A non-enthusiast's Tacoma build

Did a bit of habitability work yesterday to tidy up the interior.

Center console strap retainer (for back row trash bag)

Before: u-bolt I had lying around


After: color-matched detachable bracket, manufactured pro bono by @ACEkraut (thanks again!)


This install was fairly straightforward, so I'll skip the writeup. I don't think it's a particularly popular mod, so I doubt it would be useful to anyone anyway.

Phone mount

Before: adhesive-mount RAM ball on dash + medium length double-socket arm + QuickGrip holder + 3M-backed cable clips


After: color-matched Expedition Essentials 2TPAM (heavily modded) + QuickGrip holder


Ah yes, the 2TPAM. What an absolute bastard of an install. I received mine 6 weeks ago and had been trying to work up the nerve to install it ever since. I finally sacked up yesterday and got it done. Expo Essentials' video says it'll take about 2 hours:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oXagOgZW9A

The install took me 8 hours of swearing, chain-smoking, and rage. No exaggeration, I'll sell the truck before doing it again. This is why I don't do modding without adult supervision.

So if it was such a pain in the ass, why did I go through with it? My old phone mount was perfectly adequate for... well, holding my phone. The trouble is, when inserting or removing my phone from the spring-loaded QuickGrip holder, there was a significant amount of torque on the RAM ball superglued to my dash. I knew that something would eventually give, leaving me with a RAM arm assembly and phone flopping all over my dash, tethered only by the power cable. The idea of adding another projectile hazard during an accident was enough to justify the purchase and ensuing ass-pain.

The modding process took about 10 hours by itself. I re-cut the square access port for the USB outlets in the top face of the 2TPAM using a dremel...


... leaving the front face free for the QuickGrip phone mount. I drilled a pair of holes on the extreme upper and lower edges of the front face, which provide just enough clearance for the existing QuickGrip mounting holes to line up. I also had to dremel out a path from the existing square USB cutout, through the USB mounting bolt hole, and into a threaded mounting point; this is for routing the phone's charging cable out from behind the 2TPAM and to the side of the phone mount. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of this part.

From there, I smoothed all the cut edges, roughed up the surface with some sandpaper, and cleaned it in preparation for paint.

I used gray automotive primer to prep the surface for color-matched vinyl paint. I finished my primer layer with a light dusting to get a uniform texture across the surfaces. From there, I used SEM Color Coat flexible coating, custom mixed by 66 Auto Color to match my existing interior trim:
https://www.66autocolor.com/Toyota-Interior-Colors-2013-p/sem-toyota2013.htm

My trim code is FL13. An extensive google search revealed that this code correlates to interior trim colors of dark charcoal (SEM No. 6195) and graphite (SEM No. 5844). I wanted the 2TPAM to match the darker trim around the upper portion of the interior, so I went with dark charcoal. Be advised that these colors are not normally stocked items, so you'll have to get them custom-mixed by 66 Auto Color or a similar specialty shop.

Once the Color Coat was applied to the primered metal, I applied SEM Color Coat low luster clear coat (P/N 13023). I don't know if this step is necessary, but I figured a bit of protection for the expensive color-matched parts wasn't a bad idea.

At this point, the modding was done. It's all over but the crying... er, installing.

I won't go into painstaking detail here, since Expo Essentials' video provides a pretty good overview. Does it gloss over some real difficult parts? Oh, you bet your ass it does. @boogie3478 even says as much in his video, which closely mirrors my own experience:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNAGYiwV2o4

Here's what I found out as I went through the process:

- Removing the head unit is super easy... if you already have all the wires disconnected, like in EE's video. Take lots of pictures of what connector goes where before you start yanking them out.


- You'll probably want a small pokey thing to hit the release tabs on the electrical connectors. Either that, or you'll want to grow a third arm before attempting the install. A small flathead would probably work; I used a dental pick.

- There are a few connectors that don't need to be removed, since they're just jumpers from one head unit port to another. There are 2 brown connectors (one on top of the other) with 2 white connectors right next to them in a similar configuration that can stay plugged in.


- According to EE, offset screwdrivers are common tools that most people have in their garage. Seeing as how I couldn't find one at a handful of automotive and hardware stores I visited, I'm calling bullsh!t. I thought I'd try to get by without one, using a pair of pliers and a screwdriver bit instead. This did not end well, leading to a brief venture around town with a gaping hole in my dash. Don't be like me, get your hands on one before you start.


