Canman’s build and misadventures

Inherited this 2007 Tundra Crewmax Ltd 5.7 4x4 last month from my daughter when she decided to get a 2011 Tubdra Ext Cab Ltd 5.7 4x4. I did a lot of work on it last summer which included the following:

1. New OEM steering rack
2. New Kenwood DBL DIN headunit
3. New RC upper ball joints
4. New MOOG lower ball joints
5. New MOOG tierods
6. New OEM from disc dust shields
7. New aftermarket steering low pressure hose/tube assy
8. New DIY catback exhaust with Flowmaster 10 series muffler and 2.25” SS mandrel bent tubes with dual blk powder coated 4” x 12” tips.
9. New Diehard Gold series battery

Prior to that she had a new driveshaft carrier bearing and new master cylinder installed.

She picked it up with 250,000 kms in Jan 2023, and it now has 288,000 kms. She decided in Dec 2023 she no longer wanted it because it had developed the following issues:

1. Battery was dead after a couple days of not using it.
2. Would not go into 4x4.
3. No heat coming from interior vents.

It took a couple of weeks, but I solved the above issues, but she still wanted another truck (blk ext with brown int).
Turns out the battery we purchased last July was defective. They replaced it with a new one last week at no charge.
It wouldn’t engage 4x4 because of a defective DS front ABS sensor. She had taken it to a local garage about it not going into 4x4, and they determined it was the sensor. They apparently inspected it, and said there was some grease on it. They cleaned up the sensor, re-installed and cleared the codes, but the issue reappeared a few days later. After confirming all this with the garage myself, I replaced it with an aftermarket one I ordered from Amazon.
The no heat issue turned out to be a lack of coolant. I added about 1.5 jugs of Toyota pre-mixed red coolant and the heat came back, but I also noticed there was virtually no airflow from the vents. I still have yet to address that issue. However, I noticed that the coolant level in the overflow bottle wound drop every day by about 1”, so I knew there was a leak somewhere, but there were no drip marks on the driveway. At first I suspected maybe a head gasket issue, but eventually determined the lower left DS corner of the rad core was wet looking. So, I ordered a Koyo radiator which I still need to install, but in the meantime I added some stop-leak which had kept it from leaking further so far.

I plan on keeping the Tundra for another 5 plus years barring any catastrophic issue, so plans are to fix up some dents, dings, and rust, and to continue on with preventative maintenance.

On that note, tonight I replaced the rear quarter panel braces which has rusted through.

 

Some pics of the truck…

 

Some pics of the rear quarter panel braces. It was interesting to note that the upper section of each brace had a tab bent at 90 degrees which was meant to go through a corresponding hole in the truck bed, however I never saw any hole(s), so I just bent the tabs. The old braces were so rusted there was no tab present if there was one. Also, the bottom section of the DS brace had a threaded stud where the the original braces used bolts, as did the new PS brace. Very strange. The original bolts were on very good shape so I reused them even though the dealer gave me some new generic M10 bolts. I did use the flange head nut they gave me on the stud.

Comparing new DS brace with orig.



Some pics of the rusted mess.




Pics of the part numbers.

 

While installing the PS brace, I noticed the lower mounting hole/nut would not align with the corresponding hole in the quarter panel. Then I recalled there was a dent in the section just above the bumper, but then noticed this tear.




After a bit of tweaking, I managed to align the hole in the quarter panel with that of the nut on the brace.

 

Nice work @Canman

 

After parking my Tundra in the driveway yesterday afternoon, I was getting some stuff out from the rear seats on the PS side, and suddenly it started sliding backwards. I was like WTF!?
My driveway is on a bit of a slope, and still had a bit of ice on it, but nothing like this had ever happened to me since I moved here in 99. The PS rear wheel was turning as it slid back. It slid for about a foot before finally stopping on some of the exposed gravel. It was in 2WD at the time, however I usually leave it 4WD as I have a steep driveway which is still partially covered in ice and snow. Something I’ll have to keep a mental note of.
Was in town to drop my Tundra off at a glass place to have two chips repaired in the windshield. They were caused a couple weeks back when Land Rover Defender had passed me on the highway and a piece of ice flew off from his Thule rook cargo box. Another passing car pulled up along side him (I’m guessing ti let him know something had happened) and he and I both pulled off at the next exit which wasn’t that far ahead. We stopped on the shoulder of the exit ramp. I explained what happened, and he apologized and gave me a $100 cash. Thought that would be plenty (at the time I only noticed the larger chip) as I recall last time I had this done it was around $50. Well, when I brought it into shop last Friday, he quoted $130 to fix the first chip, and another $35 to fix the second, or I could put it on my insurance. To complicate matters, thd truck is still insured and registered in my daughter’s name, so i had to explain to her the situation. She checked with her insurance company, and there was no deductible and no increases in her rate. Long story longer, after we left the shop, I pulled over down the road into a grocery store parking lot to check out their repair. Well, guess what - they didn’t do a damn thing! I can still feel the chip on the outside surface. I’ll be heading back into town today to see what they have to say. I also have to pick up more plastic clips and screws I had ordered at the dealer as I noticed more broken clips and missing screws from the rear mudflaps and wheelwell plastic liners. Yep, just another day in Canman’s world.

