Take The Tunda!

Here's my new to me 2000 Toyota Tundra 4.7 4x4 with 204k miles!





Purchased it this past Tuesday, and promptly took it off roading within 10 minutes of purchase



Current Setup: (Needs Pictures)

JBA UCAs and Icon 2.5 Extended Travel Coil overs up front.
Icon 2.5 resis and Icon AAL in the rear.

Milestar Patagonias 285/75/16.
Konig Countersteer wheels (powder coated).

MBRP Exhaust
Tip and muffler. Sounds alright, kinda quiet for a V8. Might change it once I eventually beat up the exhaust tip on some rocks.


Softtopper
Under a year old.

Huskey floor mats

Cheapo Pioneer Headunit
Bluetooth sorta works. I have to manually connect my phone to it almost everytime but other than that it's fine.



Here’s the Tacoma I’m transitioning from. Going to hit the market shortly

 

This list is going off the folder of records and various parts receipts that the previous owner gave me.

Maintenance Records:
? - 4/9/19 - Battery? $53.86 at Autozone and there was a core charge. Maybe this was a battery? Part #000473942, out of the system.
185k - (Gotta check invoice for date) - Timing belt and water pump
183,318 - 7/1/20 - Cats replaced. T3 #912005R Bank 1 Bank 2. Maybe bank 1 and bank 2 sensor were replaced as well?
? - 4/?/20 - Ignition Coils (brand unknown).
? - 4/26/20 - Ultima Starter Reman O'Reily.
? - 5/12/20 - Fuel Injector Seal Kit O-Rings. O'Reily.
? - 5/21/20 - Knock / Detonation Sensors (x2). Intake Manifold Gasket. Ignition Starter Relay. RockAuto.
? - 6/?/20 - "New: June 2020" (hand written then copied) Brakes, starter, spark plugs, spark plug coils, dash knobs, tailgate handle, headlight bulbs, taillight bulbs, MAF sensor, Interior Detail for smoke smell.
? - 7/5/20 - Denso Fuel Pump. RockAuto.
? - 7/23/20 - Gasket, IN part #17171-50020 (Don't know what gasket this is yet)
185k - ? - Timing belt and water pump
? - 3/30/23 - 2.5 Icon C/0 rebuild. 7/8 shaft 10.25 OAL, 600 Travel. FK COM10T Bearing F1 FIT. SPIROLOX WHT-118-S02 COM10 302SS.

Uncertain Records:
(All stuff the previous owner did on his own, but didn't write a date or mileage)
Steering Rack
Previous owner pulled it out of a pick a part off a Sequoia. Said his started leaking and this one was pretty good. Put in new bushings and new hoses from the power steering pump to the rack. Has a LQC sticker on the rack. Wonder if it had a date.
13WL Brake Calipers
My understand is these came in later 1st gen tundras, and have more brake fluid capacity. Was told to order brake pads and rotors for an 05 when I need to replace them. New OEM seals and dust boots. Rotors and pads were replaced with Powerstop off RockAuto.
Lower Ball Joints
OEM replacements, hell yea!
Center Carrier Replaced
No idea what that is, can someone explain. (Also congrats and thanks if you're reading this far! I really don't think anyone will but this is good for me to organize things)
Spark Plugs
Replaced, at most have 20k miles on them but probably less. (Previous owner took ownership around 184k, has 204k now. Although doubt he did it right off the bat since the guy before him replaced them as well)

Random Maintenance Thoughts:
There are quite a few hand written invoices, with copies of O'Reily or AutoZone receipts on the same paper.
Based off the invoices, receipts, and various paperwork I'm lead to believe that the owner prior to whom I purchased this tundra from took very well care of this truck. His name pops up the majority of the receipts I have, which are mostly from 2020.
Next guy took ownership 7/29/20, although I'm thinking he bought it in late June or at least at latest July 1st 2020. Talking to the previous owner, I'm convinced he is a Toyota offroad enthusiast and he did his maintenance. He showed me his rockauto account and all the invoices on there of various parts he's ordered and claimed to have completed. Mostly brakes, oil changes, and the timing belt/water pump. He also had a shop replace the cats so that's nice... good ol Cali smog. Seems like this guy didn't print out the records he showed me on his phone... hoping he'll message me some screenshots so I can add more dates to things.

