YOTA 4X4's Go Fast, Go Light, Go BROKE Adventure Build

As of now... Man that Grille has gotta GO!!!



Greetings TW,

I wanted to begin to document my "Overland" (I am beginning to really despise that term) or as I like to call it adventure vehicle build. I've gone through A LOT of adventure vehicles in my life that I used for exploring, camping, or simply driving so I am not new to this lifestyle. Most recently I had a 2015 Ram Power Wagon w/ Leer cap set up for mild adventure and camping and before that I had a 2013 Rubicon Unlimited set up for the same.

Well over the past few years I've changed jobs a few times, and spent WAY too much time at work earning vacation and time off again, so now that I'm in a stable job and the time off is starting to pile up I decided I needed a vehicle that was really capable of taking me on the path less traveled. I'm going to use this thread to keep my ideas in one place and obviously to use the knowledge from the great people on here to steer me in the right directions.

So here we go...

Truck: 2017 Tacoma Double Cab Short Box Off-Road with Automatic transmission

I HEAVILY debated a Manual as I actually prefer to row my own gears, however in the end I want this truck to be something my wife and I can enjoy together and quite honestly it's nice to share the driving, and hey if I have one too many Beers it's nice to have options for another driver to take over. That said I do NOT hate the AUTO at all in this truck, I have 2200 Miles now and I'm getting over 20 MPG (with winter fuel and time for the truck to warm up), it's shifts fine and does what it's supposed to do get from point A to point B, plus I think the Crawl Control has a lot of potential for my uses.

Onto the build:

1) Husky Liner Weather Beater Mats, I like them much better that the WeatherTechs from my last truck and they're less money. Win, Win. (Installed)

2) Honda Garage "Un-Holey" mount X2, with 1" Ram Balls and a CB Mic Holder, also got the cord keeper clips to keep things tidy. Opted for a RAM mount phone holder rather than the Hondo garage option as it's about $100 dollars cheaper and this isn't a Baja Racing truck. This is a no brainer to me and should be on everyone's short list to own. I mounted one of these to the immediate left of my radio, for my iPhone, and the other to the immediate right of the radio the one on the right will hold an Ipad Mini and my (future) CB Mic. (Installed)

3) Lighting- I'm a big fan of doing things right once so I went ahead and ordered a set of Dually Side Shooters (driving model *brighter*) as well as a 30" SR driving model LED Bar. (Recived)

4) Electrical Controls-These will be controlled via the new Switch Pro 9100 which I have on order. This allows me nearly unlimited add-ons for rear and side lighting when the time comes. I also ordered the Switch Pro Mounting panel, with bracket and waterproof relays from SDHQ, should look completely stealth and factory once installed. (Ordered)

5) Lighting Brackets- RAGO Fabrication, Ditch light and Hidden Light Bar Brackets. Why RAGO, well because STAINLESS STEEL. I live in the rust belt and I'd like any help I can get. (Received awaiting install)

6) Dual Battery Setup- I was trying to avoid adding weight and cost if possible however I feel like for the additional lighting, Fridge, and possible future winch it's better to build it right the first time. Deciding between OFF-Grid Engineering or Adventure Ready's pre-done kit, Probably use a Duracell AGM Battery set, or something available at Walmart. (I despise Walmart as a rule however there is something to be said for being able to warranty your battery anywhere in the country. Think about it.
***Went with OFF-Grid Engineering's dual battery split kit*** (ordered from OK4WD)

7) Bed Stiffeners- decided for my application a canopy and RTT of sorts I had better get things right back there. Again RAGO, because I ordered at the same time as the light brackets. (Received awaiting install)

8) Camper Shell/ RTT- GO FAST CAMPERS!!! I'm order #62, not adding any windows, going to do orange powder coated skeleton, grey powder coat. 200lbs Tent and Canopy HUGE Weight savings and the ability to have two floors of living space. Game changer in my book. Cant wait to see if it lives up to the hype. (ordered) ***I'm number 41 in the build Que now expect delivery late May***

9) Canopy- Alu-Cab Shadow, big money but... between this and the GFC tent I can literally be set up to camp in under 1 minute. GFC is building appropriate mounts. (Gonna need to work some OT before I order this one, anyone know where I can find a deal on Alu-Cab??? Most venders exclude them from discounts)

10) Gear Hauler- Wilco Off Road Hitch Gate MAX, Horizontal Hi-Lift Mount, Rotopax mounts, Ability to carry my spare, Water, Fuel, and a Jack. (waiting to be installed off my old truck)

11) Tires- Cooper ST Maxx in 255 85 R16 (stock rims) OR 255 80 R17 (Pro Rims) (Un-sure)
***Staying with stock rims to stay in tight to the truck will order tires from Mavis at whole sale through a buddy when the time comes***

12) Suspension- 500# Sumo Springs for the rear, Sumo Helpers up front Stock height ***Will be ordering for install once the GFC ships***

