wi_taco 2015 TRD OffRoad build "The Gray Ghost"

I think I may do this as well. I have been jacking under the spacer tubes of the skid plate but would prefer to just jack at one point under the center.

 

I can’t take credit for the idea but agree it’s a brilliant fix. First day with my skid I was like “dang I don’t like that gap” and then stumbled across the solution on TW the next day. Lots of clever people here, it’s great. You should be able to get UHMW in 1/4” increments to make something work.

It’s so much easier doing it in the center at the factory point. And it’s a really inexpensive fix. Measure your gap - if it’s 3/8 I’ll give you a spare chunk to make one the next time I see you (maybe in two weeks for the camping trip?).

 

2/2/23 ~118k miles: Couple of brief miscellaneous items. From time to time I am still checking the charging voltage, especially now in winter, because I want to see how well the HKB MK4 adjustable booster is working. When it's really cold it spikes up to around 14.8 but doesn't seem to go much higher. Warmer temps earlier in the year seemed to also limit around 14.7 which is perfectly where I want it. So far so god, and I don't even think about this much any more. Done.



Not so fun: A f@#$% Kia Soul blasted me with a huge rock and chipped my windshield. Not spreading yet but likely getting this fixed come springtime. I think there are a couple more chips too but those have been there since day 1. All I can say is I've had two chips/cracks in my lifetime: this one now, and one on my previous Subaru that I traded on the Taco. Both use the same type of glass and both (to my knowledge) are known to chip more than other manufacturers. Not happy, but compared to people with GMs blowing up engines in 500 miles, Fords catching on fire, and Chrysler being...well, Chrysler...if this is the worst quality defect we have I'm okay with it.



And now on to more fun things...

 

I would pop over Safelite and get that epoxied

 

That's the plan. It's on my ever-growing list of stuff to do come springtime (or if I see it start spreading). For now I'm not losing sleep over it.

 

UPDATE 2/9/23: I GOT BAMBOOZLED, THEY SOLD ME A 3RD GEN BUMPER AND NOT THE 2ND GEN MODEL. IGNORE ALL THE JOY BELOW, I'M BACK TO SQUARE-ONE AGAIN. FML...

UPDATE #2 on 2/10/23: ChiTown4x4 is being pretty cool about this and taking it back on return. Supposedly sending a local delivery driver to pick it up Monday 2/13. Will update later once it's over.

UPDATE #3 on 2/13/23: ChiTown4x4 took back the bumper and refunded me with no problems. Joe, the owner, picked it up from my house himself. Great guy and I will have no hesitation to work with them again. I have also reached out to C4 Fabrication via email who helped confirm which bumper I had and they offered me a discount on a full bumper which for now I am passing because I want one of these lo-pro models. Going to keep emailing them every few months until they get sick of me and agree to a limited run group buy or something LOL.

02/06/23: So this happened. I totally did not plan for this to happen. My bank account totally did not plan for this to happen. This is a crappy photo...what is going on here? As they say "no good deed goes unpunished." From time to time I have been searching Marketplace, Craigslist, and other classifieds to find a camper shell for another TW member. Last friday I stumbled across the exact @C4 Fabrication lo-pro bumper of my dreams, and it came with a @Baja Designs S8 30" driving/combo lightbar (703013) which is also the light of my dreams. Why did I do it? Because C4 doesn't make this bumper any more, and I wasn't able to persuade them last year for a group buy because they are super busy. Have to strike when the iron is hot so here we are.

(PS - Shoutout to @Hyland33 and his excellent build thread for making me want it, ever since seeing his great photos I haven't been able to convince myself that any other bumper looks quite as good as this.)



Turns out the Facebook ad wasn't a private seller at all - this was from ChiTown4x4 and everything was brand new. Apparently they bought an assortment of C4 bumpers to have on-hand, and somehow over time nobody bought this one. Again, quite crazy because it seems there is still demand for these and you can't get them. I'm not mad, sometimes the stars align. Initial photos on my makeshift plywood table in the shop, this one from the rear. Pretty self explanatory - it's a low profile bumper with winch mount and light bar slot.



Another view with it flipped around, though still upside-down. Very hard to take photos on the bench since I can't prop it upright because it's so damn heavy. That lightbar fits perfect and in my opinion is dead sexy. ChiTown4x4 had a winch preinstalled but it was only an 8k and had wire rope so I declined that. Now I need to buy a winch, possibly upgrade to 650lb springs, adjust suspension, alignment, ouch...



