PC3coyote's 2017 Tacoma Build

Haha yeah it’s a lot of stuff. It’s actually parts and things I’ve been gathering for over three months but just haven’t had time to install or take photos.

• No, this is one of their older racks not the Max Modular. I bought the rack, tent, awning, and rotopax from another TW member selling their truck. It was a great deal since I got all of it for less than what just the tent costs new. I was still able to use the Max Modular traction board mounts without any issue. I just had to drill extra holes in them to mount my Amazon traction boards since I don’t have maxtrax. No issues mounting them to the rack. No issues mounting the hi-lift mounts either. For the rotopax mounts, I just had to use my dremel to slightly widen a few of the holes.
• I’m going to upgrade from the slimline bumper. I was on the fence since I love my SSO bumper. I’m going to change to have more clearance in the front and also for more protection. We do more offroading than we did when I got the SSO bumper. I also really like the look of the new Brute Force front bumpers and it will compliment the high-clearance swingout rear bumper nicely. He just released them. They aren’t on his website yet but you can find pictures on his Instagram.
• Not a real recovery. He just got a new winch so we were properly tensioning it (winding it up with a load by pulling me). I also retensioned my winch cable by pulling him. It’s important so that the winch cable doesn’t get damaged in a real recovery.
• I love the rock lights. I use them when we offroad at night. It helps me and others behind me see the ground around us. They are mostly helpful for camping at night and having some light around/under the truck. I upgraded my lights to use long strip lights under the cab versus the pods so I don’t have anything low below the frame. I still have the pods for the front and rear. I recently added Mattgecko bed lights which are amazing for camping as well as just general use at night to see around the truck. He includes everything you need and it’s a super easy install.
• The awning is from ARQ4WD and is a 270deg awning. It’s not nearly as good quality as some of the more expensive options out there but is relatively cheap and does the job. It makes a huge difference when camping in the dessert. The brackets are just bent/painted steel. They are super strong and are really nice to allow you to still have a lower rack to keep the roof top tent right at the truck roof line. This is important for us so we can still bring the paddle boards. I bought a Prinsu rack from another TW member so I can carry the boards. I have it installed, just haven’t taken photos yet. I will on our next trip. I didn’t build the awning mounts. The guy who had the rack and awning before me had a friend help him do it but they are pretty simple. I’m going to move them slightly further out which would allow me to tuck the RTT cover between the tent and awning when the tent is in use. The tent opens in the other direction. The KB Voodoo brackets allow the traction boards to be just below the top of the rack so they don’t interfere with the tent. They also keep them from running on the side of the truck although it looks close.

 

Haha



I’ve changed the bed setup so much (Access Vanish tonneau cover >> Thule Xsporter Pro bed rack >> ARE V Series camper shell and bed drawers >> this) but I think we’ve reached a stable point. I really love this setup and we are now super spoiled when we go camping. I have some more plans to make additional changes/addition to the rack but they’ll all be more subtle.

 

I think mine is freaking out also. There appears to be a short in my harness

 

My steering wheel controls stopped working and the reverse camera wouldn’t come on.

After removing the radio, it appeared that the JJ Harness 28 pin male plug was not staying fully connected to the factory head unit 28 pin female port. The harness plug was sitting loose and not snapping into place like it should. I ended up fully removing the harness completely and everything worked properly.

Only weird issue I have now is that the head unit will occasionally restart on its own especially when a call comes in on my phone while being connected to the car Bluetooth.

 

I’ve been having a similar issue. My only problem is I had the restart issue before I added the anytime front and reverse. Toyota replaced my head unit and I was still having the same restart issue when I trigger the microphone in my truck from my phone. Only problem is it’s not consistent. It doesn’t happen every time. So I added the mod anyway and figured an entune or IOS update would fix the issue.

I’ve been considering pulling the anytime mod but haven’t found the time

 

Yeah, that sounds very familiar to my problem.. that it’s sporadic when it happens

 

Interested in how your upgraded suspension handles the weight of the RTT and everything else, seems like a simple set up overall ( which is what i would like down the road) Love the over all set up though man from the wheels to the bed and everything else keep the leash off keep making bad financial decisions haha

 

Thank you for making me feel a little better about changing my mind for the third time, since you’re on the fourth

I thought I reached the happy medium with the RTT/bed rack combo but after 30 nights in 11 months and spending too much time around people with Drifters I pulled the trigger on one

Love all the awesome pictures and stoked to see all the new goodies!

 

i love this thread..... pretty sure it's my most commented thread on TW, lol. truck looks amazing always, no matter what stage it's at. the time you take to document and post your write-ups still amaze me. i'd love to adventure out like you do, sadly in central IL there is just no place to go like that...

 

Paul! Long time no talk. Been away for a while but back now. Glad the move to SoCal worked out for you. Looks like you're having a blast. Truck looks awesome as always man! Happy new year!

 

Just got these and they are en route to my house. I am going through the same thought process. Getting a little nervous about cutting into my damn bumper and dont want to mess it up. Also, what kind of switch can I purchase to control them with? That sounds awesome to be able to have them engaged whenever I want. Thanks, hope to hear back from you soon!

 

Just make sure they are down enough the metal part won’t be in the way. Mine are up a little too high. As far as switch I can’t help there, I only wanted to have them in with back up lights. He should have a post on wiring

 

OP, I absolutely loved your thread. There's nothing like a great Tacoma with an owner who also knows how to use a DSLR. It's almost as though I can be a part of your trips and expo's.

