Rocky: An Overland Taco Build

Rocky The SwissArmyTaco
2019 DCSB TRD OR Cement Grey


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I have many plans for this build and this is just the beginning. It will be a long process, but I will update this thread as I add on and modify. The end goal is to have built the ultimate overland rig for my families needs. I will be using this as my daily driver up in the Colorado mountains, but during our many overland adventures, Rocky will need to fit me(Andy), my wife(Lauren), our two dogs(Nova & Lola), and all our gear comfortably. We are off-roaders, snowboarders, skateboarders, wakeboarders, rock climbers, SUPers, fishers, hunters, bikers, and hikers. For short, we like to just say Adventurists. All that to say this build needs to be light and capable enough to get us way off the beaten path while at the same time serve as base camp and be able to carry our RTT, kitchen, and all the adventure gear. I hope you enjoy this build thread and can help me along my way!

Here is an index for my build thread. Click the mod and it will take you to the location in the thread!

Interior
Center Console & Glove Box Organizers
Rear Seat Delete w/ Custom Gear/Dog Platform
Dometic CFX-50
Bestek 1000W Power Inverter
Bushwacker Rear Door Protectors
Raingler Front Seat Barrier Net & Ceiling Attic Net
Anytime Cameras Front & Rear
Cali Raised OEM Switch Panel & CH4x4 OEM Style Switches
Expedition Essentials 3TPAM
iOtti Phone Mount/Charger

$165 Midland MXT275 MicroMobile® GMRS Radio – 15 watts Two-Way Radio with Integrated Control Microphone – Overland Caravanning Tractors – Detachable External Magnetic Mount Antenna - 8 Repeater Channels

Midland MXT275 GMRS Radio
RAM Mounts EX Roller iPad Pro Mount
Custom Delorme Inreach Ram Mount
Rago Fab Center Console Molle Panels
Mounted Smith & Wesson M&P Officer Fixed Knife
Mounted Smith & Wesson M&P Officer RXP Flashlight
Desert Does It Front and Rear Seat Jackers

Exterior
MAX Modular Aluminum 14" Bed Rack
MAX Modular Traction Board Brackets and Maxsa Traction Boards
TuffStuff Alpha II Roof Top Tent
AVS Ventshades and Bugflector

Truck Bed Interior Buildout
Mountain Hatch
Truck Bed Seal
Custom Kitchen Slide
Custom Gear Slide
CaliRaisedLed Bed Channel Stiffeners

Power
Genesis Off Road Dual Battery Tray
Optima group 34D Red Top
Optima group 34D Yellow Top
Powertrays Auxiliary Power Bracket
BP Automotive Waterproof Off Road Fuse and Relay Power Distribution Center
Truck Bed Cubby Power Distribution Center
RTT Power
Cascadia 4x4 Hood Mounted Solar Panel

$465 Redarc BCDC1225D REDARC 25A in-Vehicle DC to DC Charger with MPPT — Dual Input for Solar & Alternator Charging, Green Power Priority - 12 or 24V Battery Charger Suitable with AGM, Gel, Lithium LiFePO4 Batteries

Redarc BCDC1225D

Performance
Roar Pedal

Just For Looks
TRD Off Road Hood Decal
TRD Pro Grill
Window Tint
Tailgate Raptor Decal
Interior Blackout Chrome Delete
Debadging and TRD OR Emblem

Armor
RCI Offroad Rock Sliders

Lighting
ExtremeLED 44” X6S Slim Amber/White Light Bar
ExtremeLED Rock Lights
ExtremeLED Side Shooter LED Pods(Ditch Lights)
CaliRaised LED Ditch Light Mounting Brackets
ExtremeLED Scene Lights
Under Hood Lights
Cargo Lights
Raptor Lights
Truck Bed Lighting
Meso Customs x Morimoto Ultimate Tail Lights
Smoked Sequential Mirror Turn Signals

Suspension

Drivetrain

Wheels & Tires
17" Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro Wheels
265/70/R17 Falken Wildpeak AT3s

 

Awesome build. Looking forward to more of your posts.

Edit: post more pictures!!!

