Should I replace parts on 21+ year old truck with 47,500 original miles

I applaud you, team! Didn’t wait ‘til page 2 to go sideways.

 

Gotta feel bad for that man's last name. But dammit if he didn't make it work anyway.

 

Dead ringer for Danny McBride in The Gemstones.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OowljuWOaac

 

Efficiency is key during these trying times.

 

Welcome to the sub 50k mile club. Timing belt and water pump are on the list for peace of mind. Then just do the basic maintenance like what the factory calls for.

 

Thanks everyone for all your responses. I'm already looking for those special sheepskin covers. Any links would be appreciated lol.
Dropped her off at a local dealership this afternoon for evaluation. At this point for sure doing timing belt, water pump, radiator and steering rack (has a small leak). Once everything done there, going straight to paint shop.
Orig. color of Sunfire Red staying but going with two tone Sunfire Red/Thunder Grey. Seems two-tone making a comeback. I'm seeing a lot of new trucks in two-tone. Personal preference I guess.

 

Wow, that’s pretty rough for sub 50k

 

She's got excellent bones. The Florida Sun is brutal. Ashamed to admit I witnessed it happening and did nothing over the years. I am now committed to bringing her back.

 

How's the top of the dash look??

 

Florida man living in Alabama here. I can vouch for the FL sun destroying a cars paint. My neighbors always told me I would wash the paint off my cars as I always detailed them every Friday night before heading out. But damnit if my paint wasn’t the best looking on the block. Gotta keep a layer of wax on it. I don’t know anything about restoring it, that’s why I try to keep it as ‘healthy’ as possible.

 

Is that some sweet wheels and tires and hiding in the bed of that truck?!

 

Sweeter than what it’s rolling on? Doubtful

 

Dash and interior are in excellent condition. Have always used a sun shade to protect the dash.

 

lol great info and good stuff. like everyone else says just do the basic stuff. mine finally got 81k and have just been collecting parts ha, no time to to do installs. But tomorrow! carrier bearing and u-joints, diff oil change. then gotta purchase a timing kit! happy wrenching y'all!

 

I would use a high mileage oil just to recondition dried up seals. Flush all your fluids.
Do the timing belt and water pump, everything else will tell you when it needs to be replaced.

 

hell yeah that's an awesome find OP, I too can attest to the FL sun being brutal. Mine lived in TX for most of its life then I brought it to FL and now VA. My radiator lasted to 155k, if it's a turtle shell brown color I'd definitely replace it too. Trans fluid should be drained and filled at oil change intervals as well and like Shifty' said I'd look to see if your ball joints have been replaced. Can't wait to see what it looks like when you've got it the way you want it!

 

While our mileage is different, I'm sitting at 180k currently, we both have a 2001 which means it's 21 years old. When I bought my truck about a year ago from someone who had only put probably 10k miles on it since 2013, and started driving it regularly there were a few things that needed replacing. Firstly, I'd change your radiator out regardless of how many miles it has been driven because a 20+ year old radiator is bound to fail eventually, especially if you suddenly start driving the vehicle more regularly. As others have said, get the timing belt and water pump replaced as well. Other than that I'd personally try to avoid driving it too hard and just putting a thousand miles or so on it before investing in a lift and other stuff just so you can get an idea of what to fix and what not to fix in the case that something breaks. If it doesn't need to be replaced after that, then you won't need to worry.

 

OP, check your spare tire. If it’s original, do yourself a favor and replace it. Mine was as well as several others. Shouldn’t be too hard to find a properly sized tire manufactured in the last few years which will be far safer than a 20 year old new tire. Excited to see photos of the two tone. Barcelona red or inferno would be fun for FGT but I like that you are committed to the 2 tone.

 

Guilty - https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-lunch-table-general-discussion.60450/page-913#post-2617667

I found three tire stores within 5 miles of my house with a good lightly used spare they'd pop on for $40-50, depending on how new, brand etc.

This is one of those situations where you really don't think about this specific part until you least expect to realize it.

