AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

(larger versions of these pics above)

The water outlet is this quick connect coupling (bottom of this pic), and I pressurize via the schrader valve stem (top) and my air compressor.

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I regulate pressure in the tube with a pressure relief valve on the 2 1/2" filler plug, set to 50 psi.

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Works great! I can leave the compressor attached to the valve stem and just fill until the pressure relief valve releases, shower, and re-pressurize as needed (generally only needed between showers when there's a lot of water). And, I don't leave it pressurized most of the time.

 

nice work. really coming along and love the trip reports. this is how you do it people. go on an adventure come home see what you need then do it and repeat. You dont need all this expo stuff to start out and turbodb has shown us how.

 

Wow, thanks. It is definitely fun adding stuff to the truck, but I do think it's important to remember why we do that, and prioritize the getting out there over "the perfect rig." To that end, I've had things waiting to go on the truck for many many months sometimes, b/c I'd rather be out there enjoying the views!

 

Greasing the Drivetrain
September 09, 2017.

With a low mile truck that's been stored in ideal (covered, underground) conditions it's entire life, maintenance for me has been minimal. With regular oil changes (done at the dealer until 2016) and services, I've pretty much done nothing.

But the last couple years have seen more off-road use of the truck. And, knowing that more use means more maintenance, I've started learning to do things myself… because dealership maintenance is not cheap.

So, I decided that my next order of business was going to be to grease my zerks. And I decided that because it's fun to say.

When I mentioned it to Pops (by asking what grease he thought I should use, he said, "You mean you've owned the truck for 18 years and never done it before?"

"Ahh, nope, hahaha," was all I could say. (and I hoped that the dealer had done it)

At any rate, I bought my supplies on Amazon and they arrived on time. Perhaps the most interesting part of this was that I didn't realize how to insert the grease tube into the gun. Had to look it up on the interwebs to figure out that it goes in the top and not the bottom. LOL.

• Lucas Oil Red-N-Tacky #2
• Heavy Duty Professional Quality Pistol Grip Grease Gun

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With that figured out, the rest was relatively easy, though I still don't really know if I did it right! I scooted under the truck on my creeper and found all the zerks on the drive shaft. Cleaned them off, and squeezed in the grease.

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Took me about 45 minutes all told, which is way too long, but of course - it was the first time. Next time will be much faster, I'm sure!

 

I agree getting out is always the first priority.

 

Subd. for this magnificent trip report.

 

CB Radio - 'cause not everyone's a HAM
September 10, 2017.

When I got the ham radio, my hope was that I'd just skip the whole CB thing. I mean, when you've got the real thing…

But, as it turns out (and let's be honest, I knew this when I installed the ham radio), a lot of folks don't have a HAM license, so CB's are the common denominator on trips. About to set-off on a 14 day Tour of Montana and Wyoming, it was time to get the CB installed.

For First Gen Tacoma's, there's really only one option for a CB radio IMO - the Uniden PRO520XL 40-Channel CB Radio. It fits perfectly in the ashtray location, and gets really high marks for usability and clarity - so of course, that's the way I decided to go. I'd need a few other things as well:

• Firestik FireFly 3' tunable antenna with tunable tip (FL3-B)
• Firestik MK274R Adjustable Sainless Steel Hood Mount
• DHT Electronics RF coaxial coax adapter UHF male PL259 to female so239 right angle
• 12ga Red and Black wire (really 14 awg; gotta love false advertising)
• Some braided sleeve to protect wiring

It all arrived over the course of several days - some of it "twice" - since the first CB radio Amazon sent was the wrong one. So fun getting packages in the mail!

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Ready to go, I knew that the install would be straight forward, but time consuming to make "clean." I started with the mount, which I placed on the drivers side. I was able to utilize a factory bolt (nice!) and drilled a single hole into the hood channel. I also had to bend the mount slightly to get it to fit in the channel, and I utilized a bit of electrical tape to help (hopefully) with any rubbing if (when) there are vibrations.

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Then, it was time to install the coax that runs from the mount to the CB radio in the cab. First, I covered the exposed portion of the coax with some braided sleeve, and then I pushed it through the firewall near the clutch pedal and attached it to the stud on the mount.

Easy peasy.

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Then, it was time to get started on the interior. The first step of course was to remove the center console. I've done this so many times now that I can do it in my sleep. And, I've learned that there's no reason; I repeat: no reason at all; to ever attach the climate control face panel completely - just let the knobs hold it on - because it's a pain to pry it out (and it cost $30 to replace it - ask me how I know!)