- Have you ever tried performing surgery one-handed and blind? This is what it's like trying to reconnect the 12V power outlet after tapping the wires to connect the 2TPAM's electrical harness. I eventually got so pissed off that I ripped the 12V socket out of the face of my dash to get it reconnected. F**k it, don't care, it's done.

- Yes, you have to dremel the "lips" on the vent plastic and the gauge cluster. No, there's no way around it, other than not installing the 2TPAM.

- If you have a gap in the outlined area, your gauge cluster trim isn't seated correctly. Give it a wiggle and try again. If that doesn't work, you'll have to dremel off a bit more material. The edge of the vent plastic should be underneath your gauge cluster trim, as shown.


With the install process complete, one has to ask: was it worth it, and would I do it again? It was definitely worth it, since car crash dynamics aren't affected by the relative ease/difficulty of an install. I would do it again, but only with some more experienced assistance available. I guess that means I'll have to hassle @EatSleepTacos if I need to remove it for whatever reason.

 

Idk, I don’t have an offset screwdriver either. It looks like EE could buy them in bulk for a few cents and just supply them with the mount to make people’s lives easier.

 

Ahhhh the 2TPAM install. So much fun!

 

That would’ve been appreciated for sure.

So much fun, I drank to forget the horrors. This install was my Vietnam. TW, you’re welcome for my service.

 

I picked up a little craftsman racheting set when I installed mine.

 

All my monies are belong to @Mobtown Offroad. After speaking at length with lots of in-the-know folks around here, it's clear that Mobtown is top dog in the armor game. I'm sure this bumper will be totally worth the cost and wait time. Hey, at least they have a killer Black Friday sale going.

 

fancy!

I might need to get a pair of their sliders with the sale they have going on

 

I would personally opt for something lighter than their offerings. The All Pro Apex sliders are bolt-on, full DOM, and relatively light at 140 lbs. My Avid sliders are equally light, but lack kick plates and are made of weaker HREW.

Basically, copy @crashnburn80 where you can.

 

All poo also require drilling and aren’t as strong as mobtown HD sliders. MT sliders box the frame and are truly 100% bolt on while also being one of the most well engineered set on the market. I used to have the all poo on my last truck and they flexed a good bit when lifted off a huge lift. MT, doesn’t budge at all.

 

Thanks for the info, man. I wasn’t aware of any of that.

 

K N O W L E D G E

 

Also my Mobtown sliders shipped were only 130+/- pounds if I recall from the freight manifest, including the pallet they shipped on.
Edit: I'm in a DCSB setup for slider weight.

I always figured it was about 60 lbs. Per side, and presumed it's kinda split between rear and front in terms of suspension impact.

 

@Greg.Brakes.Tacos, did you get the HD sliders or Overland sliders? I imagine there's a significant weight difference between the two.

@JMcFly, I'm gonna go ahead and retract my recommendation for the All Pro sliders. I thought I knew what I was talking about, but I clearly do not.

 

Bought them before the overlanding model was around, so HD by default I suppose.

 

Follow-up on my alignment from about a month ago. It turns out that my request to have around 2.5-3 degrees of caster, about the same between both wheels, was ignored by Bert's Alignment (the aforementioned "highly-recommended" alignment shop). The following measurements were taken by Firestone on 17OCT, about 3 days after the initial alignment was done:



For the $110 I paid Bert's to get this alignment done, I expected better.

I scheduled a followup appointment so the tech at Bert's could get the numbers where I specified. The tech was dismissive, snotty, and generally unpleasant during my followup. Since this shop doesn't have a computer, the tech wrote down the following numbers off the top of his head and told me "not to believe Firestone's computer":



Yeah, nice try dude, but I'm getting verification. Firestone's reading, taken the next day:



Not exactly what I was going for, but not awful either. Firestone tweaked the toe and gave me my final results:

 

Ouch, I probably should run through Firestone for a print off of what I'm at after doing a custom alignment at a shop in Chester area of RVA.

I tell you what, that lifetime alignment has already paid for itself!

