100,000 miles

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
100,000 miles, now with twice that mileage!

Well, the Tundra crossed 100,000 miles last weekend
3060043212_fd51ae2753_m.jpg


So to celebrate I thought I'd let ramble on for a bit about it. Since my last truck couldn't make 100,000 on a flatbed it's a milestone for me.

We bought the truck new in the fall of 2002. The salesman asked "What color do you want?" I was thinking green, or blue. Beth says "Black, it looks cool in black." And there we were a few weeks later signing papers for a black TRD 4x4 Access Cab. My first new truck!

Since it was purchased with home improvements in mind, and we never had time for camping, I said (you can laugh now) "It's perfect for us, I won't even have to modify it at all!"

Two weeks later it had sidesteps, and Rhino-lining in the bed. December saw the Truxedo tonneau cover added. This is the closest thing to a new car picture I have of it. It was a little wet out and the driveway had a little water in it!
2343233423_69628495cd.jpg


Another few months and the fine PA winters set in. With 15000 miles on the original tires they weren't cutting it in the snow. I found a used set of BFG AT's to try out (thanks Mark) and a buddy on Tundra Solutions had a set of Wheelers Black Steelies for sale cheap. Much better now!
2094253794_33f0f20817.jpg



The house finally got finished enough that we decided to take a real vacation somewhere. After much net surfing we came across the Outer Banks. After more searching we discovered the 4x4 beaches north of Corolla. "Hey we've got a 4x4! Let's try it out!" So we rented a house for a week, got a tow strap, shovels out of the garage and packed food clothes and various other necessities for a beach week.
2093480141_16e2a1a604_m.jpg
The beach was the best vacation to that point in time! We try to go once a year now even if it's only for a weekend....it's the bomb!

The winter of 04 brought a deer collision. Bugger ran out of a field at dark, nosed into my fender, took out the drivers mirror, scraped his eyeball and antlers across both windows, and proceeded to convolute every panel on the drivers side. The undamaged items, turnsignal on the front, tailight on the rear!
1669183545_83c6db34e2.jpg


Our last PA winter...no it wasn't the deer's fault. We moved for other reasons, partially snow and cold. After the move we found we had more free time. What to do? What to do? Let's go camping! Yeah that sounds like fun! I haven't done that for years! Beth bought me this neat truck tent...totally cool...then.
3059216041_979569919b_m.jpg

We wound up at GWNF after fishing on 4x4icon's (Paul) website and he wrote so highly of Flagpole and Meadow Knobs. Truck loaded and GPS'd we went into the unknown (to us at least) on our first family camping trip
in years.
3060054610_3b8854cc02_m.jpg
3059216999_0d7e632a55_m.jpg
To say we were bitten (me at least) by the "exploration" bug is an understatement. Suddenly we want to see what's down every road. I know someone's been down that road before, but I haven't and I won't be happy with you just telling me what's there...I want to see what is there.

Enough rambling (for now) and wasting anymore of your time. I'll post more on my truck and our explorations later. If you're enjoying yourself stick with me for a while; if not you may want to find a thread that is more to your tastes and avoid this one. The build up is not wild, the explorations are mild, but here we are having fun and enjoying the outdoors.
 
Last edited:

HMR

Rendezvous Conspiracy
Good work! Another 20K miles or so and the break-in period should be complete.

:sombrero:
 

corax

Explorer
Trucks don't have to be "extreme" to be awesome . . . just good enough to get you where you want and back. With regular maintenance, you'll be able to post 200k and 300k threads in a few years.
 
corax said:
Trucks don't have to be "extreme" to be awesome . . . just good enough to get you where you want and back. With regular maintenance, you'll be able to post 200k and 300k threads in a few years.

:iagree: My 1995 Taco's odometer currently reads +/- 248k miles, and running strong!
 

