TRD Skid Plate

After seeing the new TRD skid plates on the Tacomas and 4-Runners, I thought that the logo looked good so I painted my skid plate.  Meanwhile my recovery hook and locking hitch pin were fairly rusted on the inside and out, so I sanded them and sprayed with rust reformer.

200k miles!

Still running great!

Cargo box

I had some extra plywood lying around after building a base for a shed.  I had thought about buying a manufactured cargo box but all of them ran for $1000 shipped.  As a result I took some measurements and figured how much extra plywood I would need.  After all of the extra materials - plywood, rails, lock, handle, turnbuckles, eye hooks and spray paint, it came out to about $100.  I had screws and nails for the nail gun already, so these would add extra cost if I didn't have them already.  It took a while to make the box since I took pieces back and forth between the truck and saw horses.  The result looks great and is functional.  I had to raise the box a bit so that the drawer would not snag the rear mat when opening.

Rails and hooks.

 Drawer and box for testing purposes.

 Drawer extended.

 Closeup of rails.

 Finished and painted with tie downs.

 Bottom with rubber feet.

 Turnbuckles installed

Installed with lock.

Stereo Install with Rear View Camera

The Sony stereo that I will installed five years ago began to have issues and kept resetting itself.  As a result I bought a JVC DVD/touchscreen unit with a rear view camera input to replace it.   I purchased the camera for $12 on ebay since the stereo did not come with one.  I also bought the wiring that allowed me to use the steering wheel controls and the factory auxiliary port.  The wiring was a little complicated but not too hard to understand.  I soldered all of the connections and put on shrink tubing to make it look professional.  The camera was a little harder.  It require passing the wire down the door channel and using a wire coat hanger to pass it from the rear seat to the rear lights.  Once this was done, I used a wire split connector to the rear light wire and placed the black wire to ground where I had done so for the CB radio.  I then passed the wires from the access hole near the jack and under the bumper where I zip tied them.  I passed the camera wire right above the hitch and below the hitch valance.  I had someone print a camera mount with a 3D printer that I also zip tied around the hitch.  This worked well as can be seen in the pics below.

                              Stereo installed

                            3D printer camera mount.

                  Camera mount above hitch.

                  Camera mount above tow hook.

Rear view camera on stereo screen.

Seized caliper pistons

After 192k miles, the brake calipers on the right side had two pistons that seized up causing one of the pads to wear down to the metal.  Luckily, it had not been that long since the other side of the pads were ready to be replaced.  As a result, I took it in to have new calipers, rotors and pads to be installed.  I figured it would be best to replace the entire front end because the current plan is to keep it around for quite a while.  I kept the old calipers since I can rebuild them both for about $40 with new pistons and seals.

Seized calipers on right side.  Can clearly see rust on both pistons.

Close up of seized pistons on right. Pad on left was doing all of the work and wore down to almost metal part.

New rotors and calipers on both sides.

Rusting parts

So after 8 years and over 180k miles, the rock rails, ladder, and brush guard were all rusting.  The bling skid plate that I had used plasti-dip spray a while ago was peeling off as well.  I decided to take the rock rails and skid plate off, leave the brush guard and ladder on and paint them.

First was the brush guard.  I took a sander and went over the parts that were rusting.  The reason that it was rusting was due to the fact that the guard was installed on the silver FJ which was totaled and it received some damage.  Most of the rust was in the welds that were stressed during the accident.  I took a sander and tried to take off most of the rust down to the metal.  I had masked off the front of the FJ with some magazine papers which took a while.  Then I used rust reformer paint on the rusted/bare metal sections.  After that had dried, I used Rustoleum textured black paint on the entire brush guard.  One can gave about three coats with some additional touch ups on the rusted areas.  I think the texture made the guard look much better as well as hiding any imperfections due to any rusted areas.

Rusted area near the bottom of the guard.

Same area on other side.

Welds on driver side with rust due to accident with previous FJ.

Painted brush guard - rust reformer on rusted areas and three coats of textured black paint.

Finished brush guard.

Once I was finished painting, I noticed that there was some overspray on the hood that was not covered.  It was actually quite a bit but since I had previously used a clay bar to take off any overspray on other vehicles I have owned, I wasn't worried.  I had washed the FJ the previous day, so I passed the clay bar on the hood, used cleaner wax and then finished with carnauba wax for a clean finish.  It only took about 1.5 hours for to complete everything and the hood actually looked much better than it had for years.  I then finished the rest of the FJ with the carnauba wax since I had not done so for quite a while.

