New guy questions

Evening folks, had a handful of questions for y’all:

Ill explain why below; Im looking to retire my ‘93 F-250 to just my hunting and pulling rig after I overhaul the old girl.

So, im looking for a 1st gen tundra with the 4.7v8. Preferably an access/double cab (might be the wrong terms, im used to super/extended and crew cab).

Beginning my questions:
-what should I watch out for, is there a handful of instant “RUN DONT WALK” things I should know about? Besides the frame rust (isn’t that a recall item for 2000-‘03?)
- what components are getting hard to find?
- What is the GCWR/ tow rating?
- what are my options for a little more power, porting heads and polished intake maybe? If I could get an extra 10-50hp reliably to compensate for elevation that’d be nice.
- What protecting mods are out there for towing at elevation? Upgraded rad, trans cooler, brakes, torque converter, etc?

And finally (for now lol): How do these trucks handle pulling grades, or in mild winds? I live in Colorado so between elevation and non-stop pulls vehicles get worked.
i have a 8x16 that’ll soon be semi-enclosed, about 21ft overall length with flipped axles. With my SxS on there its about 4.5k, with my hunting gear its probably a few hundred extra pounds between truck and trailer.
Not expecting to win any races but the ability to tow comfortably and safely are my priority.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/evening.98688/#post-2513244
Link that explains whats up with the f250.

 

Hopefully some folks answer, but given how often these exact questions pop up around here, sometimes it gets tiring and folks don't want to constantly answer the same questions over and over.

Here's some input from the last person who asked, before they fell off the face of the planet, like most seem to do, again why many folks don't bother replying.

Why should you listen to that advice? You don't want to be this f'n guy. Save yourself some pain.

GVRW / tow rating ... Go to Google.com. Type in GVRW tow rating <year> tundra and you'll get your info based on year which varies, or check the user manuals, also available here or by Google search.

Components hard to find ... Toyota produces stuff longer than most, very few parts are unobtanium. OEM parts are unusually superb quality too, buy online from https://parts.toyota.com at a discount and pick up free at your local dealership. Basic maintenance will push the full drivetrain to 400k+ miles w/o need to rebuild.

Mods for towing, again, depends on the truck and what features it had (tow pkg is a good example), possibly even year. Best thing you can do is separate tranny cooling from radiator, I guess. I don't tow. Can't speak a lot here.

Mods for extra HP. You're not going to squeeze much of anything out of the 4.7, it's very well dialed in. Seems like maybe long tube headers could be your best bet? Don't bother with intake mods, K&N bullshit, stock filter works amazingly well.

 

good to know the 4.7 is about as tapped put as it should be. Im used to the American 3 that leave gobs of power on the table with no sacrifices to reliability. Okay maybe some but still.

I should clarify, by intake I meant the actual intake manifold that mounts up top. Some of those you can polish/port for added airflow, or greater Cfm overall which helps us high altitude junkies. Same with cylinder heads.


I found the google answers, but those are notoriously inaccurate. I think based on the 2nd gen 5-7.5k would seem about right, but I don’t like guessing.

appreciate the response!

 

I really have to love the effort @shifty' puts in. Answers all the time and re-names his hyperlinks. Precious. Insert thumb-up emoji. #true #notsarchastic #ilikeshifty'

 

If you're coming off an F-250 and looking for comparable towing performance, you'll be disappointed.
These are 1/2 ton comfort trucks . . . can't compare w/ a 3/4 ton in the hauling department.
Sure, they'll haul within their capacities. But I've always tended to tow no more than 3/4 of the total max. recommended weight and been happy.
You'll spend a gang of dough trying to squeek-out any HP gains and be disappointed in the end. These motors are refined and best left alone . . . stock.
There's some suspension mods you can do to tighten 'em up a bit . . . but again these are reliable (and thirsty) 1/2 ton light-duty Japanese trucks.
The brakes aren't the greatest for any serious towing either . . . just look on here for 'brake-mod' threads.
All that being said, I tow 2 different Boston Whalers with my rig, an 18 footer and a 15 footer . . . my 2006 DC handles them both well . . . but it's mostly city slicker towing for the most part . . . a few trips to the desert pulling a few grades in the heat . . . no probs ever.
If you're looking at pulling 5000 lbs. , your foot will be in the pedal, especially on any grade, or wind. Expect around 10 mpg + or - . I can't answer to altitude, but I'm gonna guess it won't help.
All that being said, they can 'take' the abuse, but IMO you're going to really feel the difference between a 3/4 ton and a 1/2 ton.

