Barlowrs 06 Taco Expo Build Thread

I am going to try to fit both in the stock location, with a little "finess"..haha

 

Haha, so you want to put two batteries in the stock location? I cant decide a good place I want to put one.

 

If you are running the 4.0 you dont really have many options if you want to run it in the engine bay. Either try to cram two smaller batt in the stock location. Or, if you are lucky and your truck is equipped with VSC, then you do not have any of the ABS crap in the rear passengers side of the engine bay, and a batt fits GREAT there. Umfortunalty I have all that crap, so I am going to run in the stock location.

If you dont have the ABS stuff:



If you do have the ABS stuff:

 

Well it is time to tackle communications, and what better to reach out and touch someone than a FT-8800?

The following are the parts I am using:

Yaesu FT-8800R
Yaesu YSK-8900 (Remote mounting kit)
Diamond NR770HB Antenna
Cheap HRO $12.00 external speaker

The location I chose to install the radio is underneath the driver’s seat. This was the easiest part of my install, so I will not get into much detail on this. Just run the wires, mount it and you’re good to go.



The head unit was a bit more difficult. First of all, I want to give credit to Wil for the idea on this install. Because I like having things look as stock as I can and clean as I can, I decided to recess the head unit into the headliner.

To do this, I first had to remove the headliner (meaning I had to take out practically every piece of plastic from the truck!)



In order to secure the head unit, I made a bracket out of some 18 gage stainless steel. This bracket spans the hole I will cut and has tabs that match the angle of the ceiling of my truck. This SHOULD secure the radio (I hope).




Next was to cut a the hole….MEASURE FOUR TIMES CUT ONCE



…..we have reached the point of no return.

I cut the hole slightly small, and then used a very high temp heat gun to heat up the headliner and mold it up. Then I used spray adhesive and rolled the grey lining around so you wouldn’t see the white crap on top.



I then used some 2 part epoxy to glue the bracket to the headliner and then fibreglasses over it just to be safe (the bracket is also sandwiched between the roof of the cab and headliner when installed, so it shouldn’t go anywhere)

And here is with all the wires routed.



You will notice that there are two wires coming from it, and the remote kit only has one. This is because I also wanted to relocate the hand control. I did not want to have it dangling from my roof, so one wire is from the radio to the head unit, and the other is from the head unit to the hand control.

And here is the head unit when everything is put back together:




Next up, installing the hand control and external speaker.


Yaesu FT-8800R Remote and External Speaker Install on 05+ Tacoma

Because I never like to leave things the way they come and have an obsession with making installs harder than they need to be, I decided I didn’t want to just mount the speaker; I wanted to try to conceal it and make it look as if it came from the factory that way.

To do this I decided to try to recess the speaker so that the grill was all that was showing and so that it was flush with the rest of the interior panels. I chose the center consol around my shifter. This gives it a low and discrete location, as well as allowing me to do one speaker per side (one for HAM and one for CB if I get one).

First step was to CUT A HOLE…..once again, measure MANY times, then cut.



Then it was a lot of filing and exacto knifing to get it to fit. Once I got the hole cut. I took the bracket that came with the speaker and cut it in half. This allowed me to flip it upside-down and use it to mount the speaker flush.



Once again, some 2 part epoxy and some fiberglass to be safe and here is the result:




I also decided to make a quick disconnect for the hand controller. This will allow me to disconnect it when not in use so I do not have a cord and stuff laying around.

To do this I got a simple 6 pin comm. Connection (female-female). I machined a bracket out of some aluminum so that I have a large flange and surface to glue and expoy too.



Then all that was left was to cut a hole, epoxy and fiberglass into place.

And here is the remote plug location and the speaker.



And inside the truck

 

Nice build!, Done some really clean work

 

looking good

 

Damn dude, you really have your shit together.

 

damnnn man nice build!!

 

hey any reason for going with 255/85 16 ???
great build btw

 

I am sure it is because they are better for off roading.

How do you like the 255? Do they rub much like 285s?

Thanks

 

Great Build BTW.