Here's my story, this link is a different post from the above link: https://www.tundras.com/threads/1st-gen-lunch-table-general-discussion.60450/page-913#post-2617304

 

Thanks for that advice. I'm going to do that as soon as I get it back from dealership who's working on timing belt replacement (among other things). Needs to be removed anyway before going to the paint shop. As soon as the bed is removed at paint shop, we're going to inspect the frame carefully and remedy any issues.

 

If you are replacing the steering rack, Serra Toyota in Alabama has a great deal on the rack right now and free shipping.

 

Noted. Southeast Toyota has great pricing on a lot of parts. I placed a large order before the end of February to take advantage of an additional 10% off Presidents Day promotion. Fortunately I haven't taken delivery of the items yet because with the current promotion I will save an additional $740

 

Will be installing new Mishimoto radiator as well as fluid exchanges for all systems. New LBJ's going in as well.

 

It is the original 16" "Patrick" 5 star wheels with Hankook tires in the bed. Just sitting in the garage now.

 

I guess it pays to have even a temporary makeshift carport to protect your vehicle from the sun if it's just going to sit there indefinitely. A car cover would probably melt into the paint. haha

 

Thanks everyone for your responses.

I have an update. Took my new to me truck to a local Toyota dealership with the expectation that I would pay through the nose but felt it was worth having everything checked out before I invest significant $$$ bringing it back to glory. From the get go I had a really good feeling...the assistant service manager I dealt with first on the phone and every moment thereafter was nothing less than outstanding. His first move was to inform me that their senior master mechanic would be doing the work & that I would need to wait a few days before he was able to get to it. I met the mechanic personally when I dropped the truck off, spoke to him at length and asked that he take pictures along the way which he did. Here's a summary of what was done.

Replaced timing belt
New Pulleys and tensioner
Replaced water pump
Replaced thermostat
New Cam & Crank seals
New drive belt
Replaced Steering Rack
Alignment
Installed new lower ball joints
Installed new (Mishimoto) Radiator that I provided
Fluid exchanges for all systems except brake (getting big brakes installed later)
They told me I needed a new transmission shifter cable (which I later ordered online) and a new blower motor which I will replace myself if really needed.



Old timing belt (original) - 47k miles but 21 years old. Showing some age but doesn't look too bad



New radiator (left)

Old bushing on new rack was to test fit. New bushings were installed


Dealership road tested after all work and said was good to go. Or was it?????
I picked it up and drove it home with a lighter wallet but was feeling good. No major issues uncovered. It ran like a champ.
My buddy suggested that I drive it awhile before dropping it off for phase two of my build (Paint shop). Made perfect sense so I drove it to work (28 miles) the next day mostly highway.
Still running like a champ, made it home feeling really good.
Two days later decided to drive it to work again. Got within half mile from work and made a fairly sharp turn. Something didn't feel right. Made it to the parking lot, made several more sharp turns when it felt like what I thought was the calipers locking up. I was having difficulty moving forward to a parking space but managed to partially back in to one.

I got out of the truck scratching my head and looked underneath. WOW! - I am a lucky man. Truly blessed and very thankful...



...that this happened in the parking lot and not on the highway.

I promptly called the service manager and they arranged a tow (80 miles round trip). Needless to say, they knew they screwed up big time and apologized profusely. After inspection they determined nothing was damaged and properly reconnected the tie rod and realigned. They also installed my shifter cable for free.
I kept my cool the whole time realizing I might not be here to tell the story today had it happened differently. I have no real ill will at the moment and will likely return there for service.

I've put some more miles on it since and it's running great.

I had a new HU (Alpine) and speakers installed along with a Viper remote/alarm system.

The truck is now in the paint shop. The bed is off and I was able to get a very good look at the frame today. Don't have pics to share yet but I am very happy and relieved with what I saw. Only light surface rust which the paint shop will take care of. They are going to clean it, apply Ospho and apply a spray on two part epoxy coating. I'll share pics later. The truck frame was treated in 2011 under the Limited Service Campaign. So, aside from clearcoat failure and some light surface rust on the hood and roof the body is in exceptional condition. Can't wait to see it painted and move on to the LineX bedliner then new wheels/tires, suspension and new brakes. Maybe by then gas prices will be palatable.

 

Nice! you are def giving the truck some love... mine would love some decent paint.