Baby Yoda Tacoma (2020 TRD Pro Army Green) Build Thread

Baby Yoda Tacoma



As of October 1, 2020​

Day 1 of ownership Nov 15, 2019
​

Base Specs per Toyota:

• 2020 Tacoma TRD PRO
• Exterior: Army Green (6V7)
• Interior: Black/Red TRD Trim
• Engine: 6-CYL
• Drive Type: 4WD
• Transmission: 6AT
• Plant of Manufacture: Texas
• Selling Dealer: Hendrick Toyota Merriam, Kansas
• Date of Build: September, 2019
• Date of Purchase: November 02, 2019
• Date of Delivery: November 14, 2019

Night of delivery Nov 14, 2019​

Mods List​

Exterior:

• "Taco Time" License Plate Bracket
• Tepui Kukenam 3 Ruggedized Roof Top Tent (Olive)
• BAMF Expo Bed Bars
• [Deleted] DIY Bed Rack
• Bed Mat (Kept from the old truck)
• Extra D-Ring Tie-Downs Added to Bed Rails
• OEM Bed Light Kit
• Curt 13,000 lb Shackle Hitch
• @CaliRaisedLed Rock Sliders, Bolt-On, 0-Degree, Kickout, Fill Plates
• @gmartin284 Foundation Roof Rack
• Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ P3 285/75/16R (33s)
• Exterior UHF Antenna Mount
• @Backwoods Adventure Mods Hi-Lite Overland Front Bumper with Bull Bar (with Frame Support Brackets)
  
• Pathfinder - 2" Surface Mount Amber Spots (fog lights)

Under the Hood/Drivetrain/Performance:

• Spiker Engineering High Lift Hood Struts
• A/C Drain Mod

Interior:

• @MESO Ultimate Map Lights (White)
• @MESO Extended Fuse Cover
• @MESO Stealth Shift Knob Kit [Not yet installed]
• Fyre Flys 9 Piece White LED Interior Lights
  • Passenger Vanity Mirror Lights
  • Dome Light
• Glove Box Organizer
• Cup Holder, Door, and Center Console Liner Inserts (Red Trim)
• RAV4 Radio Knobs
• Front Side Window Tint (Matching Rear Side Windows)
• @FreshMexicanTaco Dashboard Multi-Mount (DMM)
• @MESO Vent Rings (MGM)
  
• Baofeng UV-S9 GMRS Radio (mounted)

Wish List:

• @Apogee Offroad Rear Bumper (BSM Compatible)
• @CaliRaisedLed Sliders, Bolt-On, 0-Degree, Kickout (On Order INSTALLED!)
• @gmartin284 Foundation Roof Rack (On Order INSTALLED)
• Falken Wildpeak M/T 285/75R16 Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ P3 285/75/16R (Acquired)
• ARB air compressor (mount in bed)

The namesake courtesy of @Airborne22​

Boring Stuff:
In December of 2014, I bought my first Tacoma: 2013 TRD Sport in MGM with 19,000 miles. I always owned midsize pickups, but got burned on all the issues the Big 3 bring to the table. I went for the Tacoma for the legendary reliability above all else. And she did not disappoint. I put 80,000 trouble-free miles on that truck before selling nearly exactly 5 years later.
After getting more into off-roading and the overlanding scene, I wanted the stock locker of the Off Road. For a few years I was looking at picking up a used '15 Off Road if one ever came to the market. Then Toyota announced the mid-generational refresh of the 3rd Gen.
Also, they were releasing the Army Green color.
While one can make the case for a fully-loaded Off Road is basically a Pro, the extras of the Pro really won me over. Plus that COLOR
I had no real luck trying to pre-order a Pro from my local dealerships. They all tried to sell me on the 19 Pro instead. "It's basically the same". C'mon, man. I'm not that dumb.



(Maybe still working on this)

 

Trips/Reports:

1. 20200515 through 0516 Overnight camp at Lake Eufaula State Park, Oklahoma
2. 20201001 Schnebly Hill Road, Sedona, Arizona
3. 20201120 One Year of Ownership (Short Reflection)
4. 20210501 SW Portion of Oklahoma Adventure Trail
5. 20210517 Crossbar Ranch Offroad Park

As of June 8, 2020​

 

As of May 15, 2020​

 

Camping at Lake Eufaula SP, OK
May 15-16, 2020




This was our first time out in an RTT. No real complaints. I would suggest that the ladder rungs should be slightly angled to be more comfortable on the feet. Possible ladder swap in the future. Also maybe a little backpacker pad for my side. I'm ok without, but those would just bump up the QoL a bit.
Got most of the gear stashed in trunks to make it easy to pack and head out. A few deficencies were found and will be corrected.



The Bass Pro Deluxe Camp Kitchen was a great addition and sets up fairly easy. It's a bit hefty, but stores decently well in the bag. I don't know if I'm going to use the hanging pantry bag very much. I think the raccoons or coyotes wouldn't have a hard time ripping through it. Also might get a smaller cooler. The big party cooler was overkill for us.
Was hoping for some rain to check for leaks, but seems the big stuff went around us.
The RTT is currently mounted on some DIY bed bars, however the BAMF bars are in and I am in the process of painting them now. This should raise the overall height of the set up by about 12 inches or so.

More to come.

 

Great looking rig! Love the new green. Let us know when you're ready to be a part of the Apogee Family!

 

BAMF Expo Bed Bars arrived last Thursday.



Four coats of Rustoleum Self Etching Primer applied.



Two coats of Rustoleum Spray-on Truck Bed Liner



Let cure for 72 hours.