Silghtly better but weirder view - photo rotated 180°. You get the idea. Not shown here but the powdercoat has a few small blemishes probably from shipping. I'm going to touch up the small spots with KBS Coatings paint over the powdercoat for now and cover anything underneath with Woolwax. Assuming this gets used & scraped up later I will probably blast it clean and then re-paint the full thing with KBS for easier more uniform color touch-ups.



Just like the rest of my armor, I like knowing the weight. Let me tell ya this thing is waaaaaaay heavier than I expected for a shorty bumper. Pure 100% USDA beef.



Scale shows approximately 85 lbs but that includes the lightbar. Baja Designs specs that at 6.5 lbs. So more or less the C4 bumper is 80 lbs or slightly more with the hardware.



Speaking of hardware...I got this mixed bag of parts and ChiTown4x4 and they weren't even sure if it's all there. Even the brackets are questionable and might be for a 4Runner but they didn't know. Supposedly it's been on the shelf for over a year and nobody knows what it should have, no pick list from the vendor, nada. I'll have to cross-check against some threads here on TW and maybe call up C4 to see whats missing. (Update 2/8: I emailed C4 who provided a hardware list, most of the hardware shown here is wrong or missing; I'll share in later install post what the right items are once I figure it out myself.)



I'm like a kid who has seen his Christmas presents but can't open them for months. For now it sits on the garage floor staring me in the face, whispering faintly "buy a winch....install me!...." But that and the suspension changes will have to wait until springtime after all the road salt washes away.



Bonus photos: Leaving ChiTown4x4 I saw this place called Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. Hadn't eaten all day and damn if that doesn't sound good. Never heard of this place before, time to try something new.



Ordered this big fat greasy French Onion Steakburger and fries. Super greasy. Fries are those teeny tiny shoestring cuts and crispy like the ones from the potato chip aisle. Burger was okay but a little disappointing if I'm perfectly honest. Don't think I'd get either of these again.



Desert was two scoops in a waffle cone. Vanilla was okay but nothing special. Chocolate on the other hand was pretty delicious. Final verdict: maybe I'm spoiled having so many choices here in the concrete jungle but Freddy's is nothing to write home about. I'd get the custard again but not much else. Don't care, bumper is more important!

 

Saw this post by @AdrenaliNate in the "What have you done today" thread about fully backlit and auto up/down window switches from Cartrimhome and I couldn't resist trying them myself. Pros: they definitely light up and the definitely work for auto up/down. Cons: Switch tactile feeling is...about what you'd expect from parts at the Aliexpress quality level. [Update 10/27/23: Switches have broken in a bit, I very much like how they feel now and no concerns on quality.] Also they don't have red LED color choice so I went with white to match some of the other 2015 colors. However as you can see, I have quite the kaleidoscope situation going on right now. More on that in the future.



Front passenger window switch, not anything exciting but it lights up now. It is also noticeably brighter than the driver side switch, almost too bright. I took these apart to see how hard changing colors is. Let's just say unless you have skill desoldering extremely small SMD components it's impossible. I used to work at an electronics company and I could do it with appropriate tools but I don't have them at home due to expense. Might have to buy one now and make a small side hustle out of it...



Interestingly, markings on the packages don't fully match what I purchased. I'm assuming the company Cartrimhome just resells Aliexpress stuff at a markup. Also interesting is that these also fit a 13-18 Rav4 so finding alternatives might be another future option. Sharing the package labels in case it helps anyone later.





Changing out the switches isn't difficult at all, however you absolutely 100% will break a bunch of door panel clips. I also broke part of the passenger side trim that the switch snaps in to. Based on how it came apart, I guarantee nobody has ever taken apart my truck since it rolled off the assembly line, so that may have contributed to how fragile all the plastics are. No big deal - replacements are relatively cheap and I will be back in there later for speaker upgrades.

 

Received the Blackstone lab results from my recent power steering flush & fill. I'm assuming it was the original factory fluid and there is no doubt at 118k miles it was time for a change. Interestingly the lab comments it isn't what they typically see for an ATF-type fluid, so maybe it's possible the previous owner changed it to regular power steering fluid (which explains the leaks), or maybe Toyota OE fluid uses some proprietary additive pack. Not sure but an interesting data point. It's full of Valvoline Maxlife ATF now and so far that's working well. I might dump that later & move to a thicker viscosity product like the one from Mobil but that task is very low priority for now.



