soonenough's 2008 Super White Tacoma

[soonenough]

After several years of tinkering on my truck, I've decided to put together a build thread. I've spent countless hours here on ExPo, and not only have I enjoyed it immensely, but I've learned a ton of useful information from everyone, so I hope that my experiences may be of help or enjoyment to others. I will try to keep this first post up to date with the current state of the truck, and will go through the changes and modifications that I've made as I have time.

My truck is over 8 years old now, so I'm going to be digging through old photos and trying to jog my memory for some of the older stuff. In the beginning, I never expected my truck to get to the point it's at now, so I didn't do the best job of documenting some of the earlier modifications I made. I'll try to put links next to each of the mods that link straight to the post(s) that go into detail about that item so it’s easier to find details.

(pictures as of Jan 2015)


​

2008 TACOMA DCSB, 4x4, TRD Off-Road package, 040 Super White

FRONT SUSPENSION
OME 886 springs
OME NitroCharger Sport shocks (90000)
Light Racing UCAs
Wheeler's SuperBumps bumpstops

REAR SUSPENSION
OME Dakar HD leaf springs (CS047R) w/ OME AALs (D29XL)
OME Nitrocharger shocks (60091)
Toytec 3° axle shims
Toytec extended-length center pins
OME carrier bearing drop
Toytec U-bolt flip kit
Deaver extended-length U-bolts

BRAKES
Stop Tech Sport front rotors
PowerStop Z36 front pads

WHEELS: OEM FJ Trail Teams edition matte black 16" x 7.5" (4.5" BS)
TIRES: 285/75/16E Cooper S/T Maxx

ARMOR
ARB front bumper (3423130)
CBI Offroad Bushmaster 2.0 high-clearance rear bumper w/ swingout

Single jerry can carrier
Fold-down camp table
Camp light mount
Synergy Manufacturing latch
Vulcan Black HP powdercoat
Hopkins 47185 / 20146 trailer wiring connector & cable​

Outpost Offroad (Metal Tech 4x4) bolt-on sliders w/ mesh fill plates

RECOVERY
Warn M8000-S (contactor controller) w/ Warn 3/8" 100' synthetic line
Warn roller fairlead - powdercoated black frame w/ Warrior AlumiRollers
Factor55 UltraHook
48" Hi-Lift jack
ARB straps, Master Pull SBO30000 snatch block, assorted shackles, tools, spare parts, etc

LIGHTING
OEM 2009 Tacoma TRD headlights
Narva Rangepower+50 high/low beam bulbs
IPF 901XSD 100W driving lights on front bumper
ARB fog light kit in front bumper (6821201)
ARB LED indicator lamp kit in front bumper (6821287)
Rigid SR-M diffused LED lights in rear bumper light buckets [not yet installed; waiting on RFRM installation]
Totron 48W LED flood light on rear bumper camp light pole
OEM DTRL flasher module added [post #22]
LED DTRL / front turn signal bulbs
LED reverse light bulbs
LED interior dome light & map light bulbs

ELECTRICAL
Sears Diehard Platinum Group 65 battery
Blue Sea Systems 5026 12-circuit fuse block [post #7] (Bussmann RFRM replacement in process…slowly)
Blue Sea Systems 5005 AMG Mega fuse holder w/ 125A main fuse [post #7]
RemyBattery.com 5505 battery extension cables, 5515 battery terminal adapters, 5702R / 5702B snap-on battery terminal protectors

NAVIGATION
iPad2 3G w/ MotionX GPS HD, MotionX GPS Drive, TopoMaps, and AirDisplay
RAM Mount Tab-Tite iPad cradle mounted to RAM Mount 1.5" ball on dash
MacBook Pro w/ Windows7 (via Parallels software) running DeLorme Topo North America 9.0, displayed on iPad via WiFi using AirDisplay
DeLorme PN-40 w/ RAM Mount PN-40 cradle
Garmin Nuvi 750 [post #27]

COMMUNICATIONS
Ham Radio:

Yaesu FT-7800R 2m/70cm dual-band radio [post #23]
Yaesu YSK-7800 separation kit [post #23]
Relentless Fab hood hinge antenna mount
Diamond C101NMO coax assembly
Larsen NMO 2/70B dual band antenna
MFJ-281 external speaker [post #23]
TE Connectivity panel-mount mic connector on center console (awaiting installation)​

