The Work Horse Build. Maxing out the Tacoma.

When I purchased my 2012 Tacoma, it was an accomplishment of one of my childhood dreams. I remember being 10 or so and thinking Tacomas with big tires look so cool! They always stood out to me.

I didn't plan on using it for work, originally, but only as a toy, since my job at the time involved traveling around the US for Grainger. But then I left the company because I had a baby and wife wanted me home.. blah.. blah.. blah.. and now I'm back in the construction field. I run my own construction management company, and do a lot of hands on type of work, including remodels, new construction, commercial work including restaurant remodels, etc..

And so the Work Horse build.

I started by lifting the truck 3" using the rough country lift system. It was a cheap way to get 33" tires under the truck. I added a bull bar and 22" LED bar to the front and Nerf bars. And I added the hood "rock" deflector.. so much for that since I replaced the windshield once, and had 3 chips sealed on the current one.

I bought a bestop soft top for one winter, and then removed it for the summer and bought the Trac Rack rack system. Then came the tool box.. I started towing different trailers, and so added the Firestone heavy duty air bags. Most of this was done last year..


Now for the more recent. I had a little time on my hands.. and some money to play with... so..

The truck recently (within the last year or so) got the following upgrades:

-LED rear lights
-TRD Exhaust System
-URD true cold air Intake system
-Tyger Towing mirrors since I bought an enclosed trailer too, and that pretty much requires -towing mirrors.
-Window visors.
-Baby car seat in the rear
-"Baby Stig On Board" vinyl decal on passenger window.


And now for some upgrades and 60K service going on this weekend
-6" lift mixture of Fabtech, Rough Country, and Fox suspension parts
-Rough Country Cross members and bolts
-Fabtech UCA's with uniballs.
-Fox shocks in the rear
-4.88 regear thanks to East Coast Gear Supply
-Body Armor rear bumper
-Stainless Steel break lines
-Bleed brakes and change fluid.
-New TRD brake Pads
-New plugs
-Oil change
-Fix axle boot that's somehow slipped up on the axle and is oozing a little grease.
-Maybe wire in the CB radio. If I have time.


And in the near future:

-Fox/BDS Coilovers in the front
-35" Tires (see my tire thread.. Still deciding on tire)
-US Off Road Winch bumper to save on weight. Already have a heavy Tacoma.
-A winch (still researching)
-Plan on fabbing up my own rear tire mount, possibly try to fit it under truck like current 33" tire.. Not yet sure if I can fit a 35" tire, but it doesn't look like it because my 33" tire is super snug already.
-re-mount LED bar in front. I think I'll change my grill and insert it into the grill, since I'll be removing the bull bar and putting on winch bumper.
-Possibly fab up my own weld on rock sliders when I fab up rear tire mount. We'll see how work goes. If I get swamped, which I usually do, it may be a little longer.

Possible upgrades in the future
-ARB lockers in front and rear.
I opted to not install them this time around because I don't do any hardcore wheeling on this truck.. But.. Am planning on getting diesel truck soon, so this truck will probably become a straight hobby vehicle, at which point things will change...
-Lower Control Arms (still not completely sold on them.)
-Anything else that catches my eye on this forum, and I can sell to my wife as a necessity.


Some install notes:
Wiring in lights: All new LED lighting circuits are protected by a fuse. I also installed both front and rear lights using relays.

Air bags: I split loomed all the nylon air hose. I also fabbed up a bigger heat shield to protect the air bag from the exhaust heat. I added a cradle for the air bags, so that I can still retain full suspension travel.

I'll update this thread as I continue my dream Tacoma build. Thanks for reading.

 

Today's progress. Completely tore down the front suspension and removed front differential. Attached axles to new 4.88 front diff, mounted new Fabtech UCA's, and installed new rear bumper (pic will come soon). Plan to complete the lift and differential swap tomorrow.

Also had my brother come by and we changed out the tie rods and drag link on his jeep to heavier duty ones. Than ran over to sears for an alignment. Also repaired his window regulator. Busy day today, but fun.

