photoleif

The mod list, from mild to major

Got the truck, bone-stock, in 1998 with 30k on the ticker. I had wanted a pickup since before I could drive, so this was ten kinds of goodness. I put some new slightly larger tires on it (31") and took it out wheeling...and promptly got stuck. I tore off a mud-flap and finally reversed out of the built-up muddy turn my buddy with an e-locker got through. That got me thinking that upgrades would be in the future of this truck.

I'll be adding more pix when I get some better light and better camera position.

Added grab handle

I think this was my first mod, and one of the easiest and least expensive. I ordered it from Jason Liskey (toyota parts dude), and it is exactly what i wanted: color-match, clean and working, no problems. To locate exactly where the bolts go, I unscrewed some trim, pulled the headliner back to unclip it from its lip, and temporarily marked the location.

Mirror replacement and re-routed 12v socket cabling
[image coming... too blurry to be showing you]
The rear-view mirror didn't give me sufficient visibility for my liking, so I tried putting a wide-angle curved mirror on top of it. The thickness of the stock mirror inhibited having the wide-angle stay in place, so I removed the stock unit, along with its hot, dim incandescent lights. I ended up replacing it with a pair of 12v sockets and a mirror mount that attaches to the standard bolts, is hinged for up-down adjustment, and now pivots on an arc of bent 10-32 bolt for angular adjustments.

Center console mods

I tired of the small center console, and that I couldn't store a large collection of topo maps in it, so I unbolted it and built a new one from 3/4-inch stock. It's overkill for strength, but then again it won't break when I put my elbow down to shift position in the seat. The front portion also accommodates two 1-liter Nalgene bottles. I cushioned the top of the main section with several layers of felt, and mostly glued the vinyl fabric to the structure, though it needs nails or screws for best holding capability. Some of the vinyl never stayed adhered, which has been a bit disappointing. If I had the interest in doing it over, I would paint the wood to match first, then stick on the vinyl, and wrap it all such that no seams are exposed and can peel open.

Ciggy / change drawer mod

I was tired of change rattling in the ashtray, so I glued some felt to it. I haven't figured out a good way to keep it from opening when I wheel, so I may just opt for a latch. Taping the tracks makes a sticky mess and doesn't work well anyway. Velcro across the front just peels off when it gets hot, so something more permanent seems appropriate.

Door buzzer defeat
[image coming; too blurry to show you]
Before I rewired the radio to run off the auxiliary battery and a separate switch, I made the door buzzer circuit user-defeatable via a SPST foot switch toggle mounted in the driver side kick panel. It interrupts the 'open door' signal and allows one to quiet the beep when having the door open and the key in the ON position for listening to the radio or doing testing.

Jumpseat mod

The stock jumpseats are nice, but given that I never had anyone back there, needed more storage space beyond the standard, and also wanted larger portals for less-used gear that I still wanted handy, I eventually removed the flip seats and had it that way for a while. That wasn't quite what I knew was the final solution, and I eventually removed the seat bases and seat belts, and installed carpeted double-hinged box top/front sides, which latch to the floor and temporarily lock in the raised position against a couple of sway bar bushings screwed into the plastic decorative panel.
The image also shows another angle on the center console mod.

Lift covers
I covered the gaps after the lift by cutting out and mounting some black vinyl runner material. I took a guess at how to cut it, and let tire wear show me how to trim the rest.

Skidplate
The stock skidplate went away when the lift was done, and so for a short time, my ADD was looking at every branch and rock in fear. I remedied this on the cheap by unfolding a broken dryer, flattening its sheet metal, and then bending it into the two rectangles and a trapezoid that work well for thorough mounting at three points: IFS support arms x2 and the frame front crossmember. I suspected this could develop a rattle, so I put corrugated vinyl runner material between the sheet metal skins. It has held up surprisingly well for eight years of abuse. I went with grade 8 bolts for added strength and resistance to deforming, with only the heads exposed to the trail.

Aux lights
Too many pre-dawn close calls with wildlife convinced me that aux lights would be smart. I've gone through a few sets of cheapies and recently installed a pair of pencil-beam Hellas.

