Silver 2004 DC w/305K getting some love...a Taco story

Howdy

I have been using this forum for advice, DIY instructions, etc., since I bought my 2004 DC with 118K on the odometer when I was 18. I've never posted much though, and even lost track of what my login was. Fourteen years later, and I was considering selling the truck recently for the shiny new, but changed my mind. I decided to say screw those insane new truck prices and big payments. I am going to put some love back into this truck after neglecting for some time now. It's served as my daily driver, road tripper, boat puller, and hunting club beater for all these years without letting me sit once..it deserves better! The truck still sits completely stock, but below are my plans for the improvements. Hoping to give back to TW by documenting some of my build for others to see, and hopefully help them make decisions.

Suspension & Lift
OME Kit for 2-3in Lift w/883 coils - (https://www.4wheelparts.com/p/arb-o...m-heavy-load-ometac04hks/_/R-BHWQ-OMETAC04HKS) Looking at this kit from 4WP because they have local shop here in Charleston, SC that gave decent quote for install & alignment. One thing I thought was odd is that they don't specify the coil used in the kit details. I had done a lot of research on what lift kit I should go with based on my plans for the truck, and from everything I read it looked like the 883 coil would be what I wanted as I plan to add heavy front bumper and winch. However, this kit just says "Heavy Load", but does not define the coil. My priority for this is simply replacing the worn out stock suspension that pitches really bad around turns right now, and the leaf springs are completely shot. Hoping for a stiffer ride, and mild lift. 3" or less.

Front Bumper

Coastal Offroad Closed Top w/center hoop or Allpro Apex Front Bumper LED Hoop – I like the looks of the Coastal a little bit more, but having to find a person to weld it for me, and then powder coating makes the Allpro much more appealing for me. I don’t have a ton of time right now nor a garage to do a lot of work on the truck myself like I used to.

https://www.coastaloffroad.com/product-page/1st-gen-tacoma-closed-top-front-bumper-kit/
Wheels & Tires

Undecided right now. I want a black or gunmetal color wheel. Currently running the original Ivan Steward TRD wheels, and considering refinishing those versus spending money on new wheel. I am considering trying to run a 285/70/R17 as it sounds like with the lift, pinch weld mod, and the high clearance bumpers I am looking at, I wouldn't have to worry about rubbing.

Head Unit

ATOTO S8 – Seems to be really positive feedback on these as far as how they function, and their reliability. Should fit factory double DIN.

$299 ATOTO 7" Android Car Stereo with Wireless CarPlay, Android Auto, Dual Bluetooth, QLED Display, HD Rearview - S8G2B74PM

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089VTYKPL?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Seats

Corbeau Trailcat w/Grey accent color. Went back and fourth between the trail cat and Baja XRS. Spoke to Corbeau rep and he recommended the Trailcat. I was still a little hesitant because the Baja XRS is a wider seat, and a suspension seat which sounded great for improving ride quality. The Baja sits a little lower than the Trailcat, which I didn’t mind given I am 6’4”. The deciding factor for me was that the shoulder bolster/wings…whatever you call them get really wide and it looks like it would rub the seatbelt and be tough to recline whereas the Trailcat has plenty of room. I would have loved to find a factory grey leather out of a 4Runner to mount in my Tacoma, but after some research found out it is not direct bolt in whereas the Corbeau is with the correct bracket adapter.

https://corbeau.com/trailcat/

Floor Mats

Ordered some of the Husky Liner Classic mats in grey to match the interior of the truck. They just arrived this weekend. Need to clean the truck real well then I will put them in.

Husky Liners Classic Style Series | Front Floor Liners - Grey | 35452 | Fits 2001-2004 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 2 Pcs

Husky Liners Classic Style Series | 2001-2004 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab | Front Floor Liners, Grey | 35452

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CMKE7U?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Husky Liners Classic Style Series | 2nd Seat Floor Liner - Grey | 65452 | Fits 2001-2004 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 2 Pcs

$77 Husky Liners Classic Style Series | 2001-2004 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab | 2nd Seat Floor Liner, Grey | 65452

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CMHUQS?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


Here is how she sits today, stock as a rock, dirty, but still loved

 

I can’t wait to see it. Looks kind of like mine!

