2006 Sequoia Build (1 Viewer)

[zasdds]

Hey guys, currently searching for an 80 series, but felt this community was the best to chronicle my current 2006 Sequoia build.

I purchased a 2006 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4x4 with ~193,000 on the clock for 12k on FB market place in November, 2020. I definitely overpaid a little, but I was willing to pay a little extra due to the following things the previous owner had recently completed:

• timing belt/water pump
• head gasket replacement
• Sony headunit with apple carplay and rearview camera
• zero rust southern vehicle with good maintenance records
• overall CLEAN vehicle

Growing up, I always wanted one of these, so when the 3rd child was on the way, it finally made sense. The other cool thing about these vehicles is that the 3rd row has top tether anchors for front facing car seats. There were not many other vehicles (besides mini vans) that had these anchors in the 3rd row...and I was about to have 3 kids in car seats

This was a pretty loaded spec with the Luxury package which includes factory rear air suspension and a middle row center console.

Everything appeared to be working well, no codes, decent ride, 2 key fobs, 4x4 working.

I attached a picture of what she looked like when purchased, and was super pumped to start building her out

 

[zasdds]

After driving it for a few hundred miles, I realized that the suspension was pretty worn. Knowing that I eventually wanted to lift it and put on bigger tires, I tabled that work for a while until I could do more research on whether or not to keep the factory rear airbags.

I spent the initial months of ownership fixing/upgrading some small stuff:

• removed factory sun-roof visor as it was creating a horrible whistle at highway speeds
• replaced missing wiper blade bolt cap
• driver's side rear door lock actuator replacement (classic Toyota issue)
• LED swap of interior lighting including homelink overhead console and instrument panels
• Lloyd's floor mats for all 3 rows

I was really bothered by the appearance of the bubbling chrome in the center of the front grille garnish, so I ordered a new pre-painted OEM replacement that popped right in...was even able to sell the old one! During this swap, I broke part of the hood release bracket, but that was a cheap/easy fix with the respective OEM part.

 

[zasdds]

As this vehicle was going to be used for road trips, I wanted a basket-style roof rack for extra storage. I decided to get the Yakima Megawarrior with the extension. Install was easy and Yakima products really are great quality. Yes, there are much cheaper roof racks that look similar but I was worried about rust and did not want to bother with frequently taking the rack on and off.

Wanted to get some beefier tires on as well, so found a great deal on some 265/70/17 BFG KO2s and slapped them on without any modifications.

 

[zasdds]

I then started to realize that the factory headlights were lacking. I know better than to put LEDs in halogen housings, so I knew the only option was retrofits.

I placed an order with BXBUILT (now out of business) for OEM-style basic retrofit headlights and fogs. The order took almost a year to arrive and really looked sloppy in terms of how they resealed the housings. The fogs took even longer to arrive. Nevertheless, they bolted right and fired right up. Adjusted them slightly, and immediately noticed a HUGE improvement. While I had the main lamps out, I replaced the side marker housings with new OEMs from Toyota due to the oxidation. Used Lasfit bulbs in all exterior locations front and rear to match the modern look of the headlights. Had to unplug the DRL harness to prevent burn-out of the retrofits. Also got some hyperflash with the turn signals even though I was using bulbs with built-in resistors, so swapped the relay for an aftermarket version built for LEDs

When the fog lights arrived, I found that somehow there was a loose screw inside the housing. Starting to realize why that company is no longer around. The fogs are pretty cool though, and I decided to use some Amber film from Lamin-x to add some character/improve visibility in certain situations. The film definitely cuts the output of the lights, but with both sets of retrofits I had more than enough.

 

[joseywales]

View attachment 3490355

Looks kind of like my driveway!

 

[zasdds]

Looks kind of like my driveway!

Wow, I also have a 2021 Tundra Platinum...great combo!

 

[joseywales]

Wow, I also have a 2021 Tundra Platinum...great combo!

View attachment 3492541

Yeah, I saw it in the background of the one pic. Thus my post