hi! hope the thread title wasn't misleading I just always wanted to say that.
names dave, havent been active on any forum in at least a decade, signed up here a little while back but never posted anything. I dont think... lol got some good info though & I thank you all for that
anyways got a 1999 100 series. probably the most common model. power stuff, cd AND cassette tape. does have the manual diff lock turn switch ive heard may be rare? idk anyways wasnt in great condition when I got it (mid 2018) but it wasn't terrible either. the mileage read 123k but the carfax's last report was 270~ish & the oil change sticker in the windshield confirmed 270 something i cant remember exactly.
found it for a relative steal though, especially now looking back, id been saving to buy some kind of beach truck and this thing was sitting in some like pseudo ghetto industrial strip office mall sorta places parking lot id been driving by for work & finally stopped & looked at it had spider webs from the half flat tires to the ground & again wasn't in great shape but not terrible either. anyways guy brings a battery jumper out & it cranked right up i was sure this thing hadn't budged in at least 3 months. ended up up buying it for $4500 cash & was pretty stoked about it even though I knew i had a lot of work to do.
one of the cool things about it was that the gray bumpers had been painted (decently) black so it looked kinda different. also had the chrome trim not gold, not my thing (no offense; to each his own) but also it looks like the whole front end had been repainted i think itd been in at least one fender bender (nothing on the carfax & no visible structural damage) and the paint on the hood is in poor condition.
I've worked for Detroit diesel (as a kid) & a general service tech (older kid) and I am certainly not a mechanic by any means, but have a decent general knowledge about cars and whatnot. I know enough to not try what I know I cant accomplish lol
I also have an 05 matrix base model which is my primary commuter vehicle. got it in 08 w 58k miles it now has (actually stopped at 299,999 as I was watching it to turn to 300k for like 10 miles) 348k miles. this is only relatively relevant because over the years I've met a guy that does a lot of my basic stuff at the havoline oil change place he used to work for Toyota & has done quite a bit of stuff for me well & decently priced...
it was still a bit of an impulse buy i immediately thought i shoulda waited a little longer & got something slightly newer like an original generation sequoia that wouldn't need as much updating but whatever all in all happy w the journey.....
things I've had done over time :
old man emu suspension, just the basics from some website
slotted & drilled low dust brakes, cant remember the exact brand, the black ones (ebay)
rebuilt parking brakes including the pull line that was stuck in place
replacement aftermarket oem stainless exhaust, nothing performance or anything (also ebay) the original muffler was a rust bucket
new valve cover gaskets, both sides had broken & or missing bolts (no idea who was working on this thing)
new oem denso spark plugs & ignition coils (also ebay)
changed all the fluids obviously differentials & everything, greased the axle, induction cleaned injection
had the guy that installed the suspension also replace the antenna mast that was missing but it was never perfect & now only moves a couple inches either way.. from time to time lol
things IVE actually done (lol) :
installed replacement fog lights (twice) both times got cheap aftermarket ebay replacements & of course the first time one of them filled w moisture, the second time I sealed em all up w silicone & theyve been airtight
one of the prongs was rusted off the rear door latch I changed out that mechanism & replaced the handle (ebay)
one of the rear window motors died w the window down & I replaced it w one I found from an LX, i did have to swap the wiring harness that was a huge personal success (ebay)
the sunroof doesn't open and I had to unscrew & take off the glass to clean the overflowing drain lines and doing so id acquired a new motor to replace the presumably bad motor but come to find out it wasn't even the original motor which was still functional. the (worm?) gear grease had all dried up & turned to dust and I am assuming this is why it isn't turning & im sure is probably in the faq thread & one of the main reasons in here to get figured out...
one other thing I also got on ebay is a replacement antenna thing that you pull the mast line out & this thing goes in from the top & is like an insert that has a standard male threaded antenna screw coming out of it but I havent installed it yet.
im not an off roader or anything but certainly a relative enthusiast.
if you read this entire post thanks & if you didn't i dont blame you one bit
any feedback, input, tips or questions are certainly welcomed, thanks for having me!
