Red Rocket an expedition build

This will take me a few weeks to get organized and get all the pictures found and up here.

as the truck sits now...






Bought the truck new in late 05 it was an 06, i was trying to get a good deal on an 05 i worked it all the way out and there was an almost identical 06 next to it, told the dealer ok same deal but on the 06 and he said yes, she was mine.

2006 Toyota Tacoma Double cab short bed TRD off road radiant red.

ill insert the new pic here if i can find it.

 

First mods:
-went almost straight to the tint shop from the dealer 15% all the way around.
-Floor mats some all weather rubber cheapo ones from sears, they look great.

-Sub 10inch in a box that i made at the time i did this i had seen several of the off the shelf boxes and though they were too thin i am now thinking about taking it out, don't really use it and it with amp and box tip the scales at around 100lbs (guessing)
-brush guard found it on ebay for a great deal cant remember how much i paid but it was for my birthday from my long ago ex girlfriend, THANKS.
-xm radio and ipod to car: the xm is not really working that great anymore but all i use now is Pandora the ipod to car thing i got from circuit city when they were going out of business.

-off-road lights: KC lights not sure about the model bought off a friend 5 of them for 20$. were on the brush guard are now behind the grill.

 

next it was time for a lift, after really searching around on the internet i came across what i thought was a great deal...
http://store.fatbobsgarage.com/toyo...ear-add-a-leafs-4wd2wd-2005---2010-p2133.aspx


its a 2.25 inch leveling kit from fatbobsgarage.com i think i paid around 125 shipped i have to admit that it has really treated me very well i have had it for about 4 years and have no complaints except that you should get a sway bar relocation kit as the sway bar will rub. up next tires.
-This week i recieved my replacement for this lift kit 5100's with eibach springs.this should only net me about .25 more inches of lift up front with where im going to set them but i think that my current setup has sagged a good bit curious to see how it turns out. i bought them used and am well aware that the one on the right hand side is not set up correct.

They are dirty you can also see that the bed of my truck has had a hard life.

 

After around 30000 miles on the stock tires and my who needs to rotate a tire you dont like policy i was in the market for some new rubbers. after talking with several friends who said they had gotten some amazing life out of the bfg At's i decided on 285/75/r16 to run on the stock rims would be the way to go. the mudflaps went at this point and i cut the the inner fender, i may have taken it a little too far but i cut and welded the body mount i can flex all the way at full turn with zero rub i cant stand tire rub.

its hard to tell but if you look closely at the tread on the tires they have about 25000 miles on them in that pictures they are in almost mint condition. im expecting to get at least 75000 out of them. BTW dont let sears touch your tires after 3 tires at balancing them they couldn't do it. once at Toyota they got it right.

-this necessitated some wheel spacers spidertrax was the man for the job. 30000 miles on them no problems at all.

-side note i ran some Mikey Thompson class 2 wheels for about a month truck looked great form the side but due to them being 10 inches wide it looked like a low rider from any other angle.

 

-after a few close calls off road and one big scratch down the rocker panel it was time for some sliders. i was worried about the budget so it was time for a demello diy sliders
http://www.demello-offroad.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=27_21&products_id=114
i can weld so this was a great option for me. i havn't held all the truck weight from them but they have taken some good hits and are really scratched up paid for themselves time and time again.

 

-At some point i decided that i could tell if i had a flat for myself. so goodbye TPMS. here is how i did it if you want to know. http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=170576
here is another link its about the same but the first link's pictures stopped working.
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=326748&highlight=tpms+dissable

-also i decided that being able to engage the locker whenever i wanted would really help me in doing donuts. http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127083

 

i was really tired of looking for and not having my tools with me all the time, but i was not willing to give up a foot or more of my 5 foot bed. so i saw this in the bed of a friends truck. it is lockable and holds all the tools i need also the tailgate makes a nice work bench.



i also wanted somewhere to store my tow strap tired of it taking up space in the cab and when its dirty i dont want to put that in the truck. so i welded up a little holder.

 

Now time for the rear mounted winch in the stock bumper.
First off i got the idea from http://tacomaterritory.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43326 2Tense (Chaz) he is a great guy. I thought i would post a little more in depth pictures this is not a how to. This ended up being more in depth than i thought and took about one and a half days.

The first picture is the start with the spare tire out which i am going to put in the bed for offroading and carry a plug kit for on road i also always have a compressor in my truck.

