Flyer's '02 Tundra adventure build

[Flyer69]

So..... I bought this 02 Tundra TRD AC Ltd new in August 2002 after driving the wheels off my old '86 Ranger XL. After almost 14 years, I'm finally getting around to building it out for adventure!

This truck was my first new vehicle, and it has truly been a joy to own. I bought the A.R.E. Z-series canopy with the truck through the Toyota dealership, and had the bed sprayed with Line-X. I also let them talk me into undercoating, even though I live in CA and don't drive on salted roads. It wasn't too much extra, and honestly, it probably added some years of life to the body. Early on (2003 I think) I had the TSB work done on the brakes, and my original rotors lasted until late 2015, even with towing a 19' boat and a 23' Prowler RV trailer. They did finally warp on me, and the pedal pulsing finally became annoying, so I plopped on some new Centek rotors and pads. This was the only issue I have had with this truck in 186,000 miles. These photos are from January 2016.

 

[AaronK]

Clean rig! I love my 02..best truck I've ever owned

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[Flyer69]

Coilover Rebuild

My Donahoes lasted about 10 years before the shaft seals started weeping... pretty good, I reckon. I found a small, local shop to rebuild them for me while I was gone (I work far away from home for weeks at a time...), and the guy did a nice job. Here are some pics of the rebuild, which included all new seals. The shafts were pitted from years of use, so they had to be replaced too. The oil inside was pretty nasty! Total for the rebuild, including parts, was about $500... not bad for a "new" pair of DR's!











The ride is like new again, and I'm really glad I went this route versus buying a new set of CO's. In the near future, I plan to upgrade my UCA's, but I haven't yet decided on which ones to get. Sounds like some tend to have more uniball issues than others, so i'll have to do more research.

 

[Flyer69]

Thanks AaronK. I actually tried to buy a green SR5 model, but ended up with the black Limited for the same price (after 5+ hours of negotiating). I've never regretted that decision.

 

[Flyer69]

Timing belt replacement

Most of my early service was done by my local Toyota dealer. As luck would have it, my neighbor 2 houses over was the service manager at the dealership. We were friends before I bought the truck, and it's a long story but he would drive my truck to work, have it serviced (at the good neighbor discounted rate :ylsmoke, call me for a CC# for payment, and drive it home that evening. He did the same for my (now ex-) wife's Camry. He was just the nicest guy. He and his wife ended up moving to Austin, TX a few years ago to be near their son who is a musician, so no more bro deals on service. I do most things myself now anyway, except for timing belts and such. I could probably do that too, but i'd rather pay a pro than spend all day tearing my truck apart.

The first TB was done at 90k, right on schedule. The second one was done at 185k by a small, local independent shop that my (new) wife has used for years and recommended highly. I am very protective of my rig, so I did a lot of research on this little shop. They had hundreds of great reviews on the interweb, and when I talked to them on the phone I got a good vibe. I checked into my local dealership also, only to discover that their service department has really gone downhill... hundreds of awful reviews. I ended up going with the little shop. I really like to support hard-working local folks whenever I can. I also had them replace the water pump and the cam and crank seals while they had everything apart.

I dropped my truck off in the morning, stole my wife's car to get home since she works a few blocks away from the shop. She picked up the truck and drove it home that evening. Sweet! Well.... the next morning when I started the truck, I knew something wasn't right. The idle was not silky smooth like before. I wondered if I was crazy. Later that day, my wife and I took the truck to go to the movies, and I tried to accelerate around a slow car on the freeway. NO POWER. Crappy mileage too. I run a ScanGauge, and normally get 15+mpg. I was getting 12.5 now. I immediately called the shop, and the service manager said bring it in first thing in the morning. He never balked, just took my word that the truck wasn't right.

The next day they tore it all back apart and found the timing belt was off by one tooth on the crank. Oops. Sincere apologies were made, and I picked the truck up that evening. On the drive home I could tell it still wasn't right. That's one advantage of owning a truck since it was new. I called the manager again, and again he didn't balk, just took my word for it. It's hard to get upset at a really nice guy that doesn't try to argue with you. He said bring it back in the morning.

