mrbeggins 04 Tacoma Build

Rear will clear by miles but you will absolutely have to tub your fenders up front with low offset wheels, no lift and 35s.

 

Yes what Brian said. Sure your tires may not hit the fenders, but they'll definitely hit the firewall.

I personally hate glass fenders. They look stupid unless you have a full blown Baja truck. But...whatever floats your boat. Your best bet is to hit up Monty of fiber glass shit. He has them on his truck.

 

Lmao. Yeah, I'm not super rock crawler either. Don't want huge glass hitting rocks. But I do light trails, camping, and not loving colorado potholes/roads. Going to LT when I have the fedy.

 

So why do you need fiberglass then? To make it look like you have LT?

 

No, huge mud flaps are way cooler.

 

Regardless...if your going down a trail, your massive ass fenders are more likely to catch trees and branches. Having your tires stick out a bit will definitely prevent damage more than having glass. I would literally no body panels left after doing Dusy Ershim. Brian can attest to how fucking narrow that trail can be.

If you want my opinion...I can think of 100 other things you can spend money on for your truck rather than glass fenders.

 

I appreciated the sincerity in your first reply. I got that you don't like fiberglass. I'm not going to do king of the hammers anytime soon. Apparently others do use glass. Just looking for a fellow tacoma (1st gen) owners advice. Trying to work my way through a build that i am enjoying. Both of your guys trucks are nice by the way. I am inspired by others builds and have read through yours a few times Tanner. Brian your truck is really amazing. And who wants to "look" LT. Sounds lame.

 

Well thank you!

In all honesty I'd save your money on glass fenders dude. You can cut your original fenders to look just as good, or if not better than glass. If you measure correctly and take your time, you can get your clearances to within millimetres of touching.

If your not into "hardcore" wheeling why not just do a midtravel setup? 2.5" coilovers in the front with a 650+spring incase you want to get rowdy on the trails...they'll handle it. A good set of shocks in the rear with Chevy springs. A ton of money saved right there.

The money saved on LT you could regear and add a locker to the front. You'd have a way more capable truck with that setup rather than LT and just a rear locker. Remember...the higher you go, the wider you need to get. LT makes the first gens set crazy high in the front. Keep it low.

 

Yeah, I'm still figuring things out as I go. Already ordered glass. I like the looks, width, and the legal reason for not getting pulled over. Although my headlight leds are pretty flashy and suspect. I don't always run them. Your feedback is valued. With your gearing (5.29), did you lose a lot of power to move those 35s? Can you put in the ring and pinion yourself?

 

No I didn't lose a whole lot. There's not much of a difference except for overdrive on the highway. The auto tranny is a slush box but even with the right gearing it would still be searching for the right gear if you come to a slight hill. I rarely use OD anymore.

And yes. I can, if that's your question. Not sure if your talking about people in general. You need special tools to be able to set up a RP in your garage. I have done a few. Need a dial gauge for backlash.

 

Sub'd! Looking good, I see this all over instagram!

 

do you run license plate lights on your tailgate? doesn't appear to have any from pics but can't tell for sure.. i'm thinking of moving my plate from my bumper to the tailgate so i can get access to my hitch receiver but i'm debating whether adding new lights would be worth it

 

I do not no. I've never had an issue either. I've been pulled over many times for mudflaps and what not but they've never said anything about the licence plate.

 

Do you remember what GA/thickness sheet metal you used for the firewall tub?

 

22-23 gauge should work fine I think.. Think I used 23 gauge

 

Seems thin... I bought 16 ga today for my own firewall tub.

 

doesn't have to be to thick. Needs to pretty malleable also so you can bend it to fit with the rest of the fire wall.

 

The only area I'd use thicker sheet metal is down at the corner. Everywhere else I'd use thin stuff. Way easier to persuade with a hammer.

 

I'm 90% sure I used 18gauge sheet metal. It doesn't really NEED to be that thick, as the sharpness of the bend around the rocker panel really helps with keeping it rigid. Mines held up no problem.

 

Thanks for the info. Using your work on Addison's 1st-gen Tundra to tackle my own!