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First Gen Jitters

Discussion in '1st Gen Builds (2000-2006)' started by mmcdaniel, Jan 21, 2022.

  1. Jan 21, 2022 at 6:04 PM
    #1
    mmcdaniel

    mmcdaniel [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2022
    Member:
    #73213
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Mississippi Delta
    Vehicle:
    '01 Tundra AC 4x4 Limited
    Hello all!

    I recently joined the forum right after I bought my new-to-me truck! It's the first truck that I have owned in nearly 10 years. Prior to that in 2014, I purchased a 2010 Ford Fusion while I was in college. The vehicle had roughly 35k miles. Fast forward 8 years later and I still own that Fusion and it has now rolled over 80k miles! I know what you are thinking, I really put the mileage on my vehicles. :bikewhoops:Ehh, this is partly due to having a work vehicle for the past 5 years so my POV never really got driven.

    I purchased my '01 4x4 Limited Access Cab on 1/7/22. Man, I know it's old and has a ton of miles, 309k to be exact, but I could not be happier and more excited to begin building out the truck. I have no mechanical knowledge when it comes to vehicles other than doing my own oil changes and installing a new battery. So, this whole process will be a new challenge!

    So, to the build. I've created this thread to keep a detailed list of what I want/plan to do, and was also hoping that some of you with more knowledge may be able to give me some, "Hey, this may work better for you." ideas. I live in NE Arkansas so, a lot of mud and flat land. I would like to see myself in an overloading rig, but realistically, the truck may only be used for that a few weekends out of the year. The truck was mostly purchased to use for work purposes where I will be off-roading quite a bit to get to spots off the beaten path. Mostly, down right-of-ways and across farm fields. My employer was gracious enough to supply me with a RWD work van that gets stuck in wet grass and I have a fair amount of equipment I need to haul in if I can't get my vehicle to the work location. Enter my first gen tundra.

    So, here she is in all of her glory.
    She currently sits at 309k miles. The previous owner had the timing belt, water pump, and thermostat replaced at 280k miles. So, it would seem the 90k mile rule has been kept (at least I hope). The frame is in very good condition with very little rust. Thankfully, the vehicle was used primarily in Arkansas so no salty conditions over here!

    Current mods that came with the truck:

    JVC Head unit - speakers seem to have a loose connection as the driver side lower door speaker intermittently operates. Depends on how fast I hit a pothole.

    LED lights in the interior dome.

    Aftermarket LEDs with the dark OEM headlight assembly.

    Bed extender.

    Everything else is factory.

    My plans:

    Exterior:
    • Coastal Offroad Front and Rear bumper (possibly, still deciding on how much from stock look I want to stray, as well as how often this rig would actually need higher clearance)
    • New rims.
      • I really like the SCS Ray 10s, but those are currently OOS and quite the price tag. May look into a similar style rim from a different brand - probably a newer TRD Pro 17" wheel.
    • New tires.
      • Would like to fit some 33x11.5x17 underneath. Preferably the BFG KO2 A/T or Wrangler Duratacs. Currently rocking 265/70R16's Cooper Discoverer AT3. May plastidip those stock OEM rims black as they are starting to peel.
    • Paint job.
      • I am still deciding on how/what I want to do here. I have looked into spraying the whole rig with a bedliner or plastidip. I may just take it to a local VOTech and let them do it on the cheap. If I change the color, it's going to be to OD Green, but I'm leaning towards keeping it black.
    • Window Tint
      • match the rear windows and 50% full windshield
    • Camper Shell
      • I love the way these trucks look with shells. Plus, it would keep all of my gear and equipment dry that I use for work. I have came across a used Leer on craigslist that is black and currently on a FGT AC. I am actively trying to make a deal with that person! I have also looked into the Flated shells. The idea seems neat, but would like to talk to a few people that have/have had one before I drop that kind of money.
    • Decking system
      • I've seen the Decked modifications that people have made to retrofit the FGT beds, but I am not sure I want to pay all of that money only to have to mod it myself, but it is still an option. Enter the Flated deck. This, I could spend that amount of money on and be happy with cost and functionality as it would only be used during camping trips.
    My hopes with a decking system and camper shell are twofold. One, work purpose. Two, a camping setup that already has the pieces for shelter. I do not want a RTT - I don't see the positives outweighing the negatives for me. I already have a ground tent, as well. So, worse comes to worse, I rough it on the ground which is no bother to me.

    Suspension
    • OME Complete Lift Kit 2.5" Lift in front, 1" lift in rear to keep rake
    • SPC UCAs
    Interior
    • Double DIN head unit w/ Apple Car Play
    • Keyless entry and/or Remote start; probably going to go with Viper
    • New component system
    • Seat covers
    • Husky/WeatherTech floor liners
    If you've made it this far, thanks for following along! It will be approximately a month before I begin this build due to moving into a new house where I will actually have a garage and shop to work on this truck out of the elements! I'm looking forward to the journey and any tips/tricks that y'all would like to pass along!
     
    des2mtn likes this.
  2. Jan 21, 2022 at 6:09 PM
    #2
    Sunnier

    Sunnier Pity the warrior that slays all his foes

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2017
    Member:
    #9171
    Messages:
    12,266
    First Name:
    Sunny
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Inferno Tundra DC TRD & Longtravel 1st Gen, Banner/ HulkSmash build
    Welcome!
     
    mmcdaniel[OP] and FrenchToasty like this.
  3. Jan 21, 2022 at 6:13 PM
    #3
    1stgentundradriver