Freewheeling hubs and no-vacuum-components mod
I was keeping the local economy afloat via CV joint purchases, so I got a pair of used Aisin freewheeling hubs from runethechamp, and have significantly reduced the CV joint failure rate since then. Recently, in conjunction with the engine swap, the rest of the ADD components (vacuum lines, vacuum tank, etc.) were removed, and the diff was set to be engaged at all times (but the axles don't spin due to the hubs). This avoids an unnecessary mechanical step, and makes the system more reliable and less vulnerable to trail damage.

Some interior LEDs
I went through a couple dome light replacements before settling on the latest, which is a 36-emitter LED board that satisfies my goals of having an easily installed, low-draw and bright replacement that wasn't silly-expensive and distributes fairly even light. I also replaced the door safety lights with red LEDs.

BFG 33x10.50
I was feeling the need for some better traction. Too bad that really meant, I needed a locker. Some better tread does help, but it's not the full solution. Nonetheless I really like the BFG AT/KO tire and have had three sets of them.

Wheel spacers and mud flap pins

I heard the 33" tires rubbing on turns, but couldn't ever really figure out what they were rubbing on, so I took a guess that some suspension or steering components were the victims, so I ordered 1.5" wheel spacers from Wabbit. They didn't address the issue, though they provide a bit wider stance, which I like. I remember that Adrian (Flygtgenstein) had pinned his mud flaps, and so I tried that next, and that turned out to be the actual issue. I hard-wired them the first time, but will figure out a nice-looking detachable approach when I pin them back up.

Extended diff breathers
I did a couple stream-crossings and some extended driving on a forest road flooded with spring runoff, which convinced me that I was at risk of killing my diffs if I didn't extend the diff breathers, so I got some tubing and took care of it. I went with the rear tail light cluster for one, and high in the engine compartment for the other. I didn't get elaborate with the high end; I thought if the stock breathers had worked for years, they could just be cleaned and mounted on the tubing and work for some more, so I did just that, and they've been fine.

Auxiliary reverse lights

The truck was never very easy to see out of while backing up, and the topper only made things worse, so a week after getting the topper, I had Aerosuds install auxiliary reverse lights. They did it right, with a relay and separate power source, and I still have that setup currently, though I'm in the process of re-routing that cable through the new fusebox.

Smittybilt front and rear bumpers
The first bumper arrived thanks to being backed into by a lady in a parking garage in Santa Fe, who was already late for a funeral. I thought, if the stock bumper took that sort of damage from a '68 Fairlane, I should probably look into a sturdier bumper. I liked the look of the Smittybilt 3" tube bumpers, so swapped one in, instead of getting the stock bumper and valance replaced. The rear came a couple years later after I backed into a tree on a trail.

Suspension lift, minor t-bar crank, shackles
When ORS was in Denver, they did a SuperLift suspension lift for me with some upgraded IFS components: a Total Chaos idler arm, lower ball joints (uniball conversion), and OME torsion bars. In retrospect, the t-bar upgrade probably wasn't especially important, but the TC parts have saved me several costly OEM replacements which frequently failed. The suspension lift makes just about everything easier including general maintenance and major work, and avoids body mods to fit larger tires. I believe the 33x10.50s might have fit without much of a lift, but it would be tight and might have rubbed a bit. A lot has been said about lifts so I'll briefly summarize that this one, properly tightened down, has proven solid and reliable. I had one unexpected idler arm failure, which was repaired and has not recurred in several years, one issue with loose transmission mounts which was repaired permanently, and one self-inflicted issue with the uniballs that was subsequently repaired and hasn't recurred. The other components have all lasted eight years with no visible wear or damage. I can change engine and transmission fluids without raising the vehicle, and driveshaft lubrication is easy and requires no raising. It gave me significant additional clearance to the pinch weld. It significantly hindered tightening the bolts down on the short-throw shifter, which I got only by tying a rope around the wrench, placing it on the nuts and tightening by pulling on the rope, over and over.