CB Radio:

Midland 75-822 handheld CB radio [post #14]
Firestik II 3' antenna
Firestik K4-SS antenna stud mount on front bumper
Firestik SS-3H spring and quick disconnect
Firestik MU8R18 FireRing PL-259 coax​

INTERIOR
Marathon Superhides seat covers ("smoke" gray color)
WeatherTech DigitalFit floorliners
2012 OEM Tacoma lower center dash panel
ScanGaugeII on BlendMount
Valentine1 radar detector on RAM Mount Mirror-Mate
Valentine1 concealed display mounted in dash
Grom TOYI2 iPod/iPhone interface w/ CableJive 2' DockXtender cable
Salex center console organizer
Eclipse retractable sun shade
Zulu Nylon Gear visor organizer

CARGO
Leer 100R camper shell w/ Yakima tracks/crossbars; driveway paint job
BedRug Mat
Hi-Lift Slide-N-Lock 22" tie-down tracks mounted in bed

MISCELLANEOUS
Airflow snorkel
ECGS front differential bushing
Fumoto F-103N engine oil drain valve
Trail-Gear Creeper Breather on rear diff [post #21]
CoolTechLLC roller fairlead license plate mount
2011 OEM Tacoma grille painted satin black
Vent Visors
Blacked-out emblems


Future Plans:

• HID retrofitted headlights are on the way, patiently waiting...
• Full-length bed drawer / cargo slide build; already have two pairs of 60" 500-lb drawer slides; drawer / cargo slide design is ongoing in SolidWorks
• OBA system - already purchased the ARB dual compressor; working on the rest of the system
• Extended brake lines front & rear
• Prinsu Cabrac and Toprac w/ additional lighting
• Remove Trail-Gear Creeper Breather and do a proper rear diff breather relocation
• Install lighted 4x4 switch (already have the parts, just gotta install it)
• Install console lock (already have the parts, just gotta install it)
• Lighting inside camper shell (already have the parts, just gotta install them)
• Convert rear turn signals and brake lights to LED
• TechDeck for iPad mount
• 1000W+ inverter w/ 120V outlets and additional 12V / USB outlets
• Repaint grille (my rattle-can job isn't holding up too well over the chrome)
• Replace lower control arm bushings and lower ball joints (already have set of spare used LCAs)
• Skids & exhaust crossover reroute
• Relocate Warn control box to engine bay & add master switch and Warn wireless winch control system
• Underhood LED lighting (Anti-Dark or other kit)
• Get the infamous Tacoma take-off shudder figured out, it seems to be getting worse and is driving me crazy
• Suspension - when it comes time to replace, I will most likely switch to coilovers on the front and All-Pro APEX HD leaf springs in the rear
• Ravelco system
• Paint frame inside and out

Past Mods / Equipment that have been removed:

• Comet SBB5-NMO dual band antenna for ham radio
• Tradesman low profile aluminum toolbox w/ Workman Electronics dome mount for CB antenna [post #8]
• Buyers Products steel toolbox
• 265/70/16 Load Range C BFG Rugged Trails (OEM - 46k)
• 265/75/16 Load Range C Goodyear Duratracs (46k - 102k) [post #28]
• 265/75/16 Load Range E BFG ATs (102k-156k)
• RAM Mount RAM-B-316-1-TAB3 18" arm iPad mount
• Diamond K400CNMO lip mount / coax for ham radio antenna

Lastly, gotta give credit where credit's due - RSB, FrozenGround, Box Rocket, Rickashay, freeze, TACODOC, Barlowrs...theirs are just a few of the vehicles that have influenced my build and undoubtedly saved me many headaches.