RTT and old DIY bars removed (with assistance)



New Expo Bars installed



RTT reinstalled. Maaaaasive scraping of the paint on the bed bars ensued. Really disappointed about that. I have to a lot of paint repairing to do. I'm not worried about rust too much, not salty enough around here. By the time I eventually swap to a full bed rack I doubt the bars will have any real issues.

Also rounded out a couple of the RTT slider mounts (hence the blue ratchet strap for extra security). I'm going to drill out a new hole in the sliding mounts for the bolts, but I guess I need to get new parts. Another annoying issue, but that's how it goes.



I love the bars, even though they took way longer than expected. Tent is barely above the roof line, and not nearly enough to matter. I can see out the bottom portion of my back window now. Haven't opened up the tent yet, but my wife can almost stand completely under the base plate.

Just got parts in for the diff breather, so that will be this weekend's mini project.

 

Confirmed the kayaks fit! Also testing out the new height of the RTT.




Also, new sticker applied. Bonus points if you know what it is.

 

A/C Drain mod complete yesterday. Outlet to the passenger side of the skid plate.



Also installed RAV4 radio control knobs (Part Number: 9001023059).



Finally, sliders have been ordered!

 

OEM 2020 Tacoma Bed Light Kit installed! I ordered the parts through https://parts.toyota.com/ during their free shipping special. I like that you can shop around different dealer sources as they seem to vary in price. Shipping costs seem to be high, in my opinion, so it was worth waiting for the free shipping special. In total, I paid $51.75 for the kit from Topeka. Considering they tack on about $180 for the installed kit on a brand-new Tacoma this was a really good deal.

The install itself is stupid easy to do.

Part: PT857-35200
This kit is specific to the 2020 Tacoma due to the harness system already being pre-wired up.
Alternatively, you can order the lights and the wiring harness separately with the below part numbers:
Bed Lights: PT857-35200-AA
Wiring Harness : PT857-35200-BB
Thanks to @BadFlounder for the tip!

Tools:
10mm socket
(optional) Auto trim removal tool
(optional) Small hook for fishing wiring harness through tail light cavity hole

Time:
Easily 5 minutes in total. The kit is a very simple plug-and-play for the 2020.

Install:

1. Prep the parts. The kit comes with 2 lights and 2 wiring harness pigtails. Connect the pigtails to the back of the lights. The lights appear to be interchangeable and not side-specific.
   
   
   
   
2. Remove the covers for the factory-cut bed light slots. They pop right off with minimal pulling. You can also use an auto trim removal tool or a flat tool like a screw driver or knife.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Place the wires inside the hole and snap the light fixture on. The tab on the lights go on the bottom. Simply hook the top part in and rotate the whole piece towards the bed wall until it clicks into place.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Now remove the tail light. Using a 10mm socket, remove the 2nd highest and lowest bolts (circled in red). Set the bolts aside. Grip the bottom of the tail light firmly and hold the side. Pull straight back. It will pop out. It will need more than a little bit of force. Take care not to scratch the bumper or the plastic over the light. Set the light fixture aside on the tailgate.
   
   
   
   
   
5. The light wiring harness should be visible through the circle hole. Gently pull it through.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Unplug the harness plug that is already present just under the hole by pushing on the small tab and pulling the plug out. Connect the bed light wiring harness plug to this plug. Note the black clip on the light wiring harness can attach to the smaller hole above the wiring access hole.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Test your connection by turning on the cargo bed light switch in the cab.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Repeat the process for the other side.
   
   
9. Ensure all the wires in the tail light cavity are clear from being pinched before replacing the tail light assembly. Replacing the assembly is simply the reverse of the removal order of operations. Ensure both clip points snap into place and validate it is properly aligned via the bolt holes. Replace the bolts. Do not over-tighten!
   
   
10. Enjoy!
    
    

 

Anybody take a pizza delivery in their RTT? We were cleaning it out and chillin when the delivery guy arrived. He was a bit surprised lol

 

Played around on a dirt road around a local lake after work yesterday. Doesn't look like much, but I had to jump and hold onto the center console to climb back in. Will be returning after it rains

 

New recovery equipment acquired

Cheap recovery boards with jack holder.


Hitch shackle by Curt. This thing is THICC. It has way more material behind the pin than the Smittybilt version. Shackle is WLL for 6-1/2 tons and the hitch rated for 13,000lbs straight line pull.
Not bad for $26.




Old Reese pin will be replaced when the Curt pin comes in August.

 

Very Cool! Love the progress so far, will be following along. My Green 2020 is on order now, cant wait to pick it up.

 

New mod done

















Also installed the CaliraisedLED 0 degree bolt-on sliders (with kickout).








I watched the instructional video on YouTube several times and had it on hand to reference. He makes it look so damn easy. The hardest part the first time was lining up the 14mm bolt on the underside to hold up the slider. I could not do it without actually being under the slider so I could see the hole. Also, I think there are some minor changes to the 2020 Tacoma that made a few bolts more difficult to install. Seems solid enough so far. I'm going to go over them next week to tighten up anything that may have loosened.

I do have the fill plates, but I'm going to see about getting them powder coated Army Green to make a nice two-tone effect.

 

Thanks! I appreciate that! We also have an Army Green thread going on here: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/army-green-thread-let’s-keep-it-green.631723/

 

Quick Fists came in, so I mounted my shovel to the bed bars. I don't like the short T-handle shovels, so I made my own. Bought a $7 shovel from Lowes and replaced the cheap whitewood handle with one made from ash and added the T-handle. Basically a full-length shovel with a T-handle.
No, I'm not going to leave the shovel on 24/7 for Broverlander points.

 

Past and Present