PcBuilder's 2018 Tacoma Build

I definitely think that it's a place worth visiting, especially being a free national park! We were there on a Saturday and it wasn't too crowded. I would love to return and do the hike to the 13,000' peak one day.

 

I love the pack & play at the campsite. Nice touch

 

lol got 5.29s and a locker and still running those dinky maypops

 

Until she is old enough to walk and doesn’t try to eat everything she picks up the pack & play will unfortunately have to be dragged along haha

Yup! I swear, they will. Not. Die! One is starting to develop a slow leak though

I really need to find somebody that can help do a cab mount relocate before these things finally bite the dust.

 

no shop? or some one local-ish to you?

 

Well I was trying to schedule some time at a shop to weld gussets and cab mount relocate but they were not very good about responding. Then we moved so I don’t know anywhere right now.

 

OP, how do you like the Cobra you're running? I hate that there's not a great spot to do a clean CB install in the 3rd gen like the ashtray in the 1st gen, and this seems to fit the bill. Any negatives to that unit?

 

I haven’t used it awfully lot, maybe 14 days of use. However the radio itself has been great. I like that it stores out the way really well. I still would like to install a mic clip somewhere in the truck for the times I want to keep it out. Right now I just keep it in my lap when I’m using it. Only issues I’ve had so far were antenna related, not radio related. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it again.

 

Thanks.
Yeah, I don't expect ro burn it up with a lot of use, I just wanted to make sure it did what it's supposed to do. Incidentally, what was your antenna issue, and what was your set up? My plan is a 2' firestick and 9' cable with fire ring. I have a 3' and the same cable on my 1st gen, mounted on the hood and get great SWR that way.

 

I have one of those connectors at the antenna that lets you fold the antenna down when not in use. Well they have enough play in them that every now and then you'll lose signal and get a lot of feedback. It's only occasional, but can be annoying. My antenna is a 5' Firestik on the fold-over adapter followed by a heavy duty spring on a regular stud mount. I'm leaving it how it is for now, but plan to get a much shorter antenna and mount it on something else that will hopefully be getting put on the truck in September or October.

 

<3

 

Hey! Love seeing someone use a stock Tacoma like it should be used! It looks like we have very similar taste when it comes to trucks (had an old black 1st gen and now same truck as you)! I just bought mine a few weeks ago and took it on some trails out here in Colorado this past weekend and the stock skids definitely toast! I just ordered some RCI skids (front, transmission, fuel tank, and rock sliders). Seeing that you have a similar setup, have you noticed a huge difference with the added weight when it comes to performance on and off road as well as fuel economy? I don't have any extra weight other than the new skids i'll be installing and everything else is stock (tires, suspension, etc). Also, did you go with steel or aluminum skids?

 

I did notice a bit of a drop, but primarily after I put the RTT and bed rack on. The skids and sliders themselves didn't seem to drop it much, if at all. I went with steel skids. With it sitting practically at stock height (maybe 1" of lift right now) I have used the skids quite a bit to slide over obstacles. Just depends on what type of trails you plan to be doing.

 

That's good to hear! For right now, i'd like to keep the truck mostly stock other than replacing the tires with a more aggressive one when they wear out. Just want to have the truck take me to campsites and some occasional light wheeling. Would like to keep it as stock height for as long as possible with the new skids, just hoping the added weight won't hinder it too much!

 

I know how that goes. These things are capable of quite a bit more than most people realize, so they go and buy all of this stuff they "need" for off roading when in reality the truck in it's stock form is able to do more than they are even comfortable with. I have been gladly taking my time upgrading what I think would help make what I already do even better. I personally think that protecting the truck with skids and rock sliders is a great start to make you feel more comfortable taking the harder lines.

I'm doing the same with my stock tires, however I did not expect them to last this long at all. 27,000 miles later with quite a bit of off roading on 20psi and one of them is just now starting to have a very slow leak. I need to hurry up and get the cab mount relocate done before it's time for new tires.

 

That's sort of what I was checking out this past weekend. Wanted to see how well the truck performed in stock form and I was really impressed! Only issue I had were with the skids. I'm not expecting this truck to go places that my last one did (Kings, fully armored, bumpers, etc) but i'd still like to go on some mild trails and not have to worry about the underside and keep that stock reliability.

 

I think she’s a fan of the new camping setup.

 

Well, the factory Goodyear Wranglers are finally getting replaced after 27,500 miles. Was out scouting camp spots in Lincoln National Forest and one of them got a hole. Got it plugged, but it started to leak again so I finally have an excuse!

 

Wait, so you just "slipped in" the new camping setup, with no more info/photos and made me go back to the first post to find #859? C'mon now, you know better than that. And the follow-up post conveniently only shows the front of the truck. SHAME. ON. YOU.

Didn't even know that was in the works. Do share - how do you like it, and let's see it on the truck.

 

Well, we just picked it up on Wednesday so no camping in it yet. But, we'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon to spend the weekend camping and seeing what we like, don't like, and what can make it better. So you'll get your pics in a few days

Been wanting one ever since we had the kid with the desire for more space without it feeling like a chore to set up camp. After some time and a couple of missed opportunities for used ones, I convinced the wife and we were able to buy an existing spot and only wait 4 months for it.

Honestly, so far it's amazing just for the fact of the covered truck bed space. No more having to use the RTT annex to create enough room for the kid's pack n' play and the dog. Now they both fit in the bed of the truck just fine. My one concern was the sleeping dimensions. The length isn't a problem for us since we're both short. We can still lay down comfortably with the two rearmost square pads removed allowing us to get up and down without having to mess with the panels. Despite being 6" narrower than our RTT the height makes it feel roomier, especially when you have all 5 windows open.