I dropped it off again in the morning. They definitely got faster at teardown/rebuild! The manager called me at 2pm and promised me it was done and done right this time. He explained that his mechanic had used the "cheat sheet" that came with the timing belt kit to line up all the marks, but there was a problem. On the left cam there is a "T" stamped into the cam pulley, and he was using that as the timing mark. Two teeth over, there is a very small "l" mark, which is the correct timing mark. The mechanic had to drive to the Toyota dealership and actually borrow their service manual to figure it out! The service manager, whose name rhymes with Don, was super apologetic, and he knocked off $400 off the bill I had already paid. Now, I know some of you readers are thinking this crew is a bunch of hacks. I had a difficult time keeping my cool too, but in the end I am glad I did. The truck runs perfectly smooth now, gets better mileage, and it only cost me 600 bucks including parts, albeit 3 days of my time as well. Also, it turns out that Don is a close friend of my wife's boss, which she never knew before. He's actually a really good dude. Anyway, long story, i know, but if you ever have a problem with a timing belt job, you'll know to look for this mistake.

So now that that's over with for another 90k, on to better things, like armor...

 

[Flyer69]

Rear bumper

I had been shopping for bumpers and such for a while, and came across a good deal on a rear bumper from another ExPo member. I picked this one up for $1,400, including a set of LED backup lights. It's made by Brute Force Fabrication in Clovis, CA. BFF is one of only a few shops around that make stuff for 1st gen Tundras. The guy I bought my rear bumper from is a good friend of the shop owner, Billy Simmons. He was having Billy make him a new rear bumper because he wanted to trim his bed, so I saved about $400 over a new one plus the cost of powdercoating. Billy is another really good dude, and his work is top shelf. Here's what I got:


The bumper was powdercoated a dark grey, but I wanted it black, so I scuffed it up real good with a scotch-brite pad, cleaned it with solvent. I painted it with several thin coats of Rust-Oleum spray-on bed liner, and it came out really clean. I thought about having it re-powder coated black, but with both swingouts it would have been about $300, so I figured I'd try the cheap route first. So far so good. The Rust-Oleum stuff is pretty durable, and I think it looks great. It's easy to work with too.




I wired the LED lights into my reverse lights, and now when I back up it's much easier to see what's behind me. I eventually plan to add a switch inside the tailgate to turn them on manually in case I need some bright light to set up camp or cook or something. The holes outboard of the lights are reinforced Hi-lift jacking points built into the bumper. Pretty cool!

Coming soon are a new Brute Force Fab front bumper and weld-on sliders, but first I'll need a comfy place to sleep............

 

[AaronK]

Love the bumper. I have an ARB front inbound from Aus. Probably going to fab my own rear at some point

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[Happykamper]

Agree at looking truck and dig the bumper .

 

[Flyer69]

James Baroud Evasion Evo RTT

I've slept in the back of my truck plenty of times... enough to know I wanted a rooftop tent. Lack of ventilation is one thing, but I plan to carry all my crap in the bed of the truck, and I don't want to have to clear it all out just to make my bed up every night. The whole idea behind this build is the ability to be spontaneous. I want to be ready to hit the road on my next adventure within one hour of making the decision to go, which means not having to mount the tent on the roof every time. Since my truck is my daily driver, I didn't want a big ol' brick up there killing my gas mileage.

Tepui tents is just north of me in Santa Cruz, and they make some pretty nice tents. I like the roominess of fold-out tents and the way they form a sheltered entrance for the ladder, but again there's the flying brick factor...

After doing a ton of research, I finally settled on a James Baroud Evasion Evo. I bought mine from Nomad Ventures in Escondido. Bruce, the owner, is super nice and he really went the extra mile to make sure everything was right. Lead time was about one month because I wanted black to match my truck. I was also lucky to catch a sale where the $300+ isothermic (insulation) kit was included for free. Bruce and his crew took their time and really did a great job on the installation. I never felt rushed, and they were very careful not to scratch the tent or the truck. They even let me help.

My A.R.E. canopy has yakima racks on a track system, and mounting the tent to them was easy. The Yakima system will work fine for now, but I plan to upgrade to a Front Runner system with 3 load bars very soon. Also in the works is a welded aluminum frame system to add support to the inside of the canopy, which itself is very strong and well-built, but I plan to do a bit of wheelin' and I don't want to develop cracks in the corners from the added load.

