Scott B.'s 2015 AC Build - Expo Style

Heraclitus of Ephesus, the Greek philosopher, said the only constant in life is change. I had what I thought was a constant, and it has changed. Evolved, if you will. And the evolution will continue...

After owning, building and using a truck for 21 years (the constant), change happened. This change happens to be a 2015 Tacoma Access Cab - an evolution of my previous truck. Just as the previous truck evolved over its life, this one shall evolve to a superior version of its current state. This thread will document said evolution.

Philosophy aside, what follows will be the ongoing transformation of an SR5 model truck to a very capable, comfortable and reliable adventure and expedition-worthy vehicle.

An additional part of the change is going from 2 trucks to 1 - this one will be my daily driver as well.

In the beginning, March 12, I brought home a 2015 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Access Cab V6 Automatic SR5 in Super White. Seeing as Access Cabs were few and far between, I had ordered the truck in January. I shopped at 4 dealerships - at the fourth dealership, Cherokee County Toyota, I bought the truck on a handshake.

I looked at and compared the different trim levels before settling on the SR5. I have a build plan for this truck, and figured I would replace all the upgraded parts on the other trim level.






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September 2015, Parashant National Monument



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April 2017, Nottley Lake, Georgia



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Make Toyota
Model Tacoma Access Cab 4x4 SR5
Year 2015

Drivetrain

Engine: 1GR-FE, 4.0L V6 with OTT tune
Transmission: A750F, 5 speed Automatic
Transfer Case: VF2A
Front Axle: Toyota, 4.56, Nitro Torsen Posi
Rear Axle: Toyota 8.4", 4.56, Truetrac
Wheels: FJ Trail Teams, silver, 16 x 7.5"
Tires: BFG KO2 285/75-16


Suspension

Bilstein 6112 shocks
Camburg ball joint UCA
Wheeler's brake lines
Speedbleeders
Wheeler bump stops

Deaver spring pack
All Pro u-bolt flip kit
RuffStuff u-bolts
1" aluminum lift blocks
Bilstein 5165 shocks
Wheeler's extended brake lines
Speedbleeders
Firestone Air Springs, Daystar cradles
Hammer Hangers


Interior (cab)

Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Trailer Brake Controller
BirdDawg Industries Tech Deck and Mirror Riser
Salex Organizers for console and glove box
Autometer Sport Comp II Gauges - Oil Pressure, Transmission Temperature, Voltmeter (2)


Interior (wiring mods)

12V Anytime
ABS Off switch
Blue Sea Systems 12 point fuse block


Communications

Cobra 25 CB
K40 Antenna, roof mount
Laird NMO roof mount


Exterior

Tinted Windows
Line-X on fender flares
Husky mud flaps


Armor

Pelfreybilt aluminum skidplates - front, mid, rear, gas tank
Pelfreybilt rear bumper with dual swing-outs
Pelfreybilt front bumper, Warn VR 10-S winch
All Pro bolt-on sliders


Truckbed

SnugTop Sport Hi-Liner shell with WinDoors, Yakima rack rails
Custom sleeping platform with 5' long pull-out drawers
Blue Sea Systems 12 point fuse block
Engel MT45 refrigerator
Viair 400P compressor


States Visited

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Wyoming


Events and Destinations:

2015

DE V - Parashant
Appalachian Rendezvous


2016

DE VI - The Pony Express Trail
Appalachian Rendezvous


2017

DE VII - Big Skies
Appalachian Rendezvous


2018

DE VIII - The Owens Valley
Appalachian Rendezvous


2019

Appalachian Rendezvous


Trip Reports:

The Pony Express
Big Skies
The Owens Valley

 

Reserved for the plan...

 

Excited to see where this goes. I'm a sucker access cabs.

 

Tinted Windows

First mod - tinted windows.

LLumar film to block heat and UV. Aside from looking good, it will keep the interior nice for many years.

 

Sleeping Platform

I built a sleeping platform in my previous truck, and really liked it. So, I am building one for this truck.

The Tacoma platform will be a little different than my other one. This one will have slide out drawers, not just underneath storage. The drawers will be a little heavier, but I think the convenience will pay for the weight.

The bed is 6' long - the platform will have 5' drawers, and a 12" compartment at the front of the bed. One drawback/issue with the long drawers is the side support. I wanted to use 1/2" plywood for this project, but decided to use 3/4" for the additional strength. The deck will also be 3/4". The bulkhead area will drop to 1/2", since the load is vertical.

Laying out the drawer slides:






The forward section of the deck:



The drawer dividers:



The center divider and forward bulkhead:

 

The center divider and forward bulkhead - continued:



The underside of the deck, routed for the vertical dividers:



Glued up:




Forward compartment access panels cut:



Topside varnished (for water repellancy):



Trial fitting in truck with the rear part of the deck:



Drilling holes for RivNuts in a brand new truck:

 

Nice truck!

Look forward to the mods. Interested to see what you do with the bed slides.

 

Drawer slides mounted:




Mounted in the truck, on the way to get the shell:

 

Line-X Flares

I pulled off the flares, and had them sprayed with Line-X. When re-installing them, I installed a set of Husky mud flaps.

For the record, I am not really a fan of mud flaps, but they will save the paint and underside of the back of the truck.

 

What the rating on your slides ? Got a link ?

 

Camper Shell

I ordered an ARE X-Series for the truck.

I had a Z-Series on my previous truck, and really like the look of it. However, the Z is not available with Windoors (which I really wanted this time around.) So, X it was.

I also got the tilt down front sliding window and Yakima rails.







And I had to make it mine!

 

Here is a link to Yakima's page: http://www.yakima.com/shop/racksystems/permanent-installation/tracks54-w-plusnuts

I'm pretty sure the tracks are stronger than the X-Series roof.

I will put a rack up there, but do not plan to carry a lot of weight.

 

Sorry , should have been more clear , I meant your drawer slides

 

OK - that makes more sense!

They are rated at 500 lbs. http://www.ovisonline.com/60-Drawer-Slides-Heavy-Duty-Full-Extension-P125.aspx

Funny thing - they are made about 15 miles from my house, but I bought them from a place in West Virgina. Would have been nice to save shipping costs...

 

Thanks

 

Looks good bud. Great color choice.

 

Good call on getting a lower trim model in anticipation for upgrades. If I could go back, I'd do the same. I'll keep tabs on this storage platform. Will be doing one when time permits. Keep it up.

 

Subbed.

What attracted you to the SR5 trim as opposed to the Base model? Only asking because I see what you did with your flares.

 

Thanks! This is my 3rd white truck.

I thought about the trim choice for quite a while. So far, it has been the right choice.

With these tires, I really don't want to go off-road, so I need to hurry up build this truck.

 

Actually, I was about to buy a base model. When walking around the lot, waiting for the sales guy, I looked closely at a base model truck. They (or at least this one) had non-LED tail lights. That go me thinking that there may some other non-obvious (although minor) differences. The cost difference was not much, (I would have added cruise and intermittent wipers anyway) and I don't think there are any major SR5 parts I will be unbolting (chrome grille surround not withstanding.)

I would have liked to NOT have the chrome grille surround, and I had planned to Line-X the flares even if they were already black.