Tiger14 Build Thread with BS

Hey Everyone! I have been watching TacomaWorld for a while and have looked at a ton of build threads, so I figured that I would give it a shot. I bought my 2014 Tacoma with 13k miles on it back in November 2014 and have slowly been building it to what I want. Pictures are below and I will try to keep this post as up to date as possible.

Body / Armor:
PelfreyBilt front plate bumper
SmittyBilt X2O 10k wireless winch w/ synthetic line
SOS concepts front skid
SOS concepts mid skid
SOS concepts T-Case skid
SOS concepts sliders w/ filler plates and kick out
SOS concepts rear bumper
Bentrodder's Bed Stiffeners

Wheels / Tires:
2014 4Runner TRD 17" graphite wheels (Street)
285/70/17 BFG A/T KO2's (Street)
2008 FJ Cruiser 17" 6 spoke wheels (Wheeling)
285/70/17 Fierce Attitude M/T's (Wheeling)

Suspension / Drive-train:
OME 886 front coils
OME 90000 front shocks
1/4" LowRangeOffRoad top plate spacer
Front sway bar relocation kit
OME 60091 rear shocks
OME CS047R Dakar leaf packs
Wheeler's Off-Road stainless steel brake lines
OME Center bearing drop

Lighting:
2x Eyourlife 20w LED pod lights (fog lights)
21" Eyourlife 100w single row LED light bar
2x Eyourlife 20w LED pod lights (ditch bracket lights)
2x Lite-way 30w LED flush mount Lights (rear bumper)

Random Mods:
20% tint all around
Fog lights anytime mod
Stock Inner CV boot Stretch mod
Redline Tuning hood struts
Clazzio black leather seat covers

Onboard Supplies:
4 x 3/4" D-rings
15ft 30k lb recovery strap / tree saver
30ft 20k lb recovery strap
30k lb snatch block
Winch line damper
First-aid kit
HD air compressor (filling tires only)
HD jumper cables
A LOT of flashlights
4 x ratchet straps
Stanley 99pc tool kit (92-839) fits perfectly behind rear ds seat. Very nice kit for the $

Camping Supplies:
Napier Bacroadz Truck Bed Tent (Model 57066) Fits very well
Intex Downy Full Size air Mattress (Model 68758E) This thing fits right between the wheel wells and is very comfortable
Intex 120V air pump (model 66619E) runs on the 120V bed outlet
VersionTech USB / battery powered fan (model VMF-W001X) Lasts about 5 hours on one charge
Coleman Powerhouse 2 burner stove (Model 765106) Can go a whole weekend of camping on one tank of fuel.

-------------------------------------

I bought the truck used in November 2014 with 13k miles from Harmony motors in Raleigh NC. The PO already put a 3" ToyTec spacer lift kit with 1.5" blocks and Deaver AAL's in the rear.

Right away I was tired of the small tires. So a week later I installed some 285/75/17 Fierce Attitude M/T's.

My wife (then fiance) bought me an early christmas present, some N-fab step bars (she even installed them)


I drove the truck like this for about a year and was just loving life. That's when I started digging around TW and found my first easy mod. The fog lights anytime mod. That was pretty straight forward and I like how it made the truck look.

The next big thing that happened to the truck came courtesy of my mom while at my parent's house for a party... All i heard was a bang from the driveway.

Well with a $800 repair bill for a factory bumper I said "screw it! I'm going full plate for that much $." Ordered my PelfreyBilt plate bumper and sat back and waited 8weeks for delivery... Worth it.

After I got that installed I figured "might as well throw a winch in there" since I want to start getting into wheeling more. So off it came again.


While I was waiting the 8 weeks for my bumper to arrive I heard a weird clang from the rear end. Found this.


Probably from all of the towing I do (yes I like to use my truck as a truck.)


And just to get a before and after feel for the truck I went on a little trail ride to see how well it handled washboard and flex. The short answer is flex = ok, wash board = trash. Those spacers ride like SHIT even with 200lb of extra weight on the front.


So I ordered a full OME heavy kit from the GB here on TW. Waited 3 months for that to finally come in... Then looked at my alignment numbers from when i got the tires put on and decided I need new UCA's. Order some ICON UCA's and got to work.


8/7/16 Got my alignment done by TW member @ahspurlock and everything came out great with this setup! Rewarded the truck with a run down some trails in the Francis Marion forest with some side trips down some muddy trails.


9/3/16 @Acerwin, @JimboAnz, @SC2SC, @PvilleJohn, and myself went to Gulches ORV Aprk in upstate SC and had a blast. It was a little muddy from hurricane Hermine but still fun to ride along with these guys. Ready to go back when i get all of the armor installed from SOS concepts. Also got to try out the new Napier Backroadz tent which worked out great and was very comfortable.


9/12/16
Got my redline tuning hood struts in the mail today and made pretty quick work of the install. Measure 10 times and drill once! These things are awesome and no more prop rod.

10/25/2016
I finally got my email from Eddy at SOS Concepts that all of my armour is finally ready for me to pickup! So happy to finally have all of my armour but now it's time to get painting and installing!

10/29/2016
Got all of my skids painted and mounted today and all I can say is that I'm exhausted and that crap is heavy! Then on top of that I found my DS inner CV boot finally broke (it has been on the edge for a while) so I need to fix that ASAP. Painted the skids with Rustoleum bedliner. I did the front main skid with 2 coats of self etching primer and 2 coats of bedliner. The other two skids I did just bedliner, so we will see which one holds up better. Next weekend I'll tackle the sliders and rear bumper with some rustoleum professional flat black and self etching primer.

