Dave's driver's truck

parts list for tl;dr;
- uppers: Total Chaos upper coil bucket gussets, weld-in
- forged SPC UCAs
- lowers: Marlin HD frame braces, weld-in
- Dirt King LCAs
- gusseted spindles
- King 3.0 IBP fronts with adjusters, 550lb 14" springs
- King 3.0 dual bypass rears on TRD leafpack
- Adjustable grade 8 end links
- Archive Hammer hangers with crosstube, spare relocated to bed with a 3 point.
- Solid Offroad solid motor mounts
- Core shifter on MT, custom extension & knob
- URD stage 2 clutch
- full FJ metal clutch pedal assembly and MC swap and removal of all plastic components, Accumulator delete (hardline), etc.
- currently testing for Yotawerx NA 3.5 tune initial release! today on v3.0.8.2 with 3.0.9 in hand
vF Tuner Yotawerx AD MT tune - dump tube, AGM (Odyssey)
- OV high flow catted dump tubes, customized URD Y pipe, rerouted to a Spintech muffler
- Hellwig rear sway 7744 set medium
- Wilwood 6 piston Superlite BBK & 13" grooved rotors
- Volk TE37x M-Spec 17x8.5ET-10, Cooper AT3 LT E range 285/65-17, ARP Lexus extended studs (

$43 100-7715 ARP 1007715 Wheel Stud Kit for Lexus

100-7715) and drilled Rays 42mm lugs.


- steel brake lines
- TRD intake
- HIDs
- MESO turn signals, MESO 3rd brake light
- SDHQ chrome moly sliders
- WarFab rear Warthog bumper, modified
- interior blackout, MESO overhead and map lights in red & amber
- customized driver seat
- 8100NEX, Focal K2P fronts on a bridged JL HD600, JL 13TW5 rear on a 500/1, 5F cap, dynamat, etc.

Fortunate with timing and good sales assistance to get my hands on the first 3rd gen Pro MT delivered in Texas, Dec. 2016, after a 5 month wait.


April '21 with the new bumper..


Rocktober 2020



I built the truck as a driving enthusiast with a fixation on handling and chassis control. The most enjoyable hobby in my life is a clean, direct, and deliberate drive experience down to the details. I came from German cars and karts primarily and needed to slow down, so I got a Tacoma after totaling my R32 and seeing this pic..


The truck had so much potential, I was impressed by what I thought it could be.
But it had weak driveability and soft slop everywhere, from the motor, through the clutch & hydraulics, the suspension & chassis, the seat was awful, tons of big and little things... but I wanted to love it, something about it. After modding a lot of cars I figured these things were fixable. They all were, but it took time and resources, and plenty of planning to get it right. It took more depth of work than I originally planned but it is a rock solid strong and super direct MT vehicle now and is really the drive I envisioned when I first got it and tried to see past its problems and weaknesses. They are all handled now. This truck is the driver's prototype of what the 3rd gen can be performance-wise keeping the original package design intact. If you are in DFW feel free to contact me to check it out.

First and foremost, thanks go to Pablo Moreno of Tandem Offroad for his commitment, quality of work and attention to detail, and willingness to understand the project and be a part. This truck is different, so it took an out of the box perspective to happen and Pablo is not stuck in any box. Thanks, man.

- Suspension, chassis, wheels & tires
- Driveline stuff
- Interior, Seat, & Shifter
- Exhaust
- FJ Pedal swap
- Stereo
- Etc
- WTF is this?

