drizzohs '21 off-road build

Sup d00ds, I'm Andrew and I have a 2021 Tacoma Off-Road 4x4 DCSB that I ordered in June '21 with no options other than tech package because I knew I would mod everything else.

I'm very into the OEM+ feel and I'm learning that I'm generally not happy with off-the-shelf anything so I've put a ton of work into modding mods and tweaking settings for my liking. That includes doing full custom paintwork for the interior trim, rebuilding a TRD Pro knob to fit with the OR color scheme, changing leaf packs a few times and having the ADS 2.5" shocks revalved twice. It was nice having a daily driver so I could put the proper amount of time into doing modifications correctly and getting this setup exactly the way I wanted.

I need to get better about taking pics of this thing, but here's a few:













Ze Build Specs:

Engine & Performance:
Custom KDMax Pro 10 Tune

$200 K&N 57-9039 K&N Cold Air Intake System: High-Flow Air Filter, Increase Performance & Towing: Compatible with 2016-2023 TOYOTA Tacoma, 57-9039

K&N 57-9039 Intake Kit
TRD Intake Flow Accelerator
Borla High Clearance Y-Pipe
Magnaflow Overland Series SS Catback Exhaust
Powerstop Z36 Extreme Brake Pads
Powerstop Drilled & Slotted Rotors
Crown Performance Extended SS Brake Lines
RedlineTuning +7" Hood Struts

$36 Fumoto F-133 : STANDARD VALVE WITH 12MM-1.25 THREADS WITH LEVER CLIP Gold

Fumoto F-133 Oil Drain Valve
OEM Metal Oil Filter Housing
OEM TRD Oil Cap
OEM TRD Radiator Cap
A/C Drain Mod

Suspension:
ADS 2.5" Extended Travel w/ Reservoirs & Clickers (Custom Tuned)
JBA HD Upper Control Arms
WarFab Tie Rod Sleeves
OEM 4Runner Lower Shock Bolts
Wheelers Superbump Bump Stops (Front)
Cab Mount Chop w/ Total Chaos Plates
Deaver J66 Leaf Packs
Toytec 1/2" Rear Axle Shims
Archive Garage Hammer Hangers
Archive Garage 3.6" Shackles
Archive Garage Stealth HD U-Bolt Flip Kit
Archive Garage Yellow Speed Bumps Bump Stops (Rear)
ARB FK29 Carrier Bearing Spacer
Sway Bar Delete

Exterior:
Morimoto XB Evo Headlights w/ Superchargers & XPEL PPF
Diode Dynamics Elite Series Fogs
OEM TRD Pro Grille w/ OEM TSS Garnish
Heritage Grille Badge
Raayoo Front Camera
Hella Supertones Horns
OEM TRD Skid Plate
Ark Splash Guards
Squareone Creations Frame Caps
SNS Designs ABS Sensor Guards (Front)
Westcott Designs 20° TIG Welded DOM Rock Sliders
Black Painted Calipers & Rotors
MESO V5 Sequential LED Side Mirror Turn Signals
AVS Low Profile Smoked Window Deflectors
MESO 'The Gasshole' V1
Archive Garage ABS Sensor Skids (Rear)
OEM Header Bed Rail w/ End Caps
Rocky Mounts Driveshaft Track Bike Mounts
Charvonia Designs Billet Tie Downs
@TMCmakes Wheel Deal's Bike Wheel Mounts
OEM Bed Mat
OEM LED Bed Lighting Kit
OEM 2016-19 Driver Side Bed Storage Compartment
Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners
OEM Electronic Tailgate Lock
OEM '21 TRD Pro Tail Lights
MESO Total Tail Stage 1
TRD Heritage Tailgate Badge
EyeCatcher Tailgate Letter Inserts

Interior:
OEM LED Homelink Rearview Mirror
Banks iDash SuperGauge
MESO Custom 9-Switch Left Panel
AOB Factory Style Push Switches
OEM Glass Breakage Sensor w/ Tundra Mic
Cali Raised LED 6000k Interior LED Kit
VLEDS Aqua Footwell Lighting
Qi Charger Delete
Door Beeper Speaker Removed
Screen ProTech Film Protection Kit
Tacos4Cheap MGM Glove Box Letters
Tacos4Cheap MGM Bucket
JKCOVER Glove Box Organizer

$36 K&N VF2005 K&N LIFETIME Cabin Air Filter: Premium, Washable, Clean Air for your Cabin: Compatible with 1999-2023 Dodge/Pontiac/Subaru/Toyota: Dart, Vibe, Liberty, Tacoma, Voltz, VF2005