names dave, havent been active on any forum in at least a decade, signed up here a little while back but never posted anything. I dont think... lol got some good info though & I thank you all for that
anyways got a 1999 100 series. probably the most common model. power stuff, cd AND cassette tape. does have the manual diff lock turn switch ive heard may be rare? idk anyways wasnt in great condition when I got it (mid 2018) but it wasn't terrible either. the mileage read 123k but the carfax's last report was 270~ish & the oil change sticker in the windshield confirmed 270 something i cant remember exactly.
found it for a relative steal though, especially now looking back, id been saving to buy some kind of beach truck and this thing was sitting in some like pseudo ghetto industrial strip office mall sorta places parking lot id been driving by for work & finally stopped & looked at it had spider webs from the half flat tires to the ground & again wasn't in great shape but not terrible either. anyways guy brings a battery jumper out & it cranked right up i was sure this thing hadn't budged in at least 3 months. ended up up buying it for $4500 cash & was pretty stoked about it even though I knew i had a lot of work to do.
one of the cool things about it was that the gray bumpers had been painted (decently) black so it looked kinda different. also had the chrome trim not gold, not my thing (no offense; to each his own) but also it looks like the whole front end had been repainted i think itd been in at least one fender bender (nothing on the carfax & no visible structural damage) and the paint on the hood is in poor condition.
I've worked for Detroit diesel (as a kid) & a general service tech (older kid) and I am certainly not a mechanic by any means, but have a decent general knowledge about cars and whatnot. I know enough to not try what I know I cant accomplish lol
I also have an 05 matrix base model which is my primary commuter vehicle. got it in 08 w 58k miles it now has (actually stopped at 299,999 as I was watching it to turn to 300k for like 10 miles) 348k miles. this is only relatively relevant because over the years I've met a guy that does a lot of my basic stuff at the havoline oil change place he used to work for Toyota & has done quite a bit of stuff for me well & decently priced...
it was still a bit of an impulse buy i immediately thought i shoulda waited a little longer & got something slightly newer like an original generation sequoia that wouldn't need as much updating but whatever all in all happy w the journey.....
things I've had done over time :
old man emu suspension, just the basics from some website
slotted & drilled low dust brakes, cant remember the exact brand, the black ones (ebay)
rebuilt parking brakes including the pull line that was stuck in place
replacement aftermarket oem stainless exhaust, nothing performance or anything (also ebay) the original muffler was a rust bucket
new valve cover gaskets, both sides had broken & or missing bolts (no idea who was working on this thing)
new oem denso spark plugs & ignition coils (also ebay)
changed all the fluids obviously differentials & everything, greased the axle, induction cleaned injection
had the guy that installed the suspension also replace the antenna mast that was missing but it was never perfect & now only moves a couple inches either way.. from time to time lol
things IVE actually done (lol) :
installed replacement fog lights (twice) both times got cheap aftermarket ebay replacements & of course the first time one of them filled w moisture, the second time I sealed em all up w silicone & theyve been airtight
one of the prongs was rusted off the rear door latch I changed out that mechanism & replaced the handle (ebay)
one of the rear window motors died w the window down & I replaced it w one I found from an LX, i did have to swap the wiring harness that was a huge personal success (ebay)
the sunroof doesn't open and I had to unscrew & take off the glass to clean the overflowing drain lines and doing so id acquired a new motor to replace the presumably bad motor but come to find out it wasn't even the original motor which was still functional. the (worm?) gear grease had all dried up & turned to dust and I am assuming this is why it isn't turning & im sure is probably in the faq thread & one of the main reasons in here to get figured out...
one other thing I also got on ebay is a replacement antenna thing that you pull the mast line out & this thing goes in from the top & is like an insert that has a standard male threaded antenna screw coming out of it but I havent installed it yet.
im not an off roader or anything but certainly a relative enthusiast.
if you read this entire post thanks & if you didn't i dont blame you one bit
any feedback, input, tips or questions are certainly welcomed, thanks for having me!
True, but the truck looks great!
