"Knight" Build. '06 Doublecab Tactical Taco, or "Help me Build my Truck!"

Edit (2/23 1547 hours): Pictures incoming-We had a bit of snow here last night and the old girl is currently socked in.

Hello everyone!

This thread will encompass my build on my beloved '06 Taco, nicknamed "Steely Dan" thanks to the color. This is my second '06 Doublecab Tacoma after the first one saved my ass when I got broadsided by a F-350 Super Duty Construction Vehicle. My beloved "A*** Bead Blue" (my friends are hilarious) bit the dust the hard way and I was out transportation. When it came time to pick up a new vehicle-the choice was obvious.

First, a disclaimer. I have never ever modded a vehicle on any level. I usually drive stock all the way till payday. But now I have the urge. I will use this thread to ask for advice, and try to put together a list of what I want to do. I have no knowledge of parts or companies or any of that. I do however, work on my tacoma (and other cars in my free time) and a competent with the various mechanical fixes of the truck-as long as it doesn't require any special equipment (like a diagnostic computer or a wheel truer). With all of your help, I hope I can make my Taco something truly awesome. (okay, awesomer).

I used the word Tactical Taco in the title. No, I don't want to mount a .50 cal in the bed (okay I do a little bit but I think that might be a little excessive). What I want is a vehicle that can do anything I can throw at it. I want to be able to go 4 wheeling in the morning, skiing in the afternoon, and pick up my grandmother for dinner in the evening. I do not want a monster truck with an absurd lift and crazy big wheels/tires. I don't want a rock-crawler that I constantly roll over and bang the crap out of. Form and function in harmony are definitely a huge factor here.

So here we go. This list will grow and evolve from my ramblings into a parts list into a comprehensive set of links linking to my progress.

Stage One: Beginnings

• Light upgrades
  • Headlight upgrade to HID or Projectors
  • Taillight upgrade to LED a la later model Tacomas
  • LED Light strips added to underside of hood and bed for nighttime access
• Restock my first aid kit
  • And when I make a first-aid kit, I make a MEAN first aid kit. Better to have it and not need it then have someone have an open fracture out in the middle of nowhere and not have a SAM splint, suture kit, syringes and antibiotics.
• Hitch receiver/socket repair
• Parrot Media System repair
  • System has been installed, but has come victim to a bad installation job by the fine gents at Cartoys. New microphone needed.
• Suspension Lift Kit
• New wheels/tires(?)
• Mounting points for various tools/utilities
  • Fire Extinguisher
  • More substantial jack
  • Shovel
  • Flashlight(s)
• Paint touch-up
• Interior detailing
• Topper (almost 100% certain I want a stoftopper or a bestop. Ability to retract it is a must and windows would be nice so bestop probably)

Stage Two: Evolution

• Brush/Bull Guard (ARB w/fog light kit)
• Winch (compatable with the ARB mounting point)
• Running boards (or something like them, I am a very tall person in a family of short people)
• Skid Plate Upgrade (Full undercarrage?)
• New rear bumper (?)
• Roof Rack (I'm thinking a custom job here. I have bicycles and it would be nice to be able to have the ability to throw them up there or put luggage up there, swapping between that and the bed.)
• Lights! All of the lights.
  • Definitely 360 degree spots on the roof rack. I'd like to be able to use the truck as a platform for any nighttime activity I encounter, even if it's just setting up a tent
  • Depending on how bright the new HID/Projector headlights are, I might want to throw some lights on the bull guard for driving illumination (I seem to find myself 4x4ing in the dark all the time :\)

Stage Three: The Summit

• New Badging
  • Probably a black coat on the Toyota logo. Haven't decided yet
• Custom TRD decal
  • TRD Offroad Knight Edition? (I've seen a couple different TRD decals, me making my own might be copyright infringement...anyone have any advice?)
• Knight door decal
  • This I'm still thinking about. It might look super cool, it might look dumb. Probably a knight chess piece with a solid black border. We'll see.
• Roll-up Tarp/Field Net
  • For a shady spot to begin/finish the day's activities. Mounted on the exterior of the truck, held on with button snaps or clips
• Hard point mounts for CB/GPS/Iphone/Music Hard Drive
  • I already have a Parrot media system in the truck-a nice system that allows me to plug in my phone, an aux device, and a USB drive for music.
  • Something that allows me to keep my GPS and CB out and on (currently the CB operates from my center console with cables running willy-nilly. Gross)
• Replacement of interior dome and map lighting with LED systems. Possibly selectable between red and white
  • I heard somewhere that red interior lighting is illegal. More research required
• Mounting point for a hammock on the exterior of the vehicle that can hold my weight. Just in case I can't find two trees close enough.
• Compressor
  • For my truck tires (hopefully not) or bike tires or to pump up a football. Anything and everything. I like barlowrs' idea of hiding it away in those bedside compartments and running the hose up to the front bumper (though rear bumper might be more practical)

Overall Design Principles:

• I'd like to maintain the design aesthetic of the truck as much as possible. I'm borrowing heavily from Barlowrs build because he does such beautiful work. Nothing that would break heavily with the stock interior
  • That being said, I'd kind of like to see the orange lights and LCD display replaced with all red...Pipe dream or good idea-who knows. I'll have to look into it and that will be way later on.
• I'd like to be able to control as much of the electronics and such from inside the cab. For me it doesn't make sense to have switches and crap on the exterior of the truck (except for the winch, but I'd like to be able to do that from inside as well)
• I'd like to keep the d-bag factor to an absolute minimum. We all know them. I won't go into specifics so I don't offend anyone in my first couple of posts but...Truck Nutz. That is all.
• I want to keep the truck as functional and as safe as possible. I don't want to sacrifice either to make the thing look cool.

I don't know. This is pretty much a stream of conciousness list that I thought up as I went along. Stuff I'd like my already highly capable and functional truck to do. I know very little about suspension, or power requirements, and all that. I will do my homework, but some help getting my feet wet with stuff like this. If you see something here that sounds dumb, let me know! If you think that I need a new headlight fluid reservoir to compliment that new elbow grease reciprocation system I installed, let me know! (IE you need a second battery to run that panini grill you just installed dummy). If you have a tip or a trick to help me do this-I will readily accept your advice!


Thank you all in advance!

 

Wow this is an old post... can't believe no one posted on it... sounds awesome man GL post pics.