wi_taco 2015 TRD OffRoad build "The Gray Ghost"

Looks great! I might do this to my 21 Taco. Just got it so and I live in KS so might be a good time before it snows to do it

 

Thanks! This stuff is pretty darn easy to work with and doesn't cost much in the grand scheme of things. Frankly I can't believe this is the first vehicle I've used the lanolin undercoating on to protect against rust. I'm in Milwaukee/Chicagoland middle suburbs and we dump loads of salt all winter that kill frames.

Ran out of daylight Friday but finished up yesterday. Here's a gratuitous shot of the rear pumpkin. Not pictured: I sprayed the driveshaft and then wiped it basically like a polish since I read elsewhere that leaving it thick might throw off the balance. Not sure how much truth is there but I'm not inviting unnecessary drive line vibrations. This stuff is thick like snot and you can wipe it thinner which should still help protect somewhat against rust.

 

09/01/20: Catching up on my photo backlog. Took an ill-fated road trip to New Mexico back in September. Along the way found a few places for Taco glamour shots. First one is at Lebanon, Kansas which is/was recognized as the geographic center of the lower 48 states.



Landscape isn't too exciting but it's a nice day and Taco is relatively clean after driving a few hundred miles from Wisconsin.



One thing Kansas has in spades is vast swaths of open and desolate roads. Temperatures are hot but I have blue skies and some tiny clouds so I can't complain.

 

09/01/20: Highest point in Kansas is Mount Sunflower which is 4,039 feet above sea level. Basically a dirt patch in the middle of nowhere but has some cool metal artwork. Far off my route but worth the trip to bag a highpoint.

 

09/02/20: Quick stop at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site in Colorado. Pretty neat old preserved fort. Didn't take the tours - too many anti-maskers for my liking - but did watch & listen from a distance and take other photos.

 

09/03/20: Made it to my destination, the Gila Wilderness, for an elk hunt with my dad. Drove in from the west side of GMU 16B via Mogollon and all the way up 159 to Willow Creek Campground. I believe this pullout is the Sandy Point trailhead but not completely sure. You can see evidence of the most recent burn on the hillside.



Another angle at the same spot. Feels like you can see across the entire world from up here.

 

Funnily thats where I am from and why snow and rust worry me! Have you only used woolwax or have you ever tried Fluid Film. I am sort of on the fence

 

Never used either of them before. Some friends have used Fluid Film with good results. Recently heard of people digging the Woolwax more but not sure why. Both products seem good and time will tell how it works on mine.

 

Woolwax is relatively more difficult to apply than FF. Seems like people claim both come off as easily as the other. Not sure how true that is. I think I will do a FF with Amsoil HD metal protector mixture this winter and then before I deploy next winter a WoolWax application.

 

Hmm interesting never heard one is harder than the other. Woolwax seemed pretty easy to me, can’t really see anything else being much easier. Don’t think you can go wrong with either and I’m a fan of Amsoil products too so can’t go wrong there. Probably other threads here at TacomaWorld with more information, lots of knowledgeable users.

Good luck on your project hope you like the 2021! Be sure to make a post on the new member section if you haven’t already!

 

I already have! Check my RetraxPro post, got it the other day. Its pretty slick. Hoping it holds up well against snow and rain

 

Picked up a OEM bed mat from the local stealership. Seems silly but this might be the smartest money spent just so my stuff doesn't slide all over the place any more. Somehow my Leer cap went missing...



Oh look, there's my cap! Just got it back from the local body shop for a quick spray job. Not the factory specific 1D6 because this particular shop blends their own colors in-house but it's damn close and frankly I don't mind at all. $480 for the spray added to $900 for the cap = $1380 total in it so far. Still need a few small pieces to make it right (rear latch handle is ugly, high mount light no workee). Leer wanted over $3k for a brand new unit so I'm good with my second hand stuff.



Another angle of the painted cap for better idea of how the paint matches. I'm happy with it, no more burgundy red!

 

Trucks looking good. Agree with you on the bed mat, a must have if you plan on hauling anything back there.

 

+1 for OEM mats. I bought it on a whim cause I carry lots of ammo cans (that are quite heavy and slide easy) and was incredibly pleased. I just had my baby buffed and waxed. Going to do a fluid film coat today on the underside before they really start salt blasting the roads around here.

The cap looks spectacular! Color is spot on in my opinion!

 

Thanks guys, very happy with how the cap is looking. Many more updates planned in 2021 but keeping it mild since it's my DD. Most of my builds are geared towards practicality and this one will be no different.

Bed mat is one of those things I didn't immediately realized is a "must have". Very easy way to find that out is putting your groceries back there one time and having to crawl up front and collect them. Or having a deer cart sliding back & forth smashing into the inner bedsides.