 

So the first thing I decided to do when I bought Rocky was rip out the nice brand new leather rear seats. My two dogs ride in the back seat area a lot in the summer and I did not want them scratching/ripping into the leather. Plus I wanted a solid place inside the cab to mount our Dometic CFX-50 fridge/freezer so it made sense to pull out the seats and replace it with a solid platform. At first I wanted to but the goose gear 100% rear seat delete but after pricing it out to be about $1,000 just to put a platform into the rear of the cab I just couldn't justify it. So I decided since I have all this time that I am required to spend at home, I might as well buy what I need and build it. So I did.

I designed a 1 piece system modeled after the goose gear platform I was previously considering buying. It needed to be thick enough to support the firdge and the dogs, but not so thick that it weights a ton. I wanted to still be able to access the under seat storage as well as the floor board easier than just side access. I also wanted it to be coated with a surface that my dogs could grip and not slip and slide around on. I wanted it to be water resistant and rattle proof. I wanted to be able to install and remove it easily as the dogs spend most of the time in the backseat in the summer, but I need to put the rear seats back in each winter to transport athletes I coach daily. I also wanted to remove the 40% plastic panel behind the seat to create more room for the fridge, and build a back panel that I could mount my 1000W inverter to. Its a perfect spot as I can run an extension cord out the back window at night and into the tent to charge phones, cameras, etc. Lastly, I wanted it to look as "OEM" as possible. Meaning, I wanted it to fit flush, match in color and style, install easily and securely, and use original bolt holes only.

Below is the final product:


Here is the full view of the end result. I chose

$19 Dualplex Neoprene Sponge Foam Rubber Roll Adhesive, 15X60"es X 1/8" Thick, Perfect Cosplay Padding, DIY Project Sheet - Easy Cut Adhesive Multi-Function Soundproof Rubber Foam Sheet

1/8" thick closed cell neoprene foam with adhesive on one side to cover the deck with. In hindsight, I would have chose a different material as this material is water resistant, sound deadening, and allows the dogs to grip but the dogs do put tiny holes in it everywhere. For the time being I have ordered a dog bed large enough to cover the whole area, but when I take the deck out in the winter I will try to find a more rubbery material to recover it with. Underneath the neoprene foam I painted the whole thing black and coated it with high gloss polyurethane to create a surface that would really allow the adhesive to stick to. Not sure how easy that will be to remove . Also, one thing to note is I did have to cut a large radius in the deck where it meets the speakers on the doors as the speaker covers have a slight curve and were originally squeezing the deck on either side when the doors were closed. I also had to notch the area behind the center console for install.

This is the rear bolt hole location. I drilled this hole to match with the closest seat mount bolt hole on both sides in the rear. I had to put 1" of wood underneath the 1/2" plywood to make it sit level with where the bottom of the plywood hits the middle bolt hole location on top rim of the rear seat storage compartment. Can't remember exactly what size the bolts are that I bought to fit the factory mount holes, but they were easy to match with the factory bolt. Stoked on how flush this ended up fitting... made the template by cutting cardboard and it all turned out to fit really nicely.

Middle bolt hole location. You can see the marks the dogs claws are making in the foam. Not bad, but will need replacement by the end of summer.

Under Seat Storage access lid and

$10 Slam Latch Hatch Round Pull Latch (OWACH AL-958-1) for Boat Deck RV Cabinet Door Drawers Replace Southco M1-61 Push-to-Close (Black, 1/4" Door, Non-Locking)

flush mount latch.

Underseat storage lid opened. This is where I am currently storing all my recovery/emergency gear because it all fits perfectly. I have factory bottle jack and tools, shop towels, spotlight, flares, tire repair kit, nocco jumper battery, jumper cables, tow strap, first aid kit, flares, and a large knife.

The floor board access allows you to reach passenger center and driver floor space all from the passenger side.

The Dometic CFX-50 Mounts perfectly behind the driver seat with a little extra room to spare. I just mounted it by installing a d-ring on the floor towards the front and using the factory loop on the rear wall through the back panel to strap it down with black nrs straps.