    1stgentundradriver Each sticker adds at least 5hp

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2020
    Member:
    #49798
    Messages:
    422
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Josh
    Silverdale Washington
    Vehicle:
    2006 DC 4x4 Limited
    A few
    Welcome to the forum! A really good set of off road tires will be a huge benefit…especially if it is gonna spend some time off pavement. If you don’t have snow where you are (guessing none) I’d pick up a good mud terrain (MT) tire because you may get into some situations that you wished you had it. It may keep you from getting stuck way way out in the boondocks.
     
    mmcdaniel[OP] likes this.
  4. Jan 21, 2022 at 6:30 PM
    #4
    MS22

    MS22 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2019
    Member:
    #35208
    Messages:
    606
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Mike
    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    02 Tundra 4x4
    Welcome from Colorado and nice lookin truck!
     
    mmcdaniel[OP] likes this.
  5. Jan 21, 2022 at 7:06 PM
    #5
    2mchfun

    2mchfun Yeah it'll pull it, just don't expect to stop!

    Joined:
    Dec 31, 2020
    Member:
    #56879
    Messages:
    5,688
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Dan
    Vehicle:
    2021 White 4x4 CM Trail Ed. 2018 White 4x4 4Runner SR5 Premium
    Seat covers, dash mat, ext. Trans. Cooler, sumo springs, oem pwr fld tow mirrors
    Welcome neighbor! From OKC here.
     
    mmcdaniel[OP] likes this.
  6. Jan 21, 2022 at 7:23 PM
    #6
    mmcdaniel

    mmcdaniel [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2022
    Member:
    #73213
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Mississippi Delta
    Vehicle:
    '01 Tundra AC 4x4 Limited
    Thanks! Yeah, hardly any snow here to be seen. I am torn between purchasing A/T or M/T. I travel for work about 120 miles on the highway from the house twice a week, but once I am at my job site, I am off-road. That's why I think those Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac's may be a good choice. I may look more into some dedicated offroad tires because I can deal with road noise, but getting stuck costs time, which costs money!
     
  7. Jan 21, 2022 at 8:25 PM
    #7
    Bakershack

    Bakershack Critical of Noncritical Thinkers

    Joined:
    May 20, 2020
    Member:
    #46846
    Messages:
    4,962
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Kelly
    Spanish Fort, AL
    Vehicle:
    2020 SSM 1794 4x4
    Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)!
     
    mmcdaniel[OP] likes this.
  8. Jan 23, 2022 at 5:25 PM
    #8
    mmcdaniel

    mmcdaniel [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2022
    Member:
    #73213
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Mississippi Delta
    Vehicle:
    '01 Tundra AC 4x4 Limited
    So, I got bored and decided I would try to plastidip my front and rear bumper, as well as my grille. This is the only picture I have of it so far. I have finished it and like the way it turned out! I will try to post more photos of the finished product tomorrow. I think for now, I am satisfied with the bumpers. I may decide to go aftermarket at a later date, but I have more important stuff to tackle first!
    0FCD5F9D-42F7-4190-AF68-93175E016549.jpg
    I also picked up a set of Kicker speakers on a whim from Best Buy this weekend. Got them installed! Man, I was shocked to find OEM speakers in the door. The previous owner installed a Kenwood head unit and a sub, but neglected the OEM speakers.
    Old:
    IMG_3895.jpg
    New:
    IMG_3896.jpg
    I decided to install new speakers because I thought my old ones were going bad. Turns out, I had more issues. This is what I found whenever I pulled the head unit out:
    IMG_3897.jpg
    I'm not sure what their thought process was when dealing with the shroud that came from the factory amplifier. It appears that they cut the wires from the connector and then decided to "splice" them back together. This "fix" has caused me to intermittently lose sound from my driver side speaker. So, I tape everything up for the time being and put it back in. I plan on ordering a new head unit and bypassing the factory amp to solve that problem. On to the next problem!
     
  9. Feb 2, 2022 at 10:02 AM
    #9
    mmcdaniel

    mmcdaniel [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2022
    Member:
    #73213
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Mississippi Delta
    Vehicle:
    '01 Tundra AC 4x4 Limited
    Gotta neat shot of the truck while I was up on a pole. Ordered some new wheels, an OME lift kit, and a new head unit with a backup camera. Hope to get them in next week and installed! I've got an appointment to have the truck tinted and a keyless entry/remote start system installed, as well.

    IMG_4009.jpg
     
    2006 Tundra AC likes this.
  10. Feb 24, 2022 at 3:12 PM
    #10
    mmcdaniel

    mmcdaniel [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2022
    Member:
    #73213
    Messages:
    6
    Gender:
    Male
    Mississippi Delta
    Vehicle:
    '01 Tundra AC 4x4 Limited
    Sorry, I’ve been MIA lately. Been crazy busy, but I finally got the OME lift on and some new wheels and tires! I went with BFG KO2 285/70/17. No rubbing that I have came across currently. The truck still had the original suspension which was absolutely shot. Comparatively speaking, this new OME lift is night and day difference in terms of on-road smoothness. I haven’t had a chance to get it offroad yet, but I have dealt with ice and was impressed with how well the KO2s handled.
    I will get a shot later of the new head unit and rear backup camera! I still haven’t gotten the camera wired up. I have the wiring ran, but am having trouble finding the trigger wire in the kick panel. I tied the camera into the rear reverse lights, but was not receiving signal. Gonna dive into it more once the weather gets better.

    557CB890-D28C-48C3-B1AE-88DF6E0A5BDA.jpg
     
    Bmktw2, whittkl4 and des2mtn like this.

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