Builds The Baba Yaga Build

[spc7669]

Deleted the wood trim this morning. I used a heat gun but a blow dryer would’ve probably been fine. It looks much better.
I would’ve gotten into some more projects, but I had to go scout for turkeys. #priorities

 

[gregnash]

That's on my agenda of stuff to do. Mine is faded and nasty as well. Thinking of possibly wrapping but not sure if I want to.

 

[spc7669]

That's on my agenda of stuff to do. Mine is faded and nasty as well. Thinking of possibly wrapping but not sure if I want to.

I actually like the black. I’m going to have to sand some spots I scratched then go over it all with Leatherique. Mine was actually peeling and bubbling. It’s not even a one banana job. More like a piece of banana cream pie.

 

[gregnash]

I actually like the black. I’m going to have to sand some spots I scratched then go over it all with Leatherique. Mine was actually peeling and bubbling. It’s not even a one banana job. More like a piece of banana cream pie.

Yeah mine is doing that as well as super faded in areas. Funny thing was when I was working on the drivers door the clear coat/varnish of the switch panel cover completely came off on its own in one piece. Wood is still under it but looks funky and nasty.

 

[spc7669]

Washed up and ready to go turkey hunting tomorrow. Finally getting to do something useful with it instead of just cleaning and fixing things.

 

[spc7669]

Well I think I have an all new problem. I came out of Kroger and tried to start the car. It spun like a top but would not start. On the 4th go, it started and has ever since. I remember noticing the vehicle/key light was on so I figure this is the infamous “Immobilizer Issue.” I guess the paint job will have to wait until I can order a new fuse box. Hopefully it doesn’t get worse until the virus panic subsides. I’ve put major brakes on big purchases until things get a little closer to normal.

 

[gregnash]

Could you do the immobilizer bypass that others have done to get you through? Seems like this issue is only specific to 98-00 years, right?

 

[spc7669]

Could you do the immobilizer bypass that others have done to get you through? Seems like this issue is only specific to 98-00 years, right?

I thought about that. From reading on here, that seems a bit hit or miss. Thankfully, it’s not my daily driver. I only put a couple hundred miles a week on it. The fuse box seems to fix the problem 100%. That’s why I was leaning that way.

 

[spc7669]

And the hits just keep on coming.....
I found out yesterday I have to replace the roof on our house. That will slow down the build considerably.

I noticed a sputtering at start up yesterday. Since I've replaced everything in the fuel system but the pump, I was assuming that could be the problem. Before I pulled the trigger, I pulled the battery terminals of and cleaned the heck out of them. I've gone outside and started it up twice since then with no sputter. I'm also ordering the Big Three Plus Plus wiring kit from Fourrunner and I'm having a buddy that does car audio pull out all of the wiring that was done by the prior owner. I pulled up the carpet in the back and had a look. Holy sh!t Batman, there were wires going everywhere and some that went nowhere.

Since he's got to pull the carpet in back to remove the wiring anyway, and I have new carpet in the garage from Tupelo Honey, I'll have him leave it out and order some Dynamat since that looks like a job even an idiot like me can do.

Qualifying myself as NOT a mechanic, I'm starting to wonder how many "problems" I've had were electrical disguised as something else.

As an aside, and completely anecdotal since I only ran one tank of gas through prior to all the work I did, my gas mileage increased from 12.3 mpg to 14.8 mpg. I'm pretty stoked about that.

 

[CBeckFJ]

Heater T’s and hoses are on the list when I do the radiator replacement. I will definitely get the Wit’s End kit for simplicity sake.
Thanks for the info on the grease. I can hopefully knock that out this weekend.
I haven’t noticed a clunk on the shift. When I get home today I’ll take it down the road and give it a listen.
I really don’t want to lift the truck at all. I figure the original suspension is so tired any new components will bring it up an inch or two. I found a kit on Cruiser Outfitters this morning with the factory OEM shocks and OME factory height springs and OME torsions bars. That’s the direction I’m going as of now. If my mechanic thinks I need the diff drop, I’ll certainly do it, but the factory height is just fine for my purposes.

If your keeping stock height then you don't need a diff drop. Only need it when you lift <2"

 

[spc7669]

If your keeping stock height then you don't need a diff drop. Only need it when you lift <2"

Yep. Didn’t need one when I did the install.
Here’s how she currently sits:

 

[spc7669]

So the sputtering start is back. I think it is related to the electrical. I also discovered my trailer light wiring harness doesn’t work when I hooked it up. I ordered a Curt replacement from Amazon but it won’t be here til the 26th. I went ahead and ordered some FatMat to put on the fender wells when I pull the carpet. It won’t be here til the 26th either. I guess it’s hurry up and wait.

 

[spc7669]

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MUD!

Baba decided to barely turn over and then died several times. I pulled all the aftermarket radio

wires out and it didn’t make a difference. Found the thread to change the EFI fuse. She runs like a champ now. You guys are the best!

 

[spc7669]

Got on the Amazon today and ordered up some Gummi Pflege and 3M Dry Silicone Spray to try on my driver's side window. I hope it will get rid of the howling screech without having to replace the window motor. I also got a interior trim removal kit for when I do the carpet install. Unfortunately, these things will take forever to get here so I'm a bit stuck as far as projects go.

 

[spc7669]

So I made some minor progress this week....

I cleaned this crap from under the trim piece between the tailgate and cargo area. I made 83 cents on this project due to finding some of the prior owners change. It was truly nasty. I cleaned the trim piece with Simple Green and reblacked the screw heads with a Sharpie.

 

[spc7669]

I
I installed the first ground wire from Fourrunner’s Big 3 kit from the negative battery post to the fender well. The other two will go in on Monday. Holy Overkill, Batman! It’s substantially more robust than the original as you can see in the pic. I prepped the fender hole by grinding it to bare metal with a Dremel tool. I coated that with dielectric grease. The battery terminal got the same treatment.
There was an immediate improvement in start and idle. I’m stoked to see how much improvement overall occurs after all the wires and new terminals are installed.

 

[spc7669]

Today I pulled all the wipers and repainted them. The one on the back window was a mother to get off. I soaked it with penetrating oil then used channel locks with a towel in the jaws to get it loose. I cleaned all the bolts with the Dremel and put some grease on the threads before I reinstalled them to hopefully make the process easier in the future. Easy job that makes the truck look a bit less tired.

 

[spc7669]

Yesterday I got the remaining two ground wires in the Big 3 Kit installed-

 

[spc7669]

Today I pulled the trim piece behind the hood and painted it. I did some engine bay cleaning between coats.

Hopefully, the interior lights will be here in the next couple of days from Superbright LEDs so I can get that done. Denso fuel pump and gasket are on the way from Rock Auto. Hopefully, I’m getting to a point I can stop with the mechanical stuff and do some cool stuff like a Gamiviti rack.

 

[gregnash]

Nicely done..
How hard was it to get that cowl trim piece off? Been thinking of doing the same on Alita to do some clean-up there.