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

Smoke it!! You can probably do this using that spray-on tint stuff, then topcoat with clear. Or maybe a bottle of gun bluing would do it?

 

Voltage Checked my grounds today. Only a .3 Volts drop on the positive post to negative disconnected post clamp. Pretty good!

Also, Ohms Tested all my new grounds today. Checked all the OEM ones and cross checked the battery to the new ones and the new ones to the new ones. Average was .02-.03 Ohms. Good again!

One interesting item was a test on the frame body up near/under the windshield fluid rez. I probed the frame on one side of the weld at read 25.87 Ohm. Moved 2” over on to the other side of the frame weld and got .02-.03 Ohm.

Reason I did this test is I’ve planned on grounding the firewall to the frame because I heard its good. Maybe not necessary for our newer EFI engines, but the test I did today was weird. I probed deep on the frame with shiny scratches. Anyone?

 

Found a helpful seller on eBay that helped me match the aging and mismatched locks on my shell. Now all 5 locks use the same key.

 

This topper "window" is faded and been bothering me for a while. I finally realized today it's very easy to remove. Here it is before painting.




And after. It's not that obvious in pictures but looks a lot better. I used Rust-Oleum bed liner.

 

How do you drive with that. I can’t deal with the blind spots!




I do want Windoors though

 

Well a few years ago I realized that I had been driving for 15+ years with my side mirrors not adjusted correctly. I found some video that explained how they should be adjusted. During every day driving I can see just fine but backing up sucks. That's why I got the backup camera. I can see fine when changing lanes.

 

Sold the land cruiser so I can invest in a mutual fund earning modest ret— oh you can mod these things?!

 

Just ordered these today, I talked to a rep and he was very cool about answering all of my questions. Should produce about 1.5" to 2" of lift and carry my 200-400 lbs of gear with ease...and towing my solid fiberglass 24ft boat will be a breeze now. No more saggy pants

 

Look forward to your reviews.

 

AAL was my first route but after lots of contemplation and the loads I will be hauling non stop it just seemed like a temporary fix. I'll have my oem's that are in pretty good condition for sale if someone wants to pay shipping.

 

Back from it’s final frame check. She’s solid as can be. Finally okayed to get some sliders on it. And I’ll look into having frame plates made for the rear half of the frame

 

Maybe I'm just blind but who makes the springs?

 

They're the same ones I bought, don't know who actually makes them, but they're sold by auto and truck springs (ATS). I read the google reviews of the shop and they were really good, then I called and talked to the guy and he was super helpful.

 

Have you posted a review of these? Did you get any lift out of the back? How do they ride?

 

They look to be priced the same as General Springs which is out of PA, as well. Probably the same company. I called and spoke with a guy who was nice. Said they are Made in USA with USA Steel.

 

I asked Martin? (I think that's his name) if they were comparable to general springs. He said somewhat but at ATS they have pretty strict quality control measure that would please the pickiest customer. It's American steel not sure where from but assembled in house. Pennsylvania boys are pretty honest so I'll take his word for it. The HD ones I got can take an additional 500lbs per spring. He said it will be closer to 2" of lift with less than 200lbs loaded closer to 1.5" with under 500lbs.

BTW I priced both places and ats came in at $90 cheaper for HD and really fair shipping rates compared to General Springs.

 

The 2002 Springs look equally priced per each site. The shackles/bushings look to be half priced at ATS compared with GenSprings. Stoked on this find.

 

Put down a deposit on a Vagabond Nomad camper

 

Man... expensive. But if I did that on my reg cab I’d have enough space to comfortably live in it full time

 

Nice! I thought the Drifter was the correct size for our trucks? Our DC’s can fit the Nomad?

 

Jealous, if I didn’t have a family I’d be rocking one.

 

I've mentioned them, but no official review. I was very pleased with them (just sold the truck to get the DC). I was hesitant to go HD because I didn't want an overly stiff ride, but I had a shell and junk in the back and the worn out stock springs were too soft and saggy. ATS was very helpful and told me he didn't think they'd be too stiff and they weren't. With the HD springs I was 23 from hub to fender.

 

Got my 7 year old, dried up, crack infested spare tire replaced. After looking for a used one since pre-covid, I came to accept that people have a very unrealistic sense of ROI on used AT/MT tires. Best deal I saw was $80 for a BFG that was too old to trust. Average is $150 for something with a little meat left. Insanity, probably a California thing.

Bit the bullet and bought a new spare, cheapest I could get for $160 out the door. Shame but that will do and I feel much better knowing I can trust it if I need it.

 

FIFY.

 

"No low ballers. I know what I got."

 

"Price is firm, not in a hurry to sell"
its unbelievable really.

I'm gonna try to find a way to protect my spare from the unforgiving California Summer sun. Thinking maybe I can buy a cheap Jeep style tire cover and cut a hole in the center, run it upside-down on my spare so the open end is up.

 

I spoke with Bob at ATS about HD springs for my 2002 2wd AC. They're slightly different than the 4wd version but just about the same price he quoted you, the $10 difference is probably in shipping. As soon as I can, I intend to pull the trigger on that set, the stock springs are pretty weak.
I have a Timbren SES kit that keeps the rear from sagging too much but I feel it's just a bandage to my problem. When I have a couple of bikes in the bed or when I'm towing my side by side the excessive sag is only stopped by laying on the Timbren rubber springs. I think the HD springs will be a more permanent solution.

This is with no load in the bed. Any significant load has the frame laying on the Timbrens.



Sag isn't too bad with a couple of bikes



Without the Timbrens the sag would be much more than shown here. Total weight of the trailer/cargo is around 3500 lbs.

 

Aerospace 303 sprays every 3 weeks. Coupla spray squirts and she’ll stay new forever.

 

Just curious, why not keep it under the bed where the sun won't destroy it? The original location not work?

 

@Lil Steve are you planning on doing new shackles? @Tundra2 didn’t you do new shackles?