From Busted A/C to Beadlock TRD: Cajun 3rd Gen Limited Build Thread

Last Update: June 27, 2025

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• Year: 2017
• Trim: Limited
• Drivetrain: 4wd

Build Thread Purpose: To document the modifications I've made to my truck, and showcase the trips I've taken, for the purpose of sharing my experience with other Toyota enthusiasts, adventurers, and professional procrastinators alike. I've learned everything I know about my truck from TW, and I hope that my experiences support others' projects as well.

Build Goals:

1. Utility and Reliability: I will only install high quality parts for modifications that have a proven value proposition.
2. Performance On-Road & Off: The best modifications improve not only off-road prowess, but enhance day-to-day drivability and comfort.
3. Adventure Enablement: Eventually, my goal is to outfit the truck well for my wife and I to comfortably travel long-distance, on- and off-road, to places like Banff, Alaska, and beyond.

Story Time



I was in highschool, driving my 1996 green Honda Accord LX with a busted a/c and manual windows around mid-summer time in Lafayette, LA. I pulled up to a stoplight behind what was then, the brand new 3rd generation of the Toyota Tacoma. I remember specifically thinking to myself - "damn, that's a handsome truck - I gotta get one." Then I scooted off in my little Accord. Years went by, and I went through many cars, a Toyota Camry, another Accord, an F-150, an Acura MDX.

20 years later, I was browsing stock at a Ford dealership outside of Denver, when I noticed the Toyota badge of a little black Tacoma hidden between two Super Duty's in the used lot. As I approached to the truck, I thought to myself that there was no possible way this truck had reasonable mileage, and it was likely dogged out. The Colorado market for Tacoma's is high, but it was ridiculous in 2021.

Nevertheless, I peered into the window to discover its beautiful hickory brown leather upholstery. Then, we read that it had only 45k miles, and had one owner, and it was priced relatively well below average. That was it, I bought the truck.

In the dealership parking lot the day I bought it.


That Hickory Brown leather is what ultimately sold me.
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I immediately began taking on some serious trails in Colorado including Slaughterhouse Gulch, Crystal City Road, and Pinyon Flats to Medano Pass near the Great Sand Dunes National Park, and noticed that, even stock, the truck was incredibly capable.

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I slowly began modifying the truck, starting with armor and suspension, some cosmetic and minor functional improvements, as well as wheels and tires.

Later, with improved suspension, and miscellaneous modifications.




Current State
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I've been obsessed with the truck since my first test drive, and never plan on selling it, hopefully pass down to my future kids.
My goal with modifications is to first focus on modifications that improve both daily driving comfort and off-road performance. Then, I'll take it step further on outfitting for increasingly demanding offroading, and longer camping trips.

Every modification I've made and plan to make, I consider how it will result in the greatest net increase in on-road comfort and handling, offroad capability, as well as aesthetic taste.

For example, all of the armor I have or want to install is entirely or mostly aluminum, the wheels I picked are an OEM Toyota product that's relatively subtle. I don't want it to be a head turner, unless you're a Toyota enthusiast, or someone who appreciates thoughtful builds.

It could take years until it's a "complete" build, but I'm also likely to never stop tinkering with it - I've completed all service and modification work myself. Mechanical work is one of the few things that can shift my mind away from work-related stress.

Completed Modifications:

• Armor
  • IFS ; Bare Aluminum
    
  • Body Armor 4x4 Revo Rock Sliders

• Suspension
  • Bilstein 5100 Shocks
  • Icon Vehicle Dynamics AAL
  • Old Man Emu 2885 Springs

• Wheels & Tires
  • 16" TRD Bead lock style alloys - bronze
  • Falken Wildpeak AT3W 285/75 r16

• Lighting & Electrical
  • Diode Dynamics SS3 Fog Lights w/ Amber Accent Lights
  • Tacoma Lifestyle Side View Mirror Sequential Turn Signals
  • Headlight H11 to H9 DIY bulb conversion
  • Diode Dynamics interior and license plate LED bulbs
  • FBC license plate light DIR
    
  • VIOFO A119 Mini 2 dash cam
  • Meso Customs map and dome lights
  • Hot Shot Offroad All Lights On
• Miscellaneous Exterior
  • Cali Raised LED Bed Channel Supports; added self-adhesive rubber edge trim
  • LEER 100R Camper Top
  • Weathertech Window Deflectors
  • TRD Pro Grille with Raptor Lights
  • Replaced chrome LTD mirror covers with oe black
  • Replaced chrome LTD fog light bezel with oe black trim
• Interior
  • Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions Dash Mount

