Badass Brunette Tacoma - Build & Adventures

Not sure what your schedule looks like Sunday, but @H3llRid3r and I are taking some TW people down FR056 up AF Canyon this Sunday if you wanted to bring the beast.

 

Ha!! Coincidentally, I'm over here wondering what I'm going to do on my day off on Sunday...

What time you guys meeting up?

 

10AM at the gravel lot just before the Alpine toll gate.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...areas-bs-thread.142717/page-339#post-19053731

 

Any update on cutting through the bed? I am thinking about going in that directions.

 

EPIC build thread and wheeling pics!! Sub'd

how come no Moab travels yet? isn't that like hella close? Me and my bro went one year and it was killer! Keep up the awesome build!

 

Man... I have slacked off on this build page HARD. I haven't updated anything since 2018!! The fact that I was deleting entire sections on the front page to update them with what has changed, that says a lot.

The truck went from looking like this:



To this:


It doesn't feel like the same truck anymore. Soooooo much has changed. Even in my own life!! Where I was three years ago compared to where I am today is completely different too. Early 2019 was when one big chapter of my journey closed and a new chapter began. I genuinely believe the build reflects that in every way.

Man! It really blows my mind to update this thread!

Please bear with me as I try to catch up. Things will be out of order, but I'll post some of the highlights.

 

Okay, let's start with the long travel rear. Mind you, this was done looooooooong before I thought about getting a camper. 9/10 would not recommend this order of operations. It created quite the challenge once I decided to get a camper because suddenly I had giant ass holes in the bed.

14" shocks, bed cage, 63" chevy springs... whole nine yards. Don't ask how much travel I get. I have no idea.

 

Unique problems require unique solutions. Pro 4x4 in Utah to the rescue!!!

Before:




After:





They had to be removable so that I could still access the shock towers. These fiberglass caps came out better than I could have imagined. Pro4x4 even fixed the hole on the driver side wheel well.

Having these ginormous holes covered up was a big relief. I was regretting my decision to go long travel because I had no idea how I would remedy this situation with a camper on the way. Fortunately, there are creative folks out there who figured it out. The bed cage still created a challenge with the camper buildout later on, but at least the holes were sealed up.


While we were at it, I worked on getting other aspects of the bed ready for the new camper. This included swapping out the bed rail caps and sealing off all of the cubbies. The point is to dust/leak proof the bed.

 

If you don't have a Mountain Hatch tailgate insert, you're missing out!

10/10 would highly recommend. Gone are the days of hurt knees on those damn grooves.

 

Camper buildout Version ONE.

I have to give some serious credit to my friend Drew who helped me with Version One and Version Two of the camper buildout. I had the vision but he had all the tools and building skills that I don't. I couldn't have done it without his help.

First step was making a base plate (floor) out of Birchwood plywood. Insulated underneath.






This Version One was made of 1" steel tubing. It was the cheapest route and I kinda knew I wasn't going to keep it for very long. This was all sort of the trial run. (Version Two a year later would be made of 1" aluminum to keep it lighter in weight.) Those black plastic connectors were found online.












How is it secured?? Simple: T-Nuts and bolts.







Creating the side panels and flip-up lids on top.






Final Product:





Those cushions are hand-sewn and they took several hours to make!! (It was a labor of love)
I also added some decorative film to the wood panels for a better look. (found on Amazon) Nice touch huh?

 

I run two Extreme Outback Enduro compressors and a 2 gallon tank on my truck. They are mounted where the spare tire used to be. (The circled image shows where the attachment points are)

These compressors are sealed, so no I do not worry about them being under there (water or dirt).

Update: Two years in this location and they're still going strong. No issues.

 

Clearly I’m not worthy Beautiful job!

 

Hooray for updates! Thanks for sharing the details. I'm finally picking up my Drifter next week. Ordered June 2019....

 

Good to see you popped back into the forum.

 

@cwhet10 Any tips on lining up the bed bolts to the plywood to drill the holes?

 

The tip I discovered was to put a smear of Vaseline or neosporin on top of the bed bolt heads and pressing the plywood down onto them. That will give you an exact location for the bolts. It's dumb, but it works!!

 

Really is badass! Well done!

 

Did you guys know I have a YouTube channel? Feel free to subscribe!

Here's my Tacoma walk-around video:
https://youtu.be/27y6BCsPxqQ

My Camper Tour:
https://youtu.be/vAZzTBMuGFg

 

New headlights: Alpharex NOVA series .

Dramatic new look for the truck and I absolutely love it! Now comes the test of whether they can withstand the abuse of offroad life.




BEFORE

 

Based on your Instagram you're way overdue to update this...

Nice build!