Continuing to build up my recovery gear and tools/supplies for the trail. Somewhere along the many hours of reading other posts I came across these Colby brand emergency tire valves and they seem to be a top product for offroaders. Bought a pack of 2 for my tire repair kit as cheap insurance for the future.

 

Photos from a recent group outing on 2/18, copying here so I can find it easier in the future. Link to the other thread/post here.

Some photos from the trip with commentary for anyone who missed it. If you have dial-up internet well its 2023, sorry not sorry lol. I'm too lazy to setup Google Drive sharing but if you want a higher res version of something PM me and we can figure it out.

Morning line-up at Castle Mound before heading to breakfast. Everyone looks so clean and shiny and not covered in a layer of tan road poop!



Pat being Pat and I mean that in the best way. 8am and I'm trying to revert from being a popsicle and he's in shorts Hoon'ing up snow banks ready to go. Look at that smile!



Breakfast at Gimi's BRF. No food pictures because too busy eating and chugging coffee. I mis-spoke when someone asked me on this earlier, it was not the place with VW bus paintings and hippies. Sorry my brain doesn't work when cold. Hippie cafe was across the street.



Some shots from the trail which was more ice skating rink than trail in most places. James was having lots and lots of fun.













Some glamour shots during times we were parked for trail breaks and other shenanigans:













Pat showing me his awesome rock lights at camp. This has been on my list but have to say this is extra awesome in the winter time.



Drone shot above camp. Didn't have much light left by the time we arrived so this is the best I could get with limited time in the air.



Sunday morning Pat headed out early. James, Carlos, and myself did a bit more exploring. First stop was up the road at a natural spring for water fill-ups.



Water so good that James dumped a brand new gallon of factory-processed water to fill back up with this organic free-range non-GMO high quality H2O.



Ended up going down a narrow two track to a lake with an interesting turn-around (I think Carlos shared photos of that up above somewhere). Then standing on the side of the road BS'ing for a while then heading out. I didn't get back home until late, but needed fuel and a carwash badly on arrival.



So fresh and so clean - with bonus brand new deep and HUGE pinstripes that are hidden very well by silver paint.



Here's all of the video I took chopped up into one big blob of a video. Mostly just playing with the GoPro taking timelapse and some regular video, and the drone clips at the end. (HD quality might still be processing on YouTube servers for now, I'm uploading because it might finish later around midnight but I'm going to bed now; shouldn't be a problem by tomorrow 2/24.)

https://youtu.be/vm64ipXobaY

Edit:

Bonus photo courtesty of @Camerasandcoffee that I slightly retouched. Have to say I love this one, appreciate you taking this when we were parked at that woodpile after backing up 1/4 mile. So far you have taken my favorite two photos of my own truck that I couldn't ever take because I was driving, thank you!!

 

Hey @wi_taco , absolutely love the build man. Quality, clean and done correctly.

I've got an '06 Tacoma and would love to copy your head unit setup here.

Is it only the following parts or are there others not pictured for the install?:
1. DMH-W4660NEX
2.

$180 ADS-MRR Universal Radio Replacement and Steering Wheel Interface

ADS-MRR
3. Maestro HRN-RR-T01
4. Scosche TA2111B Bezel kit

Would you change any of these parts out? Was installing a back-up camera ever in the cards?

Any perspective would be greatly appreciated. This is the most comprehensive Toyota 2nd Gen - Apple Carplay set-up that I've found. Nicely done!!!

 

Hey thanks for the kind words, glad something I shared could help give others ideas! I'll try to answer your questions the best I can:

• Parts list: In addition to the 4 parts you listed above, I think you'll need the antenna adapter for AM/FM signal, and maybe a USB adapter as well. Can't remember part numbers, and yours might be different since you have an 06 and I have a 15. There are some differences if I remember correctly.
• Honestly best thing you can do is go to Crutchfield.com and look at everything they list for what you need to do the install. They are usually the most comprehensive.
• Would I change any of the parts? No, they have all worked out perfectly. Scosche bezel in my opinion is better than the others. Again, double check it will fit your 06, there are some weird differences sometimes between early and late 2nd gens.
• Backup camera: My 15 comes with a backup camera. None of the wiring kits came with an adapter for this, so I had to cut the OEM wiring and splice into my Maestro harness. Wish I didn't have to but it all works fine. Later on I found another company (maybe Alpine?) did have a wiring pigtail for this but I couldn't find one for sale, like they disappeared off the market or something. I'm not worried about it, but if you don't already have a camera and add one later look for something like this.

I was hesitant to spend the money on big dollar stereo stuff but honestly I use it every day driving to work so I justify it as a quality of life thing and it was totally worth it for me. Heck, just the ability to have a little more power to OEM speakers and do some EQ sound shaping is worth it alone. Future plans I'm going to upgrade all speakers anyways and do sound deadening but even just doing the head unit makes a world of difference if you spend a little time on the EQ side.

Good luck with your build and welcome to Tacoma World!

 

02/27/23: Lots of irons in the fire for spring projects but not much action yet. Found some deep scratches from our little winter trip after going through the car wash. Some will buff out, but a couple are down to primer. Not too worried but it's my daily so trying to keep 'er clean when I can.



03/05/23: Met up with @Supr4Lo at 3 Sheeps Brewing in Sheboygan to buy a set of used tires and have some delicious brewskis. They have a weird parking lot and I couldn't get the best photo but I have to say those are two good looking trucks. Forced perspective is a funny thing - he just moved up to 35's but it's not easy to see here because my photo sucks.



@Supr4Lo got a better photo as we were leaving (I was stuck inside closing out my bar tab). Again the weird parking lot slope gives some oddities like our roof lines almost matching, but you can tell much easier his tires are huge by comparison. Maybe mine will grow up to be that badass someday.



Used set of (5) Kenda Klever RT 33x10.5-R17s that are in pretty incredible shape for having 15-20k miles on them. Going to be a while before I get to fool around mounting them, for now they'll just take up space and get in my way in the garage.



Not directly related but picked up some awesome flex head ratcheting wrenches thanks to a Home Depot flash sale. Could never justify them before even though they are nice, the sale corrupted me. Hopefully they are the last ones I'll ever need to buy. Definitely a couple spots on the Taco that will be much easier & faster to maintain with these so it's not that I bought them without a purpose in mind. Goes up to 22mm on the metric side which is pretty impressive but I might pick up the 24mm one separately to cover 99.9% of everything on the truck.

 

Still a bit slow on completing any actual projects. Mostly just accumulating (hoarding?) parts and waiting until the cold weather subsides. Crossed the 120k milestone so I suppose ye olde Taco is broken in now, eh?

$539 REDARC BCDC1240D REDARC 40A in-Vehicle DC to DC Charger with MPPT — Dual Input for Solar & Alternator Charging, Green Power Priority - 12 or 24V Battery Charger Suitable with AGM, Gel, Lithium LiFePO4 Batteries

REDARC BCDC1240D arrived so I can start wiring up the second version of my house battery 12V system. Still deciding how to wire it up, and of course now I need to source more crimp-on wire lugs because I never have the right sizes around. Much more to come on this in the future.



Sometimes the simplest mods are the ones with the most impact. Had a spare key cut at the local hardware store, this one without the chip. Why? Plan to hide it somewhere on the undercarriage for emergencies where I am locked out. Won't start the truck but if all else fails at least I can climb inside and shelter. Tested out to make sure it works but hopefully I never have to use it. For $3 it's possibly the cheapest insurance you can buy.

 

Have you ever checked Chester's?

 

Yep, all the time. I buy as much locally as I can but they don't have a huge selection for this kind of stuff. I did get all my 4 AWG cable though which is nice because that often costs a bit to ship. They also carry a good selection of braided PET wire cover now too which is nice, picked up about 20 feet of 1/4" to get fancy pants and make things look nice with a little extra abrasion resistance.

Some of the stuff I need for this build are super weird things nobody carries and are specific to the REDARC product. For example an uninsulated crimpable butt splice connector that steps from 6 AWG to 8 AWG is about as oddball as it gets. Not hard to get, just weird.

 

Dumping some images from our recent 4/14 trip to Wyalusing, exploring the Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail and the Wisconsin Riverway Overland Trail, and other scenery. I've shared these in the Wisconsin expeditions thread (click here to jump where they start). Most of the ones I will duplicate here are of my truck only just so I have them all in one spot. Starting off camping at Wyalusing State Park.