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
Thanks guys... I am actually hoping for 300 or better. At 100,000 this truck is the best vehicle for its mileage I've ever had. It drives tight and squeak/rattle free and very quiet (except for the Coopers) which is quite impressive to me.

Anyways...I need to backtrack just a little. At some point, after our first trip to OBX, I managed a cold air kit from ebay for $10, it's an SSAutochrome (bling) with a blue conical filter. It's still on the truck, but the filter has been replaced with an AEM dryflow now. I know it seems cheesy, but the stupid thing netted me about 1 mpg on the highway, I could crack into the 18.5s at 70 if I held steady on the throttle. Never got more than 18 stock, so I kept it on (plus it does an old man's ears good, it's got that old 4bbl moan to it)

After our first trip to GWNF and camping out, not being able to find things in the dark under the cover, and airing up tires with a portable TruckAir compressor (45+ minutes) I decided if we were going to do this with any frequency at all I needed a few things.
First came a bed light and a 12v power port. Now I could see under the tonneau cover in the dark, and I could air up the mattress without climbing into the cab. I wired a switch in the dash to cut power to both (paranoid for leaving lights on)
3059227697_5741f56e23_m.jpg
3059226945_b2b0a2ac70_m.jpg



Second, I bought a little MV-50, it was fast, 20 minutes now to do all four. However, I didn't want it taking up room in my little gear box with all my fluids and puncture kit, tow strap etc; so under the hood it goes.

No room. Big truck, little V8 and no room for the compressor. A perfect spot was on the fender right next to the air intake, but that big steel plate that comes with the kit took up to much room. I found an equally cheap (that's me) method of making the air intake smaller. I used a battery box to house the filter and plumbed a nice little ramair system from the bumper. I made it so I could block off the ram air if I was offroad and the truck would just have to breathe hot underhood air from the vents on the box.
3060075200_a91a54b6c7_m.jpg
3059238165_0647a6da35_m.jpg



That gave me room for the compressor, mounted it on a steel plate using the original airbox's rubber isolated bolts. Worked like a charm!
3059239937_7fe4e97377_m.jpg
3060076324_dbfb398e2a_m.jpg

Now I could airdown with my nice Staun deflators, drive wherever i was, and air up in half the time as before. All was right with the world.

Then I met my neighbor (Sean) with a blue Unlimited Jeep on 33x12.50s...
 
Last edited:

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
Sean liked to wheel, and he asked us if we wanted to go to GWNF. Heck yeah! So here we were a family of four, following two jeeps, (one on 33's the other on 31's and a Dodge Ram on 35's. It was fun, but I like to go slow and look around, get the kids out to hike, geocache, etc. This day we were there to drive trails. Going up the trail (same one we came down by ourselves last time), I followed the others on a side trail. This is what happened...wham!
2346251666_f6e293b4b0.jpg


So much for the steps. They were only there for the kids anyway. Kids can climb, right?
Regardless of the slight damage (the door still opened), we continued the day...

3066693670_b8481b1c86.jpg


2419686412_b8d9e358b0.jpg


The blockoff for the airbox came in handy, and I decided that I didn't have quite enough ground clearance. I spent some time researching tire sizes, how much lift was needed, and how much hammer I needed to fit the larger tires. The White Paper on Tire Selection was very helpful, as was the Expo Portal. Not having the ready cash available for the Donahoe coilovers and full Deaver leafspring setup I wanted, I settled for the slightly less desireable (ok way less desireable) Daystar and Deaver 3leaf AAL. Both purchased from members of TS, both slightly used, both very cheap. I got 1.5" out of the Daystars in front and 3/4" from the 3Leaf in the back. Now I could fit taller tires without much effort, and all I had to do was wait for the BFG AT's to wear out.

We continued through the summer camping and fishing on weekends. Most notably we went to Mount Rogers (tallest peak in VA), camped at Hurricane campground. The hiking was great and the campground was quiet. Nice.
2345566463_1d1bfde787_m.jpg
2346395710_215a25e566_m.jpg


Then came Monongahela 2006, we showed up...and Chris (Cshontz) showed. We didn't get there in time to run the forest roads, but we had a good time, and made a friend for life. Trips just keep getting better!

2345601673_521daf22ff.jpg


2094256014_85e2a4e3cc.jpg


2346429188_04814442a4.jpg


That was our last trip for the year, it made a lasting impression on us. Actually knowing someone who was like us made us much less apprehensive about meeting new people in the middle of West Virginia in the middle of nowhere...
 
Last edited:

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
Just as an FYI update (if anyone is still looking at this) we just had the timing belt changed. Had the work done at Rosners Toyota in Fredericksburg. (Iwas too chicken to try it myself).
4 hours
400 dollars
ouch but a necessary evilwith the 4.7V8.
 

4RunAmok

Explorer
Timing belt and water pump (that was leaking) and I'm out $625, and they didn't even change the belts.
 

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
I get so surprised sometimes....I feel like I'm just rambling on to myself (I am) but then I find out someone replies. Thanks for the interest! Anywho, back to the last bit of the program...

Winter set in (if you can call it that) and we settled in to our daily routines for a while. In early 2007 the ol' BFGs finally were worn enough to warrant replacement. I had spent my winter thinking of tire sizes, going back and forth...keep the 265s, get 285s, get 255s...the only thing I knew was I wanted an AT. I simply put too many road miles on the truck to warrant a mud tire.

After an amazing amount of consideration and research and looking at my picture of bent tube steps, I crossed out the 265 on the list. Now then...285s or 255s. I admit at this time to spending money to help decide... I bought two tires, both halftreads; 1 in 285 and 1 in 255. Mount them up and try them on! Well guess what? With a 1.5" lift on a Tundra 285s rub like h...! 255s on the other hand...fit! That narrows it down considerably. Let's see a 255 with an AT tread...hmm...not too much choice there. The only one I liked was the Cooper Discoverer ST. The internet reads (opinions) were good, the tread looked good. I knew (personally) no one with first hand experience with them so I thought I'd be the first on my block with them. Bought em love em can't recommend them enough, you need a do all tire that rivals the standard BFG AT this is it, plus they look good on the truck. The size of the tire combined with the mild lift keep the truck very stock looking, no one notices, it's just another Tundra. Of course there was the guy with the lifted (way high) Jeep at a light one day who very much noticed my tires were taller than his, yet my truck was much lower...what a waste (his opinion)
2385297253_7be16bb013_m.jpg
2385297097_471aa96420_m.jpg


Spring came along and with 500 miles on the tires I was following those pesky jeeps through the same trails that bit my steps. Oooh this is better, less scraping, bumping thumping pinging noises from underneath. Same trails less mess!
1366828481_ffee7607df.jpg


Then the road trips started...went to Baltimores Aquarium, camped overnight in PA went to Cabelas. Bought two new tents and four cots which updates our new "system" no more unloading the whole truck for an overnighter! Spent a week at Lake Anna (cabin)
2386195340_6a126bf09a_m.jpg
,

trips to Rapidan (no camping just touring)
2385362475_b3ee1fd61d.jpg
,

a trip to Trout Pond WVA (with Haggis and crew)
2386211762_32273e126b_m.jpg
2385377437_cb3840849b_m.jpg


a trip to Greenbriar State Forest (noisy campground)
3065882631_2ab00b1e1c_m.jpg
,
on into Kentucky and back trying to come back along forest roads as best we could
3066730380_3324c306ff.jpg

...fun fun fun.

Then to Indiana and back, and whew! the summer was flying! Miles were piling up fast!

Soon it was back to Monogahela to visit with Chris, Mark and Family and Big AL!
 
Last edited:

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
OK I swear this will be the last post anyone has to muddle through on this thread! Next I'd like to ask if anyone has trouble remembering what they did last year? Cause I sure do...what'd I forget? My favoritest, funnest project for the truck of course...the bed rack!

