2007 RCSB Rescue

2007 RCSB Rescue


August of 2017 I purchased this well used 4910 lb. 2007 SR5 Farm truck...
it had about 270,000 miles on it when I drove it home from North Georgia.
It wasn't a Roadkill beater, but it was heading in that direction before being rescued.

To the best of my knowledge about 3600 Regular Cab Tundra were built from
2007 to 2010. The 4x2 5.7L Short Bed makes up a small fraction of that total.



I replaced the mismatched worn out set of A/T tires that came on the truck with Michelin LTX M/S first thing, and the windows received Ceramic tint on the rear & door glass the very next day. You are invited to follow along and see how I continue to personalize this RCSB and make it mine.

The same truck as of: 05/2021


My plan is to keep it stock, except where I can make it better than stock.
The 4x2 5.7L RCSB is 490 lbs. lighter than the 4x4 5.7L RCSB.
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I'd be tempted to do the "honey Badger" build and SC with a 2wd. If it were 4x, I'd be tempted to do a LT with a SC. But alas, these are just dreams.

 

I love everything about the SC - except the price.

 

Definitely agree. That's what's keeping one off my truck.

 

Nice. I still want a rcsb... one day. I'd do the same. Lower it.

 

The bed was the worst part of this truck, it was used & abused. One of the previous owners had jack-knifed a trailer putting a large dent in the drivers side box above the wheel. Ken with made a house call yesterday, and I think he did a great job.

Before & After ~ PDR



SR5 Alloys have replaced the original Steel wheels.

 

Before & After ~ Wet Okole



My Thunder Grey Metallic 2002 SR5 4WD is visible through the window
... the 2002 has worn Wet Okole seat covers for over 16 years, excellent seat covers.

 

Nice find

 

Nice truck

 

Rust free frame!



Lowering the bed: I replaced my worn out leaf springs with a set of new Alcans... you can and should use your factory leaf packs if they are still in good shape.



Lowering the bed will require the rerouting or shortening the exhaust pipe. Other than that, the installation is pretty straight forward.



Technically speaking this modification relocates the leaf packs so they hang under the axle. This draws the bed of the truck down, but it does not reduce ground clearance... this modification does not reduce load or towing capacity, and the scrub-line is unchanged.

Line-X for the bed is next.

 

Before & After ~ SOS lowering kit.
Pictured with a Ranch Hand bush bar.



The bed is 3.25" lower than stock... the truck sits level.



You do need to remove material from the sway bar brackets when installing the TRD sway bar with the lowering kit. Make sure the bracket does not make direct contact with the weld seams on the axle. The stubby sway bar end link are required when lowering, note the 'lowered specific' frame mount in the last picture.

I could do without the red, but it's not easily seen so I'll leave it be.




The tail pipe flange on the muffler was worn out, so I came up with this resonated turn down using a portion of the original tail pipe as a temporary exhaust solution.

 

Benefits that I've seen since lowering the rear and adding a rear sway bar:


. The occasional bed bounce & vibration are gone.

. The seating position is more comfortable, I no longer feel like I am being pushed toward the windshield.

. I have a better view from the rear view mirror, I can see more of what is behind me.

. Lane changes & cornering are much more precise, even at higher speeds.

. I didn't give up any ground clearance.

. Launch & acceleration is more efficient than before.

-- It's also much easier for my 80 year old mom to enter & exit the truck.


.

 

Level ride, 36" at all 4 wheels.

 

This is the second time that I have used Alcan for replacement Toyota truck leaf springs, several years ago they built a custom set with a little lift for my '96 4WD T100. Alcan makes some great leaf springs.

 

I put 1200+ miles on the RCSB for Thanksgiving... not a single hick-up, and I averaged 16 to 19 MPG depending on speed. 19 MPG under 75MPH, 16 MPG above 75 MPH (sustained average highway speeds). Press your right foot to the floor while cruising @ 70 mph and the truck comes alive. Right now, the harmonic sweet-spot for this truck the way I have it set up is a little above 80 MPH. Crossing the Ohio river ... entering Indiana.



Lane changes are exact, but the ride is still a little stiff for huge potholes, ugly expansion joints, and abrupt changes in the surface. It's not harsh, and easily controllable (I eventually eliminated this issue by installing shorter shocks and air bags)... the nannies did their job at least one time that I know of when I touched on the marbles on the outside edge of a downhill sweep to the left. I think the ride will soften a little bit once the new suspension is broken in.

275K and counting.

 

I was just east of accumulating snow... this was the heaviest snow that I saw .

 

On Monday my friend (father of the bride) and I took the path less traveled on the way home from his daughters 3.11 wedding in Asheville, NC - US 178 from Rosman, NC south to I-85 in SC. He rides, and he was driving the AWD Subaru like he would ride his motor bike (yanking & banking).

This RCSB handles the hilly-twisty-curvy two lane blacktop at speed with ease, the only problem I experienced was temporarily losing sight of his Subaru Outback directly in front of me as we negotiated the sharp left-hand curves... the huge A pillar in the Tundra is what blocked my view.

Toggling the sequential 6 speed kept me off the brakes, and allowed me to whip through the turns - it was a great roller coaster ride in the rain & fog. We encountered one slower driver,... they pulled over to let us pass - we appreciated their courtesy.

 

I removed the Ranch Hand bush bar last week to see how the truck drove without it.
Both the ride, and handling are better without the bar, I will not be re-installing the bar.



The Ranch Hand bar is great, but I feel that it needs to be on a heavier truck on a longer wheelbase.

 

I replaced the factory tow mirrors with a used set of standard mirrors yesterday...
the tow mirrors are a bit too much for a daily driver that does not tow anything.




As previously mentioned, the bed on this truck was pretty rough, but I was confident PDR and Line-X would improve the looks and extend it's life.

 

I bet that will really streamline the look of the truck. Really dig the 'sleeper' look Rex!

 

I spent some time cleaning up the chalky Super White paint last night, she cleans up pretty well considering the rough service life she once had. I'll find a spot in the shade, and go over it again later today.

 

Today's project... n-FAB T07RBS-H-TX rear bumper installation. I still need to mount the license plate and figure out lighting for the plate, any ideas?



I ended up using a LED plate light made for motorcycles.

 

That looks awesome!

 

Current mileage.



Georgia red clay coated the exterior of this truck... still cleaning



I dig the n-fab rear bumper.



Tow hitch receiver step installed.

 

What are u doing with those tow mirrors if i may ask

 

I replaced the factory head unit with a new Kenwood single disc Bluetooth capable head unit. It drives the Focal speakers very well.

 

Looking good!

 

I had them sold before I removed them.


The next modification planned is the installation of an Air Spring Kit.


Oh yeah, I added a set of Husky X-act Contour mats - I love these mats!

 

Good calls. Looks much better without the brush guard and tow mirrors!