From 00 AC to 05 DC Limited

In September our 00 AC Tundra was totaled by a close encounter with a Civic. We took the payout since the 00 was pretty beat up as a work truck anyway and upgraded to a 05 Double Cab Limited. My husband and I love the sunroof, roll down back window, and four full doors! The leather seats are in decent shape for its age. Purchased for under 10K we felt okay about the deal.

Now we are in the "getting to know you" stage of a used truck and working out the kinks. The truck came with pages of service history and was registered in Kentucky and Tennessee. Our old truck was from Georgia and didn't have a spot of rust underneath. This one has some in the usual spots like the leaf spring frame. I needle scaled the frame, then scrubbed everything I could reach with a wire wheel on my drill, and then sprayed it down with Rust Kutter. The back bumper was rusted so I'm in the process of replacing that and sheared off two of the small bolts. I removed the tailgate to make it easier to take the bumper off. I have one more treatment of Rust Cutter and then plan to coat everything with PB Surface Shield. We had the frame inspected and this was the recommendation.

Other upgrades included new window trim from Trail Runner Customs, and a new Power Brake Booster. The step rails I treated with Cerakote Trim Restoration and they look like new.

I just wanted to say thanks to all the contributors of this forum. I am learning so much and look forward to finishing the restoration of this truck. My husband has a busy office job and I am a full time potter and work from home. The rust remediation is a project I've taken on and while it is challenging I'm finding it rewarding to tackle. We use the truck to tow a 16ft camper and also a 94 Malibu Echelon ski boat. Making sure the frame is sound is paramount.

Connie

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)! We like pics around here.

 

Here's some pictures of the truck. Cerekote for the headlights also worked wonders. No more cloudy lens. I'm on the second bottle of Rust Kutter and like the results so far. Trying to take advantage of the 60 degree days this week. The old bumper is off and before I get the replacement out I'm sanding, cleaning, and treating the hitch. It seems sound with just surface rust.

 

Nice! All those marks on your hood make me think there's a lot of highway miles on her. Not a bad thing at all!

 

Welcome from NY.

 

I ordered a black bumper off of eBay. It was a cheap visual upgrade from the old rotted out one.

 

Welcome from NC nice looking truck; I wish mine was a 4x4