K&N VF2005 Cabin Filter
OEM RAV4 Cubby Light
Z Precision Cup Holder
Custom MGM Full Dechrome
Custom OEM TRD 'Off-Road' Shift Knob
MESO Black TRD Push Start Button
MESO Extended Fuse Cover V2
MESO Steering Wheel Control Fix
MESO Black Door Handle Covers
Suntek CIR Window Tint
JDMCAR Rubber Center Console Inserts
JSTOTRIM Seat Bolt Covers
Tufskinz Heritage Door Sills
Black TRD Striker Covers
Husky X-Act Floor Liners

Wheels & Tires:
Volk RAYS 17x8.5 -10 TE37XT M-Spec Wheels
9SIX9 17x8.5 -10 SIX-1 [TE37 Rep Spare Wheel]
Nitto Ridge Grappler 285/70r17 C-Load Tires
WheelAdapter.com Extended Lug Studs
Muteki SR45R Lug Nuts
Hodakaguy's Spare Tire Hoist Relocation Mod

Audio:

$930 Pioneer DMH-WC6600NEX Digital Multimedia Receiver with Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 9" Floating Capacitive Touchscreen, Modular Double-DIN, Built-in Bluetooth, WiFi and Amazon Alexa

Pioneer DMH-WC6600NEX
JL Audio VX700/5i DSP Amplifier
Focal Flax Evo PS 165 FXE Component Front Speakers
Focal Flax Evo PC 165 FE Coaxial Rear Speakers
JL Audio Stealthbox w/ JL 10TW3-D4
iDatalink Maestro RR2 Interface Module
JL Audio Water Resistant Master MAXI Fuse Block
KnuKonceptz Wiring
45 sq/ft of Second Skin Damplifier Pro Deadening
36 sq/ft of Second Skin Heatwave Pro Thermal Insulation

Other Accessories:
Overland Equipped Auxiliary Power Kit
Cali Raised LED Relay Holder
Aspire Brite Box Fogster
Baja Designs 30" S8 Light Bar
Baja Designs S2 Chase Light

Fluids:
ATE TYP 200 Brake Fluid
Mobil1 0w20 w/ TRD Filter
Redline CV-2 Grease

Awaiting Install:
Performance Pedals Billet Aluminum Pedals
ExperiMental Designs Anytime Locker

Future Plans:
ARB Air Compressor w/ Tank

FS Thread w/ take-offs and other items: drizzoh's 3g parts for sale thread | Tacoma World

 

Looks great!

 

Pics from suspension install weekend:

Took 3.5 months for all these parts to finally arrive. Was hoping to do this the week I took ownership of the truck.

ADS 2.5" Extended Travel shocks w/ reservoirs and clickers | Icon RXT Leaf pack | JBA HD Arms | Wheelers Superbumps w/ Archive Garage u-bolt flip kit

EDIT: These leaf packs have been replaced with the Deaver J66 (RXT is too stiff for a truck without additional weight).

 

Custom interior dechrome:

Started with all the MESO pieces but wasn't thrilled with their fit and finish, so I dechromed the OEM pieces and repainted a few of the MESO parts I liked to end up with a very clean interior color scheme that most wouldn't notice was modded if they didn't know.

OEM trim after chrome removal:



Primed, painted and 1k cleared:



MESO MGM vs my painted pieces:

Center console [ac controls have since been paint-matched but not pictured here]

​

 

Other odds and ends photos. Probably stuff most of you have already seen already, but..

Morimoto Gen2 XB LED Headlights vs OEM Off-Roads:



OEM RAV4 XLE radio knobs installed. Haven't seen anyone else running these either on this platform which is pretty cool. They're fantastic to use and look great.



Needed to shave down the back side of the RAV4 knobs so they would work with the push button functions - then they were pnp:

Before:


After:


Offroad side markers vs the smoked sequential ones from Taco Garage:



Morimoto XB LED fogs vs OEM (these have since been swapped out for the DD Elites):



When doing the electronic tailgate lock, I added a little deadening added to the tailgate to help it not sound so cheap when closing:



Already had to deal with a really annoying rattle behind the glove box (<1k miles on my truck):



Stock Wranglers vs Nitto Ridge Grappler 33's:



Before mounting

 

More rando's:

OEM paper tweeters vs the Subaru Kickers. Decent upgrade and love the ease of install. Would be considerably happier if these were $60 though vs the $110 they currently are, but nice temporary audio upgrade until I finish the system.