Can't wait to be done with my truck!

 

Got my 6" lift on the truck. Swapped out front and rear differentials (regeared to 4.88 from east coast gear supply), and installed my rear Body Armor bumper). Also installed TRD brake pads. Waiting on 35" tires to come in. I went with Cooper Discoverer STT Pro's.

Still need to install CB antenna and route coax to mounting spot from cab. Also need front winch bumper and fox Coilovers in the front. All to come sometime soon.

It was fun doing burn outs in the rain on my current 33" tires with the 4.88 gears.

 

Put on new 35" Cooper Discoverer STT Pro tires. Truck looks like a beast!

 

After the lift and new tires, I experienced some vibration at 10mph or so. Checked carrier bearing and drive shaft is sloppy. See video.. Guessing that's the cause. Going to try to repair the slop and see what happens
https://youtu.be/oOlixzlohbw

 

Found this carrier bearing http://www.mcmaster.com/#2722t25/=zs50sh. Thinking about trying it out.

Found a guy using it on this forum:

 

Nice build! Wish I could wrench on my own stuff.

 

Thanks!

If you spend enough time on this forum, I'm sure you'll start to wrench a little. There's plenty of advice and good guys willing to help out.

 

Nice truck man! I kind of have a similar story. I bought the truck just to have fun with...I too liked "Tacomas with big tires", but I am actually having to use it like a truck and I might end up doing some of the mods you have mentioned. I've had to tow a two horse trailer some (usually with just one horse though so usually around 3000lbs) and I constantly have stuff in the bed (short bed), so the truck is getting a decent workout.

 

Thanks!!

Yeah, and since these trucks have really light leaf springs, air bags are almost a must if you tow anything. That was one of the first things I added. Really makes towing nicer!

 

Hey man, first off nice truck!! Second I was wondering though how you like the Tyger Tow Mirrors, I have a trailer that I pull and I went with the ProFX tow mirrors, but they vibrated like crazy and I took them off within 2 days and sent them back. Do the Tyger Tow Mirrors vibrate when in the up position? And do all the functions (lights, power mirrors, heat) work on them? What are your thoughts on them?

 

Thanks brother!

Since your Tacoma is 2012, all the features will be plug n play, except the heated mirror function, unless that option was on your oem mirrors. Then all the features will be plug n play. Otherwise you'll have to wire in the heated feature separately. I didn't have the blinkers on original mirrors, but they are prewired and work on 2012+ tacomas. I haven't wired my heat feature though, so can't say if it works well or not.

As far as vibration, I get minimal vibration while using mirrors in up position. It's more noticeable at 70+mph but at 55-60mph, it's minimal. I was concerned about that as well when I got mine, but they have worked flawlessly since I've put them on.

 

whats the hitch you have?

 

Trimax adjustable hitch. @AgentRS

 

Thanks, I like it. Would you recommend?
Might be a theft magnet though...even with a locking pin...

 

I'd recommend it. Been happy with it. I tow 5 different trailers and its nice to be able to adjust. I have a locking pin and its been on my truck for 2+years. But then again I live in a good of neighborhood.

 

So I finally mounted up the CB radio and antenna. Took a good portion of the day. Way longer than I wanted it too, but I also did a bunch of work in my garage .. So it was a day well spent. Here's how it all went down.

 

Why'd you chose to go with the rough country cross member? Just curious

 

From my experience with lift kits, the cross members and spindles are nearly identical across manufactures. And the rough country ones actually have stronger alignment tabs than fab tech ones. Those are the two manufactures that I've used before.

I've had numerous issues with the stock alignment tabs from day one when I drove the truck off the lot. That same day, I brought it back to dealership because after visual inspection, I noticed one of the tabs was bent. And after a few trips off road, almost all the tabs were bent. Had to get alignment done every month, so I bought the Sears 3year alignment service. .

And I just happened to be able to get my hands on the rough country lift kit for a steal, so I used whatever I could from the kit.

 

Nice pics. Good job.