Here are a few pics of the installation and my first trip with the new RTT:







The Evasion Evo is killer! There are screened windows all around, a net storage loft, a rechargeable LED light, mesh pockets for your stuff (Bruce even gave me a couple extras), and a built-in reversible solar fan for airflow. The factory mattress is about 3" thick, and I added a 1.5" memory foam topper to it, so it is super plush. I also added a nice set of cotton sheets, a lightweight down comforter, my favorite wool Pendleton blanket, and a pair of memory foam pillows. Best of all, I can leave all the bedding in place AND stash the ladder inside (it comes with a zippered canvas storage bag to keep your bedding clean) when I collapse the tent. When I roll into camp, I pop the 4 latches and my tent is pitched in less than 30 seconds! The wife unit just loves it, and she thinks I am really clever and awesome! No more sleeping on the ground or on inflatable mattresses for us unless we are backpacking. It's also really nice for taking naps between surf sessions. One thing it isn't so good for, unlike a van, is urban stealth camping in front of your friend's house after a night of partying.... Oh well, I guess you can't have everything!

 

[Flyer69]

Time for some sliders

I was so impressed with Billy at Brute Force Fab that I went ahead and ordered a set of sliders and a front bumper. Originally I was going to go with bolt-on sliders so I could remove and repaint them as necessary, but Billy showed me how to use painters' plastic to mask off the truck body, so I went with welded. Simpler and cleaner, the weld-ons are sweet. Here's a few shots of the installation:







Since they were welded on, they were raw steel and I had to paint them once I got home. Luckily the weather was very cooperative the next day. First, I cleaned them up really well using Jasco metal etch. After a good rinse and a light rub to remove any residue, I let them dry, which didn't take long in the sun. Then I masked off the truck, and applied two light coats of Rust-Oleum etching primer, and let it dry for an hour. For the finish, again I used Rust-Oleum spray-on truck bed liner. It has a light texture and is super easy to work with and also to touch up if you get a boo boo. I applied three light coats, letting each dry for about 40 minutes. Under the body, on the frame and slider mounts I used plain flat black Rust-Oleum BBQ paint. I've had good results with it in the past, and I had a couple cans already. I think they came out looking nice, and the light texture makes for a nice step getting in or out of the truck. So far it is holding up great.

 

[nmatcek]

Really nice truck. Good work.

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[character zero]

Nice build and nice write-up! Keep up the posts - looking fwd to it!

 

[Flyer69]

Front bumper

When I had my sliders installed, I also picked up my new BFF front winch bumper and rear fuel can rack. Not sure why, but I neglected to take any pictures of it in raw form. Maybe it was because I had to hurry back to the coast to pick my daughter up from school... yes, that's why. When I remove it to install a winch, I will take some detailed photos of the bumper. Billy does some really nice work, and if you're in the market for Tundra or Tacoma stuff, I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Originally my plan was to rattle can it like the sliders, but when I got to looking more closely at the backside of it, I saw there were lots of little spaces I wouldn't be able to get any paint on. I didn't want to start out on the wrong foot, so on my way home I called my local powdercoating shop, Full Spectrum in Atascadero. After talking a little with the owner, Chad, I decided to have his shop coat it up right. They sandblast, then use a zinc primer coat, followed by the finish. Being electrostatically applied, the primer and finish coat get inside the hidden pockets and coat every surface. I chose a matte, slightly textured black finish similar in appearance to the Rust-Oleum spray on bed liner stuff. Total cost to coat the bumper, mounting plates and a triple fuel can rack was $265... well worth it in my opinion. Chad told me it would take one week, and exactly one week later he called and said my parts were ready. He even had 2 of his crew help me load it carefully into the truck so it wouldn't get scratched up. The finish is perfect, and the whole experience with his shop was first-class.

Before:


After:








The bumper has 3 threaded holes on the bottom that match up with the factory skid plate. I decided to clean up and repaint the skid plate while I had it off, so it isn't on in the photos. I'll post a couple when I get it put back on. Billy at Brute Force said he is going to be making a full set of aluminum skid plates for the 1st gen Tundra very soon, so I told him he might as well make 2 sets...

:coffeedrink:

Installation was pretty straightforward. The old bumper was alarmingly light and wimpy, as were the mounts. I debated keeping it in case I ever sell my truck, then came to my senses. I'll be posting it for sale soon, along with the rear bumper and the factory towing receiver unit. I used the factory studs on the frame rail end mounts, and bought new grade 8 bolts for the additional mounting plates. When I remove it to install a winch, I will replace the studs with new grade 8 flange bolts. I'll also do a better job of cleaning up and repainting the rust on the frame mount locations. In total there are 14 bolts holding the bumper on. The new mounting plates are way beefy compared to the factory stamped ones. I'm very grateful I never hit a deer or anything else with the old bumper. Here's a couple shots of the installation:











The bolts holding the mounting plate in place were not tight yet when i took the picture, which is why the holes look misaligned. Once everything was tightened up, the fit was perfect, as you can see in the straight on view. I had to trim the plastic fender liners, so I just picked a line that looked clean and used a razor knife. With the suspension more exposed now, and considering that I just had the CO's rebuilt, I will soon be investing in some $40 CO covers from one of my local shops, Poly Performance.