 

Things It Needs:

• Rear shocks rebuilt, both seals are blown. Anyone have any recommendations in the Orange County, CA area? Maybe SD. Not looking to send them to Icon $$$.
• Headlights Replaced. They're not too yellow, but they are fairly faded. The HOA I live in now used transmitter stickers to get in the gate which they prefer to put on the headlights. Soooooo might as well get a new headlight before paying for the gate transmitter.
  • 
• Radio Antenna
• Driver seat belt retractor. When I unclick the seatbelt, it doesn't feed back on its own. Anyone have a how to link? Guessing there's a spring that needs replacing.
  • 
• Rear Sliding Window Latch. Zip tied together for now. Gotta keep an eye out for a part. Could also use a new seal.
  • 
• Rear Bumper. It's got a nice big dent, also it's pretty close to contacting the body. I'm sure it will when wheeling. Gotta check the mounts then hammer that all back.
  • 
    

Future Ideas:

• DIY Wedge Camper! I've been debating, and researching, how to build one of these for nearly a year for my 1st gen tacoma. The main thing holding me back was I hated the short 5 ft bed! Now that I have a nice long bed, I'll look into making this for the tundra in the future.
• In cab storage! Thinking about pulling the back half seats and making a platform back there. I'd like to at least put my fridge back there, not sure what else.
• New Grille? One thought is to repaint this one black and get some devil horns but I already did that on my tacoma. Gotta look into other ideas, show me yours!
• Subwoofer? The area under the passenger rear seat was made into a sub box, and I could tell there were 2 in there at some point.

 

1 more cause why not

 

another

 

Alrighttttttt, I've spent a good 2 or 3 hours going through paperwork, hand written invoices, and back tracking part numbers. I'm done for now hahaha.

I expect no oneeee to read all of the above, but would appreciate some input.

Some friends and people who helped along the way during my tunda hunt for the last few months
@eccracer104 @Sunnier @FrenchToasty

Hey @des2mtn did you remove your rear seat for a storage platform of sorts?

 

Why do I see a tiny sloth holding a miniature pew pew out the left rear window?

Welcome! From Arizona.

 

Headlights Replaced.

Have you considered doing the sand/polish/clearcoat routine? It works really well, costs only a few dollars and some of your time (which could be worth more than new lights... not judging). Lots of good info here and on youtube about how to do that also. Biggest tip, be careful, be gentler than you think you should, it will just take a bit longer and come out better. (this technique could also work on those marker lights too.)

Radio Antenna

This is a pretty easy DIY. lots of vids out there and great info here on this forum.

Driver seat belt retractor.

Replace the whole belt. the first time someone hits you will forgive the few dollars. It is a great investment for a few dollars for your life. Seat belts have a service life, if it needs fixed, replace it.

 

That's my mom with an air horn but close enough haha

I've had hit and miss luck with it buffing headlights. I've done quite a few with my Rupes buffer over my detailing career. Did the taco, and they always yellowed sooner or later. Did the headlights on my father's camry for him, and those have been holding up great. I've been applying a coating of Meguir's quick wax every month or so. What clearcoat, or sealer, has worked for you?

Yeaaaaa, I probably should look to see if the belt has any rips or tears now that you bring it up

 

I tend to put a spray clear coat over them when I do them. Have been using a standard automotive clearcoat. Have had luck with a TT, 2x BMW, a Hyundai and my Tundra. Some less perfect than others sure, but all were made good enough to not need to buy another light.