Seat support mod

For a while, I was attempting to sleep in the passenger seat on solo excursions, and that got old in a hurry. I next removed the passenger-side seat to permit using a bolted-down, carpeted board as a platform. It was kinda nice, because I made several side tie-downs on it and could lash gear to it. Frequent removal and reinstallation of the seat, however, resulted in some stripped bolts, so I drilled out the holes for the rears, put in grade 8 hardware with large washers, double-nutted for easy removal. That too got old, so the board became a creeper and I was fortunate to find a topper at Aerosuds that was not only a perfect size match, but even a near-perfect color match.

Topper (gasket for tailgate, window screen swap)
A Sportsman brand cab-high series topper from Aerosuds shortly followed the various attempts at passenger-side sleeping accommodations, with a specific eye to making a proper two-person sleeping platform. The topper is an exact fit and very close color-match, enough that it looks pretty much ordered new, rather than a lucky used find. I've added some trail rubs and scratches to match the rest of the truck. No sense in making the truck all jealous. This year's gnats were awful, so I upgraded the window screen to no-seeum mesh, which is more of a pain by far than regular window screens, which I also did this summer. The principles are the same, with spline and such, but the track is fixed to the topper, rather than removable like residential screens, so everything has to be done at an angle, and any goof-up rips the screen and you start all over.

Stereo and door-mounted speakers
[image coming]
Not much to crow about in terms of raw power, but I'm pleased to have done it myself, which enabled me to rewire the power to use the auxiliary battery and a remote switch, rather than the poorly located power button on the stereo. I also removed the front speakers to free up some dash room, and door-mounted a pair of triaxial speakers instead. The window, actuator and door controls harness limit speaker size and placement to 6" at the front bottom, with the surround just below the lip of the map slot. It minimizes cutting of the door shell due to an existing hole, and looks pretty decent against the stock gray decorative door panel. I ran the cables through the stock grommets to keep things water-resistant and looking clean.

Sleeping platform
I researched several sleeping platform designs, and ultimately decided on one that commits the bottom part, from the wheel humps down, to storage. The writeup was ultimately stickied for reference. I'm pretty pleased with the results, but seeing tours de force like roadtripcrazed's [http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...ping-Platform], it makes me realize how much more could be done, given interest, skill and funds.

Dual-battery solenoid with yellow-tops
The platform also contains the second battery, and that is joined to the starter battery by a Painless 40102 dual-battery solenoid switch kit. Committed to that location in the platform, I had little choice in the matter of where to place the battery hold-down, but given that it's on a strut, it really couldn't be much worse. If I wanted a do-over, I'd get Mike's ORS battery cage with some custom tabs to mount it to the wood.

Tablet mount
Newegg to the rescue. This is a pleasingly solid, readily configurable tablet or laptop mounting system that has adequate ability to mount to a seat bolt. With some fiddling, it is able to hold the device at a useful angle that doesn't completely inconvenience a passenger and doesn't inhibit shifting, yet permits easy viewing. It has a slight issue with the tightness of the mounting plate where it flops a few degrees, then holds tight, rather than staying put exactly where it should. Having used photographic tripod heads for decades, this is a really stupid drawback, but not worth a return for a tablet mount. I'm considering adding a small tripod head to remedy the issue.

Security system
This truck was prewired for a security system, but one was never installed until now. I was pleased to find the lock circuit has a built-in vampire tap. Couldn't be easier.

USB charger
Not especially glamorous, it's a 12v to USB charger that I rewired to take 12v directly rather than via a plug. I left it contained in the housing to keep the parts from making a vulnerable mess behind the dash.

Bilstein 5100 shocks
Pretty straightforward mod, at least when you have a lift for easier access. They ship with nylon compression straps which make installation possible. Well, <i>much</i> easier. The fronts were easier than the rears, given that no jacking is required. I used a farm jack to raise the rear by the bumper, since the stock jack isn't nearly tall enough to lift the rear high enough without using the axle housing..

Shifter seat, then short-throw shifter
I had issues a few years ago with the truck popping out of first gear on acceleration, so I installed the Marlin Crawler shifter seat and heavy-duty socket. It was an improvement but it didn't fully address the issue, so this year I went for the full mod, installing the short-throw shifter seat and lever. I now have no problems with popping out of gear, plus the short-throw does make shifting a bit faster and less obtrusive.

