Front Range 4x4 Upcoming Trail Runs - Add a New Trail Run

Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma buid

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Member
    #1769
    Last Online
    May 27th, 2018
    Location
    Lakewood,CO
    Age
    30
    4x4
    1993 Jeep Cherokee
    Posts
    19
    User Name
    SketchyXJ
    Real Name
    Dylan
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma bulid



    Hey guys!

    So, I'll give everyone a little backstory so as to better understand why I chose this truck and why I'm building it the way I am!

    I got bit by the offload bug at a young age, between family camping that always involved a 4 wheel drive road, or mountain bikes, or racing/riding dirt bikes, I don't really see how I could have ignored the call of the trail! Sitting shotgun in those early years was fun and all, but I couldn't wait to do the driving myself!

    Fast forward a bit and I got my first 4x4, a 1993 Jeep Cherokee XJ. It had the 4.0 and an ax 15 (I've had an affinity for manual transmissions for as long as I can remember)



    It started out stock, but eventually became what's pictured above. It got 3 linked up front and put on some ford 1/2 ton axles. I wheeled it and beat on it quite a bit while it was stock, but it got used less and less as I modified it. Even then I was able to wheel some good trails like Spring Creek and the Jeep made its way out to Utah a few times. The problem was I was only 19 when I built it and used someone else's garage/tools to build it. So even though I lived in town home with no garage, I had a rig that I needed a decent shop to really work on since just about everything was custom and not bolt on. That was frustrating to say the least. Add on top of that the Jeep was loud, creaky, didn't handle great, and my new girlfriend refused to drive it. Looking back I realize I made plenty of mistakes you'd expect a 19 year old to make building their first rig!

    Anyway, I decided it wasn't a good fit as I wanted to go farther in more comfort so I sold the Jeep in the summer or 2016. The vehicles that came next helped shape my idea of what I wanted and what I was going to actually use (I remember wheeling my stock XJ way more than my built XJ!) I bought and sold 4 cars between then and the summer of 2017.

    When the dust settled at the beginning of Summer 2017 I had an e series van that I had half built into a camper and a Suzuki Samurai that I realized needed more work than I was willing to put into it. Neither of these was what I wanted and I'm still in college so 2 cars was not working out for me! I sold both of them and started my search for something new.

    I had developed a list of things I was looking for in the next project. It had to have aftermarket bolt on support, a manual transmission, less than 200,000 miles, 4 wheel drive (duh), a real frame, have a reliable reputation, have parts availability at any given parts store in the country, and most importantly cost less than $4,000 which is what I sold my other vehicles for.

    It took a few weeks of searching to find the right vehicle. I bounced between trucks and SUVs from different manufacturers and had decided a truck was going to be the best fit. And with the reliability that Toyota seems to be notorious for it seemed that a Toyota truck was going to be the ticket. I decided against the pre taco because I wasn't thrilled with the torsion bar setup, even though I like the visual appeal of those trucks, better. The 2nd gen tacos were out of my price range, so I was looking for a 1st gen tacoma.

    Anddddd I found one!





    a 2000 SR5 with the 3.4 V6 and 5 speed. The truck came well loved, but with only 170,000 miles on it for $3,500 after a little negotiating. It was lifted slightly with mismatched coilovers in the front and an Alcan leaf pack with longer shackles in the back, it had a lunchbox locker in the back with 4.10 gears and some 33x10.50 km2s. It was a little clapped out, but nothing that seemed like I couldn't handle.

    The truck came home and I immediately packed up the dog and the girlfriend and hit the road for a couple hundred mile road trip with some camping thrown in. Everything went very well. Cruised up 1-70 without a problem. And I had identified most of what would need some attention coming forward.




    I knew the truck would need new shocks on all 4 corners, but I wanted to situate the ride height a little bit so I could buy shocks based on my desired height. It was 2-3 inches taller in the back so I figured I'd take out the long shackles and put in some stockers



    I drilled out the stock shackles and used some 3/4 inch grade 8 hardware and that helped the ride height a lot.

    At this point I ordered up some Bilstein 5100's with OME 882 coils from the front to replace the mis matched coilovers . Yes mis matched. There were seriously two different brands and lengths of coilover when I bought the truck . I was glad to have those gone. Then I put some ranch RS5000 on the rear since I was running low on funds and didn't quite know what I wanted to do with the rear shock setup. Its currently setup with a u bolt flip and shocks angled in like this /\. I'd like to outboard the shocks in hopes of better handling characteristics and fitting some longer shocks.

    Then I went on a few little adventures over some mountain passes and through some unremarkable dirt roads.

    I was really pleased with the new shocks and how everything was working on the truck! So I turned my attention to my camping setup. I had wanted this truck to work just as well for cross country expedition style trips as it would for wheeling near town.

    I was perusing Craigslist for a basic camper shell to meet these needs when I lucked out and found a Wildernest for $400 bucks! The guy even included the original carpeted bench set with it. Just like the truck, it was/is a little rough around the edges, but it definitely gets the job done. For anyone who doesn't know, the Wildernest Adventure Campers were made for 3 different bed sizes in the 90s. There were long/short bed models for full sized trucks and an import model for mid sized trucks. They have a steel frame molded into the fiberglass and the bed is supported by aircraft grade steel cables. They are definitely hefty and it took 4 guys to situate this on my truck and I believe I'll be replacing my Alcan leaf pack with a new pack this spring, maybe the OME Dakars with a load leaf or the All Pro expo pack. I think that with a spring rate that'll handle the 400 or so pounds that's always on the truck and a shock mounted outboard from the frame the truck should handle the camper and any tools/gear without a problem on the highway or on the trail.



