would turn my 500 mile trip into a disaster. Winter clothes are packed, a sterno stove and some cans of food (in case I end up in a snow bank), all the tools that I can think of for a road side repair, my school work in case I get stuck somewhere for a day or so, and a full thermos of coffee. All set, kiss the wife and I'm gone...2 blocks later I'm back. GPS and the all important cash for purchase and I'm gone, It's 6:30pm.
I top off the tank and see what kind of gas mileage the last 100 miles of futzing around town have gotten me. 20 MPG not bad at all if you ask me (my 86 4runner is getting 17 currently).
The roads on the way out of town are clear and it's only just starting to snow. The only thing on the back of the truck is a spare tire and the tail lights. No shocks!! I never realized how important they are until now. Every bump in the road is an adventure in and of itself.
The Front Allpro coil overs that i installed have lifted the front of the truck enough that I need to adjust the headlights. I pull off to the Safeway parking lot to see if there's a screw or something. After pulling the grill and almost the full drivers headlight assembly, nothing. It's a tiny little screw with a hex head 6mm I think and I don't have one. Grrrrr Blind, I continue. Up the hill toward Eisenhower Tunnel, sideways in the lane once and into 4wd I go. From here on out it's 4wd and 50mph. Making for a long trip.
It's 10:30 and I pull off in Glenwood springs for a bathroom break and a fuel top off. 20mpg! in four wheel drive! The driver tail light has lost it's mount and is hanging by a thread, so I get some more chord and some boyscout knots and it's visible to the people in my rear-view mirror again.
A couple more times I get sideways, mostly at the expansion joints on bridges and overpasses. Glenwood canyon was the worst, but I was past that and the roads were getting better. Pressing on changing the radio stations every 30 miles or so I'm wide awake and having a good time. There aren't many other cars on the road at this hour, but the ones that do come up from behind are coming fast and not passing very well. Soapbox: Why is it that people will drive fast in the clearest lane (usually covered in black ice) and not pass you in the lane covered in snow, but drivable. Maybe they should slow down!. End gripe. As people get in the other lane I slow down to make their passing easier for them.
It's 145am and I pull up to my friends house that I'm staying at for the night. The truck has done wonderfully and I'm proud as I hit the pillow. Beep Beep Beep Beep. It's been seconds since I close my eyes. Or has it.
7am came fast! I'm showered and gone. Having only said thank you to Joel, not much time for anything else. I feel bad about that one. I meet up with a guy that is purchasing a Marlin crawler from me. We chat for a minute and I'm off to Glenwood again.
The roads are clearing up, now that it's 830 and the sun is out. I'm able to drive to Glenwood in two wheel drive and 70 miles an hour. It's nice to have a powerful truck again (compared to my 22re). I get off and stick it in four wheel drive to get through the icy and snow covered roads on my way to Carbondale.
A couple of wrong turns and some phone calls to Mario, the owner of my new bed, and I'm backing into his garage for the bed install. He's amazed that I made it without leaving the road and said that I was crazy for not having any shocks. I know it, but my determination exceeds my safety. We install the set of shocks he has for me and set the bed down on the frame. I'm impressed with this Canadian, he's a very smart man who has had many adventures. I want to have a brew with him sometime to hear about them. But alas he is on a tight schedule and we must hurry. We load up the front and rear diff's and say our see ya laters and I head out.
The Tacoma is handling 1000 times better and I don't even need four wheel drive anymore.
It's a long, uneventful trip back to Denver. Taking 7 hours to complete the 160 miles from Glenwood, to my home in Denver. Ski Traffic, the one thing I was hoping to avoid and I landed right in the middle of it. Bumper to bumper for 50 miles from Silverthorn to I-70 and C-470. I was home with my new found parts though and was happy about it to boot.
Not the safaris that most of you are used to reading about but an adventure none the less.
Now back to work on the Taco.
2.16.10
The bed I purchased is badgless and has a silver fender flare but since I still have the body work to do I didn't care too much about it. I can either paint the front one silver or strip the paint off of the rear.
2.20.10
Outside in the snow. At this point the bed is being held on by the four rear bolts. 2 at the end of the frame and the two directly behind the rear of the fender-well. I still have to weld on the front mount but couldn't do it without the bed on.
