Trigger the 4 Banger Now with T4R action!

Is there any other way?

 

Pretty well. Street driving it's slow but it wasn't fast to begin with. Haha the 4.88s help out a whole lot. I can run 75 on the highway pretty easy getting 18 mpg so I'd say that's pretty good. Have you regeared yet?

 

Not yet, definitely on the list though. I gain about 2000 feet in elevation during my commute each day, so lower gearing would definitely help.

 

I am pretty seriously thinking of getting an all aluminum front bumper for mine. I don't rock crawl and it should give me the clearance and about 3/4 the strength of a steel bumper with a significant weight reduction, though gotta pay for that . I was thinking of just waiting until damage to the front happened but now realizing all that can go wrong behind there it might pay to just upgrade as opposed to a bunch of repairs. I think I should be getting sliders first though, more chances of things going wrong under there. Only had my taco for a few months now so trying to catch up to what all you guys are doing. Your next in line upgrades look great, and pricey too

 

Great looking truck. Lol like you've been having some fun. I feel your pain on the elevation changes anytime I head inland I end up doing the 4-3 dance up the hills. Makes me want an SC so bad. Still wouldn't trade my truck for a v6 though

 

Aluminum would be a good way to go to save some weight on our trucks. I kind of thought about aluminum too, but didn't want to spend the extra money, and had always really liked the Relentless Fab bumpers. Eric was making an aluminum bumper, but as far as I know I think he's put the brakes on that for now. The all pro apex aluminum bumper look pretty nice too. I kind of figured that I would eventually damage my front bumper and that would make me pull the trigger on a plate bumper. Glad that didn't happen though and you mentioned with the additional damage and the fact that it's going to be some sort of wait time on most any of these aftermarket bumpers. I ended up waiting about 8 months for mine, it was worth it though. I definitely agree that getting sliders would be the first step, they offer you the most protection in some pretty vulnerable areas. That was the first thing I did after I lifted and got new tires. Also at 5' 3" it was nice to have an extra bit of a step

I know what you mean about trying to play catch up once you start looking at the trucks on the site! I'm pretty pleased to have my truck where it is in the time that I've got it but it took a while and a lot of money. Always helps to be able to do mods yourself, and to have some friends that know what they are doing (thanks Cotacotrd!) My next steps are definitely some pricey ones, especially the Regear.

 

Thanks! The truck definitely does not like going up those hills. Especially the auto transmission, I really have to be careful to keep it from shifting up and down to much. A SC would be very nice! I would regear first. One of my favorite trucks on here n0rth's Tacoma has a SC and seems to be pretty happy with it. I saw his truck when I first went to Moab, and always said my truck wants to be like his when it grows up!

 

I love Norths tacoma it's one of my inspirations here. 4.88s are just a reality sooner or later but one thing at a time. Trying to get mine lifted for the summer wheeling season also got some more armour on the way.

 

What kind of lift/ armor are you lookin to get?

 

I've got icon 2.5 coilovers,tc uca's, tc spindle gussets, in the rear I have ironman 4x4 foam cell 3" lift shocks, and when I bought my coilovers off a buddy he gave me a set of leafs with an aal gonna throw some new bushings on them and call it a day for now. Also picking up some extended rear brake lines and a local shop BCC makes a full length skid set got a set of those on the way as well just need to be sandblasted and painted once I get em its been an expensive month

 

No kidding! That'll keep you busy for awhile!

 

Hoping to pull her into the shop on the long weekend but that's only if the stars align having a Lift party lol. A buddy is upgrading the lift on his fj gonna be a big pizza and beer weekend. the waiting is the hardest part

 

Tell me about it, waited about 8 months for my bumper, then it arrived during the one week of rain that we usually get in Colorado. I couldn't be patient any longer so I pulled it into my tiny one car garage and slapped it on !

Sub'd to your build thread to see the finished product!

 

lol always the way isn't it. I'd go mental waiting that long I'm lucky the fabricator I use has a shop 20 min from my house lol. you and me both my lack of lift is hindering my wheeling

 

Your 4banger build has inspired me, so I couldn't stand it and last week started comparing different bumpers. I liked a great many of them but settled on CBI Moab 2.0 with full hoops - ordered it yesterday. Looking forward to getting it in. I have also found a few guys that are good welders, so next I will order a set of sliders to slap on. Any opinions of a good set that is not gonna break the bank. I like your BAMF, any reason you did not get em with kickout?

 

Nie truck and amazing little girl you have there. i am sure she loves to ride in it.

 

Nobody should have to suffer from lack of lift.

 

Thanks! She likes to ride, can't wait till she is a little bigger and we can go on some trails like you and your little one. Nice lookin build you have there yourself.

 

Nice! Congrats on the purchase! Glad to see my little truck inspiring others, this site will have that affect on people! I spent quite a while comparing and deciding on one, the CBI bumpers look pretty damn nice, can't wait to see it on! I didnt really have a good reason to go without the kick out besides aesthetics. I just like the clean look of the straight pipes. The BAMF sliders do get wider towards the back even without knockouts, so still pushes you away from whatever you are rubbing against. there are a lot of options out there as far as sliders go, but for the money, quality, and customer service I think BAMF is the way to go. My old man has them on his rig too and we have both really been happy with them. If you are watching tour budget you can definitely save by painting yourself, and getting the weld on version. You not only save on initial price but also shipping. I went with bolt on, but if I did it again I would have had someone weld them on; drilling 1/2 inch holes in your frame is no fun! Would have went with PC too, keeping the paint on and rust off is a PITA!

 

Ordered a cheapo 20" Amazon lightbar and some switches from http://www.otrattw.net today. I was originally going to install a pair of Anzo HID's I picked up in a craigslist swap for an old guitar, but after getting the new bumper on and seeing how tight it was to the grill, I realized they just want it fit. Which is fine with me, like I previously said I love how tight and sleak to the truck the relentless bumper is. I have always liked the old-school look of th KC Appolo series lights with the black and white grill guard over the lense, but decided to give the lightbar a try since that's what all the cool kids are doin

The Otrattw switches are pretty cool, they even have Tacoma switches. Went with this one for the lightbar:



Also picked up a generic fog light switch to replace cheesy rocker switch that I have now. I'll post up pics of the install