 

[soonenough]

Overview of Goals / Requirements

My Tacoma is my daily driver. The vast majority of my time is spent either commuting in the concrete jungle of Houston, or taking trips back and forth from Houston to north / west TX to visit family and friends. My wife and I have two young kids, and probably more in the future. With all of that in mind, I had a few goals / requirements for my truck:

1. I wanted to keep the vehicle as daily-driver-friendly as possible, meaning that large compromises in comfort, reliability, safety, or practicality would be avoided. The reality is that I'm not a hardcore rockcrawler, and I live in Houston, TX (not exactly a mecca of off-pavement opportunities), so most of this truck's life will be spent as a DD rather than a trail truck. Therefore, nothing extreme was needed in terms of suspension, tires, etc. I'm well aware of the fact that I will probably never push this truck to the limits of its capabilities, and I'm okay with that. For me, the building & tinkering process itself is tons of fun.
2. The interior of the Tacoma is already relatively small for two adults and two kids in bulky car seats. Because of this, I wanted to avoid doing anything that would reduce the available seating area of the vehicle, so interior mods were going to be minimal, at least in terms of reducing the available room for passengers (i.e. no removing the backseat for storage). I would also have to find ways to maximize the use of the truck's cargo space.
3. I hate cutting into the factory electrical system of a vehicle except when absolutely necessary, so any electrical upgrades would be done with auxiliary circuits outside the OEM wiring.
4. Lastly, anything I do to the truck has to be done properly and without corners cut; this usually ends up being more expensive, more difficult, and more time-consuming, but anything I do half-***ed will inevitably drive me crazy. I'm also a big believer in the 'go prepared or don't go at all' mentality, so I tend to go overboard at times when it comes to planning and preparation.

 

[soonenough]

09.2007 - Tacoma Purchase

I first caught the Tacoma bug while my Dad and I were shopping for a Tundra for him in the summer of 2007. We looked at Tundras at several dealerships in the Dallas area, and I'd always thought Tacomas were cool, so I picked up a brochure and started reading about them online. It didn't take long for the obsession to set in. During one of our visits to Toyota of Dallas, I asked our salesman if he'd mind if I took a Tacoma out for a spin. Of course he didn't...from that point, it was only a matter of time.

It all started with this (since it was summer of 2007 the 2008 brochures weren't out yet)
Tacoma Catalog-2.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Coming from a small 2-door sports coupe with a manual transmission, I was kinda worried about losing the acceleration and performance when I switched to a truck, so I actually test drove an X-Runner at one point during my Tacoma hunt. Although I liked it, I quickly decided it was too much of a compromise - not enough truck and not enough sports car. Once I finally decided on a 4x4 double-cab with the TRD Offroad package, I wanted mine configured exactly the way I envisioned it. Unfortunately, that specific truck wasn't just sitting around on the lot, at least not in TX. So after waiting nearly 3 months for my truck to arrive, and several hours of beating up our poor salesman over pricing, I finally took delivery late at night on September 22, 2007 at Toyota of Dallas.

Out with the old, in with the new:
Tacoma Purchase 2007-68.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Tacoma Purchase 2007-59.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

I was pretty sad to part with my old car, I really loved it, lots of good memories. I realize it doesn't make much sense that I drove a small sports coupe while I lived for 5 years in Lubbock, TX, home of terrible roads, dust storms, flooding, ice storms....the 'toughest weather in America' according to Weather.com in 2013 lol, not to mention close proximity to endless places to explore. Then I moved to the 4th largest concrete jungle in the country and picked up a 4-wheel drive truck. Oh well, better late than never I guess....

A few parting photos:
Tacoma Purchase 2007-31.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Tacoma Purchase 2007-46.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr


Here's how it began; this was taken the morning after I bought it:
Tacoma Purchase 2007-72.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

That's a good entrance. Now time to go get some pinstripes and dings put on this rig.

 

[bknudtsen]

Awesome! Keep it coming! :lurk:

 

[Tylerhasaphone]

Very nice rig!

 

[soonenough]

Blue Sea Fuse Block

When I bought the truck, I was a recent college grad, so I didn't have much money for upgrades. For the first several years, the truck remained largely stock, with occasional small changes. Mostly I just drove the wheels off of it taking trips and visiting family and friends. I was averaging around 25k miles a year for the first 2-3 years I owned it.

One of the first things I did about a year after buying the truck was installing an auxiliary fuse block to handle aftermarket accessories. As I mentioned previously, I hate cutting into the factory wiring, and this would allow me to avoid doing that. After seeing it used by many other people online, I decided to go with the Blue Sea Systems 5026 12-circuit fuse block, and a Blue Sea 5005 AMG Mega fuse holder with a 125A main fuse. I decided to mount the fuse holder and fuse block on top of the factory relay box in the engine compartment. If I had it to do over again, I would probably mount these using a bracket (similar to Barlowrs' installation) to avoid putting holes in the lid of the truck's primary relay enclosure.