I also bought a spare E-locker housing and a complete front diff with axle shafts. I had the rear housing checked by an alignment shop but they didn't get the front right so the rear is questionable. And for 150 bucks I couldn't go wrong. It's always good to have a spare around, especially if it's an expensive part.
A little write up on the journey to get the bed:
It's Saturday and an extremely busy day for my wife and I. Study session at the college, 1year birthday party for a friends kid (my wife bakes cakes), and I have to leave for Grand Junction after attending both.
I leave the party at 4 and head to the house to pack the rest of the stuff and do one last check on key parts that would turn my 500 mile trip into a disaster. Winter clothes are packed, a sterno stove and some cans of food (in case I end up in a snow bank), all the tools that I can think of for a road side repair, my school work in case I get stuck somewhere for a day or so, and a full thermos of coffee. All set, kiss the wife and I'm gone...2 blocks later I'm back. GPS and the all important cash for purchase and I'm gone, It's 6:30pm.
I top off the tank and see what kind of gas mileage the last 100 miles of futzing around town have gotten me. 20 MPG not bad at all if you ask me (my 86 4runner is getting 17 currently).
The roads on the way out of town are clear and it's only just starting to snow. The only thing on the back of the truck is a spare tire and the tail lights. No shocks!! I never realized how important they are until now. Every bump in the road is an adventure in and of itself.
The Front Allpro coil overs that i installed have lifted the front of the truck enough that I need to adjust the headlights. I pull off to the Safeway parking lot to see if there's a screw or something. After pulling the grill and almost the full drivers headlight assembly, nothing. It's a tiny little screw with a hex head 6mm I think and I don't have one. Grrrrr Blind, I continue. Up the hill toward Eisenhower Tunnel, sideways in the lane once and into 4wd I go. From here on out it's 4wd and 50mph. Making for a long trip.
It's 10:30 and I pull off in Glenwood springs for a bathroom break and a fuel top off. 20mpg! in four wheel drive! The driver tail light has lost it's mount and is hanging by a thread, so I get some more chord and some boyscout knots and it's visible to the people in my rear-view mirror again.
A couple more times I get sideways, mostly at the expansion joints on bridges and overpasses. Glenwood canyon was the worst, but I was past that and the roads were getting better. Pressing on changing the radio stations every 30 miles or so I'm wide awake and having a good time. There aren't many other cars on the road at this hour, but the ones that do come up from behind are coming fast and not passing very well. Soapbox: Why is it that people will drive fast in the clearest lane (usually covered in black ice) and not pass you in the lane covered in snow, but drivable. Maybe they should slow down!. End gripe. As people get in the other lane I slow down to make their passing easier for them.
It's 145am and I pull up to my friends house that I'm staying at for the night. The truck has done wonderfully and I'm proud as I hit the pillow. Beep Beep Beep Beep. It's been seconds since I close my eyes. Or has it.
7am came fast! I'm showered and gone. Having only said thank you to Joel, not much time for anything else. I feel bad about that one. I meet up with a guy that is purchasing a Marlin crawler from me. We chat for a minute and I'm off to Glenwood again.
The roads are clearing up, now that it's 830 and the sun is out. I'm able to drive to Glenwood in two wheel drive and 70 miles an hour. It's nice to have a powerful truck again (compared to my 22re). I get off and stick it in four wheel drive to get through the icy and snow covered roads on my way to Carbondale.
A couple of wrong turns and some phone calls to Mario, the owner of my new bed, and I'm backing into his garage for the bed install. He's amazed that I made it without leaving the road and said that I was crazy for not having any shocks. I know it, but my determination exceeds my safety. We install the set of shocks he has for me and set the bed down on the frame. I'm impressed with this Canadian, he's a very smart man who has had many adventures. I want to have a brew with him sometime to hear about them. But alas he is on a tight schedule and we must hurry. We load up the front and rear diff's and say our see ya laters and I head out.
The Tacoma is handling 1000 times better and I don't even need four wheel drive anymore.
It's a long, uneventful trip back to Denver. Taking 7 hours to complete the 160 miles from Glenwood, to my home in Denver. Ski Traffic, the one thing I was hoping to avoid and I landed right in the middle of it. Bumper to bumper for 50 miles from Silverthorn to I-70 and C-470. I was home with my new found parts though and was happy about it to boot.
Not the safaris that most of you are used to reading about but an adventure none the less.
Now back to work on the Taco.