 

Suspension & chassis, current in April 2021.

the main focus with modifying the truck is to reinforce everything and remove play & slop for clear feedback and a very deliberate driving experience. chassis flex at the suspension attachment points is significant and needed to be handled first. here's a short list of those mods:

The whole front end down to the spindle is brand new as of April, 2021.
All has been reworked Feb.2022 with the new wheels, lugs, & studs, which required some machining and JDM touch for fitting.
- new Toyota OE hubs
- ARP 100-7715 Lexus extended studs
- new Toyota CV's from Tandem Off-road
- uppers: Total Chaos upper coil bucket gussets, weld-in (AKA double shear kit)
- forged SPC UCAs with xAxis bushings
- lowers: Marlin HD frame braces, weld-in
- Dirt King LCAs
- gusseted spindles
- Adjustable end links grade 8
- Hammer Hangers with crosstube. i did the crosstube over a year after installing the hangers, and the tube is great. it is a bit cleaner in the rear and it is a ton more connected to the surface with the transfer of forces clear in the back unlike before.
- Solid Offroad solid motor mounts for directness & immediate power delivery (favorite mod!)
- Core shifter on MT, custom extension & knob
- URD stage 2 clutch for firm strong direct clutch engagement
- full FJ metal clutch pedal assembly and MC swap and removal of all plastic components, hardline ADM etc
- vF Tuner Yotawerx MT NA - dump tube & AGM tune
- open flow non-media exhaust components optimized for unrestricted flow and more immediate throttle response
- Hellwig rear sway 7744
- Wilwood 6 piston Superlite III BBK & 13" grooved rotors (takes 34lbs unsprung off the front)
-------------
the effort has been to isolate suspension flex especially at the attachment points, isolate the tires to be in touch with their flex, and get the frame to show what it's got and what it needs for higher speed response & stability.

- 1⅝" lift on King 3.0 internal bypass stage 3 shocks front & rear, 550lb 14" springs.



- TRD Pro leafpack

i would have been happy with 2.5 Kings but they were not available with the IBP as on the 3.0's. the TRD Foxes were run into the dirt by 56k and i was never satisfied with them. they rode comfortable but offered very little in terms of actual performance enhancement. the Kings made my truck significantly more controlled and consistent right out of the box. this truck lives about half of its life above 85/90mph so predictable control matters. a lot.

- Hellwig Rear Sway bar #7744 https://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com/Suspension/Hellwig-Anti-Sway-Bar/_Item/_220400327

- Marlin HD Frame braces https://www.marlincrawler.com/axles/front-axle-armor/hd-lca-frame-brace-2016-tacoma
These combined with Hammer Hangers are a perfect combo to firm up the suspension attachments and help isolate suspension performance as well as just beefing up your truck where it's needed. They are very complementary in terms of firming attachment points and also the performance change regarding isolating the suspension. for a front & back treatment these two are a match.

Total Chaos front coil bucket gussets take the Marlin Frame brace effect to another level, and that is so good with these shocks since they can't get enough of whatever you throw at them.



front TC coil bucket gussets:

rear gussets:


gusseted spindles and grade 8 adjustable end links (with a touch of preload)




- Archive Garage Hammer Hangers with Archive Crosstube https://archivegarage.com/explore-archive?olsPage=products/tacoma-hammer-hangers
This is a must-have if you value ride quality and performance.

- Timbren Active Bumps


- SDHQ 4130 chrome moly sliders (100lb total) https://sdhqoffroad.com/collections...current-toyota-tacoma-sdhq-built-rock-sliders
had to have sliders for protection but i'm not randomly throwing weight on the truck. these saved me ~50lbs from other sliders. these are 5 degree.

one side and hardware on the scale before coating..


- i had a Budbuilt traction bar installed and i enjoyed it for about 48 hours until this: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/crazy-leak-from-the-rear-end-overnight.548948/

since then, i have improved the throttle through tuning, and i enjoy & prefer active throttle work as a driver, so axle wrap is a non-issue. i considered bigger power (OV TT's), but i prefer NA motors, and once tuned the 2GR-FKS is a good one, and it fits perfectly with my package here. I'm not short on power or response/control at all, and any FI application wouldn't do more than unbalance the truck. it's all about the whole package's balance over here, and the thing already likes to spin tires through second on a dry road.

Solid Offroad solid motor mounts are in. this is the most exciting mod of all for me. these have brought together the chassis/suspension work with motor tuning & exhaust work.

- Volk TE37x M-Spec 17x8.5et-10 blast black with Cooper AT3 LT E range 285/65-17.

