Elmer is getting some goodies

Updated info/mods list as of 1/25/20 (except the crap I forgot):

ARB Bumper
Smittybilt X20 10k winch with in cab remote plug in
Old Man Emu lift with heavy duty Dakar leaf pack
Total Chaos UCAs
Cooper ST Maxx 255/80/17s on 4Runner stock wheels
ARB LED turn signal/marker lights
Stedi Fog Lights
Optima Red Top Battery
Marathon covers - full set on all seats and center console
4Runner Brakes in the front
50 Cal ammo can lockbox behind the rear seat
Fog light mod
Leer camper top
Homemade deeper/improved storage cubby beside gear shift
A lot of trail pinstriping now

Current pics:




Elmer is my 2011 DCLB TRD Sport.



I bought him back in December 2015. I had been pondering buying another Tacoma, but knew from previous ones I had owned that I had to have a long bed for camping, wanted a DC for occasionally hauling people and frequently hauling stuff, and wanted one that already had a camper shell. This guy got traded in by an older lady from TX with just over 60k on the clock, and was at a dealership two miles from my house. So, I took him home.

I don't have much that is picture worthy yet, but I have replaced the stock head unit with a Pioneer double DIN bluetooth receiver and upgraded the door speakers. I put WeatherTech floormats in the front and rear, a BedRug in the bed, AVS Vent Visors on the doors, pulled off the stock running boards and mudflaps, some of that kind of stuff.

Until now, I would mostly look at other people's builds and dream. Then I hit a deer a couple weeks ago and it got me to considering things more seriously, as I want to try to prevent that much damage from ever happening to the ol' boy again.

Furthermore, I recently lucked into a part time job (in addition to my full time job and two other part time jobs), and figured that, since I'm making money I wasn't expecting, it might be time to make some of my dreams into realities.

So, I now have some goodies on order. I think finding the time to install things is going to be the main issue, but as I get time, I'll do some wrenching and take some pics, then post up the results. My goal is to combine daily driver with moderate off-roading capabilities, but we'll see how good I am at stopping myself once I get started.

 

First installment is coming up this weekend...

ARB Deluxe winch bar:


Smittybilt X2O 10k winch with synthetic rope:


I also just got some Front Runner bed bars, but I'm going to have to take the dremel to my topper to get them to fit, I believe. And I have some bed rail mounting hardware kits from Armor Tech Off-road that I'm going to use to mount some stuff. Not sure I'll get it all done this weekend, but there will hopefully be some more pics to follow.

 

The ARB bumper is sweet!

 

Well that accelerated quickly!

 

I had an ARB winch bumper and a winch on my first Tacoma and loved it. The hitting of the deer accentuated the importance of the bumper beyond its namesake use. Then I figured, "Well, I have ordered a winch bumper. I'm going to put a winch on it eventually. It will be easier to install it all at once. I might as well buy the winch now."

The real interesting part with the install is that I intend to do it by myself. It's going to take some brute strength and creative redneck engineering to get that thing on without help. It's a pretty big bumper.

The obvious next step will be upgrading the suspension. I figure I'll get 2-3" of lift with that. Then the obvious next step after that will be wheels and tires. Then I think I'll be done. For a while. Maybe. Probably not.

 

A couple quick pics of the weekends results. More pics and info coming soon, and more updates slated for this coming weekend.

Bumper is on, winch is bolted on but needs wired and the rope needs spooled.


These are the Front Runner bed bars. Took some tinkering to get them to for without butchering the camper shell. This will be a shelf to store cots and a table and some large, relatively flat items while camping. It will also have many other uses, I just haven't figured them all out yet.

 

Better pic of the bumper. It still needs adjusted a little, but I'm glad to have it on.

 

Spent my slower hours at work this week getting the winch rewired.

Ah!!!!!!!



Better....


At this point, all the wiring was done. Next, I decided to cover the holes where the switch and plug were. Nothing fancy, but it will work.

Before:


After:


Next, I had to get the switch and plug installed where I wanted:



More to come tomorrow...

 

Made a lot of progress today, but not much was pic-worthy. Also spent a few hours gathering supplies for the WV flood relief effort. Anyway...

Started out with this:


Got my ghetto box mount finished. Well, I'll put some vinyl or something around it to protect the paint, but it's mostly done.


Had a serious oh shit moment when I hooked the battery back up. Two of the terminals on the box were close enough to arc over. Sparks flew and it started smoking. Thankfully, I quickly unhooked the negative terminal and figured it out, and didn't get anything.

Next step was getting the offset fairlead mounted and getting the rope spooled:




This is the temporary setup. Not crazy about it being routed across the battery, but it helps keep the cables from got stuff. The next upgrade will probably be dual Optimas, so I can live with it for now.



Routed and secured cables:


Put him all back together:


And a Zippo I bought on a trip to the hardware store:

 

Got some extra lights wired up today.

Decided to put this


In here


Turned out pretty good, I think...




I also did the fog light mod, as you can see in the last pic.

 

Wired up a second set in the shell that can double as work lights.








They're prototype models and need some work, but I'm satisfied for now.