 

Ohh sorry guys, didnt get a email saying there were comments here.....as far as why I chose the pizza cutters (255/85), I will quote the great Scott Brady as he summed it up best:

Less rotating mass- Easier to start and stop
Less reciprocating mass- Easier to dampen
Less wind resistance- Better economy and range
Less rolling resistance- Better economy and range
Easier to fit a taller/narrower tire with less lift
Lighter spare
Lighter tire
Lighter wheel
Less unsprung weight
Less weight and leverage on steering components, bearings, etc.

In terrain:
1. Less frontal resistance in mud and sand. Where is most of the increased contact patch (for flotation) gained? In the length, not the width. Tall and narrow allows for more length and greater deformation with less resistance.

It is as simple as understanding the coefficient of friction (COF), which is (Ff = Cf x Fv).

Ff= Friction Force
Cf= Coefficient of Friction
Fv= Force Vertical

As you make a tire wider, you reduce the Fv over a larger area, but gain Cf. As you make a tire narrower, you increase the Fv, but reduce the area of contact, which lowers the Cf. It is proportional, though there are times when the material interaction (lets say a drag tire on concrete) favors Cf, but those conditions rarely exist on the trail, on a perfectly flat surface. So, if a wide and narrow tires benefits with relationship to Cf and Fv are proportional, than the decision must be made on other factors, like weight, resistance, etc., as listed above.

Now of course, there are limits at both ends of the spectrum. Too narrow of a tire, and the torque applied to the surface, even with extremely high Fv (which a super narrow tire would have), would exceed the rubbers ability to resist tearing. Literally, burning rubber.

It is all a balance, with tires for most of the trucks we drive being ideal in the 9-11" wide range.

Big, fat tires are only for show trucks and tundra buggies. An expedition vehicle has an emphasis on simplicity, economy, durability and safety, none of which a 35x14.5 will give you.

You can also read a good article if you want more in-depth reasons:

http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html

Correct, for the type of off-roading I do, they are better suited for me.

I love them. They do not rub at all (and I am using stock uca)...I did trim a tiny bit of mud flap, as they can hit it if I turn just right when I am tucked...but other than that, they do not rub...and remember, 255/85 are actually OVER 33" diameter.

 

^^^ Thanks for the clarification. I have been undecided on my next set of tires. This looks like a good way to go.

 

No worries...plus to top it all off, I think they just look good! haha

 

Well this round of mods has no real purpose but cosmetics, but I figured I would post it up anyway, as this contains my FAVORITE mod to DATE!!!!!

First off, you guys probably know that swapped out my color match parts (mirrors and handles) for black plastic ones. This was both cosmetic and functional as this plastic is less prone to chipping like paint. To keep with the theme, I got my hands on a base model grille surround and traded my color matched grille.

In addition, to make it flow better, I finally broke down and did the “black headlight mod”. I was trying to get away with not doing this, as this is a very common mod among the x runners and mall cruisers, but the chrome headlights didn’t look right with the front grille. I think the overall look came out good with my existing allpro bumper being black.

Before:



After:




And now for my FAVORITE MOD TO DATE!!!!!!! (drum-roll please!)

I have transformed my truck from a TRD sport model to the coveted TRD EXPEDITION MODEL!!!!!!!!!!!







I chose to do red because I think it works with the Red TRD in the center caps of the FJ wheels I have

 

Hey Guys, well the next stop on my truck build is a good set of sliders, unfortunately none of the sliders on the market are what I am looking for, so I decided to go custom. I cannot say I am building these. I can weld, but fear my skills are not up to par enough for a strong set of sliders, and I lack a tube bender. I enlisted the help of a fabricator down in San Diego area. The guy is very good, and was looking to start making second gen sliders, so it worked perfectly, he makes the sliders how I want, and he can use mine as a jig to work out the mounting points and everything. Win -win for both of us.

