2018 White TRD Pro build and BS

This is my 2018 Tacoma TRD Pro on the day I picked him up. I've named it Arctic Fox. I bought it new in May of 2018.



My goal for this truck was to make it as capable as I could, without sacrificing the original appeal of the truck. I am sure that nothing in this "build" will be all that far out of the ordinary, but I wanted to document the changes I made and hopefully some of you guys will enjoy it and drop your feedback whenever you see something that might have been done differently or better.

Here is a current shot of the truck:



Current upgrades:

Lighting + Electical
-SDHQ A-Pillar Mounts holding Baja Designs Squadron Pro amber ditch lights
-SDHQ Behind the Grille light bar mount - holding 30" Baja Design Amber S8
-SDHQ Chase light mounting kit - holding Baja Designs Squadron Sport
-SwitchPros 9100

Lift and body
-Cab mount chop by @SDHQ OFFROAD (I will post photos of the incredible work they did on the truck)
-Icon Stage 9 Lift with 700# springs
-Icon S2 Secondary Suspension
-Icon Hydraulic Bumpstops
My lift was ordered through https://www.shocksurplus.com and I have to say that it was probably the best buying experience I have ever had. The transaction went perfectly. I spoke with a gentleman named, Sean, over e-mail and text and he was extremely knowledgable. He was patient while I asked a million questions and even MORE patient when I changed aspects of my order 3 times, and his price was the best I found. I would highly, HIGHLY recommend them.

Recovery and preventative
-SDHQ Rock Rails: Purchased on the floor of my garage
-Factor55 Fairlead 1"
-Factor55 Ultrahook
-Pelfreybilt Tacoma Aluminum Mid Skid (Boxed in my garage)
-Pelfreybilt Tacoma Aluminum Rear Skid (Boxed in my garage)
-Pelfreybilt Tacoma Aluminum Gas Tank Skid (Boxed in my garage)
-Warn 10s Platinum Hidden winch mount from SDHQ
-SDHQ New Dual Bettery system
-ARB Compressor in bedside cubby using kit from Expedition Essentials

Engine and Performance
-AFE Momentum GT Intake
-4.88 gears

Misc.
-Total Chaos bed stiffeners
-Prinsu cab rack
-SwitchPros 9100

Wheels and tires
Method 701 Bronze 17 inch
Toyo Open Country M/T 285/75/R17

Things on the wishlist
Full LED light conversion
Who knows...

 

Here are some photos of the CMC work done by @SDHQ OFFROAD

They did an amazing job with this. It is extremely clean and will give me a much needed clearance once I get the lift installed and throw on the larger tires.

 

I had the Switchpros 9100 mounted on the truck, initially controlling the rear mounted light. I keep the light covered because I load the bed of the truck with pallets and rock regularly, and I wanted to make sure I did not do any damage to the Baja Designs Squadron Sport.

I added the A-Pillar mounted Squadron Pros not long after, which are also hooked up to the Switchpros setup. I will be adding the Bajadesigns S8 to the pad once it is back on the truck, as well as the my winch and my air compressor which should both be installed this week.

 

Came home this week to find my Prinsu rack in front of my door. The install was not very difficult. I did lose about 1 mpg, but I used it a couple of time this week and it was quite useful. I did sheer 2 bolts while installing it, which was strange to me. I think I am going to visit a store down the road which specializes in nuts and bolts. My goal is to try to find a something a little stronger than the bolts that came with the rack.

 

Truck just came back from SDHQ. Had the winch and hidden winch mount installed.

 

What are you doing with your pro lift once you get your icon lift on?

 

You know, I have yet to decide on a course of action with it.

 

Well, keep me in mind if you and when you decide to sell and if you’ll split it up. I’d definitely be interested in the rear shocks. I’ve seen others be willing to jump on the fronts in other sales.....

 

Definitely, man. Thanks. I will let you know if I decide to let them go.

 

Cool. I have a Baja. Which is a Pro before the Pro came out in 15. I’m trying to find a set of the fox pro shocks for the rear of my truck for when mine go out....