Here is the back panel with the bestek 1000W inverter mounted. Let me know if you all have ideas on how to use this wasted space... im not a fan of wasted space haha.

As a side note... I found

$23 Bushwhacker Vehicle Door Protector for Dogs – Pair of 27" x 17" Car Door Scratch Guards – K9 Truck Back Shield and Pet Side Panel Cover for SUVs and Sedans

Bushwacker Door Protectors these on Amazon for $25 and installed them to protect the door from the wrath of my dogs claws. Stoked on these because i can roll the windows up and down without these falling out, and the material is made out of a canvas feeling material so I am confident they will protect my doors. And they fit the shape of the doors really well for being universal.

 

Thanks! Ill keep it updated as parts come in! I just posted the rear seat delete and custom deck build and ill post the rock light install soon!

 

Looks stellar! Using this as beta. Do you know what d-rings those are? I'd like to use those same ones.

 

Thank you! And yes, I got them here:

$8 Tie Down D Ring Set, Easy-to-Install Truck Tie Downs, Compatible with Cargo Cover Mounts, Heavy-Duty Jeep Wrangler Accessories for Pickups, Trailers, Truck, Trailer, Camper, Boat & More, 6 Pack - GPCA

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DEFD3N8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Let me know if you need any more info

 

Should have clarified -- What about those flush mount d-rings that you have on the platform?

 

OOOOOh sorry. I thought you meant the d-rings that I used to anchor the fridge. I was wondering how you saw those in the pictures. The flush mount latches I also found on Amazon. Amazon for the win!

$10 Slam Latch Hatch Round Pull Latch (OWACH AL-958-1) for Boat Deck RV Cabinet Door Drawers Replace Southco M1-61 Push-to-Close (Black, 1/4" Door, Non-Locking)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016QTS0QO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hope that helps!

 

I am definitely into the rear seat delete and this is an awesome solution! do the dometics have to be inside for any reason or are they weather proof?

 

Thank you! And the Dometic CFX 50 is weatherproof so I could mount it in the bed if I wanted to. We only really use the backseat for our dogs, so since there is plenty room back there I just put the fridge inside to leave room for more gear in the bed. And it keeps the fridge nice and clean and allows for cold snack and drink access without having to stop and get in the trunk

 

I had a pretty great start on here with the rear seat delete and custom platform, and then I dropped off the face of the earth lol. Honestly just got too busy having fun in and building out the rig that I forgot to document it. Its something I would still really like to do, so I'm going to do my best to catch up on what I have missed up to this point. So the next several posts I am going to make are from months after the actual install. Rocky has seen a lot of changes and upgrades so check them out. Ill try my best to do them somewhat in the order that I actually installed them.

 

Ill start with some of the first "mods" I did for interior organization... more like additions than mods. But the first three are cheap and easy must haves. I bought these center console and glove box organizers off of Amazon for under $40 and they are organization game changers!

RealTX for Tacoma 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 Center Console Organizer Tray,Fit 16-2023 Toyota Tacoma Console Accessory Organizer Armrest Box Insert & Divider

Center Console Storage Tray

I tend to keep the stuff I like to have quick access to up top

Center Console Dividers

In the dividers I have an emergency toiletry kit (aka toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, and lotion), tums & ibuprofen, air down tools & tape measure, spare dog leash, usb power banks, lightning, microusb, and usbc charging cables and a wall charging cube.

$20 JDMCAR Glove Box Organizer Compatible with Toyota Tacoma Accessories 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016，Insert ABS Black Materials Compartment Center Console Tray

Glove Box Organizer

In the glove i keep some emergency cleaning stuff, my maintenance guide, lug nut lock, a bunch of napkins, my lightbar headlamp, and a tazer lol. You never know...

On the more expensive side, I installed a cargo net attic and divider net over my rear seat and between the front and rear to act as a cage to keep the dogs in the back, as well as give me space to stuff light soft things up top like jackets, pillows, blankets, etc. I can also mount molle style bags to the cargo net as well for more organization. I plan to get some molle bags and mount them to the barrier to store the dog food and supplies in. This is also where I will mount my first aid kit down the road as well. I bought this set of cargo nets from Raingler and i will say that they were way on the expensive side. Mine were very standard and still ran me $400 something dollars shipped. However, they are very high quality nets. The hardware they send is a different story too. Beware.


