TACODOC's 2005 Tacoma Build

I am a big fan of Toyota trucks - Hilux, Tacoma, 4Runner and Land Cruiser.


Feature Vehicle, Overland Journal summer 2010 issue. Photo by Chris Marzonie

My first experience with Mr. Toyoda's legacy came in the form of a used '79 Toyota Hilux 3/4 ton long bed with a 20R/4 speed tranny, an old school Timberline shell, and some rust. That thing ran like a swiss watch and never complained through almost 200,000 miles of abuse from me with nothing but routine maintenance and tires. So began my love affair with all things Toyota.



My second Toyota was a 1988 4Runner 4WD SR5 with the 22RE, R151 5-spd, and all factory options. That thing could go anywhere I pointed it with ease so long as I didn't try to go fast uphill on a long highway grade! 1st Gen 4Runners are solid machines and excellent off road in all conditions.

My third Toyota was a 2002 Toyota Tacoma TRD PreRunner Xtra-Cab with the V6 in Lunar Mist which my wife sold when I was in Iraq in 2003. I came home to my fourth Toyota, a brand new 2003 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4WD SR5 Xtra-Cab in Lunar Mist. We quickly outgrew the cab size which brings us to my fifth and "final" Toyota, a 2005 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4WD Double Cab in Silver Streak Mica with all available factory options.

The 2005+ Tacoma was based on the international Land Cruiser Prado 120 chassis and came with the excellent 1GR-FE 4.0 Liter V6 gasoline engine that produces 236 horsepower (176 kW) and 266 ft·lbf (361 N·m) torque. This Tacoma is the North American version of the Toyota Hilux pickup sold in international markets.

The project vehicle was purchased new in February 2005 at Toyota of San Juan Capistrano, CA, with a build date of January 2005. It is one of the very first trucks of this generation built at NUMMI in Fremont, CA, USA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI and was a dealer trade from Reno, Nevada.

My buildup is an ongoing strategic process of parts selection and vehicle modification focusing on reliability, durability, and comfort in the field. The end result of all the time, money, sweat, and busted knuckles has been all the great memories made while enjoying the wonders of Overlanding in North America with family and friends!

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Make: Toyota
Model: Tacoma Double Cab 4WD SR5 TRD Off Road
Year: 2005
Engine: 1GR-FE
Trans: 5 spd Auto A750F, 3.35 low ratio
T-Case: VF2A, low ratio 2:57:1
Front Axle: Stock Toyota IFS, 4.88 Nitro Gears, Icon Tubular Upper Control Arms, Icon 2.5 Remote Reservoir Coil-Overs
Rear Axle: Stock Toyota E-Locker, 4.88 Nitro Gears, Icon Remote Resis, AllPro APEX Expedition Heavy Duty Leaf Springs, Timbrens
Tires: BF Goodrich MT KM2, 255/85R16
Wheels: Stock Toyota TRD Alloys
Brakes: Slotted front rotors by Stop Tech, Power Stop Z36 pads (extreme truck and tow)

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CURRENT MODS:
3.0 inch lift via Icon Vehicle Dynamics Tubular Upper Control Arms, Icon 2.5 Remote Resi Coilovers, & rear Icon 2.0 Remote Resi's and "APEX" Expedition HD leaf springs with Timbren bump stops.
BFG MT KM2's, 255/85R16's, Stock Toyota TRD Alloys
4.88 Nitro Gears from East Coast Gear Supply
APEX aluminum front bumper with Rigid Industries D-2 LED's
Warn M8000 winch w/Viking hawse fairlead
Warn wireless winch remote
Viking 3/8 synthetic winchline (80ft) w/Safety Thimble and Winch Saver
Rigid Industries grill and SR-20 LED light bar
Rigid Industries SR-50 LED light bar mounted via SoCal Super Trucks brackets
Bentup square rock sliders
Demello Offroad custom rear swingout bumper
Trimmed Rear Bed Quarters
Rhino Lined fenders, rockers etc
Cobra 75 WX ST CB
iPad Mini navigation mounted via Bird Dawg Industries Tech Deck
Hella air horns x3
TRD Sport hood/grill
Rear Diff breather extension
TRD neoprene seat covers
Weathertech floor mats
Kenwood Excelon KDC-994 Head Unit, Bluetooth and iPod
Kenwood KAC-7202 Amp
PAC SWI-X steering wheel audio control adapter for Kenwood
Image Dynamics IDQ10 v.2 D2 Subwoofer
Alpine Type-S Door Speakers
Total Sound Deadening - eDead v1 SE2 - Fatmat
Ventshades
Quick Fist 4-D Mag Light mount
Sears Die Hard Platinum P5 Group 35 Battery (main)
Blue Sea Systems negative bus 12 circuit fuse block (cab power)
National Luna Power Pack w/remote dual battery monitor and Odyssey PC1700 MJT Battery (house)
Blue Sea Systems negative bus 6 circuit fuse block (house)
80W Solar Panel
Power Tank CO2 system
Safari Snorkel SS135HF
Console Vault
On board hard mounted First Aid kit and 2.5 lb ABC fire extinguisher
Full trauma kit
Full recovery kit
Frame and sliders corrosion proofed with full POR-15 treatment
Hi-Lift
Engel MT-45 Fridge W/New Gen Engel fridge slide & Engel remote thermometer
Adventure Trailers FlipPac, color matched w/AT LED lighting upgrade and Goose Gear custom interior module
Fiamma F35 Pro awning w/custom enclosure made by SLO Sail
Magnaflow CAT back exhaust system with high clearance crossover pipe. Wrapped and heat shielded.
LED lighting upgrades: Tails, markers, rock lights. Custom interior lighting by Anti-Dark
Stop Tech slotted rotors and Power Stop HD disc brake pads

