Boonie's Black Bomber Build

2014 Tacoma TRD Offroad 4x4 Access Cab w/ 6spd​

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronbuildsstuff/​

Updated: December 29th 2018

Current Modifications:

Suspension:
-Stock Bilsteins

Tires and Wheels:
-265/75r16 Goodyear Duratracs
-Factory 16" wheels

Drivetrain:
Gearing - 3.73s
Rear - Factory E-Locker
Front - Open Diff

Exterior:
-Snugtop Rebel Canopy w/ Yakima Tracks
-PrInSu Designs Access Cab and Cap Racks
-Truck Bed Mat
-Tinted Side Windows
-WeatherTech Side window deflectors

Interior:
-Salex Glove Box and Center Console Organizers
-WeatherTech Digital Fit front floor mats
-ScanGuauge II w/ bicycle light mount to rearview mirror
-LED Light Strips inside Canopy
-Large QuikGrips mounted to canopy ceiling for kayak paddles
-Plastic Storage drawers behind front seats
-ARB 50qt Fridge

Recovery:
-60" Hi-Lift Jack on Relentless Fab bed brackets
-3"x30' Pro Comp 30,000lb Tow Strap
-Fiskars D-Handle Shovel
-Viking Offroad UTP Hitch and D-Ring Shackle
-UTP Tire Repair Kit
-(4) Maxtrax recovery tracks
-(2) Rotopax 2gal gas cans

Camping Gear:
-Tepui Autana RTT w/ Anti-Condensation mat
-ARB 1250 Awning

Future Plans:
-Hook up my Cobra CB or possibly go 2M.

Service Logbook:
5,000 Mile Service Completed
10,000 Mile Service Completed
15,000 Mile Service Completed
20,000 Mile Service Completed
25,000 Mile Service Completed
30,000 Mile Service Completed
35,000 Mile Service Completed
40,000 Mile Service Completed
45,000 Mile Service Completed
50,000 Mile Service Completed

States Visited with the truck:
Washington (Hometown!)
Oregon
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
California

National Parks Visited with the truck:
Mt. Rainier (Every Year!)
Olympic (2013)
Crater Lake (2016, 2018)
Yellowstone (2016, 2018)
Redwoods (2018)
Lassen Volcanic (2018)

 

Easter Weekend I will get better overall pictures of the truck.

As we left the dealer:


Easter Weekend after some backyard "testing". So many buttons, so little time!


A little update from late august. that I forgot to post here: We now have just over 7,000 miles on the truck with multiple day trips and a nice week long tour of Oregon thrown in.

First real unintentional modification to the truck, remove front mudflaps. One at a time...

Now you see it.


Now you don't.


We drove some pretty rough roads trying to find various lakes in the Mt Adams, Wa. area. We only found trouble. backing out of a washed out road I back over the mudflap as many have done and will continue to do. (I ripped one off my previous tacoma in my parents yard doing almost the same thing...) then continued to belly out the truck on those shiny new skid plates. It was a good way to justify the mods I have been talking to the wife about all these months.

This is how we spent our 1 year anniversary together. and 10 years together total!

 

Had a Snugtop Rebel canopy installed last wednesday and then friday evening I fashioned up some lighting from some LED strip lights that a TacomaWorld member gave me for Christmas! Pics to follow soon!

Have to give praise to Truck Builders LLC in Lynnwood, Wa. for all the help and job well done. Ted took the time to help us get a good price on options and show us some models with the features we were looking at. Also, Jim and his crew for a clean install and explanation of all the working functions of that cap before I left the shop.

 

With the canopy installed and LED lights wrapping the inside of the cap, it's picture time!



The top is equipped with the Sportsman Package and Yakima Roof Tracks. The roof will support the added weight of a rack and roof top tent.



The LED's seem to do a good job of lighting up the interior of the canopy. The true test will be a groggy-eyed midnight snack search!



My sister gave me a battery pack and remote setup for a Christmas gift to compliment the light strips. I didn't want to hard wire the LED's into the truck at the moment

 

Nice build so far..how do you like the 6speed?

 

I really like the 6spd. I just like have total control over what gear I am in and not having to worry about my transmission overheating on me while hitting the pass loaded down with bikes or gear.

 

Installed my Salex Glove Box and Center Console Organizers a week ago. A great product that solves an even greater problem, the mess that lives behind the hatch! The fit is very good and you can customize the amount of pockets you want by removing panels to create larger areas for storing bigger items. These are made in the USA. Denver, Colorado to be exact. They shipped fast and were VERY easy to assemble and install.

Check out his products here:
http://www.salexorganizers.com/

Center Console:


Glove Box:

 

Hey Boonie nice truck! Just wondering what you had to give for your snugtop? I'm wanting one for my truck also but was quoted $2k without options. I've heard really good things about them though.

 

You're in the right ballpark for price, just add some options. It really depends on your budget and what you plan to do with the truck. We plan to keep this truck for a very long time, so this was a worthy investment for us. If you plan to get rid of the truck after a few years, i'd buy used.

