What have you done to your 2nd gen Tundra today?

Sweet thanks!

 

No pic yet, but got tracking information for my RCI Skid, Tranny and Cat protection plates. Fast shipping from the 4th of July sale.

Hell yeah.....

 

Just fitted it with a set of Michelin Defender’s

 

So, the nasty Walmart battery that I stuck in her about three years and which has been gassing through the positive terminal almost since day one finally gave up. I had noticed the last few days that on starting up she'd wind over just a hair longer than the usual insta-start that I've grown accustomed to.
Gave the battery some mega amps through the start facility on my charger which got her started and then gingerly drove the seven miles to Advance for a new one. I say gingerly because it was gassing sulphuric through the top-up covers after I fired her up, the cab stunk of acid fumes and I was a tad concerned that the bloody thing would go up in smoke.
Changed it out in the car lot at Advance and advised them that they might want to leave the very hot, angrily hissing lump outside the shop until it calmed down.

 

Installed Toytec shackles and Timbren bump stops. Getting the old shackles off was a real pita. Then getting the old bushing sleeve out was even worse.

 

I ordered myself one about two weeks ago. I got shipping notification today. Still need to order lights.

 

That first photo looks like you're missing a front bumper. what happened to the old bump stops? You seem to be lifted pretty high, do you still manage to bump into them somehow?!

 

Paid her off yesterday. She’s all mine now.

 

C4 hybrid bumper

Bumpstops to limit impact when off-roading or hauling a load, just put them on so I’m not sure how they will perform

 

O it does look a lot better from the front!!

My old ones are goid as new(130k), not sure why yours got torn up.


@daveyjames207, congrats gang!! Nothing like that feeling of ownership finally!

 

Stock ones were fine, just harder rubber than the Timbrens. And from what I’ve researched the Timbrens allow more cushion when they contact the frame.

 

That does make sense, but I believe they're there as last resort to keep frame from making metal contact. They aren't meant to substitute springs. When I was loaded with tile and drive over uneven road, I can tell when I bottom out, but it's fairly soft cushion. If you hit them to the point of being an uncomfortable jolt, you're probably putting too much stress on the suspension.

 

New to me a couple weeks ago… Every single fluid swapped out, new brake components, spark plugs, and battery. Finished it off with some TRD O/R rims with black lugs and the TRD PRO center caps. Ive had many Toyota V8’s in the past, the 5.7 is a monster in this platform.

 

Probably almost too much power in such smol packagelooks great!

 

Thank you very much!

 

Changed the brake fluid with an Ares pressure tank.



Question: What happens if you don't have bleeder caps? Because I didn't have bleeder caps.

Also I had a ton of air in the lines which I've never seen with a pressure bleeder so maybe my brake fluid was incredibly old. It didn't look too bad. I've only had the truck for 18 months but it tested at 1.5% moisture which doesn't seem too bad.

 

Road dirt, salt, grime may work their way to the bleeder screw and clog it or prevent it from opening. I purchased a few extra bleeder caps after I bled mine and saw one was in bad shape.

 

Picked up a used Decked system today. Just finished cleaning and installing it this afternoon.

unfortunately it is missing the bottle opener!

It even works with my tonneau/soft topper combo.

 

I have a set of Defenders scheduled for install this Wednesday.

Today I pulled the vinyl trim off the B pillar on the passenger side, turned out pretty good I think.

 

Did you have to pull the belt trim to remove the sticker? How bad was the paint fade?

 

No, the vinyl pulled off from behind it. The paint that you see has only been rubbed down with acetone to get the adhesive off. I will wax next weekend. Looks like no fade to me so far.

 

Awesome truck, I have always wanted that exact setup!

 

I did the opposite, applied a wrap to the b-pillar. The previous owner had removed the sticker, so I covered it with these pre-cut plastic covers (still attached on the left below). They didn't fit well. My wrap is on the right. I haven't done this before and it didn't turn out great but I'm still learning and it's easy to redo.



Also used this stuff to restore the handles.

 

You’re going to love the Defenders. They are super quiet and very smooth. They replaced a set Bridgestones which were very good on dry pavement, but a little skiddish on wet or snowy roads. I went ahead and replaced the lugs as well, since the OEM we’re starting to swell. I paid Just under $1150 for everything. Not too bad since they were 20” stock tires. Michelin has an I instant discount right now. The best prices I found were at Discount Tire near me. Even though the prices are good, don’t be afraid to negotiate. I should have replaced the spare considering it’s 10 years old. I may look for a place that sells used tires. I did pull down the spare to inspect it since I’m taking it on a long trip. I did go ahead and lube the mechanism while it was down. Better safe than sorry. Just make sure whoever is doing your tires torques the wheels too the proper foot pounds, there are a lot of idiots out there.

 

I put Michelin Defender LTX on my 2012 Tundra this spring ( I bought the truck a few months earlier). It had Cooper AT3's on it from 2019 and they had most of their tread. The Coopers were rough riding, loud, and had abysmal rain performance. I was merging onto the highway during a big rainstorm and it got a little sideways on me, and then ABS kicked in when I was pulling up to a red light. I drive like a little old lady. I went in and had Defenders put on that day.

Also, I was going to have the TRD Off Road shocks swapped out for standard units.

So far, the ride is much quieter and softer. I haven't swapped out the shocks. Rain performance is 10000000000000000x better. Ride is good enough that I don't want to swap out the shocks.

 

Made it to Elkhart Lake, WI for the annual Road America trip! As always, Slurp performed flawlessly. A lot of cool cars this year, I'll only include a couple favorites.

Inside of turn 6 next to my friends 944:


993 Porsche 911 Racecar:


Aventador SVJ with an awesome color palette:

 

Installed matte black emblem layovers I bought from Prime Day. Neither one fit properly... Lost one somewhere on the road yesterday already. Messaged the Amazon seller, guess we'll see what happens. Bummer... They looked good for the half day they were on.

 

Is this a thing? It's been years since I've been to Elkhart but if there's some sort of Tundra meetup or something...I'm in!!

 

I put some of these on that I got off E-bay, the double stick tape they use on the 5.7 badges in particular is not adequate. Use the 3M high strength stuff, in a lot wider pieces than they send it with and it should stay on there better.

 

Link didn't work...I'm not sure I'll attempt it again. Definitely not a good quality item I received. I might just tape off the emblems and spray them matte black vs. dealing with the overlays, or order some OEM badges to replace them with. I think with a thicker/better adhesive tape the non-fitment would have been even worse too.