Slowly progressing DCSB Ltd build

Figured it was about time for me to start contributing to the site a bit, haven't really done much but browse around and try to soak up some knowledge since I became a TW member.

Little bit of background first I suppose:
I bought my first Tacoma in June of this year, a 2015 DCSB Limited 4x4 in Silver Sky Metallic. I was actually shopping Tundras but after driving a couple realized I really didn't like how bulky they felt (this is also my first truck aside from a 2WD '96 S-10 I built in tech school with a SBC and some custom body work).
Out of curiosity I stopped at a local dealer to check out an '09 Tacoma TRD Sport, MGM (with custom wheels, a cool scoop and everything!). To be honest I loved the look but the frame was rusted, exhaust was loud, and the shocks were shot. As luck would have it there was another Tacoma on the lot so I took that one out for a drive and I was hooked. Smooth, solid, and surprisingly comfortable for it being a smallish truck and me being a somewhat bigger guy. Miles were a little high at about 150k but the underside was super clean. Drove it home the same day and haven't regretted it at all. Surprising to me because I wouldn't normally have chosen a silver Limited, but it's really grown on me.

Ok, enough of the origin story stuff. I'm sure most people popping into this thread just want to see pictures and parts lists so here's how it looked when I drove it off the lot...





Couple small scratches and dings (more to come I'm sure) but overall very clean and seems to have been well taken care of, although not really my style. That was easy enough to fix though.

 

First thing I did was add some interior protection type stuff with Weathertech floor mats and some heavy slip-on covers for the back seat, console lid, and one of the rear doors. I often have my 7-year-old son and a dog or two in there so I wanted to hopefully minimize the damage back there. Also added a phone mount with an inductive charger.

 

Now on to the more fun stuff. One of my main goals was eliminating all the chrome that comes on the Limited model and making it look a little more... purposeful? Rugged maybe? I don't know, just not quite as flashy. Before I could really get started on any of that, I came across a deal on a Leer 100XL. Needed a little TLC but I enjoy working on stuff like that so I didn't mind. Sanded it down, filled some cargo rack holes on top with resin, and sprayed it with black bedliner. Color never matched anyway as it was from an older 2nd gen, plus I like having some contrast to keep it from looking like a long SUV or something. Also added new struts and a seal for the back glass and a new high-mount brake light, as well as an LED strip kit from @mattgecko. He was super helpful, friendly, and the final outcome was great. I even added a secondary switch below the HVAC controls and he was kind enough to custom-tailor the wiring for that setup.

 

Finally, on to some unnecessary but totally worth it cosmetic mods and a couple more useful ones.. No long story here, I'll just list out what I've done so far:

- Black housing OEM-style aftermarket headlamps with Osram 4200k bulbs
- Yellow OEM-style fog lamps with black bezels
- Black housing LED tail lamps with "C" shaped lights (not sure how to best describe them, just check out the photo I guess)
- Painted (new) mirror caps with smoked lens sequential LEDs
- Painted (new) exterior door handles
- Painted (new) rear bumper, removed folding corner step
- TacoVinyl "Pro 2.0" grille with painted surround
- TAC Sidewinder Black side steps (I know, they'll break/drag if I go on a trail and I should have sliders, but my son is about 4'1" and my wife is lucky to be maybe a foot taller than him so they need it)
- Removed bull bar, for no other reason than I didn't care much for the design
- "Limited" and "V6" emblems removed, remaining ones blacked out with Plasti-Dip
- 17x9 +0 Falcon T7 wheels in bronze
- 265/70 Nitto Terra Grappler G2 tires
- Nearly new 3rd gen TRD OR shocks and coils from @jtaco11
- 1/2" front spacers from @HeadStrong Off-Road
- Icon progressive 3-leaf AAL

And with all that done, here's how it's currently sitting...

 

Couple other minor things planned in the near future, I have a set of Seat Jackers on the way from Desert Does It and a cat shield from MillerCat (they do list a model for 2nd gens now). Really not sure at what point I'd start calling it a build, guess it kind of is already? I'd say a version 1.5 maybe, enough to change it a fair amount but it is still mostly the same truck. A "de-Limited" if you will. Eventually I'd like to get it out on some trails and will likely do some work to make it more well-suited for that, but it's going to stay more or less how it is for a while I think.

 

I have been thinking about buying the color matched grille from Tacovinyl. Do you have any other pics of it on your truck? Are you happy with the color match? Thanks

 

I actually only bought the insert from Tacovinyl. The surround I got separately and had painted at a local body shop, so I couldn't say how well theirs will match. I really do like the grille and although there was a bit of a delay in getting it (maybe a month if I remember correctly) their customer service was great.

 

That looks sharp, thanks!

 

Adding a few more things here and there, most recently a full Prinsu rack I bought used (and drove much further than a reasonable person would to pick up). Just got that installed a couple days ago. Also pictured are the FJ steelies I'm currently running snow tires on and my ridiculous vanity plates.

 

As far as what's next, I have a Body Armor Slimline bumper and winch on order, hoping to have those and a couple accompanying accessories installed in the next couple weeks. Planning to hit some trails this summer with my 8yo son, likely going solo most if not all of the time so I wanted to have some insurance in case things don't go as planned.

 

Alright, probably time for an update here. Got the BA Slimline bumper installed along with a Rough Country Pro9500s winch. It's a bit of a pain reaching down behind the grille so I added an extension cable for the winch remote running to a simple aluminum bracket I mounted on the back of the core support (cable wouldn't reach to any better location). I plan to make an extension for the engagement switch too but I'm still working out the details on that.

 

I took some inspiration from this thread by @G.T.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mod-a-pillar-ram-mount-gps-phone-holder.372250/
and relocated my phone charger/holder to a Ram mount setup on the A-pillar. USB cable runs through a switch blank to an extra outlet I added under the dash.

 

And just today installed a GMRS setup, a Retevis RA25 wired into the same double outlet my phone charger is powered by. Used a magnetic mount off of Amazón for the mic, took a little modification to really work but it's pretty neat. Right now I've got it running to a Laird 32" NGP whip mounted on the roof rack and it seems to work pretty well. That thing in the photo plugged into the 12v outlet is an extension to power my son's DVD player in back but I'll likely add another outlet or two in the center console so I can ditch that.





Couple other little things I did but don't have photos for, replaced the tailgate handle with a locking one from Pop & Lock and added an "Anti Tweaker Device" courtesy of @christian06 for some added security.

 

Looks great man, saves me heaps of grief when charging mine and attaching it to the stereo for CarPlay.

 

Thanks, and it is really convenient. Still getting accustomed to using my left hand for it so I don't need to take it out of the holder but it's definitely much better than the way I had it set up before. Appreciate you posting all the detailed info on it.