benbenww 2014 AC Build Thread

Let this be a lesson to not cheap out on anything. When I purchased the Amazon headlights I managed my expectations. I thought they would leak (they did) and I thought I would need to reseal the housing (I did). This was fine because I was expecting it out of $120 headlights. What I was not expecting was the beam adjustment knobs to be dummy. It was only after fully installing the housings, setting up in the Home Depot parking lot, measuring headlight height, measuring 25 feet back, marking a wall with tape, blocking one headlight and getting my tools out that I realized that the knobs spun but were not actually attached to anything. My headlights were stuck pointing sideways and up into oncoming traffic. That doesn't work, so I pulled them out and did the black headlight mod the proper way.









I don't have any completed pictures because they look exactly how they did when I started this morning .

Now let's see if the Amazon seller will take back the junk headlights covered in silicone sealant.

 

In the spirit of shorter days, adverse weather conditions, and wholly inadequate stock fog lights, I decided while my headlights were out I would do something about the fogs.



I read up on the ultimate fog light mod, but wanted to go amber for the dusty, snowy, and occasionally foggy conditions I encounter while off the main roads. I weighed the pros and cons of street legal lights vs the more substantial off road variety and landed on the Baja Designs Squadron Sport for the situations I would find myself needing the lights. These may eventually end up as ditch lights and street legal fogs may make their way back into the bumper, but I'll give it a winter before I make any more changes.

 

hey man, i really like how its looking. great detail on your build too.... tnx

 

Went to the guys at MULE because a cab mount chop was well beyond my comfort level and I didn't have luck coordinating with any local forum members.



I'm very happy with how it turned out. I only had minimal contact when at full lock in reverse, but I hadn't really pushed the suspension. If it was an occasional occurrence while driving on the street, I knew it would be a problem off road and I'm happy this is crossed off my list.

 

I read horror stories about the OEM battery dying without any warning after 4-5 years. I am right at the end of that timeframe and wanted to stay in front of it, so I jumped on the Northstar battery group buy. I figured I could repurpose the OEM battery into a charging bank or something else for camping. Sure enough, my original battery had a slow crank while the new battery was in transit. I'm planning on having the old battery tested to see how close it was to failure or if it was just an especially cold morning, but I sure was happy when the new one showed up!

 

subbing because I am going to clone your truck.

 

sub'd.
Great Thread and an excellent build. I think this model AC (12-15) will go down as the last and best of the breed...small capable Tacoma. And your build just shows it all off. Sure, I'm biased. I plan to refer back to your build often over the next 18 months or so....please keep it coming!

 

AMEN!

 

op- did you have to do a ECGS bushing replacement with the lift or is it still stock?

 

I did not do the ECGS needle bearing replacement. I had two goals in mind for this build. The first was to keep it OEM+ and not go crazy replacing perfectly good parts with things that are obviously aftermarket. My other mindset on this build was to not fix problems that didn't exist.

For example, I held off on the cab mount chop because I read that a good alignment would make it unnecessary. My alignment must not have been good because I ended up doing it a few months after the lift. My needle bearing is holding up fine after a year and ~10,000 miles. There are instances of people going 70,000+ miles lifted with the original bearing, and instances of completely stock suspension having a failure with less than 5,000 miles, so I wanted to see what would happen on my truck. If it turns into a problem I will replace it.

I can certainly appreciate the mindset of being proactive about common issues and taking care of it while you are already doing some work in that part of the truck, but I chose a different route.

 

Thank you for the kind words!

 

I was looking through old pictures and this one stuck out to me. I've been getting rid of chrome and minimizing the badges, but the big block white 4x4 on the mud flaps started to bother me. I'm in a state that requires them or else I would ditch them entirely. I took some fine grit sandpaper to the raised white part and the result is much more understated.




I don't have a good after picture, but here's the mockup I did:

 

The Thule Xsporter rack has been great for carrying paddleboards and longboards, but was meant for a full size truck. It is supposed to be adjustable, but at the lowest setting it was still well above the cab. The bars also stuck way out over the side. It just looked like it was squeezed onto a vehicle that it didn't really fit, so I weighed the options of selling it and finding something else or chopping it. Ultimately, I liked it so I found a friend with a metal chopsaw and we went at it.

Here's what it looked like at the original lowest setting:



And here it is after the chop. It fits a lot more snug and looks like it was meant for a midsize truck.



And it adjusts up enough to clear the cab for paddleboards:

 

A few other random add-ons that weren't significant enough for their own post.

Clazzio leather seat covers and Husky X-act Contour floor mats:


aFe Pro Dry S air filter. Reusable and doesn't need oiling, but I've read that, like most high flow filters, it allows more particles to pass through. I kept my old filter to toss in when I'm heading to particularly dusty areas. No noticeable power gains, but it sounds a little different in the high RPMs and I bought it more for the reusability more than anything.


Slumberjack got me with their social media marketing and I bought this tarp during one of their sales. I haven't used it yet, but it is well built for a tarp. Double stitched and seam sealed, for people who care about those things.

 

Really appreciate your Build Thread. You have done a great job balancing stock (but cool) with mods that make the truck truly special. A great model for me to follow as I muck along and try to tweak my truck ... slowly but surely. I, too, have an issue with the Thule. It extends too high! Any advice, insight or pictures on how you chopped yours? I am thinking of cutting mine but am just not sure if I should get another rack altogether.

 

Stoked I came across this build thread, I just picked up a 14 MGM AC and have very similar plans to your build.

 

Thank you for the kind words! I have an internal debate for quite some time before I do anything and research it to death. I'm also realizing my notification settings were off and I didn't get your question until just now. I'll take some pictures tomorrow and write up some more information on the Thule rack and all my considerations that went into cutting it vs replacing it with something different.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld! It's a riot here. You'll find yourself spending money on things you didn't know existed if you aren't careful. It took me awhile before I ventured out of the 2nd Gen section of the site, but I wish I would have sooner. The Group Buy section and Coupons & Deals sections have some amazing prices from vendors willing to dip below MAP prices if you send them direct messages and it will be the cheapest you will find parts anywhere. I would have saved a lot of money if I started there. Also, Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road was invaluable in getting my lift setup dialed in. There are many awesome businesses with a presence on this site, but Headstrong is where all my future suspension money will be spent.

 

Living that SuperBump life.





And the Squadron Sports have been replaced with the Squadron SAE fogs.



I only managed to break one of the lights on removal. It took three neighborhood garages and a wood shop (long story) to get a seized bolt out. I could have sworn I put anti-seize on, but that thing would not budge. I scuffed up the housing pretty bad, but Baja Designs is putting all the internals into a new housing for a nominal amount that I'm pretty excited about.

 

Went to the coast for the Grayland Kite Festival and some camping a little further south.





I've cooked in worse places.