2001 Tacoma Xtended cab 4WD SR5 build

After the tack welds I took it off because I intended to TIG it and was concerned the high frequency start might damage electronics. I agree w you it is unlikely there will be a lot of distortion, but will see.

 

OK rack is mounted and I added

$17 PerfecTech 15 LED Trailer Brake Tail Light, LED Bar Stop Turn Tail Lights Waterproof Assembly Brake Strip Red Light for Marine Boats Golf Cart Offroad Truck RV UTV ATV

brake lights. Too dark to take photos but will load some tomorrow. Next will figure out a mount for the

$270 MAXTRAX MKII Titanium Grey Vehicle Recovery Board

MaxTrax.

 

How she sits now.

 

Love this thread! I have the exact same truck (just different color)

 

Today after work I made a wheel carrier. It is a disc with 6 holes (tapped 12mm x 1.75 for "lugs") a piece of 2x3" tube and a tab. The disc and tab are 3/16" steel, cut with plasma.








The tab screws unto the rim/lip of the bed with 10mm screws, then the wheel connects unto the disc with 12mm stainless screws and there will be a straight piece that braces two "lugs" and allows a padlock to secure the wheel. If that doesn't make sense, will add some more photos.

I am not sure if it is enough to connect the whole assembly (wheel plus this carrier) with only two 10 mm screws to the rim/lip of the bed (plus the horizontal piece of the canopy frame) while driving 65-80 mph on the freeway. Any thoughts?

BTW the reason I use specific material (3/16" plate, or 2x3" tube or 10 mm screws, etc) is that I am reusing scrap and stuff I have lying around.

 

Do you allow enough room for adjustment on that tire carrier?

I ask because, as "outfitted" as you are, you have more than enough to get you out of a hairy situation (if deployed properly).

But you'd need to get into said situation to begin with, and I forget what tire size you're running.

33's seem to be a real nice sweet spot for "big enough"

 

Yeah I thought about tire diameter and the tradeoffs involved. My current size with the Falken 245/75R16 is approximately (245 * 0.75) * 2 / 25.4 + 16 = 30.5" which is 8% bigger than OEM. So not even close to 33" (and I agree with your point about it being a sweet spot, diameter-wise), but I wanted to consider gearing, wheel + tire weight and some secondary conveniences (speedometer accuracy and fuel economy). If anything I would like to have a bigger sidewall, as I am now sitting only at 184 mm; would love 200-220 mm to be able to air down mo' betta.

That said your question raises an important point: the carrier is not adjustable, thus will not work with bigger tires. For now that is OK, and is the first iteration. I was thinking of using a vertical tube, attached to the bed at the bottom and to the rim/lip at the top. Then a larger tube/sleeve could move up and down on it and be tightened down with two screws at the desired height, and the carrier proper be attached to that sleeve; that design would accommodate up to 33". Might still end up doing it that way.

For now I wanted to knock together smth simple as I plan to go offroading the next weekend. Still need to attach the two sets of Maxtrax and a shovel.

 

And here it is, mounted. The wheel cover I bought does not provide adequate coverage and it tore at first use (cheap Amazon trash). Can anyone recommend a quality cover that won’t tear from just looking at it?

 

Those Jeep covers work well, just get one that doesn't say Jeep.

 

Went overlanding today in Tonto National Forrest with a buddy who has a 3rd gen Tacoma with double cab and long bed; so he has a looong wheelbase.

 

I had front lockers (ARB RD90) installed this week; I had installed the compressor, airtank, manifold, switches, and solenoids beforehand. I have not yet had the chance to try the front lockers, but the build is essentially complete. Of note the truck came with ARB OME suspension front and back installed by the previous owner.