There are 2 sets of cutouts for LED's. Billy sells the lights as an option with his bumpers, so I bought a set of floods and a set of spots. Unfortunately, the lights were packaged incorrectly by the manufacturer and I ended up with two sets of spots, so he's sending me replacements. I will mount the floods in the outer holes and connect them to my factory fog light wiring. The spots will go in the inner holes, and I am debating on how to switch them. I'll probably just connect them to the high beam circuit for now, then when I add a compressor and winch, I can move them to the new switch panel. Another idea is to buy another factory Tundra fog light switch, since there's an empty space for it already, and use that for the spots.... I'd like the clean look of that setup.

 

[Flyer69]

Fuel can rack

I also had Brute Force make me a 3-can MFC rack. Billy usually makes them as single modules that bolt together, but when I picked them up I asked him to go ahead and weld them all together. I don't foresee swapping them out or taking one off, so for me that meant fewer bolts and a cleaner look. :sombrero: Again, I neglected to take some pics in raw form, but here it is finished and mounted.





The rack comes with welded on tabs on each side for padlocks, and Billy includes a stout cable as well. Maybe not as secure as a steel plate, but hell, if someone wants my extra fuel that bad, they can have it. Sooner or later I'll catch me a thief.... :violent-smiley-031:



The inboard can is a Front Runner water can with a recessed spigot.



It comes stock with a plastic one, but I upgraded it to a brass one with a 1/4 turn valve. The valve you see in my photo is kind of a 45º angled one, and the stream of water was blocked by the rack. Back to the hardware store... I found one with a 90º angle AND a 1/4 valve on the outer end, which works perfectly with the rack. Now I can use the water spigot with the can in the rack, which is really handy (the bottom of the rack is cut out like the sides). Mostly it gets used for dishes and washing hands, etc. For drinking/cooking water, I really like the gallon jugs that Arizona Iced Tea comes in... good, thick material, a solid handle and a wide mouth, and no plasticky taste.

Another nifty feature of this swingout and rack setup is the ability to transfer fuel from the MFC's to the gas tank without taking the can out of the rack. I use one of these Super Siphons from Amazon:



Since the MFC's are mounted higher than the tank, I just siphon the fuel straight into my gas tank. When I'm done with the hose, it stores neatly in the outer pocket of my Trasharoo.


:ylsmoke:

 

[Flyer69]

Joshua Tree Shakedown

I packed up the wife and we headed to JT for the weekend to put all these improvements to use. Here's the rig all packed up for the road:

View attachment 342643

View attachment 342644

We caught a little rain, but honestly it just made the trip that much nicer. Minimal dust, temps in the 70's and wildflowers everywhere. We left at 1430 on a Thursday afternoon, and with traffic delays and dinner, we rolled into the park at around 2230. The sign at the gate said all the campgrounds were full, but not wanting to admit defeat, we drove through most of them hoping to get lucky. No dice, so we rolled across the highway to BLM land, popped the tent, downed a quick nightcap margarita and went to bed. We woke up at 0700 and hightailed it back to the park to find a campsite. This time we scored a sweet site... Ryan #1. We set up camp and made some breakfast and coffee. Whenever people see the JB RTT set up, they always come over and ask about it. I feel like I should become a dealer or something... hey, maybe that could be my retirement job!

BTW, this trip was the week before I got my front bumper and sliders.







We hit Berdoo Canyon on Friday, and hiked Lost Horse Mine loop trail (6.5 mi) on Saturday. There are plenty of reports on this area, so I'll stick to the build here as much as possible. A couple gratuitous shots from the upper Berdoo/Geology Tour rd area:





Overall, everything worked great, especially the RTT. I had a touch of buyer's remorse at first because of the hefty price tag JB carries, but after a couple trips I am convinced I made the right decision. Comfort and ease of use mean we will get out more and explore, and that is the main goal.

Near future mods list, not necessarily in any order:
-Coilover covers
-New uniball UCA's
-Sidewall kit for my awning
-Dust seal around tailgate
-LED strip lights in bed and on canopy hatch
-Aux battery system
-ARB fridge
-Hi-lift jack
-Winch
-Custom Deaver 10-leaf pack

Good thing I have a job and the wife is going full time soon!! :Wow1: