Jordan's (Overlandaholic) Tacoma Build

What's up TW, I decided I would make a thread to showcase my build so far. I write for my blog Overlandaholic about overlanding and outdoors and show my build on my Instagram.

A full build list can be found on my website here: Overlandaholic.com/tacomabuild

Enough of that, but here's what I've done to my truck so far:

I bought the truck in the summer of 2021. I had a 2021 Tacoma SR5 2x4 that I bought in 2020 and got stuck a few times trying to go through the Ozarks so I decided I needed to get a 4x4. Luckily with the car market the way it is, I sold the SR5 for more than I bought it for and got the my TRD Offroad for a steal. Below is a picture of my SR5.



I bought my "bull bar", TRD Pro grill, and DV8 Offroad roof rack for the SR5 but switched them over to my 2019 TRD Offroad.

The Day I bought my TRD Offroad.


After installing the bull bar, TRD pro grill, and DV8 Offroad roof rack:


I started my blog in August of 2021, a couple months after I bought the TRD Offroad. Overtime since it gained some traction, I was grateful to receive a sponsorship from Factory Style Wheels and got a nice set of 2020 FFS - F158 (Satin Black 16x8) wheels.



I honestly love these wheels as they kind of tie the whole "blackout" look together. Soon after, I purchased the Eibach Pro Truck Lift Stage 1 and Wheelers Offroad 1.5" Add-a-Leaf and got them installed.



At first on the ride home, since I installed them at a family members shop about 3 hours away, I noticed I was getting a weird rumble strip vibration and it went away in 4HI. I got an alignment and it was still there so I headed over to the forums. After some help from TW and all of you awesome people I realized it was the drivers side needle bearing. I ordered the Yukon 8" Clamshell Bushing off Amazon (since I could get it in a lot faster) and contacted a local shop to have it installed. (Shout out to Rock Brother 4x4 in Northwest Arkansas). It immediately solved that problem.

The ride is a bit stiff, I'm assuming from the Add-a-Leaf since I can feel it in my seats, so I plan to go with the Icon RXT Leaf Pack in the future but for now I think it's livable.

I had a cheap Amazon tonneau cover and knew I wanted to get a rooftop tent in the future so I decided to pick up a set of CBI Overland Bed Bars and ORCISH Traction Boards.



As of today, I'm not sure about the bed bars and may decide to go with a camper shell or GFC Platform Camper in the future but we will see where my budget is.

So far, that's about all I've done to the truck but it has been great and gotten me just about everywhere I needed to go. It's been on tons of adventures and I love to write overlanding content about my modifications and stuff I research.

I recently picked up a set of Element Hard Parts Chromoly Ball Joint upper control arms and am waiting until I have some time to install them. I will update the thread and probably post a review article once I have them on.

If you have any questions let me know!

 

Long time no see, I've gotten a few more mods since the last post:

Installed a set of the Element Hard Parts Chromoly Ball Joint UCAs, initial impression is they work great and allow more adjustments with alignments which will be a lifesaver once I get bigger tires.



Also finally got rid of the add-a-leaf and purchased a set of the Icon RXT Multi-Rate Leaf Springs and currently have them on option 1 for the softest ride and since I don't ever really have anything in the bed. Depending on the bed setup, I may adjust in the future. They ride amazing compared to the stiffness of the single AAL and are worth the investment



After having them on for like a week, they have already started to squeak but will be picking up some fluid film, but honestly I prefer the nicer ride quality and can deal with some squeaking.

 

May want to move this to the 3G build forum: https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/3rd-gen-builds-2016.196/

 

Dang, my bad still learning how to use TW. Thanks for the heads up

 

Got the wheelers front super bumps installed, honestly didn't think they would make that big of a difference but BOY was I wrong. They are great for taking the harshness out of bumps.

Before


After

 

How easy is the install on those?

 

Super easy, I installed them in like 15 minutes, just make sure you have a pipe wrench large enough to get the stock bump stops off, I had to make a quick run to Lowes and picked up a 14" one.

You just remove the stock bump stops, put the provided screws through the pre-made hole in the super bumps, and screw them in on both sides. You can use Loctite to be extra cautious.