• Engine
  • AFE Magnum Pro Dry S Filter
  • Metal replacement Toyota oil filter housing

Planned Modifications:

• Engine & Transmission
  • Overland Tailor Tuning Tune
  • AC Drain Mod
  • ValvoMax Oil Drain
    $50 ValvoMax Oil Drain Valve - Quick Twist Oil Drain Plug for DIY Oil Changes At Home in 10 Minutes - No Tools, No Mess, No Cleanup - M12-1.25 Thread Size - Made in USA
    Valve
  • Mishimoto Silicon Induction Hose
• Armor
  • RCI Rock Sliders (5-degree angle) w/ Top Tread Plate
    • Note: I'll eventually write up a piece on why I'm replacing my current rock sliders.
  • CBI Skid Plates (Aluminum; TRD Grey)
  • CBI LCA Skid Plates (TRD Grey)
  • RCI Rear Diff Skid Plate
  • Backwoods Adventure Mods Hi-Lite Overland Front Bumper (full bull bar)
  • Backwoods Adventure Mods Hi-Lite High Clearance Dual Swing Out Rear Bumper

• Suspension
  • Total Chaos Fabrication Upper Control Arms
  • Bilstein 6112/5160
  • Deaver Stage 2 (or 3) Leaf Springs
  • Icon Sway Bar Relocation
  • Kwiklynx Spindle Gussets
    
  • Total Chaos Fabrication Spindle Gussets
  • Hammer Hangers HD Shackle Hangers (3.6" Archive Shackle) w/ High Clearance Cross Tube
  • DuroBumps U-Bolt Flip Kit
  • DuroBumps Rear Bump Stops and Front Bump Stops

• Brakes
  • @crashnburn80 's method-Brake Upgrade: StopTech Rotors + TRD Performance Pads:
    • StopTech Slotted Rotors
    • TRD Performance Pads
    • Wheelers front brake lines 05+ Tacoma: BLINE-06XSM
    • Wheelers rear brake lines +2" 05+ Tacoma: BLINE-08XSM

• Miscellaneous
  • In-cab Sound Deadening
  • Upgraded CarPlay Stereo
  • Pop & Lock Powered Tailgate Lock
  • Start-X
    $180 Start-X Remote Starter Kit for Tacoma Push to Start 2016-2019 || 3X Lock to Remote Start || USA Brand
    Remote Start Kit
  • Redline Tuning
    $100 Redline Tuning 21-27016-02 Hood QuickLIFT Plus System MAX Lift Edition (7" Higher) Compatible with Toyota Tacoma 2016-2023 (All Black Components)
    Hood Struts
  • Any Time Backup Camera - Front and Back Kit
  • Snapshades Sun Shades

• Lighting & Electrical
  • Diode Dynamics Stage Series 42" Amber Light Bar(s) w/ DLR Backlight
  • Diode Dynamics SS3 Ditch Lights w/ DLR Backlight
  • Overland Equipped Aux Power Kit
  • AlphaRex NOVA-Series LED Headlights
  • AlphaRex LUXX-Series LED Tail Lights
  • Rear Lights - Diode Dynamics SS3 Flush Mount

• Adventure Enablement
  • Boulder Tools
    $18 Boulder Tools Tire Deflator - 80 PSI Air Pressure Gauge - Adjustable, Automatic for Cars, Trucks and Motorcycles - Ideal Offroading Accessories
    Tire Deflators
  • Prinsu Pro Roof Rack
    
  • ARB CKMTA12 Twin Motor Onboard Air Compressor
    • Alt: Shellshock's DIY Inflator/ Deflator
  • M.O.R.E. ARB Mounting Bracket
  • Rago Fabrication
  • ARB Air Lockers
  • Warn EVO 10
  • Synthetic
    $119 Synthetic Winch Rope Kit, 1/2" x 85ft 32500LBS Blue+Black Winch Cable with Protective Sleeve, Forged Winch Hook and Safety Pull Strap 4WD Off Road Vehicle SUV Truck
    Winch Rope, 1/2"x85ft
  • Warn
    $100 WARN 100725 Winch Accessory: Epic 1.5" Fairlead, Gunmetal
    Fairlead
  • Rooftop Tent
  • Awning

 

Great write up, mods and planned mods! Sounds like you’re had a good adventure.

I had a Honda accord my senior year as well, manual everything including transmission. That little thing was a blast to drive as a teenager.

 

Awesome thread and build! I’ll be following along!

 

Appreciate it, my man!

 

You probably noticed, but I modeled my thread off of yours - I like how it's organized, tells a good story

 

Appreciate your feedback, man! I plan on posting more specific write ups on some of the work I've done. But let me know if there's anything missing, or if there are specific mods/ projects you're curious about.

