Well we went and bought ourselves a “Four Wheel Camper” …. it just so happened to have a 1 st gen Tundra attached to it. That’s the main story on how we acquired Bert, our 2001 V8 Powered Tundra Access Cab 4x4 with 330k on the clock. While 330k on most vehicles would leave them picked to pieces in a junkyard, all we saw was a 2UZ in its prime and solid rust free bones. Yes, it wasn’t a small project, but by the time Bert rolled out of our garage doors, we were confident he would do another 330k with ease.
Before Bert’s restoration began, we already knew where he was heading. A client had claimed him off the jump and Bert was determined to live the rest of his life in rural Idaho. The priorities were, he needed to be reliable. Bert would be hauling a family through snowstorms in the winter so nothing would be left to chance. He needed strong 4x4 capability as the truck would be nearly off grid and the majority of his life would be lived on dirt. And finally, he needed to be cool, encouraging to drive and potentially inspiring for a future generation to take interest in older vehicles and their maintenance. Time to get started.
Our attention stated with the motor. Even though the Tundra was running great, 300k on the clock meant that even though maintenance intervals had been met on time, components that would generally be looked over should now be attended to. The obvious was a new timing belt and water pump, addressing all the seals and hoses we could while everything was apart. Every single rubber hose and vacuum line would eventually be replaced on Bert and he left the shop a no leak vehicle. Next would be removal of the intake for cleaning, resealing, overhaul of the fuel system, a new starter motor, and since we were staring right at them, new Toyota knock sensors (not cheap). To button up the engine bay, a new alternator was installed along with a new CSF radiator, Aisin fan clutch, serpentine belt and of course, a detail to perfection.
In order to give Bert the 4x4 capability he needed a suspension overhaul was in order. Luckily the leaf packs that came on the truck were still in great condition and with the 4wheel camper removed, provided the lift that we needed in the rear. We brought the front up to spec with a full Bilstein 5100 adjustable suspension kit, eventually bringing Bert to sit 2.5” higher than stock. With the truck lifted, every steering component got addressed with new ball joints all around, tie rods, and a new OEM steering rack. We topped everything off with a full driveline fluid replacement, bearings, seals and in order to keep the cool factor, refinished a set of OEM wheels wrapped in 285/70/17 BFG KO2s.
Bert now lives his life just as intended. As of writing this article, it’s been a year and a half since we finished that build. We personally drove the truck up to Idaho for delivery, visiting friends and making some new connections along the way. Happy to report that since his delivery date, Bert has been truckin’ strong, with absolutely zero mechanical failures and only a need for routine oil changes every 3,000 miles. It’s nothing we did though, that’s just what Toyotas do. A million miles or bust.