If I didnt have a Tacoma, what would life be like?

Christ, I love this truck (and am not religious). I've got my 2004 Tacoma TRD, 3.4 and have done a lot in the last two years. I've tried to write up a blog post for each of my major projects, and have listed some links below, but I'll mention some of these here. Too much to list in one post,

2015-2017

1. Ripped everything except the dash out of the cab, down to bare metal and sound dampened everything with Dynamat and Peel 'N Seal, Herculiner, and thin adhesive foam.
2. Removed the rear seat belts and jump seats for extra storage
   
3. Rewired all audio components with new speaker wire and RCA cables, new Kicker speakers front and rear, and added new 6.5" Kicker 3 way speakers below the rear slider window. Installed an 8" MB Quart in the storage area previously occupied behind the passenger seat. Goal was to keep it as stock as possible. Installed a 4.1 channel Alpine 1000 watt amp at 4 Ohms
   
4. Recently upgraded the Big 3 wiring, including battery (-) to engine block, fuse box (+) to alternator, and alternator (+) to battery. Replaced my stock alternator with the GM CS144 130 amp alternator, upgraded the stock 120 amp alternator fuse with a 140 amp fuse, installed a new Super Start AGM battery under the hood, moved my 7 year old Optima Yellow Top to the bed, added a Battery Doctor solid state isolator and 4 gauge wiring between the batteries, and added an inline fuse (120 amp) and power distribution block in the storage previously occupied by the jack. Installed my Krieger 1100 watt sinewave DC inverter above this storage.
5. DIY bedliner to the rocker panels
6. Gen 2 rail system installed in the bed with Hi-Mount jack installed on, water and gas cans installed in the bed as well.

http://trd.sadtaco.com/
http://www.sadtaco.com/2017/09/1st-gen-taco-electrical-upgrade.html

 

Nice truck! Very clean install on the electronics and stereo.

Welcome to TW!

 

Welcome, I bet it sounds nice inside and rides smooth with all that work

 

It's definitely an incentive for a road trip. Thanks for the compliments and I'm glad to be member!

 

Can you tell a difference with the sound dampner, oh and life would suck without my taco.

 

Yes absolutely. I did a lot of research though before doing this. I said I used Dynamat, but only because it's a known product that many car audio shops use. Dynamat is wayyy overpriced though, and you can get an equivalent product at Home Depot called Peel 'n Seal. That one used to repair rooftops, such as around exhaust fan outlets and chimneys. I also used Herculiner bedliner on top of it to add a layer that would add durability. On top, the layer of foam was the kitchen cabinet liner foam mats for the shelves, and this was an extra layer, because why not? I hoped it would add vibration dampening. I am able to have conversations with a passenger or a cell phone conversation on my Bluetooth system via my audio system without background noise.

Don't pay a shop to do it, do it yourself. Yes it's a lot of work but it's not difficult if you are methodical.

 

Im going to have to put this on my to do list, I have a magnaflow muffler with aggressive tires, and I too have a bluetooth setup and it is hard to have a conversation with all the noise.

 

I've got a Magnaflow muffler also and Toyo AT tires on a 4 inch lift so its not the quietest, but this sound dampening does help for sure. Want to do a really cool test? Take all of your carpet, the passenger seat, and the vinyl side and rear interior panels so that the truck is exposed to the bare metal on the inside. Drive around in it and record it on your smart phone. Then after you complete the work, do the test again and compare the results.

The hardest part was fitting the panels back in; they have holes at strategic locations that line up with plastic rivets you install in the cab body facing the panels. These snap into place, or theoretically are supposed to. Most of the time you end up breaking the rivets trying to line them up, so buy way more than you need on Amazon. The stealership wont have any clue what you are asking for if you go to their parts department.