Photo courtesy of @Thatbassguy



Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail bridge photo-op:



Dugway Road - first line, too boring:



Dugway Road - second line, a little bit silly:







Photo courtesy of @pearing



Wisconsin Riverway Overland Trail - somewhere on lower Wisconsin River near Blue River/Muscoda:







Wisconsin Riverway Overland Trail - somewhere west/southwest of the Baraboo area:







Baxter's Hollow as the day's light disappeared:



856 miles in about 3 days of exploration.



Video of me foolishly going down the unpaved "rustic" part of Ranch Road in Plain, Wisconsin in the snow and slop.

https://youtu.be/vphfYI-1sGA

 

Towed with the Tacoma for the first time the other day...



...and brought home a new toolbox. Finally I'll be able to get somewhat organized and fit all my stuff in one place instead of spilling out of my Craftsman box that I've now outgrown.



And I bought a 2010 Honda CR-V as a backup/commuter vehicle so that I can work on the Tacoma for mods that take longer than a day and not have to fear missing work. Have a few jobs that I don't want to risk something going wrong on a Sunday so while it does take funds away from fun mods, it is the smarter "adult" thing to do (or so I'm told, it's all cope lol). By the way CR-V forums suck compared to Tacoma World, makes you appreciate this place when you go looking elsewhere.

Edit: CRV build thread here, don't expect too much excitement.

 

I'd like to be the first to say I like your box! It's so hot......

The CR-V is nice to

 

Thanks and thanks! Both are tools purchased with the intent to better work on the Taco, hopefully my plan works out in the long run.

 

Not as many updates lately as I would normally post. Been busy fixing up the new-to-me CRV to become my daily shitbox. It's more of a shitbox than I had hoped, and it has consumed more time and funds than anticipated. Still not done spending on it yet, but for now it's good enough. Time to work on the Taco as it has been neglected. As you can see, I have a "type"...



Taco has problems - likely either the SPC UCAs or the Fox shocks (or both). Front driver tire is badly cupped, passenger front is starting the same. Rear tires are OK. I need to get in there and do something soon. Right now it's not road-worthy due to my concerns on the tires.



Not directly related to the build but welding class (GMAW/Mig) is going well. I feel comfortable enough that it's time to buy my own machine. Cab mount chop is coming and maybe I'll finally mount up that used set of 33's I bought a while back.



New toolbox weeble-wobbles on my crappy unlevel garage floor. Thankfully that 3/8" UHMW material I bought for shimming the engine skid/jack point fits perfectly under the toolbox wheel and now it's rock solid. And now I can finally move my tools and become more efficient. Sure has been a cluster in the shop this year, nice to get some sense of normalcy back.



Speaking of organizing, here's the Craftsman 99 piece Made-In-USA mechanic's socket set I bought way back in like 1999 and have been using for everything since. I still have all the 10mm sockets which is shocking. Time to get them out of this old plastic blow-molded case...



And into some new Harbor Freight socket organizers. I feel like a rich person, I don't feel like I should have things this nice. Is that normal? I've built cars with 2x4s and bricks on dirt floors in the past, this almost doesn't feel right. But it does feel soooo good.



Bought a rear bumper a while back, today was the day to test fit it. Old one came off pretty dang easy. Hardest part was finding the key to my locking hitch receiver pin, rest of it came apart in like 10 minutes. Will be happy to get rid of the old one which is more or less made of tinfoil and plastic.



New one either has fitment issues or I am not clear on how this is expected to fit. Seems like it was welded together about 1/4-1/2" too high preventing the needed adjustment upwards and the body lines don't match up. Emailed the vendor to see what's up. Other than the alignment quality is good and weight versus the stock is about even. Gain clearance and no extra weight? Sounds good to me. [Update 7/24 3pm: Vendor says it's normal, hard to match perfect on every truck; I'm good with that. Bumper has been dropped off to powdercoating shop and quoted 7-10 days turnaround]



More to come soon. Wasn't intending on spending much on parts but need some fixes. My credit card is about to learn the real meaning of pain, ugh.

Edit 7/24 2pm: New JD Fab UCAs have been ordered too. Insert the ThisIsFine dog on fire meme here, RIP my bank account.