 

Yeah, seriously. I’ve had like 6 alignments/checkups at Firestone since I got the lifetime deal 3 months ago. That isn’t counting the 2 alignments I got at the dealership (part of the LCA replacement debacle) and 2 at Bert’s.

 

Maybe I should've taken my own advice on this one...



On Monday 02 November, my original Sy-Klone 9001 prefilter decided that we should part ways. Unbeknownst to me, it made its exit somewhere on my 17 mile commute in the wee hours of the morning. I blame lack of caffeine and the time (about 0415-ish) for my not identifying the moment of departure. Suffice to say, I pulled up in my office parking lot wondering when and how my snorkel got decapitated.

I installed the stock ARB ram air head, which I keep on-board for just this sort of occasion, in the parking lot. After posting up in my local Toyota facebook group, it became clear that spotting a relatively small and plain-looking part on the side of the road by a passerby was highly unlikely. Looks like I had to get another $200 prefilter.

I contacted Sy-Klone directly, asking if the sudden onset of cooler weather may have affected the material properties of the prefilter (contraction, change in coefficient of friction, etc.). I didn't intend to pin the blame on them; I was genuinely curious as to how such an odd thing happened. They confirmed my suspicion that changes in weather do not have any appreciable effect on the material used.

I then asked if they had any sort of "dammit I wish this didn't happen" discount. After a bit of hemming and hawing by their sales department, I was told that they couldn't do anything for me. Disappointing, but not surprising. They advised that I reach out to the retailer (Thermo King of Roanoke, VA) to see if they could help me out.

Thermo King was a bit miffed that I got blown off by the manufacturer, so they offered to sell me a new prefilter at cost. I've gotta give it to these guys, they stepped up and helped me out entirely of their own accord, offering a 25% discount to ease the financial sting.

I received the new prefilter yesterday and installed it today, with a couple extra security measures to ensure this situation never happens again. I bought a 1/16" stainless steel lanyard kit (P/N 97840A860) from McMaster Carr, which I used to lanyard the prefilter to hard points on the truck. This thing isn't coming off unless 2 of the compression sleeves AND the mounting hose clamp fail. Two is one, one is none, three is fun, rework can go f**k itself.



Who buys just one thing from McMaster? Not me. I bought some plugs to fill in some unused holes on my ARB bumper. This isn't a vital task by any means, but I like protecting edges where I can.

License plate bracket holes, qty 4: P/N 9750K41 (somewhat loose fit, but seem to be staying in place)
Winch control box bracket holes, qty 2: P/N 9283K17 (very tight fit, needed a rubber mallet to seat)
Auxiliary light mounting holes, qty 2: P/N 9750K88 (perfect fit, can be used to route cables if needed)
Oval cutout for cable pass-thru, qty 1: P/N 9600K155 (outlined in red, part still en route)

I figured I may as well try to plug the open holes in the front of the frame while I was at it. I ordered a 10 pack of rectangular plugs (P/N

$9 9474K56 (Pack of 2) Snap In Rectangular 3" x 2" CAP PLUGS | 10-14 Ga Steel Pipes/Rods | Fence Post Finishing Inserts | Fitness Equipment End Caps

9474K56), which are just slightly too large for the intended holes. I trimmed off the bottom edge:



Which leaves a plug that is almost exactly the right size, and snaps into place fairly securely:




As you can see, I also relocated my front license plate into the winch fairlead recess on the front of the bumper. It took a bit of bending to get it into the "pocket," but the plate perfectly fills the area. I did have to drill 2 new mounting holes in the plate itself, which may not be legal in your state. Or my state, for that matter.

 

I got my annual state inspection done yesterday afternoon. For those of you who don't have to contend with this requirement, you are fortunate. For those of you who do, I'm sure you've felt the same apprehension I do when passing off your keys to the state inspector. Whether you pass or fail is often a crapshoot, seemingly determined by what kind of day the inspector is having. Not surprising, since many of the rules are outdated, convoluted, or downright unreasonable, meaning enforcement of these rules is not consistent from inspector to inspector. From an email with Daniel Stern:

While Mr. Stern's focus tends towards lighting, there are plenty of other things that the state inspector can ping you on. @boogie3478 made a video talking about this topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5QcJMBD5bk

Instead of losing sleep over hoping for a "pass," I looked up the inspector's handbook and ran through it myself:

https://www.vsp.virginia.gov/downlo...ety Inspection Manual - (January 01 2018).pdf

