“Must Do” Upgrades

Ass that I am, I started one back in '17 but let it die.

 

Gotcha... do you remember where you got the parts from? Are they part of seat covers or did you put them in the stock seats?

 

Got the heaters on Amazon. The controllers are rotary 0-5 adjustable for each seat. Under a 100 when I bought them.

I relocated the fuses that came with them to the other end of a wire run to the battery. The control power came from an add a fuse tapped in the cab fuse block.

Tractor supply has hog ring pliers, you'll need them and a pair of electricians diagonal cutters to cut out the existing ones.

The seat cover clips on the sides and front and will come off. Hog rings in the back underneath.

The lines in the seats that go side to side are done with a metal rod, in a pocket sewn in the back of the seat cover that is attached with hog rings to a wire in the seat cushion. You will cut the heater mat to accommodate this.

Pics:


The seats aren't that difficult to take apart.

When cutting the mat, you want to bind the edges so the heating element doesn't fray.

I believe the last pic is either the hog rings cut taking the seat apart or the ones I f'd up putting the seat back together.

Edit: to those are the practice ones. Lol

 

I haven’t read through this very far... HPTuners should be the first mod for anyone!!!

 

Remove the sway bar, and put more stiffly valved shocks up front if you need to bring back some cornering stability. The immediate difference to ride comfort on and off-road is amazing. It's easy to take off and put on, so if you aren't sure, you can always put it back on.

Blind spot mirrors will also save your bacon.

A tire plug kit and a little 12V air compressor are vastly more convenient (and faster and safer) for fixing flats than swapping the flat out for the spare. Pack a pair of channel lock pliers to pull the offending nail or screw out. (No need for the compressor if you have onboard air, of course.)

Depends if you want to consume it or not. Most people are using a long length of 4" or 6" ABS (or PVC painted black) pipe on their roof racks that passively absorb solar energy. They pressurize the pipe with air to drive the water through (e.g.) a hose and shower head. This is convenient for people who have onboard air, but you don't want to drink that water. ABS is made with BPA, which is banned for potable water storage in most of the developed world, and the PVC pipes people are using are most often are sewer grade instead of the potable grade (NSF 61). Plus, every other component – the pipe ends, the pipe cement, the fittings, the hose, the air valve) needs to also be lead-free and food grade. To top it off, the air compressors most people use are not food grade, and they inject aerosolized oil or other pollutants into the water, plus ABS and PVC pipes are not rated for air pressure, and if you accidentally pressurize them too much they can fail, sometimes explosively, especially after sitting on your roof rack for awhile and being degraded by UV light.

Better solutions can be made from beer kegs (using either a pump or compressed nitrogen instead of CO2), or using an RV fresh water tank and using a 12v potable water pump for pressure, and then running the water through a propane powered tankless heater, because if you are wanting hot water in the field, you likely already have propane for cooking. Dropping a 12v potable pump into, e.g., a potable water jerry can to push your water is pretty simple too. Note you cannot pressurize an RV water tank (or any tank that is not cylindrical) without deforming it and eventually bursting a seam.

You also need to heat (or at least insulate) your water storage so it doesn't freeze, but doing that does not require anything close to the same amount of energy you need to serve hot water, so those two heating functions will probably remain separate. Putting your water storage in the cab (e.g. on the floor behind the front seats) is one good way to keep it from freezing, assuming you are driving enough daily.

Only reason I know this is because I am in the process of doing my own water. If you only want hot water on demand for showers and you don't mind waiting to heat your potable water with a propane or iso-butane stove (e.g. with a Jetboil), using the roof mounted pipe and carrying separate potable water storage and a stove might be the easiest. If you are using a roof mounted container and going out in extremely cold temps you will need to heat your container, hose, and fittings after the sun goes down, or risk having no water pressure in the morning, and perhaps a leaky or broken system.

 

Also, relocate your trailer plug before you smash it.

 

I don't doubt that this has already been said, but a new Stereo with Apple Carplay/Android Auto is life changing. There's models out there that are not outrageously priced. I also recommend Weathertec Floor Mats or w/e they are called.

 

@Larzzzz thanks!

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Keep them coming.

1. What LED interior lights do you recommend? Where are you all getting them from?

 

Lots of led kits but u can go to your local store & buy the led (2) cab lights & dome light

 

Awesome! I'll do that this week!

 

phone mount i really like this one feels secure phone is in reach of i need to get to it (CarPlay handles almost everything i need) but also far enough away that its not a distraction

$38 Arkon Mounts - Car Seat Rail Phone or Tablet Mount | Flexible Positioning | 22" Gooseneck | 360° Adjustability | Tablet Holder fits iPhone, Galaxy, Note and more | Up to 8" Screen Size

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00EHQMZ6K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I’ll put in a plug for Diode Dynamics here. Very good product and support.

 

bed mat, interior led lights, and console organizer were the first mods and not difficult.

 

The glove box and especially console organizers are big ones for me I forgot about. They’re a huge help if you store a lot of stuff.

 

I have a bed mat, do all my own oil changes, have a console organizer, weathertec floor mats

on the list now is LED interior lights and better brighter backup lights. Which backup lights do you all recommend?

 

My bed mat is 2 boxes of uhaul cardboard cut to size. Its sweet cause I trash the top layer as needed & then replace a new sheet under it. It's $10/12 for the boxes & duct tape.

 

I did the 886 mod with my Dremel & cut the lights. its been a great mod since I have tinted windows

 

They're 3 organizers for my 2nd gen.

$24 Vehicle OCD - Glove Box Organizer for Toyota Tacoma (2005-2015) - Made in USA - SLX101

Glove box, center console &

Salsa Automotive Rear Under Seat Storage Organizer for Toyota Tacoma Double Cab (2005-2020) - Made in The USA

under the double cab seat. I have 2 of the 3. I did not get the center console organizer of the 3. I love the ones i have!

I used these clamps so no1 can steal my tailgate. I used both on each side for extra......protection lol.

Here's the items for my Ram Mount in my truck.

$28 RAM Mounts Composite Double Socket Swivel & Ratchet Arm RAP-B-200-2U Compatible with RAM B Size 1" Ball Components

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009SX0J88/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - You need this as part of the mount.

$14 RAM Mounts RAM-B-367U Motorcycle Handlebar Clamp Base with M8 Bolts with B Size 1" Ball

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005J43I56/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Your after that Ball.

RAM Mounts (RAM-B-202-339U 2.5" Round Base with The Amps Hole Pattern, 1" Ball and Triple Magnetic Base Adapter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HFDNPIE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - I went magnetic instead of a specific size.
****I bought a 10mm(i think) bolt from fastenal for the pillar to make everything fit - this is key. Same factory screw I removed, but longer.******


If you want to add RCAs with the factory unit & sub that fits better than the kicker hideaway mod use these.

$41 Add An Amp Amplifier Adapter Interface to Factory OEM Car Stereo Radio System for select Toyota Scion Subaru Vehicles- Add Subwoofer Bass Amp etc.- No Factory Premium Amp- Vehicles listed below

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CQUL240/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$330 Alpine 8" Amplified Subwoofer (PWE-S8) 120W Compact Powered 8" Car Subwoofer for Under or Behind The Seat

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OYGGMXK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Happy NY

 

Body mounts.

Made an unexpectedly huge difference.

Not that expensive or difficult.

Buy a tub of Energy Suspension grease too and really lube them bad boys up.