2001 Tacoma Xtended cab 4WD SR5 build

Installing a front camera

I had a rear view camera laying around that I wanted to put to use, so I printed a bracket and mounted it inside the bumper to serve as a front/trail camera.


The camera mounting plate has a sticky tape but decided to use M3 screws instead, so I can remove it later without drama.



Some of the support material didn't wash off, but no problem, as it will not show. The material is nylon - carbon fiber otherwise and was annealed after washing.



The bumper came with a conveniently sized hole.



A little thread locker later, it's safely mounted.




And voilà, I have a front camera!

 

Must be nice not having to have a front license plate; that's what the holes are for.

I'd suggest having a removable cover (think 12v socket outlet) to protect the camera from rocks/debris while on the freeway.

Then you take it off when you're at the trail.

 

Yeah I will print something to protect it.

 

Driving lights:

Have started the installation of the driving lights. They are quite large and heavy. Drilling the bumper sheared one of my drill bits clean off its socket.


The mounts install easily and allow adjustments for lateral rotation.



I still have to sort out the wiring and connect into the high beam. Will probably replace the red bezel with the provided black ones; these are too showy.

 

Very big light. I have ordered the amber covers as the color temperature is too high (light is too white/blue) for my taste.

 

Damn they're bright.

Are they spot or flood?

 

One spot (driver's side) and one flood. They sell the kits with FF, SS, and SF. Mine is the latter; frankly a flood-flood would also work very well.

It has an adjustable (0-25-50-75-100%) output. Pictured above is the full output, but I expect to use it mostly at 25-50%.

 

Contura switches in the dash

To mount the compressor, front locker and another (thus far unassigned) Contura switches in the dash, I printed a 4-opening panel to use the ashtray space.

 

can you share the STL for that switch panel?

 

The stl file format cannot be uploaded to TW, but *.zip is allowed, so here it is. The build is made to fit these 1/4"-20 heat set inserts.

 

Today we practiced recovery for the first time ever.

 

Putting together the first iteration of the recovery kit. Will add a shovel, a second pair of gloves, and probably a second hard shackle. Still need to make a rear hitch recovery point.

BTW in the recovery practice photos above, both dampeners are on the same run, so I moved the one closer to the tree to the other run as soon as it threatened being sucked into the pulley. Also the dampener closer to the car had to be velcroed closed so it wouldn't fly around in case of failure. That's what happens when you are a noob -- but that's also why we practice at home.

 

Have a look at the Yokohama Geolander.

 

I didn’t know about them, but I like the thread pattern, weight, and price. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Rear (hitch receiver) recovery point.

I was inspired by the Factor 55 Hitch Link Pro, but wanted one that allows for both a hard- and a soft shackle. Because I had a piece of 6061 scrap laying around and its size was appropriate, I decided to make one. Here is a one-minute video showing the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8peohol0xck

And this is the end product. Please note it is "TACTICAL", "BILLETT", "MILSPEC" and whatever other meaningless marketing jargon you can attach. Don't forget "OVERLANDING"

 

Surprised you don't just make your own rear bumper.

Two frame rails that allow for an easy bolt on setup for the base of the bumper; from there it's just about adding what you want to it or simply tying it in with square tube even.

 

You are 100% correct: I should redo the rear bumper. This hitch recovery is a stop gap measure.

A new bumper will be part of a redesign of the bed. I was very impressed by the flat bed solutions you can see on YT. They seem practical and efficient from a storage point of view and to allow a camper to be built over them. For example this one a guy in California built, it is superb:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2M7Z1ryaQg&t=666s

I will build my flavor of it and am very tempted to do it out of 2x1x1/8" Alu tube arranged with the wide edge bearing the vertical load. I have not seen Alu solutions online probably because of cost and/or difficulty to weld it; I am obsessed about weight saving (the bull bar is an obvious violation of this rule), and that's why am looking at Alu. For many reasons related to work, etc this will have to wait until at least after November.

The bumper will be obviously made of steel, but will need to integrate into the flat bed, and new lights, etc.

 

Very good build, nice looking truck!

 

So I pulled the trigger and had six Falken 245/75R16 mounted; nice to have two spares, and also like the 1in. narrower profile. Sidewall is about 184mm, diameter 30.5" (close to the priors) but they are quite a bit lighter at 39lb. each. The new tires are also much quieter on the highway but I fear this won't last long.

 

Have gone off-roading last weekend and tried a few tracks from OnX maps. Quite a bit of their info we tried to use are outdated. One track was padlocked and some had been paved since they got featured on OnX. But got some utility roads that were pretty gnarly. Was with my wife but no second truck so we did not venture deep, as recovery would've been pretty hard (no trees or large rocks). Still, had rear wheels in the air, and the (rear) Truetrac performed admirably.

Have an appointment on Nov 7 to have an ARB Airlocker installed in the front, but I am beginning to doubt my choice, and wonder if a TrueTrac would be sufficient in the front -- and bullet proof, transparent to the driver, and lifelong maintenance free.