13) Protection- Going all Aluminum, likely Mobtown Aluminum Skids and their sliders when they launch. Again no Crawling; Aluminum is great for my needs, lighter and corrosion resistant ***email into Mobtown about sliders***

14) ARB 63qt fridge and Alu-Cab tilting slide, will be wired with ARB's wiring kit, and include wireless monitoring. (Ordered from OK4WD as a package saved over $400 dollars I'm fairly pleased with this deal)

15) Appearance- Pro Grille- I just don't like the Chrome grille on the stock Off-Road. (research) ***I think I'm going to put this one off now, almost $400 bucks to add nothing but looks just isn't in my budget, still going to keep it on the list, but it's a want not a need***

16) Maxtrax and Maxtrax spare tire mounting- Got some beach driving trips planned for NJ and NC this summer this has become a must have. ***Ordered from OK4WD***

17) Extras- I have most everything else for camping/ Overland. Going to build a "baseplate" system out of 3/4" Plywood to bolt everything to. Need some action packers to fit the truck storage and maybe a porta potti for the wife.

18) decided a Decked system is a must have for a few reasons. I really hate to add 200lbs to this build, but to have a full flat floor under my GFC AND storage for recovery gear stove, cooking gear, toiletries ext, i think it is the way to go. Plus i have the ALU-CAB fridge slide that tilts so i can easily access anything i need. Plus if i absolutely have to I’m thinking the removable cushions from the GFC will let me stealth camp under the topper on my decked system. Granted it’s a short box but sometimes you just got to make due. Besides i promise you it won’t be the worst place I’ve ever slept. I like that the decked actually increases my floor space a lot (no more wheel wells) though it shrinks it a bit height wise. Also found a cool clamp on RAM mount that can clamp to the cage, now i can move my iPad mini back there with me for entertainment during severe weather when i may not want the RTT raised. Wife got our first trip planned for Burlington VT, late May, hoping all the pieces arrive in time.

Knocked out a bunch more things I needed for this build, I'm getting excited for spring now.

Thanks for reading.

-Yota

 

well on your way to accomplishing the mission (go broke)

welcome & see you around. love the grey.

 

i like you have the project with her. that's awesome. 2 weeks ago my wife was trying out my MT for the first time. we spent 10 minutes lugging around a parking lot in 3rd gear at 12mph. she can drive an MT. just apparently not this one.

 

Parts are starting to Roll in and I got my confirmation number and approximate ship date for my new GoFastCamper. Decided I had better look at the last few things I need to get this done so I can get it wired up and ready before the camper arrives. I just placed a large and painful order with OK4WD tonight (damn you boring midnight shifts).

Pulled the trigger on an OK4WD "Package Deal" of a
ARB 63 QT Fridge
ARB Transit Bag
ARB Wireless Monitoring Kit
ARB Wiring Kit
Alu-Cab Sliding/ Tilting Fridge Slide
The whole package was $1450 w/ free shipping and I signed up for their annoying emails and saved another 5% ($1377.50 Total), I added up the retail pricing on this stuff and I was up near $1800 so I feel like I got a pretty damn good deal, besides the Alu-Cab slide (I was going to buy the ARB Slide) I was planning on picking up every piece listed anyway, this way I saved quite a bit of money.

Also order a set of Orange MaxTrax and rear tire mount (5% off applied), as well as the OffGrid-Engineering Dual tray Split battery system. I was going to hold off on the battery system as it's acutally listed for $50 dollars more than OGE sells it for, however they charge $25 for shipping and with the 5% discount it was actually the same price. All and all I spent a pile of money but I am just about done with the big things. A set of skids and Sumo-Springs and new tires when the camper arrives and I'm completely GTG, plus having the electronics completely wired all it one sitting is going to be much easier than piecing it together as I get parts. Thank goodness my wife doesn't see these posts.

Going to completely pass on fancy wheels as well as suspension and just use the helpers and some ST Maxx 255 85 R16's. Save me some money and I think this truck is going to be more than capable of the stuff we have out here anyway. Thanks for following along guys.

Pics to come when the install happens.

 

Well, my truck build is getting closer. Loaded right down, 1/4 reinforced skids from Mobtown, OME Heavy duty lift kit, SCS Dark Bronze SR8’s (255 85 R16 ST Maxx waiting at the shop), 30” light bar, Side shooter light cubes Rago Stainless Mouns and a Set of Rago Bed Stiffeners. Switch pannel from CaliRaised, and Switches from CH4X4.... I probably forgot something.... headed up north a bit to a buddies house tomorrow to start slapping some of this stuff on. Will update with pics as it progresses

 

Way nice, good fun in bolting all that stuff on, jealous. Nice direction you're taking, like it. Wish I had your budget. Keep posting.

 

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Ok, well you've seen the before, nice clean stock 2017 DCSB Offroad, now here's the after.

With the help of two buddies (pictured in several pics) I was able to get a good portion of my projects done between Friday Afternoon, and Saturday morning. So here goes the list.

