My "AZTACOMA" build

I figured I’d come up with a “build thread” but it’s more of an all-purpose thread about me, outdoor trips, and the truck in general.





The truck:
2000 Tacoma SR5 TRD 3.4L 4x4. Bought it new in September, 1999. Current miles: 220,000 (with a shit-ton of hard, pipe-hittin 4x4 miles)

Usage:
This is my budget expo/adventure vehicle I use to get to places. This includes lots of hunting, fishing, hiking, and camping. I also do a lot of 4x4 recons into backcountry areas of the Southwest seeking out old townsites, mines, Indian remains, cool natural features… stuff like that, and the more remote the better. Naturally, I like to be self-sufficient for up to a week in the boonies. It has seen a fair amount of hauling and trailering, but those duties have mostly been transferred to my big truck.

Vehicle Summary:
I have beat the hell out of this truck. It’s been down “roads” that it had no business being on and has taken it like a champ. It has seen sand, mud, water, snow, rocks, a good amount of crawling, and of course some “baja” action. It’s driven -250' sea level to over 13,000', in 120+ degree weather to -20 temps. It has driven from west coast to the east coast and back. It’s been everywhere from Hollywood and Vine to Bourbon Street to some of the crappiest chunks of landscape in the middle of nowhere. I love this truck.

Other Thoughts:
My mod process has been slow and fairly minimal… cheap, basic, functional. The reasons are 1) I’m very, er... budget minded 2) I don’t need much “extra” to use it for what I do, and 3) I can care less about looks or bling. The truck only gets used a couple times a week or so now, but I still need to be able to travel at 70mph reliably, in comfort, and then hit a gnarly trail and not worry about scratches or getting stuck. It has not failed me. I’ve averaged around 7-8 4x4 trips a year for about 15 years, some of them 3-6 days long. With good, regular maintenance the Tacoma continues to thrive and should be my primary 4x4 until about 2018-19.

Current Mods:
Massive pinstriping and dents galore
De-badged
Uniden CB
Pioneer/polk system
Viper alarm
GPS, ultraguage, inclinometer w/mounts
Fire extinguisher mount
Deckplate mod
Air compressor (hardmounted under hood)
4-hi e-locker mod
OME 881 coils
2.5” Toytec spacer front lift
OME Dakar 2.5" 8-pack
Camburg UCAs
33” BFG KO ATs
Pinch weld mod
Trail gear sliders
Homemade roof rack with spare tire mount
External fuel cell (9 gal)
KC lights, front/back
Custom rear swing-out bumper
Aftermarket front and rear lights
Rear frame reinforcement plates
Neoprene seat covers
Level 8 Tracker wheels
All Pro front tube bumper
…other minor misc stuff

Future Mods/tasks:
Fix big dent on side ? Nah
New timing belt / water pump
Hi-Lift mounts on rear bumper
Fresh water tank (10-12gal) with pump (someday?)
12 volt freezer (dream on)


Partial list of semi-recent trips:

Charlou Gap 4x4 1 nighter 11/16
Squirrel and trout "cast n' blast 4x4" 1 nighter 10/16
Various fishing and dove shooting 8-9/16
Southeast Utah Recon 4 nighter 4x4 6/16
Congress area 4x4 4/16
High Desert Exploration 2 nighter 4x4 3/16
Javelina Hunting 2/16
River Bottom 4-Wheeling 1/16
Quail camping 12/15
Deer Hunt 11/15
Red Creek 1 nighter 10/15
Grand Staircase 4 nighter 6/15
Agua Fria 3/15
Kofa Survey 2 nighter 1/15
Elk Mountains 4 nighter 7/14
Turkey Hunt 5/14
Mojave National Preserve 3 nighter 3/14
Elvis 1/14
Sierra Anchas 1/14
Harquahala Mountain 11/13 (Ram 2500)
Various quail hunting 10/13 - 12/13
Mogollon Rim cast and blast 10/13
Eastern AZ Strip 7/13
Humphrey's Peak 6/13
Big Bear, SoCal 5/13
Death Valley 3/13
Agua Fria NM 2/13
Punkin Center 2/13


Upcoming Trips:
April 30- 4x4 day trip to ______?
June Summer Big Trip- Utah


As It Sits Now Pic:



Other Toys:
2004 Dodge Ram 2500HD 4x4
She's used mainly to haul heavy loads and tow the travel, horse, and boat trailers.


