Nudavinci's (Taco_Outlaw) 2013 DCSB Taco Build, Adventures and BS

Made it up to Tahoe. Snow storm the whole weekend but not a problem. We have spent half the time getting those 2wd vehicles unstuck.

 

awesome build robert, glad you found time to make this thread!

 

With almost 100" of snow the Taco performed without a hitch. Tackled snow all over and even plowed a driveway to get less equipped vehicles out. No off path this weekend but it was an epic snow weekend for sure. Have not seen that much in Tahoe in years.

Spent half the time digging others out of several feet of snow a couple times a day.

I need to dig some more photos out of the GoPro and 5D.

Quick images of the weekend.
After the first morning on Saturday:


After digging out cars in Sunday and hearing if 20" of snow at Northstar the sun broke and we bolted for the slopes

Beard doubling as insulation.

Resort was only partially open. It it was empty and full of fresh powder!


This was after only a couple hours at Northstar. Started to dump he last 45 minutes we were there.

Before we headed back and a few of the folks had already left. Over 25" of snow overnight.

 

Gearing up to plan some overland adventures later this year. Ordered a few more items. A couple are for looks/feel but some mounts and tools. Install to come shortly.

Helix 4x4 switch/Ring
Vios replacement Knobs
Recovery Tool Mounts (QuickFists/DYI)
Bully Tools 92510 12-gauge Round Point Shovel With Fiberglass D-gripHandle

Bully Tools 93520 Single Bit Axe - Fiberglass Handle

Bully Tools 93520 Fiberglass Single Bit Axe with Hand-Finished Blade
Smittybilt Receiver Hitch D Ring 3/4'

 

Sometimes the little things are exciting. DYI'd some mounts and quickfists thanks to Benson X 's Hi-Lift and Tool DYI. Big Bully Shovel came in and mounted everything up. Big Bully Axe should be here Tuesday to go along side it. Turned out pretty good for a Home Depot Job and a Hacksaw.

Missed the photo but started with a 1/8" thick flat metal from Home Depot. Dremel was toast so went at it with a Hacksaw. Came out pretty good. Also did not have anything to clamp it to bend so wedged it between some weights and bent it.

Needed to make some minor adjustments to fit snug.


Good ol' Rustoleum Primer/Paint Job

Ready to get mounted.

Added a bit of electrical tape on the ends for padding against the bed. Got lazy and did not feel like grinding it down. Plus I did not have anything to do it at the time. This will work for now.

Mounted up and ready for the Big Bully Axe next week.

 

Saw some organizers on Amazon and thought I would give them a try. Picked up a glove box and center console. Glove box arrived today, simple install, just piece it together and toss it in. This should keep me from stuffing everything I can in there.

Nice, clean and empty


Dropped in the organizer


Filled it up with some items that were in before. Tape, Koozies, Napkins ha

 

Got fed up today and said the chrome has to go.

Looks even better with the grill missing.



Quick trip to Autozone for some adhesion promoter, sandpaper and scratch fill primer.

Prepped with 180 and 320 before Adhesion Promoter.

180

320 and figured mind as well do the emblem.



Prepped and a few coats of Adhesion Promoter.



Will post up after Primer and Paint. They were out of stock and need to grab from another store tomorrow.

 

Sooo that's what happens when working from home!! Hahahah j/p .

 

ha everyone needs a lunch break. =)

 

Picked up color matched Duplicolor today at Autozone and some finer sandpaper for later.

Just need to sand the primer but looks like the grill is almost ready. Only did a couple Coats but looks like there is enough. I will drop a few more coats of paint tonight.

 

Went through 2 cans of paint and 2 cans of clear coat Decided against using the primer sealer based on several reviews of people using it and having paint come off. After all of that, that is the last thing you want happening.

Before the primer hit it with 1000 grit wet sand.

1st coat started out light but ended up being more medium. I wanted to get a nice solid cover.



2nd and 3rd, maybe 4th coat. I ended up doing 4 or 5 coats of the main MGM color. I was pretty impressed with the Dupli-Color color match. Can't wait to see how it sits with the factory paint after a wet sand.

First clear coat started out light. Didn't look all that much like an extra layer on the paint.


this was around the 4th or 5th clear coat. I figured spray coats of clear until we run out of paint.


Started to get dark and the temps started to decrease. I believe this was 5 or 6, could have been 7. I lost count at the end. Started to give off a nice clear shine. Hoping it will buff up super smooth and clear after a 24 hour cure period. Needed to make sure I had enough coats of paint and clear to get ready for the wet sanding.



Will finish up the wet sanding tomorrow and let it gas out over the weekend. Installed pictures next week.

 

Some other fun pieces showed up today. More interior organization and changing up the look inside.

Center console OCD organizer. Usually I have no idea what is even in this thing, unless it is at the top. This does limit storage of larger items. I used to keep my DSLR in there with certain lenses for quick shots.


Ordered the Vios Chinese Knobs from Aliexpress. Perfect addon for the second Gen Tacomas. These knobs will look good with the OR silver/Black dash or blacked out version. The chrome accent matches up perfectly with the stock radio.

Quick shot after removing the first knob. Huge difference.


All three knobs installed with the lights off. This was in the daytime so the brightness was not as intense but you can still see it. No extra lights needed. Such an easy Mod.



Quick look of the knobs with the lights turned on in the daytime. Its light but you can see it coming through. I was sceptical given the cheap nature (less than $9 shipped) but not bad.



Lastly a couple shots of the vios knobs at night.

Without radio


Powering up the stock headunit, Looks like a perfect match to me.

 

Man, I like those knobs! I might have to copy you Rob..lol

 

Doooo it! I'll shoot you the link tomorrow. Easiest cheap mod you'll ever do. Plus just pull off the old and push in the new. You can check them out tomorrow.

 

right on. I need something new in my interior...lol.

 

well this one is about as easy as it gets..

 

Those knobs look great! Can I get a link to them also?

 

Just Search for Vios Knobs on Aliexpress.com. It changes often so you may need to search. That link is from today.

 

The Bully Axe came in to complete my @Benson X DYI tool mount.

 

Finished up my remove chrome project Grill. Overall it came out muuuuuuuuch better than anything I expected. I was planning to toss some black over and call it a day until found Duplicolor color match to the. Per my previous posts I continued hitting fit with 4 or 5 coats of color base and 5-7 clear coats. Basically use the cans until they run out!

Clear coat laid down after the first wet Samd with 1000 grit.


Bringing the paint back to life!! Always a trip when you start to polish and bring wet sanded clear back to life. Nice comparison.



Followed up with 1500 and 2000 wet sand passes. Them I got it with a runnif compound, polishing compound, megujres cleaner, meguires lolish amd meguired gold class wax. Over it's not perfect. I did it I. The back yard so slam random spots were not perfect. A spot on the top was covered so a small part needs a touch up. Love that I color matched the emblem to match.

Finished product after I polled it all back together.


A couple shots of the grill back in place. Overall I am happy for. $60-$70 dollar job. You could go cheaper but then that's a decision you make. I went over to juat to make sure it was clean.



A few tips:
1. Take time to paint
2. Tape off the bumper after you remove it. It's easy and makes it easier and cleaner.
3. Use super light pressure. ( I though I did. But still over-
sanded a couple clear spots.
4. Use higher grits to get a smooth finish.
5. Scuff and use Adhesion Promoter to help stick to chrome. We'll see how it lasts.
6. Primer sealer is optional. I chose after. Hung to not use after various negative reviews.
7. Lacquer and enamel are not the same. Read up on the difference of application. Not all paint overs are equal.
7. Have fun and cracks some beers