Picture 2 you can see the stock rear bumper removed and the winch plate going in. it is a winch plate i got from harbor freight 40 bucks i was originally going to make my own but after wasting 2 hours on it i realized it wasn't worth it.

photo 3 if you look closely you can see the brackets wrap around the stock towing package like a box wrench my first attempt was too high and wouldnt fit under the bed i had to lower it and drill another hole in the winch plate to raise the roller mount. i used 2 brackets about 1/4 inch each to attach the winch plate mount to the tow package. its really stout with about 28 inches of weld on it im not worried about it failing.

photo 4 That is masking tape over the license plate im not very good with the photo shop thing i made a mount that is hinged that covers the roller. from 20 feet you cant even tell anything is there. and yes i work at a bed store we sell mattresses.

Photo 5 is of the license plate flipped up its not been photo shopped its a really weird gray color. the hooks hang from a secure place on the tow package also this way i can run a snatch block.

Additional information it is a Smittybilt XRC 8 the new one. mine free wheels very easy and i was very impressed with the speed. i previously had a high speed warn 9.5 and this is not far off it. i am very impressed for the price. i did have to clock it to get it to fit. and i did have to clearance the bed support i plan on painting some wood strips black and hammering them in between where i cut and the top of the winch i think this will make it much stronger than it ever was. the project turned out great however it did pull down my rear end a good bit, i also have a tool box that you can see right by the tailgate it probably weighs 150lbs and the winch is similar with the mount. I tow a lot and will probably be looking for some more heavy duty springs i have the stock 3 leafs with an add a leaf now. its not going to be enough i don't think. hope you all enjoy. Attached Thumbnails

 

Thats awesome man with the winch in the bumper. Good idea.

 

the trd offroad doesn't come with a roof rack, dont get me started on the lack of hood scoop. So i decided to rectify this, i actually use my roof rack, i purchased it from trdparts4u.com it got here fast and the box looked like the delivery company took the liberty of running it over, twice. it was also missing parts, actually the customer service girl at trdparts4u is really nice and good. i had a new one shipped out to me within a week even through in a really nice homeless guys glove that was glued into the seem of the box, bonus! had it installed in about 4 hours.

here is it in the box and you can see the truck pictures with it on.

 

thanks that rear mounted winch took a lot more fab to get in then i was thinking and trust me its really heavy i got a nice scar on my knee from where my little brother dropped his end.

I have been thinking of relocating the license plate to up on the tailgate with magnates and a small piece of wire. what do yall think? However im really surprised by the number of people who notice it.

 

the future plans at this point are to:
-install the 5100's after breaking down the shocks and fixing the one with the problem.
-get bestop supertop for rear bed cover. (im on the fence about this one its going to look really good or really bad)
-order and install long leaf add a leaf for rear to fix sagging rear end.
-order and install HID headlights
-build a front winch bumper.
-sell my front bumper, and brush guard. also an extra set of wheel spacers i have.

 

added this mod a while ago, the only mod i have that has paid for itself.

 

Took a gamble and bought some cheap vent visors off ebay, i dont really love the way these look but i want to be able to leave my windows cracked all the time to let the truck air out and remain a little cooler it gets really hot in AL in the summer.
they were cheap i was thinking that if i didn't like them i wouldn't be out much. 3 days from payment to door, that's fast shipping.


im really pleased with the end quality and result, i would buy them again. well see how well they end up sticking.

 

im never waxing my truck again. turns out i suck at it got it all over all the black plastic and it looks like crap. pressure washer here i come.

 

Did the flashlight mod this have been very useful for me i use it a lot at my house and have to go out to the car to get it but at least i can find it. Great picture of my torn seat mod.


Got this beer huger free after a verbal dispute with my dealer over the steering wheel vibration. (i was right thanks to information from this website)

 

I have the same ones on my truck, and they have been stuck on for almost 2 years now. That was my first mod. You will be happy, and worst case, you can get a piece of double sided tape and put it right back in.

 

good to know i hope they treat me as well as they have you.

-I went to clean and reassemble my 5100's and the coil spring compressor i got wont fit the coils so i will probably just take them to a shop and have it done. sucks.

 

the overhead temp display went out today. what a mod. my 510 fell off completely i am currently unable to find my solder gun. i will post up with some repair pics.