Texas Aggie's Silver Bullet Build! (Tons of Pics)

Vehicle:
2013 Tacoma DCSB SR5 4x4 (AKA...The Silver Bullet)

How it sits today:
December 2018






Suspension:
700# King 2.5 w/ resi Front
King 2.5 w/ resi Rear
Wheeler's 2" AAL
Bilstein 5100's Front(Removed)
Bilstein 5125’s Rear (Removed)
OME 886’s (Removed)
Wheeler's Superbumps Front
Timbren Offroad Bumps on Rear
Sway Bar Removed (rides so much better!)
Wheeler's extended brake lines

Wheels and Tires:
Level 8 MK6 16x8 0 offset Matte Gunmetal
BFG KM3 315/75/16

I'll slowly be adding the pictures from all the different phases its gone through to get to this point. I've done all the work on this truck myself, so if you have a specific question about something just ask. This truck will likely not get built up too crazy, but how many people have said that before! I really like how the build has evolved over time. It is easier to really enjoy the Tacoma platform if you modify it slowly in phases. You can find the new limitations after every mod and plan the next phase of the evolution. Please know that this build has taken years to get to this point, and funds are not unlimited. I also don’t intend any of this to come off as bragging in any way...just trying to share some of the experiences and lessons learned over the years.

How it all started 01/2014



Three days after picking it up. 265/75/16 Duratracs



Then I decided I didn't care for the Duratrac's and went back with the Bridgestone Dueler Revo2's (255/70/16) again, but now on new wheels. Level 8 MK6 wheels and Bilstein 5100's set at 1.75.



Then it was time for some new tires again. BFG KM2's! 265/75/16
Made the truck look like a real 4x4



Some wheeling out at the ranch in the Texas Hill Country.



Coopers BBQ in Llano Texas. So Good!!!


Here are some pics from cruising some back roads.


Made a trip down to Galveston Texas to watch the Great Texas 300 race. This truck does so much better on the sand than my previous truck!



Well I rode like that for about four or five months, didn't have extra funds due to deer season. Then I couldn't take it any longer...It was time to go bigger! Here are the only pics I have of the lift process, and one with just the rear AAL installed. I recommend a second set of hands when installing a lift, sadly my dog doesn't have opposable thumbs. It is a doable process rolling solo though!


Then the finished product!
OME 886 coils up front
Wheeler's 2" AAL


It stayed like that for less than 24 hours! I was at work, and all day I couldn't stop thinking about doing some 285/75/16's!!! Sooooo I put some on! BFG KO's



Well it was time to try out the new setup, so a trip to BVORR was in order. It so happened that a small TW get together was coming up so I went! I highly recommend wheeling out there if you get the chance. Tons of hill climbs and off camber moments.


Ya, I high centered like twice that day. Nice thing about wheeling out there is unless you hit a tree or roll down a hill, body damage is hard to get.


A quick little vid of The Silver Bullet getting it done!

Made a trip down to Austin Texas for a weekend of outdoor fun. This truck makes me look for excuses to be out of town most every weekend.


The BFG KO's were great, but only stayed on the truck for maybe four or five weeks. I had known about the BFG KO2's since they were first in the trial stages and really wanted to give them a try. I did the same thing when the KM2 came out to replace the original BFG KM. So now The Silver Bullet rides on 285/75/16 BFG KO2's. I really like these tires and can honestly say they are an improvement over the original design in most every way.



Well this summer is gonna be full of fun and adventures! Fishing, Sailing, Kite boarding, Wheeling and whatever else happens!

 

Like the new stance !

 

Thanks! The lift has made me love this truck even more. Question is how long can I go without building bumpers and sliders?

 

Hey man sweet truck! You should check out the thread I just started up
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/fightin-texas-aggie-roll-call.379628/

 

Did a little flexing at Lake Travis this weekend. Travel in the rear is so much better with these longer shocks! A trip to Hidden Falls to do some wheeling is needing to happen.

 

Awesome truck! Looking to pick up a 2015 new before they're all gone. Probably going mag grey. Love the wheel and tire combo, that's what I'll be swapping onto mine from my 4Runner.

Questions......

886s without a front bumper? Rough ride?
Do the 5100s seem to handle the OME coils ok?
Full 3" lift up front; top plate spacer? How does it handle as a result; did you add new/different UCAs?
Lots of rubbing on the body mount? (backing up at near full lock)

I know most of the questions are answered in various places throughout the forum, but I'm sure you've already answered these for yourself recently

Thanks!

 

The 886's ride fine to me, especially after removing the front sway bar. It would ride even better with 887's or 885's but I plan on getting a bumper in the near future. I also have been really impressed by the 5100's and would buy them again. With the offset on my wheels I have no rubbing issues unless it's really stuffing a tire on a trail(rubbing on fender though and not body mounts). Still using the factory uca's and don't need aftermarket ones at this stage either. It's a solid setup and anyone that says it's too rough belongs in a Cadillac. I bought a truck so I could use and abuse it, not cruise the highway.