We are still not completely done yet (should be done Wednesday), but I wanted to post this to get people opinions and see if there is any place for improvement....so here we go:

Basic specs on the sliders:

Tube: HREW 1-3/4" x 120
AC & 4DSB Length: 82"
Frame Plate Thickness: 1/4"
Gusset Thickness: 1/4"
Bolt on Hardware: 1/2" grade 8 with 1/4" thick inner nut plates (nut welded on plate)
Rear Mounting Foot: allows leaf hanger on frame to slide over obstacles

(DOM or Cromoly available but cost more, but HREW is very strong as you will see below in my “testing”)

Here are pictures of the drivers side after we got the basic slider done and mounting figured out:



The mounting for a bolt on 05+ is very "non" strait forward. The holes in the frame do not line up nicely at all, and it is very hard to get a good mount close to the front and rear of the slider. We were able to figure out a good custom bracket and means tou mount it (the frame is boxed this far up, so you need to reach far into the frame. The front leg is only about 7” from the front of the slider. This means that the most critical place on the slider (the front, as that is where you come down onto rocks most commonly) is FULLY supported. I dare you (that have sliders) to go out and measure the distance to your first leg. Most sliders on the market these days are much further than 7”. (you can see the front mount in the pictures below)

The rear was also a challenge, as we did not want to leave a long gap unsupported. E devised a VERY clever rare mount that is only about 9” from the rear of the slider. Once again, this means that the rear of the slider is FULLY supported. Also, the rear mount is pretty cool as it acts as a sort of slider to where your leaf back mounts and blends what is normally a sharp edge on the stock Tacoma:



Here are a few shots mocked up and then installed on the truck:







Before we decided to finalize the design, we wanted to test them….so how do we test a set of sliders? The HI LIFT TEST!!!!!

So, first off, my truck is by NO means lightweight. I have full winch bumper, with winch, 33+” tires all the way around, larger susp components, etc. I also had a FULL load of wheels/tires in the back of my truck (my spare 33+” and 5 stock OR wheels and tires) and a full tank of gas.



So, what is the hi lift test? JACK THE ENTIRE SIDE (not just one wheel) off the ground using the CENTER (longest tube allowing for most "bowing") of the slider (Notice both wheels are off the ground):





There was MINIMAL flex (though the fabricator was still wants less so is investigating ways of making it less). However, I am not worried about this as the flex was VERY minimal, and working as an aerospace engineer, I know materials, and I know that NO (affordable) material will not flex. Flex is ok as long as you stay in the elastic region of the material, meaning, as long as it come back to how it was before, you are good to go… and as you can see by the following pics….it did!!!

You can see the before in the pics above.

After Test:


Now remember, we are lifting the ENTIRE vehicle from the CENTER of the slider, and she bounced right back to where we started. I’d say it passed

Now onto the other custom part I wanted, a kickup. Here are a few teaser pics of my special kickup that we are working on (please note, supports for the hoop will be added, this is just a teaser pic). Hopefully by Wends they will be fully supported and ready for a few cans of rustolim!!!!!



So, those are going to be my sliders. If anyone has comments or ideas let me know, as the fabricator is always open to improvement, he is all about making a good product that will function properly. I am VERY happy with how mine are turning out, and how they performed though (hence this slight ad for hime..haha).

And now for the advertising, he made me a beautiful set of sliders, and I fully believe this guy does good work, so I figure I can pay it forward, if anyone is interested in a set like mine, you can contact the fabricator as described below. I do not get a cut or anything if you buy his stuff, I really am just very satisfied and would like this guy to be successful with his new sliders.


Contact info for the fabricator
Name on Tacoma World, TTORA, etc: Beefed Taco
Website: http://streetacos.com/

I am not making these, just helping, so if you have questions, I may be able to help, but for details contact the fabricator above. Also, if you want to know about pricing and buying a set, contact the fabricator above.

Completed Sliders

Well after a few coats of rustoleum, they are finally done!

Here are some pics of them mounted. The mounting went on with no hitch at all, I was able to do it alone (as these would probably break my gf in half). All the bolts dropped right into place and lined up perfectly….and here is the finally results:











Now to go beat them up.

 

I love the top. I think they run about $600, but not sure, I got mine for free as they used my old truck (05 taco) for development of it.

I highly recommend it though.

Yeah, beefed made my sliders...he does very good work, as you can see.

 

I am not sure, as I didnt measure, but I would guess somewhere around 3". I can tell you that with the 886 up front and a 1/2" spacer, the truck sits level. THey are pretty stiff though, so be prepared. THis is perfect for me, as I am having a rear bumper with tire gate made and I haul a lot of gear in the back, so I need them stiff

 

Well I finally pulled off my all-pro bumper for some “alterations” I have been planning, on while it was off, I took the time to do a few fixes on the winch.

