I AM BRUTICUS (build thread)

A visual anthology of my build, Bruticus. Bruitcus will be mainly used for overland adventures with the family, hauling stuff for home improvement projects, and maybe moving a bike. Don't think I want to go rock crawling but I want the option to upgrade in the future if things change. A lot of inspiration and knowledge has come form folks here on TW. Thanks everyone for inspiring me.

2015 Tacoma DCSB TRD Off-road 4.0 V6 MGM
How he sits today. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic of it the day I brought it home. Started modding it the next day.



Installed items

Engine

• TRD Supercharger
• Mishimoto Oil Catch can
  
• Volant CAI
• TRD Aluminum cover for Volant CAI
• Magnaflow stainless steel exhaust
• Bussman fuse kit w switch plate
• Switchpros 8100

Interior

• Ultraguage
  
• Custom iPhone mount - RETIRED
  
• Viper alarm
  
• LED interior lighting
  
• LED 3rd brake light
• Husky front and back floor liners
  
• Tint
• TRD short shifter
• AJT Designs custom shift knob
• Rear seat USB charger port
• Black steering wheel controls
• Rear storage molle panel
  
• Shok sound deadener (Floors, doors, back panel, roof)
  
• Alpine Halo 9 head unit
• Infinity speakers
• Katzkin leathers
  
• Decked truck bed system
• Dessert does it seat jackers and molle panel

Exterior

• Homertaco ghost raptor grill w FJ "Tacoma" lettering
  
• Blackout badges
• BHLM + Morimoto projector retro-fit headlights
• Anytime fog light mod
  
• Xenon fog lights
• TRD bed extender - SOLD
• TRD bed mat
• Trail harness relocation bracket by @bullaculla
• Pop-n-lock tailgate lock
• Sport side-view mirrors
• AntennaX The Shorty (21-inch)
• Matte Black TRD Off-Road stickers
• Prinsudesign Cabrac + Toprac
• Heretic 40" LED light bar
• Century UltraSport camper shell with windoorsMobtown tailgate reinforcement plate
• LED Bed lights
• Bushwackers (Trimmed 2 inches)
• Bumper light bar
• Sidelights
• Warn winch
• Stoptech big brake kit
• Retrax Pro MX sliding bed cover - SOLD

Armor

• BAMF rock sliders
• Pelfreybilt steel front bumper
  
• Bruteforce rear high clearance dual swingout bumper
• BAMF Rear Differential Skid
  
• N-Fab step bars - SOLD

Suspension

• King OEM 2.5 front and rear shocks
• Icon add leaf pack
• Total Chaos UCA
• Daystar Cradles
• Firestone Ride-rite

Wheels and tires

• Fuel Beast wheels 17 x 9, 4.5 offset
• BF Goodrich KO2 285/70/17

Items yet to be installed

• BAMF LCA armor
• BAMF IFS Skidplate
• BAMF Mid Skidplate
• BAMF Transmission Skidplate
• Gas tank skid plate
  
• Rotobloxz mudguards (no longer installing)
• Big 3 electrical upgrade
• ARB twin compressor
• G-tek Fab door sill protectors (TBD)
• Redline hood struts (TBD)
• Rear light
• TRED Pros mount
• Hi-lift mount
• Pelican 1750 mount
• Stealth pully
  
• Reinforced tensioner bracket
• Supercharger custom coolant tank
• Performance radiator
• Kenwood under seat sub
• Kicker amp
• BAMF shackle hangers
• BAMF shock relocation
• Cab mount relocation
• Group 31 battery
• Rago Group 31 battery tray

Future Upgrades

• Dessert does it fire extinguisher holder
• Wifey Air system
• 4.88 Regear
• 35" tires
• Volks rims
• Trailer w RTT or Bed rack w RTT or Airstream (TBD)
• Rock lights
• Alcan custom leafs

1st upgrade, supercharger of course
This was an unplanned upgrade as I was going to do it a few years down the road but due to Toyota discontinuing the Supercharger I had to pull the trigger earlier. I was lucky to get one shortly after the notice from Toyota went out before people started jacking up prices. The install itself was another challenge as prices varied from dealer to dealer. I opted to get it installed by the dealer because of the warranty and extended warranty I have on my truck (Supercharger is also covered if installed by a dealer... at least that's what they tell me). Installation prices ranged from $2500 to $1000, pays to call around. If you decide to install it yourself Toyota will still warranty it for 1 year. The supercharger definitely wakes up the 4.0. I love it!



Next on the list was the Cold Air Intake. Decided to go with a Volant based on reviews I read, cost and the additional forced ram air inlet. Not really sure if it gave me anymore HP since it went on right after the SC was installed.



Updated the Volant air box cover with this TRD cover (made by TW member @Coupe)


Added a Mishimoto oil catch can. There are all kinds of excess oil/water mixture in there even after just driving 1000 miles.

