I got to test drive Mikes truck......damn, that new motors got some balls............I can't wait til you get some good springs on that puppy and some bigger tires to tame all that power.
Well it was good to see you, and I can't wait to wheel with ya.
Thanks FB for visiting us - it was really cool see'ing ya. Say hell-o to Rhonda for meh if you would
Updates !!!!!!
Well it's been a while guys. I said I would post some pics last weekend but I've been really busy.. I need to take some more pic, but its been raining and I havn't been able to get some shots - but here's what ive got for ya.
I got alot done, and after tonight
I AM 100% COMPLETELY FINISHED AND READY FOR THE SMOG REF!!!!!! 
I will go to Visalia on Friday and let them check it and make an appointment. Hopefully next week I can get it passed and registered in my name! sweet!!
Anyways, too much has happened and I dont want to explain everything because im tired and lazy
I will take some pics tomorrow morning and post em up.
Real quick here's what I've been up to if I can remember everything since last Thursday:
- Had a flat tire that cracked and was junk, so I put on some free 30" "rollerblade" tires in exchange for the 27" "skateboard" tires that came on the truck
- Installed our 1.5" Wheel spacers all around
- Got a Flowmaster 40-series muffler for free and got it installed and it sounds AWESOME!!!
- Painted the battery mount since it's raining here, can't have any rust now....
- Installed the PURGE TANK finally and cleared the OBD-II data, and the code has not come back yet
- Mounted the Heater Lines to the fire wall
- Replaced a bunch of burned-out interior lights
- Replaced my stock rear view mirror with a better one that has the switch for night time driving
- Added a nice blue dash mat to cover up all the cracks on the dash. It looks really nice now inside, except for the seats and the door panels
BIG THANKS to FIREBALL for the parts he brought me! - Built a two point mount setup for my Air Filter, thus completing the very last needed thing and now its ready for smog!
- Added some of our 2" longer shackles to the front which gave about an inch more lift and leveled the truck out. Looks much better now
- Added some Denso Iridium spark plugs, replacing some worn out garbage plugs. Very nice. But it kind'a feels the same, so the plug wires are complete GARBAGE. I've got Nology hotwires in the mail as I speak
- Moved the e-fan thermostat air temp sensor to the inside of the radiator core instead of "next to" it for better cooling cycling.
- Added more header wrap to the newly installed exhaust to help keep the temps down next to the battery
- Added the stock cat heat shield and some heat wrap around the fuel lines to keep from "heat soaking" the fuel lines since they are just above the cat.
- Cleaned up some of the wiring in the cab near the SR5 gauges
- Touched up the paint in the engine bay from some minor scrapes during all of the work around the engine
- Repositioned the throttle cable and got it out of a bind. Throttle is a bit smoother now.
- Changed my engine oil and filter. This dang engine holds 5 freak'n quarts!
hmmmmmmmmmmmm.............. I think that is about it....... 19 things. not too bad. like I said I've been very busy taking care of alot of loose ends. I looked the entire truck over and I think I have about ran out of things to do. You know what that means, it means I need to start modifying things!!!!
Anyhow, I will take some pics and post up tomorrow morning if its not raining to hard. Oh, and I just ran through my first complete tank o'gas and it registered at 319.7 miles out of 16 gallons = 19.81 MPG which INCLUDES a trip to the mountains and numerous numerous "feel the power" moments, so I was not trying to conserve gas by any means and it still managed almost 20 MPG including while having the smaller tires on. Once I get the new plug wires installed, I'm gonna top it off again and then see if I can hit 350miles on one tank maybe..
..and speaking about that trip up into the mountains, I really didnt go to far, I just went above a small town called Auburrey and almost all the way up to the top of the 4-lanes which is a massive grade up HWY168 on the way to Shaver lake which is a true challenge for underpowered Toy trucks. I didnt get a chance to drive the 4-lanes but I will this weekend hopefully...........can you say SNOW!!!!! But driving in the hills is usually a 3rd and 4th gear affair, even in Marlin's 22R-E 2WD pickup (light) which can't really stay in 5th much at all, well you know what? this 3RZ not only stayed in 4th and 5th, I only used 3rd gear ONCE and that was for passing a car in one of the last passing areas which really is a smaller area and is up hill with low visibility around a slight corner.. Sometimes I don't pass there even in my MR2 unless im boosting, but the 3RZ picked up to over 65 MPH instantly there up hill and man its amazing.
Even with the 30" tires it is FASTER now than with the 27" tires.. I really can't wait to see how it does with 4.88 and 37s...
Pics coming up tomorrow- Night!
BigMike
