SammyT's "GASGZLR" Budget Build Thread

Decided to finally hop on the bandwagon of creating yet another mediocre build thread for my slightly-above-average looking semi-modded Taco. Here goes *something*...

I bought this truck because I wanted to be done with Jeep and have a practical, reliable DD (see backstory below). My goal is for it to be purpose-built, capable offroad, lightweight, and overall versatile. I plan to own this truck until it sees at a minimum 250,000 miles. Most importantly, I plan to use (but not abuse) the heck out of it.

I've created this thread mainly for the purpose of tracking my own progress, modifications, maintenance, ramblings, and other bs. We'll see if it stays that way...

I realize the title of this thread says "budget"... and budget is a relative term for each to define on their own based on their own circumstances. This build is a "budget" build in my eyes, but maybe not in yours. That's fine.

The Rig:
2020 TRD Off-Road w/ Tech Package
Midnight Black Metallic
Purchased used on 10/7/22 with 33,000 miles on the ODO
1 previous owner
License Plate: "GASGZLR" - adapted from my 2012 Wrangler JKU
Current Mileage: 55,695 (updated 2/15/24)

"Christmas List" / Future Mods:
- 2016-2019 model year TRD Pro headlights
- Ditch lights
- soundproofing in the cab

Performance Mods:
- Eibach Stage 2 Suspension Lift Kit w/ Headstrong AAL (2.5" front, 1.8" rear lift)
- ECGS Bushing Swap
- Sway Bar Relocation Kit
- RC Forged Aluminum UCAs

Exterior Mods:
- Bakflip G2 Tonneau Cover
- 2 Gallon Rotopax w/ bedside accessory rail mount
- OEM TRD Pro Tail Lights with Meso Total Tails Stage 1
- 16" Level 8 MK6 Wheels, Matte Black (previous owner installed)
- 17" Method 318 Gloss Black
- 265/70/R16 General Grabber AT's
- 285/70/R17 Falken Wildpeak AT3W's
- Diode Dynamics SS3 Amber Fog Lights (previous owner installed)
- TRD Pro Grill w/ TSS (previous owner installed)
- Smoked sequential turn signals (previous owner installed)

Interior Mods:
- 15% Ceramic Tint all around
- AJT Designs oversized cup holder
- Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions "TacoBar" Phone Mount w/ Offroam arm & holder


Pic from purchase date:



I always appreciate a backstory, so here's some context that led me to where I am today.

I was gifted a 1st gen Tundra for my 16th birthday in 2016, which I drove until 2020. It was a 2003 SR5 Access Cab. It had TRD Off-Road badging but was only 2WD, which always confused me. Regardless, I loved the truck, because it was mine and I could do what I wanted with it.



In 2020 I sold the Tundra and bought a 2012 Jeep Wrangler JKU (pictured below). It got horrendous gas mileage, so I gave it a vanity plate reading "GASGZLR." While it was fun to drive around with the doors / top off (I live near Gulf Shores / Orange Beach and spend a lot of time at the beach) it was impractical and downright miserable as a daily driver. It had a small lift on 35's, and tons of added weight from steel bumpers, steps, tire carrier, etc. The ride quality was absolutely horrendous over 40mph. I regretted selling the Tundra more and more the longer that I owned the Jeep. That's what steered me back to Toyota and led me to inevitably purchase my Tacoma.



Now fast forward to present day, here are some pics of the Taco throughout my ownership:

After purchasing. Clean, bone stock


First time going offroad: Talladega National Forest / Cheaha State Park (North AL, March '23)



Still completely stock suspension at this point Only issue on the trails was front bumper ground clearance





After installing Eibach Stage 2 Lift Kit (August '23)



After getting 15% Ceramic window tint

 

I'm going to retroactively post some write-ups from a few past mods in the next couple of posts. This is more for my memory than anything.

The first mod I got for the Taco was a Bakflip G2 cover on the bed. A brand new Bakflip at roughly $900 was not an option (this build thread contains the word "budget") for a reason.

I found a gently used G2 cover on Facebook Marketplace about 2hrs from my house. 4hrs of driving and $300 later it was mine. The cover was in almost new condition, as the previous owner had it on his Tacoma for less than 2 years. He had the cover listed for over 6 months without finding a buyer, hence why I was able to get such a good deal.

It was missing 1 support strut and 1 buckle strap, both of which I was able to buy new from Bakflip directly for less than $20 total.

Pros:
- keeps the bed almost watertight (I'd say 98%). If the truck is stationary/parked during a heavy rain, or I go through a car wash some water will get in through the corners
- super convenient and easy to flip up the panels / secure them in the open position

Cons:
- that black aluminum gets HOT in the sun
- with the cover installed, my Yeti Roadie 24 won't fit in the bed under the cover. It's about a half inch too tall. Kind of a bummer, but not a deal breaker.

Installed:


The previous owner had already cut the drain tubes to drain into his fender well, so routing them out the bottom of the bed was not an option. Cutting into the bed of my new truck made me anxious, but I took my time and have been well pleased with the result.

