'97 tacoma build: Abner

sixstringsteve said:
There's nothing wrong with the factory crossmember, I swapped it out because of the duals. The new one is more of a skidplate than a crossmember. It'll be nice to be able to slide over stuff with it. I wonder how it'll affect my budbuilt skid mounts. I"m sure I"m going to have to make an adapter to get the tranny skid to bolt up.
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Thanks - That's exactly what I was wondering. I just picked up tranny and t-case skids from savage offroad, and was worried about the strength of the factory crossmember. If it's tough enough, I won't worry about it.
 
When converting from a full bench to a bucket seat arrangement, you need to drill one extra hole. You can see where the factory hole is.

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To make the 4runner seats fit, you can either swap out the seat rails for those of a tacoma, or you can just drill an extra hole to make the 4runner rails work. Since the bench seat rails and the bucket seat rails are completely different, I opted to drill an extra hole and use the 4runner rails.

Both seats are in, and they're 50 times more comfortable than the stock bench.
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It drove out of the garage under its own power! It's nice to have a driving rig again. There's still a lot to do before it's ready for the trail, but at least it drives. The dual cases are awesome. It crawls right along with no issues. I'm going to have to come up with some new boots for the shifters, since they don't fit, but those are minor details.

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I'm not thrilled with how low the crossmember sits, but I am thrilled with the crawl ratio. It's a tradeoff I'm willing to make. Then again, the stock crossmember didn't offer any more clearance than this one does.

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I'm dropping it off at chocflip's house tonight for him to finish the rear bumper.
 
Sliders have not been installed yet. The front bumper is ugly, but very functional and it has a killer approach angle. Ill design a front bumper someday, but for now the goal is to get it ready for the Rubicon. Function before fashion is the name of the game right now.
 
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To-do before the Rubicon:

Immediate stuff:
- install bucket seats (from tacoma, 4runner, or Corbeau)
- install center console
- install duals w/skidplate/crossmember
- get driveshafts modified (shorten rear, lengthen front, build a spare rear)
- extend speedometer
- remove old sliders
- install new sliders
- install diff drop kit
- flush front diff
- install budbuilt skids

Not as crucial, but still nice to have:
- install new CB/Antenna
- install new CD deck
- purchase a spare lower ball joint and the tools needed to swap it
- install rock lights
- get the a/c charged
- put a seat in the back
- get a soft top
 
Nice work Steve! The seats look comfortable but don't go with your color scheme:). I think your dual case skid plate looks awesome and very beefy. If you need help on a weeknight let me know.
 
I know. You're the only one i know who can rattle off factory interior colors. :)

And you know what about improvement these will be over that tired old bench. :)

And I love your truck.
 
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sixstringsteve said:
IMG_2797.JPG


I'm not thrilled with how low the crossmember sits, but I am thrilled with the crawl ratio. It's a tradeoff I'm willing to make. Then again, the stock crossmember didn't offer any more clearance than this one does.

IMG_2798.JPG


I'm dropping it off at chocflip's house tonight for him to finish the rear bumper.
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Hey Sixstringsteve, is it just the picture angle or is the rear of the truck sitting a touch lower than the front? It also looks like the cross member is also portraying this as well? Is it just me? If it is a little low in the rear is it just the extra weight of the shell? Just curious is all. Love the build.

LT.
 
it sits level, i snapped that picture in a hurry and it looks goofy. I haven't trimmed the rear fenders as much as I've trimmed the fronts, so it looks like the back sits lower, but it doesn't. You can compare the lines of the rocker panels with the curb and see that it actually sits a little higher in the back right now.

When I really load it up with camping gear it sits a tiny bit lower in the back. I bought a set of add-a-leafs for the rear, but I haven't seen the rear sag past level lately, so I haven't felt the need to install them.


The skidplate definitely hangs lower in the rear, which is by design. The t-case is relateively tucked up there except for the rearmost part of it. That hangs down quite a bit.
 
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cool, thanks for the link. How do they work?


You're right, those are expensive. I think for $150 I can undo two nuts each trip. Or maybe I can fab something up. That'd sure be nice to have some quick disconnects though.
 
I agree on the price - just too much. Let's just design something simple ourselves - it can't be that hard. I'm a patent-owning inventor, you know! :D
 
Don't know if you're pursuing this, but it looks like the Heim joints and the bushings are on amazon prime for a total of about $23-$35. ($3.68 each cheapo heim joint or $10 each for higher quality + 8 energy suspension grommets/bushings for $15) - then it's just hardware. It sounds like a fun little project to me. Maybe I'll work it into the schedule closer to the trip, so I can get more done on the trailer first. ;)
 
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