Building out the new truck

I bought the Tacoma in November of 2011. The lady and I had a 1990 4 runner, but the tranny started slipping alot and it was already full of rust.

The Tacoma just turned over on 100k. I recently replaced the timing belt along with all the other scheduled maintenance at 100k the previous owner ignored.


MODS COMPLETE
bilstein 5100 all around…icons in the mail!
883 springs
diff drop
Deavers
255-85-16 km2s
Rigid 20" e series
Baja mule basket w/ Camper (currently removed)
Wagan Power Inverter 1000w
ARB bull bar
8k warn winch with synthetic line
231 tundra brakes

FUTURE:

Trail Gear sliders are sitting in the shop , just need to paint them

 

Good looking truck! I like the topper. No input on what to do next from me as I think it looks pretty good as is.

 

good lookin truck, i like the way it sits

 

Got my D2s in the mail today. Best designed light I have ever seen. So small and so precise. Now I just need Baja to finish and ship my rack out. I should have it next week....

 

On the floor of the shop I now have a VL 8000 -S winch, new 883 springs and arb bull bar. Gonna take a couple weeks to get it all together.

 

Nice pickup man looks clean

 

that will be beautiful!

 

Great truck !

 

sweet build! but im sure you can think of more to do

 

Looking good keep up the good work.

 

my trip to moab in a month should fix that!

 

Put my 883s on today. The front end went from 37.5" off the ground to 38.75". Once the winch and arb on it should settle back to level or close.

The 883s are huge improvement from the stock springs I had preloaded. I was
aiming for potholes and curbs on the way home tonight and never felt them with the 883s.

Saturday we are doing the end cap mod and installing the arb and winch.

 

Got held up on the end cap mod b/c of work, but that gave me more time to get the bumper prepped. Mounted the winch, lights and other parts tonight. I think I am going to swap out the big shiny warn fairlead for a black viking one.

End cap mod and mounting should happen in a few days.

 

End cap mod done.

Bumper and winch installed. Total install was about 7 hours, including taking off the old bumper. ARB instructions were pretty bad, but Expeditions West has a great write on the install, which was a huge help.

I have about 3 weeks left before we leave for our 30 day cross country trip. We are hitting alot of the national parks, pretty much camping the entire way. I still have some small things to pick up, but I think the truck is pretty well prepped and ready.

 

So I just got back from our extended vacation across the country. Highlights were Moab, Hagerman pass, death valley and grand staircase-escalante.

My only truck issues were a ripped tire bead/tire faliure and it appears I blew some seals on my power steering motor. The blown seals did not show themselves until I got back.

Mods I think I need after the trip: bigger tires and new rear leaf springs. I just want more clearance and my leaf springs are showing age. The camper is also coming off. I banged my head on the inside of it some many times I don't want to see it for a while.

After giving the truck a good work out I need to fit is with some 285s. I have done a bit of searching but cannot figure out if they will fit without some more lift. Currently running 5100s all around, OME springs up front and 1.5 al in back. My tires now are geolander mud terrains at 265-75-16.

Anyone fitted the 285s before?

 

power steering pump is gone. getting new one today.

 

ohh teakettle junction. such a neat place out there. did you check out the racetrack too?

 

we made it to the race track. It was an awesome sight. There was no one around for miles. We found and abounded trailer out there with 2 flat tires.

Race track road was pretty rough. It was nothing technical, but it had a horrible washboard. On top of that there was a flash flood the day before, which had turned the road into a creek and had strewn rocks everywhere. Half way thru I heard some rattling. I got out and checked my truck. The constant washboard vibrations had rattled all the bolts in my roof rack loose! A couple of ratchet straps fixed it and we were on our way.

We wanted to continue on past the racetrack up over the mountain range and back down to the highway. The ranger talked me out of it though. He said no one had gone back there since the flooding and there could be some very large washouts. Oh well maybe next time!

 

255s get here tomorrow!

 

Just ordered my Deaver J59 8 leaf pack!