I compiled a list of things that should technically result in a failed inspection for my truck:

Aftermarket headlights: The Phillips LED headlight bulbs I have installed are technically not legal. The RX350 HID retrofit headlights I have on the way are equally non-compliant.
Side marker lights: These lights must be amber in color. While my stock side marker lights are legal, the ARB combination turn signal/clearance LED lights mounted on my bumper are not. The turn signal is amber, but the clearance (same thing as "side marker") lights are white.
No lift blocks: I have a 1/4" trim packer on my driver's side shock. Calling this a "lift block" is a bit of a stretch, but not outside the realm of possibility for a state inspector who's having a bad day.

There are a couple more mods I have planned that may pose issues in the future.

Emissions/"smog" system: The uni-filter mod is a modification of part of the vehicle's emissions system, which generally results in a failed inspection. My locality doesn't require emissions testing (yet), so this isn't an immediate concern.
Cut exhaust: The exhaust must discharge behind the rear axle and off to the side of the vehicle. After installation of my Mobtown high clearance rear bumper with the illustrious @EatSleepSkewpClout, I'm planning on cutting the big dangling snag hazard that the stock exhaust has become. Hopefully reattaching the exhaust tip will make it look "factory enough" to bypass unwanted attention.

Last but not least: things that I thought would result in failure, but are (apparently) perfectly legal.

Front license plate: The way I have this mounted is legal, which came as a bit of a surprise. I thought the restricted viewability from the sides and top wouldn't be compliant, but the inspector's handbook is silent on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xmBLqAJ6jQ

 

Installed a bit of a front-end upgrade this weekend.



-

The most noticeable, and least important, change is the addition of an OEM Pro grille. I say this is unimportant because it's a strictly aesthetic modification. I do think that the classic styling will help the truck age gracefully, which is desirable since it has another 25 years before retirement. The install itself was fairly straightforward, following this video:

https://youtu.be/JAYosGHQlZ4

I went for the much more expensive OEM option ($380) over a replica grille (~$150-200) due to a couple concerns. There are reported fitment issues with some of the knockoffs out there, which would likely triple the required installation time due to needed modifications. The other, more important, concern is UV stability of the material. The replica grille cuts corners to achieve that cheaper price, and I'd be willing to bet that material quality is one of the factors on the chopping block. That reinforced my choice to go OEM: do it once, do it right, never do it again.

-

https://youtu.be/XFGKvYPYMzg



The most important (and expensive) upgrade I installed this weekend were my new RX350 HID headlights, retrofitted by Lightwerkz. These are probably the priciest headlights for 2nd gens out there, coming in at well over $2000. Absurd, right? Well, maybe so, but acquiring the optimal solution almost always comes with some sacrifice.

Let's flesh that line of thought out a little bit. I chose highway tires due to their longevity, sacrificing aesthetics. Similarly, I went for twin-tube nitrocharger shocks due to their longevity while sacrificing performance. I have an ARB front bumper due to its inherent superior design qualities, maximizing protection at the expense of significant added weight. All these sacrifices are persistent, meaning that the negative effects associated will never "get better."

These fancy new headlights offer maximum performance, which is important for someone who makes a half hour pre-dawn commute through heavy traffic every day like me. HIDs offer impressive bulb life; minimizing the frequency of maintenance tasks is one of the primary criteria of my build, so this is in line with the driving philosophy at hand. These benefits are had at the expense of significantly (but temporarily) hurting my wallet. This is a non-persistent sacrifice, one that I will eventually recover from. As old Benny F. used to say:

So, with that said, how did I settle on this particular setup?

Diving into the world of automotive lighting is daunting. It took some research to figure out the different upgrade paths available. There are halogen bulb upgrades, like the Ultimate Headlight Upgrade put together by @crashnburn80:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-headlight-upgrade-h4-not-led-or-hid.398066/

While the performance is impressive, halogen bulbs don't have the long service life I'm really after. I would end up replacing bulbs annually, adding yet another regular maintenance task to my slam-packed spreadsheet.

There are LEDs of all varieties, from drop-in bulbs (not recommended):

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ctor-headlights.589465/page-100#post-22068326

... to full LED projector retrofits, which aren't really developed enough to compete with other established technologies. LEDs have an outstanding service life, but sacrifice performance in favor of low maintenance. As LED headlight technology matures, I expect this to change.