 

Retrax Pro MX sliding bed cover

Great product, blends in well with the bed (lowest profile of all the others), cover supports up to 500lbs distributed weight (good if you encounter snowfall). Very easy to roll and lock in any position (one-handed operation) and keeps items inside of bed dry. Does require you to drill two drain holes in the rear of the bed (not bad considering other ones need you to drill 4).

 

Looking good!

 

BHLM + Morimoto projectors.

• Bi-Xenon Morimioto FXR 3.0 projectors
• 9003/H4 Elite HID System
• Apollo 3.0 Shrouds
• Semi-Flat Black Housing/Shrouds and reflector
• Original Chrome DRL

I was lucky enough to find these on ebay vs doing them myself. Another Tacoma owner was selling his set that were done by @lightwerkz. I have to say Lightwerkz is an awesome company, build quality is nice and great customer service. I had an issue with the controller and even though I wasn't the original owner they were kind enough to swap out my defective unit. That says a lot about them standing behind their work. Big shout out to Caesar (President of Lightwerkz) for all your help!



Morimoto control unit mounted to battery tie down

 

Nice truck!

 

Thanks, it's been a slow build for me unfortunately, I have a lot of stuff sitting in boxes and little time to do it. I'm hoping to knock out the suspension and tires soon though.

 

Right there with ya man! I'm on an hiatus from doing anything suspension related until my frame gets replaced... I am glad, however, that at some undetermined time in the near future I'll be getting a new frame!

That catch can is really nice! How do you like it? Does it work well?

 

Awesome looking engine bay!! I've got a mishimoto can as well. What specific model is this one? I like the design that's holding it in place. The universal can that I got from them can with a flimsy thin metal that mounted to the top of the can. Your setup looks way more secure.

 

Oh sorry to hear about the frame, that sucks. I hope you get your frame soon.

The catch can works great. It's a bit pricey and took some trial and error of different fittings to get it to fit nicely. But overall I like it over others out there due to the filtering it offers and superior build quality. I get a good amount of oil in there after 500 miles. I did just added a drain valve to make it easier to empty it.

 

Thank you. Trying to keep it looking clean and OEM like as much as possible. This is the Mishimoto baffled oil catch can. It has the mesh inside to catch the oil vapors, providing a cleaner return air. Others have put in brass mesh like materials in cheaper catch cans to catch oil vapors but I didn't want to risk foreign material possibly coming loose or breaking off and entering the manifold. The mounting system is great and sturdy. I just had to slightly bend one of the lower mounts that came with the can to match it up to a mounting bolt near the radiator to securely hold it in place.

 

I'm gonna go look them up! Drain valve is a smart idea. Surprised they didn't have one already...

 

I can provide you a list of parts for my set up if you like.

 

Custom Iphone mount

Made my own iphone mount, simply bent a piece of aluminum, a little shaping, and some 3M tape. Sprayed it lightly with some matt clear finish to prevent it from oxidizing from fingerprints. The magnetic mount at the end is

Neutron S - Universal Magnetic Phone and Tablet Mount - Deep Space Grey (magnetically Shielded)

Bungajungle Neutron S-Universal Magnetic Phone & Tablet Mount (Magnetically Shielded).

 

Working on the @HomerTaco ghost raptor grill. Just finish prepping the grill to accept the insert. Then off to get the FJ "Toyota" lettering on there.

 

Horn relocation

Blacked out the grill area and relocated the horns. I couldn't relocate them into the engine bay as most people do because I have other components planned to go into that space. So I decided to mount them to the bumper support beams. I simply extended the wires, drilled some hole, and mounted them using the original hardware plus some addition washers and nuts. They are hidden from view, pointing forward, and look stock. I may try to shorten the long brackets to bring the horns higher.





Ran into a slight snag, The grill I bought off of ebay isn't matching the MGM color. (Seller didn't know/have the color code, but it looked like the MGM color so I took a chance). Not even sure what color it is, the color is like 1 shade lighter of the MGM color. Now I have to source another grill and figure out what to do with this one and the chrome one.

 

These also came in Fuel Beast 17 x 9, KO2 285/70/17. Things are starting to pile up around here and the wife isn't happy about it. I got to get that lift in ASAP.

 

BAMF rock sliders

I had Nfab steps but decided to go with sliders for looks and function. I started getting worried that the steps on the Nfab would catch something I drove over. Another thing I like about the sliders is that hopefully when I get my lift in they will prevent door dings, we have a lot of people here who don't know how to open their car doors carefully when parking next to each other.

Pic of the how I did a 1 man install of the BAMF bolt on sliders. Used some wood pieces to get it into position and then use the floor jack to push and hold it in place while I bolted it in. These are pretty heavy, unlike the Nfabs where I could lie on the floor and use my legs to push it up. These sliders are awesome, hefty, well made, good looking, good price, and local. They were pretty easy to install if you take your time and make sure you follow Jerry's instructions carefully.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...er-install-instructions.409450/#post-11880661

 

Bad-arss