So far one of my favorite interior organization mods has been these from . I love them. They fit the shapes of the interior unlike the other brands out there, they are sturdy AF, they look pretty bad ass too, and man they are handy for storing things at your fingertips. I did change up the mounting design a bit though and decided to mount these using nutserts for quick removal to add or remove tools.

On the Driver side I have mounted my M&P Officer Fixed Blade, my M&P Officer RXP Flashlight, and my Roar Pedal. I chose the Officer fixed blade because of its sturdy construction with a convenient windshield breaker on the bottom of the grip. The Officer RXP Flashlight is awesome because it comes with a charging mount so I just mounted it to the molle panel with some hardware I had laying around and ran the charging wire to my custom hidden dual USB charger. Now I will never go to grab my flashlight only to find out it is dead or out of batteries. I'd like to eventually mount a multitool to this panel as well, but that can wait for now.


I currently only have two Midland FRS radios clipped to this panel, but I'm keeping this space free for future toys. Looking into getting my HAM or GMRS license and mounting either a Midland GMRS radio here, or a BAOFENG UV-5R. I like the baofeng because its small. There is a guy on etsy that makes some rad molle or ram mountable charging mounts for them and i can access HAM and GMRS channels on them. And they are CHEAP. Thoughts???

Now, I mentioned a custom hidden dual USB charger earlier and this is probably a good spot to talk about that. I basically needed a way to charge accessories mounted to the center console molle panels like my flashlight and eventually most likely a Baofeng UV-5R, but I didn't want usb cables running all over the place on top of my center console. So behind/below the dash on the driver side I found a nice flat spot to mount a dual usb charger using some gorilla glue double sided tape. This way I can run the usb charging cables behind the molle panels, under the plastic of the center console and all the way back to my hidden usb charger without being seen for a clean & seamless look.

This

$14 RV USB Outlet DAMAVO YM1236 Panel Dual Port Charger Receptacle, 12V-24V Car Charger Female Car Bus, Boat, Vehicle Marine ATV (Surface Mount)

USB charging port (that i found on Amazon for $12) is really awesome for situations that you want to have usb charging capabilities, but you don't have room to drill a hole for a standard 12v usb style charger. It also mounts really nicely with just some double sided tape so no drilling required if you don't want to.

 

Great job on the seat delete - looks very clean and functional. I need to do the same - I also carry dogs more often than humans.

 

Thanks!! It’s proven to be very functional and gives the dogs plenty of space on trips. If I had to do it again though I think I’d cover it in a more durable material. The foam isn’t holding up as well as I’d hoped. Just thought I’d let ya know if you try to do something similar!

 

Before I get too far ahead of myself bringing up things like my hidden usb charging ports, I should probably post on my power supply situation.

I have a dual battery setup that I put together myself for my specific needs. It starts with a Genesis Offroad Dual Battery Tray made specifically for the 3rd gen tacoma, and I have a brief rabbit hole Id like to take on this product. I installed this battery tray last April and then enjoyed my dual battery system camping and offroading all summer long, and this winter I began to hear a clicking noise coming from the front driver side of the truck when hitting bumps in the road or going over speed bumps at around 20-50 mph. I took out the battery tray a couple weeks ago and sure enough, all the offroading with those heavy batteries in that tray attached to the thin sheet metal in the stock battery location had shook the tray so much that it cracked the sheet metal where the 2 nutserts were crimped closest to the driver side of the truck!!! I basically had two large holes in places where I needed nuterts to be able to mount the tray back to the truck. I came up with a solution that ended up being a way more secure mount for the dual batteries, and now if I grab the battery tray and try to shake it, it shakes the whole truck. Those suckers are ON THERE. Basically, I ordered a