 

Awesome, thanks for the quick response!

 

I figure it’s time to update some of the progress made on the truck. Got my new Pelfreybilt bumpers and skid plate in December of 2017. Absolutely amazed at the build quality and how well the design was thought out.



Once I got them back from getting powder coated it didn’t take me long to install them. Then it was off to Hidden Falls to try them out. Wasn’t disappointed in the slightest with the new bumpers.






Then it was off to Big Bend National Park. Went out there with no set plans other than driving every mile of trail out there. This trip just made my love for the Tacoma platform grow even more.







I ended up liking it out there so much that I went back a few weeks later for another few days. I highly recommend doing a trip out there. Just be sure to bring tons of food, water and fuel. I would go an entire day out on the trail and not see another person. Most people you run into just had a water bottle and no supplies.

 

​

 

Well, decided it was time to do some trimming on the truck. It wasn’t an easy decision to cut into the fenders on my truck.


Obviously the trimming was for a reason. BFG had just released the new KM3 Mud Terrain, so I got the first set of 315/75R16 in Texas! I’ve since put over 10,000 miles on these tires and have zero complaints.

Next mod was a set of All Pro “bolt on” sliders that I got from a fellow member here on the forum. Just because they are called bolt on sliders doesn’t mean they are an easy install. Drilling the holes in the frame was a major pain in the butt.







Yes, I fixed the washer location on the UCA ball joint before tightening them up.


After a recent trip out to the ranch it was painfully apparent that my Bilstein shocks were done. I’ve been putting off upgrading my suspension for years, and now it was time. I would have gone back with the same thing, but honestly the Bilsteins don’t cut it when you drive 75+ miles a day off-road (when overlanding). The Kings were my dream setup, so I ordered the fronts from Down South Motorsports and the rears from JBA. The JBA upper control arms come powder coated red, but that looks horrible when paired with Kings...I almost didn’t buy them for that very reason! A little spray paint took care of that problem. I honestly didn’t really need to go all out and buy the Kings, but the ride is truly amazing!

 

With the coil overs, is the ride softer? Or does it feel floaty? I am not sure what coilovers are like compared to billy’s.

 

I would not describe the ride as being floaty. It still has a planted feeling on the road and corners better with less body roll and nose dive under heavy braking. The King shocks have made dirt roads feel like fresh paved asphalt which was unexpected. They did not make my truck feel like riding a modern dirt bike that feels like riding on a cloud however. I'm currently slightly over sprung till I add the weight of a winch in the front bumper and carry my camping load out in the bed...meaning that the ride will only get better. Honestly, high end coil overs are one of those things you have to feel to understand. You can do normal driving and wheeling without them, but you won't want to be without them when you cover miles of trail without stopping...shock fade is a real thing. Kings made my truck ride better than my dads new Yukon Denali both on road and off...hope that answers your question some.

 

Had to add some 1” Bora spacers to prevent rubbing at full lock. The Bora spacers are an impressively well made product. I remember when bolt on spacers first started coming to market and they were nowhere near this quality level.

 

Great wheeling with ya today, beautiful truck an you def go hard brotha

 

Yeah brother, it was great meeting you! Definitely was a fan of your rig today. It was also cool that you took some of the harder lines with us!

 

Had a great time this weekend wheeling with several of the central Texas guys. The shake down run was pretty successful, and only minor modifications are needed. Going to redo my alignment to get a little more caster, then some more hammering on the front fender pinch weld.

 

Broke down and sound deadened the truck. I swore I would never install this in another truck, because it’s not a fun install. Pro tip is buy disposable rubber gloves...avoided the thousands of cuts from the material this time. Installed the Noico butyl and foam insulation on the inner and outer skins of all the doors, the cab floors, rear cab wall and the entire roof. Made a noticeable difference in the cab noise levels, and even made the factory speakers sound better. Used 54 square feet of butyl and 36 square feet of the foam sound insulation. I meant to take tons of pictures, but I was focused on just getting the install done.

 

35’s are awesome, but the lack of fender liner was an issue. Constantly had to clean rocks and other debris out of the factory air box. Luckily nothing ever got past the filter element! Options were to install a snorkel or go with the URD cold air intake. Snorkels aren’t my thing and I’ve wanted the URD intake for a few years so I pulled the trigger on one. Install was easy and have zero complaints about the product or my dealing with URD.


I opted to get the rain guard and have had zero issues so far driving in heavy rain. There’s less noise now during regular driving, but you know the intake is there when you floor it. Don't have enough data yet to report if any real "gains" other than peace of mind were made.

 

I’ve put a couple hundred miles on the truck since installing the URD intake and can’t report any significant gains in MPG. The cab noise is less though during regular driving. No regrets with the purchase though...I no longer worry about my truck on dusty or muddy roads.