 

Welcome from Colorado! I never heard of anyone port/polishing a First Gen - you should be the first and do a write up . 2005/2006 got about 40hp bump with VVTI, so if I was looking today, I would look at those. It is a difference that you can feel. But all First Gens should be able to tow your 4500# trailer plus gear with no issues. Mine has plenty of power at altitude and in the mountains. Let us know what you get.

 

For power, best mods are long tubes and an exhaust. There is a supercharger but they are extremely hard to find for a reasonable price, and these motors don't respond very well to boost. Turbos can be done, but from experience I can tell you that you're looking at a couple grand even with deals. For towing, mine was able to pull an extremely unaerodynamic 3200# trailer well, even up hills. For towing I'd recommend Hellwig add a leafs or sumosprings, and a sway bar(Hellwig or Addco) to help with suspension, and a bigger transmission oil cooler. Brake upgrades as well if you are consistently hauling. To be completely honest, I would probably lean towards a 2nd or 3rd gen for towing, those 5.7s pull great. They also have much more you can do to add power if needed without needing to go custom. Also, my 01 access cab running 5psi, with tons of suspension work still doesn't pull as well as my fathers 2000 gmc 6.0, at 5000' altitude. These are great trucks, but they can't match

 

I may have to!
Glad to hear they’ll do Ok with that trailer. I may eventually down-up size for a 7 x16 aluminum trailer and go that route to reduce overall weight.

 

I was reading into brakes and suspension last night, ill need to more at some point……

generally speaking, my 250 is running 75%-85% of max weight. The old girl is only rated for 13,000 GCWR. So I think the 1st gen isn’t far behind


Thirsty, what are y’all getting unloaded? I usually see 12.5mpg, maybe 12.8 with a tailwind. 6-8mpg loaded. Probably 2 gallons to the mile on steep grades. Not to be argumentative but man, 10 pulling sounds great!
Actually had an opportunity to run a ‘21 f150 with the 2.7 and 10 speed with an 8x18 v-nose enclosed across the state. Averaged right about 10mpg…

Well, as long as its not like oh lord white knuckle pucker time itll be OK. I don’t go anywhere fast, and definitely not with a trailer.

 

So stay away from boost, got it!

I suppose im not looking to match, but just for weekend trips, and getting the side by side out. If its really that bad it may get a gearing change. Or ill explore the possibility of an overdrive unit to split gears.

 

I suppose ill go over my 4 big appeals of the 1st gens.
1: With the sheer room in the engine bay, im pretty sure i can do a full rebuild in cab.

2: The cab is comfortable, iirc even for us big and tall guys. Which for me is huge, my current daily is a subaru outback, and it tears up my lower back and knees. Sits way too low, even with the head against the roof.

3: Its Toyota, simple and reliable has been their thing for ages. Once I got going as a body tech, Toyota has been at the top of my list for a reason.


I suppose that leaves a couple questions for now.
1: has anyone put an overdrive unit in their trucks? Say a gearvendors OD?
2: where are y’all getting upholstery materials, I am looking at a variety of rigs and well seats do wear out.

 

I wasn't trying to turn you off on these trucks, more of just what to expect.
I work with a friend who had a 2006 2WD DC for his artificial turf business here in So Cal. He pulled a utility dump trailer (hydraulic dump feature) with it often. I'm guessing it was approx. 8 feet wide and 16 feet long with 4 foot high sides. We would fill that thing with around 2 feet deep with dirt/ concrete and haul it to the dump no problem. We also could carry 5 or 6 scoops of decomposed granite and or road base. It never let us down, but you had to be a little 'aware' when pulling that kind of weight. It also had electric surge brakes, which were mandatory. These weren't long trips maybe 10-15 miles. He sold it with over 250K miles, and other than the paint's clear-coat being shot, the truck was 100%. He beat that thing up pretty good.