$14 RMP 6061 T6 Aluminum Sheet, 12" x 12" x 0.125" Thickness

12" x 12" 1/8" thick sheet of aluminum from Amazon. I used some CAD(cardboard-aided-drafting) to create a template for a bracket that would replace the existing mounting surface that my battery tray had rattle holes into. I then traced it onto the aluminum and cut out my bracket using a cutting wheel and a vice. I cleaned up the holes on the surface I was going to mount my custom bracket to, drilled 6 new holes, painted it all up with some color matched duplicolor paint, set 6 5/8-16 nutserts in those holes, drilled 6 holes to match on my bracket, covered the surface with flex seal, and mounted my bracket using 6 stainless steel bolts. This is what the end result looks like:



I then placed the battery tray back into its spot, remarked the bolt hole locations, drilled 4 new holes into the custom bracket surface, and set 4 1/4-20 nutserts in the bracket:



The last thing I need to do was to fab up a set of brackets for the lower mounting location. So I cut these two brackets out of the remaining aluminum and used them to sandwich the sheet metal to prevent any further rattling from cracking the sheet metal down there.



Sorry for the rabbit hole, but if anyone would like to use the Genesis Dual Battery tray in their Tacoma, I highly suggest doing something like this on the front end so you don't have to deal with the nightmare of finding holes torn into your brand new truck

SOOOOOO... I mounted in this Genesis Dual Battery tray and then I put Optima Red Top Group 34 and and Optima Yellow Top Group 34 Batteries into the tray. To charge the yellow top battery i mounted a

$80 Dual Battery Isolator Kit 12V - 140 Amp Voltage Sensitive Relay (VSR) for Dual Battery Setup - Automatic Disconnect Switch for Car, Truck, RV, UTV, ATV, Marine

140amp battery isolator by KeyLine on top of the battery tray top bracket, ran the appropriate wiring, and bingo! That's my dual battery system setup!



Now I needed a way to distribute the power from my dual battery power source, and my plan was to have one distribution center in the front and one in the rear of the truck so that I would have to run minimal wires under the truck.

In the front, I mounted an Overland Engineering Bracket meant for blue sea fuse boxes in the location behind the stock fuse box under the hood. To it, I mounted a Mictuning

$14 MICTUNING LED Digital Double Voltmeter, Round Panel Voltage Monitor Blue for Car Pickup RV Truck Dual Battery Pack

Voltmeter and a Blue Sea Systems

$41 Blue Sea Systems 7086 285 Series Circuit Breakers, Panel Mount, 80A DC

80 amp breaker I bought on Amazon, and a prebuilt and sealed off-road fuse and relay box from BP Automotive. I wanted to be able to easily see how much power each battery had, and didnt like having the voltmeter inside the cab like I did in my jeep. So it made sense to mount one on the empty space on this bracket. Also, I wanted a breaker in place for extra in-line protection for my electrical system; as well as a way that I can shut off all power to the accessories powered by my front end power dist. center with the flip of one switch. And the BP Automotive Off-Road Fuse and Relay box is AWESOME. Click on the link and give it a read. They use high quality components, it comes pre-wired with 8' wires, it looks clean, and its waterproof. What more could you want?


The accessories I chose to power on the front end of the vehicle are obviously the ones that are closest to the front end, and/or need to be wired to a switch in the cab of the truck. There are 5 "hot" fused wires (F2, F4, F6, F8, F10) and 5 wires with a fuse and a relay(F1R1, F3R3, F5R5, F7R7, F9R9). I wired my accessories as listed:

F1R1 Scene Lights
F2 Switch LEDs
F3R3 Roof Light Bar
F4 CB Radio
F5R5 Rock Lights
F6 Engine Bay Light(Under Hood Lights)
F7R7 Bumper Light Bar
F8 Hidden USB Charger
F9R9 Ditch Lights
F10 Anytime Camera System

and I used my

$36 DYMO Label Maker LetraTag 100H Handheld Label Maker, Easy-to-Use, 13 Character LCD Screen, Great for Home & Office Organization

DYMO label maker that I got on amazon as well to make some labels for a index/key inside the lid of the box:



That's pretty much it for the front end power distribution center. My next post will be covering my truck bed power distribution center for the rear of the vehicle!