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Center console out, I took the time to route the coax from the firewall by the clutch pedal over to the console area, burying the extra (appropriately "wrapped," but not in a circle) behind the passenger airbag with the end coming out just under the stereo head unit.

And then it was time for power. This is where the Bussman relay/fuse box I installed earlier this year really shines - I ran a couple more wires to it, plugged them in, and I was good to go. So much easier than trying to finagle everything directly off of the battery. Oh, and I was able to get rid of the inline 2A fuse on the CB radio that would have been buried behind the dash - another plus!

Power got routed through the firewall on the passenger side, and over to the center console, where it was a simple matter of plugging things together and then buttoning everything back up!

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Buttoning back up is relatively straight forward. The only caveat is that the AC housing is just a bit too close to the back of the ashtray, and so a heat gun can be used to soften the plastic and deform it about 1" back - so the radio can slide in just a bit further (cosmetic only).

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And now - I'm ready with the comms; however they come!

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After running the CB for two weeks straight on The De-Tour, there are a few notes I'll make about it for anyone considering the same setup:

1. It's a really nice setup. It fits so perfectly, especially with the AC housing "mod," that you don't even really need to secure it in any way...which is nice if you have to remove it for any reason (I did a few times to tune it). Even when wheeling, it didn't dislodge at all.
2. The antenna setup worked out well - it tuned up really nicely once I got a SWR meter on it. There's one caveat to this - the Firestiks come with a little rubber cap that fits over the adjustable end of the antenna - and the antenna tunes significantly differently with that cap on vs. off. The first time I tuned it, I tuned it with the cap off; the second time, I tuned it with the cap on (which seems like a better long-term solution).
3. The mic that comes with the CB is pretty cheap. I'm still using it, but consider a better mic if you're a heavy user of the CB.
4. With a setup like this, you really need a spring for the antenna. I didn't have one for the initial install, but a a couple guys on the trip had an extra, so I was in luck. I first used one of Mike's, which was a "medium" duty spring and it wasn't strong enough (@Digiratus , I owe you a new one). @Blackdawg had a heavy duty one that worked well - thanks Monte! I recommend this one, which is on it's way to me as I type this: Firestik SS-3H Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Spring

 

Don't worry about that mediumm duty spring. It amounted to an emergency back-up for someone in need. It served its purpose. Do not replace it. I'll probably pick up another heavy duty one, like the one I have on my setup now.

 

awww you're not gonna keep my silly fat spring??

 

That fat spring's gotta go! I'll bring it back on our next trip. Else, it'll go into the kit, like Mike's.

 

No worries. Maybe it'll right a book. The traveling CB spring.

 

SCS Stealth6 - Delivery
October 13, 2017.

Two wise men once told me: If you're going to get bigger tires, then you should consider bigger wheels at the same time. Because with bigger wheels, you can fit Tundra brakes. So yeah, these showed up today...

When they did, the UPS guy said, "Were you expecting me?" and "What kind of vehicle?" and it was clear that he'd been checking them out. @mrs.turbodb suggested that he may have been even more excited than me.

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Oh yeah!!

 

Everyone seems to love the Ray 10s but I think the Stealth 6s are the best looking and thats what I am going to get eventually.
Rims aren't high on the priority list atm though.

 

That's not what my wallet said when I also mentioned tires and brakes so decided this was the best bet -

Now gotta figure out which Tundra kit to go with - I think I want these on eBay since they're way cheaper with the core refund but everyone seems to buy these on Amazon). They both look to be Callahan, are they equivalent? Callahan better than PowerStop? Definitely cheaper.

I hear ya. The Stealth6's stick out a bit further than ideal IMO, but I'm going to live with that 'cause I agree - they look great. (The SR8's are nice too, but I'm not a huge fan of the beadlock.)

 

16x8 -25 mm offset = mud in the bed.

 

Pretty sure this is ebay's Callahan.

 

Oh jeez, don't remind me, 'cause I know you're right! I did the math though, and it's only like 7cm wider per side than what's on Igor now...which seemed pretty reasonable.

Sorry, I don't follow. Clarify?

 

I guess I'm not on the Callahan bandwagon like most of TW. For one, rotors with holes and slots make no sense to me.

I guess what I am saying is, this kit looks identical to the callahan kit that is on Amazon.