And of course, there are tons of HID projector retrofit options. Some from OEMs such as Lexus, some from aftermarket outfits like Morimoto. While the out-of-the-box performance between the two is comparable:

https://youtu.be/LuvjIZtjGbU

... the longevity of the components is another story. Aftermarket companies tend to focus on performance, while OEMs are more geared toward maximizing service life. With that in mind, I opted for the top-performing OEM HID projector available: the Lexus RX350.

Picking the projector was the easy part. Finding a reputable retrofitting service was equally critical, and much more difficult. The retrofitting process is highly involved, and the margin for catastrophic error is huge. There are about a thousand things that can go wrong: insufficient projector mounting rigidity resulting in a loose projector flopping around inside the headlight, improper adhesive selection leading to off-gassing induced fogging, and many more. The quality of the components doesn't matter if they aren't installed perfectly.

To make the selection process even more complex, I read through dozens of end-user reviews. People defend their own brand biases to the death, clinging to anecdotal evidence (their own personal experiences) as irrefutable fact. Instead of trying to determine which of these Internet Experts(TM) was right or wrong, I utilized a simpler metric to choose my retrofitting service: their warranty. Lightwerkz offers a lifetime craftsmanship warranty, which is miles ahead of the typical 2 to 3 year warranty offered by other companies:

https://lightwerkz.net/pages/services-warranty

These guys have been around since 2006, so their lifetime warranty carries more weight than the same offering from a newer, less established shop.

I got in touch with Caesar R. at Lightwerkz, and promptly grilled him a bit. "How do you feel about higher-wattage (55W) ballasts?" "What bulb color do you recommend?" "Can I use aftermarket components instead of OEM to save some money?" These are all questions I knew the correct answers to: don't do it, no more than 5000 K, and not if you want reliability, respectively. I wanted to test these guys to determine if they are legit or just a bunch of amateurs cashing in on the HID hype. It turns out that they're the real deal, providing the answers I wanted to hear without any prompting from my end. With that settled, I sent the 50% down payment and started the 2 month wait for my new lights:

During this time, I struck up a conversation with Daniel Stern. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Mr. Stern is an expert on all things automotive lighting. Basically a @crashnburn80 for everyone who doesn't drive a Tacoma (or now a Gladiator, traitor ). I mentioned that I ordered some HID retrofitted headlights. His reply is telling:

When I mentioned that I opted for the clear lens mod, he said:

Daniel's mention of the "distracting yes/no world" was one of my concerns about the clear lens mod, which I mentioned in my thread here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...clear-lens-mod-and-distance-blindness.689892/

As you can see, all is not well in HID paradise. At this point, it was too late to alter or cancel my order, so I had little choice but to stick it out. To be clear: I'm not saying I regret my purchase. I'm including the above-quoted content in the interest of full disclosure. There is no "perfect" solution here, and my course of action is not the best option for all.

-

Installing these new headlights was less awful than I anticipated. @boogie3478's removal video was quite helpful:

https://youtu.be/Ta5x5PSjr3w

I already had the grille removed for the install mentioned at the beginning of this post, eliminating any rework.

Installing the wiring harness would've been a 10 minute job if I wasn't so picky about wire routing. This video helped quite a bit:

https://youtu.be/RXugwDxO19s

I would've liked to install the Motocontrol box in a less visible place, but there aren't many mounting bolts available.



Picking a spot for the Denso ballasts proved to be a pain in the ass. I wanted to mount them with the connections facing downwards to minimize the risk of water intrusion. I opted to have the ballasts "potted" (waterproofed) since they're exposed in the engine bay, but every little bit helps. I found a small spot just inboard of and below each headlight, which barely fit the ballasts. The judicious application of zip ties (3 each) should keep them firmly in place:



With wiring complete, the only remaining task was aiming them. Done in accordance with the "VOL-marked" instructions here:

https://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html

... using an 8mm socket and my newly-acquired offset screwdriver, following @boogie3478's video:

https://youtu.be/xegbcyG0kXI

The end result? See for yourself. Pardon the potato-quality video and poor production:

https://youtu.be/DVSE8oiWBfI

If nothing else, I do like the look.