Meraki Overland build

CURRENT:



meraki [may-rah-kee] (adjective) This is a word that modern Greeks often use to describe doing something with soul, creativity, or love — when you put “something of yourself” into what you're doing, whatever it may be.

So for the longest I struggled with trying to find a name for this build. I wanted something with meaning, something that wasn't corny or simple. Meraki Overland just sounds good. Many of us do put a lot of soul, creativity and love in building our trucks so it just seemed to fit.

A little bit about myself, I live in Huntsville, Alabama, I go to Calhoun Community College for Electrical Engineering and currently work for Elk River Mechanic & Controls. A small contracting company that works with Toyota building test harnesses for the V6 and 4cyl engines. My main reason for building this truck is to be used as a tool, to be able to have the ability to explore every backroad, mountain, valley, and coast in this country. I've grown up around Toyotas all my life. Thats all my dad and mom have ever driven so naturally thats what I've driven. I start out in a 2007 2dr 2wd Tacoma when I was 16, then a few short months later I ended up in a 2002 Toyota tundra drove that about 2 years and then got my moms 2006 tacoma and thats really when the addiction we call tacoma world happened. I loved that truck but after 150k miles and crappy Toyota paint it was in need for a new paint job so it got sold for what I thought was the best thing in the world a 2005 Duramax with only 58k miles on it. Well it was terrible, I only had the truck a month and it left me stranded twice headed to work so without hesitation I sold it and started looking for another tacoma. I was set on pyrite mica which seems to be a pretty rare color but luckily I found one about 6 hours away in Asheville, NC. So I made quick work of it hopped in my girlfriends 4runner to go get it.

So now that the yapping is over here is the day I brought my 2015 pyrite mica Toyota Tacoma 4x4 sport home with 8,000 miles .


.....a few days later and the mods already started. Debadged and anytime fog light mod.



A week later and I happened to come across a 1 an a million craigslist post about a camper shell that was already color match so....this happened.




That lasted a few months and the OME group buy started so it was an easy decision to go ahead and get a lift. Also found a killer deal on a brand new set of BFG all terrains and some trd 16" fj wheels. Added a set of Built Right UCAs in the mix.





BHLM, washed,and waxed.



A few picture to prove its not a street princess.





Thats about how the truck sits right now. I have big plans for it in the next few months. Currently collecting parts and waiting for a long weekend to install everything. Truck currently has 35,000 miles on it in a short 9 months of ownership which I'm not thrilled about and will probably hit 40k by March which will mark the 1 year of having it. 32,000 miles in one year sucks.

parts I'm waiting for or that are waiting for install.

-pelfreybilt aux fuse panel
-anytone cb radio
-shemllofab cb antenna bracket
-rentless fab ditch light brackets
-KC hilts flex series ditch lights.
-Prinsu cab rack and top rack
-Morimoto 40" light bar.

Working on a dual battery set up, and a drawer system for my bed. Still can't decide on the design yet. Hopefully I will have some skids and sliders soon as well. THEN IT WILL BE READY FOR MOAB 2017.

Huge thanks to all our local Alabama members for all the help along the way and the friendships that have come along with it.

more pics...

 

LIFT
-King 2.5 w/ resi. 14" 600lb springs
-built right UCAs
-king 2.5 rear shocks w/ resi
-Dakar heavy duty leaf
-timbren bumpstops and ubolt flip kit


285-70-17 goodyear mtr
17x8 0 offset level 8 mk6

-leer 100xl camper shell
-BHLM
-Weathertech floor mats
-KC hilites FLEX series
-Relentless Fab ditch light brackets
-shmell fab cb bracket
-Anytone CB radio
-Prinsu roof rack
-Pelfreybilt aux fuse panel

 

reserved

 

First sub.

Plus we are teammates for the RED CLAY RALLY!

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/red-clay-rally-2017.464424/

http://overlandtennessee.wixsite.com/redclayrally

 

Looking good!

 

This thread needs more 1st gens

 

Love the build! What size tires? What size OME lift coils? Dakars? Any leafs removed? Love the photos and keep them coming!

 

Appreciate it! yeah so tires are 265-75-16, 885 OME coils with 1/2" spacer. full dakar pack. Will be adding the dakar add-a-leaf soon and longer bilsteins for it to get some extra down travel.

 

sub'd!

 

The AWESOME kc lights...can't wait to get some more of these.


Make shift paint booth.


Proof of collecting parts.


Trying to get some small things knocked out this weekend.

 

I like it a lot. Simple and clean. Love that color also, one of my favorites.

 

Thank you! Pyrite mica is by far my favorite color.

 

I had a little Pyrite Mica in the toilet earlier.

 

Nice man! Doing a full fuse block/wiring install this weekend?

 

Not completely, going to rough everything in. Still waiting on light bars and I'm doing research on dual battery so I'd like to do it all at once.

 

Gotcha. I was gonna say that getting all of that done in one weekend would require quite a few hours! (and beers)

 

No kidding, I wouldn't have the patients either. I'm super anal about my electrical work so its going to take some time and a lot of redoing it until I get "perfect".