FUTURE MODS:
Yaesu 2M Radio

Joshua Tree NP, rarely seen snow-capped Idyllwild in the background, photo by Chris Marzonie


Then:


Now:




Evolution of my Tacoma -

Rack and Eezi-Awn version


Coyote Creek, Anza Borrego, CA


ExPo trip with HMR's rig and ours, Anza Borrego, CA, 2006/7-ish


ExPo Death Valley trip


Camped near Striped Butte with the new FlipPac, Nov 2009










My complete Hilux Safari Snorkel install write up for 05+ Tacomas featured at Cruiser Outfitters:
http://www.cruiseroutfitters.com/tech_2ndgenTaco_snorkel.html

“In the Summer 2010 Overland Journal, there’s an article about a well-equipped camper owned by forum member Tacodoc. The truck has many upgrades that make it more capable off-road. The camper is an Adventure Trailers Flip-Pac, tailored to meet Tacodoc’s needs. The result is a go-anywhere adventure travel vehicle with enough creature comforts and conveniences to make a trip of several weeks a pleasure. And the truck just looks cool!” – Chip Haven

Feature Vehicle, Overland Journal Summer 2010 issue:
http://store.overlandjournal.com/products/Summer-2010.html

See my full 100 page build thread on Expedition Portal here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/521-Building-an-05-Tacoma-for-Expedition-Travel!

 

damn! thats one hell of a build nice job dude

 

Hey very nice truck, the roof rack for your tent was custom made???? looks great

 

another questions? with 255/85r16 do you need wheel spacer to clear the upper control arms?????

I have a toytec 3" lift with upper control arms I just want to make sure before waste the money thank you

 

255's are narrower than stock, no spacer needed but they may rub the UCA at full lock depending on what you are doing.

 

Yes, it was made by Demello

 

Awesome truck! That tent is unreal.

 

Thank you I'm getting it

 

your truck is my favorite overland tacoma, absolutely amazing build, what rack did you have before you got the tent?

 

The expedition rack was made by Demello, roof top tent was an Eazi-Awn 1600 Series 3.



And here is the current FlipPac version with the rear bumper CBI made

 

At Lake O'Neill in December 2011

 

http://tacodoc.com/?page_id=738

Some positive press for the upcoming Rendezvous and Tacodoc.com courtesy of the boys over at Overland Gourmet and Central Overland



http://overlandgourmet.com/2012/02/2012-socal-desert-rendezvous/

http://centraloverland.com/2012/02/socal-desert-rendezvous-2012/

 

Big thanks to Tembo Tusk, Adventure Trailers, Overland Gourmet, Sierra Expeditions, Sportsmobile, JPFreek Magazine and Front Runner Outfitters for jumping onboard to help us make this happen!

See you in the Desert!

 

I've been following your truck for years on TTORA. Always thought it was one of the best Tacoma's out there.

I'd love to see more pics of your bed/tent set up.

 

Some great blog posts and pictures of the event - LOTS of Tacomas in attendance!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfAHc15em0

Full story, video, and photos up at ExploringElements.com. Check it out.
http://www.exploringelements.com/event-socal-desert-rendezvous-2012/

A gallery of 105 images from the Desert Rendezvous trip has been posted here: http://broadsword.com/trips/DR/

There's also an associated blog post at http://broadsword.com/wordpress/?p=1489

 

Big thanks to Mario and Martyn at AT for coming through with this - now to get it installed!
Heatsource 2000 with 10lb propane cylinder and aluminum bracket from AT


Heater will be installed down inside the pre-existing storage box inside the FlipPac, it's almost like it was made for it.


Propane cylinder bracket will mount easily to the swingout. Never mount your propane inside your living space.


