02 Daily Driver/Weekend Camping Rig

I purchased this 2002 AC 4x4 in January of 2016 after having done very little research. All I knew is that they were notorious for frame rust but otherwise reliable. It was a 1 owner with only 139K miles. Both the body and the interior were in amazing shape.


Interior

• all lights converted to LED's. This was a pleasant improvement.
• JVC speakers
• Cheap Chinese dash cam
• Alpine ILX-w650 stereo with NATIKA backup camera
• Noico sound deadening

Exterior

• SCS Ray10's in 17x8.5-purchased 6/15/19. Rolling on BFG K02's- 285/70/17.
• ARE V series camper shell from a 2006 Double Cab-mostly fits
• Front window tint-5%
• paint correction-thread found here
• new highlights with projectors installed May 2020
• Rear diff breather extension
• Installed a Swing Case SC400P
• Skid Row front and oil pan skid plates
• Brute Force Fab front bumper-delivered 6/15/20
• White Knuckle Sliders-installed 8/18/20

Mechanical

• 2 reman CV axles from CVJ May 2020
• Installed Wheeler's SS brake lines, front and rear
• GX460 brake upgrade with 14WA calipers-installed 11/4/20

Suspension

• Icon 2.5 Coilovers
• ICON 2.0 rear's
• ICON add-a-leaf. Do not recommend these
• SPC UCA's
  
• OEM outer tie rods
• OEM lower ball joints
• Energy Suspension steering rack bushings
• SuspensionMaxx Sway Bar Links
• Wheeler's Super Bumps

Wish List:

• rear BFF bumper
• HEADERS!

Before I changed anything:





Current State



Before bumper and sliders

 

Wheels and tires installed today-6-18-19.

 

1/5/2020

 

Brute Force Fab bumper installed 6/29/20

 

Noice!

 

Yes sir. I was wondering if anyone would get it. She started as a Basic White Bitch.

 

Howdy from DFW and nice truck

 

What was the deal with the Monroe struts? Just curious.

Nice truck by the way. I still wish mine was white. I just couldn't find any white ones around me that didn't look like chalk. I almost bought a white one years ago and it still haunts me haha.

 

They are soft and spongy and do nothing to correct the forward rake. It was really my fault for doing zero research. A friend recommended them and this was before I was interested in improving the truck at all. Thankfully they are not very expensive so it wasn't a mistake that hurt my wallet too badly.

You are correct. Nearly all the white ones look rough. It's because Toyota used a single stage paint job so they become oxidized over time. The good news is that if you're willing to put in the work most of the oxidation can be removed and the paint will shine again. It's not like the others where you're screwed once the clear coat starts to peel.

 

So, what is your pro review of the SPC's?! I've decided to go that route. Any recommendations?

 

I actually found that out recently and was kicking myself a little bit. Still I couldn't find anything in white that wasn't just all around beaten when I was looking. Good info on the monroes, I had no idea.

 

I got lucky today and scored a used set of Ray 10's for $525. These aren't the wheels I wanted but they are growing on me and the price was right. They have some slight trail damage but that just means it won't hurt the first time I do it.

 

Those are pretty sweet looking wheels. Sounds like a solid price too.

 

Nice truck! very good looking.

 

Sorry Zac, I somehow missed this post. I've only had the SPC's a few weeks now but I don't have any complaints. I think a uniball option would be better for hard wheeling but these will suit my needs. These allow for proper alignment specs and the greasable ball joint will hopefully last a long time. If you're going to do the install yourself then you will either want to buy a proper ball joint press for our trucks or be prepared to remove the spindle. I wasn't prepared with the right tools and didn't want to remove the spindle. The ball joint kit you can rent from Autozone really isn't ideal for our trucks due to limited space.

 

Nice score there!

 

Hows the ABS/Speed sensor situation?

 

I ordered an aftermarket sensor from Amazon that arrived yesterday. I figure it it doesn't work I'll just send it back. It was $20 vs $185 for OEM. It looks identical.

 

My wife is great. We came up on a fallen tree and she jumped out and started pulling back branches so I could squeeze through. She's a solid co-pilot.

 

I love the reverse water crossing pic!

 

LOL. This is what happens when my wife forgets to hit record. I wasn't upset getting to go through it twice though.

 

Sorry for the blurry video here. It was rough inside the tunnel.

 

Good looking truck! Man I wish I had bought a 4x4 when I bought mine. I wouldn't think twice about getting a new truck if it were.

 

Installed a Swing Case over the weekend. These are made for 2nd gen Tundras but will work with 1st gens as well. The model is

$240 SC400P | Fits 2007 - 2021 Toyota Tundra Passenger Side,Black

SC400P. I will say that it was very close to not fitting on the access cab. If you have a double cab first gen it will fit with more room to spare.

 

On our last camping trip I realized that 1) I need to get more organized with our gear and 2)space is limited with 2 humans and 2 big dogs.

In order to free up some space in the bed I'm going to attempt to create a gear attic that I attach to the ceiling of my ARE canopy. The only catch is that I won't do this if it blocks my view in the rear-view mirror.

Blue ridge overland gear sells a few options but they seem overpriced and the reviews are mixed. I may try to build a lightweight shelf instead. Open to suggestions!

 

Awesome truck. I had a AC before I bought my DC. Loved that truck.

 

Do you have a backup camera? When I tinted my rear window I found myself using my backup camera primarily for seeing behind me. Especially when it's dark outside. For under $100 it was a high yield upgrade. I still need to hook it to a switch so I can have it on whenever though.

 

Negative. It's on the "someday" list though. I did some testing and measuring this weekend and it looks like I could have gear handing down around 8" before blocking my view in the rear view mirror.