Just joined MUD, thanks Woody and everyone else. This is unbelievably cool to be part of.
My username comes from 2 things:
1) I like to stay under the radar (i.e., have off-road capabilities without standing out too much)
2) my truck has multiple layers of sound insulation, lol
I first drove an old diesel troopy in Haiti years ago on a mission trip. I couldn’t shake the feeling. You know…
So years later and my DD is an '03 100. My understanding at the time I bought it was: avoid AHC unless that’s your thing, they apparently stopped making these at the original Japanese factory after 2004 (for whatever that’s worth lol), and the 4.7 cast iron block is a gem. So I bought it bone stock couple years ago from down south with 187k. Had very little rust. I was thrilled. Have since upgraded with the following items:
-gaudy shiny silver bull bar delete
-step-plate delete
-plastic accent trim and fender trim delete (all this resulted in a much cleaner, less mall-cruiser look)
-33” Falken Wildpeak AT3s (less cool looking IMHO than other tires like Yokohama geolanders, BFGs, or Firestones, but with wonderful performance and a bit cheaper. These are very well made and balanced tires that have tremendous grip on anything except ice or hard-packed snow (ask me how I know :0
-used salvage yard steelies off a Tundra (check this out: other than the offset being not quite right, this worked out really well and I couldn’t find a single scrap of evidence suggesting that a steel wheel from a spare tire on a Tundra or Sequoia was any different than any other factory wheel when it came to strength or wheel bead design. I consulted an automotive engineer, multiple welders, and scoured the web for anything related to safety of spare tire WHEELS. I found NOTHING and so rust-converted them and painted them and used them without any incident in Colorado and other places in challenging conditions, hauling 6 guys plus gear. They have been wonderful, and, although they are not quite as cool as other wheels, I saved $$$ and got a nice rugged utilitarian look with the added benefit of the steel wheel “flex.” Steel wheels will bend before they crack. Not so with alloys...
-I’ve gotten used to the slight hit on performance because of the larger tires but am open to any solutions for this, including re-gearing (I understand that re-gearing is probably a silly waste of money for 33” tires, so I’ll probably leave well enough alone, but I’m always thinking…)
-1.5” wheel spacers x4 (which I was able to modify with hand file so they would seat correctly around the hub…I wish they had 0.75” spacers but can’t find them anywhere, maybe someone can machine them? It’s all because of wheel offset and tire size, and the only work around is smaller or narrower tires, or modify the wheel well.)
-TT hidden winch mount (thanks TT
-12,000 lb ComeUp winch
-Curt hitch receiver and Tekonsha trailer brake controller
-full undercarriage coating of spray-can “PB Blaster Surface Shield” (I’m telling you, this is the stuff. (Thanks youtube #repairgeek, I appreciate it. Surface Shield sticks long term, but is also extremely easy to apply via aerosol can. It’s lasted for more than 1 season and shows NO SIGNS OF FAILING. It has survived many car washes. I’m very grateful I found it)
-KC HiLite Halogen spot lights on front bumper
-Android-style stereo in place of NAV screen (I now regret this but it was a panic purchase because of failed NAV screen)
-extensive sound insulation materials throughout (hence my username)
-Huracan Fab tailgate storage locker mod for my recovery gear like kinetic rope, soft shackles, and more
-2” lift in rear with custom progressive rate coil springs from Coil Spring Specialties (OE + 215lb constant load)
-TT extended rear sway bar links (thanks again TT, just learned about this suspension geometry correction recently on MUD and it really did make a difference, restoring to a neutral rear sway bar position).
-Ironman FCP shocks (very good decision, very impressed with the performance/value of these shocks)
-home-made full length wooden roof rack (it’s janky but heavy duty and the whole thing cost me like $65 and it also weighs about 65lb, so I saved more $$$ there. Although wood weathers, it does not rust, and anything can be screwed into it at any time.)
-cheap ebay roof ladder to access roof rack
What I now understand is this: first gen NAV system is lame, and analog control upgrades are not easy Also, the detuned 4.7 V8 is a gem indeed but it’s no race car. Trade offs, I suppose.
The truck still needs some things, like a more user-friendly custom HVAC and stereo system, auxiliary backup lights, maybe Dobinson UCAs, not sure if I need UCAs?, perhaps body lifts in front to even out the rake a little, and maybe re-indexed TBs, but I’m patient. Most of this stuff I’ve learned by reading MUD! Thanks a bunch everyone. This is an amazing community. Even though my mechanic skills are very basic, I’d love to contribute to MUD someday, if only to warn others what not to do! I believe I could give a fair review of every mod I’ve done so far. Some things I would do differently for sure. For instance, narrower tires and narrower wheel spacers (if they exist), NAV screen repair or some other American-made aftermarket stereo solution instead of the annoying Android screen.
