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

With the extra cash, use a fraction of it and pay someone to paint it with that 'ultra black' stuff, then airbrush curves onto it?

 

Interesting. I’m not sure I like the looks. I do see some curves though. But that price tag is a bit nuts too.

 

Not sure if it's more form than function too. Without seeing what's underneath those few pieces of neatly bent tubing, I'm skeptical.

 

I think if Billy could figure out how to round a few of the corners with some triangles it would meet my hopes and dreams. But that’s a ton of extra work for pure aesthetics.

 

...

 

Got it. That's actually the same size he's running but he went w/KO2s: https://www.tundras.com/threads/275-70r17.58385/#post-1537908

Funny part is, look at the post just below his, supposedly the exact time tire (w/white lettering) and they look totally smaller than both yours. So weird.

I can't remember if abcinv is running stock suspension. About to crash out, maybe I'll hunt it down tomorrow.

Tire Rack seems to have a lot of the popular options folks are using in that size, but I'm stuck in analysis paralysis I think: https://tires.tirerack.com/tires/275 70-17

 

So, I'm an ugly dude, right. And a strange one too. But if this were my magnum opus, I'd focus on the sides, past the 2nd pod. I'd like that first edge to line up with the junction between headlight and side signal light. Then I'd really want a curved piece from that line to the fender. Or maybe a series of triangles forming a smooth bend. It's the least important / significant portion of the bumper from a structural perspective but the one which feels the most "off" to me. I'd also want that inner edge to line up closer to the edge of the grille. Which might mean only space for one pod below the headlight but that's certainly OK with me.

 

I think it's logical. Anything to make it more closely follow the body line of the headlight etc. That one last corner is pretty jutty. But I don't wheel hardcore or anything, so it may serve a function I'm missing due to my lack of direct experience w/it.

Oh, and I love the paint scheme on that one. Big throwback vibes there.

 

I kinda don't like the red mirror caps but that's just me.

Yeah, I don't wheel at all, and that corner does seem like one which could scrape. Still a smoother blend could potentially help more than hurt, an egg is way stronger than a bar.

 

While shopping for bumpers i think i might wanna hunt for some bumpers for other trucks i can make fit. Saw a really good looking plate bumper on a newer ranger, but didnt see a logo, and didnt have a tape measure.

 

Please keep us posted on what you figure out; I'll be digging into mine over the next few weeks...

 

sounds like the rear wheel bearing. do you feel it in the floor board?

 

Nothing fancy with my suspension; everything still stock other than the hockey pucks up front giving it a 1.5" lift. The leveling kit works for me as I do no off-roading and the ride is pretty darn good, better than most folks claim it would be with this type of lift. Me and a buddy did install the High Angle Boots to keep from spraying grease..

When I start digging into the thought of changing the suspension around I struggle with spending the money on it (when nothing is really "wrong" with what I have).

 

No better way to develop those welding skills than to do a whole bunch of welding.
A bumper kit is pretty straightforward and would be pretty easy to weld as long as you follow the directions (order of operations) and make sure everything is crazy clean. I think it'd be the perfect beginner project.
Plus there are ~1M youtube vids on how to weld/fabricate. So you order the kit, do some YT research while it ships, and get stuck in when it shows up.

 

That’s what I did. This is a Jeep kit that I modified.

 

If I didn’t have kids, it would be on my list.

I got some time to try on my brother in law’s truck. It was somewhat more complicated than I thought it might be. I’m also a bit of a stickler for craftsmanship and I’d be unsatisfied with my first dozen efforts for sure.

mostly, though, I have no workspace. 4000 sq foot lot with the 1700 sq foot house taking up most of it. Semi urban environment where, despite no HOA, I really can’t be set up for welding in the driveway. It’s a significant slope and we get a fair bit of foot traffic so I can’t really block the sidewalk.

Interesting article this morning in the NYT about how California is in trouble due to fires. For me, the trouble is cost of living mostly.

We are doing what we can to attempt to permit a 4th bedroom in the house on the existing footprint. That’s about the only way to reasonably add any space. For shop work, I’d for sure need to move somewhere more rural.

In the meantime, I do believe in specialization of labor. I spend my skill time with wires which I’m good at, given significant practice. So I can afford to pay others to build metal parts.

It does limit my options for customization though. But I can at least do the install work and feel a sense of ownership of the finished piece.

 

You're also welcome to drive that hog out here with a bumper kit in the bed and we'll stick it together in my garage/driveway. (weather depending)
It's a bit of a haul, but my driveway is flat and we can all stand a little more adventure.

 

Not knocking, but it may be time to move if it's even remotely possible. Cash in while this RE bubble is in full swell, rent until it pops this year, then enjoy your windfall as you buy 4x the property somewhere in AZ or NM with similar climate at half the cost.

