Raz's '04 Tacoma TRD build

@razhick4x4 , well if you ever have any questions, hit me up, I'll answer any questions you might have, to the best of my ability. I started with a basic kit, for starting out. Wasn't expensive. buy a set of dies, brass, powder, primers, bullets, and your good to go.

 

Glad it worked out for you.

 

@eon_blue (and whoever else has run the Dakar leaf packs). i'm looking into replacing my rear suspension and i think that i'm going to go with the OME Dakar leaf packs. if memory serves me right, you ran those on your rig for a while, right? i know that you have since switched to AllPro Expo. leaf packs but while you were running the Dakars, did you need to run axle shims?

 

I probably should have, I have a set of 2.5 ° axle shims I need to install on my Expos. With 2+ in of rear lift I think it's a good idea to even out the driveline/pinion angle to avoid vibrations and issues with the pinion seal leaking. Mine has had a small leak for awhile now

 

ok, thanks for the info. i think that i'll be ok since from what i understand the OME springs have the mounting points on the springs angled to compensate for the lift. i think that i'll be able to tell pretty quickly though whether the angle is going to be too steep for comfort under normal driving conditions. i can always install the springs and then add a shim later in if i need to.

 

Installed the Diff drop today. went with the Toytec kit. everything went well... no rusty fasteners or anything. there was a lot of oil build-up on the driver's side but given the location of the oil filter i'd assume this is just from the years and years of oil changes. there haven't been any leaks that i've discovered on the truck so i'm confident that's what it is.

CV angle before (it was already on Jackstands at this point):


CV angle after (again, on jack stands):


Diff drop installed:




CV angle after (on the ground, i forgot to get a before with weight on the suspension):


doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference when the truck is up on jacks but with the truck on the ground the difference is night and day. i haven't put the lift kit in yet but i might get it in tomorrow, depending on the weather. I'm in no particular hurry as i don't have the rear yet.

 

took a look at my lights today and saw that there was some moisture in them. they still work fine but sucks nonetheless, not surprised for the price though. Plus, living in the seattle area, these things get about as much water exposure as they would if i lived somewhere drier but did regular river crossings. I'd imagine that they'd be great for more arid climates, like Arizona or California. they're plenty bright but the seals just don't hold up. hopefully they'll dry out when the weather does. still not sure whether i'll bother warrantying them, not sure if they're still covered but i've only had them since October. it was such a PITA to install them so i don't really feel like pulling them off unless i'm going to be replacing them with something better. thinking that when i do replace them i'll go with a pair of Baja Designs LP6 Pro driving lights. steep price but from what i've heard it's worth it.
Lights side by side:

You can see the moisture buildup here:

 

Good lookin' build man!

 

finally installed the front suspension today. The coil springs are the Toytec/Eibach 112-620p springs and the shocks are Old Man Emu Nitrochargers. everything went great, i am loving how clean and rust-free this truck is. not a single seized bolt. only took me and a buddy about 2 hours. the weather was kinda shitty but that's Seattle for you. The torque spec sheet that @eon_blue provided was priceless. only problem was that i couldn't fit my torque wrench into the space for the top three bolts, so i just went by feel. i marked all the bolts with paint so i'll be able to see if they start loosening up. I expect that the lift will settle a little but overall I got 4" on the driver's side and 3.5" on the passenger side. i suspect that it may be closer to 3.5" and 3" as my old springs were worn out and sagging under the weight of my bumper. i didn't end up doing the sway-bar delete like i had planned but i figure i can always do it later, it's not rocket science. not a fan of the bro-lean that it's got now but I ordered the rear suspension. it's supposed to be here on February 13th so i'll have to wait a little while i guess. going to get an alignment tomorrow.

Before:


After:




two coils compared. not a real big height difference but the new ones hardly compress at all.


New coils installed:

 

Yeah it's impossible to get your torque wrench on those 3 top hat bolts...I just go by feel as well. They're easy enough to check on a couple times the first 500 miles so it's no big deal

 

yeah, the way that i broke loose those bolts and tightened them up was pretty sketchy hahaha. see the pics.



that red paint mark on the tubing is a point of reference that i made so that i'd know where to grab so i wouldn't get thrown off by leverage. then i clamped my torque wrench in a bench vise, set it to 22 ft-lbs and got a feel for it. was a tad bit sketch but everything turned out alright. lol.

 

New goodies came in today:


List is as follows:

OME Dakar Rear leaf springs
OME Nitrocharger rear shocks
OME grease-able shackles
OME bushing kit
OME rear exhaust hanger


we'll see when i get the chance to put these on, i'll throw pics up when i've got it done.

