Deekyn’s build of Kevin the 2015 TRD Off Road Tacoma

After looking through all the bumpers I could find, and not liking any that I saw. Too bulky, too flat, etc... I circled back to your comment and looked into ATH. You’re right, they make nice looking bumpers. Pelfreyesque, clean lines, thinner profile, etc. And he only wants $100 deposit. So I won’t get royally screwed if he up and files bankruptcy. I talked to Morgan at ATH today and we are a go for launch. I still want a HC dual swing out rear bumper and may go with CBI for that later.

For this bumper, I am getting the tall Center hoop option 1 1/2” shorter and side supports like his Baja option or like the brute force fab bumpers. So we will see in six weeks or so. But I’m hopeful this time.

As a side thought, my photography is very different than yours, less commercially viable (I looked at your IG, really good stuff btw!), and I have put it all on hold while I’m in grad school, but I do like dead towns and back roads, and Midwest/upper Midwest is full of that sort of thing. I think I had better luck in Kansas that Nebraska, but that was total coincidence.

dustinnelsonphotography.com

Thanks for the recommendation on the bumper by the way.

 

Man, that bumper is going to look sweet. Can't wait to see it mounted up.

Thanks for the kind words and after checking out your website I really dig your work as well. Love the clean processing and creative use of dof. Hopefully grad school goes quickly (and effortlessly)

 

Added my @Mobtown Offroad bolt on sliders. These things are beefy AF. Install took maybe 4 hours. Seemed easy enough and it really was. Could have taken an hour total if some of the bolts weren’t so hard to get too. I will add a few more pics later.

*edit fixed!

 

@At The Helm steel custom height single hoop steel plate front bumper installed a few months ago. This thing looks amazing. Install was super easy. Took longer to take the old bumper off I think.





Morgan’s bumper has these really awesome frame tie ins that need to be modified if you are running reservoir coil overs. Like my awesome King Coilovers . So I just drilled out a hole for the mounting bolt with a step bit. Easy as pie.

 

Added this little Mictuning USB A, USB C, voltmeter to the factor lighter plug location. I’ll be damned if you don’t have to remove 2/3 of the friggin dash including the center console just to install it. Should have taken pics with her all torn apart. Also had to enlarge the hole slightly to fit it in. This thing charges fast!

 

Nice truck! Great thread

 

Oh Wisconsin! I have a complicated relationship with you. An I FUCKING HATE IT HERE, kind of deal. One more year. One more year. Goddamn grad school. No mountains, endless winter and endless rain. And the fucking salt. Jesus.

This isn’t snow blowing across the road, it’s salt... I kid. But it’s close...


I spent like two days treating with fluid film last fall and the rust and corrosion is killing me. . My frame looks great. The damn bumper, suspension and exhaust looks like hell. Mind you all these pics... one damn winter. Seriously.

 

Nice work. One thing. You have this part backward.



It's probably not a big deal, but it's intended to go with the tall flat face against the frame.

 

Dammit! That’s what I get for trying to follow the instructions on my phone

 

Dynamat extreme and Dynaliner on the roof to kill some of the noise from the Front Runner Roof rack.

An hour and a half to take the headliner out, and hour and a half to measure, cut and roll on the Dynamat extreme. Half hour to do the dynaliner. And hour to put the headliner back on and a half hour to clean up. Good half a day of work, but damn does it make a difference. Noticeably quieter.

Followed these instructions...
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2012-dc-interior-head-liner-removal-write-up.247104/

 

Figured I’d have the shovel and hi lift mounted most of the summer but I want to at least deter people from stealing the hi lift. Of course if someone wants to steal them it wouldn’t be too hard. The front runner mount suggests a TSA type wire lock. The idea of that thing banging around then freezing up because they aren’t weather sealed felt like a hassle.

A pair of m10 security bolts from Amazon seems like the answer.

$20 Lightronic M10 Premium 316 Stainless Steel Anti-Theft Locking Nuts Security Hardware Kit for LED Light Bar Work Lights (4 Lock+ 1 Key)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01N7FH5SF?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title


*** moved my Hi-lift to the bed with an RCI bed rail mount.

 

Finally got my Baja Designs squadron pro wide/ cornering fog lights wired to the factory switch. I also got my Cali Raised 20” single row led light bar that is mounted in the bumper wired up. I used the included wire harness/relay/switch. Very inelegant solution. Definitely going to put together an RMTR set up this summer.

 

Did you paint the bumper yourself or was it powdercoated?

 

Short answer is that it’s powder coated.

Long answer: Morgan doesn’t offer powder coating. He’s a one man operation, it’s understandable. But he makes amazing bumpers! I had mine powder coated when I got it. And the local powder coating guy convinced me that most people do this sort of mat textured powder coating. I hate it now. But.. too late. Oh and it’s oxidized like hell after one Wisconsin winter. So now I’m pissed. But it’s my own fault.

 

Oh I know all about his bumpers, just picked mine up today! I was debating on just painting mine to see how it would turn out. I noticed yours looked somewhat how I expected just spray painting it would look, didn't realize that it was powdercoated! I think I am making the right choice on going with a gloss black finish, makes me glad the roads aren't salted much here.

 

Nice meeting you man! Your truck is awesome. Enjoy the roadtrip and thanks for driving out of the way to meet up

 

All Pro Expo leaf pack replacement and Toytec 3° shims
​

In the course of a couple of months the The Wrap around the all Pro exp leaf pack developed terrible rust and worse big cracks through them.


The leafs themselves seemed ok but the wraps were splitting. A call to Trail Gear and like half a dozen emails later and I received a new set. No charge and no shipping charge. Which is awesome. So new leaf pack it is.

Unfortunately they showed up in the dead of winter and I didn’t have a garage. So I installed them this spring. The cracks in the leaf wraps had become much worse...

I also was fighting a drive train vibration on take off so I figured I would try the shim. Why not. It was an easy swap. A couple of C-clamps on the leaf pack, unscrew the factory bold in the center of the pack, then align the shin and add the included longer bolt.

*** of note, the shims did not fix the vibe at all. Next will be a carrier bearing spacer.

All in all it took an hour or so to swap out the leaf springs with shims.

 

Sub'd! Great build thread. A fellow 295er. ATH front bumper is in my rig's future as well.

 

ARB (

$300 CKMP12 Portable Air Compressor 12V High Performance and Output Compressor

CKMP12) portable single compressor, mounted in an Expedition Essentials bedside compressor mount, hardwired​

Wife bought me an ARB (CKMP12) 12V High Performance Portable Air Compressor for our June Moab trip. But I always wanted it mounted in the bed cubby. So this weekend I did it. Ordered an Expedition Essentials bedside compressor mount and mounted it up this weekend.

this was the portable compressor. So I drilled out the rivets holding the compressor to its toolbox. Then drilled hole into the bedside compressor mount to mount the compressor. Mounted it it sideways to fit the hose in the box as well after some trial and error.

Then I cut the battery terminal clips from the wiring and sliced some 10 ga AWG wire to it and ring terminals to the end, keeping ARB’s inline 40amp fuse and leaving the switch mounted to the compressor. I wrapped the two wires in 3/8” split wire loom and ran it from the bedside cubby, along the frame following other OEM wiring, into the engine bay.

So now the compressor is mounted in the cubby with its switch and the hose, and hard wired to the battery.

 

subbed!

Great thread