Rustoleum makes one I have been trying out on some other plastics, and intend to use on my next headlight pair, it is supposed to bond to the plastic and protect it... Results are still pending on that. (So far, its the clear on a 3d printed art thing im working on (gets sun) and on top of the 3d printed handle in the rear hatch of my little electric fiat... both are just crap PLA prints, that have surprisingly held up under the AZ sun for a bit over a year after the paint protection... the handle did feel a bit soft in aug last year, but PLA without protection left in the sun here dies fast... Not the most scientific of methods, and purely anecdotal)

Worst case, I sand a bit more to remove the clear.

How high of a grit are you sanding to?

I rough out with 1k... yes its slow and painful, I am not trying to remove the plastic, just the top oxidized layer, and I step through 2.5, and 5k, sand all wet. After that I hit it with Meguires 105, then 205. But I do a lot of it at the table, most of the time while watching a movie with the wife. So the time isnt a factor for me.

The only thing I learned that was really important. Slow down, take your time. if your time is worth more than the lights. order lights. (I should have bought the 5 series set I did)

On the belt. I'd err on the side of caution and just replace the seat belt assembly.

 

I feel you with the intense sun. I’m a few blocks off the beach, it’s not as bad as AZ sun, but things can get baked here fairly fast.

Haven’t buffed a headlight recently but I think I typically start at 1000 or 1500, then 3, then 5. I never have an issue with cleaning them up, it’s just usually the sealant. At work they’re not a fan of us using clear coat so it’s typically whatever buffing compound we have.
I think I’ll give these a buff then shoot some rustoleum clear and see how she holds up. Do you use a buffer or do it all by hand?
I really should give meguirs a try. Typically I use Rupes, as that’s what I have at work. Might use some Meguirs when I buff out the tundra to make it really shine.

 

For the polish stages, i use soft foam pads on a drill or a buffer whatever fits the space. keep the drill slow, I work using the edges of the pad not the middle when using a drill.

 

Yep, I removed my back seat! AC backseats are different than DC though. The back wall of the AC isn't covered, AC back seats mount to the rear wall and once you take them out the wall and cabin pressure vents are exposed. @Voss did a really nice setup on his AC in this thread: https://www.tundras.com/threads/first-gen-ac-rear-seat-delete.80422/

A/C back wall:



DC backseats fold down then forward.




But back to my platform -- originally I just took out the 60 side and left the rear passenger's seat. I built a little platform for my fridge with a cubby underneath to access the underseat compartment. Fridge is directly behind the driver's seat.

This is the only pic I have handy, made a few changes since then.

 

Headlight buckets are pretty cheap for these trucks. You can get them both for under 200 bucks and they'll last 10 years before they are cloudy. None of the driver's side seat belts rewind on these trucks. Just toss the slack on the seat so you don't slam the buckle in the door after you park it.

If you want to keep the rear bumper from digging into the bed, just grab it and give it some good hard pulls. These bumpers were made by Reynolds aluminum foil co, I am pretty sure.

Other than that, at 204,000 miles, that thing should be on the road for a while longer. 200k isn't much for these beasts.

 

I have a brand new driver front headlight for your year Tundra sitting at my desk at work in Anaheim if you want to swing by for it (no charge it's yours for free).

 

Oooo interesting. Didn’t know there were some vents back there, but doesn’t look hard to work around. I pulled the backseats of my taco out before my road trip to Yellowstone for a simple platform and it wowed me how much space you gain! Definitely gonna pull those AC seats eventually. Trying to be smart and plan things out before I just start slapping wood down without a plan…. Or maybe I’ll just reuse the one from my taco and go from there haha

Did you run the wire for the fridge under the door sills then through the firewall boot?

Thanks for the link too, gonna parooze through that at work today. Been a slow day

My thoughts exactly, it’s so cheap why not. Could grab a pair of rock auto for $60, or get some fancy black ones off Amazon for double.

Huh that’s interesting, any idea why Toyota designed the seat belts like that?

Haha Reynolds’s aluminum foil, that’s a good one! I’ll give that a try, thennnn hammer time! Few good wacks should do it good.

