marks expensive toy build

Sold the Prinsu rack. dont know what it was about it but i just felt like it made my truck look a little... challenged. today installed my new one piece splash shields (big thanks to @
cnote4l) , installed some led bed lighting, and debadged. i think it looks much better and a lot less cluttered with "tacoma" everywhere you look. throwing the RTT on this weekend and getting as far away from other humans as possible with the exception of my girlfriend and of course my dog.
cnote4l)

 

spent the weekend up in woodstock. managed to stay toasty warm despite the temps in the 20s at night thanks to my new heater buddy and a bunch of 1 pound propane tanks.

 

had a little free time today so i installed my ARB diff breather and replaced my CB coax cable that had broken at one end..

 

I am root

 

Today i installed my 4x Innovations shackle flip kit with their beefed up stock length shackles. took about 2 hours total. most of that time was spent grinding off the rivet heads and air hammering them out. then cleaning up the holes with a half inch drill bit. after that it was simple bolt on and i couldnt be happier. these things are solid AF and the greasable shackles are a very nice touch. somehow i had managed to bend by stock shackles and that was causing some binding issues and a lot of noise. i got this kit to fix the noise primarily with the bonus of getting a little more droop and it certainly did those things. there is a noticable difference in ride quality (its better) and the rear end feels a lot less sloppy on turns. I run allpro standard springs which i guess are a little longer than stock so i did have to use the most rearward holes to get the shackle angle correct which required trimming half an inch off the rear bumper tab but that took like 20 seconds, no big deal. just have to spray a little rustoleum on them tomorrow. Big thanks to Adam @traxman25 for the great service! heres a couple pics

 

well my allpro leaf springs totally failed and went negative. bumps are almost resting on frame after only 8 months. I may not be a smart man, but i know not to expect any kind of customer service from those criminals so i busted out the ol credit card and ordered a new set of Dakars from @Wheeler's Off-Road Inc who were helpful and professional and will certainly be getting my business in the future, highly recommend them. Since i was in a baller mood i went ahead and ordered third members from east coast gear supply with 4.56 gears and ARB front air locker, Rear shock relocation kit from @ARCHIVE, and some 14" 2.5 king smoothies from @Downsouth Motorsports. once i get all that nonsense bolted/welded on, ill trim up my fenders, slap on some 35s, and see what i can break next.

 

finally on some 35s!

 

been a long time since i updated this thread. the taco has changed quite a bit in the last year. broke ALOT of stuff and upgraded where possible. the list of broken stuff includes a few CV axles, front frame section where the bumper mounts, destroyed my steering rack, bent both of my spindles, wore out a set of uniballs, and smashed up the body pretty good... which simply adds character. made a bunch of changes too including, HD dakars, cowl intake mod, arb fridge, working sink in the rear bumper, dual battery settup, spindle gussets, ebc brakes, ripped out the rear seats, and a ton of other stuff. ill try to do a few little write ups this week about some of the less common mods i did. anyways, heres some pics... more to come