Most Controversial Thread Since Oil Threads

for the rear dif breather you can do it really cheap, as opposed to the ARB kit. I have done it both ways and I think the ARB kit is way overpriced, but looks pretty.

$6 Dorman 924-284 Front Differential Vent Breather Compatible with Select Lexus / Toyota Models

AmazonSmile: Dorman 924-284 Front Axle Vent for Select Lexus / Toyota Models: Automotive

$9 Toyota 90404-51026 Intake Air Control Valve Union

AmazonSmile: TOYOTA 90404-51026 Intake Air Control Valve Union: Automotive

$11 ¼ Inch ID Fuel Line for Small Engines 6-Foot Length

AmazonSmile: LDR 516 F146 ¼ Inch ID Fuel Line for Small Engines 6-Foot Length: Automotive

I have seen it run to the gas cap area, the tail light area, and up inside the bed side where the cubby is. I am sure there is a thread about it here somewhere but just put it above where you figure your high water mark will be.

You may want to extend the transmission and transfer case breather also if you think you will be going that deep.

 

I will also add I have a forward camera and its neat but I dont find it to be practical for actual trail guidance. I would rather just sit up higher.

And if you are handy and have a drill and a chop saw, you can make your own camper rack. I did this and it cost me about $200 and is super solid:
DIY prinsu style shell rack | Tacoma World

Mine: 'She's Gonna Kill Me' - Build and Existential/Financial Crisis Thread | Page 5 | Tacoma World

 

Got to say I love my hidden winch. Not that I do any off-roading, but I use it as a tool for other things, like dragging trees out of the woods and the like. Plus, it's there in case I run across someone else who needs help.

 

If I understand Toyota's warranty, the aftermarket lift has voided your truck's suspension (and possibly drivetrain) warranty. Someone please correct me if this is wrong.

 

My two cents:

I'm sure the expensive lights are badass, but I've ran several "cheap" lights and they work great.
Diff breather is like 30 bucks and relatively easy.
Get sliders. Glad I didn't wait too long on those.
Snorkel, I want one too lol
I bought a kit on here and a camera on Amazon and it is super helpful on trails/rocks. Was only like 100 bucks too.
Use the money you saved too buy things where it counts, like the suspension.

 

That could be true were the lift not installed by the dealer. I bought this truck as a certified pre-owned unit. Here in CO the dealers frequently outfit trucks with all manner of aftermarket goodies. The warranty was purchased on the used vehicle with all mods installed. I'm good there.

 

That's some excellent fab work and nearly exactly what I had in my mind. Thanks for the link to the crossmembers; that saves a bunch of fab work on something that's probably a better/more refined design.

 

That's a great looking rig! My suspension is comprised of whatever lift was dealer installed, along with what I presume are extended springs and Bilstein dampers. If I were guessing I'd say that it's a bit over-dampned but that could also be the heavier swaybar on the front making the ride a little harsher than it needs to be for a truck. I do wish someone would come up with a QD for the swaybar... At any rate, I think the suspension is quality/adequate for my needs. The camera will be great; even in the little offroading I currently do it'd be wildly helpful... and with the general driving I do...

 

Thanks man! Chances are I'll never be going that deep, but why not future-proof in the event I get caught? I've seen the cubby and recently behind the tail light. I could route it forward and even higher up toward the snorkel (heck, I could route them into a snorkel. For that I'd need a snorkel...

 

Do you happen to have a link to the camera you got? I don't need something fancy, just something that works. Also, that's some nice switchgear; where did you get those?

 

So I pulled the trigger on some Nilights today: a

$40 Nilight LED Light Bar Set, 12" 300W Triple Row Spot Flood Combo Work Driving Lamp, 2 Pcs 4" 60 W with Wiring Harness for Off road ATV Boat Lighting, Year Warranty

12" 3-row bundled with a pair of flood/spot pods, and a set of

$21 Nilight LED Pods 2Pcs 6.5" 120W Yellow Flood Spot Combo Triple Row Driving Lamp Roof Bumper Off Road LED Work Lights Bar for Van Camper Wagon Car Pickup Golf Cart ATV UTV SUV Truck Boat 4x4

fog lights). I don't expect they'll throw light like Rigids or BD but for my purposes are probably plenty, and if they're terrible I'll just move them to the sides and rear and get some better lights up front. No loss. At worst I'll convert them to work-lights to stick in the truck and plug in as needed I'll probably get a 50" light for the top soon, but for now I'll see what I've got to work with. Lots of wiring and switchgear to get. Not sure if I'm going to do old-school toggles (which are my preferred aesthetic) or something more in line with the factory theme. I made a Miata very 1960ish inside, I bet I could do the same with the Taco... That'd be kind of cool.

I think I'm going to go with a C4 front bumper and a Warn winch (one of the options for that bumper from C4 which saves me a bit of trouble). A skid plate will be next (I noticed some control arm skid armor; is that a problem for these trucks?). Beyond that, I'm just about dead set on a Go Fast Campers Superlight tent. Seems to be exactly what I'm after; kinda minimalist, but kinda high quality.