 

- URD stg2 clutch, new TOB and resurfaced flywheel at 64k https://www.urdusa.com/urd-stage-2-clutch-2gr-fks-3-5l-v6-w-6-speed-transmission/

- Accumulator Delete Mod (ADM) https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mt-accumulator-delete-mod-adm-and-bs-thread.568303/

- Yotawerx NA MT AD test tunes galore!

- Solid Offroad solid motor mounts
No website for these, so probably the best place for Tacoma-related info is here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-3-5v6-motor-mounts.681377/
These are as they claim, you can see consolidated info from his Instagram here on TacomaWorld: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-3-5v6-motor-mounts.681377/#post-24012859

Current alignment specs:
caster: 4.9 both
camber: 0.0° both
toe:0.03 in both, 0.06 total

 

Interior, seat, and shifter
- Core shifter https://core-shifters.com/products/...tick-for-toyota-tacoma-2016-2019-v6-4x4-rc62f
if you like shifting for real, this is the shifter you want. Enough said.



- Seat contour:
stock driver seat was the most uncomfortable seat ever. within an hour of driving my right thigh would go totally numb and stay that way the whole drive. and my mid-upper back hurt from it also. so i went to Jay's Upholstery in Denton, TX and asked them to bucket it. $200 for the most comfortable seat i own now.
Passenger side, not touched, flat and quite hard:

Driver side, bucketed and cushioned. in this pic you can't see much but the driver foam is very soft on top and lets you sink right into it. they carve out the bucket to drop your bottom, raise the thighs a bit, then there will be some slack in the leather. they carve foam from the bottom, not the top. after that they fill the top with low density foam to take up the slack. so what you're looking at is kinda puffy on the top but you sink into the bucket easily. so comfortable and snug.


- Steering wheel stitch & wrap https://www.lonckyauto.com/loncky-b...-2016-2017-2018-2019-toyota-sequoia-2014-2019
This is configurable from Loncky, so you can get the pattern, colors, and enhancements you want (like the red top marker on mine). You do the stitching yourself, so it's a day project and takes some patience and willing fingers. i did mine when i broke my left foot and couldn't drive. i'm obviously not the best stitcher around as you can see. it has tightened up a bit after drying and getting used. it feels right, stock, nothing weird or loose. definitely would do again, just not the broken foot part.

- for device mounting i use the DMM multi mount with Ram balls and arms. i have just one arm now with the Perfect Squeeze phone mount from Hondo Garage. it's great, solid and configurable, would do again. i have tried nearly every one of these solutions and this is the only one i like. https://shop-hondogarage.com/products/perfect-squeeze-phone-mount

Here in late October after over 3 years of effort, I finally completed the major mods on the truck, although some exhaust work and a new rear bumper and trimming are coming. As soon as I finished the bigger stuff the focus shifted immediately to a couple things interior that I wanted to handle, namely dechroming using @MESO's bits. A/C vent rings and steering wheel logo this week, center console ring, 4x switch, and door handles next week.

 

- Exhaust
The exhaust project has been a multi phase project that has evolved over 3 years of work. next year i'm finishing it with a custom tuned Y pipe to replace the URD non-tuned & unequal length Y pipe. to be honest, i quite like the sound of this motor with unequal length y sides. but i think the performance of equal length sides may make it worth consideration.

For the 2GR-FKS to shine you really need an open flow exhaust. the motor really changes when restrictions are removed, which is clear having done it in stages. the biggest restriction i found in the exhaust was the TRD muffler itself, which is dramatically more restrictive than either the front or rear cats. i do like the TRD sound, but that's not worth the performance cost for me, and it is quite a cost from that TRD muffler.


