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Cytronus
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Old OEM carpet (Oak Interior) taken out after cleaning. Eee gad! I had COIT come and steam clean it but it didn't get the old dog piss smell or spilled coke/coffee stains out so I decided to order new carpet samples from Automotive Interiors - interior kits, carpet kits, seat covers & QualityCarInterior.com sells Carpet Kits, Floor Mats, Car Interior, Turck Interior parts, Replacemnt Carpet, Sunvisors and Sun Visors.
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Cytronus
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After receiving the carpet samples from both automotive interiors and quality car interior, I decided that automotive interiors had the better plush cut pile carpet and also more color choices. So I ordered up the molded carpet for $255.
If you're thinking about replacing your carpet, which I highly recommend, do beware! The aftermarket manufacturers have replacement recommended colors that do NOT match your OEM color. Not even close. Automotive Interiors recommends 9577 Medium Dark Oak but as you can see from the below photos, it's no match at all to the OEM color. Luckily since I had ordered about a dozen samples, I discovered the 906 Sandstone/Came color was a near spot on match and in my opinion, is a better color to the OEM since it more closely matches the dark brown interior trim pieces.
I can't say enough about the quality of this aftermarket carpet; it's superior to Toyota's. The fibers are thicker, even & more plush and the stitch pattern is barely visible. Notice on the OEM how you can clearly see the stitch pattern lines. The one nice thing the OEM has is slightly better padding on the bottom but this is really negligible. It also comes with a hard rubber heal pad, something the old OEM did not have.
Cutting and installation took about 5 hours. I started out by placing the new carpet on top of the old and made sure to fit the molded areas between the two for an accurate overlay. I drew a rough outline of the pattern with chalk and cut away with a sharp box cutter. Once the shape was cut roughly and leaving the edges a little larger, I moved it into the car, ensured the molded areas were pressed in place correctly, cut the console area out, cut outer edges down to size, then moved on to the details like the bolt holes, etc. The hardest part was cutting around the rear seat floor hump where the rear vent and console protrudes. It's very easy to cut too much here so I recommend testing fitting your center consol/arm rest/rear heater piece before cutting.
I couldn't be happier with the results. Next is the cargo area!
If you're thinking about replacing your carpet, which I highly recommend, do beware! The aftermarket manufacturers have replacement recommended colors that do NOT match your OEM color. Not even close. Automotive Interiors recommends 9577 Medium Dark Oak but as you can see from the below photos, it's no match at all to the OEM color. Luckily since I had ordered about a dozen samples, I discovered the 906 Sandstone/Came color was a near spot on match and in my opinion, is a better color to the OEM since it more closely matches the dark brown interior trim pieces.
I can't say enough about the quality of this aftermarket carpet; it's superior to Toyota's. The fibers are thicker, even & more plush and the stitch pattern is barely visible. Notice on the OEM how you can clearly see the stitch pattern lines. The one nice thing the OEM has is slightly better padding on the bottom but this is really negligible. It also comes with a hard rubber heal pad, something the old OEM did not have.
Cutting and installation took about 5 hours. I started out by placing the new carpet on top of the old and made sure to fit the molded areas between the two for an accurate overlay. I drew a rough outline of the pattern with chalk and cut away with a sharp box cutter. Once the shape was cut roughly and leaving the edges a little larger, I moved it into the car, ensured the molded areas were pressed in place correctly, cut the console area out, cut outer edges down to size, then moved on to the details like the bolt holes, etc. The hardest part was cutting around the rear seat floor hump where the rear vent and console protrudes. It's very easy to cut too much here so I recommend testing fitting your center consol/arm rest/rear heater piece before cutting.
I couldn't be happier with the results. Next is the cargo area!
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Cytronus
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At the same time the carpet was going in, I had the old seats recovered in Katzkin leather from a local shop called Coach Automotive Restyling. I decided to go with the Adobe in a flat finish. I wish now I had gone one shade darker but it's still pretty close to the OEM color.
Looks and feels INCREDIBLE! It's a tad bit thicker and softer than the factory skins. They added a thicker foam padding layer between the leather and actual seat foam which makes it feel more soft and comfortable. I will say the leather looks a tiny bit loose in a few areas compared to the factory but negligibly so.
Katzkin leather with installation was $1500 for both rows. Seat heaters were $500 for the 2 front seats with installation. I was able to pay cash and avoid sales tax. All in all, I thought it was a very fair deal for the quality of the leather and the installation from a very reputable shop. Keep in mind, cost of living in California is very high so I'd expect the prices for the same job to be a lot cheaper outside of CA, maybe $1400 - $1600 for the same set up (leather and seat heaters).