The rock rails from Demello had rusted all over and had flaked off on the areas that bolt on to the frame.  I had to sand the heavily rusted areas on the brackets as well as underneath the stepping area.  The powder coat that I paid extra for did not seem to be very thick or long lasting.  I had used some spray paint to perform a touch up on the step, which I had chipped with a cleat, when I first put these rails on.  This section had no rust on it and everywhere else there was a some paint with rust that looked like it was coming from underneath the paint.  So if you ever order steps/rails, make sure that you don't pay for the powder coat and spray it yourself.  After the sanding was finished I gave the entire rail(s) a coat of the rust reformer, making sure I did not see any rust when I was finished.  After this had dried, I gave 3-4 coats of the textured paint that I had used on the brush guard.  It definitely hid all of the deformities from the rust and it made for a non-skid step.  Previously when the step was wet, I would slip sometimes since the powder coating had a smooth surface.

Freshly painted rails

Rails back on FJ looking brand new

The skid plate was peeling due to the pasti-dip spray that I had put on 8 years ago.  So it was time to peel it all off.  I have not yet sprayed it with the textured paint, but plan on doing so soon.  

I do not expect the rails or brush guard to rust ever again with all of the coats of paint that they currently have.  We will see.

Cargo shelf

After having no organization in the trunk I decided to make a shelf for the cargo area. I had wood flooring pieces that had been sitting around for a few years, and wanted to make something inexpensive.  The drawer cargo carriers for the FJ ran $400+ and I didn't have much to spend.

 I started by placing the wood flooring pieces together and measuring out the trunk width. I decided on making the shelf 2' by 4'.  Once I had the pieces layer out, I cut the smaller pieces to size and then attached them with stainless hinges that I already had.

The next step was to pick out three other pieces that I would use as a brace for holding each plank.  I then used longer screws and drilled two holes for each plank on the braces. Before doing so I made sure to push all the pieces together prior to screwing in.  Once all the pieces were screwed in, the planks were very tight and sturdy.

Next was to bevel one of the edges so that it would fit under the subwoofer.  It didn't take long using an electric planar. I then used a belt sander to smooth out the edges.

I made a test fit in the trunk and everything worked out. I was planning on using some circular rubber feet on the botton edges so that the shelf wouldn't slide all over the place. Then an idea popped into my head. I had some old inner tubes from my bike that I cut to size and glued them on the edges. Not only would this keep the shelf from sliding, but it would also protect the plastic from being damaged.

Then off to Home Depot to pick up some bins that were about 9.5" high. I also picked up some tie down shackles that I screwed into the top of the shelf.  Now I can hold anything I need on top of the shelf.

Using a rachet tie down, I hooked it diagonally to hold the shelf down.

The bins slid perfectly under the shelf and I was surprised to find out that they had more volume than my old bins that seemed to take up more room in the trunk.

The 2' width of the shelf allowed room behind the seat where I could place taller items like the pieces of wood for use with a jack when needed, the axe and the shovel.

So, with all the materials that I had readily available, I only spent $25 for two bins, four tie down shackles and a ratchet tie down.  Not bad considering that those other fancy drawer systems cost an arm and a leg.

TRD CAI intake issue

I decided to clean out my TRD intake filter this past weekend and found something troubling.  I noticed that the rubber couplings for the TRD intake were cracked and melting.  The larger piece connecting the filter box to the pipe had a small hole underneath that I had to temporarily close with some duct tape that I had lying around.

Large coupling that connects airbox to pipe.

Smaller coupling connecting pipe to throttle body.

I just want to say that I have bought other cold-air intakes and never had this problem.  This was the worst I have seen and was wondering why Toyota would sell something that would deteriorate in less than 8 years.  All my other hoses, which have to perform at hotter temperatures than the intake, are fine.

After researching where I could buy replacement parts, I found out that Toyota did not manufacture this intake.  The company that produced it is called aFe.  I contacted them and apparently they have the two couplings. Unfortunately, they were around $60 for both. I looked elsewhere and found some turbo couplings on ebay.  They both came out to be about $20, were three ply silicone tubing that are high temperature and high pressure tolerant.  I was even able to choose the color I wanted.

New vs. old couplings.

Installed.

The new couplings were a 4" to 4" with bump and a 3" to 2.75" reducer. They were a bit hard to place them on each opening, but once I stretched them enough over the holes, they fit nice and tight.  A larger coupling for the throttle body would probably be a better fit. Next time I will buy the 3" to 3" coupling.  The thickness of the new couplings added to the snug fit. The older ones were much thinner since they were one ply.  Once the clamps were in place, the installation was finished.

So if you have this intake, make sure that you check the couplings.  If a piece of this rubber is sucked into the throttle body and into the engine, you will have major issues.  Not only this, but holes in the couplings will also suck in air behind the filter and all the dust and grime will eventually make its way to the throttle body and into the engine.

