Fightman's Build Thread

[LittleCaesar]

When I recommended that he get new plugs and wires, and Fightman initially got irked that it did not cure his problem, I felt some MMA smackdown was headed my way.

I am glad they worked out for ya then.

Do newer Toyota models fair any better with rust problems in snow and salt? I thought salt water was bad.

 

[fightman80]

When I recommended that he get new plugs and wires, and Fightman initially got irked that it did not cure his problem, I felt some MMA smackdown was headed my way.

I am glad they worked out for ya then.

Do newer Toyota models fair any better with rust problems in snow and salt? I thought salt water was bad.

HA HA! No worries about any Smackdowns man! lol! I was a little disheartened that the truck was still running bad, but was mostly upset at the fact that it was gonna cost me more money, RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS....

Bottom line, the maintenance had to be done, and I was procrastinating, because my dad had paralized me with fear that the plugs would break inside the engine. My dad is a great man, but he can be a little negative some times!

As for the road salt, it is an issue up here. That is why I spray all my panels and undercarriage with Motor oil (i know, I know...it's dirty!!) That being said, I see alot of 3rd Gens in town, that have bumpers, hatches, and rocker panels that are rusted out. Actually, all the ones I see for sale around here, look terrible, compared to mine. I never regret spraying this thing.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

looking great man. don't worry, I'm right there with you, when it comes to not fixing whats not broken. i think my wires are still from 2001 haha.

 

[fightman80]

Ok....so no tire pics....again! It's dark now, and I've been in the shop all day trying to finish that panhard drop bracket!

First off, here's a pic of the 1st version of the bracket.

It ended up being too wide, so I narrowed it, and rewelded it. I know the welds aren't that great, but 3rd attempt on the MIG and this is what I came up with:

This is why I spray the undercarriage with oil.....13 year old truck....and you can still see the chasis paint on the old mount! Most vehicles around here...only a couple of years old...don't look like that!

We drilled some holes and mocked up where we wanted the panhard to sit:

Here's some shots of the bracket through it's completion:

No finished pics yet...it get's dark early this time of year, and after finishing it around 5:00pm tonight, I can't get you some decent pics. I WILL get some pics tomorrow though, I'll make sure to get them on my break at work!

 

[ChildrenOfBodom]

very creative work! Looks fantastic.

 

[fightman80]

Thanks C.O.B! It's a project I've been wanting to do for a while now, as the rear had quite the sag on the driver side, and the truck's been dog tracking. This should remedy all that......

 

[fightman80]

Alright....so here's some finished pics:

Bracket installed and painted (quickly)

Pic of the panhard sitting at a better angle:

Pics of the rear:

Before with sag

After:

Also....new tires:

And a shot of the older ones that came with my "bad" set:

Parting pic.....ready for winter!

 

[Hepar]

Bring on winter! Looks great as always.

 

[fightman80]

Thanks Hepar! I should also add, Ripcord was a great help in giving the dimensions for me to build that bracket.....saved me from having to buy one!

 

[blcktpgsr]

Kudos for fabricating your own panhard drop bracket,man. Great work on it!

What's next for the "mean green"?

 

[fightman80]

Most likely just some maintenance items. I'm planning on doing a Tranny flush this winter, and change my stabilizer bushings to poly. Aside from that, I might try to find myself a rim for my stock spare, and paint it when the weather gets warmer.

 

[axxman]

very nice truck, but going back to the first post, what is a "deck plate" I apologize for my ignorance, I live in europe for a while.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Nice work on the panhard drop Fight! It's cool to see you putting some time in with the welder. You have no idea how bad I want to learn how to weld!

Every time I look at the savings account I get closer to dropping the coin on a nice 120 MIG setup and some steel. I'm thinking a Hobart Handler would be pretty nice to have around.

 

[fightman80]

Axxman, the deckplate mod is when you use a Nautical deckplate and install it on the front of your factory Air box. It basically allows you to run a large hole in your intake (more air = good thing), but still be able to return to stock if needed.

You can find these deckplates at Marine Supply stores.

Bigfish, welding is a trade I've always wanted to learn. My dad's stick welder was used to build my tire carrier. Now with a garage of my own, and a friend who has tools, but no place to keep em, I have a MIG to play with.

I'm by no means an expert, and have alot of learning to do, but someday, I hope I can say that I'm decent good at it.

Thanks for the comments guys!

 

[fightman80]

A couple of pics from Christmas Eve, our first REAL snowfall of the year:

It continued to snow a lot more through the night, but I didn't get any other pics.

 

[Millerad1651]

I looked but didn't see an answer...did your nerf bars come with the truck? I am looking into getting some, and just wondered if they bolted up to the brackets that were used for stock running boards. Or if they are specific for our runners. I want to get rid of the running boards, but don't need sliders and I have always liked nerf bars (had some on my last truck).

 

[fightman80]

Hey man, thanks for checking out my build thread! The Nerf Bars are an Aftermarket set from Westin. They bolt up to the truck's frame rails using some brackets and bolts. Pretty simple install, and took maybe 30 minutes per side to complete.

 

[VA4runnerchic]

great, i got absolutely nothing done at work this afternoon reading your entire build thread!!:ybrick: LOL

very nice looking Runner! :nicethread::snacker:

 

[fightman80]

Thanks for the Compliment! I don't have internet access at work, but I can tell you that the computer in my office has a USB input. I have a ton of pics from this site and from Yotatech on a flash drive, which have pics of mine and other peoples Runners, and put a slideshow on most of the day!

 

[PitbullRescuer]

Jealous of the snow you got up there. And thanks for the rear heater line write up, tackling that this weekend.