Thanks!

 

Hey man sorry if you’ve posted it already but what’s your center of hub to fender measurement with the 886s? Also did you fab that awning bracket? I have a mid rise rack and that thing would be awesome to bolt to it so I could use it for an awning!

 

Sorry everyone for the lack of responses! I have a ton of updates from the last four months. I'm working to update the build page now.

I've been on the edge about the new campers out there... trying to fight the urge! Thanks for the nice comments!

Thanks for that, I appreciate it! In central FL, there wasn't much adventuring either which is one of the primary reasons we moved out west to CA.

Thanks! I hope things are going well for you! I ended up going with the OME lift, thanks for the help a year or so go when we chatted on that topic last.

I hope your install went well! I with with CH4x4 switches. My write-up is here.

Yeah, I made mine too high so they interfered with the license plate lights behind the bumper. They didn't sit super flush so I added some black silicone at the top. You wouldn't know the difference from a foot or two away but I am a perfectionist so it bothered me. I recently moved them over to my new @Bruteforce Fab high clearance rear bumper with a swingout which I don't have any good photos of yet.

Thanks! That means a lot!

Here are my approximate measurements (probably not super precise). Note: I had decent sagging while running stock suspension for two years with a @SouthernStyleOffRoad hybrid bumper and winch in the front, @SOS CONCEPTS sliders, RCI Metalworks front skid plate, and a camper shell and bed drawers in the rear (that was eventually replaced with a @KB Voodoo mid-height bed rack with a Freespirit Recreation high country series roof top tent).

• Measured from the center of hub to the bottom of the fender
  • Before
    • Front: Driver Side 20" / Passenger Side 20"
    • Rear: Driver Side 20.25" / Passenger Side 20"
  • After
    • Front: Driver Side 22" / Passenger Side 22"
    • Rear: Driver Side 24" / Passenger Side 24"
• Measured from the ground to the bottom of the fender
  • Before
    • Front: Driver Side 34.25" / Passenger Side 34.5"
    • Rear: Driver Side 35" / Passenger Side 34.75"
  • After
    • Front: Driver Side 38.25" / Passenger Side 38.25"
    • Rear: Driver Side 39.75" / Passenger Side 39.25"

You can see my full writeup on my lift install in this post.

I didn't fabricate them myself. I bought the rack, awning with bracket, RTT, and Rotopax and mounts all from another member who was selling his setup. He either fabricated them himself or had someone make them for him. It's perfect for a mid-height rack. They are relatively simple bent steel and probably much beefier than they need to be but they do their job!

 

Trip Report
December, 2018
Lone Pine and Mammoth​

 

Trip Report
February, 2019
Mojave Road​

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L O T S O F U P D A T E S ! ! !
OP updated with new photos and info

Installed

• @zscott / @CBI Offroad Fab Prinsu roof rack with noise-reducing edge trim, 40" eBay light bar with Prinsu Heretic mounts, and gun case
  
• Relocated spare tire hoist
• Suspension
  • Front suspension
    • OME 886 coils (OME2886)
    • OME 90000 firm struts (OME90000)
    • OME front trim spacer 5mm (OME95PF5) on driver side
    • @HeadStrong Off-Road strut assembly (coil isolators, bushings, washers, and strut mount)
    • @TOTAL CHAOS upper control arms (96504)
    • Mixedmetalwork Cab mount chop
    • Hammered and sealed pinch welds
    • Trimmed fender liners and fender flares
    • Remolded fender liners
  • Rear suspension
    • OME 60091 nitrocharger sport rear shocks (OME60091)
    • OME dakar heavy duty leaf pack (ARBEL096R)
    • OME U-bolts (OMEU53B)
    • OME driveshaft spacer (OMEFK29)
    • @HeadStrong Off-Road leaf spring and shackle bushing kit (FBK05TAC)
• Wheels/Tires
  • 17x8.5 4.3" BS -11 @SCSPerformance dark bronze F5 wheels
  • 285/70R17/C BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires
  • 27x M12x1.5 extended thread spline @SCSPerformance black lug nuts
• Cut axle-dump stock exhaust
  
• OEM bed mat
• OEM Pro shift knob with @rrentrop red decals

Installed but need to take photos of

• @mesojdm headlight trim plates
• @Tacovinyl Pro grill decals
• @Bruteforce Fab front plate bumper with light cutouts, hoop with side supports, and powdercoat
• Element LED 20" Optix Pro LED light bar mounted in Brute Force front bumper
• @Bruteforce Fab rear high clearance bumper with light cutouts, swingout, fold-down table, camera relocation box, dual jerry can holder with Scepter fuel and water cans, and powdercoat

Recent write-ups

• Lift
• Bed rack, RTT, rotopax, traction boards, and hi-lift
• LED front light bar, rock lights, reverse lights, footwell lights, bed lights, and map/dome lights (updated)
• Spare Tire and Exhaust
• Custom tool mounts
• Roof rack
• Wheels and tires
• Onboard pressurized water
• Third brake light
• Pro shift knob

Recent trips

• Lone Pine and Mammoth
• Mojave Road

A few photos (more in OP and links above)

 

Nice updates!

 

Thanks! I appreciate it! An update was long overdue