Hoping this is the tundra I keep for the next 10 plus years. Eventually start using it for road-trips

Oooo that could work out, I’m regularly nearby in yorba linda. I’ll shoot you a PM, thanks!

 

Let me know. Shop is right on the border of Anaheim/Anaheim Hills/Yorba Linda. It’s yours anytime you want.

 

I second the comment about replacing the seat belt assembly with new OEM. That's not something you want failing because you didn't put it together right or the one you put in is garbage.

I did this on a '98 4runner. Not too difficult. Learned a bit about how seatbelts work.

But I ordered the wrong color! Pay attention to the color.

 

Try cleaning it really good first. Use a degreaser like dawn and some hot water. Thoroughly clean the belt. Then soak it with something like PB white lithium. Pull the belt all the way out and let it retract a few times. That's what a few of us have done.

 

Oh sweet! Thanks for that. I’ll give that a try

 

Possibly the center support bearing, sometimes called a carrier bearing. Holds the driveshaft up and lets it spin freely inside.

 

Ahhh okay I’ll take a look at that next time I’m under the truck. Thanks

 

i made a plan after yanking the seats. 28x48 platform fits my dogs bed and lets the front seats slide all the way back, and fits a 24x48 table underneath. Back is slotted in case a need it to be vertical. Theres a bit of tension and angle where its at, keeping it from rattling.

i still have access to my rear compartments.

and platform and table can slide to access the pass side compartment.

the bottom bit is just held in by gravity & usually a pillow wedged between the dog bed and center console, rear panel is held in with a couple screws and rubber washers. Takes about 5 minutes to pull it all out or put it back in.

i never made a build thread, but i sprinkled pics of my thought process in the whyd thread.

& mine had insulation behind the seatback, so i left it on. But the plastic mount that came with my replacement extinguisher left alot to be desired.

added some duct tape for grip in the plastic jaws, and a clip made from a windshield wiper spring i can overpower, but kinda rely on, and a bit of foam tape on the bottom corner. And since the pin didnt have a detent, another precaution i can easily overpower. Cause sometimes dogs can do dumb things?

 

That’s pretty cool! I like the idea to have a table under the platform, might steal that . What made you decide to keep the rear compartments?

 

Safety on pass side, tools on driver side. I mean, i could lose the lids, but i dont need to. If i were to convert that chamber to a woofer box i might change things up, but nah. Under the table fits a 10x10 big tent, or 2 8x8 small tents on one side, the shoebox is full of cable leads and dog leashes, cause polo knows he can chew his way free.
Organizing things into folgers cans stacked inside beer boxes worked like a champ.

That fit between the 4' platform and the door. Everything stayed solid. No rattles.

 

Awe… had so much fun working on my truck back when I 1st joined.

 

I dig that, pretty sweet. I really like the shoe and beer box ideas, cheap and effective . Looking forward to pulling my rear seats and starting to mess with things.

I'm trying to hold myself back from working on the truck and changing things up until I sell my tacoma..... really like the idea of pulling off the soft topper and drawing up some ideas for a space frame and a wedge camper.. soon soon

 

Little update
Got the tunda up on a lift a couple weeks ago, my mechanic said it’s the cleanest tundra he’s ever seen. All the maintenance and mechanical bits check out

 

I haven't been up to date on this thread well.

Think everyone needs to slow on down here. It just needs a good cleaning. I did mine a couple years ago and they still work better than any vehicle I have hands down. They feel like new. Unbolt them from the top mount and pass them through the door to the outside and get them really tight and pressure wash them. Spray with PB blaster silicone lubricant and it should help you quite a bit.
LINK to my post.

 

I agree, just needs a good cleaning. Ahhh it's the top mount I should undo, tried messing with the bottom a couple weeks ago. Planning on doing exactly what you suggested once I get my power washer back in a few weeks here. Didn't think about the lube, I'll do that too thanks