Black grille (mirrors and side marker surrounds coming sometime)

While I was without the truck during the 3.4 swap [see the upcoming entry], I concluded that blacking out the becoming-ugly chrome grille was overdue. I started by smoothing it down using 000 steel wool, which revealed to me that there was some corrosion that would not submit to that treatment, so I applied several coats of satin interior/exterior Krylon. That same paint survived for four years on my front shackles before needing to be renewed, so I felt that this paint's outlook would be fairly decent on the grille. Doing that but not the side marker surrounds and mirrors makes for some obvious and unwelcome contrast, so those are on the sometime list for some love from the rattle can.

170A alternator
My 60A stock alternator failed again, this time after about 60,000 miles, nearly stranding me at Mesa Verde Nat'l Park, which is a bit of a drive from anywhere. I made it to Durango, picked up a reman alt at Napa, and had it installed by Toyota. Then, 800 miles later, the 3.0 decided that it was tired of its head gasket. That engine woke up bound and gagged in a Tundra bed being hauled away for a rebuild for some future project, and the nearly unused reman alt sits on my workroom floor, waiting for a bike generator project, perhaps. The new alt, with an ample current rating of 170A, comes from Nathan at Excessive Amperage. It is both a bit smaller than stock, and also uses a smaller pulley, which spins it at a higher rate than usual. The smaller housing turned out to be of critical importance, since the 3.0-design steering shaft yoke comes very close to the alt where it mounts on the 5VZ-FE, and a larger alt might have needed some trimming.

3.4 swap

The 3VZE, ever the underperformer, finally started doing what they do: admitting coolant to a party it wasn't invited to. I had rough starts and lower performance than usual, which led to the diagnosis I was not looking forward to. The choice of having the the old engine rebuilt or doing a 3.4 swap for $1k more (or so) wasn't terribly difficult. The thought of having a working 3.slo or for a little more money, a high-performing 5VZ-FE, led to my fairly easy decision to go with the swap. I talked it over with Jacob Saunders and Josh Killip, who had done work on my truck before and have done a couple swaps of their own, and we agreed to launch the project.


A 2000 4Runner with surprisingly little damage for having been scrapped, became the donor, and after replacing the clutch, belts and hoses, most gaskets, seals and bearings, thermostat and so on, in it went...with the wrong throwout bearing. Oops. So I pulled out the starter and disconnected the driveshaft, and then four of us completed the bearing switch in just a few minutes. It needs the 3.0 throwout, FYI. The first startup, appropriately without exhaust, was something the neighborhood didn't want to hear, but something we immensely enjoyed. We had to go with the donor's a/c compressor, because the 3.0's was offset by a half-inch from where the belt needs it to be. New fuel lines, new vacuum lines, new heat wrap... on and on. About the only thing waiting for a good solution is the firewall grommet, which we stretched to capacity with the new harness three 12ga wires, and one 8ga cable.


Custom exhaust
Ken @ Exhaust To Go did a super job on installing and tuning a 2.5" single-cat system that purrs for the neighbors and roars when I open it up on the road. I went with a middle-of-the-road 2.5" exhaust system, and a Flo-Pro Original oval offset muffler, restricting a bit to avoid making enemies of my neighbors, but not overly holding back that super engine. The end flare very closely matches stock, but the performance muffler doesn't unnecessarily restrict the 3.4 engine.

Auxiliary fusebox and rewiring
In keeping with Josh and Jacob's goal of a clean, factory-looking swap, we pulled my rat's nest of cabling and I picked up an auxiliary fusebox to keep all but the supply cable in the cab, under the dash. After reviewing my surprisingly meager mounting options, I located it where the passenger-side dash speaker used to be, a spot I've been eyeing for a while.

Rear ARB locker

Just finished. I've mounted the compressor on a removable tray in the rear bed compartment to keep it cleaner and safer. [image coming] It also helps to minimize the length of the air tubing. I splurged and got the dual high-output compressor so I can air up after a trail run.