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

Got into some snow last week on a hunting trip in Idaho. Very pleased with how it handled the powder. I do think I need wheel spacers up front to clear front chains on my SPC upper control arm. It never got stuck or got hot after a 3 hour 2000ft slow climb with stock gearing and 33.4”s, but I don’t push it because nobody else was coming up that trail to save me.

 

yeah, a couple, can't belive I didn't take any of the damage to the old radiator
Did a couple other things while I was in there, tensioner, idler, + route the crank and oil sensor wires properly etc..
Having the A/C delete made life easy.

 

Hang on minute.... Did you say AC delete??? Like you don't have AC anymore???

 

WTH?

 

Hell yeah we both have the bigger badder 33's haha. 295/75r16 FTW

 

Yankee Canadians don't need no AC

 

As near as I can tell: Truck was in accident mid 2014, front and drivers side.
The fellas (or fellettes) who put her back together didn't replace the condenser or accumulator, and the lines were there but F-ed up so I took them out.
Mileage at last "dealer" service was @ 280k 2-xx-14, I purchased 9-20-21 with 288k. Looks like she sat for a good 6yrs. The condition of the fuel/and gas tank indicated that was pretty accurate.
So yes, I have no A/C, we sweat like real men up here in MI

 

You'll live.
My ranger didn't have AC for two years, one of those summer was the hottest on record in Houston. It hit 116°F

The hottest day on record in Michigan was July 13, 1936, when the temperature reached 112°F in Mio. This was also part of a record-breaking heat wave that affected the entire state and much of the contiguous United States.July 12, 1936: Grand Rapids recorded a high of 106°F, one of the hottest days in the city's history

• • 
    
• July 13, 1936: Grand Rapids recorded a high of 108°F, one of the hottest days in the city's history
  • 
    
• July 24, 1934: Detroit recorded a high of 105°F
  • 
    
• June 27, 1988: Detroit recorded a high of 103°F
  • 
    
• July 7, 1988: Detroit recorded a high of 103°F
  • 
    
• August 2, 2012: Detroit recorded a high of 102°F
  • 
    
• September 3, 1953: Detroit recorded a high of 101°F
  • 
    
• July 14, 1995: The last time Michigan experienced a 100°F day

 

Well, thx for that trip down memory lane.

 

That's ridiculous.... men are meant to experience the finer things in life such as hookers and AC

Several years ago (after a particular Tucson, AZ incident), I vowed to never again get into a vehicle w/o AC...

So, 2 of us fly from Vegas to Tucson to certify a few of their Patrol dogs. We're told (by the host), don't worry about a rental car I'll pick you guys up at the airport (mind you it's the buttF^%k crack of the middle of the summer) and we'll grab dinner before you head to the hotel.

So, we're standing outside the airport (waiting for our ride), and sure as shit, dude pulls up w/all four windows rolled down.... I look at my partner like WTF

We jump in, and dude drives off like it's an everyday thing to roll around Tucson in the middle of the summer w/your windows down... I finally say something, cuz I'm old a freakin' dying, and he tells us his AC's been out since last winter

By the time we get to dinner, I'm soaked, miserable and have no interest in eating spicy mexican food now (until we start drinking of course). Anyhow, dude drops us off at the hotel, I check in, shower, and immediately call for a rental car. It's the 21st Century, there's no excuse for no AC

 

NICE.

Does anyone here run chains in the winter? Is it specifically your aftermarket control arms that are the problem, or is it generally hard to fit chains on the front tires of these trucks? I haven't needed mine yet but I'm regularly driving deep into the mountains this hunting season with 4 chains in the truck assuming I'll be able to use them if I need to...

 

Chains would shred my fender liners with my wheel spacers on.

 

I grew up w/o AC in cars. Parents never had it in any car. I thought that was only for the rich people.

 

We had it, but I remember my dad shutting that shit off any time we went over a large grade (grapevine, etc...) or when he wanted to 'conserve fuel'

 

Get that extra HP back with the AC off.
When I try to set new 0-60 records in my 03, I do it on a cold day and turn the AC off.

 

Michigan doesn’t count. If the AC went out in your car in Louisiana, you didn’t drive it. Except to the AC repair shop. Otherwise you would dehydrate in 38 minutes

 

I have two sets of studded tires now, as of a few weeks ago. And non studded snows on both Tacomas, swapped out once the rain started. Excited to try the Tundra in the snow now. It did fine with the coopers but I think the Hakkapeliitta LT3’s w studs should be even more capable. Can’t decide which Tacoma I might use the second set with, could be nice for the 2wd ‘05 since it’s so light but the 4wd ‘16 would be the safest vehicle in something really nutty.

The second set was $200 total, mounted and balanced. Probably half life left in the tires.

 

It's me, I'm dude.

 

I'm not so sure about this. When we went to Michigan a few weeks ago it was hotter there than TN. Maybe 1990 Michigan.

 

Does anyone with a stock front end run chains? Stock width wheels, stock tire size?

 

I know it's not your question, but the manual says not to run chains on the front so it's probably a tight fit. I ran chains on the rears when I was stock though.

Did you run chains on the front of your Tacoma?

 

I don’t think anyone runs a stock sized tire here on this forum. And when i mean stock, i meant the original base model 245/70-16…which i do currently have mounted on my wrecked 2000 AC. I personally wouldn’t trust installing any sort of cables or chains on the front tires. Even with the small stock sized tires, there’s not a whole lot of room. The ramifications are too great when (not if) an errant chain adjuster accidentally loosens up. As much as i love running the ladder type chains on the front end of my 4x4’s, i’m not going to risk it with my tundra.

 

Do you still have the AC compressor, or is that long gone?

 

AC is still quite novel to me. It wasn’t until about 2012 that i finally bought a vehicle that had AC (2005 scion xB). Every time i turn it on i’m still in awe of how amazing it is to have. I’m currently shopping around for Black Friday sales for a Vintage Air AC kit to install in my old 1971 Ford f250. It’s going to be rad to get some relief from the heat when i’m out cutting firewood in 90~100 degree weather.

 

I dont need ac where I live and its a very dry cold so dont need the ac part to help defrtost.On my 4runner I cut the belt going to the compressor, why spin it or its idler pulley. So with our one big belt its not that easy. With your delete are you still spinning the compressor and idler pulley? I have seen that these rigs you can order belt with or without ac. Havent sent much more time looking into it.

 

Louisiana is 100% humidity all the time

 

Just like SETX

 

Good to know about not running chains in the front with these. I've never had to chain up in the past in Portland with AWD SUVs and Subarus, but do keep a set of chains in the back of the cab just in case I'm up in the mountains and have to show that I have them. Though I feel like that was more of a California thing than a PNW thing. Curious to see how these Cooper Discoverer AT3 do in the snow.

 

Damn, that's good to know. The chains I have, I got for my Tacoma. But I never put the fronts on. I know clearance for chains is a major problem with newer trucks, but I just assumed these older trucks would fit them no problem. That's too bad. I feel like I remember trying them on the Tundra to make sure they'd fit, and putting them on the front. But sitting in the driveway is different than driving...

 

Yup. No A/C and 'manual power' windows. We got one with A/C first, but I don't think we had a car with power windows or door lucks until 1987, and by then I was practically old enough to drive.