Current config:
- OVT high flow 200 cell catted dump tubes. see pics below.
- full re-route and crush pipe delete for clearance
- URD mk2 Y pipe. https://www.urdusa.com/urd-mark-2-y-pipe-tacoma-2016-v6/
(with a reduced merge from 3" to 2.25")
- two 2.25" Vibrant Ultra Quiet resonators tied up with all 2.25" pipes
- Spintech 8000 muffler 2.25" inlet, 2.5" outlet to tailpipe




the most important thing is to remove restrictions, but the next on the list and very significant for performance is going down to a 2.25" midpipe from URD's & TRD's 3" midpipe. 3" is inefficient and loose with response & torque vs. 2.25 or 2.5" on this NA motor, and that was compounded by having two open flow 3" resonators, which is why i tore it all out and redid it with tighter piping. removing all the 3" pipe improved power, throttle response, and sound. i thought the sound would possibly suffer after removing the 3" pipe, but surprisingly it improved with a cleaner tone and no more nasty metallic resonance.

OVT catless prototypes. look beautiful, leaked badly with fumes in the cab, removed the next day.

went back to stock front cats, and those have been replaced with these, and the coming tuned Y pipe. these are the OVT high flow catted dump tube prototypes. i seem to jump on prototypes.

 

- FJ pedal swap
3 years of groaning, squeaking, loose fitment and wonky side-to-side play... that was my experience with the 3rd gen clutch pedal assembly. i tried greasing in several ways, tightening it up where i could, removing the return spring, and going to the dealer twice with my best manners. actually, i'm glad it didn't work out, because that lead to a full FJ all-metal pedal assembly swap. i was out of warranty so did not qualify for the in-warranty TSB (T-SB-0112-19) that someone somewhere says fixes it, so i went ahead with the FJ pedal project with a little help from some friends.

TSB thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-creak-noise-revised-tsb-t-sb-0112-19.635065/, details here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-tsb-t-sb-0112-19.635065/page-5#post-21891255 and here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-tsb-t-sb-0112-19.635065/page-5#post-21891279)

for getting this started, credit mainly goes to @Jeff Lange who's parts knowledge and helpfulness gave this project a leg to stand on. next to @Key-Rei who did his version of this on his 2nd gen truck: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...rations-welcome.406844/page-341#post-16682233
and to Pablo Moreno at Tandem Off Road who is the guy who gets my mission fully and has my back. he has done all the work and understands what it's about. his skills are really full, wide ranging, and uncompromising in quality. this truck has Pablo's name all over it. i cannot thank him enough.

here's the parts list:
31301-35270 - Pedal, Clutch (Steel)
90389-06055 - Bushing, Clutch Pedal Spring (Only required for 2005-2019 Tacomas produced before May 2019 that have not had T-SB-0186-12 Rev.2 completed)
90541-06036 - Stopper, Clutch Pedal (Qty: 2, Tacoma already uses one, FJ uses 3)
31420-35070 - Master Cylinder, Clutch (Alternate: 31420-60060, uses metal clevis in place of plastic)
31454-30030 - Boot, Master Cylinder (Optional, 2015-2020 Tacomas include this boot while other vehicles don't, but it seems worth having)
31434-60010 - Hose, Clutch Reservoir (Only required for 2005-2014 Tacomas that have not had T-SB-0186 Rev.1 or Rev.2 completed)
31404-35013 - Clevis, Clutch Master (Optional, all-metal design replaces plastic design that is included with 31420-35070)
90240-T0002 - Pin, Clevis to Pedal
90386-08033 - Bushing, Pedal Pin
90206-08001 - Washer, Pedal Pin
90468-15006 - Retainer, Pedal Pin

Service Parts:
04311-60180 - Overhaul Kit, Master Cylinder
31454-30030 - Boot, Master Cylinder
31404-0K010 - Clevis, Plastic
31404-35013 - Clevis, Metal
94120-40800 - Nut, Pushrod to Clevis

All 2005-2020 Tacomas use the same pedal arrangement (2WD, 4WD, 5MT, 6MT), so everything in this thread is relevant to those years/models (including the TSB itself).
- Jeff L.

