Got myself a Tacoma

[Revco]

Alright, some of you might remember a few threads I wrote about possibly picking up an older Toyota or 4-Runner. Well the stars aligned and I was able to sell my Suburban last weekend and bought myself a Toyota earlier today. But it turns out it's much newer than I thought I could afford, and I think it'll work out just fine for what I need.

It's an '01 Reg Cab 4x4 2.7 5-spd. It has 265/75/16's on stock steel wheels, but they are more of a highway tread, so I'll be looking to swap them out for a more agressive tread design. I haven't done any research on the best way to lift it, but I don't think it would need much lift, if any. I'm on the lookout for a camper shell to fit it, and I'll shorten the roof rack I built for my Suburban to fit on top of the shell and mount my lights to it. I'll likely build front & rear bumpers, sliders, install my winch, and build some storage in the bed in the coming months.

I think the Tacoma will be a great daily commuter and weekend warrior, but I will miss having the ability to tow anything.

Few questions...how do I find out what gear ratio I've got, and can someone enlighten me on adding factory E-Lockers and what vehicles they came in?

I'll get some pics up as soon as I get a chance, I'm working nights for a special project this week and will be back to normal day hours this weekend.

 

[codename607]

Sorry I can't answer any of your question but I just wanted to say congrats on the new purchase. Toyota's Rock!!

 

[Moving Chicane]

Congrats on the Taco!

I believe the E-Locker (rear) only came in the TRD Packaged 2001 models; whitish-silver guage faces, different steering wheel cover, rear locker, wheels/tire combo, stickers on the sides of the bed....maybe one or two other minor things. Don't believe it was an option any other way.

 

[montypower]

All TRD Tacoma trucks have the elocker. They are spendy. It might be better to go ARB if you can't score a deal. Make sure it has the electric motor included too; I've seen many wrecking yards separate the motor from the housing and sell separately.

Post up some pics!

 

[Martinjmpr]

New camper shell will run you anywhere from $1000 - $2000 and up. Good news is you can find used toppers on Craigslist if you're not picky about color. The most I ever paid for a topper on CL was $300 and that was a very nice fiberglass raised topper in excellent condition.

 

[surlydiesel]

There is a sticker on your doorframe that will have a code, that will tell those in the know what gear ratio you have. If you look at 007's build http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/49416-007-s-Expedition-Build you should find some good info. Same truck as yours and mine. I think you will most likely have 4.30's in your axles if you have stock sized tires on the truck right now. If it came with smaller tires stock, then it might have 4.10's. I hope someone will chime in with the right codes for the gears that the code on the door frame specs.

The single cab and extended cab have different angles on the backs of the cab, a cap off a single cab doesn't work on an extended cab and vice versa. That being said, I think they do work it's just the angles are different and it won't look quite as "sleek". I've had different craigslist finds on extended cab trucks and regular cabs and you could see the different angles but the bed stayed dry, what more do you want for 100.00?

You should be able to find an E-Locker rear end in a junk yard and there is a company that makes a cable pull mechanism for that vs. re-using the electric motor for it. Otherwise, just go ARB in both ends and be done with it.

Enjoy the truck. They are small, can't tow a lot but get awesome gas millage and you can park them almost anywhere you can put a "compact" car.

Cheers,
Jorge

 

[huntsonora]

Congrats on a FUN truck! I bought a little 94 reg cab last year to leave on my ranches in Mexico but I liked it so much I towed it back home and its my run around town truck and its amazing in the mountains.

They will go anywhere!

 

[Saguache]

The single cab and extended cab have different angles on the backs of the cab, a cap off a single cab doesn't work on an extended cab and vice versa. That being said, I think they do work it's just the angles are different and it won't look quite as "sleek". I've had different craigslist finds on extended cab trucks and regular cabs and you could see the different angles but the bed stayed dry, what more do you want for 100.00?
...

Enjoy the truck. They are small, can't tow a lot but get awesome gas millage and you can park them almost anywhere you can put a "compact" car.

The angles are different on all three cab variants, and this made finding a used topper for my double cab nearly impossible, but it can be done depending on your Craigslist and patience. All I know at this point is that I'm going to be a whole lot happier when I get my topper in and mounted.

Welcome to the club, you're going to love it here.

 

[JBL13]

Congrats on the new truck.

I have a 2002 regular cab that I bought new. It came with the larger tire option (265/70/16), so it has 4.30 differential gears. I'm currently running 245/75/16 Goodyear Duratracs. I'm thinking of going to 265/75/16s. The truck is not lifted, nor am I inclined to lift it. The truck has 54K miles on it.

I had a No-Slip locker installed in the rear end nine years ago. Works like a champ, though it has its on-pavement quirks.

 

[tanglefoot]

Congrats!

You don't have to give up towing. I've towed an 18.5' Bayliner, a compact truck bed trailer full of peat, and a 6x12 flatbed piled with used wood decking and an upright piano, to name a few things, with my 1985 2.4. And your 2.7 has a good chunk more power output than my 8-valve 2.4.

Also, try driving some trails with the tires it came with. It might do pretty nicely and keep you from shelling out $$$ for tires. I find most street treads to be pretty satisfying on the trail, especially with a diff locker (I have a Powertrax Lockright in the back and like it a lot), and they sure run nicely on the highway. If you go to 4-wheelin mountain towns like Ouray or Telluride, a lot of the old timers are running street tread on the trails...and nearly bald ones at that (the drivers and the tires).

All Tacomas and PreRunners from '98 on with the TRD off-road package had the E-locker, as well as some 3rd-gen 4runners. The later TRD-sport package has a limited-slip diff instead.

 

[Morticon]

Pictures?

 

[Revco]

Thanks for the words guys. I'm excited about this little truck. It drives great, and has plenty of power on the highway, and is very peppy around town. It's a big difference from driving that school bus of a Suburban around.

The previous owner said he recently had the tires rotated and balanced and they told him that it has a bent front pass. side wheel and that it wobbles when you hit the brakes. There is no major vibrations at highway speeds, but there is certainly a shimmy when applying the brakes. I looked all over the front wheels and didn't see any physical damage, dents, or even any curb rash on the wheel lips, so I'm starting to think that he misunderstood them and they probably told him that the rotors were warped. I'm going to rotate the wheels, inspect them further, check for any runout, and while I'm at it, I'll probably install some new slotted/drilled rotors and toss some performance pads on the front for good measure.

This "build" will be slow. I've got a ton of other projects and not enough time/money to spread between them, but I will certainly be keeping my eyes out for a factory elocker at the salvage yards as well as a cheap camper shell to toss on the bed.

I've been working nights, so no chance to snap any pics. I'm going to run it through the car wash tomorrow after work to pressure wash the undercarriage and get everything clean before I gut the interior for a major detail. I've got to pressure wash the carpet and get the funk out of it, and I'm going to peel off the factory seat upholstery and hose that dingy thing down as well.

I'll get some pics up this weekend.

 

[Revco]

Also, this truck has the factory AM/FM/Cassette Stereo. Will a factory CD Player from another Tacoma plug right in and work? If it does then if any of you fellas have or know of a factory cd player for sale, or free, please let me know.

 

[Revco]

Snapped a quick pic this morning when I got to work...

 

[enzo]

I've always liked that color. Congrats on the purchase.