Beginning with the '06 Monongahela trip I thought about a bed rack. Four of us absolutely fill the bed with stuff (we try to live comfortably you know), and we have this unwritten rule that gear muxt fit under the cover! How to keep dry stuff dry, and the cover down and still have room for everyones stuff? Rack! Right!

Beth and I talked it out and we planned a half length, full width bed rack. It had to be high enough to allow the cover to roll up, but be low enough so gear wasn't standing taller than the roofline of the cab. I drew plans all winter, bought steel, and started cutting and welding in the spring. By summer time I had a rack and it's first loaded run was to Trout Pond in WVa. I was a bundle of nerves for that trip out, three gear boxes, water and a bit of firewood on the rack...I watched the mirrors a looong time waiting for a bump or turn in the road to collapse the rack like so many metal matchsticks! Whew! It worked, as planned and exceeded my expectations!
3065900651_6669412cdf.jpg



I like it because in a matter of minutes it goes from being 3 pieces of wall art in the garage, to a functional utility rack. It doesn't wiggle, wobble or creak. It holds a lot of weight, and if I could dance a jig I could dance it on the rack!

By the time of the Second Annual Monongahela trip we were all worn out from racking up a lot of road miles, but this was the trip we really looked forward to. The gang on the East Coast of the Portal are top-notch, fun to be with people. Whether sitting by a campfire trying to get Chris to eat snails, hiking along the river, or joy riding the Canaan Loop, they were all commendable people and I can't wait to meet them again and meet the rest of you all.
2387347083_caa4190b5f_m.jpg
2387345085_34ae2d512c_m.jpg

2388169582_1fb0663db0_m.jpg
2387337621_673b728bc8_m.jpg

2607816349_e868459e49_m.jpg
2388166972_2da44494ac_m.jpg

2069202217_d69bbd7ded.jpg


We settled down a bit after the Mon trip. We made it to OBX in October for Beths birthday, just a quick weekender, but we got to test the Coopers in the sand. Narrow tread still works in the sand, can't say it was better than the slightly wider/shorter BFG ATs (265s) but they certainly weren't any worse. They just drive through the sand, no drama.
1590478749_cf64550f76.jpg


That was the last off road trip for the year of 2007, the truck made a few more road trips, including one to Asheville NC. It got pretty quiet after that and we very slowly approached the 100,000 mile mark.

In March of 2007 with the brand new Coopers the Tundra sat at 72000 miles. In March 2008 we rolled the 100,000, that's what 28,000 miles in one year? Not a bad year, busy but fun for all.

And that's the story of our first 100,000 miles with the Tundra. Tune in a few years down the road and I'll let you know how the second 100 go...

Yes, I'll quit now and not subject you to any more of the jumble in my head. Thanks for listening. See you at Mon...
 
Last edited:

Haggis

Appalachian Ridgerunner
Ah, a boy and his truck. Classic American love story. Here's to Queen Elizabeth's Revenge, may it sail on.
 

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
OK I lied to you all...I decided just to continue this as a full-on life of my truck thread. Since I ended this thread, I've added some things. Maybe I should get a Mod to change the Title from 100,000 miles to something else like; How to Waste Time with an old pickup truck; or; A Tundra? Who is Stupid Enough to Mod a Tundra?

I did a complete OBA with a Viair 380C and a 2.5 gallon tank. This was done in its own thread.

Tundra On Board Air

if I need to reiterate, I can, but there it is.

I also added a Hidden Hitch front receiver. It's for moving the boat around (works like a charm) and for a winch. I've always like the idea of a winch but never wanted to spring for the large bumper, or wanted the additional weight of one. The Hitch tucks up nicely ( I've seen worse ones) and I can drop my skidplate without a problem for oil changes.

3089522911_644b30d728.jpg
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
185,527
Messages
2,875,540
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top