11/2/2016
Pulled my driver side CV out today to replace the inner boot. Took about an hour and a half and a lot of to get it done in the driveway without a lift or shop press. Get it all buttoned back up and notice that the boot is twisted . I need to cut the outer clamp off and twist it back into place. I didn't take any pictures because my hands were covered in grease and gear oil. I then started to get the dreaded oscillating hum from a failing diff needle bearing. Brought it to the dealer and they "couldn't hear the noise" so I said that i'll bring it back when it destroys itself and they can replace more parts... Or I'll just do the ECGS bushing and never worry about it for as long as I own the truck.

12/8/2016
Well the SC crew convinced me to get off my ass and install my sliders for the Richland Road trip. Was interesting with one person, no jack, and no jack stands. The Passenger side is pretty straight forward. The Driver's side is pretty tough and the front two bolts are very hard to get to. Ready to test them out!

2/4/2017
Finally got around to installing the driver's side ECGS bushing to fix my hum at 40mph and it worked! I spent more time getting the axle to pop out of the front diff than anything else. Took about 2 hours and was very straight forward. It is well worth buying the tool or finding a fellow TW member that can loan it to you (@Sandman614) Thank you!

2/6/2017
Got the Clazzio Seat covers installed tonight and I really Like how these things look! Should be much nicer and more durable than the factory cloth seats.

2/11/2017
Well I finally got my SOS Concepts rear bumper installed after looking at it on my garage floor for the last few months. I Was able to do it by myself but it would have been a lot easier with another person (as usual). I will try to get the LED flush mounts wired up next weekend.

2/12/2017
Took some time to get the flush mounts wired up today and I am very impressed with the light output. Took about an hour to get it all done. Tapped into the PS tail light at the red wire.

2/14/2017
I got my ditch lights wired up today. Tapped into my fog light circuit since I never run my LED fog lights on road anyways. So now my fog lights and ditch lights come on at the same time. I know the picture facing the truck is blurry but I'll get another one tomorrow. Driving down the street to test the light output was kind of weird, they light up the front of everyone's house as you drive . For off road use only.

2/19/2017
I finally had a chance to install the bed supports from @Bentrodder and I have to say that these things are awesome! The welds are incredible and the radius fits the bed sides perfectly.

3/21/2017
I finally got my BFG AT KO2's mounted up and these things ride so smooth. A very nice change from the MT's I have been running for the last 2 years. The good news is that the Fierce Attitude's are getting to live out their lives as my wheeling tires. These things do great on the trails, good bite, strong sidewall, and minimal chunking.

3/24/2017
Made the trek to the TW meet at Adventure Offroad Park with a lot of great people. Had a lot of fun and tried some tough trails (for a new guy like me) and the truck did great. Can't wait to do this again next year!

A little 3 wheel action

And there was some carnage in the form of a busted rear driveshaft on @Sandman614 truck

And had a good time watching @EddyRRT tackle some crazy trails and even gave a little assistance when he got hung up on trail 50 while the rest of the crew watched from camp in the background

04/2017
I guess i should add on here that the Tacoma is sold and a tow rig was purchased (2014 f250 6.7). Currently on the lookout for a trail toy / project. Wheeling is a blast but the thought of destroying a truck I had that much money into was getting to me. I'll be back on the trails eventually!

The day i drove it to GA to trade in

Andddddd what i cam home with

And the next week some goodies arrived

10/29/2017
Finally got around to installing the rest of my ICON setup on the truck. The ride quality with these springs is night and day from stock.

 

Nice truck you built bro! Thumbs up!

 

Thanks man! It's been fun so far.

 

Screw the Tacoma. Lets see more of the 911

 

Lol everyone says that. Here you go

 

Gorgeous. Guards red on black is my dream 911. Kinesis wheel? That thing is perfect.

Anymore details?

 

Are you not rubbing the UCA or anything with the TRD Wheels and 285s when turning full lock?

 

Yeah kinesis wheels. Besides the wheels it's pretty much stock. Just had to replace torsion bars all around and rear spring plates / bushings. Had the DS rear torsion bar snap in half while taking a corner. Only has 52k on it. It's my father's car but he keeps it at my house so I get to wrench on it and drive it more than him

 

No rubbing at all with this setup while daily driving. Still waiting to see about rubbing while wheeling, we shall see. I still need an alignment but I don't think it'll change much.

 

GOtcha. Its perfect

 

Sharp truck man. How are the Icon UCAs working out for you? Get the alignment specs you were looking for? I've seen a whole lot on TW about the LR UCAs but not much about the Icons.

 

Nice looking truck man, keep up the good work.

 

Nice build! Subbed

 

The Icon UCA's are working out great. Just the alignment done today by a local TW member and got my caster to 3.0 DS and 3.5 PS with 0 toe and 0.5 camber. Truck rides great now. I was going to do LR but read a lot about problems getting shops to align them. The LR UCA's have A LOT of adjustment and most shops won't mess with them. The ICON's are fixed so it lets the shop just mess with the usual adjustment points.

 

Thanks man! I have a lot planned for the next few months.

 

I thought I was Sub'd already we need to get a gulches trip up soon buddy!

 

I'm ready! Think I need sliders but I'll see how it goes.

 

Beautiful truck.

 

Thanks!