I bought the parts at a local West Marine store, and while I was there I made up 6-AWG cables to connect the (+) side of the battery to the fuse holder, the fuse holder to the (+) side of the fuse block, and the (-) side of the fuse block to a main chassis ground. West Marine had a crimper in the store that I used to crimp the lugs onto the ends of the cables. It was a crimper more suited for crimping ferrules onto steel cable, but it did the job for these electrical terminals. It can just as easily be done with a bench vise, and yes I realize the proper way is to use a hex crimper, but I didn't have access to one at the time. If I was doing it again I'd buy one of the hammer-type ones that are reasonably priced. I also bought some quality heat shrink for the cables. I've used enough of the Harbor Freight stuff that I don't plan on using it again.

Here's what I started with. Note that the 5026 fuse block is only rated for 100A total of continuous service (30A per circuit). I bought a 125A main fuse because it was all that was in stock when I purchased the parts at West Marine. If I was actually running that much amperage through the block, I would replace the 125A fuse with a 100A version, but I'm not running anywhere near that right now.
Aux Fuse Block Install-1.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Positioning the fuse holder and fuse block on top of the relay box. I tried a few different configurations before deciding on this one.
Aux Fuse Block Install-3.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Holes drilled. Note that I didn't drill a hole for one of the fuse block mounting points, as it would've drilled through the molded part under the lid that holds the fuse puller in place, as seen in one of the pictures below.
Aux Fuse Block Install-6.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Fuse block and fuse holder mounted:
Aux Fuse Block Install-8.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Aux Fuse Block Install-10.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Cables connected:
Aux Fuse Block Install-13.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Finished product with covers in place.
Aux Fuse Block Install-21.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Aux Fuse Block Install-25.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

After having it on my truck for over 6 years, I think the Blue Sea fuse block is a good but not perfect solution. Even though it's sold as a 'marine grade' product, the tin-plated surfaces have corroded over time, although it still functions fine. If I were to do it again (I've already started purchasing the parts to do so), I would use something like the Bussman RFRM 15300/15400 series of fuse blocks / relay holders, which is a sealed enclosure with individual seals for every wire coming in/out of the box, so it's much more weatherproof than the Blue Sea fuse block. It’s more work and expense to get it installed, but I’d rather have spent the extra money and time the first time to not have to re-do the installation.

 

[soonenough]

Tradesman Toolbox

I had been wanting a toolbox for the bed of the truck to store tools, recovery gear, spare parts, etc. I found a Tradesman brand aluminum cross-bed low-profile box on Craigslist that I was able to pick up for pretty cheap. I mounted it using 3/8" grade 8 hardware. SAE 3/8" washers fit perfectly in the OEM tie-down tracks in the bed of the truck without being able to pull out (you have to remove the little plastic end caps to insert the washers into the end of the track and slide them to wherever you want them positioned). So I mounted 3/8" grade 8 hex-head bolts with their heads and 2 washers in the tracks, and the threads sticking out of the tracks. Then I drilled matching holes in the toolbox, and used fender washers and grade 8 nuts on the inside of the box. I had 2 bolts on each side and 3 across the back, and it was solid.

I ran with this setup for several years, and ended up selling this toolbox over 5 years later for $20 more than I paid for it. I never took any pictures of the toolbox when it was installed, but I have a few pictures of it from a few years later.

Tacoma Toolbox 2-1.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Tacoma Toolbox 2-4.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Tacoma Toolbox 2-5.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

 

[aero]

Your truck looks beautiful and very well built. I think you should upgrade to something bigger, I want to buy it! haha

 

[Cashoes]

I am new to overlanding and with a paid off truck (2002 Nissan frontier crewcab, daily driver) I can finally start putting money in to upgrades while trying to stay close to stock. I love these threads, as I said i am a noob, so these threads allow me to see what gadgets/upgrades are necessary and how you all use them.

 

[soonenough]

Thanks for the comments everyone! Gonna try to keep updating this thread and get it up to date with the current state of the truck.

 

[rickashay]

So very clean and meticulous! I hope I get to see this thing tomorrow!

 

[soonenough]

So very clean and meticulous! I hope I get to see this thing tomorrow!

Haha thanks man, yea it'll be there :sombrero:

 

[soonenough]

CB Radio

Once the auxiliary electrical system was installed, I could install a CB radio to allow for basic comms while out on trips. The CB is also useful for listening to highway chatter on road trips to determine the cause of traffic delays, etc (it actually helped me avoid some of the mess between Houston and Dallas when everyone was evacuating for Hurricane Ike in 2008).

I wanted a radio that would allow a clean installation, and I also wanted something that wouldn't clutter up the cab. I decided on the Midland 75-822 after seeing it installed in one of the guy's 4Runners from TRDParts4U in Dallas. I liked it because 1) it's an all-in-one unit without a box to mount somewhere, 2) it's easily removable when not needed, 3) it receives the NOAA weather channels, which is a good thing to have in a hurricane-prone area, and 4) it's capable of using an external antenna (this is critical; in my experience, the 'rubber ducky' antennas that mount directly to the HT barely work at all from inside the cab of a vehicle).

Equipment
Radio: Midland 75-822 all-in-one CB radio
Antenna: Firestik Firefly 3' fiberglass antenna
Antenna Mount: Workman Electronics Dome Mount w/ PL-259 coax input x 3/8"-24 antenna output; Firestik spring and quick-disconnect
Coax: Firestik PL-259 coax; bulkhead PL-259 connector

I wanted to mount it using a quick-disconnect approach so that it was easily removable when not in use. I ended up deciding to mount the radio in the cubby hole to the right of the steering column, since I never used that for anything. I chose to add a 12V outlet here for the power connection, and a bulkhead coax connector for the external antenna connection. I picked the bulkhead coax connector up from a local ham radio shop (Houston Amateur Radio Supply in Spring, TX). It's basically a female-female PL-259 connector that has a fully-threaded OD and two jam nuts that sandwich against the mounting surface.

Removing the cubby piece is really easy; just grab it and pull towards you. I measured several times to make sure everything would fit.
CB Radio Install-3.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-6.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

I started by cutting the first hole and installing the bulkhead PL-259 connector:
CB Radio Install-9.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-11.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-12.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Then I cut the hole and installed a 12V outlet I picked up at Radio Shack. I used a hacksaw blade to cut the slot for the alignment tab on the outside of the 12V outlet body. I wanted the cover piece on the 12V outlet to stay open once removed from the outlet rather than continually falling back in place (so that I didn't have to hold it up/open while trying to insert a power cord one-handed inside the little cubby), so I oriented the slot accordingly.

CB Radio Install-17.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-19.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-20.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-25.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-29.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-36.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

Connected the power and signal wiring from the radio:
CB Radio Install-41.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-44.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

CB Radio Install-48.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

I didn't take any pictures from this point on because it was dark and I was scrambling to finish the install before a trip the next morning, but from this point it was pretty straightforward, and not really any different from any other CB install. Basically, I ran power wires directly from the battery, through an unused grommet in the firewall behind the brake booster, and then to the back of the 12V outlet in the cubby hole. I routed the coax from the rear of the bulkhead fitting in the cubby hole, behind the driver's side kick panel, underneath the plastic door sill trim pieces to the back of the cab, through a rubber plug on the rear driver's side firewall, through a hole/grommet I drilled in the side of the toolbox, along the inside of the toolbox lid, and connected it to the 3/8"-24 dome mount on the lid of the toolbox.

CB Radio Install-54.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

I also made up a cheesy bracket to mount the unit to the side of the A/C control panel. Here's what the final product looked like:
CB Radio Install-58.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

After tuning the antenna, I had an SWR under 1.5 on all channels. I used this setup for several years until I got rid of the toolbox. Eventually, after I installed the ARB bumper, I moved the antenna mount to the front bumper. This meant the coax was no longer passing through the rear of the cab, but through the front firewall into the engine bay instead.

 

[soonenough]

08.2008 - BVORR

I went on a short day trip to a place called Brazos Valley Off Road Ranch just west of College Station, TX with a few people from TTORA. Nothing crazy except the August heat.

Stock Tacoma doing some flexing
BVORR 08.01.08 (Chris)-3.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

BVORR 08.01.08 (Chris)-5.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr

BVORR 08.01.08 (Chris)-1.jpg by soon.enough, on Flickr