Mtnbike247's Thick Tiffany '02 DC Build

Hey everyone, long time reader not a new poster. I've been on these pages for a long time and been playing with the first gen Tacoma's for a while now. I started off with my first Tacoma, a 2002 AC which has a build thread here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mtnbike247s-build-tiffany.388519/


Thick Tiffany Current Build:

Armor:
Allpro Baja Bumper
Allpro Front Skid Plate
Allpro Transmission Skid Plate
Relentless Fab Rear Wraparound Bumper
TrailGear Weld On Sliders

Suspension/Lift:
OME 882 Coils
OME Nitrochargers
OME Dakars
4 degree axle shim
MaxTrac Rear Lift Shackles
Superbump Rear Bumpstops w/ 3/8" Spacers
U bolt flip Kit

Tires/Wheels:
SCS F5 Matte Bronze 16" x 3.5"BS
BFG KO2 285/75/r16 (installed at 195k, still 50% life at 250k...)

Gearing
4.88's w/ Front and Rear ARB's

Exterior:
Lazer Star Lights 7" HID's

Other
ARB High Output Single Compressor
Weathertech Window Visors and Hood Visor
Weathertech Floormats


Maintenance:
Oil changes every 5k with 5-30w syn and OEM Filter since purchased
New OEM Air Filter every 10k or once dirty.
Trans Flush at 247k, smoothed out shifting

I absolutely loved the original access cab Tiffany, drove it everywhere, and it never let me down. But I always had a dream of owning a double cab 1st gen in the Jade Mica color...

So after years of dreaming I finally found what I wanted, a clean 4 door 4WD Jade Mica first gen and sprung for it!

The night I got it!

The day I bought her she had the following:
184k Miles
SR5 4 Door Standard 4wd Package
Running boards
Bedliner
Ventvisors
and nicer paint!

The new DC next to my AC, such a large height difference!

I wanted to do this build how I always dreamed an expedition ready Jade Mica to be and my initial thoughts were to pull all of my goodies off the access cab, swap the manual transmission over to the double cab and then sell the access cab.

 

First thing I needed to do was swap the tires! And wow such a difference in the way the truck looks


A comparison of both trucks with tires only swapped. Boy the 32x11.5 tires look good...


Unfortunately these tires barely cleared the front fenders with Thick Tiffany's poor worn out stock suspension... So the suspension swap was next on the list! I have to thank all of my friends and coworkers who helped me essentially remove and install the front and rear suspension on two trucks, no fast job, but we sure got fast at it!

First the front coils were swapped to the OME 881's we had on the access cab. We could now turn with the 32" wheels and even carry the dirt bikes no problem

The rear was next. Super lucky to have access to some lab space at work after hours to wrench during these rainy winter months.


And last but not least the AllPro Baja bumper and front skid plates were moved over. Now the two trucks were totally swapped! The access cab Tiffany was a little tacoma once again and Thick Tiffany was gaining some mass

 

I've always had my eyes on the SCS f5 wheels and told myself after many times rebalancing the steel wheels on Thick Tiffany that it was time to upgrade. So once I sold off original Tiffany... I got a hold of a set of brand new SCS Matte Bronze F5 wheels, 16 x 3.5BS and 285 75 r16 BFG KO2's since I loved them on the steel 15" wheels I currently had.

At America's Tire, fresh off the lift, tires lookin' good


Close up

 

I loved the stance with the new wheels and tires but those 285's now caused rubbing issues again, which I expected, so it was time to install OME 882's and bang out the pinch weld.


Tires now clear! For on-road driving least... I'm not the biggest fan of the flat stance with these trucks so longer shackles to bring the bed up a bit more are definitely on the radar for things to do next.

 

And of course I couldn't handle looking at the faded headlights any longer... so a set of aftermarket headlights went in. Really freshens up the front of the truck. Also for $70 why wouldn't you.

 

In addition to all this work I modified my custom built bed rack, which can be seen here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mtnbike247s-build-tiffany.388519/

To fit the new 5ft bed I first measured the inside of the double cab bed, and cut the bed rack into two parts.

I think cut out enough of the straight section so it was the proper length, then re-welded it together.

Now for fitment on the truck! For whatever reason this bedliner sits inside the bed rails more so this bedrack fits a little too tight for my comfort, but it can be installed. I plan to raise the rack an additional couple of inches so that my mountain bike can fit under it more easily on my bike trips where I need the RTT.

 

Want to sell her yet? Gorgeous truck