First off, grease. For anyone that has tried to freewheel the XRC out, you will know you have to pull DAMN hard. The grease they use inside this thing is more like glue than grease. So I decided to open her up and put some GOOD grease in it.

Here you can see the gooey grease they use:





After a LOT of degreasing, I finally got the gears cleaned off and started to rebuild it.



Here you can see it packed with some good quality grease!



Once I got her back together, the difference was night and day, you could pull the line out with one hand and it didn’t take much force at all! It was great! I highly recommend this to ANYONE with an XRC winch.

Next up was the electrical stuff. Something that was pointed out to me by FlatBlak (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=595031&postcount=22) was the electrical ground terminal. This winch pulls a LOT of current (as all winches do) so you want to make sure all terminals have a good connection, however the factory ground terminal has the majority of its surface painted:



After some scraping and filing, I had a nice surface to contact with the lugs. I feel much better about this now:


Then I decided I wanted to protect the wires a bit better up front, while I used all marine grade cables, I decided to shield them just for good measure. I shielded all the cables and put a plastic grommet where they run through the front radiator support.




One last thing I noticed when taking it apart was that there was some SLIGHT surface rust on the bolt that holds the synthetic line to the drum. I am not sure if this is a big deal, but I decided to upgrade it to stainless just in case.



I feel much better about this winch now and feel it is ready to save my @$$ if I get into some trouble.

 

Well I finally decided to install my CB for the times when I am with people that don’t have HAMs. My weapon of choice was a Cobra 75 WX ST. I like the compact nature of it and the fact that I can unhook it when not in use. I do not like the look of having handsets hanging all over the place in my cab.

For those that have been following my build, you probably have noticed a patter that I like to try to make things look as “factory” as possible, which usually just results in making a lot more work for myself than is really necessary, and this install was no exception. While working on this, I also decided to “revamp” my Yaesu FT-8900R remote plug location as well. For those not familiar with the original install, it can be found here (http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/audio-video/75220-yaesu-ft-8800r-install-05-tacoma.html).

So, here we go. In order to try to make this look as factory as possible, I decided to upgrade my 07 center console to an 09+ console. The 09+ consoles have a nice addition to them in the form of switch holes (this is where the new aux plug goes on later models). I decided to pick up this console along with 3 blank plugs for the plugs. One plug will be my CB plug, one will be my Ham Plug and one will remain blank for now.



For the Ham plug, I simply milled out the reinforcements behind the plug as well as milled the edges of a female-female 6 connector RJ25 plug (what the 8900 handset uses) so that it would slide into place. Then it was a matter of trimming a hole in the front of the blank to allow access to the plug behind.

Here you can see the original blank:



And here you can see the “reworked” one:








Next up the CB plug. This one got a bit tricky, as I had to find a means to mount it to the blank, and allow it to be fixed without pushing back, when I plug the handset it, or pulling out when I unplug the handset. And of course, visible screws or bolts are unacceptable to me.
The solution to this problem was to first unsolder and remove both the male and female connections from the handset and the control box. I then re-soldered them on backwards so the female plugs (pin receptacles) were on the handset and the male end (pins) were mounted to my dash.

I then tool the male end and, using a lathe, cut it in half and took some material off. This gave me a two piece plug. The front piece would mount in front with the large “knurled” edge retaining it from pushing back into the dash while the smaller inner diameter was what piloted it in the plug. The second portion of the plug would mount behind the pug and clamp tightly to the cable preventing it from pulling out of the blank. This effectively sandwiched the blank between the two portions and kept them in place.

Here you can see the original male plug:



Here is the “reworked” plug:



All that was left was to prepare the blank plug. Once again, I milled out the inside and drilled a hole the size of the smaller diameter. Here is the plug sandwiched:


All that is left now was to reassembly my truck with the new plugs:

Here are the two plugs:


Here they are with the handsets plugged in:


This allows me to remove the handsets when not in use so they don’t need to just hang around my cab.


For the CB external speaker, I did the same kind of mount I did on my Ham radio. So now there is an embedded speaker on the drivers side that is for my ham and a speaker in the same location on the passengers side for the CB: