Build Nothing of interest here, #2

[Homey15]

I got some new tires and wheels, buffed the cab out, installed a stereo, converted a bunch of bulbs to led, got some clear lamps for front corners and front signals and finished it all off by committing mud sacrilege...I lowered it. 2" spindles up front and 3" blocks in the rear. I'm sure I'm missing something but those are the high points of progress since the last update and here's some pics of how she currently sits

 

[Homey15]

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[Chungas Revenge]

mud sacrilege...I lowered it.

A little blasphemy now and then keeps the dogma in check…

 

[Homey15]

No huge updates, I've been daily driving it every day weather allows. I've been averaging a little over 26 mpg with it in case anyone was curious. I'm sure it'd do slightly better if I drove it with less gusto. No swap related issues to report, potential heat intrusion from the exhaust seems to have been eliminated by the added heat shielding. The modest hp increase the 2rz swap brings to the table makes a world of difference in drivability. I can easily and comfortably cruise and maintain highway speeds, and a large hill I traverse daily that'll have me down to 4th and pulling 45mph in my 22re powered 4wd beater truck is easily handled in 5th with no loss in speed in this truck. The one gripe I do have is the front wheels don't tuck inside the wheel opening like I'd like, they essentially sit flush with the fender. I also occasionally get some tire rubbing on the inner fender at this location if I hit a large bump or dip at too high of a speed. To cure these issues I've pulled a pair of fenders from a parts 4Runner I've got and have been doing some bodywork and getting them prepped for paint. The 4wd fenders have the bulge at the wheel opening that matches the bed so they should bring the wheels just inside the fender and using the matching inner fenders from the same rig should eliminate the occasional rubbing. Also, I think the 4wd fenders look better with the flare and IMO the marker lamps are better looking than on the 2wd front end. I'll follow up with some pics when I actually get them painted and swapped out.

 

[Homey15]

Stumbled upon pics of the truck from the day I bought it, putting them here for posterity.

 

[Homey15]

It's been a minute since I posted an update. I've been driving it every day there's no inclement weather in the forecast and I absolutely love this little guy, my best tank to date got me just over 28mpg. Over the winter I ceramic coated it and finally got around to tinting the windows. I do have some unfortunate news to add as well but thought I should share because this info could be useful/help out a fellow mudder should they have a unpleasant incident as well. In the intro to this thread I stated that I was creating this thread primarily to keep record of work completed and costs incurred as I thought it could come in handy should there ever happen to be a insurance claim and need to establish value. Turns out I was right ... I recently ended up on the losing end of a hit and run accident while turning into my driveway coming home from work. The cops ended up finding the guy and he's being held liable for the accident and his following actions. This thread and the info recorded here were instrumental in proving that this isn't your average 1994 Toyota pickup and that book values don't apply here. I'm sure I could have gotten into a long drawn out back and forth with the insurance company and got somewhere with them but having everything in one place and well documented made it much much easier. The payout I ended up receiving was enough to cover my parts costs to make all necessary repairs to the truck(not including any labor since I'm doing it all myself) and purchase my new to me 80 series. The thread even established value of the truck well enough I walked away from the whole ordeal with a clean title which is great because really, the damage was all pretty superficial and minor but would have definitely been enough dollar value to total a lesser quality truck. While it definitely sucks to see the truck damaged and was infuriating to watch the guy speed away, it wasn't all bad since I now own a 80 and this forced my hand to get to work on the 4wd front fender swap. I've been working on it the past few weekends and have the core support repaired, replaced tie rods for peace of mind, aligned the front end and I just finished painting the fenders and hood today. I hope to have the new 4wd bumper and lower valance painted tomorrow and with any luck, it should be pretty much back together and good as new by the end of the weekend.

 

[Homey15]

duplicate post

 

[Homey15]

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[Homey15]

I still need to ceramic coat the front clip and give it a good bath to get rid of the sanding dust and rubbing compound but it's all back together and I dig the looks of it with the 4wd fenders/bumper. As a bonus, there is now clearance for the front suspension to cycle without rubbing the fender liner/lip.

 

[Homey15]

Just for s***s and giggles I wanted to see some side by side pics of the evolution of the truck