Box Rocket - 2003 TRD Doublecab

here's a few pics of the truck from last week's event.




Lucky. Only went through the tread block

 

Truck looks right at home

 

A couple days ago I put the Snugtop back on. If I need the RTT on the truck before winter I'll probably just throw it on top of the Snugtop, but I shouldn't need both tents so if I need one, I'll just pull the trailer. I'm kinda diggin the look of the truck with the topper and glass fenders.

Also moved a bunch of the recovery stuff to the rack on the topper. Maxtrax, shovel and jack.











Oh...and the cruiser that's been living on the side of the house for a while might be getting some love soon. Thinking of something of the 8 cyl flavor and a few other things. Might make it my daily driver again.

 

Digging the shell mod!

 

Thanks Chris

 

Hey Adam, quick question, what did you do with your blinkers after you put on the front bumper, I'm having some issues finding a place and I heard someone say that blinkers in the corner lights are illegal in utah and won't pass safety..

 

I don't know who told you that blinkers in the corner lights were illegal but there are tons of cars that come that way from the factory so I don't know how it could be illegal. I moved mine into the corner lights and have never had a problem passing safety inspection. It's never been a question.

 

awesome ill be doing this then, thanks man!

 

Typically I approve of all your mods but I am not sure about the sticker in the bottom right hand corner of the shell. I may have to find a new favorite first gen tacoma.

 

That's ok that you don't approve of it. Makes sense since the one you prefer was scared to play us this year, and would rather play a Michigan team that's ranked even lower than the U.

 

My team actually isn't afraid to play you guys. Although they probably don't have much of a shot at winning. We will see if Chucky can step up his game on the 3rd.

 

My mistake. If that's your team your all good by me. Looking forward to the game on the 3rd and I hope Chucky is able to play.

 

Adam, do you have any rattling with the swingout? I have heard of some having rattling with swingouts, which really deters me from going that route if true. Little noises bother the crap out of me

TIA

 

None that I ever notice. Mine has been really quiet. Doesn't even make noise at 70mph on washboard roads. Lucky I guess.

Edit:I will say that the swingout on my truck will wiggle just a little on big hits, but it's never been noisy. Overall I've been really happy with the hinge I used. IMO any rattles in a swingout are usually a result of the hinge used and/or the latch design and type. In the past, I've always used spindle type hinges for swingouts and they are nice and smooth with the bearings etc. On this bumper I went simple with a 1" bolt and oiled bronze bushings. Super cheap and super simple but it's been 100% trouble free so far and the double sheer is nice. The bronze bushings can wear over time and oval out slightly. They're cheap to replace if you ever need to. Secondly on the latch. A solid latch design is key I think. While I personally don't like the Bolt type latch used on CBI bumpers (and some others) they are a solid and safe latch. The toggle clamps that are more common and like I use are great but often I see people using latches that are far too small. They think that once the swingout is closed there isn't that much force needed to keep the swingout closed and they figure a 250lb latch is more than strong enough. Nope. I wouldn't use any latch smaller than a 2000lb clamping force. Makes a big difference. Any time I've seen a latch smaller than that used, it has eventually bent or completely failed.

Another worthwhile design element is a rubber (or other material) pad on the backside of the swingout that is used to cushion the swing arm against the bumper. This not only provides cushion but keeps from having metal to metal contact which is what will cause the rattles. Also it provides a bit of tension when the swingout is closed which helps to keep things tight. Here's an example of the pad I used on the swingout on Paul's (ponethousand) bumper/swingout.

 

Excellent info as always Adam. Thank you so much!



PS. you should just build my bumper

 

Dude, is ponethousands bumper a different size tube than yours? Looks more like 5x2.

 

Same size

 

No rattling in mine! Been extremely happy with it.

 

Here's a better picture of Adams work of art

 

Classy swing out. Are the jerry cans locked in some how?