In my experience here, Jeff's info is correct, and since i was going for all metal and no plastic parts including the master cylinder clevis which in N.America comes with a plastic clevis only, it was necessary to purchase a MC from a 2008-18 Land Cruiser from a mideast parts supplier. this got me the metal clevis i wanted, and the only way to get it was attached to that Land Cruiser master cylinder with a different part number for something like $80. it's exactly the same MC that we already have on our trucks with the same part number, so we were able to just swap out the plastic clevis for metal from the new MC and keep the original MC in place. so essentially that little clevis cost me $80 which is ridiculous but hey, there's no more plastic! and Pablo got a free new MC from the deal.

For the 2nd gen example, he did some mild fitment massage to get it together right...
@Key-Rei noted a bit of work to get things contacting correctly:

I removed the spring horn from the pedal and had to modify the clutch down and up switch pad poles to line up, again given the FJ sits more vertically vs the Tacoma's more reclined driver position it seems the pedal assemblies are angled differently. The FJ pedal seems like it's more of a step down onto it vs the Tacoma is more of a push back toward the firewall.

I'd like to see and drive a 6speed FJ to confirm this.
- Key-Rei​

But for the 3rd gen, mine being the first example I've seen, it appears to be straightforward without fitment tweaks...
there was no cutting/grinding/bending required at all.

@ShirtTucker is the only other install i know of, and he did it himself. See a link to his install DIY, note #13 at the bottom of the first post: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-mod-adm-and-bs-thread.568303/#post-18707301

if any of you are considering this, it's really good, better than i expected actually, and much better than a correctly working stock kit in my opinion. i felt that when the OE stuff was tightened up and squeak-free, it felt and performed like plastic trash. there i said it. for like the hundredth time lol.

this is a totally different driving experience with firmer springs, a thick solid feel, and engagement midway down like a normal setup instead of up top (which was always weird, it felt like i was holding my knee up to my chest when modulating the clutch). it's now a normal drive with no weird anything getting my attention. it literally took me over two years to adapt to the stock setup, so this is a good thing that all is simply normal driving now, and super direct. when i come up to the bite point and release through it, the clutch consistently gives a clear quick thump-thump-thump as it releases its grab, and you can even feel detail within each thump. if I'm a little off my game that day, it will thump four times instead of three... now that's some directness & detail. which is a dream come true for me.

edit Oct. 2020: just to add a note here after roughly 10k miles of use... everything is just as tight, responsive, and predictable as after install, and i have been driving the crap out of it. in fact, it still gives me exactly the same 3x thump at the bite point as the clutch engages/disengages like i mentioned after install. I'm feeling real good about all this after 10k of use. 2020 has been a shit show of unreal proportion for me personally, so this has helped a bit to offset the pain of that struggle.

in all, with the big effort to get the hydraulics and clutch right, it is just right, solid, no play, and dialed in. i don't think there's much to improve there now. not even a detail out of place.

 

Stereo
- Panasonic 8100NEX
- idata Maestro for integrated controls
- Focal K2P coaxials up front powered by a JL HD600/4 bridged to 2 channels and run 300W per channel L&R.
- no rear speakers to mess up the sound stage and clarity
- JL 13TW-5 sub on a JL 500/1
- Alumapro 5F capacitor
- Odyssey 34R-790 with custom AGM alternator level settings through vF Tuner on the OVTune file. here's a thread for that: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/vf-tuner-for-the-3-5l-tacoma-agm-tuning.689652/
- a bunch of dynamat but definitely not enough.

 

little things, and i can't remember half of them:
- MESO turn signals
- MESO amber interior lights, so nice!!
- MESO & TVD Vinyl blackout kit for whole interior including door handles
- ceramic tint, limo dark in the rear
- Xenon HIDs
- MESO BD4 rear light setup
- Extang Encore 2.0 tonneau
- TRD CAI
- 2Lo Mod, still not installed
- anti tweaker device (anti-theft for tailgate)
- Spare tire relocated to bed with a 3 point tie down, and spare hanger hardware removed
who knows what else i'm forgetting.
MESO's BD4, super nice!

- WarFab Warthog rear bumper, plain tube.

