MR_ASH's 3rd gen road-tripping build

Mods:
WeatherTec sun shade
Toyota bed step
Tonneau removal
SnugTop Rebel
dbcustomz grill
BD Squadron Sport driving lights
BD Squadron Sport fogs
Wet Okole seat covers
FrontRunner Slimline II
CBI Off-road rock sliders
OME w/Dakar+extra leaf and LR UCAs
Mastercraft Courser MSR studded tires (265/75/16)
JB Explorer RTT
Anytime 400W
Double-cab A/C and 12V outlets
Switch-Pros SP-8100
Center console removal
100W solar
Total Chaos bed stiffeners
Bed tie-downs
ARB fridge
Camp gear and packing


Adventures:
Pacific Northwest (08/2016)
Numerous trips in SW (2016-2017)
Appalachia (10/2017)

 

Reserved

 

Removed the factory tonneau cover to make room for the SnugTop Rebel...

Tools used:

• T30 bit
• 12mm socket
• panel removal tool (optional)

Remove the plastic bed rail caps...I used a panel removal tool to get one side started, then just carefully pried up the rest of the way. Replacement is simple, just line up and push back down into place.

3 driver's side mounting brackets are all the same.


On the passenger's side the front-most bracket is different as it accepts tonneau bolt.




One of these is unlike the others...


...and has a different plastic cover that goes over it.



Don't forget this guy in the center of the cab-side of the bed.

 

Truck cap installed...

SnugTop Rebel

• Sportsman's package (for 500lb load, fishing rod holders, etc)
• Yakima tracks, landing pads, towers and cross bars
• Vented windoors
• Solid drop window (cab-side)

I removed the Yakima towers and crossbars as I'll be installing a Front Runner Slimline II...

 

Removed cheese grater...installed DBCUSTOMZ grill insert and lights.

 

Installed Wet Okole seat covers w/lumbar! support.

I had a set of these on my Jeep for 12 years and while they're expensive, they held up really well and made the stock seats ultra comfortable, especially for the lower back. These have done the same for the stock Tacoma seats. I'll be putting them to use on a 4000 mile road trip in the next few weeks...





First, I took off the side plastic piece for easier access. There is a hidden phillips screw in the back that must be undone to be able to pry off the plastic piece from the seat.


Then the plastic piece pops out and forward (view looking down from sitting in driver's seat:


Then I removed the plastic covers to expose rear seat bolts. Then unbolt all 4 seat bolts.


Next, you need to undo the seatback covering from the bottom of the seat. There are two bungeed clips attached to the seat springs.


I wasn't sure what to do with the stock seat covering flaps, so I just tucked them up under the Wet Okole covers in back and then attached the Wet Okole clips to the seat springs in a similar fashion as stock.

The black tube seen in the photo above is for the lumbar adjustment (basically a small air bladder and squeezey bulb).

The rest is straightforward...slip the covers over the seat bottom and seat back, connect velcro and reassemble.

 

Because I'm setting up this truck as a year round camping rig and will be mounting a roof top tent, I chose to mount roof racks to both the double-cab and the truck cap/canopy/shell. I went with Front Runner Slimline II racks as they fit my needs best...they're pricey but craftsmanship and customer service are top notch.

I have a 3rd gen and thankfully Bryan with Front Runner was able to send me prototype rails for the double-cab (I believe production rails are now available). Despite being pre-production, you wouldn't know it...everything mounted up fine and the fit and finish was excellent.

• Front Runner Slimline II Tacoma Double-cab Roof Rack Kit (KRTT002T):
  • 1165mm wide by 1358mm long
• Front Runner Slimline II Truck Canopy Rack Kit (KRCAT05T):
  • 1165mm wide by 1358mm long
• Moveable Arm for Easy-Out Awning (RRAC080):
  • Technically, this is not designed to fit a rack that is 1165mm wide...but it works for my needs (see below).

I didn't read the footnote and ordered the Moveable Arm so I could move my ARB awning from the driver's side to the rear of the truck. Unfortunately, the Moveable Arm is designed for wider racks, thus when moving the awning/arm to the rear, the rack is not wide enough to mount the bracket that accepts the spring-loaded pin for holding the arm in place.

I won't ever drive down the road with a 2.5m awning across the back of my truck, so I just need to hold it in place while camping. For now I'm going to just use a strap but in the near future I'm going to bolt or weld on a bracket so I can install another spring-loaded pin on the arm, closer in and then will be able to mount the bracket on the rear of the rack and will be all set.


Here's with the ARB awning installed...