 

I cant tell you how typical that is! Lol, never ends.

 

So, went back to the glass place this morning, and on way there I noticed another chip in the windshield. I’m like WTF!!!
I swore they made the chip as I didn’t notice it yesterday. Anyways, I mention to them that it looks to n mug e as though they didn’t do anything at all as I could still feelbb b the chip on the outside surface. We (manage, tech) came out to look at the windshield. They assured me they did the repairs, and it’s normal for the outside surface to still feel like that. I said to myself, BS, but what can I do. Then I mention the third chip. They look at it and assured me that it wasn’t there when I brought the truck in yesterday. I’m thinking at I going crazy!? I b don’t remember anything hitting the windshield, and it’s only a 40 km journey back home. Anyways, they mention they can add a third repair to the invoice at no charge to me. I b said ok, and asked when they could look at it. They said, they could do it right away, so 40 mins later, I was out of there, but I swear they were scamming me. I’m going to bring it to another glass shop either later this week or next and see what they say about the supposed repair. I also got the clips and screws from the dealer.
Decided to fix the other broken clips later on the afternoon, but it had started snowing. I didn’t want to bring my LX out of the garage as I’m doing rust repairs on the body, so I braved the snow and began working on the clips for the mudflap. After removing three more broken clips for the mudflap I moved up to 2 clips that I thought were busted, but in reality it appears the metal portion they are supposed to clip into has rusted away. D’oh!
So, in the end, the PS mudflap has all new clips and screws as well as two new clips and screws that were located on the upper horizontal surface of the wheelwell. The clips and screws were gone completely.

Ahh, the joys of being a backyard mechanic in the great white north…

 

I’m going to spend the evening working on my flathead. Hopefully, I can start it next month.

 

Did you hit up another windshield place?
There has been like nothing 6 hours or so down south. It has been nice, we even saw double digit positives this year, cant recall a winter that warm before.

 

No. Damn! I completely forgot as I was running around getting parts for my speedster project.
Yeah, basically no snow for over a month except for a 1/2” we got the other day. No double digit temps here in the Ottawa valley, but a few single digit temps the last few weeks. I think the canal was only open for a few days before it got too warm.

 

spoke too soon!

 

We got 2” of snow a couple days ago, and now temps have plummeted. My daughter came over on Thursday with her boyfriend, and they were supposed to help me install the rear bumper, but I said forget it as it was already dark and snowing out.

 

Just got about 5cm last night. Lol i am over it.

 

Going to reinstall the rear bumper today. Was waiting on the kiddo to give me a hand over the last few weeks, but can’t wait any longer. She was supposed to be here by now, so just going to see if I can do it myself. Some of the damn bolts are rustier than on a 79 IH Traveler project I bought 4 yrs ago, and it sat outside in a field since 1982! Toyota has dropped the ball…

 

Dang thats some pitting . Can we always blame toyota for our climate? Or is it their cheap bolts?

 

Got the bumper hooked on the two most forward bolts as there is a slot for this in the brkts. Then used two jacks to lift it up into position. Worked out nicely. Applied copper never seize to the bolts, but I will likely replace them all as the bolt heads are too corroded on most of them.

 

My 97 LX450 doesn’t have bolts that rusty for the rear bumper and tow hitch. The “Legendary Toyota” is slowing going down hill. Even the “Car Wizard” on YT says so.

 

I wouldn't buy a new modern tundra, definitely seems like that quality of built to last has dropped.

