started out with this:
it was a 97 tacoma 4x4 with the 2.7 4 cylinder. had 175,000 miles, and got it for 5,500. needed some work, but i got it cheap enough i could still come out ahead.
here she is with new tires (michelin ltx m/s) wrapped around some 4runner rims i picked up off of craigslist. it must have been a sign...though i didn't know it at the time.
soon after i realized just how much the rear springs needed some help. installed an add a leaf kit that gave me about 3" off lift in the rear. i also threw in some weather tech floor mats, and a cheap exhaust tip just to dress things up:
and then, not even three months after all the work, this happened:
some more of the damage:
and the saddest part of all:
lights were out at a busy intersection. i treated it as a four way stop. the guy in the f150 did not. his fault. his ticket. his insurance payed for it, but not enough. after much negotiating, they said the best they could do was 7,800. after two weeks of searching, i came to realize i was not going to be able to replace the Tacoma with another.
finally, i found this:
2000 4runner sr5 4x4 with 145,000. 3.4 v6 in great shape. did my first mod the day i brought her home--deleted the running boards:
and then, thanks to this great forum, started finding all the great mods i could do to it. i really wanted a more aggressive stance, so i started shopping spacers. i came across a set of 1.5 on craigslist. they aren't spidertracs, but for $60 for all 4, i couldn't pass them up:
and of course, the obligatory before and afters:
and as everyone on here is well aware, one thing always leads to the next. i realized i needed a little more room in the wheel wells, so i added 1.5" day stars in the back, and 1" daystars in the front. along with a yakima roof basket i found for $125.
and thus she sits right now:
it was a 97 tacoma 4x4 with the 2.7 4 cylinder. had 175,000 miles, and got it for 5,500. needed some work, but i got it cheap enough i could still come out ahead.
here she is with new tires (michelin ltx m/s) wrapped around some 4runner rims i picked up off of craigslist. it must have been a sign...though i didn't know it at the time.
soon after i realized just how much the rear springs needed some help. installed an add a leaf kit that gave me about 3" off lift in the rear. i also threw in some weather tech floor mats, and a cheap exhaust tip just to dress things up:
and then, not even three months after all the work, this happened:
some more of the damage:
and the saddest part of all:
lights were out at a busy intersection. i treated it as a four way stop. the guy in the f150 did not. his fault. his ticket. his insurance payed for it, but not enough. after much negotiating, they said the best they could do was 7,800. after two weeks of searching, i came to realize i was not going to be able to replace the Tacoma with another.
finally, i found this:
2000 4runner sr5 4x4 with 145,000. 3.4 v6 in great shape. did my first mod the day i brought her home--deleted the running boards:
and then, thanks to this great forum, started finding all the great mods i could do to it. i really wanted a more aggressive stance, so i started shopping spacers. i came across a set of 1.5 on craigslist. they aren't spidertracs, but for $60 for all 4, i couldn't pass them up:
and of course, the obligatory before and afters:
and as everyone on here is well aware, one thing always leads to the next. i realized i needed a little more room in the wheel wells, so i added 1.5" day stars in the back, and 1" daystars in the front. along with a yakima roof basket i found for $125.
and thus she sits right now:
