Dexter the 16' Taco Thread

hey guys,
I Have 2016 Tacoma Double Cab 5ft Bed with TRD Off Road package in Barcelona Red
I figured i'd start a build thread sense i have a big plans for her and build threads on my other rigs

A little about me, I'm 23, Active Duty Army Stationed in Washington DC. I'm from Northern Nevada. my Goal is to Have a built Taco by the time I move back home so i can Run the Rubicon and do hood rat taco stuff with my taco Friends. so for the next 2 years while i'm stationed in DC my Taco will be a Pavement Pusher but Trail Ready, I'm going for a Expedition style Rig

but here's some of my other Rigs, i still own all of these too!! we'll start with in what order i've bought them in. i'm kind of starting my car collection..............

1979 F150 4x4 w/ 351m and 4 speed with the granny gear and on a leveling kit on 35s
I got it when i was 18 as my First truck in 2011

2001 F250 4x4 7.3L Powerstroke, Auto with a 6" on 38s and too many mods to list
I Bought this fresh out of basic when i was 19, it was pretty stock when i got it

1984 Toyota Pick up 4x4 22R on Propane, Dual cases, chromolys, hydro steer, 40s etc...
Bought this Truck When I was 21 came back from my first Deployment From Jordan

2016 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 TRD Off Road..... PlastaDipd grille w/ TRD badge
Picked up this truck when i was 22 & just moved here to DC because the F250 is too big

2014 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1....... She's stock but supercharged with 580hp.. so that's cool
bought this bad boy last week & do I love her!! ha.... 23 years old and 580hp dont mix

 

Wow, nice set of vehicles! Can't wait to see your build.

 

I ordered a 3" Bilstein Adjustable Lift with the 5100 Shocks and 620 Eibach/Toytec front coil springs and add a leaf in the rear and the diff drop

i just ordered the other day 285/70r17 BFG Ko2s on some 17"x 8.5" -6 Method Mesh wheels


This lift is just for right now, my goal later down the road when i get closer to moving back home i want to get a Total Choas Long Travel with 2" wider track and maybe Run 35s

No Reason for that while shes a city truck for now

so the current project i hope to tackle this week is the lift and new wheels and tires

heres the wheels i got, we all know what KO2s and a 3" lift looks like so no need to post them pics
but i do hope my tires come in this week

 

Check out what Showed up at my door ready to be mounted up!!! i ordered the set from discount tire, came to $1888 Shipped to my door, mounted and balanced with new TPMS
i just need to get lift on which i hope i can get to on tomorrow!
any tips of tricks? the lift looks pretty straight forward and simple

4x BFGoodrich All Terrian KO2 285/70R17 $950
4x Method Wheels Mesh 17"x8.5" 0/4. $738
4x Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) $200
Mounted, Balancing and Shipping FREE

 

So i started the Lift after work yesterday, only had a couple hours to work so i figured i'd get the hard part done and knock out the rear first.
took me about 2 hours taking my time, went together pretty easy
kind of sucks having a slanted driveway, but i made it work, didnt have any problems with the truck moving in 4lo and parking on with huge logs on the front tires
Ratchet straps were a defiantly a huge help, made life easy
but with just the rear Finished you can see a difference for sure!!
rides a lot better already (i only went around the neighborhood) less body roll around turns
i Plan to hopefully Knock out the Front today and then get my new wheels and tires on
i noticed i cant even mount up my new wheels because the Factory setup has Flange Style lug nuts and my New wheels have Acorn style,
so i just one day Ordered some locking lugs off Amazon, so should be here today in time for the finished lift

 

the new stuff vs the stock setup

 

then disassembly,
Remove wheels - 21mm
Removed the Shock - 17mm (bottom) & 14mm (top)
Unbolt and Remove U-bolts and Bump stop - 19MM and C-Clamps
**^^^**make sure you C-Clamp the springs so you release the load on the U-Bolts and center pin******
Remove Center pin nut - 14mm
Unbolt Parking Brake Cable from leaf spring - 12mm (makes life easier when swapping center pins)
spread Apart top 3 Leafs springs with ratchet straps
Remove Over load spring
then assembly pack with the new parts

i used another ratchet strap on the shock mounts just in case the jacked failed or something happened it would catch the axle before dropping on me
and my jack stands wouldn't drop low enough and i didn't want to raise the truck any higher
i like the truck on the straps that way if i just need to raise the axle a little i can ratchet it up or need to move the axle around i can vs being stuck on a stand

 

Now to assembly with new parts!!!!!!!

Replace old Center Pin with the New one
Threw some grease on the couple spots on the leaf packs just cause (heard it makes it less squeaky)
Then pop in the Add-a-leaf on top of the over load spring
fiddle and wedge in the center pin threw the existing top 3 leafs (easier said then done)
once the new center pin is threw all the Leafs then C-Clamps the leafs together
Then put the new nut on the Center Pin and tighten it down - 14MM
now put the Bump stop back in place and bolt down the Factory U-bolts -19MM
***the new center pin is too long for the bump stops, so either Cut the extra off the bolt or do what i did drill a hole in the bottom of the bump stop just enough for the bolt to rest inside the bump stop****
******Make sure you have the C-Clamps on tell everything is tightened on the U-bolts********
Now remove C-Clamps from springs
Bolt in New shock - 17mm (i forgot what size i used for the top, but you'll need a wrench & Allen)
then make sure every things looking good, tightened and torqued
Put the tire back on and torque down - 21MM
then do the other side

 

heres some new pics of the truck, i drove around the block couple times and it felt great
you can notice the rear does sit higher!! i cant wait to get the front done today and get the new wheels on

 

okay i finished up the front yesterday!!! came out great!!
i had to take it onto the auto shop in base to work on it because it has been raining a lot lately
but she's all done and looks great!

but i got her on the lift and started by taking off the wheels - 21mm

i did have to buy new lug nuts though, the factory rims use a flange style lug nut and my new wheels use a acorn style lug,
so i bought some locking lugs off Amazon. so just remember that when getting new wheels

 

so i started by unbolting and popping out the Sway bar - 17mm
then i Removed the Skid plate with the 4 bolts - 12mm
and unbolted the sway bar mounts
*** i didnt remove the sway bar from the truck, i just let it hang there)***

 

I unbolted the bottom of the shocks and popped the bolt out - 19mm
and then i unbolted the ball joints - 19mm

 

subbed

 

then i unbolted the top of the shock - 14mm
***^^a 14mm Ratchet Wrench works best here^^***
i marked spots on the lower control arm bolts to ensure it stays aligned
i loosened the lower control arms so that i could lower it easier to remove the stock - 22mm
***^*^^^ just loosen it a little, just enough to push the arm down^^^**
**** i used a ratchet strap to hold up the rest of the suspension so i wouldnt accident pop out the axle shafts****

 

so now with the lower control arm out of the way i was able to remove the factory shock
it comes out rather easy, just had to guide it down and out she came
now time to start putting in the new stuff

 

now for the New setup, Toytec lifts has the extra spacers on the top to account for the V6 and double cab extra weight
and an extra spacer on drivers side account for the taco lean
theyre marked so you know what side goes where

 

then i slid the new shocks in place and bolted the top in using the new hardware 14mm
a good way to make sure you have the shock in the right position is make sure the Toytec lifts logo is face out

 

now i had to bring the lower control arm up and bolt it to the new shock
***^^just leave this bolt snug for right now^^****