wi_taco 2015 TRD OffRoad build "The Gray Ghost"

07/17/22: Bought a set of used Desert Does It Seat Jackers from Tacoma World member @grueinthebox . Never really thought I would want these but after installing the lift it has changed my seat position a bit so wanted to give them a try. I can definitely say they are a quality made product and based on that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.



Installation doesn't take long. A little blue thread locker and a torque wrench and had them in after about 10 minutes the first time. It's hard to show but they do lift the seat front a considerable amount. I tried them out for a few days and unfortunately I don't care for the results (mostly because I'm short and it introduces other ergonomic issues for my preferences). Passed them along to @Larry Dangerfield and went back to normal seat position. One other thing I found: even being short my head was only inches from the ceiling which could get sketchy offroad. If you sit more upright this is something to consider but likely not a deal-breaker.

 

07/17/22: Previously upgraded my battery to an X2 Power AGM and played with voltage boosting back in build post #104. At the time it was winter and I was getting almost 15 volts with the DIY diode mod so I took it back out. Bought the HKB mini fuse booster instead but didn't install because I was getting squeaking from belt/pulleys and wanted to fix that first. Since then I haven't had any squeaking and everything works fine so today I said "screw it" and installed the booster. Battery voltage at rest was right about 12.8 volts after not being driven for a day or two.



HKB MKIII mini fuse diode. Comes packaged very simply taped into a piece of cardboard with an instruction sheet all inside a zipper bag.



Closer view of the fuse diode. Looks like a normal 7.5A mini fuse but the center is all black from the epoxy or whatever sealer is being used to surround that auto-resetting PTC device.



Fuse/diode is installed in the same ALT-S slot of the fuse panel under the hood. I did end up having to flip it 180° to function correctly and stop the battery light from showing on the dash (which is all in the instructions).



First startup and I was getting about 14.3 volts right away. Looks good so far.



Here's the readout from the Bluetooth voltage monitor to verify the results. Luckily it comes very close to the multimeter and is usually only off by a factor of +/-0.03 volts in my testing. Close enough that I can trust it as a data source so it's doing exactly what I bought it for.



On the other hand, my Pioneer headunit which uses the iDataLink Maestro RR to read OBD2 data is consistently off about -0.3 volts at best. I cannot trust this as a data source. Must be some weird programming of either the Maestro itself or how the ECU outputs voltage to the OBD2 system. Oh well.



The next morning as I started up the truck, I also pulled up the Bluetooth monitor right away and was reading up to about 14.7 volts. This looks to be in the range I am desiring (14.4-14.8 volts per the battery manufacturer's suggestions). It also seems to confirm the same results on the other AGM booster thread which is reassuring. Keep in mind this is at ambient temperature of 75°F so it is something to monitor when the weather again gets down around freezing.



And once again the Maestro/OBD2 is showing 14.3 volts at the same time, off by a factor up to -0.4 volts. At least it confirms yet again I should not trust it as a data source. For now the inexpensive bluetooth monitor is working well and was very much worth the price.

 

07/22/22: Well this was unexpected...was searching for something else on Marketplace and stumbled on a good deal for the style kayak I have been wanting for a bit. So yeah apparently I have another kayak now. Surprisingly it fits better than I thought across the roof with not much extending out back. Still using my Yakima round crossbars and Yakima SweetRoll pads and they work great.



Another angle from the front/side to show the hull profile. It's a Dagger Alchemy 14.0L which is more of a touring-style boat, but it has some features that made it intriguing for my purposes. Also it seems many people like this one over the Stratos that replaced it so even though it's an older/discontinued model it is still not obsolete by any means.



View from out back again to show the shape. It has a drop-down skeg that looks pretty big which is good for tracking. Based on the hull shape I may not need it but good to have it anyways for when it's choppy. Front and rear storage and a day hatch. I'm eager to get it on the water but it's too damn hot & thunder-storm-y this weekend so has to wait until next week's cooldown. Will probably be my go-to boat for flat water.

 

07/23/22: Another unexpected weekend purchase. Picked up a set of Maxtrax MKII recovery boards from @Z7Xtreme (thanks again!) including the mounting pins and straps. Too good to pass up and I was just considering them for future outings. Gotta jump on deals when they come up even if your bank account is crying.

 

08/13/22: Preparing for upcoming travel & outdoor adventure this fall. Recently I've had some unwanted vibrations and figured I'd try re-balancing tires first. They just opened a new Discount Tire closer to me in Racine, Wisconsin (previously closest one was 30 miles away at best). Haven't had luck finding any other local shops with Road Force balancers so gave it a go. Honestly this was a surprisingly pleasant experience and now I understand why everyone likes Discount Tire. Great service and competent technicians, would 100% recommend. Vibrations from the tires are gone, only a tiny bit of takeoff shudder remains from my pinion/driveshaft angles after the lift (next on the list). On to the next project.