So far, we really like it! I have a bed mat that I got from the Secret Santa exchange installed and it makes crawling around in the back way better! We opted for the Rebel because we wanted the cab and cap to match heightwise and also the rear door has a better rain gutter system, which is a huge deal living in a wet climate. The Owner at Truck Builders showed us his canopy which is Cab-Hi model and it was conveniently raining when he opened it and water drips right into your bed. The only downside I see with the rebel is that it has a lower opening than the Cab-Hi or some other caps. so if you needed to stuff a taller couch inside, it may be a problem.

 

Preface: One of my priorities when purchasing or making an item is Versatility. I like to have several uses for a single item if at all possible. Some would argue that you're sacrificing function, but it depends on what the sacrifice is. In this case it's portability. Something that is not permanently attached to the vehicle or is an irreversible modification like cutting fenders or in a lesser case, completely removing the rear jumper seats to build a storage platform.

So I was cruising the storage area of Fred Meyer one day looking for a cheap drawer and found a Sterilite 16qt Stacking drawer. I have had these in the truck for at least 6 months now and they've been really helpful. It gives you a flat stable surface for camping bins on top and easy access to things you store in the drawers. The drawer will fit a pair of my size 12 hiking boots, but not much more. These cost maybe $15/ea. So for $30 you have a great storage setup that is easily removed for cleaning or carrying precious cargo.

Link to drawers:
http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=631&ProductCategory=185&section=1

I'm 6'-0" and have my seat slid back to just slightly touching the drawer and feel comfortable on long drives with the seat position.

The top is almost flush with the factory storage areas under the jumper seats.


The sides have bowed inward from carrying heavier items in them, but they work regardless. I usually carry several ratchet straps for easy access when tying something down.


You can still fold down the rear jumper seat if needed.

 

Here is a fun mini restoration project. This all BRASS license plate frame came off my '96 Tacoma and will find a home on the new Tacoma once I get it cleaned up and looking nice...

 

So, I have been in the process of moving again and not much has been done with the truck. But I have installed Prinsu Access Cab and canopy racks, which i think turned out really well, took some extra work to get the cab and canopy racks to align, but it was worth the extra monkeying around. We also purchased a Tepui Autana RTT at Mule Expeditions open house event at the beginning of the summer. Pics to follow...

 

So I finally had a chance to go through some pictures and share my Prinsu Design Roof Rack install.


I was really impressed with the design and quality of this rack, it’s one of the only rack setups that I have seen that is able to provide a seamless look and transition from cab to canopy.

Here are some pictures or what you get when your gigantic package arrives.


All of the bars and side plates. These were all nicely wrapped and arrived damage free.





The Various Bags O’ Bolts…


Spacers, nutserts, and bolts.



A Big Pile of Rack Bolts.





A Smaller pile or rack bolts.





Canopy Track attachment bolts (these were replaced by Thule track nut kits).





Rack tie downs and extra track nuts.





One of the things I changed was the rack attachment bolts and nuts for the canopy tracks. I found what I felt was a stronger option from Thule that fits the Yakima tracks that are installed on the Snugtop canopy. The nut is almost twice as thick and has a more positive lock up in the rack slot due to the angled cut.





Since no two canopies seem to be the same, I had to do some adjusting of the mounting feet to fit the profile of my canopy. In order to keep the powder coat pretty I used a shop towel and a large adjustable wrench to persuade the feet into place. The center tabs had to be bent up more than the outer tabs to follow the curve of the canopy.








Once I had the Cap Rack installed it was time to install the Access Rack on the cab of the truck. This took me a lot longer to do as I was taking my sweet time to do it right and not have any leaks in the future. After assembling the rack I started test fitting based on measurements given from Prinsu. Once I found the sweet spot I worked on leveling the rack to match the Cap Rack. This took some shimming with washers to determine the right height, from the front of the rack to the back there was a 1/2” difference in height. So I went on the hunt for spacers to match what was in the kit. I found some very similar with a thicker wall but the same outside diameter. As a result of getting taller spacers, I also had to get longer bolts as well. These were an easy find at the local hardware store.


The front spacers are 1” tall, the center is 1 1/4” and the rear is 1 1/2” tall.








When it came time to drill the holes in the cab, I bought a three pack of stepped drill bits form Harbor Freight. These actually worked really well. One thing to be VERY careful of on the access cab is the side curtain airbags. I actually pulled the headliner down and drilled one step on the drill bit at a time, inspecting the hole with a piece of plastic hose to feel for any obstructions. There are 6 holes to be drilled per side. The two most rearward holes are the ones to be the most careful on. USE CAUTION when drilling these holes as they are VERY close to the side curtain airbags!





Once the holes were drilled, the nutserts were installed and glued in place with a sealant to help with waterproofing

Next it was time to install the rack. I used a 3/4” O.D. leather hole punch for cutting the holes in the weather stripping. This made for a nice clean look and a nice seal around the spacers. I put a bit of sealant on the bottom of the spacers to help keep moisture away from the bolt holes. The same sealant was used on the bolt threads as well when installing them. I also added thin rubber fender washers on top of the spacers just under the rack feet.





