MLO Quicksand Tacoma

Hey guys,

I thought it would be cool to post up a build thread on my 2017 Tacoma TRD sport. I bought the truck in August of 2017 right before moving to New Hampshire to manage Main Line Overland's New England location. Since then, the truck has changed numerous times as we've tested different off road accessories to help us better understand what would work best for our customers. Give me a shout if you have any questions or if I miss any details.

Day 1. Traded my JKUR for the Taco TRD Sport. Picked up the sport since I was planning on adding my own lockers down the road and I'm not a big fan of crawl control.

Stage 1: OME Medium load kit, 285/70/17 Falken Wildpeak MT, and Safari Snorkel. The pic below is from my first day at the shop. Good times.


Next, I added a Dobinsons Front bumper, Warn VR8S winch, and a rigid 20" light bar on the front. I also removed the OME kit and installed a Dobinsons twin tube suspension system which was an instant improvement in ride quality over the OME kit. The GM at Dobinsons is a great friend of mine and had been pushing me to try a Dobinsons system for a while. I'm glad I made the change.

 

In January 2018, we unveiled our GTS suspension system on the Tacoma during a photo shoot with Chris Cordes from Overland Journal. Also finally added a set of our Evo Corse Dakar wheels, and a pair of Baja Designs LP9 driving lights.



The day after the photo shoot, we loaded up the Four Wheel Campers and headed up to Killington Ski Resort for some skiing.

 

In April, we removed the bed off of the Tacoma and installed our Norweld Tray and Canopy system. The Norweld Trays and Canopies are manufactured in Australia and are the toughest Aluminum trays you can buy in the states. MLO is the exclusive importer of the trays and canopies into North America and we distribute to dealers around the US who purchase the trays for Four Wheel Camper Flat bed conversions or Canopy conversions.

 

Truck looks epic

 

Thanks man!

 

So, when you’re not running the Norweld Canopy, you can run the Tacoma as a flatbed with the bedsides and tailgate. Loving the look of the truck this way.


Sold the anthracite evos last week and replaced them with matte black. I’m digging the black wheels!

 

Holy shit. That thing is awesome

 

Thanks man! Appreciate it.

 

Check out these photos of the canopy setup on the back of the Tacoma. The truck is pretty much ready for anything...

 

That's my dream build!

Question for you though - how do you like the LP9's? I was looking at them rather than the conventional Onx6+ linear type light. How is near field illumination with the integrated peripheral lighting compared to say the Onx6 in wide driving pattern? Appreciate any insights you may have.

 

Thanks man! I love the LP9s. First, I’m a big fan of round lights and was pumped the LP9s had just come out when I got the bumper on the truck. I’d say they’re very comparable to a 40” onyx 6 in output. The peripheral lighting is excellent and the dual beam feature is super helpful when you don’t need to run the spot and just want flood and peripheral lighting. It’s like having a bunch of different lights in one.

 

Cool man. Yeah I like the look of round lights as well. Even though the 20" Onyx6 technically has more lumens, I thought the beam pattern / reflector of the LP9's may actually be more advantageous.

Cheers man!

That tray you have is awesome!

 

Thanks man! I appreciate it.

Trust me, you’ll love the LP9s. Plus, round lights just look badass.

 

A little write up on your truck, Eric.

https://expeditionportal.com/quicksand-dreams/

 

Awesome man! Thanks for sharing!

 

What’s up Eric. Your CV angles look great. What’s the trick?

 

Hey! I appreciate it. Truthfully, its what you get with sticking with a 2" system.

 

Hi Eric, I have spoken to you a couple times over email, but wanted to get some more information/expectation of moving to your full GTS suspension for my 2013 DCSB. You have obviously been running this system for awhile now and have a TRD sport model like I have. I doubt there is much difference in the suspension from Gen 2 to 3, and my biggest complaint is the way it handles on washboard dirt roads etc. It's frankly bone jarring even at 15-20 mph and is all over the place. In short, can I expect a huge improvement over stock in this area especially w/ this system or am I expecting too much. Just looking to speak with anyone who has been using it awhile and get their feelings over the improvement in that area. I honestly don't plan on doing anything extreme w/ my truck (Rubicon trail extreme) so I feel like the lift/travel of this kit is fine, but I also need to get rid of the terrible ride I have on those kinds of roads I have now for sure. Does the GTS sound like what I am looking for or do I need to consider a more costly coilover set up?

 

Hey OP,

thanks for your post the build looks rad, i had a couple questions because im concerned about my Taco's performance one i put the norweld tray and FWC pop top camper on it. do you know what the weight difference was between the stock Taco bed vs the norweld flatbed? i know yours is a short bed, i have the standard bed so if you have info on both that would be great if you only have stats on your set up i can work with that.

thanks!
Jaro

 

Sweet build! Just happened to notice the license plate, where in NH are you/your shop located?