Looks and feels INCREDIBLE! It's a tad bit thicker and softer than the factory skins. They added a thicker foam padding layer between the leather and actual seat foam which makes it feel more soft and comfortable. I will say the leather looks a tiny bit loose in a few areas compared to the factory but negligibly so.
Katzkin leather with installation was $1500 for both rows. Seat heaters were $500 for the 2 front seats with installation. I was able to pay cash and avoid sales tax. All in all, I thought it was a very fair deal for the quality of the leather and the installation from a very reputable shop. Keep in mind, cost of living in California is very high so I'd expect the prices for the same job to be a lot cheaper outside of CA, maybe $1400 - $1600 for the same set up (leather and seat heaters).
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BlackCat914
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give the leather a few months to tighten up in the loose places, it'll look 100% better than new.
edit: I forgot to mention that it looks GREAT. One weird question though, how does the truck smell now? New? Weird? Old?
edit: I forgot to mention that it looks GREAT. One weird question though, how does the truck smell now? New? Weird? Old?
Cytronus
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While the new leather seats were still out of the car, I decided to do the Dirtco flash light mod. They're not in the way, totally invisible, and they come in super handy all the time!
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Cytronus
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My digital Climate Control unit was malfunctioning and lights were burned out. Whenever the fan speed was turned up, it would turn down instead. Turning the temp knob clockwise wouldn't raise the temperature either but rather lower it and was hard to get past 67 degrees. I found a cheap solution - Dave Ruberg at Speedometerrepairguy.com. $125 plus shipping, got it back quickly and it works perfectly. Highly recommend this guy to anyone with the same common issue.
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PitbullRescuer
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And I thought I was a bitof a lunatic with these things. Touché sir. Awesome work, looks great so far.
Cytronus
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Backup camera license plate frame with Advent rear view mirror with integrated LCD picture. The cool thing about the mirror is that it's autodimming and has a slightly wider field of view than the OEM but still clears the sun visors. It has 2 video inputs so eventually, I'll add a camera to the front. Nothing like parallel parking in tight spaces with 2 cameras!
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Cytronus
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December 2012: Installed new Billstein heavy duty shocks all around. After breaking these in for a couple months, I'm of the opinion they're too stiff and wish I had gone with the Tokico Trekmasters as originally planned. The Billy's are rough and can't help but think how much shock is being transferred to all the running gear that might wear it out prematurely.
Added brand new rear coils as a direct replacement to the OEM '99 talls to repair sag issues and opted for shorter springs up front off a '97 SR5 to give it more of a positive rake but in actuality, it sits pretty level now and I'm left wishing the rear was a little higher. Even the brand new rear springs sag a little with even a light load. Toyota just never did the rear coils justice until the 4th gen redesign. The specs of my set up are noted in the photos below along with before and after shots.
Also added larger tires, the next size up with the BFG All Terrain T/A KO - LT 265/75 R16.
Installed new OEM Toyota parts:
Inner and outer tie rod ends
Upper and lower ball joints
bushings all around, front and rear
BIG UPGRADE/CONVERSION! 2006 Toyota Tundra front disc brakes (13 WL). All genuine Toyota.
Added brand new rear coils as a direct replacement to the OEM '99 talls to repair sag issues and opted for shorter springs up front off a '97 SR5 to give it more of a positive rake but in actuality, it sits pretty level now and I'm left wishing the rear was a little higher. Even the brand new rear springs sag a little with even a light load. Toyota just never did the rear coils justice until the 4th gen redesign. The specs of my set up are noted in the photos below along with before and after shots.
Also added larger tires, the next size up with the BFG All Terrain T/A KO - LT 265/75 R16.
Installed new OEM Toyota parts:
Inner and outer tie rod ends
Upper and lower ball joints
bushings all around, front and rear
BIG UPGRADE/CONVERSION! 2006 Toyota Tundra front disc brakes (13 WL). All genuine Toyota.
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Cytronus
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Here's the spring details: front spring comparison between brand new OEM '99 "talls" and OEM '97 SR5. The difference is a quarter inch. For those who are curious why the drivers side springs are taller, it's to compensate for the vehicle's and driver's weight on the left side of the car. Paint markings indicate the spring year and model they belong on.
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Cytronus
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Here is a shot of before the front end cosmetics and some recent photos with the new 2002 sport grille and sport skid plate. This skid plate is actually off a 2006 4Runner/Tundra sport of which the depth is shorter and unable to reach the back screw hole of the 2002 sport skid plate brackets but it still works and looks good. Just need that sport hood to finish it off...if I can find one.
