Knollwood Overland Tacoma

2013 Tacoma built by Knollwood Originals

How it sits today:



Starting Point:



Initially purchased as a relatively fuel efficient, reliable daily driver, this 2013 Tacoma Access Cab 4x4 has now taken on a much greater purpose. Over the course of the next six months, it will be transformed into the means by which my fiance and I will finally be able to embark on our dream of moving west and exploring the vast natural landscape of this country that few are lucky enough to experience. The goal of this build is to maintain the Tacoma's ability to comfortably cruise the open highway while easily transitioning to the sand, dirt, rocks, or any other terrain for extended lengths of time.

Base Specs:
2.7L inline 4 cylinder
Automatic transmission
Bilstein 5100's front and rear
All Pro Off Road rock sliders
Knollwood Originals high clearance rear bumper
LEER camper shell
SR5 wheels
275/70r17 Goodyear MTR's with Kevlar
Custom in bed sleeping platform and storage
Rear axle vent relocation
.
.
.
and much more to come

Up to date progress can be tracked by following us on Instagram @KnollwoodOriginals

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We've started to layout the basics of our route starting in Virginia Beach, Va and ending near Fort Collins, CO. Estimating a month on the road and passing through:

Virginia
Kentucky
Tennessee
Arkansas
Louisiana
Texas
New Mexico
Colorado

Any suggestions for places and sights to stop along the way in any these states?

Anyone interested in meeting up and adding to the adventure of our travels would be really appreciated.
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Bilstein 5100's front and rear
Toytec 1" rear block
Stock steelies with a coat of Graphite paint


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35" KM2's held in place for kicks, and to see what kind of trimming would be needed for clearance. I'm going to be going with some 32" Hankook Dynapro MT's for the trip, but seeing these BFG's now definitely gets me thinking for down the road.







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Rear High Clearance Bumper

1/4" Plate mounting brackets & 2" Square Tubing with 1/8" wall thickness

















more progress will be posted soon

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Got a great deal on an LEER shell




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Rear bumper all finished
- made a huge difference in clearance and rear departure angle













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Plasti-Dipped the rear badges to cut down on the chrome
-still need to do the door badges and grill surround




​

 

We've started to layout the basics of our route starting in Virginia Beach, Va and ending near Fort Collins, CO. Estimating a month on the road and passing through:

Virginia
Kentucky
Tennessee
Arkansas
Louisiana
Texas
New Mexico
Colorado

Any suggestions for places and sights to stop along the way in any these states?

Anyone interested in meeting up and adding to the adventure of our travels would be really appreciated.
​

 

Got the shell mounted. Now it's time to get started on building a camping platform in the bed for storage and sleeping.



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Looking good so far. What else is on the to do list?

 

This week I'm going to get started on the bed platform to get ready for some fall and winter camping trips. And tires have been a long time coming so I need to bite the bullet and make a move on some new m/t's. Thanks for the interest. I'll try to post a bunch of update pics as I go.
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Put on some trim to cover up the chips and flaking paint on the base lip of the shell. Really helps tie it in with the factory trim above the fender flares. Sleeping platform work starts tomorrow.








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Picked up a set of 4 Runner wheels for the great price of FREE and decided that for tires, I'm going to run 275/70R17 Goodyear MT/R Kevlars




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I like that HC bumper you made. I have the same Sport rims. Rhino lined mine black. Use them for winter rims

 

Thanks Bogg. How's the rhino liner holding up on the wheels for you?

 

Have run them now for over a year. Where I got some rock rash on the rim the paint has flaked off. Other then that holding up pretty good. It's an easy enough fix to repaint them. I noticed you may bump up to 35s. Haven't had a real chance yet to try mine out (35 KM2s). Here's a link with other members who have gone up to 35s.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/285871-2nd-gen-4x4-35s-3-lift-w-o-body-lift.html

Any plans to come up to Canada on your trip?

 

As of now, it doesn't look like we'll be able to fit Canada into the initial route, but once we're settled, I'm definitely going to make the trip up for a couple weeks of exploring. Any must see places you can recommend?

 

Made some good progress on the sleeping platform / bed storage. Still have to cover a couple pieces, build a front hatch, and get together the pieces I need to build a roll out drawer for the right channel.

















Storage layout:
Front Driver - books, computer, headlamps, etc.
Rear Driver - high lift, tow strap, dog food and water
Font Passenger - spare parts (plugs, belts, air filter), fluids
Rear Passenger - tools
Left Channel - two low profile bins for clothes
Right Channel - water, grill, utensils, dry goods, pots/pans




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It's coming along good! How are the Billy's going to hold up with all the weight in back? Any plans of upgrading leaf pack?

 

I'm going to stick with the factory leaf pack for now and upgrade down the road when I make more changes to the front end. To help carry the load, I'm going to add Ride-Rite air bags to the rear so I can level out the ride depending on how much weight is we're carrying.