 

Over the past few years I have kept my MPG in a spreadsheet (also keep my maintenance, truck specs, and other data there too but yes I am a crazy person). I have done this especially with vehicles that I have put oversized tires so I can get real data versus just anecdotal stuff from the internet. Could I use a service like Fuelly? Sure, but I like being a nerd and tracking my own data. Sharing so others can use as a data point if desired.

In my case I bought the truck in July and ran 10k miles year to date. I'm running 265/75/16 BFG KO2 tires that are starting to run low on tread. Chalk testing I keep them at 35psi all around. Put on a Leer cap in late August. Correcting for tire size multiplying trip meter by factor of 1.0319. Average this year is 18.06mpg, highest one one tank is 21.23, lowest is 16.74. Use that knowledge for whatever it's worth.

The horizontal black lines can be ignored but I used them to delimit some of my expeditions. If you notice the big chunk in the middle with a wide variation - that was my drive cross country to New Mexico. I suspect variations highly correlate to driving conditions: lower MPGs where speed limits were higher, some due to elevation, some due to extremely hot temperatures.

 

Not much going on - winter weather, long hours at work, making plans for next mods/upgrades. Burned out a headlight bulb and had to get that working. Previous owner had the Sylvania Silverstar Ultra (9003SU2) bulbs which have a stupid blue coating and frankly have worked like dogshit since I bought the truck. Bad low beams, non-existent high beams, gimmicky trash made for rice rockets. Replaced with the Sylvania "Basic" (9003L) and whaddya know they actually work like OE! Amazing, I can see the road again.



Just got a few inches of snow so I tested 4WD on some unplowed streets. Even with my crappy worn-out KO2's it's near impossible to get stuck on pavement regardless of snow depth.



Some more gratuitous photos because I don't have any recent ones of the whole truck after getting the cap painted.

 

Existing BFG KO2 tread is getting low. These were installed by previous owner who came from Texas and they were inflated over 70psi when I got it. Tread depth is below 8/32" in the center and closer to 11/32" on the outer edges. Signs of cracking between tread lugs and chunking probably caused by the relentless sun and heat of the US southern region. Time for a change.



Bought a set of used wheels/tires from @L J off the Midwest Classifieds. I ended up keeping the tires and sold the wheels to @sparkystaco for his project. (PS - was great dealing with both of these guys!) Finally mounted up the Duratrac tires which are load range C. Tread is 11/32" or more which is better than my BFGs. So why did I do this? Wanted to experiment with C load range versus E to see for myself how big of a difference there is before buying my next upgrade of brand new tires (and maybe wheels). These tires ended up costing me very little - after mount & balance I have less than $200 in the set. Those 3rd gen wheels I have also came from Craigslist for $80 for all 4 so less than $300 total in the whole setup at this moment. No brainer really.



Since the weather warmed up into the 20's today I spend a little extra time and installed the color-match grille. Purchased from that one dealership on eBay which is the most expensive option but guarantees the color match. Call me crazy but I wanted to get this right so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. Gettin' it right the first time. I also removed the rock/bug deflector that the PO installed since I don't find it necessary and it causes a huge ice/snow dam here in winter.



Here's how she is sitting right now. I have (2) 70lb sandbags in the back for snow traction and it sits a hair past perfectly level with a full gas tank. Deciding on which route I want to go for rear leaf springs to fix the saggy butt issue and not give huge lift. Decisions, decisions...

 

Weather is extremely nice today for Wisconsin in February (40°F at 10pm wow!) so I was finally able to install my Gentex GNTX-453 mirror kit from Bob's Mirrors. Took a little fiddling with the Homelink garage door buttons but all seems to be working. Thanks @RJP869 for putting these kits together and the quick response to emails!

Fun oddities of the pandemic: I can't test the auto-dimming function because it's too late and nobody is driving around. I live on one of the busiest streets in the city and zero cars. Bizarre.

 

More small updates while I plan the bigger stuff. My garage door opening is extremely low at just over 6 feet (~74.5") and I constantly bang the antenna across the door supports. It has caused the antenna to loosen up a few times and almost fall out while driving - not good at all. OEM antenna is 31" and on my truck extends to 80" above ground level meaning I need to shave over 6". Longest antenna with a small bit of room to spare was the 21" option. Purchased part number A417-TY from TheAntennaSource which are fairly close to me in Manitowoc, WI. No more banging on the overhead door and a quick test of the radio shows I still get pretty good reception. Don't listen to the radio anyways but this gives me a fighting chance if I'm ever stuck in traffic to listen on AM for a Packers game. Retains factory look and nobody would know the difference without measuring.