Lifted access cabs only!

Badass AC man! How do you like the toolbox? Do you ever feel like it takes up valuable bed space?
How do the medium duty Dakars hold up with a large payload?
Also, what's your gas mileage like? Genuinely asking because I just got an AC recently & I'm curious what my future looks like with bigger tires & more weight lol

 

Love the box, it was a cheaper one from Tractor Supply I got for $20 used it's for an older 1500 but it fits perfectly, just needed to replace the lock shocks and tune the latches if anything it's a little tall but it fits all my recovery and adventure gear perfectly with a little extra space keeps it dry and out of the sun.



Yeah it takes up bed space, but the spare took up more space which is why I got the rear carrier bumper. It's only really been annoying when trying to sleep in the bed I can't lay on my back and have my feet pointing up under it.


MD Dakars are doing great, they actually ride better now with the rear bumper, though with bumper I did notice the truck leans in the corners more and I have to use a little more brake (but not that much) when stopping, glad I did the TRD Pro 4Runner Big Brake Upgrade.

Combined MPG for me is somewhere around 17 (I hit 20 on long trips on the hwy at 60mph) with my intake and exhaust mods, and the manual trans helps a good bit, if you're auto and stock intake and exhaust you can expect 13 mpg or so.

I DEFINITELY need gears now, planning 4.88's as my 34's are tall and I would like true 35's eventually when I step up to mid travel. That should help MPG some and give me back some pep and torque off road. Around town in flat Florida it's livable but when I get up into hilly Tennessee and especially off-road it's a dog and I really start rowing gears and taking the slow truck lane up long grades.

 

Thanks for the well-written reply! That MPG gives me hope haha. Glad to hear I can tweak some things to stay around 16-17mpgs!

Do you have any squeaking from your Dakars? Mine are only a couple weeks old and they creak a little on certain bumps. Not annoying but curious if I should fluid film them or just let them settle more.

 

I wouldn't fluid film them, but I do use Boe-Sheild T9 it's a dry lubricant spray that really wicks into the fine crevices between the leafs better than fluid film and won't attract dirt like fluid film which leads to squeeks.

I had to rebuild my packs as they were used when I got them and the bushings etc where wore out. I replaced the anti squeek pads with doorman as was recommended here but I think I'd look for better if I did it again, sprayed the leafs down with T9 scrubbed them a little with a green brillo but didn't go crazy, painted and greased the leaf shims themselves, and installed a 1.5° angle shim skinny end forward on the bottom. I used moly grease on the shim pads and white lithium grease on the squeal pucks. I put in polyurethane OME bushings which really help the rear feel more solid (not quite the right term, it feels less vague and floaty you can better feel what the rear is doing) in all three spots and liberally used Energy Suspension Super Silicone grease on those; packs are dead silent for me.

The U bolt flip plates/kit SERIOUSLY reduced axle wrap way more than I expected and thus squeaking also.

Boe-Sheild T9:

$21 BOESHIELD T-9 Rust & Corrosion Protection/Inhibitor and Waterproof Lubrication, 12 oz.

https://www.amazon.com/BOESHIELD-Co...eshield+t-9&qid=1603767733&sprefix=boe&sr=8-3

I carry a small can of that and a small bottle of Super Lube in my front drivers door pocket and occasionally add some oil to my uniballs and spray on my leafs if I hear them talking, which I haven't yet.

 

Two years later, same suspension.

 

Old picture i had on my laptop, but. here's my lifted AC. Have since installed Icon front coilovers, and resi rear shocks,and SPC UCAs. She sits a couple inches higher now.

 

How do you like that cap? There's a guy local to me who buys old service Tacoma's and strips them so I see that cap pop up for sale from time to time, not sure how I would like not being able to see out the back and looseing the tailgate but I do like the look and seems more secure to me, have you built it out onto a little sleeper cabin back there? That's what I would like to do. Not sure I wanna deal with a roof top tent.

 

Mine has a tinted plexi-glass window and retains the tailgate. Honestly the commercial caps are the way to go.

 

Not a Tacoma but this is exactly like what I'm looking at getting:



You got any pictures of inside yours?

 

Before and after photos. Went from stock to Bilstein 6112 and 5160 in the back with AAL. It gave me a lift of 1.5” in the rear and 3” in front. I love it so far, makes a huge difference in handling and response.

 

As posted in other threads, but:

Front: OME 883's & Bilstein 5100's (set to 0")
Rear: HS progressive 3-leaf AAL & Bilstein 5100's

Should be roughly 1" front and 1.5" rear lift over stock.

 

06 with 355000 kilometers.

 

Did you just get the camper?
Bet that's roomy inside.

 

Yep. It's a Four Wheel Granby. They were not a model made to fit Tacomas. The base needed to be narrowed in order to fit in the bed. My partner was looking for a project to work on while I'm at work and she's home with the baby. She did an awesome job on it! There are a couple more pics in my build - post #183.

 

I just gotta get that rear end up a little more .. maybe deacers just don't know what stage to go with!
Truck is currently in the shop getting all new frame recall.. then gunna add new rear leafs

 

Here's my before and after, stock base access cab to an Icon 3" suspension lift on 33 KO2s:

 

Good plan. My experience is that it doesn’t cost much more to have a nice custom spring package made for the way you use your Tacoma. I wanted to have plenty of flex but support for towing and am happy with the work Tampa Spring did for me. I had a set of All Pro expedition springs under mine when I took it to Tampa Spring in Ocala to go over the job. They used these as a base and added and subtracted as necessary to get it dialed in. If you’re not towing a lot the All Pro Expedition Springs might be just right on their own?