    I got it on the truck and brought it home, gave it a nice clean with some bleach and a scrub brush. Let it air out in the dry Colorado air and then did my best to reseal all the canvas and any seems exposed to the elements. I put a new 4 inch memory foam mattress in there and called it good enough for a trip




    We headed up to Cottonwood Pass, saw some views, did some wheeling, sat in some hot springs and had a good time in BV. By this time it was late September and camping season had all but ended. We got snowed on every night this trip, but stayed pretty cozy. It just planted the bug for next years adventures! Even though I plan on camping out of just the shell during the winter for snowboarding trips, I doubt the tent will get popped till next spring.

    So, after that trip I replaced my inner and outer tie rod ends, got an alignment, replaced my driveshaft support bearing, did an oil change, picked up a spare cv shaft and did some other maintenance items. I even organized my tool bag and my recovery bag for the first time in a few years! Now I feel that the truck is really ready to go out and explore since there are no nagging maintenance items left and everything seems to be in strong working order.

    I'm pretty sure that brings us all up to date on the truck. Thanks for bearing with me through that long post and the mismatched picture sizes, I'm still getting the hang of image hosting sites. Thanks for the great site and I'll see y'all on the trail soon

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Member
    #1973
    Last Online
    3 Weeks Ago
    Location
    Allenspark / Peak-to-Peak Highway
    4x4
    2021 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon Xtreme Recon
    Posts
    2,294
    User Name
    RockyMtRebel
    Real Name
    Matt
    Thanks Given
    401
    Thanked 925 Times in 550 Posts

    Default Re: Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma buid



    Nice background story!

    Pictures are not showing up, says something about updating your account to allow 3rd party hosting.
    ___________
    2005 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon TJ
    2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Xtreme Recon edition
    2023 Ford F150 Raptor


  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Member
    #110
    Last Online
    April 6th, 2019
    Location
    Morrison, CO
    Age
    49
    4x4
    Toyota/Scout/Nissan
    Posts
    4,961
    User Name
    Patrolman
    Real Name
    Jeff
    Thanks Given
    182
    Thanked 346 Times in 298 Posts

    Default Re: Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma buid



    Great write-up, but also unable to view photos.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Member
    #1546
    Last Online
    17 Hours Ago
    Location
    Bozeman, MT
    Age
    45
    4x4
    1970CJ5 1958WillysWagon
    Posts
    3,694
    User Name
    FINOCJ
    Real Name
    James Orofino
    Thanks Given
    1,272
    Thanked 1,588 Times in 965 Posts

    Default Re: Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma buid



    Photobucket strikes again - remote 3rd party hosting is no longer available for free accounts.
    ___________
    James Orofino
    1970 CJ5
    1958 Willys Wagon

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Member
    #1589
    Last Online
    July 7th, 2023
    Location
    Lakewood
    Age
    50
    4x4
    2017 JKUR Recon
    Posts
    2,946
    User Name
    dieseldoc
    Real Name
    Brandon
    Thanks Given
    1
    Thanked 397 Times in 351 Posts

    Default Re: Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma buid



    Nice write up you gave us.....we like pics around here so you got to fix the pics
    ___________
    Crazy- You call me crazy, but you wouldn't know crazy if Charles Manson was eating Fruit Loops on your front porch. Suiciadl tendancies- intatutionalized

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Member
    #1769
    Last Online
    May 27th, 2018
    Location
    Lakewood,CO
    Age
    30
    4x4
    1993 Jeep Cherokee
    Posts
    19
    User Name
    SketchyXJ
    Real Name
    Dylan
    Thanks Given
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default Re: Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma buid



    The pictures should be fixed now! I know a thread is worse than worthless without them

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Member
    #110
    Last Online
    April 6th, 2019
    Location
    Morrison, CO
    Age
    49
    4x4
    Toyota/Scout/Nissan
    Posts
    4,961
    User Name
    Patrolman
    Real Name
    Jeff
    Thanks Given
    182
    Thanked 346 Times in 298 Posts

    Default Re: Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma buid



    Pics look great. Nice project!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Member
    #1589
    Last Online
    July 7th, 2023
    Location
    Lakewood
    Age
    50
    4x4
    2017 JKUR Recon
    Posts
    2,946
    User Name
    dieseldoc
    Real Name
    Brandon
    Thanks Given
    1
    Thanked 397 Times in 351 Posts

    Default Re: Sketchyxj's 2000 Tacoma buid



    Nice to see the tent out!
    ___________
    Crazy- You call me crazy, but you wouldn't know crazy if Charles Manson was eating Fruit Loops on your front porch. Suiciadl tendancies- intatutionalized

Similar Threads

  1. chrysler 8.25 out of a 2000 xj
    By bigjohnsonXJ in forum For Sale, Wanted, Trade, Free
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: May 17th, 2015, 09:51 PM
  2. 2000 F250 4x4
    By ajordan1975 in forum For Sale, Wanted, Trade, Free
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: April 23rd, 2015, 04:38 PM
  3. 2000 Disco $1,000
    By Patrolman in forum Cool Finds
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: December 28th, 2014, 02:02 PM
  4. New here with a 2000 TJ
    By JesseFourOh in forum Introductions
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: December 15th, 2014, 06:47 PM
  5. 2000 Posts
    By 4Runninfun in forum Chat
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: December 20th, 2009, 08:27 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
BACK TO TOP