2002 Tacoma Rust Belt Restoration

Here is the truck the day I bought it in December 2021. Looked for a few months before finding anything decent, had to jump on this. 2002 Tacoma 3.4L Manual Transmission XtraCab with 225,000 miles on it. I ended up getting this by putting up a WTB post on a Wisconsin Tacoma Enthusiast Facebook group. A guy from nearby reached out and that was that.

The truck has spent it's whole life between Minnesota and Wisconsin. It had roughly 8-9 previous owners. Not exactly what you like to see when looking into the CarFax. Much of the history on this truck is lost, the CarFax had not much to show other than it being bought and sold. Oddly enough, even the frame replacement wasn't on the CarFax. But the truck did come with some paperwork, some of which documented the frame replacement being done in 2015. Obviously that was the big selling point for me. The truck also came with camper shell (albeit with a busted rear window) so that was a plus. I originally bought it to get more utility out of my vehicle and it has spiraled out of control into a restoration project . This thread is mostly going to be replacement of rusty or worn out parts and making this truck look a lot nicer.

 

12/24/2021 - The very first thing to get done on it was a fresh set of rotors and pads for the front brakes. Easy enough.

 

12/25/2021 - Next was spray painting the rims. I washed them off, did a light sanding and skipped the primer. Turned out pretty good, though I wish I had gone with Flat instead of Matte, they were too glossy but whatever. I've got a fair amount of chipping going on now (6/22/2022). Probably should've used primer.

 

1/2/2022 - The window on the back of camper shell was slowly falling out. Getting it back in was not easy and I thought for sure I would break the glass trying to repair it myself. I called around town to find someone willing to take on the project but no one seemed interested or capable, so I went about doing it myself. I cut off the inner part of the handle and drilled out the rivots to get the glass out. Cleaned up all of the weather stripping, removed the brittle stripping and then filled the areas with silicon. Finding the exact weather stripping was too time consuming and expensive. So far the silicon has done great and you can't see anything off unless you're staring right at it. Replaced the handle and we've got a working SnugTop Camper shell.

 

1/2/2022 - The truck has had some starting issues. Sometimes it will stall or just take a while to get moving so I went about replacing the spark plugs. The plugs in there looked good and would likely have lasted much longer. I ended up buying the wrong spark plug, not the twin electrode. However, these plugs have worked fine. This did not solve my starting issues unfortunately.

 

1/7/2022 - Replaced the transmission fluid, transfer case fluid, rear differential fluid and engine oil. Began working on replacing the leaking valve covers with the assistance of my nephew. We also did the PCV valve and spark plug tube seals. Getting the tube seals out was a real bitch. We also tackled the half moons but not the cam plugs. I ended up having to open the driver's side up after realizing that cam plug was leaking. Bummer, but now she leaks no more, at least from the valve covers.

 

3/6/2022 - Hooked up my camper shell brake light by patching it into the Driver's side brake light. Used some T-tap connectors. Worked out really well.

 

Welcome and congrats on the truck, pop on over to the Wi thread and meet the guys.

 

Great project so far, looking forward to seeing more.

 

2/2/2022 - Installed new OEM LBJs. Apparently I didn't take any pictures during the process. Was a real fight getting them freed from the lower control arm. I ended up calling in some help because I felt like I was destroying the outer tie rod using a ball joint separator. Apparently what you really need to do is whack everything with intense fury and a 4 lb sledge

 

Have been dealing with vibrations in the 40-60 mph range so decided time for an alignment. Wrong. My tie rods were seized so I guess its time for more of this

Order some 555 inner and outer tie rods with new boots and installed those. That was a pretty easy job given the LBJ/outer tie rod was recently freed up. Looks like I have a slow steering rack leak. Replacement of the steering rack is in my future for sure but she works good enough for now. Took the truck in for an alignment and the vibrations are still there

 

4/2/2022 - Decided to try and tackle my erratic starting issue I cleaned the mass air flow sensor and took on replacing the fuel filter. I somehow got the fuel filter off without stripping the bolts. Score. I think these two things in addition to new plugs have resolved my strange start ups. Definitely better than when I first purchased the vehicle.

 

4/2/2022 - As part of trying to assess my vibration problems I checked the carrier bearing. Yikes This looks like it needs to be replaced ASAP. Put on a Spicer Carrier Bearing. Pretty easy job as well but definitely was wishing I had a ratcheting closed end wrench when trying to take apart the driveshaft. Also greased the zerks while in there. U Joints feel solid, no play anywhere. Vibrations still present

 

4/7/2022 - Essential repairs included getting these cup holder inserts replaced.

 

3/17/2022 - Was on the highway on my way out to Madison when a very loud noise presented itself. Cat rusted apart. Decided to go the cheap route and had a mechanic put in a patch. Probably should've taken this opportunity to try welding but just wanted to stop disturbing the neighbors.

 

5/17/2022 - Got the throttle body cleaned out and a new gasket put on. Also replaced the plenum gaskets.

 

3/4/2022 - The battery tie-down was real rusty and crusty looking. Easy fix by wire wheeling it and giving it a fresh coat of paint.

 

5/30/2022 - Tackled the front differential fluid change now that I got a set of Lexus plugs for the drain and fill. The leaking valve covers saved me here. This thing is coated in oil. Cleaned it up and bit and got the drain and fill plugs out quite easily. The magnet on the drain plug was pretty clean as was the fluid. Probably not a necessary change but good insurance. Also got the power steering fluid flushed and the reservoir cleaned out as per Timmy's instructions. The reservoir filter was quite clogged. Unfortunately the power steering noise is still there so I will eventually get around to swapping the pump and rack. But trying to save my pennies for more important things for now.

 

6/6/2022 - I purchased the vehicle knowing that it had an AC leak. Finally got around to getting it charged to identify the leak. The leak became pretty evident at the condenser. I was hoping to do all of this work myself but I decided I didn't want to go about doing the final charging. The mechanic also said that the high pressure line was also needing to be replaced. Additionally, I couldn't get the return line between the condenser and drier off without stripping the inner threads of the aluminum bolt so that also needed replacement So four new parts, labor, freon and the UV dye kit I initially purchased got me up to just under $500 to get everything back to working order. Bummer but I knew it was coming when I bought the truck.

 

Just had this problem today. Got my outer tie rods in from Toyota and they are seized but not rusted. Need to just get the inners and do it all at once.

Cool thread