Several folks the wife and I know have moved out of CA and NY since Ronapalooza began, tired of paying the inflated BS and being sequestered to a tiny postage stamp box with hundreds of thousands of others. Granted, most of them work digitally in one form or another, and had an option to easily hop to another employer if their current one doesn't offer remote or hybrid, but ...

There's definitely the added hurdle of finding a good school for the boys. That's been the main sticking point for us, kids are in a killer public school, but that's going to end for the oldest this year (has to transfer to new middle school) and the youngest is only 2 grades behind.

 

Oh for sure this has been a discussion topic for years now.

we sold our investment property late summer. Partly to take advantage of the sellers market tailwind and partly because I was continually annoyed by tenants. Got my price minus $5k from someone moving from LA to retire, she passed it on to the buyers of her home. Nice way to exit a poor purchase (3/2005)

our current house was a foreclosure and the loan is well under 1/4 the value, tax assessment is 1/2 due to the excellent purchase timing (mostly luck on that). I could easily rent for 2x the mortgage if I wanted to. No reason to sell other than to do a local move which I’ve ruled out due to the massive price tag and property tax pain.

We are looking in two spots, suburbs of Portland (near my wife’s sister) and Woodinville (near my wife’s brother and his horse farm).

I agree with most of your sentiment. But the specifics of this house and my sweat equity in labor make it a keeper for me for the long term. It’ll be great in retirement, walking distance to all the good stuff in Encinitas and the neighborhood is fun and getting better every year. It’s also a super easy rental if I ever needed to do that.

Yeah, owning a big lot with room for a real shop, it’s on the radar. I’m just not in the driver seat for that because it’s the wife’s call. In the meantime, if I can add a room by slogging through the process and managing a builder, I will take that pain. Probably add every penny in equity so it’s a no brainer.

 

Barter those wiring skills for welding. I enjoy wiring but it scares a lot of folks.

 

I “took” two days for a NorCal drive to visit one friend and pick up the BFF rear bumper + my Mr Marv goodies from 2020. That was about as much freedom as my leash could allow. I do appreciate the offer and I look forward to doing more domestic road travel as I inch towards retirement. So many places to see and I very much like meeting specific people in specific spots to get the inside track on stuff I’d never know about otherwise. It’s felt like 7 years of lockdown with the pregnancy added in. I have this hope that my boys will actually start enjoying long road trips soon, but we aren’t quite there yet. It’d be more fun with a copilot.

 

One thing which is very useful about my home situation is that I’m completely incapable of having more than 3 vehicles total. If I didn’t have that kind of back pressure I could easily become empty lord. Hah!

I think a reg cab first gen Taco w v6 would be a nice addition. And a diesel crew cab flatbed dually so I could help more with horse hauls and heavy work. And a 2 door jeep. Maybe a new bronco. And an electric pickup.
Ok, time to stop

 

Believe me, I'm in the same boat, lack of property is doing me a favor, marriagewise. I wouldn't mind having a super beetle, a p-car, or a x-cab taco/t-100 to tinker on, but lack of space is what forced me to get rid of my LS-loaded '60s pickup. Meh. I could only pull off an extra vehicle if it could run enough to drive a few hundred feet, brake half-ass, and the body wasn't rusted all to hell because I sold off my metalworking stuff.

I still keep eyes peeled though. If there's a steal out there I can snatch up, I'm all over it. Always looking for something with electrical gremlins or mangled upholstery, or basic suspension/engine issues, those and cosmetics and circuitry are easy fixes for me.

 

I badly want a watercooled Porsche for a daily...but I don't have enough garage space and permanently parking a car that nice in the driveway isn't super appealing.
And the way my property is set up, I don't have space for an additional garage. ...at least not a garage big enough for me to warrant the expense/effort.

 

Did a little C-Crew activity on crackie!
https://www.tundras.com/threads/crackhead-resurrection.94083/page-52#post-2568277

 

4WD testing!
https://www.tundras.com/threads/crackhead-resurrection.94083/page-52#post-2568562

 

Got my pop-n-lock tailgate power lock working today, added a bushing at the end of the slot so the plunger could properly unlock.
Got my backup camera properly auto-triggering too. Kinda happy today, the last 10% on both those pieces makes for an easier time convenience-wise.

 

I think I had one of the most productive days in a little while (yesterday) and got a bunch of punch-list items done around the house, which freed me up to do some work on the truck.
- My passenger armrest was sagging from not being tightened enough. Got that cinched up and in place.
- Installed my new headlamp harness and headlights from Mike at Headlight Services. (Big fan and quality work)
- Replaced my fuel injectors with DD 12-hole injectors. I cheated on the install and didn't remove the fuel rails, because I found out too late I didn't buy enough replacement crush washers. I got lucky and no fuel leaks yet.
- Installed my new DIR harness from @daveeasa . Much appreciated for the quick turnaround (quality and very easy to install).

 

I bet I drove under/into 30 trees like this today. At one point my wife just rode on the slider and held on to the roof rack so she could hop off and pull trees out of the way.

 

@empty_lord get it done.