New (to me) 98 Taco! (1 Viewer)

[KliersLC]

Well,

Since my T100 has made the rounds from my mother in law, to my sister, to my brother, to my niece, to a guy back in my home town, it seems like it is a safe bet that I won't be getting it back. I wanted something inexpensive with a manual transmission as the kids are starting to drive and they need a manual to learn on. It is also nice to have a truck around for home improvement projects, dump runs etc. Also, the 80 is in need of some down time for maintenance so this will make a good backup DD.

The truck is a 98 4x4, 2.7 4 cyl, 5 speed with 305,000 miles....that is not a typo--it runs great and the only thing on the truck that shows its age is the driver's seat. It is in ok shape but the padding is almost gone. The PO hit a deer and a tree so you can see by the pics that I have a bit of body work to do. However, there is no rust at all! Pics to follow and then a quick list of maintenance projects. not bad for 2k!

Yes, that is an e-locker switch that you see!

Current needs:

Front bumper
PS headlight and marker light
windshield washer resevoir
Carrier bearing for rear drive shaft

Future projects:

Baseline fluids
new shocks
Investigate why the header is making it throw o2 sensor codes
pound out some dents
new tires
better seats from a junkyard or part out.


Questions:

Anything specific on these trucks that needs checked?
Best easy mods? I won't be wheeling it hard so no lift or armor but I like tweaking things here and there.
With 300k+ and a pretty good service history, should I bother with measuring the timing chain since it doesn't make any noise?

Thanks folks!

Dan

 

[KliersLC]

Pounded out some dents and replaced the headlights and bumper. Should be able to take on DD duties in a week or so. Also replaced the washer reservoir and did some tinkering in the interior.

 

[ClevSix]

Welcome to the club! 1st Gen Tacomas are great little trucks. You'll probably be able to get another 300k mi out of it. Be sure to check the frame for rust. And check out the 1gen forum over at Tacoma World. There are a ton of mods for our trucks. One that was high on my list was the "Gray Wire Mod". It lets you lock the dif while in 2wd. Amazing for doing donuts in the snow, LOL.

 

[KliersLC]

I have been poking around a bit over there. The grey wire mod is high on my list but the locker is not engaging all the way right now so I'll need to troubleshoot that first. Probably just stuck from being unused.

 

[ClevSix]

If I was you, upgrading the side mirrors to the bigger ones that came on the later 1st Gen would be high on the list too.

 

[KliersLC]

Noted. I have been underwhelmed by the mirrors when comparing to the 80. Smaller size and no power... I'll keep an eye out for some larger ones. Thanks!