March 2013

Background:

My Tacoma story started over a decade ago now: it was the year 2000 when my father purchased a gently used 1996 V6 ExtraCab. He enjoyed the Tacoma but, as fate would have it, I ended up buying the truck from him a few years later and was instantly addicted to the platform. It was originally intended as a daily-driver/parts-runner, though it soon became a trusted transport into the back country as well. The factory rear springs had the typical sag and eventually cracked under the loads I had in store for them, thus an OME suspension was one of the first modifications my father and I installed on the truck. From there it was a slow build-- an ARB front bumper and winch, sliders and a rear bumper. Accessories such as a snorkel, communications, and on-board-air followed suit.

For five years the truck would haul me all over the west, commuting to school every day, hauling a bed full of Land Cruiser axles back from California or engine blocks to the machine shop. I put nearly 150,000 miles on the truck before passing it along to a good friend who has made it right at home with regular doses of abuse and the less-than-occasional car wash. Rather than a continuous build article, I've choosen to retrospectively look back at the truck, the modifications done, and the repairs I've made over the last 4 years. I'm not going to detail my reasoning or install choice for each and every mod, rather just highlight and briefly touch on a few aspects. If there is something that warrants more detail ask away, I'll gladly offer my thoughts.

In the last issue we have gone as far as getting all the parts together and installing the front differential and hubs. We have also installed the wiring to activate the ADD actuator on the front differential. Lets continue where we left off with installing the new transmission.

With the transmission in place we ran into our first problem.  You would think that Toyota would use the same frame for both the Prerunner and the 4wd Tacoma, for the most part they do.  However, the cross members are not the same design and they are not in the same place on the frame.  The Prerunner cross member is an inch further back on the frame versus the 4wd Tacoma.
Because the transmission cross member on the Prerunner is an inch further back than the 4wd version, we had to make a custom cross member. We took the 2wd cross member and cut the ends off.

We've done it! Welcome to our third year of publication, and we've started off with a bang! In this issue of Tacoma Magazine: Kurt Williams from Cruiser Outfitters begins his retrospective on his first gen Taco build; Jim installed an iPad Mini in his truck; the long awaited hidden winch mount article is here; Bob finished his snorkel install; and Wyatt concludes his 2WD to 4WD Tacoma Conversion.

All that and something new from Stay the Trail, a couple of great New & Noteworthy items, Jim updates us on his Discount Tire wheels & tires, and more!

Download your copy now or get a printed one sent out.

Enjoy!

Until next time: Tread Lightly, Stay the Trail, and Have Fun!

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