First Gen Tundra Build "Big Blue"

Hello all.

I've been on the forum lurking quite a bit for information and insight into our (my wife and I) 2001 Tundra. This forum has been a tremendous resource for establishing a good base for how I wanted to set up our rig, and I appreciate everyone's posts.

This thread is dedicated to the progress of our truck with detailed information on all we do to Big Blue, even though I still argue that the truck is purple.

Year: 2001
Model: Tundra SR5 4WD V8
Mileage: 168,xxx

Plans: 2-3 inch suspension lift, differential drop, front and rear bumpers, on-board air with air tank, rear storage/sleeping platform, exhaust from Second Gen Tundra, lights galore, Eaton Trutrac rear limited slip, rear passenger compartment storage/ dog platform, etc.

We hope everyone enjoys our build, and maybe learn a little along the way with us.
 
Through previous experience with Old Man Emu, I pieced a kit together from multiple sources.

-90004 Old Man Emu front struts
-60091 Old Man Emu rear shocks
-2885 Old Man Emu front coils
-KYB SM5442 strut mounts
-Energy Suspension coil spring isolator
-SB89 Old Man Emu leaf spring bushings
-95PF5 Old Man Emu front coil perch trim packer for driver side lean. Land Cruisers lean too.
-SPC 25485 upper control arms
-Daystar poly lower control arm bushings (OE control arms way too expensive in Alaska)
-Factory lower ball joints
-Factory Camber/Caster adjustment sleeves
-Energy Suspension steering rack poly bushings
-Daystar poly sway bar and end link bushings
-Icon Vehicle Dynamics rear 3 leaf add-a-leaf

I've been attempting to put the struts together before I get the truck in to complete the lift and I'm running into an issue on how to configure the mount. It seems the supplied bushings are too large and don't allow the strut mount enough room for me to get the upper bushing and nut on. Has anyone run into this issue?

Also, only one of my struts has the Old Man Emu info stamped into the strut assembly, has anyone come across this too?

Pictures to come a little later.
 
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There is a brake swap you can do with a 4Runner that will give you 1" larger rotors and about 1" larger pads.

There are also 4Runner drums that are thicker.
 
Thanks for the offer, I am looking to find a wrecked truck that I can grab all the components off at once instead of piecing it together since you need everything from the hub outwards.
 
A few pictures I took today just to give everyone at least a little to look at. -35f at the cabin this morning.
 

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hello everyone.

im attempting today to install a new alternator because mine went out his past week. I wanted to do the upgrade to the 150A unit out of the Sequoia and noticed once I had taken the old out that I have a 3 wire and not a 4.

my question is, can I install the 4 wire plug onto the 3 wire harness and bypass or not use the computer circuit that is the 4th pin? Will the alternator ever put out voltage if it isn't told via the computer to charge?

Hopefully I can get this thing running.
 

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Goal: Install 05 Sequoia 150A alternator

Supplies needed: New Alternator
4 wire pigtail harness
Wiring Diagrams for 2001 MY and 2005 MY
Cable Clamp

My alternator had gone out and instead of putting in the replacement 100 amp, I decided to Upgrade. I hadn't found any instances of anyone swapping the older 3 wire for the newer 4 wire, so I'm posting this to help anyone who may want to do it in the future.

I acquired the Alternator from a rebuilder in Anchorage for $200 plus shipping, and it comes with a three year unlimited mile warranty. The toughest part of the whole thing was sourcing a 4 pin connector. The local salvage yard gave me one for free because it took them 2 days to find one. This same place gave me a new window visor clip not too long ago free of charge. Nice guys

Anyways, here is the install photos.

Step One: Remove old Alternator, pretty straightforward, other than having to move the Power Steering pump out of the way.

Step Two: Remove the 3 pins from the old connector and from the 4 pin connector. Luckily they are the same size

20200212_174916.jpg

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Step 3: Insert the proper coordinating pins from the original connector to the new Connector. The pins are numbered on the wiring diagrams as to which location they reside. The 4th pin (#3) is not used, so you can keep the pin in the 4 pin connector. The connector I received from the Salvage yard was numbered on the back. Lucky me!

20200212_174800.jpg

S: Signal (White Wire) to number 1 IG: Ignition + (Black W/ Yellow Tracer) to terminal 2 L: Lamp (Yellow W/ Green Tracer) to Terminal 4

20200212_192435.jpg

I was also fortunate enough to be able to reuse the rubber cover from the original 3 wire to help it retain the factory function and protection

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Step 4: Reconnect the main charging cable and harness and install the new cable clamp

20200213_180714.jpg


Step 5: Reinstall belt and check charging system. I also needed to replace the tensioner pulley bearing so i did this at the same time. Bought a 6203 bearing from Motion Industries for $9 and took 5 minutes to remove the old and put in the new.

Step 6: Something I need to do and haven't yet is replace the Fusible Link in the fuse box for the 140 Amp in the 05 Sequoia. I'm currently waiting on Amazon to deliver that component, but until I run more accessories this won't be an issue. I'll upgrade the Charging wire to 2 gauge when I put the fusible Link in.
 
Goal: Replace broke vent window pivot arm

Supplies Needed: New Aluminum Pivot Arms (Dorman 47520)
Small hammer
Small Punch, I forget what size specifically)

Step 1: Remove door Panel and vent window Latch

Step 2: Drive spring pins just enough to slip the pivot arms out without driving them completely out so not to lose them on the floor

Step 3: Install new pivot arms, remount to door and vent window, reinstall door panel and voila. Worry free forever

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So, over this past weekend I embarked on replacing the suspension with the above listed parts. Needless to say, I ran into a few snags.

Now although I didn't take any before or during pictures of the process, I'll say these few things and then post some pictures of the after.

Number 1 - If installing Old Man Emu struts, you have to cut one the the supplied bushings in half in order to fit between the dust cover and strut mount or top hat. The full size bushing never compresses enough to get the upper bushing on, and leaving the bushing out leaves a gap between the dust cover and the strut mount once the top nut is on.

Number 2 - If you are installing Polyurethane Lower Control Arm Bushings.... the instructions from Daystar are not adequate to complete the job. I had to reference the Customer reviews on their website to find the information on having to retain the End Washers off of the original OEM bushings and use one of the supplied washers to make up for the gigantic gaps between the bushings and the frame. They also Don't mention that in order to get the end washers off, you have to use an impact hammer and angled chisel as they are pressed on at the factory. They also fail to mention that once you get said washers off, you have to enlarge the inner diameter to 1" with a hole saw in order to get them to fit over the sleeves that pass through the Polyurethane Bushings. That being said, They fit great once all of those items were addressed and are very rigid.

Number 3 - I ended up with way more than 2 inches from the Old Man Emu in the front. I'm not sure if the reason for this is because I also installed the SPC Uppers, but from full flex on the lift once it had weight on the ground, the front didn't flex at all. Maybe half an inch at most. I'm not necessarily disappointed, but I do worry about the longevity of the strut being that it's practically maxed out all the time. Maybe my front bumper will come sooner rather than later. I'm also glad that I decided to leave the factory overload Leaf in place during install of the ICON Vehicle Dynamics add-a-leaf. If I hadn't, Big Blue would have looked like one of those... "bulldoggin" trucks (see below)166244_150597404991355_100001232882366_290747_6584264_n.jpg

Side notes. Don't forget to always replace the Camber/Caster Adjustment Cams as one of mine was frozen and I had to combine torch and impact hammer to remove, and always torque to spec.

Pics Later
 

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