Friday Evening-
-Installed a Rigid SR-Series PRO 30" Spot/ Driving combo (Part number 931313) in the lower area between the bumper and grille, mounted this to the @ragofabrication hidden bumper mounts, everything fit perfectly and the location is amazing, doesn't look intrusive and throws way more light than even seems possible for such a small bar, I'm talking easy 400 yards out. It's INSANE.

-Installed a set of Rigid D-Series Pro D-SS Driving lights (Part number 262313) also mounted on @ragofabrication mounts, super simple install as well, they bolted right on, I did have to realign the hood as it slipped a tiny bit on the passenger side but it only took an extra 30 seconds. These DSS lights are unreal, they throw a huge amount of light sideways and when working with the 30" SR are the perfect combo in my opinion to light up the night.

-For control I used the @CaliRaisedLed switch panel that mounts in the side cubby left of the steering wheel, and a set of OEM "style" switches from CH4X4. I put in three switches (1 switch for coming reverse lights) but for now only the left two will control anything. Also as you can see in one pic I just bolted the two relays to the side wall in the two holes, this is temporary as Rago makes a sweet relay holder (Stainless also!!!!) that goes right there and holds 3 much cleaner so I will add a picture of that when it comes in. The switches for lights are wired to the headlights so they backlight when the lights are on, and when you turn on the light they get brighter. Couldn't be happier with this setup as it looks completely stock.

-Spent some time with the Grille off driving the truck around some back roads and lining everything up before I closed it all off. I could not be happier with how they perform.

Saturday Morning

-Went to another buddies shop (that is closed on weekends) pulled off the suspension and bolted on the OME Heavy Kit with Full HD Dakar Leafs out back, 886 coils with drivers side spacer up front. I paid @HeadStrong Off-Road to assemble the Struts and ensured I had new U-bolts per my mechanic buddies request. Could not have been easier. The 3 of us had the entire kit mounted in 2 hours flat (including tear down). Of course having an expert helping out helped a lot.

*** As an aside my buddy is a heavy equipment mechanic at a spring shop, and he was SUPER impressed with the Headstrong/ OME lift kit. He really thought it was a nice set up. Keep in mind he's no offroader just a serious truck mechanic ***

-Had the tires mounted to the wheels on Friday when I got into town so they would be ready to go after we got the lift installed. I went with 16" SR8's from @SCSPerformance in "Dark Bronze" I love the looks of them. Tires are Cooper ST Maxx 255 85 R16's. I skipped TMPS Sensors as my old wheels will go back on for winter anyway.

-That's it, Torqued the Rims down with the recommended SCS Lugs (super quality) and brought it to the alignment shop. I'm not totally satisfied there yet and I will be getting it aligned again (1st shop didn't have Gen 3 specs in their computer yet) and if needed I'll throw on a set of UCA's.

-Overall the lift and tires netted about 4" and a heck of a better stance. I have a decked system and a Go Fast Camper on the way so that should settle things a bit. I'll try and grab a picture of the switch panel and anything else I forgot.

Thank you for reading.

(Don't flame me for parking in the Handicap spot PLEASE, I just pulled out of the car wash and the Repair shop was closed so I stopped for a picture)

 

Starting to really come along now.

 

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THANK YOU SIR!!!

 

Awesome progress.

 

A few new pics


This is the un-holey dash mount from @wileydavis (Hondo garage). It’s actually the second mod i did, floor mats FIRST. And to be honest it’s still my favorite. I try and show people it in person and they don’t get how it works and or see it’s aftermarket at all....

It just looks like it belongs. I opted for two of them, with CB mount as my build continues. Right side will hold IPad mini/ Garmin InReach left my iPhone. I opted for the Regular RAM Mount as opposed to Hondos fancy phone mount and it works great.

I also bought the clips to keep my charging cord nice and neat small simple thing but cleans up the interior nice. His stuff is top notch!!!


Honestly if you have a cell phone and a Gen 3 Tacoma, you need to order this. Even my cell service is WAY better and i drop less calls because of the phones orientation.

I have NO affiliation with @wileydavis except he takes lots of my money. His stuff is awesome.

 

And a true before and after comparison. Sorry for the salty ass truck, spring seems to really be taking its time arriving.

Before



And after

 

Any plans to get rid of the chrome or are you keeping it?

 

Definitely want to lose the chrome “cheese grater” grill i can’t stand it. Rear bumper.... i don’t hate it as much but I’m not totally sure. I have a Hitchgate Max/ Spare tire and horizontal Jack that’ll go on as soon as they stop salting the roads that should hide it pretty well. Ultimately i would like a high clearance bumper back there. Powder coated aluminum.

 

That's what I was hoping you'd say . Definitely agree with you there

 

Probably break down and buy a factory PRO grille at some point in the near future.

I’m not sure anyone likes that stock OR Grille.

 

Opinions on removing all the Chrome badges???