Fleetwood Pioneer Camp Trailer
For family trips and hunting expeditions.


SeaRay Bowrider 180
Good little family and fishing boat



A few previous mods:

Early on I knew I needed air so I could air-down for comfort and traction. Went with a Master Flow for $50, lasted almost 10 years. I exchanged the crap hose connections with my own universal, fabbed a mounting plate, and stuck it in. I relocated my alarm horn and snipped the alligator clips to permattach to the battery.




Here we are airing up. You can also see my KC 26 series lights. The two front are long range and the two rear are flood. I got them because they are small and rectangular, like my roof rack. They are good for the price, but if I had to do it again I'd probably get bigger ones for the front. Maybe I'll put two more up front someday.


This pic shows the rear lights and "external fuel cell," which is my low budget auxiliary fuel tank. It's a 9 gallon boat tank, painted and secured. All I do is attach a fuel hose to the tank, squish the primer bulb a couple times, and it gravity feeds into the main tank. Right now my max cruise range is 600 miles; 18 gal tank, 9 gal fuel cell, 5 gal jug.






I hadn't planned on a winch so a heavy front bumper didn't make a lot of sense to me. I did want a better approach angle for the tires though so I cut the sides of the bumper! To do this, I had to move the blinker light into the corner light... ghetto, but pretty easy. I recently put on an All Pro tube bumper and kind of wish I had done it sooner.





This shows the cut bumper pretty well:


I bought the camper shell off craigslist for $125. Scuffed it, primed it, and rattle-canned it for about $50. Is the paint an exact match? Nope. Does it matter? Nope!

 

First. Can't wait to see pics.

 

super interested to see pics

 

RANDOM WHEELING PICS

Near Prescott, AZ


Anza Borrego, CA


Pyeatt Draw, AZ


Big Bend, TX


Mohave Road, CA


White Tanks, AZ


Elk Mountains, CO


Outside Las Vegas


Near Oatman, AZ


Moab, UT


Joshua Tree, CA


Broken Arrow, AZ


White Rim Road (Canyonlands) UT


El Camino Del Diablo, AZ


Elephant Hill (Needles District) UT


Death Valley, CA


Grand Canyon (stock!)


San Juan's, CO


Big Bear, CA


New Mexico

 

Treating a Toyota the way they are supposed to be treated! I look forward to seeing some more action pictures. Well done!

 

That is a GREAT looking truck! Love that compressor idea.

Where did you get that compressor at?

 

Thanks Woody.

I think I got the compressor from Pep Boys, but you can get it off Amazon for $60. And I've never considered my poor old truck "great looking" but I'll take the compliment!

 

Yanked off the receiver hitch and cut my rear quarter panels to make room for the new bumper. Actually my cousin did most of the cutting. The nice part about having faded, dinged, scratched, 200,000+ miles is you don't necessarily need precision!

 

Rear bumper is almost done!

 

can i still get your old rear when your all done with it

 

Once it's off for good come take a look... it's a hunk o' junk.

 

It's a Moeller 9 gal boat tank, similar to this (they don't carry my model anymore)

 

Bumper is ON.

My Rustoleum Satin paint job was about as good as my sheetmetal cutting...

Now I will mount my tire and install a license light. Pretty soon I will put on some mounts for my hi-lift jack.







Special thanks to Aaron for making this at an incredible price. Super quality and a really nice guy who's easy to work with.

 

that is awesome looking!!!

 

reserved

 

Swing out is similar to mine. Looks great!!

 

Good lookin rear bumper

What trails are you running in the pics?

 

First pic was in the White Tanks, probably Lower Scorpion... quite a long time ago. The 2nd pic was a trail near Oatman, here is another one from that trail:



And a few more from that trip in 2011.

 

I love function over form. Sweet job man.

 

Random Status Update!

Re-worked the first post a bit and added a few more pictures to the thread.

Things are in a holding pattern right now. New front springs, new LCAs, and new front shocks are going in, along with a few other general maintenance tasks, prepping for a couple bigger trips planned. Actively looking for decent seat covers, but not in a huge hurry.

Although it's a little ways off, I think my next set of tires will be BFG ATs instead of the MTRs. Why? Mainly price honestly, About $40 cheaper per tire, but the slower wear and tiny bit better mpg help too. I've had excellent success with the AT previously and it's not as if I go through much mud.