What have you done to your 1st gen Tundra today?

What I did today: placed an order for Katskinz. Happy to have the front seats redone as the drivers side has a tear in the middle and they look pretty worn. Local shop is putting them in at the end of the month.

 

didn't wanna tackle them yourself?

 

Nah. I have heard horror stories and if I was to say rip them, then I am out of luck. Also, it is a once and done thing, so this job is better for someone that does it regularly, imho. Same for my, soon to be done, timing belt.

Also, the Katskinz rep basically told me that I can't just buy them from the factory and install myself or by someone of my choosing. You pay for an install right up front. I guess it is for warranty reasons.

 

You can find vendors that will sell them to you without install. There have been a few members on here including myself that have done just that. With that said, it's not the funnest job.

 

i just did this today. No pics yet because I had to cover it with plastic so I could touch up a couple spots on the grey area but I’ll snap a couple tomorrow.

I sprayed duplicolor bedliner and then topped it off with nason jet black urethane paint since the duplicolor fades pretty quickly. I’ll be clearcoating it as well. I really like the look of the clear on top of bedliner paint.

 

i can find them for double cabs all day. the regular cab has a different hood though.

 

True; forgot who I was talking to...

 

yea i'm that weird guy with the regular cab!

1st gen tundras are forgotten by the aftermarket and what not.. but its even worse for the regular cab! lol

 

I can’t stop thinking about mine. Did not realize the hood was different.

You should probably hope I never get it back, you’ll have to block me after the 1000th question...

 

questions dont bother me. its when people ask questions.. then proceed to not listen and come back to me with the same question when their other way didnt work..

 

Thanks for the tip. I happy to have the pros do this install. How do you like them?

 

Wanted to share this. Maybe i shouldn’t be doing this but I took off the metal backing to the front dome lights and it made a big difference!
Metal backing on the lights...


With and without the backing...

 

Love them. No regrets besides not replacing the driver's seat bottom foam at the same time.

 

It's important to know what battles you can fight, and which are best left to the pros. Last Saturday I had the rig towed to a local shop to have that correct rear main seal put in. I feel a little defeated that I can rebuild an engine but can't drop a transmission! However, I bet they made quick work of those tricky driveshaft bolts with their pneumatic tools!

I've never called a tow truck, so I was shocked at how quickly they loaded my truck up, I thought for sure it would take longer than 5 minutes. The shop was very understanding of my unique situation, being that this was a rebuild in-progress, that I was supplying my own (non-marked up) parts, and that I wanted to be the first to start the engine up. They called today to say that they were finishing up, and how the wrong part was definitely the culprit.

Crazy how a $30 part can end up being a $1600 blunder. Could other shops have done it cheaper? Maybe. Would any of them get back to me in a timely manner? No. While I ain't excited having to pay so much, I'm STOKED to have my 1st Gen Tundra back and very potentially have it running. In the end, all I've done probably still ended up being cheaper than what a used engine installation would've been, plus I learned a lot. I think tomorrow's the day! Thanks everyone for keeping up.


Side note, when I was following the tow truck I noticed my Tundra sure had a lot of roll, probably because of how much I've added, so if this all works out, a rear sway bar is in the plans.

 

Hey EXCELLENT work here. I also have had the idea of pulling a junkyard rear sway bar to fab on to my truck, as to me, you can pretty much put anything on anything with enough skill---however, my snobby mechanic friend was quick to tell me that this would be impossible. Good to see someone did it.

Do you remember what vehicle it was from? Knowing that could help narrow down my search. I don't know how to weld but my buddy does. Also, what did this project run you? Sway bars at my local pick-and-pull are $20. Can't imagine this not being an economical project. Lastly, any advice if I'm to tackle this?

 

There's no shame in admitting defeat my man. I've done it many a times, as have many of the members here.

 

@theblurry1

I admitted defeat on my rear drums last May.

I actually was going to pull my axles apart and do wheel bearings too. My drums were rusted stuck to the hub. I admitted defeat and took it to a local shop. Here's a link.

@bmf4069 was trying to hype me up for it, but my back couldn't take the weird angle on the downswing on our 15 pound maul.

 

I pulled it from an early 90's 4runner IIRC. Not sure if it was stock or not. As online the sway bar busings show OEM is an 18mm diameter bar and this measures 21mm...

The brackets welded on the diff are for a jeep tj rear end. And I used a pair of leftover bushing brackets from some universal energy suspension sway bar bushings I had.


All in about $70'ish for me. Including a fresh rattle can for the brackets.

 

Yoooooo!!! I almost went searching for you.

 

You should check out his Build Page pictorial. First rebuild of engine I’ve ever seen on the 1st Gen. You’d enjoy it.

 

Great job! Painting in the vertical position may mitigate the drips, but it sets you up for the runs. It's hard to resist the temptation to put "enough" paint on, especially the last "wet coat" to give it that smooth look. That's when the runs strike. Let us know how it goes. I was resigned to coating my hood and roof with bedliner when the clearcoat finally goes.

 

Yeah.

 

Is this reference to a repair? My experience with auto touch ups spray cans was disastrous. Less than half of the cans actuality sprayed. Color was good, I'll give them that though.

 

Yes. I used the above 1D6 Color AutoMotiveTouchups for my side doink repair. Also used the shpray on my side mirror caps and front grill surround. All cans worked properly and expelled all contents. I used their regular Clear Coat and it turned out ok. Never seen a driveway job match a Pro Shop Job so I’m happy with it.


Some Tips: Constantly shake cans when using. Wipe nozzle every few sprays. If cans and metal temps are cool/cold do not use. If temps are warm and cans are cool, then warm them prior to use.

 

Actually, that Rustoleum Clear Coat used on my Wheels is very nice and I’d consider using that next time on the body.

 

My son and I tackled the rear spoiler on his mustang with Duplicolor black. Turned out OK, not great. Didn't have the luster we were hoping for, the magic is in the cut and buff at the end and we lacked the patience and skill to see that through properly. Had a body shop respray when we had some paint work done later. The body shop only charged $150 to shoot a loose panel. I brought him a fender a bumper and the spoiler, $450 including the buff out. Looks great.

 

I'm going to suggest you do both for #2. Use the DA polisher, then clean it up by hand. People tend to get tired doing it all by hand & don't finish strong.

Let the machines do the heavy work & let the hands do the fine details. I'm sure @Professional Hand Model would agree.

 

What are those matching dark spots on your bumper-outboard? In the 1970's I'd say holes for the tire jack. Back up sensors?

 

Turned out great! I'm convinced the cans had some trouble with getting shipped from sea level to mile high. Bit of a waste all said and done, but I just bed lined the shell and moved on.

 

That is a $10 F-150 bumper from the junkyard as my original was dented badly. They are indeed holes for proximity sensors which I may put in at some point as the bumper ended up being a good fit.