Looking forward to learning more...
My username comes from 2 things:
1) I like to stay under the radar (i.e., have off-road capabilities without standing out too much)
2) my truck has multiple layers of sound insulation, lol
I first drove an old diesel troopy in Haiti years ago on a mission trip. I couldn’t shake the feeling. You know…
So years later and my DD is an '03 100. My understanding at the time I bought it was: avoid AHC unless that’s your thing, they apparently stopped making these at the original Japanese factory after 2004 (for whatever that’s worth lol), and the 4.7 cast iron block is a gem. So I bought it bone stock couple years ago from down south with 187k. Had very little rust. I was thrilled. Have since upgraded with the following items:
-gaudy shiny silver bull bar delete
-step-plate delete
-plastic accent trim and fender trim delete (all this resulted in a much cleaner, less mall-cruiser look)
-33” Falken Wildpeak AT3s (less cool looking IMHO than other tires like Yokohama geolanders, BFGs, or Firestones, but with wonderful performance and a bit cheaper. These are very well made and balanced tires that have tremendous grip on anything except ice or hard-packed snow (ask me how I know :0
-used salvage yard steelies off a Tundra (check this out: other than the offset being not quite right, this worked out really well and I couldn’t find a single scrap of evidence suggesting that a steel wheel from a spare tire on a Tundra or Sequoia was any different than any other factory wheel when it came to strength or wheel bead design. I consulted an automotive engineer, multiple welders, and scoured the web for anything related to safety of spare tire WHEELS. I found NOTHING and so rust-converted them and painted them and used them without any incident in Colorado and other places in challenging conditions, hauling 6 guys plus gear. They have been wonderful, and, although they are not quite as cool as other wheels, I saved $$$ and got a nice rugged utilitarian look with the added benefit of the steel wheel “flex.” Steel wheels will bend before they crack. Not so with alloys...
-I’ve gotten used to the slight hit on performance because of the larger tires but am open to any solutions for this, including re-gearing (I understand that re-gearing is probably a silly waste of money for 33” tires, so I’ll probably leave well enough alone, but I’m always thinking…)
-1.5” wheel spacers x4 (which I was able to modify with hand file so they would seat correctly around the hub…I wish they had 0.75” spacers but can’t find them anywhere, maybe someone can machine them? It’s all because of wheel offset and tire size, and the only work around is smaller or narrower tires, or modify the wheel well.)
-TT hidden winch mount (thanks TT
-12,000 lb ComeUp winch
-Curt hitch receiver and Tekonsha trailer brake controller
-full undercarriage coating of spray-can “PB Blaster Surface Shield” (I’m telling you, this is the stuff. (Thanks youtube #repairgeek, I appreciate it. Surface Shield sticks long term, but is also extremely easy to apply via aerosol can. It’s lasted for more than 1 season and shows NO SIGNS OF FAILING. It has survived many car washes. I’m very grateful I found it)
-KC HiLite Halogen spot lights on front bumper
-Android-style stereo in place of NAV screen (I now regret this but it was a panic purchase because of failed NAV screen)
-extensive sound insulation materials throughout (hence my username)
-Huracan Fab tailgate storage locker mod for my recovery gear like kinetic rope, soft shackles, and more
-2” lift in rear with custom progressive rate coil springs from Coil Spring Specialties (OE + 215lb constant load)
-TT extended rear sway bar links (thanks again TT, just learned about this suspension geometry correction recently on MUD and it really did make a difference, restoring to a neutral rear sway bar position).
-Ironman FCP shocks (very good decision, very impressed with the performance/value of these shocks)
-home-made full length wooden roof rack (it’s janky but heavy duty and the whole thing cost me like $65 and it also weighs about 65lb, so I saved more $$$ there. Although wood weathers, it does not rust, and anything can be screwed into it at any time.)
-cheap ebay roof ladder to access roof rack
What I now understand is this: first gen NAV system is lame, and analog control upgrades are not easy
Also, the detuned 4.7 V8 is a gem indeed but it’s no race car. Trade offs, I suppose.The truck still needs some things, like a more user-friendly custom HVAC and stereo system, auxiliary backup lights, maybe Dobinson UCAs, not sure if I need UCAs?, perhaps body lifts in front to even out the rake a little, and maybe re-indexed TBs, but I’m patient. Most of this stuff I’ve learned by reading MUD! Thanks a bunch everyone. This is an amazing community. Even though my mechanic skills are very basic, I’d love to contribute to MUD someday, if only to warn others what not to do! I believe I could give a fair review of every mod I’ve done so far. Some things I would do differently for sure. For instance, narrower tires and narrower wheel spacers (if they exist), NAV screen repair or some other American-made aftermarket stereo solution instead of the annoying Android screen.
Looking forward to learning more...
