2003 Tundra Prerunner

[DP_Tundra]

What’s up guys I figured it was time to make a thread for my truck. I’m not going to do a full build thread from beginning to now, just more of an overview of the truck through the years from 2013 up to present. More pictures have been deleted over the years than kept due to that “not enough storage left” life on the phones but think I can cover a good jist of it.

I bought her in 2012 as a mostly stock, very clean tundra. I threw a total chaos kit on it with king coilovers, glassworks fenders, and wheels and tires.
Starting with the oldest photos I have.
April 2013 trip to ocotillo with BLGT members LoganB and Carlos@camburg and some other friends, including Chris Russel with the old “minty” bronco behind me here. ARCO gas station in salton city





Next oldest picture was October 2013 from my friend Curtis Goodpastor’s old shop in Santa Ana. Him and I spent countless hours, days, weekends, and all nighters working on my truck and his old race truck at this shop. This was the weekend I installed a small bolt-in bedcage that I had bought from one of the NorCal dudes, Evan. He was sc610 on dezertrangers, not sure if he’s on here yet. He had a bitchin beamed and linked tundra. Anyways, he delivered that bedcage down to SoCal for me, strapped to the roof of his mothafuckin Toyota Prius! Man I wish I still had that picture!
Don’t mind the dates on these pics. Installed the bedcage along with spring under deavers and total chaos shackles and foa bypasses.









next oldest is November 2013, another ocotillo trip. This was a day trip that turned into an overnighter after seeing/meeting Jim at devils slide. He had the black square body ranger that Jubera Fab had put a center mount front end on a decade+ ago. He invited me and my lady friend back to his camp where we didn’t leave until the next morning.

Nov 2013


That’s all I have for 2013.

 

[DP_Tundra]

Starting building the front bumper early 2014. I was the first person ever to do this style of bumper on the first gen tundras, cutting the stock bumper in half and using the top part as a valence if you will, and building the tube bumper beneath that. Looking back, I should have patented this design if it was even somehow possible. I knew it was going to get copied eventually and man, did it ever!!! I lost count after I think the 11th or 12th copycat and it’s now up in the 20+ range. Feels kinda cool knowing I’m the originator and creator of this style bumper on the first gen tundras.
March 2014:




Edit: I keep finding screenshots of old pictures, don’t mind the dates on these photos

 

[DP_Tundra]

I pulled the stock bedsides shortly after and added a couple dust lights to the bedcage.









Curt’s race truck in Lucerne in may 2014



Glen Helen MORE race June 2014. Curtis and got to do a lap in some guys race truck that we had recently done a good bit of work on at Curt’s shop. That was fun. Forget the guys name but it was just a little leaf spring ranger.




OG fiesta island meet June 2014



July 2014 cut the bedsides up and built a simple bolt on tube rear bumper. I guess I forgot to add the fact that along with the bedcage came c27 spring under deavers with a set of 2.5x14 foa bypasses I got cheap. They worked surprisingly well other needing to be rebuilt every 2 weeks LOL. I did play with the valving a bit and had +2” rod ends on them but like I said, the setup worked very well for many years.







Next trip was the night race memorial weekend, august 2014. RIP to those 8.
At rockpile:



Next trip was Glamis Halloween 2014









Capping off 2014 with a Barstow trip with a bunch of buddies. December 6 2014







Anybody remember that 2 door explorer?? My buddy Raymond owned it. Sold it some 16 year kid who rolled it a week later in that very same spot we were at.

That’s all for 2014.

 

[DP_Tundra]

Some clean shots from January 2015. Notice rear ride height







Bumper was just too damn clean! (So of course I had to fuck it up sooner than later)

So the deavers worked good but something didn’t feel right. The vertical shackle at ride height told told me as much as well. Being 2 years fresh out of a 12 year relationship with ford rangers, my common sense told me to move the shackle hangers back 2”. Proceeded to do this and also moved them down 1” for additional uptravel and ride height.
Before:



After:




Ahhh yes. Many more betters shackle angle at ride height. The truck now performed as it should and the leafs felt so much happier, not all “nervous” and springy and I describe it. They were too under tension with the hanger in the factory location.