Call me paranoid, but the PNW sometimes gets rain… And then it was time to bolt it all down like a cylinder head on a NHRA dragster. In the end I was really pleased with how it turned out. It’s been a great rack so far and has been used to haul the RTT, lumber, doors, noisy children, etc.


Here is the finished product:





Front View:





Whole Setup:

 

wow that is a nice set up, love the cap and rack1

 

We went out to Tahuya state Park to do some exploring.

Here are some side shots of the rack setup.

 

After installing the rack this year, we heard about an open house event at Mule Expedition Outfitters in Issaquah, Wa. We had a great BBQ lunch and met with a lot of the crew and other folks at the shop that day. Super cool! It was a nice sunny day and by the time we got home to install it, it was raining like crazy, but it HAD to be installed and it HAD to be used, THAT NIGHT! So we set to work in the horse barn to get it installed and then set it all up in the backyard for the first night of testing.

What better way to test than in the rain!

In the barn...



Out of the barn and into the light!...errr.....rain.......



The morning after. Survived the night, nice and dry.





An aerial view from our other project....



And here are some pictures from our short trip to Idaho.

Somewhere outside of Cle Elum, Wa.



Farragut State Park, Idaho

 

Well, a small update, about a month ago I noticed a leak around my canopy front fold-down window. I had to take it into the dealer I bought it from and they tried to reseal it, but it leaked again. Now i'm having a new window installed as it seems to be an issue with the window and not the seal around the canopy. It's going to be covered under warranty, thankfully the dealer I have been working with is VERY understanding and has been willing to go above and beyond for me. I'm a little bummed that it would have a leak after only 1 year, but happy it's getting resolved.

 

Took the truck in Saturday and had the front canopy window replaced. Now to make sure it doesn't leak, we need some more rain! Big thanks to Truck Builders LLC for doing this for me!

 

Oh, and while loading plywood into the truck on Sunday, I felt the tail light needed a better venting system. So I fixed that problem...

 

So We recently purchased an ARB 50qt fridge and ARB 1250 awning for the truck. I used @rkfoote instructions for doing a 12v system in the bed, since I'm not yet decided on a dual battery system and would rather build a SPOD style unit for in the engine bay.


The parts I used were from Powerwerx, I got a 4.2 amp USB charger and an anderson powerpole dual plug for the ARB, I will eventually put a switch in for the USB charger so it doesn't drain the battery.

Parts List:

-25’ 10awg Black and Red Wire

-50’ 16awg “zip-cord” style black/red wire
https://powerwerx.com/red-black-bonded-zip-cord


-PP15/30/45 Loose Piece Powerpole Colored Housing
I bought 25 each black and red.
https://powerwerx.com/anderson-powerpole-colored-housings

-PP30 Loose Piece 30 Amp Powerpole Contact 1331
I bought an equal amount of these to match the housings as well as some 15 amp contacts to accept 16-18awg wire
https://powerwerx.com/anderson-1331-powerpole-contact-pp30

-Powerwerx PanelPole
https://powerwerx.com/panelpole-panel-mount-powerpole-housing

-Powerwerx Panel Mount Dual USB 4.2A Device Charger for 12/24V Systems
https://powerwerx.com/panel-mount-dual-usb-device-charger-high-output

-Two Hole Panel Mounting Plate
https://powerwerx.com/two-hole-panel-mounting-plate

-Blue Sea 5025 6 Circuit Blade Fuse Block with Cover and Negative Bus
https://powerwerx.com/blue-sea-5025-6-circuit-fuse-block

So I started by making a 25ft wire loom from 10awg wire, I went from the battery around the back of the firewall and down the pass frame rail following the 110v bed outlet wiring to the back.



Connections to the battery with inline 30amp fuse.



Down the firewall to the frame.



Main power wired to the box.



There are two drain holes in the back of the box, I enlarged the one to get the wire loom through and attached a zip tie so it would fall back through.



Checking behind the side wall, there is a structural rib about ¾” from the storage bin opening, so I aligned the top of the panel with the top of storage bin and located the new panel over 2 ½” to the outside edge of it. I have allowed room for future expansion of items below the two that are currently installed. The only issue with mounting the panel vertically is the plugs are installed sideways to allow use of the covers.



Overall view



Here is the USB charger wire loom ready to be installed, I drilled holes in the side of the storage bin for the wire looms to come through. And zip tied then on the inside as well so they would fall back through.



Wire loom through the side.



This is looking up into the area behind the rear tire and fender area where the box is located.



Wires getting ready to be attached.



EDIT:

Here are some more pictures

View of the plugs, (sorry for the washed out flash picture, it was getting dark out)


Wires connected. I would like to add a switch for the USB as it will always be a drain.


All buttoned up.


Thanks go out to rkfoote for his write-up and all the others who I have gleaned info from.
Resources:
rkfoote - Toyota Tacoma bed 12v outlet install
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/12v-bed-outlet-install-write-up.378833/#post-10393059

Next up, Awning brackets…