 

Just finished changing the oil in my daughter’s 2011 Tundra. Noticed her oil filter hsg is plastic vs aluminum on my 2007. Went to remove the the drain plug on the filter hsg, and the whole hsg came off. D’oh! The spring retainer clip had been bent out of position and wasn’t catching on the ribs of the filter hsg. Also. Getting that skid plate off is a royal PITA! To complicate things if looks like there was a diff drop kit installed, so there were three steel spacers on the 3 rear mount positions. Was lots of fun trying to get those properly aligned while holding up the skid plate, while also trying to get the bolt started. Of course, all three plastic clips that secure the underside of the molded plastic bumper were pooched. One was just handing with the bolt attached, another one had the bolt missing, and the third was the incorrect clip. I would really like to talk to the designer/ engineer that designed this mess of a skid plate. Anyways, her oil change is done, but I still need to connect all the electrical plugs on mine. After spending more than 4 hrs on a cold wet concrete garage floor, I called it a day.

 

Interesting about the hsg difference in the years.... was the skid plate from factory?

 

Yes, on both. Ordered new plastic clips for the front bumper/skid plate mounting from the dealer this morning.

I’ll also mention the PS bumper wing was bent from just the weight of the bumper when I stored it vertically. What garbage is this? Just pulled it back with my hands. Lol! Last time I had an actual steel/chrome bumper was on my 71 Buick Skylark. In those days the cars were designed to be jacked up via slots in the bumper.

 

Yeah back when cars were tanks lol.
Did you ever get that windshield looked at again?

 

No. I keep forgetting every time I head into town. D’oh!
I’m super focused on gathering parts for my speedster build. I’m up to my eyeballs in figuring all the bits to complete the coolant piping from the engine to the rear mounted rad.

 

What type of Speedster are you building, is that a Model A rear diff you're using in the mockup? I have a 25 T and I love me some Speedsters.

 

Yeah, Model A diff. This is what I’m trying to roughly replicate.



Which is based on this real machine (GN JAP)…

 

Good luck with the build and keep us updated if you can. This is my dream build I've always wanted and keep scouring parts for.

 

Ran into an issue a couple weeks ago just after I installed the summer tires. Posted details in this thread.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/anyone-separate-the-front-hub-from-bearing.141774/

Replaced the rear rotors and pads yesterday with Toyota OEM. Not really impressed with the paint finish on the rotors. Seen better from aftermarket suppliers. Toyota needs to step up it’s quality overall. Looks like both my hard brake lines going to the hoses for the calipers will need to be replaced as they look pretty rusty right after the coating ends. Also, when it was my daughter’s truck, she had the RR caliper replaced last year. Having a look at it yesterday after giving it a quick clean with a wire wheel, I doubt it. Never seen such pitting on a re-built caliper.

 

Glad I live in Las Vegas no weather challenges. Just go and play.
Great thread narrative and pics on all the work you’ve done.

 

My alt died a couple weeks back. Posted some stuff here.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/truck-died-last-night.143351/

Started on the rad replacement first figuring it would give me more room to work on the alt. Getting the lower rad bolt on the PS was a major PITA. Watched a couple YT vids, and one didn’t have the cooler, and the other(s) implied to you could access the bolt through the bumper. Not sure what they’re smoking, but I couldn’t do it as the opening on the bumper is lower than the access holes in the rad cross member. No way to use a swivel either and get the socket to fit on the bolt head. At least I couldn’t do it. Decided to pull the cooler which in itself was another PITA. As a mech Eng, I’m super disappointed with the engineering on this vehicle from a maintenance perspective. It’s like they went out of their way to make it difficult. Anyways, got the bolt out under the cooler easily enough after removing the cooler. I was hearing some mechanically rattling noises upon start-up for a week or two prior to the alt dying, so I bought a new tensioner pulley, but trying all the pulleys after removing the serpentine belt, they all fine (no play), except the one shall pulley at the top. It’s’ beating is definitely finished, so will have to get one tomorrow. While I’m at it, I figure I’ll replace the thermostat as well.
Haven’t yet got to “removing” the PS pump or alt. Got new rad hoses and the belt from the dealer, and the alt and tensioner pulley from CarQuest.
Also, noticed this nasty surprise. I think I’ll patch it up while the rad is out. Will likely also pull the front bumper to have better access. Talking about poor engineering, why would they make this member into Swiss cheese knowing it would just fill up with crap? No need at all for holes along the top, and maybe just two on the bottom with plugs to allow for rust proofing.



Rad also had a leak in the core. I only noticed a leak along the top tank on the DS.