 

I probably won't have mine installed for about a month, but I will absolutely let you know. For what it's worth, I got my ICON setup from the site I mentioned above. If you are looking for a FOX setup, I would recommend visiting the site and e-mailing them. They were awesome to me.

 

I’m looking to stick with the TRD Pro specific shocks. Take as long as you need.....I’m in no rush at all. When your ready to part with em hit me up.

 

what kinda drop did got get from the front when you added the winch? (how noticeable)

i’ve been wanting to ask someone who actually has a pro because i don’t believe the distance would be the same for everyone else who throws a winch on non pro suspensions...

 

Hey pal. This is a good question. I am not sure how much help I can be unless you are going with the exact same setup. I got about .5-.75 inches of drop in the front. I barely noticed it.

A couple things to keep in mind. I think the weight of my winch was about 84 pounds total (I am going from memory on the shipped weight, so it is actually a little lighter than that). Since I have the synthetic line, it saved me a fair amount of weight. The winch mount was, I believe 35 pounds (someone at @SDHQ OFFROAD can probably confirm that). You are also removing the factory front bumper, which will remove some weight up front. Basically you are looking at 84 + 35 -25 (estimated weight of factory bumper) = ~95 pounds. This is an estimation based on what my memory tells me. To tell you the truth, I wasn't entirely concerned with it and probably didn't pay a ton of attention at the time because I had already ordered my lift with 700 pound coilovers because I expected to have added weight in the front.

The honest truth is, I did measure briefly, but the difference driving and going off road was negligible to me so I wasn't too stressed. If you go with a different setup than what I have, you will definitely see a difference. Throw 100 pounds worth of weight on the front end you will get an accurate idea of what it would look like and adjust up or down depending on what you are doing.

My truck should hopefully be out of the shop in the next couple days. I will be happy to get some extra pics for you. I have some pretty cool stuff going on the truck, included the new dual battery kit from SDHQ. I am excited to be able to share pics of that with everyone.

I hope that helps, pal. Ask any questions you think of and good luck with the decision. I couldn't be happier with the results of this mod.

 

thanks for the info, i’ll actually end up with a little more weight because i’m going for the SSO slimline front bumper and winch but i’m debating not doing the winch because i don’t want more of a drop (since i’d like it to be higher or even in the first place).

i wish there was a way to keep the height wear it is without replacing the stock pro suspension but i’ve yet to find a solution so i’m leaning towards no winch. i’ve already got the revtek spacers up front but after talking to them they said that’s the most i can do without compromising the stock fox shocks performance. and they work great on and off road so i’d rather no spend a bunch of money replacing them just because i’m atheistically not pleased with the front height because of the added weight of a winch

 

Okay, time for an update. The truck has had a little work done.

The lift is on the truck. Icon Stage 9 with billet UCA, Stage 2 Secondary, and Bump Stops are all in, and now on the truck



My ARB compressor was also added into the cubby hole in bed



My front S8 is now installed as well. It works great, and the running option is pretty cool as well.



I also have my dual battery kit now installed. This was done by @SDHQ OFFROAD and they did a great job. I believe these are now for sale. If you are in the market for a dual battery setup, I am very happy with this.



My wheels also arrived, as did my tires. These will be installed tomorrow, I hope.



Everything should get buttoned up tomorrow. I also had my 4.88 gears installed. First drive, I can definitely feel a difference.

 

Okay I have decided to sell the stock Pro wheels, tires, and suspension. Let me know if you are interested, pal.

 

I may be interested in the just the rear shocks. I do have another set possibly available to me coming from Utah, but I won’t know for a couple more days. Again, I’m just interested in the rears...
I can assure you selling the fronts won’t be an issue if you separate the suspension....

 

I don't know that I want to necessarily split them up. I have a few people locally interested in the set. Since you expressed initial interest, I wanted to make sure I at least followed up with you. Send me a pm if you want to chat about it.

 

I’m interested in front and rear suspension. Pm me a price!