 

Removed my rear driver seat and plastic cubby so I could test fit my next mod: this spectacular cardboard box. It is true what everyone has said about road noise increasing with no seat, and I can confirm this cardboard box does nothing to help. What's in the box?? WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!?!



Couple days later I started playing with a different cardboard box...



Then I opened the cardboard box and inside was another box. Inside the other box was a small cardboard box with various cables for the box.



In all seriousness I have 11 days before vacation begins and I feel mental trying to add new stuff like this last minute. My life is getting super busy very quickly. Trying not to stress but I'd be lying if I said there is no pressure. More to come eventually - I have so many other Tacoma-related things to share on the build and zero time to do it right now.

 

How are you liking your new Fox PES shocks in comparison to the Bilstein 6112/5160?

 

Very different but I like them. Comparing the two are apples and oranges. 6112/5160 in my opinion is what should come factory. Fox PES are overkill for most people unless you know you are going to push it off-roading.

 

So I've neglected my build thread for a bit, lots more to come when I stop being lazy. Spontaneously ordered a rear bumper today though so I got that going for me, which is nice. Reckless spending should continue through winter so stay tuned.

 

So, did you go with a swing out or no?

 

No swingout for now, just the "standard" rear bumper. Swingout is only an option on high clearance which I'm not committed enough for yet. Figure I'm going to rock the standard for now and possibly add the swingout later.

 

Sharing some photos from a 2-week long road trip this fall. I already shared a bunch in the Wisconsin regional thread but that was direct from my phone without color correction. These are mostly new after pushing them through Lightroom.

Starting off with a very clean truck at Tigerton OHV Park. This was Sunday morning when I woke up late and missed everyone else. Where'd they all go?!



Luckily I did find @McSpazatron and we hit the trails for a bit. Was definitely a learning experience and found I can push things further than I expected before. Saw some waterfalls too. Not shown here: the flash flood rain and hail just after we finished.



Ran a lot of forest roads, grassy two-tracks, mud, gravel, over logs and rocks. This was early on while the truck was still relatively clean.



Later the same day at Veterans Memorial Park in Marinette, WI. Leaves were still mostly green, I was too early for the colors just yet.



More gravel, dirt, parking on shoulders, etc. in search of adventure in the woods. This is why I bought & built a Tacoma. This is what the hours of modding & wrenching are all for.



Here's one while stopped at Grand Sable Lake Scenic Overlook in the U.P. where I stopped for breakfast. Pretty good scenery for morning coffee.



Trying to get a clean head-on shot while at Mount Arvon, the highest point in Michigan. I wish I was closer to explore that area more, so much cool stuff on all the twisty logging roads.



Another at Mount Arvon with the only tree that wanted to fully change so far. Top of mountain was nearly all still green but at lower elevations it was much more colorful.



Parked at L'anse Town Park & Campground enjoying the sunset before I set up at my site. One of the nicer town parks I've seen, even still had hot showers running!



Some new gear I was experimenting with was this cheap 4'x6' canopy tent from Walmart, some Eurmax small weight bags to hold it down, and a new Kelty camping chair that sits very low which is great because I'm short. What's the purpose? Well, since I sleep in the camper shell I don't have anything to set up to make it look like the site is occupied. This folds down and packs away small enough, and if I set it up and it gets stolen I don't care much because it's cheap. After setting it up one time I can say the experiment failed because the quality of the tent is dogshit. Fun experiment though!



More glamour shots, this time at Gorge & Potawatomi Falls entrance road. Leaves were nearing peak but I was still a couple days early (though I won't complain at all).



Met up with @pearing for dinner & drinks in Ashland at Deep Water Brewery. Silver Tacomas = Best Tacomas.



Back in Wisconsin exploring the woods of Iron County. I'm not sure how I missed the peak colors at this specific spot but it didn't look bad by any means.



Another angle at the same location. About 50 feet behind the truck is Rouse Falls.



Campsite at Cascade River State Park in Minnesota. I fell asleep in my chair at the fire for quite some time, just totally chillin'.



Nothing special to see here, just a gravel and dirt county road somewhere near Hayward, Wisconsin. The aspens were their peak shades of electric yellow. Lots of bear hunters out in these woods - not something you see everyday where I'm at in the city.



At the end of the trip immediately after rolling out of the car wash. It looks clean but still lots of dirt underneath I need to wash off. Good part about silver paint is it hides dirt well.



Edit: I forgot one - the Trip B counter showing my mileage. 2,263 miles in about 2 weeks spanning 3 states.

 

What a great trip!

 

Thanks and yeah it was a pretty great adventure! That chicken poutine I had at Deep Water was the best meal I ate too and I still think about it hahaha!

