My New 04 DC

Hey everyone,

The quest for the 1st Gen has ended!

Short Version - She's a 2004 DC 4.7L 4WD SR5 Phantom Gray Pearl. Pictures below

Longer Version with details

Been on the hunt for about 2-3 months. I'm in Dallas. There were some things popping up here and there, but really the options were relatively sparse considering I wanted a truck in decent shape and was being pretty picky about a lot of options. I figured I'd end up having to drive up to 6 hours or so to get what I wanted. When these trucks pop up in DFW they are gone in a heartbeat. So I was scanning Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana craigslist and FB marketplace. Saw this one last week near San Antonio, so I drove down over the weekend and loved it. Brought it back home on Monday. Props to my wife who took care of our 3 kids solo on mother's day weekend while I was buying a truck. Yikes.

Some extras that came with it as a bonus:

• 17" OE Alloy wheels - previous owner has always stuck with the 265/65R17 that came on it. Love these wheels and probably won't ever change them.
• color-keyed overfenders
• keyless entry
• privacy glass with the rear window defrost
• tow package
• daytime running lights and fog lamps
• Line-x bedliner

It has 180k miles. It's one owner and he was meticulous about maintenance. I have all the repair and maintenance papers since he bought it new in 04. He greased the zerks himself and did his own oil changes every 5k with mobil 1. I read enough threads over the last couple months to know to look at the frame, timing belt, LBJs. Frame is in good shape as the truck has lived in south Texas its whole life - photo evidence below. Timing belt and water pump were done at 165k. Interior is in 8/10 shape and exterior is probably the same. Paint looks great (I think it had to have been garaged) just has some minor dents and dings with some barely noticeable hail damage on the roof. The LBJs were replaced at 40k due to recall #70B. Looks like that is the last time they were done. It has a few little quirks, like the radio volume knob not working perfectly and some of the seatbelt buttons and door handles sticking, but really that's about it. He did use it for some boat towing, he estimated about 10k miles.

Some things I am considering doing here in the near future:

• Head unit with backup camera
• Softopper (mostly will stay off but want to use it for longer road trips)
• Maybe a minor lift/level (1" or maybe 2") , but I'm gonna drive these tires for another 5k or 10k then decide. I really don't want to kill my mileage or geometry and I really like how this looks stock more than I thought I would.

I think I'm really lucky to have found a truck that checked so many boxes. To find a truck with frame, body, and mechanical components all in very good shape is tough. I'm gonna keep this thing forever. Attached are some pictures.... hopefully. This is the first time I've posted photos on here.

 

Very nice find! Props to the wife for giving up mothers day.

 

Noice!

 

That’s the Boerne one! Great to see a forum member pick it up. Looks even better in your pictures. Congrats. Can’t wait to see what you do with it.

 

Awesome...

Frame/Undercarriage looks excellent! Bang on the frame and crossmembers with a ball peen hammer to confirm.

Rear Shocks appear to be original. Replace them along with the front struts and you will think you're driving a new Truck.
Check the Hydraulic Power Steering Assist Cylinder. There may be some leakage there at the Boot (dark area). This is typical at your mileage.

 

Welcome to the '04 DC club. My OEM radio volume knob is wonky as well so I just use the steering wheel controls.

 

Welcome aboard, nice find!

Started happening to me recently too.

 

Trucks a beut sir, great find! Skip the lift/level and just put the tire type you like on it at factory or close to it size. Keep that smooth ride. You've got arguably the best 1/2 ton pickup ever made in your hands now. Would only be cooler if it was an AC.

 

Dang I like that color on these trucks a lot. Looks you found a good one. At the mileage I’d probably do the lower ball joints for peace of mind, other than that she looks good to go

 

Nice find @TXTundraGuy23 - and congrats on having the patience to wait it out

Regarding the sticky buttons, everything on the truck is probably going to need lube - all latches, buckles, hinges. I'd start with the tailgate stuff (there's two howto threads on here about it) because finding a color-matched tailgate handle will kill you.

Triflow is great tool for un-sticking/de-gumming mechanical buttons.

You can't really get to the back of the pot for the radio volume, but if you could, Deoxit D5 works wonders, it's also good for switches.

Get this stuff done first, before something breaks. You can rest assured, this is all stuff that starts to break/fail when you hit that 15-20 year mark, and nobody ever does proactive maintenance on it.

 

Yeah - this is it! I was down in at Lake Travis over mother's day weekend, so halfway to Boerne already from Dallas. Just figured I'd make a weekend out of it!

Thanks for the heads up. Good eye, I do see what you're looking at and I'll check it out!

Shifty - I'll check out these lubricants/ cleaners and get to work getting everything working smoothly again. Thanks for the tips!

 

No prob! And I just realized my wording was ambiguous. Triflow is good for unsticking non-electronic (i.e. mechanical) buttons, like seat belt buckles for example. Don't go spraying it into other things. May not hurt it, but if it's electronic, use an electrical contact cleaner like Deoxit, or CRC's product is good in a pinch.

And re: rack leak showing on bellows that Demented pointed out. My truck has 75k miles, it's always had similar oil staining on the bottom half of the bellows. I plan on adding a little

$15 AT-205 Re-Seal Stops Leaks, 8 Ounce Bottle

AT-205 to my reservoir in the near future to rejuvenate the seals a little bit. It's not a stop-leak product, it's just used to refresh seals and gaskets without over-plumping. You may find doing the same works for you. Add 1.5oz per quart of fluid in whatever system you're adding to.

 

This may be a stupid question, but would door handles have any electronic component if the truck has stock toyota keyless entry?

 

Its not the handles, its the door ajar button switch (at least with the rs3000 on an '02). I disabled mine, so if i unlock it and only open the drivers door it relocks itself within a minute or so. If i open another door it stays unlocked.

 

Usually door lock poppers are round and mounted somewhere in the door or on the handle assembly. The latches and stuff are separate.

 

Nice find. Funny how a lot of the trucks I've seen here have a steering rack with some small weeping into the dust boot. Maybe it's just my imagination.

 

Nope, I've noticed too, ever since I noticed mine.

 

Well after driving this truck for 5 days, I may have an unexpected mod climbing its way to the top of the priority list - big brake upgrade. These brakes are not exactly responsive. They work, but but I sure as hell better not tail anyone. I can't imagine pulling a trailer. I'd be driving into people left and right. Don't plan on pulling a trailer regularly, but even for daily driving I'd like the brakes to be a little more responsive.

 

Yup, we hear that a lot from the double cab guys... I love my brakes, they're great.

Before you say or do anything, please take a minute to adjust your rears. They are absolutely pivotal to good feeling brakes in these trucks and many don't have theirs dialed in right.

I think the '04 came with the 13WL calipers like my '06 but I may be wrong. You'll see the model stamped in the side of the caliper that's visible from under the truck. Take a peek.

But seriously. Adjust your rears ASAP.

As a matter of fact, it's so much of a problem that's not taken seriously that there's an entire sticky thread dedicated to rear adjustment: https://www.tundras.com/threads/rear-brake-adjustment-theory-and-practice.99575/