In the mean time I have built up a very nice med kit (and I bought a pre-fab one for the Mrs' 4Runner, and it's a good kit if y'all have been looking for a very compact and complete one), have some tow straps and tie-downs. I'll be picking up some knockoff MaxTrax from Amazon (if anyone has any good suggestions here, these seem to have my attention but I'm by no means committed). I'll also pick up an

$15 Grit Performance Tire Pressure Gauge (0-60 PSI) Heavy Duty, with Custom Foam Case, Chrome Caps & Valve Core Repair Tool, Rapid Air Pressure Gauge, Tire Deflators Offroad Accessories, 4x4 Tires

air-down kit, and a much more substantial

$24 Boulder Tools | Heavy Duty Tire Repair Kit - Flat Tire Patch Kit, Tools for Quick and Easy Repair - Tire Plugs Kit Suitable for Car, Truck, RV, SUV, ATV, Motorcycle, Tractor, Bike & Trailer

tire repair kit. And while not technically 'overlanding' standard kit, I think I'm going to buy one each of these for me and the Mrs. Yeah, the world today/tear gas, blahblahblah, but I think more importantly it would be easy to have a fire near you and being able to don one of

$60 UOPASD Full Face Respirator Mask,Gas Mask Protect Against Harmful Gas,Dust,Chemicals, Safety Mask with Active Carbon Filter

these could very well be a life-saver; aside from two filters, it is very, very much like the ones I wore when active duty. I'm also carrying a 'cold bag' (various layers, hats, gloves, self-warming packs) during the winter, just in case I'm stuck or someone needs assistance. I always have a little leatherman-style tool handy, a simple socket set (with a couple of screwdrivers in it), paper towels, cleaning cloths, pens, a KA-Bar knife (my father's Army issue), a headlight or two (one is USB rechargeable and works WAY better than it should for the price), a handheld flashlight

 

I think the camera was just a cheap Amazon one, like 15 bucks. The kit came from a member on TW. Any and all work done to my truck is detailed in my build

 

So, it's weird how your plans in your head start to evolve.

I've gone with Nilight for some amber front fogs and a 12" bar and two spot/floods. I've just got the amber fogs and the spot/floods wired in; I haven't gotten to the rearward facing 12" bar yet. My thoughts: They're pretty decent. They're light (not a bad thing), and they feel a little flimsy. The spot/floods are a little too 'spot', IMO, and for that purpose aren't quite far-reaching enough to replace something intended to really light way up ahead of you. For $30 though, they're really good for ditch illumination and side illumination (I'll get another set for that to put on the sides of my rack, and wire all of those remotely to my fiberglass top.

I was dead-set on a GFC Superlight tent, but the more I research, and the more I evaluate what I want on my truck all the time, how things fit into my garage, and what I really want to do, I think simply developing the interior of the bed is the way to go for me. It's a lot cheaper, a lot more weatherproof, and is every bit as easy to configure and remove. There are some nice options there, but I will also have to compromise (like the 5.5' bed and I'm right at 6'). I know I can sleep diagonally, but I'm seeing partial slide-outs that seem like a really good option; I think I can adapt that idea to work for my needs, but for now this checks my KISS rule.

I got a 42" Nilight bar intending to mount it on a Prinsu cab rack that a member here is selling. Turns out that fell through, but ultimately I'm not sure I want a square light bar on the top (though I am pretty sure they'll be superior to most round units unless I'm spending ungodly amounts of money, which I'm not willing to do). Vehicles are occasionally a passion for me and this is the first I can recall that was not only a hobby car but also a dead-reliable daily driver. It's been said that if you don't turn around to look at your vehicle lovingly, you have the wrong vehicle. I really love the way my truck looks, and I know I love the aesthetic of round lights on the leading edge of the basket on top of my cap, so I think that's what I'll do. I mean, I'm crawling along, not racing, so I don't know that I really need to see too much further ahead that I already have (those amber fogs do a great job lighting up the area in front of me, even though they don't reach all that far; I think those were by far the best light purchase to date).

Frame sliders seem like a pretty important bit of kit (as so with skid plates). I will be getting some, and I suspect I'll have them fabbed by a guy I know locally (or learn to weld and do it myself). I am still considering a winch, but that may have dropped a bit in priority. The truth is that as this is my daily, I'm pretty protective about getting into anything very rough; mostly I'm fine with relatively graded fire roads to get to pretty places to camp. Extreme offroading/rock crawling have really ever been in the cards for me, and I think this buys me just a bit of time to get to the armor plating (but it's absolutely on the list).

I want a snorkle, but for the same reasons as above, I think I'll put that on the back-burner for now. Nice to have, but probably unnecessary at this time. That goes on the 'in the future' list so I have things to look forward to.

So, as it sits, I really could hit the trails to do what I'd like to do right now. There are certainly a few things left to be done and some improvements to be made, but all things considered, the lighting was a big plus, and now that I've decided to do my sleeping in the fiberglass cap, that has left options open for simply tossing stuff in part of the bed and up in the basket, like the spare when I'm offroading, which keeps my reverse camera in use where a swing-out mount wouldn't, and it also allows me to open my tailgate inside my garage which I wouldn't be able to do with a swingout tire carrier.

Now to wire up the lights to more integrated switches! I got a 9 switch gang from Nilight, but I don't think I'm going to use it; it's either a little too large or a bit too small, and I'm thinking about going a bit more 'retro' inside with old-school toggle switches and guards. Time to get creative with my fab work!

 

A winch will save your ass.
Most co peeps are running ham or fmrs. cb is a dying bread and found around a lot of heeps.

Lights, if your running on road make sure there sae compliant!