 

It's been a while since I posted anything in this thread. Added a few new things - Old Man Emu heavy duty lift, Total Chaos UCA's, and Cooper ST Maxx in 255/80/17. I love it!

 

I upgraded all the lights in my ARB bumper and wanted to do a write up here. I put the new ARB marker lights in. This kit here:

$127 ARB Lamp Kit Led Indicator Clearance (6821287)

https://www.amazon.com/ARB-Accessories-6821287-Indicator-Light/dp/B01BNGI6UK.

I ordered Stedi replacement round lights for the ARB bull bar insert as well. The combo is a major upgrade over the other crappy ARB round lights that used to bed the only option for this bumper. They have an angel eye DRL as well as a fog beam function.


Old round lights (new ARB marker lights are already installed here):






The new round lights are from Stedi, an Australian company. I ordered them on Wednesday last week, and they were here on Monday. They were packaged well and the delivery was unbelievably fast. The price on the website is currently $200 AUS, which came to about $150 US. The ARB crap ones are like $100 US, so it was a no brainer. These lights are a direct replacement for the ARB's, made specifically for the bumper insert. The housing is all metal, and is larger to help dissipate heat. They are MUCH better made than the ARB's. The lights can be found here: https://www.stedi.com.au/arb-deluxe-bullbar-led-fog-light-with-drl-upgrade-kit.html


Here are some comparison pics of the different lights.

 

Here are a few pics of the new units.





New adjusting screws and springs were included. The fit of the spring over the screw is better, as is the quality.


Installed:

 

Clean looking arb bumper man!

 

These, combined with the ARB marker lights, give me so many more lighting options. The ARB marker lights have 4 white LEDs on one side, and the rest of the light is amber LEDs.

I have the white LEDs in the ARB marker lights wired to a switch that has constant power, so I can use them for camp lights and what have you.



The amber LEDs in the ARB lights draw power from the turn signal bulbs, and are on when those bulbs are, and also function as turn signals.


The angel eye LED gets its power from the corner marker lights. Anytime they are on, so are the angel eyes.



Headlights plus DRLs:



Headlights plus fogs:


Headlights, fogs, corner white LEDs:


Everything except headlights and fogs:


Everything but headlights:



I love these lights and recommend them to anyone with this bumper. If you have a bumper that's been on for a while, I recommend that you take the inserts all the way out and fit the new ones in that way. On the drivers side insert, the mounting hole on the passenger side has worn out a little, and that light has a mild vibration. I will eventually fix that or replace the inserts so it's tight. Mounting them out of the bumper would have let me address the issue at install. I'll post some pics from inside the cab eventually. Hope this is good info.

 

Sub'd

 

sub’d for light upgrades down the road

 

I got a set of Staun Tyre Deflators and a Viair 300p air compressor on Friday and got to use them today. Well, I aired one tire down and back up Friday to make sure both worked. I wanted to put a brief opinion of them here.

For the record, I run Cooper ST Maxx in 255/80/17, load range E, at 40psi on the street.

The Stauns feel very well made. They come preset to 18psi (I can't find my damn tire gauge to confirm). This morning, I took all the valve stem covers off, then put one deflator on each one. After all four were on, I took a sip of coffee and the first one stopped letting air out right after. I took it off, put it in the case, and put the valve stem cover back on. About 20-30 seconds later, the second one stopped. About the time I got one tire done, the next one was done. I didn't time it, but I'm guessing it took 6-8 minutes or so.

I drove about 25-30 miles to explore a new hunting area. I was already impressed with the tires, but my truck goes like a tank now. I am very impressed. And of course the ride was a lot better too.

Once I was done and back to pavement, I used the Viair to air back up. I timed the amount of time it took to pop the hood, put on a hat and rain coat, get the Viair out of the bed, hook it up, air all four tires back up to 40psi, put the compressor back up, close the hood, take off my hat and coat, and get back in. From start to finish - 12 minutes! I was amazed. The compressor was hot when I got done, but never shut off due to overheating (it was 40 degrees and raining, will probably have a different experience in the dead of summer). The compressor is light, unbelievably quiet, and doesn't jump all over the damn place like the cheaper ones. I drive a DCLB and the air hose reached all four tires easily. I love them both already and highly recommend both.

For what it's worth, the in-line air gauge on the Viair read 18-20 psi on each tire when I hooked it up, so I think the stauns are set as advertised.

 

I pulled my fender flares recently and figured out a cheap, easy way to fill the holes after pulling them. You have to remove the inner fenders as well. Buy 40 radiator apron retainers that are 1" in diameter and have 7/16" diameter center portion. Buy 80 neoprene washers with 1" outer diameter and 7/16" or larger inner diameter. Buy 40 push nut retainers that have an inner diameter of 7/16" (outer diameter of these doesn't matter cause they go inside the fender.

Push one neoprene washer onto the radiator apron fastener, push this through the hole, put another neoprene washer on the inside, followed by the push nut. Use a deep well socket that is close to the outer diameter of the push nut. Hold down on the radiator apron fastener while pushing the push nut down tight with the socket. Rock the socket around the rim to seal it down tight. Repeat 39 times. Have a beer and admire your unholy creation.

I blasted one of these for at least 60 seconds with the wand on full blast at the car wash and it didn't budge.