Matt's 2,445 mile 2008 Tundra DC build

Excellent job on these little mods. I think I'll try the FOB extender.

 

Where did you make the connections for the headlight adjuster? Sorry if I missed it.

Also for the dash piece, from what I’ve found you need to source the trim from a double cab with the power slider rear window for the headlight adjuster to fit flush. I have the switch already but can’t make mine sit flush at all, 08 problems

 

I did not cover attaching power in the video. I used one of the adjacent dash controls (either RSCA or the bed light switch... I think the bed light switch) to get power. The way the connector on the Ebay cable is wired, they hard wire Ilum+ to +V and Ilum- to ground. If you hook it up like this, the backlight will be full brightness all the time. I cut Ilum- loose from the Ebay connector and tied it to the Ilum- of the adjacent control. I did not have to do anything with Ilum+.

I am picky, but it didn't bother me to have the tilt adjust switch sit 1-2mm recessed. Besides buying a different lower dash piece, I imagine the inside edge of the added control switch could be built up with material and perhaps some Dremel action behind the dash so the control clips spring out without being quite as far in.

 

Up to 20K miles last week.
AC Inverter dash on/off switch

When I installed my 1000W AC inverter, I shoved the remote panel it came with off to the side under the center dash. I wanted to find a switch that had an inverter/AC related symbol, matched the adjacent dash controls, and popped right into an unused position. The one I found on Amazon works well so far. They have two option and the "newer Toyota model" version matched my measured dimensions best.

$15 120V Outlet - Push Switch with Backlit Symbol Backlight ON-Off with Connector Wire Kit Compatible with Toyota Tacoma Tundra 4Runner Sequoia etc - Size 0.87 x 1.28 x 2"es - Orange

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XTNHVL9 I had to cut apart my inverter remote-mount panel to get to the wires. I wired it so "120V Outlet" is lit anytime the other switches are lit. When I push the button to turn on the inverter, the AC outlet symbol lights up to let you know it is on.
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Water pump

I noticed the big serpentine belt had some cracks on it (16 year old even though it was <20k miles at the time). While replacing it I saw pink crust running down from the water pump. It was more than just a little coming out of the weep hole. I replaced it using an Aisin water pump

$80 AISIN WPT-804 New Engine Water Pump with Gaskets - Compatible with Select Lexus LX570 Toyota Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008EEZ93M and thermostat/housing

$31 AISIN THT-005 Engine Coolant Thermostat with Housing and Gasket - Compatible with Select Lexus GS F, GS460, GX460, IS F, IS500, LC500, LS460, LS600h, LX570, RC F Toyota Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tundra

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M16MHU2 It wasn't terribly difficult, but I took my time and spent almost an entire day doing it. I normally tighten things by feel, but I did go with a torque wrench for the water pump.
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Battery charging port

I am often messing around in my truck with the radio on so I added an easy to get to charging port so I don't have to lift my hood each time and clamp on to the battery terminals. Fused it close to the + battery terminal with a 15A fuse and used Anderson Power Poles right behind the grille. The wires are protected in split loom tubing. I am going to find something to fit over the ends of the power poles even though it doesn't rain here much. I put another set of power poles on my 10A charger so I can just plug it into the truck and plug the charger into AC. After I am done charging, I push the wires down and it hides behind the grille.


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Nice truck; clean updates!

 

Just hit 24K miles.
Katzkin Leather interior:

It took me awhile to talk myself into buying Katzkin. I am a DIYer, but I decided to have them installed. I do much better at electronics than mechanical.... especially mechanical that is so visible. I did DIY the dash mounting of the heat/cool switch.

Cost installed for different options:
Deluxe Leather: 1,995.00 plus tax
Regular leather: 2,245.00 plus tax (higher leather content... weird as Deluxe sounds like it would be more leather)
Degreez heated and cooled option: 800.00 each seat (heating and cooling)
It was going to be about $3500 with a small discount to have both front seats with Degreez. We normally take my wife's car as a family so I decided to only have the driver's seat heated and cooled. I spent the extra $250 to have the higher leather content and went with the "regular" leather option. So the total was just under $3K. That is a lot of $ to spend on a 17 year old truck, but it should have a long life and I keep my vehicles a long time. The color specs I went with to match the brown/tan color option of the Tundra was Primary color = dark brown, body color = ivory, stitching = ivory. I went to American Sunroof Company (ASC) in San Diego. They have a large bundle of Katzkin leather samples that you can take out to your vehicle to see what matches best.
Front bench seat: Arm rest down


Front bench seat: Arm rest up

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Back seat

Heat/cool switch:
ASC and it seems like most installers normally put the heat/cool switch on the side of the seat on the hard plastic where your seat adjustments are. That seems like a crappy place to put it. There are three blue LEDS and three red LEDS to show the three power levels for heat and cool and it sure would be nice to see those. I have seen some people with center consoles mount them on the console, but that doesn't work for the front bench seat. I wanted to mount the switch in the dash. First, I needed to extend the wires for the switch. I was going to cut and lengthen all nine wires, but when I saw the setup for the switch, I recognized the 9-pin connectors they use as standard Molex connectors. It didn't take too much searching to find the male and female versions of the connectors so I made myself a five foot extension.

Having the extension let me run the wires under the passenger side plastic floor rail and then up under the kick panel and under the dash to the spot I wanted to mount the switch. I have a spot for three switches and only one was used (traction control). The Katzkin switch is larger than the pop-out switch space, but the three switches are surrounded by a black piece of rectangular plastic that also pops out. I carefully went in with a Dremel tool. First I had to make it flat behind the black piece where I wanted to mount the Katzkin switch.

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Then the Katzkin switch popped right in. I practiced on a spare piece of plastic before going in hot with the Dremel.

Once you have heated/cooled seats, you almost always want it on. I am in in inland San Diego so I will mostly use the cool, but winter mornings can be chilly so the warm will be nice.
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Bed Bounce TSB:

TSB-0270-10 https://www.tundratalk.net/attachme...-2710-10-choppy-ride-t-sb-0270-10-pdf.195834/
This TSB (technical service bulletin) was for the bad bed bounce that would happen on early 2nd gen trucks when going down concrete freeways that have concrete expansion joints.


There are several sections of I-15 freeway that cause the bounce in San Diego (Rancho Bernardo through Scripps Poway are what I see every day). While driving by myself, the bounce was bad in some sections. If I had a few passengers or some stuff in the bed, it was fine. The parts are listed in the TSB PDF. I bought the washers and bolts new from a online discount Toyota place. The rubber mounts were more expensive and I found them used on Ebay for $61.85 each.
The TSB covers the process fairly well. You loosen up the front mounts so there is some play then you remove the rear mounts. You access the bolt heads in the rear of the cab (under the carpet).
Rubber mounts (left "new" used, right original)


Rubber mounts showing the less recessed "new" used, right original


The new longer shiny bolt VS original and the new larger diameter washers


I couldn't picture how this would work before I got the parts. It seemed like thicker rubber would lift the rear of the cab higher, but as you might tell from the pictures the rubber mounts are just as thick, but on the new version the washers aren't recessed into the rubber so you wind up with more rubber between the washers and cab. The TSB says it won't totally eliminate the bed bounce, but help a lot. It sure does. I did a before and after video. I put the sun visor part down so it shows how much bounce the truck has before and after. Before the TSB it is really shaking.
https://youtu.be/yGoSqMXZnOM?si=rCX2yXkX6xu6OK37
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Great work!!