Added a couple China pods to the front bumper in February 2014


Next trip was glamis Valentine’s Day 2015





fun weekend in ocotillo April 2015



MORE race September 12, 2015




Saw this bad bitch that day



November 2015 threw on some fiberwerx besides in the garage.

 

[DP_Tundra]

Next trip was glamis thanksgiving 2015






And as I believe the saying goes, “sent her a little too hard, bud!”
Big send straight onto the front bumper. Never assume that 2 jumps are the same, especially in glamis! Airbags went off, windshield shattered, front bumper all bent and crushed in, couple cracks in the header panel. Still drove home though!



Made it look a little better when I got home

 

[DP_Tundra]

2016 I don’t have much but I painted the bedsides and have some pics from a November glamis trip with the boys.








Barstow MORE boobies race sep/oct 2016






Glamis november 2016

















That’s a wrap on 2016. More to come tomorrow.

 

[DP_Tundra]

I logged onto my Photobucket account today for the first time in several years and found a treasure trove of old pics so I’ll be going back and editing these previous posts and adding some photos.

 

[DP_Tundra]

If anyone remembers new years ever Dec 31, 2016, it was a wet and rainy night in Johnson valley. Woke up Jan 1 2017 to soggy dry lakebed being a 3’ deep mud pit. That day was pretty hectic. Someone in our camp went out and tried to drive through it in the middle of the night. Got stuck and slept in his truck the rest of the night. That day was nothing but getting people unstuck from the mud. I now avoid mud like the plague after that day.:



Weekend after that Barstow day trip




Couple weeks later in glamis




Did a full prep in Feb/March 2017 and added a LED bar to the front bumper and a fresh skid plate. Then did a Mojave Trail run with a solid group first weekend of April.

 

[DP_Tundra]

That’s enough of the year by year nonsense, I don’t have time to finish that out. So we’ll get to the good stuff and what’s been happening recently.

In 2019 the truck got caged front to rear









Rear got upgraded with 3.0x16 Kings









Brought it back home and got started on all the finish work and painting and wiring up lights and accessories and put the dash and most of the interior back in.








First shakedown in Barstow December 2019

 

[DP_Tundra]

 

[DP_Tundra]

I started tearing down the truck in December to make our annual Presidents Day glamis trip. Ended up going the weekend after with the BLGT fellas.
I had the front and rear bypasses rebuilt and played with the valving in the rear shocks a bit. I gave the front 8” bypasses the Steel-It treatment with an old can I had laying on the shelf for years. They turned out awesome.
The truck got a set of fresh spindles and bearings and new balljoints on both sides.
This obviously required a trip to Total Chaos for a multitude of parts. Big thanks to Pat for hooking up some merch as usual whenever I go in there to buy parts.
Spindle gussets, BJ double sheer gussets, uniballs, and the uniball slugs.
Put it all back together with some fresh hardware and marked it off with the RPI paint marker stuff.

 

[Mullen]

Is that a live update Jeff? I was waiting for my Docent 6 pack to weld those spindles up for you.

 

[DP_Tundra]

Is that a live update Jeff? I was waiting for my Docent 6 pack to weld those spindles up for you.

Yea sorry bud, I had to get it done quick as possible. Some Docent on me next time I see you!

 

[WW_RANGER_X]

I feel like i haven't seen you our your truck in years! We need to plan another trip sometime. Truck turned out so good!

 

[DP_Tundra]

I feel like i haven't seen you our your truck in years! We need to plan another trip sometime. Truck turned out so good!

I know dude it seems like it’s been forever! I was on sort of a forced hiatus and the truck sat in my garage for the better part of 2 years. I took my tacoma to the desert a couple times but it sucks driving a stock truck in the dirt when you’re used to LT haha. But I’m back now, truck is rippin and I’m ready to slay some miles.