Daniel Day

I have been a long time lurker(several years, lol) and figured it was time to formally introduce myself. I am from Georgia, about 40 minutes south of Atlanta. I currently own a 2001 Sequoia SR5 but I have owned several other Yotas including a 87 4x4 and a 2001 Tacoma Pre-Runner. We picked our current Sequoia last January and have loved it ever since. It was a one owner(with records including timing belt change at 82k) with 133k miles on it. I managed to talk the guy down to $6800(from his original asking price of $7800) which I though was a great deal! It was bone stock with the limited leather upgrade and for an 11 year old truck it was in really good shape. My wife put about 15k miles on it but now it is my DD since we got her a new car.

Of course I can't leave a vehicle stock so the mods(free ones first) have begun. I removed the fugly running boards and stock resonator, and then had the windows tinted.

Daniel Day

It came with the 5 spoke/fan blade wheels but I have never really cared for them too much. I have always loved the 17" split 5 spoke Tundra/Sequoia wheels and have been searching CL for about a year looking for a set. I found several but they are always already sold or the seller wants way too much for them. But I finally managed to find a set for $125! (I had to call the guy and clarify that wasn't per wheel!) They were pretty nasty and the paint was fading/chipping in a few spots but I planned on repainting them anyway.


I was torn between grey and black for the wheels but ultimately decided on black since the grey wouldn't look much different than the stock "hyper-silver" Sequoia wheels. I degreased and cleaned the wheels really well and then sanded them with 200 grit. I then applied 3 coats of primer and 5 coats of Satin Black. I think they turned out really well, with no runs or bubbles. Prior to painting, I removed the Toyota emblems(they are held on by 3 little tabs and pop off very easily) from the center caps so the wheels wouldn't be completely blacked out.

toyota4x4907

Oooh nice Is it 4wd or 2wd?

Daniel Day

toyota4x4907, thanks! Unfortunately it is not a 4x4. Like I said, we originally purchased it for my wife so it was not a priority and it was too good of a deal to pass up. This is the first truck I have ever owned that was not 4wd (except for my Pre-runner but it had a rear locker) and it is killing me, lol. I do some mild off roading from time to time so I would like to eventually get an ARB rear locker to help out a little bit.

So I also found a guy with a Wrangler that was selling a set of 285/70/17 Goodyear MT-Rs(with Kevlar) with 60% tread on all four and also a brand new spare with zero miles. They were on a set of Rubicon wheels and he didn't want to sell them separately so I bought the whole set for $350! These tires retail for over $300 per tire so I think I got a heck of a deal. I already listed the Rubicon wheels on CL and have a couple people interested. Since I already had the tires, I figured I would clean/paint my wheels and get the tires mounted. I wasn't going to put them on the truck until I got my leveling kit but I couldn't help myself....I wanted to see if the tires would fit on a completely bone stock Sequoia.

Much to my surprise, they fit! The only place that rubs is on the frame with the wheel at full lock to the left. I had already removed my mud flaps and running boards, but I'm sure they would have rubbed on the mud flaps as well. I am amazed at how much of a difference the black wheels and Mts made, it looks like a completely different truck. The ride is on par for a MT but the noise is actually not as bad as I expected, especially since these tires already have some mile on them.



Since I blacked out the wheels I figured I would keep with the theme and do the emblems as well. I used Plasti-dip because of its ease of use and it is easily removable.

toyota4x4907

Right-on! Those wheels and tires look great. I love the 2UZ in my Tundra. Its such a strong engine! And what a difference from the 22re to the 2uz. haha

Daniel Day

Thanks again. Yeah, the 22re to the 2uz is like comparing a Volkswagen to a Ferrari, lol. I had the 22re in my 87, and while it was bulletproof it was just so gutless! Once you have a V8 its hard to go back to anything else(especially when towing).

Daniel Day

I was able to do a little off roading at a friends property today. Nothing too hardcore(especially compared to some of you guys!), but I flexed the suspension pretty good and the tires only scrubbed a couple times. Let me know what y'all think!

Daniel Day

Sorry, double post.

Daniel Day

So I finally got around to installing the Daystar 3/2 lift and Spidertrax 1.25" wheel spacers yesterday afternoon. The front was rather easy(it only took me about 30-40 minutes per side using basic hand tools) but the back was a different story. The front spacers:

The back gave me some problems because it was hard to get the rear end up high enough to drop the rear axel enough to get the springs and spacers back in there. After a little redneck engineering we finally got the back of the truck high enough and were able to slide springs in. It was dark and raining when we got finished so I wasn't able to get any pics last night. It is still raining but I went ahead and snapped a few here at the fire house this morning.

A way before and after, doesn't even look like the same truck! Lol





I have heard nothing but good things about Spidertrax products and I will say that I am more than impressed with the quality of the spacers. They came packaged nicely and even included a tube of red Loc-tite with each pair. They completely eliminated the rubbing on the frame and gave the truck a much more aggressive stance.


A couple comparison shots:


You can see how much the tires were rubbing before:


Overall I am very pleased with the look and ride. I honestly can't really tell any difference in the ride but I can definitely it sits higher while I'm driving down the road!

toyota4x4907

Nice! The lift makes it

Daniel Day

Thanks man, I would have to agree!

I parked beside a stock Tundra at the gas station yesterday and I could really tell how much of a height difference there actually is! :smile:


And I snapped a couple more pics with a better background than my fire house parking lot, lol.

TRD98TT

Looks great.... I have a 2007 and don't have a single complaint.

-Ryan

aviator

Looks sweet Daniel... welcome to the family... really wanting a set of those rims now... but I have other issues needing my cash at the moment... I'd get at that rubbed spot with some primer and paint before the frame starts to rust on that bare spot...

julsruls

nice what a difference the tires and lift make