 

Sorry for the delay! Life has been BUSY to say the least. I've done a bunch of work to the truck since my last post, but I'll show off one upgrade at a time. First, the OME Lift, Black Rhino Chamber Wheels, and BFG K02 tires. I picked full kit up from 1st gen offroad. It was the best price AND they had everything in stock. Many vendors advertising don't actually have everything in stock, and parts are on backorder for a long time. Before making the purchase I reached out to them just to make sure, and Josh was extremely helpful, guiding me to choose the 883 coils since I would be adding a heavy front bumper + winch, and wanted as much lift as possible. I did not add an additional DX4 leaf in the back, as I don't intend on adding any heavy constant load to the rear of the truck, just the front. Since my suspension was very worn out with 309K miles at time of install, I believe I got even more than 3 inches of lift out of it.

So the full setup looks like
Suspension: Old Man Emu 3" Suspension Kit, 883 coils (https://www.1stgenoffroad.com/store/p186/1stgenToyotaTacomaOMELiftKit.html#/)
Wheels: 17"x8.5" Black Rhino Chamber with -18 offset (Part # BRH-1785CBR-86140M12)
Tires: BFG K02 285/70/R17

Overall I could not be happier with the look. The pictures don't do justice of how good it looks in person. I've already got tons of compliments. Highly recommend the Black Rhino Chambers with the -18 offset. As for tires, I debated on going bigger to 285/75, but I think this is plenty, and I still had to do a very minor cut to the plastic covering the pinch weld to prevent rubbing. The tires clear the pinch weld, but I still planning on mashing it down with a hammer just to ensure it doesn't hit and potentially cut the tires when off-roading. The MPG has dropped from 17-18 highway to 15-16 and I can tell when accelerating that they are there. So, I can't imagine going to 285/75 without making changes to the gearing. The ride is VERY STIFF right now, but I think once I add the heavy front bumper, and it wears in a bit, it will get better. Even though it is very stiff, I'm not missing the excessive roll the old suspension had when cornering / riding long on/off ramps.

 

Next up, Corbeau Trailcats with grey accent. GAME CHANGER. GET BETTER SEATS YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF. Factory seats are so awful I should have done this years ago.

I waited about 2 months for these, as they were on backorder. Corbeau was nice enough to hook me up with a discount, because I did actually call them to verify they were in stock before I placed the order. They told me they were in stock, but it sounds like their warehouse system inventory was off, because they weren't! I placed the order just before labor day weekend and received them the last week of October.

For those of you looking into aftermarket seat options, what drove me to buy Corbeau was that they offer seat brackets that bolt right up to the factory bolt locations. No drilling, cutting, welding, etc. modifications needed. The seat brackets must be installed on the seat, and then the seat and seat bracket go in the truck all at once. They have instructions online of how to install the seat bracket to the seat. Very simple bolt up as well. The only thing that was a little frustrating about my one seat bracket that I didn't realize until struggling for a bit was that the seat release bar was installed upside down from the factory. So, when you go to put the seat bracket on the seat, the release bar hits the bottom of the seat so you cannot release the seat slide, and get to the bolt holes as needed/shown in their video instructions. I've shown a picture of this below for any of you future customers to be on the lookout for! I'm going to let Corbeau know about this as well so they can keep an eye out for it.

The only thing that is not bolt right up and go are the female seat belt receptacles. There is a bolt hole on the frame where you can mount the female seat belt receptacle, but the threaded stud is welded to the factory seats, and the length of the female receptacle bracket doesn't quite match up to the Corbeau seat bracket so it sits in the correct position. So, I am seatbeltless until I get that squared away, but should be pretty simple fix but cutting factory belt receptacles shorter, drilling new hole, finding bolt to fit factory nut, etc.

The seats are very comfortable to ride in, and keep me centered much better around turns. It has really helped the ride of the truck especially since having a new stiff suspension. They do tend to trap moisture a little bit and not breath as well as I had hoped, so prepare for a little more swamp a$$ in warm weather. Cold weather no issue. The seats sit up higher than factory, which I did not need since I am 6'4". However, I really like having my legs at a more upright angle. Only downside is I have to peak out to see traffic lights at intersections, or stay further back to help the angle!

Last but not least, don't be a dumb like me and decide that the first bolt you're going to remove with an impact is the the rear seat bolt that is rusted through the underside of the truck, and shear the head off. At which point a simple fun job becomes a not so simple very frustrating job!

 

Frame perforation fixed with the Safe-T-Cap!

 

All Pro Apex Front Bumper Added this past weekend too!

 

Installed this a while ago....

ATOTO S8 Touchscreen with rear backup camera. Has Apple Carplay / Android Auto, can even match the color tone of the buttons to the OEM orange color of the truck. Love it! No more guesswork backing up to the trailer. Can see right where the ball is relative to the hitch. Saves me a couple hops in/out of the truck. Nice to have Spotify or whatever audio running at the same time as google/apple maps on the phone. Can run it in dual screen mode as well.