thelivestone's build

I knew I was going to make one eventually so here it is.

I was previously driving a 2003 Tundra stepside when I decided to jump on the Tacoma bandwagon. My mother needed a truck for her silly yard projects so I sold the truck back to her.... she bought it brand new in 02 and drove it til I got back from my last duty station. I bought it with 30k and put about 50k on it. before I decided to get a taco.



There she is as of today with 95k on the clock.


When I decided to buy this truck I had my heart set on a 4x4 6 speed in black, so I got it



I loved the truck.... but about 4 months and 15000 miles later and a few traffic jams, I decided I didn't like the 6 speed and the fuel economy the came with it... I was getting 16 on the highway which was essentialy what I was getting in the tundra and I just wasn't a fan of the manual tranny. So I decided to switch to an automatic..... also black doesn't hide scratches as well as white so I decided to change the color... and boom after talking to the dealership I worked out a deal and paid a 3k difference and got a brand new truck



I got the windows tinted to 10% added a trainhorn and put a new cd player and audio system in it. oh yea a tool box too which was previously on my tundra. I had a buddy cut and weld it to fit my bed.



that's the sub, I don't drive people around too much so I sacrificed my back seat for my love of bass....



air compressor for the horn in the tool box.... sorry the box was a mess but you get the concept.



Touchscreen pioneer avh 4500v I think.... Big thanks to Kevinsc for the help with getting it.

Then came trying to figure out what lift to put on.... I decided on 5100s plus ome 885x and a 2" adda leaf from toyotec. Now I just needed to figure out the tire situation..

I got a set of kanati mud hogs from a friend for a really good price. and that's the only reason I got them, I figure ill ride with them til they wear out and then get a tire I actually want.....

275/65/18.... I like rockstar rims so I pulled the trigger on a set of machined 18''... I couldn't tell you the exact off set. I got the rims from the same shop I got my last set of rims from, I told him the tire size I was putting on and the lift and he figured it out for me..

The day come where I planned to put the lift on myself, it looked easy from the how toos on this site and I decided to give it a shot... I had some difficulty trying to get the add a leaf in and i wasn't really feeling well that day so i said eff it and just put the tires on.



This is just a comparison to how big the new tire is compared to the old tire



theres how much wider the new on is compared to the old one.



And theres how she sits.... i took the front flaps off to help with rubbing, they still rub the white plastic piece when i back up and cut the wheel, but not when i drive forward and turn.



theres the front



and another one.


I decided to have a shop i trust put the lift on for me.... i could do it, but i would struggle and it would just stress me out if i messed something up and ill feel a lot better cause if i get any vibs or something is messed up, they can help me out.

I will post pics of when i get the lift on this week.... but for now... here it is. Thanks for looking and there will be more to come.

 

Got the lift on. Bilstien 5100s all around. Front set at 0 with OME 885x coils. Toyotec 2" add a leaf in the rear ont he non TSB springs. I havent measured the actual height but im guessing around 2.25" lift inthe front and 2" in the rear.. It balanced out pretty good and the ride is good.



Ill put more as i take them.

 

Looks good man

 

thank you kind sir

 

Some comparisson to a SR5 access cab... or whatever it is. Before the lift that was how tall my truck use to set.

 

looks good man. Where did you get the horn from? also where did you mount it? Im looking to get one as well.

 

I got the horn from horn blasters.com

http://www.hornblasters.com/products/details.php?i=caboose-228-air-horn-kit

thats the one i got. I mounted the compressor in my tool box and ran the wires to my battery. The horn sits behind the grill turned to the drivers side



If you dont have a tool box, ive heard of people mounting theirs under the truck near the spare tire location. My compressor is rather small and prolly could fit under the truck.

 

Very nice. Thanks for the link.

 

If we end up seeing eachother at the Mall on friday, ill give you a demonstration.

 

Just a random update. I took out the sub in the back and am planning to install some new front and rear speakers with an amp for them. and a small shallow mount sub behind the back seats. will update when install is done with pics.

And eventually some PA speakers for the outside with an amp. pics whenever I get around to it.

 

Found out im moving to South Florida for my next unit. And i plan on doing some kayak fishing. Which was my excuse for a rack. (its all about how you justify it to yourself). This came in today and it should be getting put on soon. Might put a light bar or something later on. Will update with pics too.

 

Got the rack on. My buddy whos taking care of my truck was gracious enough to help me out. I like the look of it and cant wait to see it in person.

 

Holds fine. Next step is a light bar to mount on the front of the rack.

 

I finally got back from Alaska and it was time to fix the horrendous look of that baja rack with a light bar on to. So I hacked the front peice off and grinder it down. All I wanted to do was flip the bar..... But....
The darn thing was to low and the roof makes a curve that prevented clearance... Sooo I modified

Me trying to judge bolts and how much height I needed, basically a little bit around 1.2 inches to clear the avec barSolution was aluminum square tubing. Solid and durable, but most importantly, that shit don't rust. And the end result wasJust barely cleared. Tightened that shy up and ran the wire down the crease between the windshield and body. I'll post more pics when I get some

 

Before


After