In other news, I did some more trimming on my ashtray to get my CB to tuck up a little bit better. here's a photo:



in the picture it still looks like it's sticking kinda far out but in person the difference is night and day. it never really interfered with anything but it always looked kinda out of place and hackjob-ish. looks far better now.

my next job with the CB (besides a right angle coax connector) might be to change the power source and run it off a fuse tap (thoughts anybody?). should be able to run the wires behind the dash so it'll look worlds better.

i also came home from vacation to find a dead battery, i shouldn't be surprised i guess because the battery is 9 years old but it still sucks. it's fine as long as i drive it every day or two but i think that i'll go with an Optima yellow battery when i replace it.

 

Update 3/9/20:

Got the Rear suspension done last night, went on pretty much without a hitch, except for the fact that the U-Bolts were too short for the extra leaves in the Dakar pack. Truck looks a whole lot better now.

Before (yes the truck is already jacked up but the rear suspension is compressed):


All jacked up and ready to go:


Driver's side spring off:


Old spring vs new spring:


Cutting the new U-Bolts:


getting ready to install the new shocks:



Getting ready to torque everything to spec:



Finally done:


overall i'm pretty happy with the way that it turned out. I wasn't planning on buying new U-Bolts (figured i'd do that when i do my U-bolt flip kit) but as they say, shit happens. Not sure when i'll have the money for new tires though, my employer cancelled all the events i usually work for the forseeable future (Fucking Coronavirus). Finally decided on a set of General Grabber A/Tx's in 285/75r16. thought about finding a size in 17 inch wheels but i saw no benefit given the added cost and the fact that there are already good sizes available in 16s.

 

well, i went down to the truck yesterday and it wouldn't start... dead battery. the old one was nearing the 9 year mark so i figured it was time for a new one. I did some research and came to the conclusion that Optima batteries (my original choice) are not what they used to be. so i went with a 2xPower from Batteries plus Bulbs. Made in USA, 840 Cold Cranking Amps, 5 year complete replacement warranty, and Dual purpose (starting and deep cycle). apparently it's just a rebranded Northstar, it even says "powered by Northstar" on the battery it's self. I wanted to go with an Odyssey but nobody around me had any in stock. apparently though, Northstar was started by a group of engineers that left Odyssey (at least according to the Jeep Wrangler Forum ). I have been pretty impressed with it so far (i say only a day into owning it), truck starts up nice and quick.

Old Vs New, if you look close you can see the date sticker on the old battery which reads: 10/11. i'd say 9 years is a pretty good run for a battery .


New Battery installed:


You can probably see what my buddy at school wrote under my hood, unfortunately i discovered it while my elderly neighbor was giving me a jump (I have no idea if he saw it or not). next time i notice it i'll erase it but i usually forget to do it.

 

Installed a carrier bearing drop yesterday. pretty simple, just picked up some grade 8 washers and stacked them until they were about 3/4" thick on each side. i wasn't having any vibration problems but i figured that it wouldn't hurt. i think that i will eventually opt for the Dakar AAL. after the rear has settled, the truck sits exactly level and i would prefer to have it a little taller in the back. she already rides pretty stiff so i'm not too worried about ruining the ride quality.

 

Picked this up today, I was getting tired of using an AUX cord, looked shitty and got in the way when i had a passenger. This one can stream Bluetooth audio as well as calling. should be an upgrade. planning on putting it in tomorrow. Ideally, the wiring harnesses will be the same so i wont have to re-wire for the new radio. I think that they should be, they are both Pioneer units.

 

Replaced the Radio today, all went well. I ended up needing to rewire for the new radio but it wasnt a big deal. it only took me 20 minutes or so. other than that it went in pretty easily. it sounds clearer now and i am glad to be rid of the AUX cord. for anybody interested, i'm selling the old Pioneer head unit on ebay. here's the link: http://ebay.us/uaCVUl?cmpnId=5338273189

and here are some photos from the install:
Dash all torn apart:


Shit! the plugs don't match:


all wired up:


and...Done!

 

you certainly can get the CB farther back or you could scrap it and go full size like I did:



takes a bit of patience though with all the cutting

 

the thought of going full-size has crossed my mind but my initial draw to the CB that i have is that I knew it would fit in the ashtray spot. we'll see what I end up doing, at some point i'm also going to order a Right angle Coax adapter so it should sit back a bit better then. We'll see what i end up doing, I was fine with my CB the first time i installed it (i think there is a photo of it somewhere on this thread) but then i got tired of how far it stuck out. I'd say it's pretty likely that the same can be said for my current setup, i might get bored and do some more cutting eventually, maybe upgrade, but for now i'm happy.

 

No worries, and I know someone with a 90 degree coax .. hint hint… me