I am 6' and really like leg-room, unless you're NBA height, I think you'd be happy.
Another 'different' thing that some people like and others (like my Dad) do NOT like about the Gen 1 Tundras, is (I'll try to explain best I can) is the height from the top of the seat to the top of the floorboard . . . it's much less on the Tundras than say a Dodge/Ford/Chevy . . .it's like you're sitting in a car, as opposed to sitting at the dinner table where your knees are more over your feet . . . in the Tundra, you're more reclined . . . I dig it, my old man hates it ! LOL. The back seats on the DC's are legit and comfortable for an actual adult. The cushion or 'foam' in the seats is a topic some say are uncomfortable, I've never had a problem, but I've read some complain and add more to their liking.

Even though there is not much 'aftermarket' support for the Gen 1's, they are pretty simple and straight forward making them pretty easy to work on all things considered.

The one thing i can say is these trucks are pretty tough for what they are . . . I see a lot of people use them way past what they were designed for and they just keep on going. How 'safe' that is might be up to you.
Without a doubt my 2006 2WD DC is far and away the best truck I've ever had, but I'm just a city slicker and you sound like you're going to be doing some serious 'man-$h!+' which is super cool . . . I just wanted to paint a picture so you weren't disappointed.

 

I totally get it!
Im not NBA height, actually same height as you. Just longer in the legs so low riders have a tendency to cause stiffness of the knees.

So really it just comes down to maintenance, sounds like itll do fine for what I want. Which really, the end goal is for it to become a daily instead of the subie. I prefer driving a truck, easier to head out on trips and not spend an hour transferring everything over.

 

You're 100% correct. Former GM guy here, Toyota didn't enter my life until I was in my 30s coming up on 2 decades ago. I've owned, restored, rodded, restomodded several dozen different vehicles in my lifetime, many brands. I came from a GM family, stuffed GenIII V8s in everything from dune buggies to P-cars, I hear you.

Naturally, it was pretty confusing for me when I got my 1st Toyota V8 and I found you can't just swap more stout valve springs & retainers w/an improved cam, or swap in any of the dozens of aftermarket heads & new cam to net 20%+ more HP. You won't find that here. You may eek out another 10-15% from the 2UZ total.

Thing is, what I sacrificed in rodability I'm gaining 2x-3x over in reliability. And no more fighting thru issues and lack of longevity with 4l60/4l80.

Gotcha. Not saying it's impossible, porting and polishing may help, but if that's your plan, Toyota may not be the brand for you. I converted to Toyota to enjoy decent power, high reliability, and lengthy longevity out-of-the-box.

If you just want raw towing power at high altitude with the ability to throw a wide variety of aftermarket parts or small block magic at it, you may want to stick with Ford or Dodge. You'll find a lot more off-the-shelf bolt-on products there, and tons of proven tweaks, OEM parts swaps, etc.

Don't get me wrong - some of those things exist for 2UZ. It's just not the same thing, and stepping away from Toyota's design is liable to put a dent in the reliability and longevity aspects that make it so appealing.

 

I don't know if you'll find the aftermarket support for (1), but who knows. There are re-gearing options out there.

On (2), other than Katzkin, there's not a lot out there. Someone at The Seat Shop (online store that makes the most-OEM-true seat covers you'll find anywhere) told me they were going to start making new OEM-repop leathers for the 1st gen Tundras before EOY/2021, but as of yet I haven't seen it yet. There's a ton more support for the American brands.

 

Thats definitely true. Toyota appeal is reliability, and ease of maintenance. I can probably fit in with the 4.7, whereas I can get my hand stuck trying to work on my 351… and by comparison that 351 is small compared to the 460 and 7.3…


Anyway, I am looking at auction trucks, be it wrecked or just the local dealer auction thats public once a month. So im kinda figuring ill buy and drive for a week or two. Watch fluid pressures, temps, etc for any warning signs. then, plan out a rebuild and get things out. I figure what ill save at auction ill lose in making a factory fresh powertrain.

 

Look for an 05-06, the extra power is worth it. Delete the secondary air injection to avoid the limp mode mess

Only meaningful power adder is exhaust short of boost, but boost you need to at least put beefier rods in or run less than 5 psi

my 05 sitting on 33s with the stock 3.93 gears has towed 2 tacomas home ~ 300-320 miles at around 10-11mpg. Probably around 6000 lbs with the trailers they were on, power was adequate. Won’t win any races, but it never struggled, hell it didn’t even hunt for gears with OD on.

find a truck with the tow package. Tow package took stock tow rating to its peak at 7200 lbs.