OEM vs WheelAdapter.com '1/2" Extended lug studs'. Unlike a girl on her third date, I was not as excited to find out these were actually bigger than advertised.. but after drilling a few holes, they're in and I feel much safer having like 18 lug turns on my Volks vs the 5.5 I was getting with the tiny stock studs. Fronts were easy to replace (just had to bend the dust shield out of the way). The rears required drilling a 3/4" hole in the drum backing plates. This was preferable to doing a complete brake disassembly and pulling the axles out. There's already a bunch of holes and rubber plugs on that piece so this should not cause any structural issues - especially with them being 5/32" thick. I have new plugs on order as the ones I originally ordered were much too thin to fit that thick of a surface. Found a flat spot where I only had to remove 1 of the lighter tensioned springs and the install went pretty smoothly. These lugs are some long boiz. Also what is up with the paper gaskets on the rear end? I removed them and coated the mating surfaces with anti-seize.





And an older garage pic showing off the Taco and daily tC:

 

Thanks Tacospike! It's been the most frustrating build of my life but hoping it will all be worth it.

 

Alignment day!

Went to see my buddy Eddie today @ Forza Automotive in Tempe, AZ and got my truck set @ 4° caster and in spec for all the rest. No issues achieving this with the JBA HD UCA's and so far no more rubbing with the 285's. MPG also went up 3+ mpg on the drive back to the west side of town. Took 3 times on and off the rack to get it perfectly dialed and it was absolutely worth it. The ride is so much better. Been going to Eddie for 10+ years and highly recommend this shop if you are in the area. One of the few shops I actually feel comfortable letting work on my vehicles.

 

Annnnd alignment didn't change ride quality as much as I was hoping, so the suspension is off and being sent back to ADS for a revalve. Still way too stiff on the road even @ full soft.

 

how are you liking the morimoto xb headlights? about to pull the trigger on a set.

 

The output is pretty fantastic and they are super clean. Better looking and brighter output than the factory led offering and with a much sharper cutoff and a better warranty. Output is significantly improved vs just putting an led in the factory housing - I was not happy at all with the Morimoto 2 Stroke 3.0s. I come from a history of retrofitting my cars and I would say the 2.0 version is probably a bit brighter than a standard rx350 retrofit with hids but likely not as bright as if you went ahead and did quad rx350 projectors.

 

damn, those look sexy! I plan on going with the amber DRL. I'm glad you're liking them. I was gonna go OEM LED, but I really wanted the amber DRL.

 

Thanks man, Morimoto did a nice job on these. The amber led would be amazing paired with the amber fogs, but with my truck being white I thought I'd keep it clean and match em up. And the switchback from the 5500k drl to amber sequential turn is trick. If you put sequential side mirror signals, these have the sequence going in the same direction as well unlike factory.

They were a full pnp install as well, but aimed super low out of the box. Needed to crank them up a bit, but they adjust like normal lights with a #2 Phillips screwdriver.

 

was the install hard?

 

Not bad at all. If you've changed the grille that's 1/3 of the install. Just grab extra blue and orange plastic fender clips as they're one-time use. A bag of 100 is like $7 on Amazon. They're some good videos available. Not sure which one I used, but I only separated the bumper enough to be able to swap the lights.

 

Are those horns on the OEM brackets and OEM wiring? Got any sound clips of them? I'd like something a bit beefier than stock but haven't really found it yet.

Good build!

 

Thanks d00d!

The horns are bolted to the stock locations with the factory hardware and the stock wiring harnesses fits onto the Hella's prongs. From there all you need to do is build a ground loop from the other terminal back to the mounting bolt or a ground of your choosing. Pretty simple install. I dig the sound and volume if the vehicle already has dual horns as standard. If you have to split a single connection into 2 they should a bit like clown horns - but they're not bad on my OR or my tC. I don't have any clips of them but the internet is riddled with them. If you do have to split a single connection into 2 (IIRC some SR's have only a single horn), I'd recommend adding their the relay so they get proper power.

 

Shocks on their way back from ADS with the new valving. Hopefully will arrive to be able to be installed this weekend. Until then, truck still chillen in hovercraft mode.

 

Looking clean!!
All this work before even the first oil change.
Can’t wait to see how much more work you put in within a year.

 

Appreciate it vivid. Was hoping to have everything that's been done so far accomplished in the first month, but parts delays put a damper on my progress.

I saved up for about 2 years to get this build underway so I could go HAM once I got it. Stance was most important to knock out right off the bat, but already far-exceeded the initial budget. Much more to come though