Am tallying the cost of the whole build and it is steep. A brief summary:

• Drivetrain (front ARB RD90 air lockers and rear Eaton TrueTrac Torsen diff with their respective installs; 6 new tires): $5,100
• OBA (dual ARB compressor, tank, fittings, hoses, deflator, gauge): $1,000
• Body and Bed (ARB bull bar, LineX in bed, rack): $2400
• Sound deadening (new carpet, Dynamat sheets, Noico foam): $340 + LOTS of labor
• Audio (HU, front + rear cameras, OBD, Focal speakers): $1,200
• Lights (Headlights + parking lights, ARB Intensity Solis) $900
• Recovery (Warn M8000-S winch, 2 sets of Maxtrax, pulleys, kinetic strap, tree saver, two ARB dampers, Factor 55 Splicer and two shackles, a second OEM bottle jack, etc): $2,600
• Comms (CB radio and accessories): $140
• Fuel and water (2 Wavian jerry cans and holders, Flo Tool): $270

When all is said and done, my spreadsheet says $16K. I did much of the work myself, except installing the lockers, and the project would have been quite a bit pricier if farmed out.

A few of the items I bought were mistakes (2nd air tank, and two sets of Solis covers), but that is part of the noob game; some components (ARB compressor) were bought at the worst supply chain crunch time when prices were higher and some stuff was unavailable. For example I wanted an Alpine HU but had to settle with the subpar Atoto, but have gotten used to it. Oh, well.

I am overall very satisfied with the quality of the components and how they integrate, and very happy with the quiet ride on the highway and very capable handling off-road. The first gen Tacoma is a very flexible modular platform for building an off-roader. Most companies no longer support it, but found that ARB is both high quality and still offers stuff for 1G (or new old stock is still available).

Still considering the following but am in no hurry:

• ham radio (need to pass the test first)
• maybe a fridge/freezer.
  
• canvas topper that perhaps needs to be custom made out of sunbrella or similar
• snorkel (have already bought the unit but haven't installed it yet).

A big THANK YOU for everyone who contributed and offered advice during this build. Truly appreciated.

Now, on to adventures!

 

I was just fooling myself thinking that the build is over. Am planning to explore a trail in Tonto National Forrest that has two water crossings and so decided to install the

$503 ARB SS170HF Safari Snorkel Kit

snorkel I had already purchased earlier. The truck came with a Air Raid direct air system that I removed and sold to another TW member and am reinstalling the factory air filter box. The previous owner had the good sense of keeping it and so it came with the truck.



Using the template that came from ARB I punched the holes, with some hesitation.



Drilled them out and deburred them, then painted them using some car paint that came with my younger daughter's car:



Now I am waiting for the paint to dry. Literally.

 

Here it is:

 

Finished the transmission breather. This sub-project took longer than expected, as I tried to just clamp a 3/8" hose on the nipple left after one pops off the breather cap. The tight space forced to hose to turn sharply and crimped the hose; plus I was not confident that the few millimeters of the nipple will keep the hose on after rattles and heat dilation, etc. Next I thought of adapting a barbed elbow, but wasn't sure how I am going to tap the holes; the factory fitments are pressed in. The transmission top plate comes off but the second breather is attached to the body of the transmission. Even if one coudl pull the fitments out without damage, there still is the issue of tapping with swarf dropping in the transmission. After some decision paralysis, I designed a 90 degree elbow that snaps onto the nipple and once clamped down, is very secure.

The barbed end is for a 3/8" ID hose.



The bottom wraps unto the nipple and takes advantage of a groove on it.


I printed three of them (thinking that one might break during install) sideways so the layers do not break off the wrong way. This resulted in a strong print, plus I made them out of Nylon/ Carbon fiber 12.

 

The prints came out great. With a good push, the fitment snapped unto the nipple, still rotating freely, but once clamped down it was pretty solid, and I am fairly comfortable it will be water tight for my needs.

 

Full discussion of the transmission breather in a separate thread.

 

First water crossing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flX60BRi6so

 

The road:

 

Next step will be a Ham Radio. Going to take the exam in January and hopefully pass, then will install a newly bought Yaesu FTM-400XDR. Will also install the CB radio at the same time, both antennae will go onto the bull bar, Aussie style. Hopefully they can be tuned, otherwise will need to put at least one on the bed rack.

 

I am prototyping a panel to install a battery monitor, charging relay and a fuse box on the back wall of the cabin. Will add a second battery 100Ah Renogy) for the ham radio and other “house” loads.