Raz's '04 Tacoma TRD build

Since you have a welder, this is a decent way to go:

Bumper, CBI DIY kit: $450
Sliders, 4xInnovations: $250 (dom tubing)
Skids, DIY from 3/16 plate: ~$80 (work in progress)


Given the cost of a complete Moab 1.0 Bumper, I nearly broken even buying the DIY kit and the welder. Everything else is gravy. Although now I'm eying a bigger welder since my bumper took forever...

Doing it again, I'd buy a 180 instead of the little 125 welder I have now. 125 did the job, but the 180 would have been a helluva lot faster. Even with the cost of a 180, I'd still be in the black considering the bumper, sliders, skids (work in progress), rear bumper (planned DIY/kit) and various other projects.

 

i thought about the CBI kit but i have not been able to find it on CBI's website recently.

 

I see the CBI kit for sale on other websites still, CBI might not sell it anymore on their site but other sellers might still have them in stock. I believe I saw it on Low Range Offroad's website recently

 

I got mine direct from them this January. only took 2 weeks to ship, too.

I wouldn't expect a quick response from online/email/facebook inquiries, though...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/diy-1st-gen-tacoma-front-bumper.584372/

It's still there:
https://cbioffroadfab.com/product/diy-1st-gen-tacoma-front-bumper/

 

Update 7/31/19:
just put in a set of Husky floor liners and a set of WeatherTech window deflectors. i got em' used from a buddy who got a new truck and had no use for them any more. they fit pretty well and i think that they look decent too. now i won't worry so much about destroying the pristine factory matts that came with the truck whenever i'm out in the mud.
here are some pics:

 

Update 9/22/19:

ordered the ARB bumper on Monday and got er' put on last night. was a bit of a pain due to cheap HFT drill bits, Horrible ARB instructions, and the fact that the bolts they send you are just all thrown in one big bag, but she's on and she's solid. the truck looks a whole lot better now with the new bumper on. Timmy the Toolman's video on the ARB 4runner install was really valuable. here are some pictures of the install and how the truck looks after. weather sucks today so i'll get better pictures once i have the chance.

Ready to go on the truck:



Old bumper is off:



Bare front end; chassis extensions are bolted on in this picture:



Mounts are bolted on in this picture, big thanks to my buddies for helping me out with the wiring:



And she's on!!!



Before:
(fake skid plate and tow hooks are removed but still)


After:

 

Update 9/25/19:

put in the radio and my CB today. both work great, hands free function will be a godsend. all went pretty well; the only tough part was routing the wires through the firewall for the coax cable and putting the hands free mic wire beneath the carpet. all in all it took me about 2 hours of work at a very casual pace. side note: the Midland CB fits perfectly in the ashtray space. had to take out the ashtray mounting bracket and trim a bit to make room for the coax and power supply cables but fits great. nice and tight. used a bit of velcro to seal the deal and make sure it stays in.



pic of the interior:





with the dash apart:

 

Did you have to cut/trim the frame at all before you bolted on the chassis extensions?

 

nope, the only cutting/drilling that had to be done was on the chassis extensions themselves. for some reason ARB does not ship them pre-drilled for one of the bolts which goes through them vertically so you have to drill that one yourself. the cutting seen in Timmy the Toolman's video is exclusive to 4runners. also, i think that if you have a 98-00 taco (maybe 95-97 too, not sure) you don't need the chassis extensions as the frame is already extended.

 

Thanks for the information. I have a 2001 so it looks like no cutting aside from drilling out that hole for the through bolt.
I may add some welds to the stock frame endcap before I bolt the frame extensions on.

I’ve always loved the look of the ARB bumpers. Looks like your has the updated integrit powdercoating on it as well. Can’t wait to get mine on.

 

ARB looks great! Nice choice

 

yup, i'm happy with mine, you could weld the endcap but tbh it may be overkill, it also ties into the tow points. idk but it seems pretty solid to me.

thanks!

 

You can put a 255/85/16 under your bed (I have a BFG KM2 under mine)

 

Also, if you get a 90 degree elbow for your coaxial cable for the cb, it will fit more flush into the ashtray compartment instead of sticking out like it is now.

 

i trimmed the plastic of the ash-tray slot so that there is nothing behind the CB. the coax is just going into empty space behind the dash. i could be wrong but it seems to be as far in there as i can get it.

 

update 10/16/19:
picked up the trigger accessory controller today and put it in. went in pretty much without a hitch if you ignore all the stupid mistakes that i made. system works great so far but only time will tell how it holds up. fab'd up a little bracket for it and mounted it right next to the battery but tucked into the fender. thing's supposed to be waterproof so it should be fine. mounted the switches into the dash pocket with a little piece of aluminum. looks pretty slick i think. they're not wired into a power source yet but we'll see how long the batteries last. might not even be a problem. here are some pics. think that the next thing's gonna be suspension.
new parts all ready to go on the truck:

custom bracket:

installed:

new lights on the truck:

interior:

 

Update 10/20/19:
took 'er up on a trip this weekend. some buddies and i went up to a friend's cabin about 2 hours north of us. was a fun trip, learned some stuff, got some good pictures, etc. always fun to go up to the woods.
only casualty was my skid plate, managed to load her up with plants backing down a hill and popped off one of the bolts. she's still secure for now and the weather's been so shitty that i haven't wanted to crawl under the truck to check it out. hopefully it'll be a simple fix; if not then it might be time to build some new ones. Dont feel like dishing out the for budbuilts right now.

 

Beautiful Truck & the inside is clean! Thank you for sharing.

 

@eon_blue , I know this is an old post, but I wanted to ask you a question about one of the torque specs. The steering knuckle to lower ball joint 59ft lbs. Are these the 4 bolts on the bottom of the ball joint. If they are, I used this spec which I also found on another post. but like an "idiot", I was at auto zone returning a rent a tool, looked in an open Toyota book(Haynes) they had, and it shows 47 ft lbs. Now I'm confused on which one is correct.

 

The 4 lower ball joint bolts are definitely 59 ft.lbs... maybe the Haynes manual was referring to 5lug Tacoma torque specs? The 6 lugs are 59, but I'm fairly certain the 5 lugs are different.