Truck Parts Have Arrived
The motherload finally got here. I spent several months ordering parts and collecting them at my brother's, which he then put in a crate and shipped to me. Thanks bro, I couldn't have done it without you!
Basically, I ordered everything I needed to rebuild the front end (including Sway-A-Way torsion bars from eshocks.com), plus some trim, like a new chrome grill and side-view mirrors. I also got new rear axles.
Toyota Truck Parts - Font End
Oh yes, those are brand new, factory-original control arms and spindles!
UPDATE:
Here's a nearly complete list of what I got so far:
Control arm, lower, RH, LH
Control arm, upper, RH, LH
Steering knuckle RH, LH
Center-link
Wheel seal LH + RH
Upper ball joints, LH, RH
Lower ball joint, LH, RH
Idler arm
Pitman arm
Tie rod ends X 4
Sway-A-Way Torsion bars
Prothane bushings (body mounts, comtrol arm, spring shackles, sway bar bushings and end links, tie-rod boots)
Rear axle, LH,RH
Rear axle bearing service kit X 2
Lug nuts and studs X 12
Chrome grill (på bilen)
Chrome corner lights
Chrome bumper
Valence
Brake light RH
Door RH (a whole new door and new window)
Windshield and rubber seal
Fender RH
Atlantis Crystal Necklace Papercraft
The kids and I were watching the Disney movie, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and they really wanted a crystal necklace like in the movie. Since the movie was 9 years old, I figured the chance of there being a crystal-necklace toy was slim, so I whipped out Adobe Illustrator and made a quick paper model (papercraft) of the crystal necklace.
Atlantis Crystal Necklace Papercraft
I wanted it to have the cartoon look, with solid lines on all the edges, so this model does not follow the dashed-line conventions used by most paper models. Since there are only three parts to the model though, it's pretty easy to figure out how it works. You can download a PDF of the Atlantis crystal necklace below.
Download the Atlantis Crystal Necklace Papercraft
There are four models on one page: two regular crystals, and two glowing crystals. The paper size used in the PDF is a mutant size that will fit on letter-sized or A4.
Corrostabil Primer: Sexiest Primer Ever
So I decided to pay a couple extra bucks for some good paint, instead of the usual cheap crap at Biltema, and I was not disappointed. Corrostabil makes the best primer I've ever seen. I mean, srsly, after I applied a few coats to my windshield wipers, I wanted to paint my whole truck with it! It's so smooth and soft and primer-y. It's truly a high-quality paint.
Windshield wipers painted with Corrostabil
I also got black with a satin finish, which I used to paint the compartment (cowl) under the windshield wiper grill.
Sanded and treated with rust converter
Here's the compartment after I painted it with a black satin finish:
Mmmmmmmmmm... saaaaatiiiin
I also painted the grills (cowl ventilator) that cover those holes, and the entire gutter will be covered with a white grill when I'm done. Having all the semi-visible components under the white grill painted in satin black will be a nice detail.
Note to self: Order windshield wiper arm cover (8308-85192).
Resources
- Water-based rust converter from Biltema.
- Corrostabil primer and paint from Mekonomen.