TR00PR: Missed Every Target

TR00PR: Misses Every Target.

For vanities sake, IG handle:
@trp_tr00pr

Favorite pic thus far:



I bought this truck new in 2015. TRD Pro’s were hard to find, and me being a special edition sucker, I ended up using a broker to find this truck for me. I drove from Burlingame to Salinas after work and picked it up. In and out of the Dealership in 28 minutes. I didn’t even test drive it(more on that later).


Here she is the night I picked her up:






The next day I was hauling home remodel detritus.





That same day I put the campershell on it that I had preordered before I even had the truck. It became abundantly clear that I needed an add a leaf to take out the Bro sag in the rear. Wheelers Offroad delivered the Icon Progressive AAL. I also had some cheapo Amazon LED pods and light bar from the FJ40 projects.





A few months later I installed the Prinsu racks on the cab and the shell.



Oh, and a snorkel fell on my truck somewhere along that time as well.


This is where my memory gets hazy and parts start flying. Essentially, I put on the Duratracs, BAMF weld on sliders, Kings front coilovers, Total Chaos UCA and LCA skids, Ditch light brackets from the company that bought the Prinsu design(can’t remember their name), Wheelers Ubolt flip w/Superbump, extended brake lines, OffGrid Engineering dual battery kit w/BlueSea MLC-R(I think that’s right), All Pro Expedition rear leaf springs, BruteForce front and rear bumpers, Warn Zeon 10k winch, StopTech BBK and a few other bits and bobs.


Lots of trips ensued.

 

Phase II

• The RTT thing was okay, but a new thing was on the near horizon. Phil was rockin his V1 and I was smitten. I tried hard to get Phil to build me another V1, but he had other plans and I got in on the early production run.
• 
  

Lots of camping ensued. The All Poo rear leaf springs showed their weakness very quickly. Deaver Springs to the rescue!This is also when I started fiddling with a diesel heater. That project still hasn’t seen the light of day yet(I can go into details later on with this).





Jerry(BAMF) called me and asked if he could “borrow” my truck.


Then this happened:








Being neighbors with Jerry is pretty awesome, not to mention that he is a Totally Rad dude. I subscribe to the “shop local” mentality and being a small business owner, I live and breathe that moto. It just so happens that Vagabond Outdoors and BAMF are both located in my home town.

After owning a Drifter for a bit, I realized there were a few things that I could make to help my camping experience be a bit more prepared. In rolls my new side project: www.totallyradproducts.com.





Bonus footage of my daughter and side kick. Couldn’t be a proper “build” thread without some family smattered about.

 

Phase III


About the time I was starting to settle into the Drifter Jerry needed to “borrow” my truck again. This is when a few ideas started to bubble forth. Somewhere in the R&D phase I decided that I would go back on my promise to never put 35’s on my truck again.









While bouncing my way through the Mojave, on a mission to find any design flaws in Jerry’s new rear high clearance dual swing bumper, Phil’s V1 popped back in my head and wouldn’t dislodge itself. Decisions were made, and now we are here.




Now that we are up to current, I’ll fill you in on the basic plans for the future. Right now the truck is at Shaffer’s Offroad in Alameda getting an ARB front locker, new 4.88’s and some body tubbing in the wheel arches and cab to accommodate for the 35’s(sometimes I kick myself for breaking my promise, but not often).

I have a Vagabond Outdoors Nomad on order and am designing and building a flatbed to match it to my truck. I am still on the fence as to if I’ll ever install the SC I’ve had sitting in the attic now for over a year. I feel my time would be better invested in a D4D later on down the road.

My little side gig is tooling along nicely and I have the 3rd gen antenna covers(working title is now The Side Shooter cover) in prototype 3 phase. I think this may be the final design for production(it’s not. I’ve moved on to a different design language). The Side Saddle brackets for the FrontRunner doors should be in full production next week, or so. Also, the 2nd gen overhead console is starting to take shape. Overall, things are marching forward.

BTW, there are a ton of trips and mods that aren’t listed. It’s just too damn much time to go back and try and document them all. If I had started a build thread when I first bought the truck it would have been filled with many more pics and stories than I am sharing now. Just sayin. 5 years late. Missed the target by a few feet.

 

Loving this

 

It looks so good with the stock bumpers. It gives me hope that when I find a decent deal on a 2012-2015, I don’t need to get bumpers and can run stock like my 1st gen.

 

Oh, I forgot the socials:

IG- Trp_Tr00pr is for truck stuff
IG- OverAndersLand is for life stuff
IG- TotallyRadProducts is side gig stuff

In all actuality, I nuked my IG about six months ago. Life was better without it. But, we live in a world where social media is how we thrive, through connections and shared life experiences. So, I restarted it up and thankfully was able to get my old name back. Man, this social media stuff is a whole job, in and of itself. Having a toddler doesn’t make it any easier.

 

I forgot to add that one time when I helped a friend in need.

 

Going Drifter-less in preparation for the flatbed.

I’m curious how much my bed should sell for? No body damage, per se. It is cut for a high clearance rear bumper. It’s also equipped with a Relentless Tailgate plate and some Bentrodder bed reinforcement brackets.

 

How much swearing is involved in getting that canoe on/off?

 

If I’m solo, I have a system worked out that allows only one kreaky knees swear word. That happens when I have to clamber up on to the top to strap it down.
Otherwise, with two people it’s quite easy.

 

It's easier for me to do load/unload solo, there's too much of a height difference between my wife and myself.

What flatbed are you going with, or is it a surprise?

And I miss Benicia. Not enough to move back, but it was fun while I was there.

 

Oh, you lived here? Right on man. I love my little bucolic town. The flatbed is of my own design.

 

Prototype 3 has been evaluated now for the 3rd gen Tacoma. I’m still not entirely satisfied with it. However, it did allow for some more brainstorming and I think I’m going to try another design format for prototype 4.

These antenna covers are very difficult to get just right. But, I hope to have something more to report next month!


Oh snap! Wrong thread!

 

I went to college under the Carquinez bridge How long til the flatbed is up and running?

 

CMA? Deck or Engine? When did you graduate?

Flatbed is still in design and engineering phase. I’m sure I’ll have a better idea next month. Too many irons in the fires right now to nail down a date.

 

i cant wait to see this thing done

 

Me too man. Spent about half the day working on the Flatbed Design. The DNA of the design language has been inked in now. I hope I can move fast on this. It all depends on time schedules though. Ones that I don’t have control over.

 

Also, I picked up the truck from Shaffer’s Offroad in Alameda. Mike popped in some new gears and a front locker. The body tubbing is turning into a separate project at a later date.

Driving impressions are the torque has returned. Highway rpms are up overall, but it accelerates again. It’s hard to not whomp on it, but break in time is necessary for the new gears. Super stoked this part of the build is done with.