 

WTF is this?

this Tacoma looks like most. but the strategy for building and modding was specific and not at all like most trucks you see here. it's the performance and how it drives that makes it different. this truck will effortlessly dance, because it's all built around responsive handling. it's difficult to drive, but that's how it is with karts as well. they don't drive like normal road vehicles, rather they fly/float from traction event to traction event. that makes them super fast but also requiring specific skill to drive, because there is almost no grip at the tires until you deliberately weight shift into the tires. this truck won't really turn above 45mph unless you do that. so unless you have a good history with high performance karts or any open wheelers, no you cannot drive my truck.

an example of how specific skill in driving the truck can help it perform better while making it difficult to drive:
many complain about bump steer, how striking a bump will steer the vehicle and it shouldn't do that. true, commuter vehicles shouldn't do that. but racing vehicles should, because that is a fast response that can be reproduced. a karter would like bump steer, since it can help turn the vehicle faster than anything else can, so the skill is in learning to work with it and capitalize on it. the difficulty is in learning to deal with it when you're not using it to or wanting to steer the vehicle at all. the skill to learn is how to steer into bumps to avoid the steering effect from them, and that requires much more skill than simply capitalizing on bump steer events.

TL;DR;
it's a sleeper big kart with a mid travel suspension, 6MT, tuned, tweaked, tightened, and strategically reinforced for kart-like handling. most fun all-around vehicle ever. holy crap can you toss this thing around, get air, and fly over obstacles at speed like i used to run back in my BMX days.

 

Where the hell did this come from ??

In for the awesomeness

 

Some solid work already. Looking forward to what comes next

 

So this dude waits 5 months to get a TRD pro only to swap out the TRD wheels, TRD suspension, and remove the TRD badge . Before someone asks, no I'm not jealous, just doesn't make any sense to me. Nice truck though.

 

Nice build indeed.

 

quote from above: the TRD Foxes were run into the dirt by 56k and i was never satisfied with them.

 

Great project and great write up St. Germaine, thanks for posting; very, very interesting. So would you say the truck set up more for high speed street, or high speed off road with some slower off road? It seems some of the heavy things you've added; the battery and the sliders (though on the light side for sliders), add quite a bit of weight and take away from the performance additions? I've moved a little bit in this direction w/ my 17' DCSB OR. I totally agree with a truck that can haul ___ and also do quite a bit of off roading. I personally have no interest in all the big lifts some guys go with; great for crawling, which a person might do .1% of the time, and worse for everything else. (If a guy likes big lifts, it's his truck, knock yourself out, good for you, I just don't get it personally.) My next truck might be a pro, with some higher speed improvements. Keep the write ups coming St. Germaine, great job.

 

this is cool. i am also coming from a german performance coupe background, so it is interesting to see someone take this approach with the tacoma. i am planning to keep mine mostly stock so i will live vicariously through your posts for now.

 

Nice truck, did the hammer hangers make that much of a difference?

 

yessir. because my tires are so firm, the jittery vibrations from the rear were exaggerated. so it was a massive immediate change in ride quality but also in rear end grip. the suspension can work so much better by being more stable from the HH.

 

i setup the truck for all around driving everywhere but with a strong high speed (85+) stability and ease of driving. i also set it up for fun, and you can read about that here, i just added this today: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/daves-drivers-truck.659667/#post-23055723

the battery i upgraded to is the same size as the stock unit, but much more powerful. no extra weight. runs my stereo and lights without dimming... i also have a 5F capacitor to help with that.

the sliders added 100lb, but they are at the base of the truck, and that has helped with highway stability having a little added weight that low. i don't want a bunch of indiscriminate weight, but if there's a value it can work, and did. the SDHQ sliders are strong and actually limit chassis flex longitudinally and torsionally a bit as well. if you have ever made an emergency maneuver on the highway and got your chassis to flex torsionally, you would know why you would never want that to happen again. if that force snaps back on you it's scary and possibly the end.

but the power and throttle response from OVT 2.0 combined with my exhaust has made the slightly under 5000lbs i haul around absolutely no problem. the thing is totally light on its feet everywhere.

 

Nailed it!