DO CHECK THE FRAME THROUGHLY. Rust is the trucks Achilles heal

 

Is there by chance a VIN decoder thread?
Just so I can see what axle ratios it has, and anything else a toyota vin will tell me?

trans options and its gearing ratio’s would be good to know.

 

Axle ratio will be on the vin tag on the door jamb in the form of a code

 

Right, for my OBS i have the owners manual which tells me about all the codes ford used for axle ratios. I don’t know of anyone here has a thread with that table or not in it

Heck, better yet what all did the tow package include? If it doesn’t have it ill make it have it

 

Small secondary trans cooler, 130amp alt, a beefy ass hitch, a 7 pin with a connector by the driver side kick panel to plug a controller into. And a power steering “cooler” (it just a little extra line that’s looped…


I added the tow package to my truck, but be warned, it required a new engine room harness, new rear frame harness, the alt, the power steering lines (this one doesn’t matter much… but mine are leaking havnt installed it yet) and the trans cooler. Which has actually been pretty solid with my custom aluminium radiator providing cooling to the trans too


The grades ive pulled aren’t near as drastic as yours. But trans temps never have gone over 200 when towing the tacos.

 

Mpg wise, i got about 16 unloaded, and 11 with a 1500# pop up camper in the bed. For height these are great, my 6’8” father is comfortable in mine. Also a great option for some grunt is gears, and although I cant say I’ve regeared yet, many others have with great results. Axle ratios for access cabs is generally 3.91, and double cabs are 4.10 as far as I’m aware. The tow pack on my 01 only consisted of a trans oil cooler, a class 3 hitch, and a 4 pin trailer hitch. Adding a 7 pin and trailer brake was super easy though.

 

They’re capable to tow with assuming you know their limits.

 

No. Instead, Toyota provides everything you need...

Go here. Plug in the VIN of your vehicle-to-buy and click "I'm not a robot" box before continuing. Scroll down on the results. All options for that truck are included, as shown below. You want to look for the options I'm boxing off. "Factory" means it was installed from factory, "Port" means it was added at the port and/or by a dealer or regional entity.

Tip: After purchase, use the same page. Sign up for an account and 'claim' the VIN as yours so you get future recall data AND you get access to ALL Toyota dealership service records for its trips for dealership work, recalls, etc. You can also check for open recalls on yours.

 

Ohh! Thats super neat of toyota to do.
Now if they’d just keep a pdf file of rated tow capacities the way ford does it would make life really easy.

 

nearly all the early 4.7L tundras come with the tow package, which means they’re rated at 7000lbs capacity for the 4x4, and 7200lbs for the 2wd.

these trucks will run at the bleeding edge pretty darn well. like all trucks, maintenance is key.

I myself have towed closer to 11,000 on flat ground a couple times when in a pinch. I wouldn’t recommend it, but the truck did the job.

expect 10-13mpg when towing, maybe less in the mountains. 13-16 is typical unloaded. Consider regearing if you put bigger tires on. All Access cab trucks got 3.91s, and the double/crew cabs trucks got either 391s or 410s. I went up to 4.56 when I put 33s on.

 

Lots of good info here. Seems everyone's pretty much on the same page. Great forum.
Question . . . is there a code on the door tag / vin number that tells what gear ratio I have in the rear end of my 2006 DC sr5 2WD w/ tow package ?
I know it's and LSD as the tag is still attached and clearly visible, I'd just be curious as to the ratio.

 

I think only 04 DC was 4.10 and 05/06 are 3.91.

Plug your vin into toyota owners and it may say. Otherwise parts.toyota.com and lookup the ring & pinion.

 

If someone hasn't mentioned this, stay away from 00-02 when towing due to weak planetary gears in overdrive.

 

I towed a 7000# travel trailer for years with my '00. Zero issues with the trans. Truck is still running and shifting great. The planetary gear issue was isolated to some 2000 models I believe. Also, you shouldn't be towing in OD.