The full project will be documented here:
HEATSOURCE HEATER

 

The original "wheelie bin' from Australia



Had a chance to try this out at the Desert Rendezvous! Full report coming soon...



Rumor on the street is that these will be available in the US soon through MSA 4x4 USA: http://msa4x4usa.com/

 

We threw these Icon Vehicle Dynamics V.S. Series aluminum body 2.0 shock absorbers on at the Overland Rally in Hollister.
Big thanks to HMR and Chris for taking pics!

Out with the old and in with the new... OME's with almost 50K and still good.

Totally stoked with this upgrade!

Bottle jack to get that bottom bolt in


Hi-Lift and blocks for safety.
Old Man Emu Dakar rear springs with extra leaf still looking good, best springs I've had on the back. Deavers were too soft.

Big thanks to Chris (Tacovendor) for lending a hand and just being a really COOL guy to work with - THANKS CHRIS!!!



Drilling frame for resi mounts


Mission accomplished!

 

Well, I'm at 100K now and I've had the Icon (formerly Donahoe Racing) 2.5 coilovers on the truck for approximately 80K... pretty impressive performance and longevity IMO. The only issue they have had is a small shaft seal leak on the drivers side CO and decreasing response due to needing to to be re-charged.

2005 Tacoma upper A arm removal can be a real PITA... got it done but it's no fun bending virgin sheet metal out of the way for that looooong bolt!
Great tech how to here: http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3381



COILOVER REBUILD AND UPGRADE: The original Donahoe Racing 2.5 inch coilovers have almost 80K on them, very impressive considering the weight of my truck (5,400 lbs) and the punishing terrain I've taken it across over those 80K. So those came off along with the OEM upper control arms and the old shocks were taken in to Icon for a rebuild.
Here's how the coilovers look after rebuild - recapped and upgraded to VS Series 2.5 remote reservoirs!



ICON TUBULAR UPPER CONTROL ARMS: New for 2011 are the 2005+ Tacoma / 2007+ FJ Cruiser Tubular Uniball Upper Control Arms, these are a direct replacement Uniball Upper Control Arm to replace the weak OEM upper arm and is intended to maximize wheel travel, correct caster, and add strength to Independent Front Suspension components.
The Icon 2005+ Tacoma / 2007+ FJ Cruiser Tubular Uniball Upper Control Arm System - 58450 Fits:
2005+ Toyota Tacoma 2wd / 4wd
2007+ Toyota FJ Cruiser 2wd / 4wd



The ICON 2005+ Tacoma / 2007+ FJ Cruiser Tubular Uniball Upper Control Arm System - 58450 are built with the following specifications:
-1026 DOM Seamless Tubing
-CNC Bent Tubing
-CNC Machined Bushing Housings and Sleeves
-4130 CNC Machined Uni-ball Cup
-17-4 High Grade Stainless Steel Uni-ball Adapter Pin
-High Precision CNC Machined Pin Provides OEM Like Fitment
-Professionally Precision Welded
-1" Teflon Lined Uniball

With the combined Icon Vehicle Dynamics 58450 Upper Control Arm and Icon coil over shock package you can obtain 2½+ of lift and 2 of extra droop wheel travel on your 2wd or 4wd Truck. The Tubular Uniball Upper Control Arm System (Part 58450) replaces the OEM factory upper ball joints with a 1" Teflon Lined Uniball. Icon Vehicle Dynamics has designed the arms to maximize droop wheel travel, correct castor, and increase the durability of suspension components when you install Icon coil over shocks or other manufacturers lift systems.

Installed the UCA's and shocks today, these things are amazingly high quality.

Area prepped


First some grease on the bushings. It's nice that these UCA mounts have zerks.


High quality tapers. These UCA's are completely rebuildable.


Arms installed, notice the sheet metal had to be bent back about 1/2 inch on both sides to clear the looong bolt. It was easy.




Shocks ready to go on with all the tools needed and red loctite


Shocks installed


Modifying the remote reservoir brackets to fit with the ARB


Tomorrow morning I'll attach the mounting brackets and attach the remote reservoirs, re-install swaybar, skids and tires and it's alignment time.

Stay tuned!

 

Here's how the bracket looked after I modded it to work with the ARB


Bracket mounted. Note how the cutout was made to allow the ARB bracket bolt to pass through and how the Icon bracket is sandwiched between the frame, the ARB bracket and the sway bar relocation blocks underneath.



Icon 2.5 Reservoir mounted with hose clamps. Coilover set for 3 inches of lift.


Took it down for an alignment after I had everything back together. Obviously it was way out of spec - see the numbers, before and actual (after).


The ride is noticeably more plush now, and the annoying vibration in the steering wheel at 45-50mph is gone now. This setup should give a much higher level of performance than I have known previously and I'm very excited to hit the trail!