 

Did a write-up on version 1 of my 12V + fridge system and impromptu rear seat delete. If you want some light reading to fall asleep to this should do the trick.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wi_taco-12v-system-v1-rear-delete-fridge.782543/

 

10/04/22: Met up with @pearing in Ashland, Wisconsin. While having beers and talking about trucks & mods we got onto the subject of weight. As I left to continue on my road trip, the next gas station down the road had a CAT scale and it wasn't busy so figured what the heck. Also figured it would be a good data point to know my weight in what I'd call "full solo expedition mode" so I know what all my gear/crap weighs in a real scenario. Current weight was 5,400 lbs.



For some further context on the weight:

• Last weigh back in January '22 was 4,940 lbs. At that time my truck was almost completely empty of gear as I was heading home from a concert in Milwaukee.
• Subtractions since last weigh: Suspension (OE UCAs, OE leafs/u-bolts/bumps, Bilstein 6112/5160 combo), OEM 27F battery, OEM skids, full rear seats.
• Additions since last weigh: Suspension (Fox PES 2.5" w/res's, SPC UCAs, Deaver U402 leafs, Archive bump flip), RCI engine/trans skids, AGM 27F battery, rear seat platform, 12V house system and fridge; camping gear, clothing, water, and food for 2-3 weeks trip.
• New weight was on 3/4 tank of fuel and towards the end of my trip with less food/water so likely +100 lbs when fully full.
• My hiking and camera gear alone probably weighs 50lbs.
• On this trip only I was carrying a stupid Walmart 4x6 popup canopy and 4 sandbags to hold it down. It was junk and won't be on future trips but likely weighs 50lbs.
• New 12V + fridge + wiring/etc probably adds 100lbs alone. OEM rear seats versus the 3/4" plywood platform probably a push.

Some takeways/conclusions:

• Once I remove my adventure gear, fridge, and that stupid Walmart canopy, I'd estimate daily driving configuration closer to 5,200 lbs which compares well against the previous 4,940 figure.
• Steel skid plates and big leaf springs are the single heaviest additions but I consider it weight well spent.
• I expect to get heavier in 2023 with at least one bumper upgrade and maybe a roof rack.
• I'm not very concerned about weight as my style leans towards minimalist anyways. I don't expect to eclipse 6,000 lbs anytime soon or ever.

 

11/29/22: Finally received my Adventure Trail Gear headrest fire extinguisher mount today. I chose this one because it's craft made, minimalist, and puts the extinguisher in a very accessible location while not really getting in the way. It helps that it's also the least expensive option - many others are metal and cost much more.



I had an old 2.5lb extinguisher laying around and looks like it finally expired. I was planning to buy a new one soon anyways but this moves it up on the list.



Mounting is extremely easy. Strap the mount around the two headrest posts, then cinch down the extinguisher with the two buckles.



Here's another view. Interestingly the buckles I got are a little tricky to get tight and lock them down. They are also different buckles than pictured on the manufacturer website. Hmm, oh well. It still hold securely but I'm a little underwhelmed.



Unfortunately I found a complete deal-breaker and it's all my own fault. Had I looked more closely at the manufacturer’s product photos I would have seen it before buying. Mounting to the headrest posts requires raising the headrest upwards several inches. I myself am quite short and generally so are my other family members/passengers. Because of the gap, the headrest is now in a slightly weird position and causes discomfort. Probably a non-issue for anyone taller than 5'6". No can do, guess I'll trade/sell it to someone else later. New plan is to mount down below the front driver seat on a bracket.

 

11/29/22: Ever since upgrading to the AGM battery and installing an HKB fixed 0.5V booster I have been concerned of exceeding the desired voltage range when temperatures get cold. Checking the logs of my bluetooth battery monitor, I see the most recent day with similar temperature was all the way up to 14.85V at startup before it tapered off. I know this probably doesn't hurt anything but still doesn't sit well with me. Good enough isn't perfect and there is room for improvement.



One random day I was looking at the HKB website and noticed they had a MK4 adjustable booster in stock. On a whim I bought it and it only took a couple weeks to arrive which is incredibly fast and lucky. I set it for +0.4V boost. Installed today and double-checked voltage using both the bluetooth monitor and a multimeter. Both read between 14.6-14.7V which is exactly what I was looking for. For a data point, ambient temperature during this reading was about 50°F; unseasonably warm but we get a few days like this during late fall.



The MK4 assembly comes with a small piece of VHB tape already attached for quick and easy mounting.



I cleaned off the top of a few relays and mounted in the position of least tension on the wiring. Everything fits perfectly under the stock fuse box cover. I should have done this from the start, oh well you live and learn.

 

This is why you are my goto with Tacoma questions! Me... does it work? Yes? go! You... is it working perfectly. Not yet. Fix and repeat... thanks for the write up. Now I know which way to go.

 

Mine was just not right from the get go. Maybe because I had the headrest down??? Unlikely. I had my neighbor modify mine and it works perfectly now. The clips are a PIA!