 

So I combined @ashrr213's 400w anytime mod with my need for having an A/C and 12V outlets in back of the console.



After removing the back and top-half of the center console, I wired up an A/C outlet to the factor inverter and also did the 400w mod directly on the wires of the inverter connector rather than where @ashrr213 cut them. Ground the pink, cut the purple.

There are other threads on tapping into the inverter A/C outputs but the ones I found were for 2nd gen Tacomas. On the 3rd gen, the wires are different colors but in the same pin locations (blue and white wires on 3rd gen):


Here is the back of the center console (they look like they are off-center but that's just the camera angle):

 

Glad you figured that out. I ended up just doing this.

 

That looks great!
I may do that in the long cubby on the driver's side of the bed.

 

Finally got my Switch-Pros SP8100 mounted into the 3rd gen's useless cubby and now need to figure out my power setup (dual-battery?) so that I can fill up those buttons!

edit: The SP8100 is expensive, but having the ability to control your accessories via an app on your phone, even with the ignition off, from 10-20' away from the vehicle is AWESOME! I think this will really come in handy camping and in the roof top tent.

I really was wanting to have something as nice as @XPOTRPR designed but I got impatient with my indecisiveness and just mounted it. Unfortunately my skills cutting plastic are on par with my patience so it ended up kind of butchered...but at least it's solid as a rock and fully functional.



Rather than cut up my stock wiring (and mostly to just test it out) I used tap-a-fuses in the fuse panel under the dash. In case you don't already know, 3rd gens seem to use only low-profile fuses so if you have tap-a-fuse or other fuses from a 2nd gen they won't fit (at least didn't in my case).

For the yellow wire on the SP8100, I tapped into the TAIL fuse and for the blue wire I tapped IG1 NO. 2. Works like a charm. SP8100 control panel dims when lights come on and the control panel gets power when the ignition/accessories is activated.

EDIT: Here is a short video that shows the SP8100 control panel coming on with the "accessory on" second press of the start button and going off after the truck is turned off (ignition off + opening/closing door and/or locking) after 30 second delay which is what my vehicle settings are configured to...



Looking up from floorboard under dash towards firewall...


My temporary mounting/wiring run (until I get a dual-battery setup).




Tested the Switch-Pro iOS app to see if I really could turn my accessories on/off remotely with just my phone...and it worked!

 

Nice build and thanks for the tip on the the fuse taps for the switch-pro. Look forward to seeing your tour of the Pacific NW. We just picked up a little jayco travel trailer that we've been pulling with my Taco build. My wife wants to tour the south and end up in Florida this fall. I'm trying to convince her to do the Pac NW even though we've been there numerous times lol. It's so beautiful!

 

Thanks! I can't wait...I've visited Portland and been thru Sea-Tac but haven't seen anything else up there. We're heading to the Redwoods then making our way up the Oregon and Washington coasts to Olympic National Park. We may reverse that route...snafu with receiving the roof top tent means we may have to pick it up in Seattle on our trip.

Back in my Jeep days, I drove from Colorado to South Florida and back. It was a whirlwind trip and I would have loved to been able to stop and spend more time along the Gulf Coast...beautiful, and a lot to see there!

 

Lookin good man!

 

Center console removal for an automatic...

Push the chrome ring around shifter straight down (thanks @Qjake) until it separates from the shift knob. Then unscrew shifter knob.
Next pull up starting at front cup holders until console starts to pop up/off. Be careful as there is a electrical wire bundle and connector you will need to remove before you can remove the rest of the console.

Looking at the console/shifter from the passenger side, this is the electrical connector you need to disconnect.


Here is the other half of that connnector (looking at removed upper half of the console, laying upside down).


With the connector disconnected, lift the upper half of the console up and off, carefully working the leather boot over the e-brake lever.


Next, if removing the back half of the console (i.e. cubby), remove the carpet in the cubby then remove the two 10mm? bolts under the carpet.

Now you need to deal with the two wires that go to the 12V outlet. Others have been able to pop off the black plastic connector. I simply cut the electrical tape since I was relocating the 12V outlet to the back of the console anyway.


After that, the back part of the console pivots up (from back) and out, there are two plastic tabs to be careful with in the front of the back section, shown here with arrows (hence the pivoting):

 

Subbed. Cant wait to see what you do with the switch pro.

 

Don't twist just push it straight down or you will break off the tabs. Ask me how I know.

 

You're exactly right! And I've edited the post to reflect that. Thanks!!

Were you able to fix somehow or would you have to buy a new one?

 

Thank you for the detailed write ups. This is going to help me tremendously. Truck is looking great!