And nice - re Accord. I actually loved that car - drove like a go-cart. Very fun to drive as a teenager. Wish I had a manual! That's always fun.

Mine looked identical to the one below - it was pushing over 320,000 miles by the time we sold it.

 

I had Mustang during my junior and senior high school years. I loved that car I had.

Great thread, looking forward to your complete build.

 

Yeah, I’m with ya on the interior color, it is nice dude kinda reminds me of the king ranch leather . Props on build mods aswell…….be warned it’s an addiction lol !

 

Thanks, my man! Yeah I love the leather. Major selling point for me. Just wish the LTD had lockers! Guess I just need to install onboard compressed air and air lockers, haha

 

My fiancé and I finally made the move from Raleigh, NC to Woodstock, GA, and so far, so good.

We’ve planned on it for around a year. She grew up in East Cobb, and after moving around the country for the last 10 years, from Louisiana, to Texas, and Colorado, to the Piedmont in Eastern NC, I feel we’ve finally arrived home.

First impressions were great -

1. More affordable than NC. We’re living in a nicer home with more space, and saving money on living expenses.
2. Brick and mortar Black Rifle Coffee shop 1 mile away.
3. Publix pub-subs
4. Haven’t had a bad meal so far - restaurants in general are better, from the Chinese, to BBQ, to southern, Vietnamese, WINGS - everything’s good.
5. Relatively mountainous
   • This one might be triggering for some, but for someone from Louisiana, anywhere higher in elevation than sea level is mountainous
     • New Orleans: -5 ft below at my Mom’s house
     • Raleigh, NC: 315 ft
     • Woodstock: 955 ft
   • Yes, I lived in Colorado for several years, but I prefer the laid back and approachable nature of the Western North Carolina/ Tennessee/ North Georgia mountains
6. And of course, Woodstock is God’s country, filled with salt of the earth American’s

 

Sounds awesome and congrats on the move! They outside of your house looks great

 

Appreciate it, my man! I may be installing some mods over the weekend (roof rack, maybe). I've finally got some time off from everything. Keep ya posted.

 

Congrats on the move. I have lived in South Carolina for a few years. I am in KY for now.

You are about a hour 45 mins from Stranger Things filming locations in GA. I heard the school there has been demolished.

 

Welcome from Kennesaw! Glad you like it. For me personally its all turning into the ever expanding hell of metro atlanta. But it aint all bad.

 

No kidding? We like the show. Been waiting on a new season for ages. My fiances sister used to go to the same workout classes as the actress who plays Nance.

Was thinking about getting back into doing extra gigs in the film industry here. Fun way to spend a Friday night, meet actors, and make a hundred bucks, I guess. When I lived in New Orleans, I was in an episode of NCIS: New Orleans, The Coach Carter director (the actual coach is the director) movie "When the Game Stood Tall," and some failed Sean Penn Prime series. Penn wasn't the friendliest dude, to be honest.

 

Thanks for the welcome! Yeah, I'll admit that the constant traffic and needlessly aggressive driving takes some getting used to - I just post up in a lane and chill. Not like I'd be getting anywhere quickly in my truck, anyway.

 

Looks like you have the Prinsu Pro? It’s a great looking rack and sturdy.

One tip… well maybe more than one, if you have help lifting it isn’t too bad, unless you’re like me and on the short side, 5’7”. Wife helped me get it on. If I had to do it again, I’d probably build it on top of the truck.

Second, the most rear truss spot will not fit over the shark fin.

 

Brother man, I was going to add an ARB front bumper for traffic! not trails. My better self has held off because I know Id end up hitting one of these people as they try to force me out of my space to get over.

Not sure where in Woodstock you are, but the pic you posted makes me think of a few miles east off exit 7 of 575. Cant think of the name for the life of me but there's a great thai spot a bit further east on 92 around the trickum area? If your ever in lil mexico area of smyrna try las tajitas. One thing about all the people is the food options have definitely gotten better.

 

Yeah I like ST as well. It's supposed to be released in November. Then other half will be the month after. Last I heard. I hope no more delays. The character "Max" in Stranger Things got famous because of the Halloween season which someone in Illinois made "Max" prop floating in the air..

I was on TV few times as well. I was with the construction crew on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Demolition Man movie filmed in my town, I was only few blocks away from the "explosion" filming location.

Good luck being extra for filming. Yeah Sean Penn, I can't stand him.

 

The rear crossbar can be placed vertically at the end of the rack where the shark fin is. No problem. It is not in the way. That's how mine was setup. Which means it sits behind the fin instead of going over the fin. Get what I mean?