Plastic Trim Restoration, Window Trim Replacement and Side Visors

A few weeks ago I was detailing the FJ with Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Detailer after washing it and it looked almost new.  I noticed that the black plastic (around bumpers, wheel wells, and doors) was looking quite faded and worn.  I bought some Meguiar's Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer and it did the trick.  The plastic pieces looked almost brand new.  After a few torrential downpours and driving in the rain, the black pieces still looked new.  There was some noticeable streaking after the first rain, but after a few more, the streaking was not there.  It might have been that I used too much and didn't work it in very well.  But now it looks good as new.

Right side restored.  Bumper not done yet.

All cleaned and detailed.

While restoring the black plastic, I noticed that the window trim on the outside of both doors and one of the half-doors was coming apart.  I've never had anything like this happen on other cars that I have owned and learned that the FJ's seem to have this problem.  Since I did not want any water leaking into the door, I decided to order a new set of window trim pieces for all four doors.  Taking them off was fairly simple.  I used a screwdriver, which I had taped with masking tape, and began with the larger door trim.  There are only two places to pop the trim from the brackets that held them in place.  The one in the front was easy to pop off, but the plastic piece fell into the door.  The same happened with the other side.  Since the new trim already had the bracket, I decided that I was not going to take door apart to find it.  I don't think this will cause any issues with the door since the piece is quite small. Once the brackets were taken off, it was hard to pull on the trim and it began tearing.  It seems that you have to push it towards the window and pull up to take it off.  There are a couple of places on the inside of the trim that sticks out to hold it firmly on the door.  Once I had a nice hold of the window trim, I pulled it up while pushing in slightly.  There were about three or four popping noises and the trim was off.

The half door trim was easy enough to take off.  There are three plastic brackets spaced evenly apart, which came right off with the screwdriver.

Once the trims were removed, I cleaned up all the dirt that had accumulated and used touch up paint on any places where the paint was rubbed off during the removal process.  Once dry, I began placing the new trim pieces on the windows.  This was very simple to do and just required aligning the brackets with the holes and pushing down on the trim.  It took about 2-3 mins to place all four trim pieces on the FJ and overall took about 20 mins from start to finish.

Front trim removedRear trim removed

Trim pieces with broken parts and one trim with no issues.

One thing to note is that the trim pieces are different for both sides.  Even though the rear half window trim pieces look exactly the same, they come with different colored plastic brackets.  Pink for the driver side and white for the passenger side.  So make sure that you don't order the same part number twice for both sides.  Each trim piece has their own unique part number.

After replacing the window trim, I installed a set of side visors.  Since I have been driving earlier in the mornings, the sun has been lower and has been an issue with visibility.  I bought some side visors that do not come standard on the 2007 models and installed them as I did in my silver FJ (see earlier post on how to modify and install them).  Since I had done it before, it only took me 10 mins to modify and install them.

D-ring

After being rear ended by a small Honda Civic and my hitch taking most of the force, I decided to get a cheap D-ring on the back in case I get rear ended again. This should give enough space so that my bumper doesn't take any damage the next time that happens.  I surfed the Harbor Freight site and found a hitch insert with the D-ring. The ring is not like the others that you see, which screw into the other side but rather a bolt/nut combination.  The screw had a drilled hole where the pin went into so you dont lose the bolt/nut if it unscrews. Everything looked quite bulky when I bought it so I made some modifications. First I painted the D-ring in red. Once dry, I put it all together and instead of a pin sticking out from the end of the bolt, I used a black zip tie. This seemed to work and the nut/bolt is not going anywhere.  I also had a hitch pin from my old Ridgeline, which I used to hold the D-ring insert in the hitch.  It doesn't look too bad and the reviews on the site said that it is kind of bulky, but it does the job and has never broken. The pin/holder combination is rated for 10,000 lbs.  Not bad for $8!

New BF Goodrich KO2s

After 76k miles on the first set of BF Goodrich All Terrain KOs, I needed to get a new set since the rubber was hardening and causing hydroplaning in wet conditions. It was a shame to get rid of them since they still had a nice amount of tread left.  I found an excellent deal at 4wd.com, a shop that specializes in Jeep parts. They had the new BFG KO2s for a ridiculously low price and free shipping. I picked up a set of 5 and had them installed at the local tire shop. These new versions are much better looking than the old ones. They put some tread on the sidewalls, which made them look more like a mud terrain tire.  Once I drove on them it was unbelievable. The ride was much smoother and no vibrations on the steering wheel. On the old KOs it seemed that everywhere I went to get them rebalanced, they had a hard time doing so.  I'm hoping these last another 70+k miles.