What Have You Done To Your 2nd Gen Tacoma Today?

I went with some DEPO black housing heads because I live in Cali and they have fucked up laws. Here's an Amazon link as to what I run maybe it'll help

 

New to me bed rack yesterday

 

Added a second Plano for spare parts.


How to mount a Plano on a prinsu

Materials needed:

1/4”x1” carriage bolts
1/4”x1.5” washers
1/4”-20 nylock nuts
7/16” socket/wrench
Drill w/ 5/16” drill bit
Something to mark where to drill
T30 bit

Optional:

Silicone
Hacksaw


Set Plano on prinsu and mark where you want to drill. Just gonna have to eyeball this part



Drill your holes



Unbolt one side of crossbar using the T30 bit and set carriage bolts in rails



Loosely place Plano on bolts, and start the nuts but don’t tighten yet



Squeeze some silicone under the washer



Tighten down nuts, add silicone if needed, and trim excess off bolts.

 

Like this. Looks nice and clean.

 

how much of a lift you got?

 

DCLBs should have come lifted 2 inches from the factory, they look so much better with a few more inches to them!

 

Chris, at least you see other Tacos. I feel like the lone wolf around Indiana. Sometimes I go weeks without seeing another Taco. hahaha

We have a lot of blind brand loyalty around here because we are so close to Detroit.

 

TRD Pro Wheel swap on '05 Tacoma. Loving new set up. Ride seems more responsive with lighter wheel/tire combo.

got a little bit of rubbing backing into a parking spot this morning. Looking into heat gun now. running 265/70/17 Dueler H/T

 

Link or pictures, of the a-piller phone to the face fiasco??

 

Ah, sad but kinda makes sense

 

I totally agree!!

 

What's the size and offset on these OEM Pro's?

 

The 4Runner Pro wheels are 17x7 with a -6mm offset.

 

Sold some Gen. wheels and other stuff. So using part of my profits Ordered some speakers for my Jensen HU I installed earlier this month.n Should be her Wednesday. Need to do 40K service, Brake on the Venza and 50K service on the Mini. Now if it would just warm up.

 

Shocks alone roughly half in. Shocks are really stiff

 

The truck has had slow starter turn over when starting the last few days. It is a 2015 that I purchased new at the end of March, just under 4yrs old. Checked the battery voltage with the truck off and it read 12.8v, running it was 14.3v. Figured it could be corrosion on the terminals. Sure enough Toyota’s split/open terminal design on the positive terminal had some corrosion on the inside, but didn’t seem like enough to be problematic. To be thurough I cleaned the terminals using battery terminal cleaner and copper pipe welding wire brushes.




Then I sprayed it wit’s a sealer to prevent further corrosion.



And afterward it was still slow to start.

I used my automotive battery charger and tried charging the battery. Using the 2A trickle charge, the battery was taking in near 3A, put it on 10A fast charge and it would take in 7A. The battery if working and charged properly it shouldn't take much of a charge and the charger should shut off rather quickly with the 'charge complete' light on. Switched the charger over to 55A start boost, and the truck fired up like new. I came to recognize the truck would fire up ok if it had just been run for a while but any amount of sitting and it was pretty questionable if it would start. Disappointed the OEM battery didn’t even make 4 years.

I subscribe to always upgrade if possible rather than replace.

In the mid-2000s I ran an Optima Yellow Top to support my Warn M8000 winch on my TJ Wrangler Rubicon. The battery was a champ, I put it through a lot and it always came back for more. I kept that battery for almost 10 years and moved it across multiple vehicles before selling it with my 2003 Tacoma. In 2009 Optima production was moved from the USA to Mexico, and quality tanked. The batteries no longer last, and are a shadow of what they once were. So I needed to find a new go-to ultra high quality battery.

Enter Northstar.
If you like overbuilt, this is the battery. Dual purpose/deep cycle non-spillable. Northstar spec'd expected life, 12+ years and made in the USA. And it has terminals that will not corrode. Tacomas with a tow package take a type 27F battery, non-tow package uses a slightly smaller battery. Comparing specs of the 27F Northstar to the Optima Yellow Top:
OEM: 710 CCA, 165min RC
Yellowtop: 1075 CA, 830 CCA, 140min RC
Northstar: 1750 CA, 930 CCA, 195min RC

More Northstar 27F specs here. And more info on Northstar batteries here.

Since I needed the battery ASAP as I was sure my truck was going to leave me stranded as the starting had gotten to the point the truck barely turned over, I needed a place that carried these locally so I could install it today. Batteries + Bulbs stores stock these batteries, and if you buy online and pickup in store there is a 10% off coupon, plus they have a $30 mail in rebate, actually making it one of the cheapest places to get these batteries. The battery from Batteries + Bulbs has a blue top, and is labeled as X2Power, but right on the front of the battery says Northstar.

Batteries + Bulbs Northstar 27F link:
https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/sli27fagmdp

The battery clamp won't fit with the battery handle down, so I had to go through the handle to secure it. I might have to get one of those fancy TRD tie downs. The difference after installing the battery is immediately noticeable. The truck turns over much faster than when the stock battery was in there and in good health. The battery comes with a 5 year replacement warranty.

 

Caution, Opinions ahead:

A lift and bigger tires with a slightly wider stance is practically required on the DCLBs to me. They look so weird on stock wheels and suspension. But once a 2-3" lift, something around 265/70s, and 0 offset wheel or a spacer is added, I think its the best looking of the different configurations.

 

Finished up a little project I made for myself. After putting the Lund Genesis tonneau cover on I lost usage of my cargo rails and cleats. I came up with some brackets to space them out where they will be usable again. I'm pretty happy with how they came out

 

Good info!
No need to extend any factory wiring to get this battery to fit?

 

Does anyone have any good write ups/builds of an AUX fuse panel/bracket. I've found a few threads but they all seem to be like 6 years old with members that aren't active anymore. I have too many accessories hooked up to the battery and need to start studying this. I have never ran or installed one before.