c mcleod's Highlander Build - "There can be only one"

Howdy!

Well, let me start off by thanking TW for an awesome forum with great people and tons of advice and information! Its been a fun adventure so far with my truck but it's not over yet because there's always more to come.



Now for the good stuff

The Highlander Build - "There can be only one"
2013 Prerunner V6 ​

-A little bit of background: I got this truck back in early December of last year after driving a '97 chevy cavalier for two years. The car required constant work to keep it running so it soon became a burden for me while in school. Now I have never been more happy to drive something and be proud of it whether I'm cruising through town or taking trips. I plan on keeping this truck for quite a while so it's definitely my baby.


- How she stood when i first got her (Dec/2013):





- How she stands today:





Mods:
- Immryo review mirror bracket
- Husky Liner mud flaps-front
- Front bumper flaps delete
- Plastidip - emblems(black)/grill insert(white)
- Bilstein 5100's all around - Front set at 1.75
- Wheelers 1.5in progressive AAL
- Gibson cat-back exhaust - tailpipe dumped at axle

Starting Small​

First "mod" I did was Immryo's review mirror bracket. It made a heck of a difference while driving and I was very happy with it.

OEM mud flaps were a little too long for my liking so I picked up a pair of Husky's from autoanything. They're wider than stock which I liked since I planned on going wider with the stance.




While tacking on the new flaps, I decided to remove the little ones hanging from the front of the bumper.

Wheels 'n Tires​

Decided to ditch the Dunlops and steelies for a set of Hankook Dynopros in 265/75/16 and Pro Comp 5001's 16x8, 0mm offset (4.5in backspace).

PlastiDip​

Next was to get rid of the chrome. I'm not a huge fan of it so i decided to black it out with plastdip. On a side note, if any one needs some hot deals from Academy, just zoom in a little










My next plastidip move was actually a little bit of an experiment if you will. I liked the blacked out emblem in the grill but wanted it to "pop out" and be seen rather than it blending in with the already black grill insert. So to change that, I decided to make the insert white with more plastidip. I'll have to say at first i didn't like it, but after a while it grew on me and I received quite a few compliments and turned heads so I left it and just let it stick (no pun intended).

The Suspension​

When I first started looking at this truck from the dealership, I took it by a trusted mechanic and had him look over it for any signs of it being wrecked or anything of that sort (it was used when i got it). He loved the truck and just liked tacomas all around but said that the leafs would probably either need to be replaced or have the TSB done within the next 20-30K miles.

(I'm a big fisherman so i'm always driving on the beach and back into the bays with my kayak in the back. My point - semi rough terrain and weak leafs do not mix very well.)




About a month or two of having the truck and bottoming out the rear three or four times, i took a trip back to the dealership and had them inspect the leafs. Sadly, TSB doesn't cover the '13's just yet on the issue so I filled out a case and hoped for the best. After bottoming out even more and still hearing nothing from toyota regarding the issue, I started looking at my options. Long story short, I picked up Wheeler's 1.5in progressive AAL and Bilstein 5100 shocks for the front and rear. I also went ahead and ordered the Gibson cat-back exhaust for a little bit more sound (but not too much).

The Install​

I did the install myself besides compressing the springs. Although there are various ways to compress them yourself, I just didn't feel comfortable doing the floor jack method myself or renting a compressor so I took them to a local mechanic and had them done for a fair price. The install of all shocks, the AAL, and the cat-back took me about three days (nights) between working my job during the day and working on the truck through the night - my neighbors loved me I'm sure . I was a little excited and ready to have it all done so I ended up finishing at 3AM on the third night. I got the alignment cams pretty dang close so after discovering this, I couldn't resist a little joyride.











More mods are sure to come in the future but as for now, I think I'm done... maybe. Until then, enjoy my wonderful edited photography with the help of my iphone and instagram.

 

nice truck - any future plans (like a boat rack for the kayaks?)

 

Thanks!

Not at the moment. I use a bed extender that sticks in the hitch and comes back about 5ft. It's a 14ft kayak so the extender works very well but besides weather techs and seat covers, my next big mod will probably be a detroit locker to keep me out of trouble on the beach and the bays