 

The fuel gauge on the Jeep I owned before this Taco was broken, and as a consequence of that I ran out of gas 3 separate times. 2 of the 3 times I was stranded in the middle of a 4-lane road, blocking traffic. The third time I was next in line at the gas station

I decided I wasn't going to let that happen in the Taco. I installed a 2 gallon rotopax on the rear driver side bed rail with a Rotopax "Truck Plate" and DLX mount.

With the exception of a header rail at the front of the bed, the rear driver side bed rail is the only location appropriate for this install. If installed on the passenger side it would block the cubby & outlet.

Mounted horizontally, the rotopax fits nicely under my Bakflip cover and only protrudes about 5" from the bedside. It does obstruct the driver side bed light, but not enough to make a significant difference.

Toyota/Nissan "Truck Plate" from RotoPax website, with DLX mount


Rotopax Installed

 

Obviously this is the real inspiration behind my build:

 

Nice build thread! Very similar to mine

That last picture is upsetting lol

 

Write Up of Eibach Stage 2 Lift Kit install (installed 8/5/23)

I spent months reading threads, researching, and trying to determine which lift kit would best suit my needs.
My needs were:
- around $1,000 all-in
- between 2-2.5" lift in front and 1.5-2" lift in rear
- smooth ride on the highway
- suitable for occasional off-road use, light trails, light mud, light crawling, etc. but mostly on-road driving.
- reputable brand / products
- easily replaceable or rebuildable (thinking long term)
- capable of being installed with OEM UCA's (to keep budget in line)

I was torn between the OME RTR Bilstein 5100 kit from YotaMafia (their Holt, FL shop is about an hour from my house) and the Eibach Stage 2 Kit. As you can see, I went with Eibach.

I got the kit new in box from a guy on Facebook Marketplace. All in, I got the kit for $1,000 (saving about $400 from buying new)

The kit was from @HeadStrong Off-Road and included a sway bar relocation bracket, 3 leaf AAL, and longer U-bolts. I only got ~1.5" of lift from the coilovers (stock front end, no extra weight), so I cranked them up until I was at an even 2.5" of lift on both sides (that meant cranking the drivers side about 1/4" more). I was very happy with Headstrong's AAL and the instructions they provided on their website, however if the centering pin was a bit shorter it would definitely make the install easier. I had almost 2" of excess that I had to grind off to fit the factory bump stops back on. The ride quality is almost the same as stock, just a tad firmer. My wife said she couldn't even notice a difference.

A local shop quoted me $600 to install the kit. I wanted to save that money, but I am by no means a mechanic. Up until this point, all I had self-performed was fluid & filter changes and 1 tire rotation. I've always paid my local stealership to do everything else, which I was tired of doing. Instead of simply spending the $600 and be done with it, I did my homework, spent ~$100 on the necessary tools that I didn't already have, borrowed a floor jack and jack stands from a buddy, commandeered my parents garage for the day, and spent my entire day (~11 hours) installing the kit. The install went well overall. The hardest part for me was getting the tie rod ends and control joint knuckles to bust free, as all I had to work with was a 16oz claw hammer. The rusted cotter pins on those nuts were a bitch and a half too. I also accidentally installed the AAL's backwards at first, so that added an extra hour of work . I'm very happy with the way my truck looks now, but I am far happier that I was able to do the work myself, save a net amount of $500, and learn a LOT in the process. Here's to trying new things and learning new skills

Pics below are before and after. My 265/70/16 tires look small now lol

 

Thank you sir! I have followed your thread for awhile, and we do have very similar goals/intentions.

I've drawn a lot of inspiration from your thread and your posts, but trust me, I'm making a conscious effort not to plagiarize!

 

lol I’m glad you got inspiration from mine! That’s awesome!

 

Write Up of ECGS Bushing Swap (performed 8/19/23)

Did not receive any needle-bearing related feedback or vibrations in the driver side front area after installing my Eibach Stage 2 lift kit. Went ahead and performed the ECGS bushing swap, since I had already ordered it prior to buying the lift. Since I plan to own this truck well past 250k miles, I figured why not do it now and prevent any future headache. Preventative maintenance, you could call it.

I was still riding my high horse after installing the lift kit 2 weekends prior, but did not come prepared to install this bushing. Woke up late, hungover, and stumbled to my tools to begin working. Consequences of my lingering intoxication was a dented axle nut cover. Already ordered a new one from Longo Toyota (best price I could find)


Nobody told me how much of a booger the CV axle was going to be to get in and out. Wow that sucked. Even using a ratchet strap to suspend the CV from the UCA, I spent about an hour with a 8" chisel and hammer before borrowing the neighbors car to go to Ace and buy a 24" pry bar. Overall successful install with a couple minor hiccups, but those hiccups are worth the peace of mind that my needle bearing won't ever spontaneously grenade inside the diff.

Observations:
- Needle bearing was fully intact (thankfully)
- Diff oil smelled like farts and fermented pee. That smell LINGERS too.
- That is not diff oil in the 2nd photo - that is sweat. It was 100 degrees with 90% humidity in the furnace that is lower Alabama.
- I lost less than half a quart of diff oil overall. Haven't topped it off yet. Was going to wait until 60k diff service (I'm at almost 50k) but probably should go ahead and top it off.

 

Changed engine oil and oil filter yesterday (9/4/23).

49,147 on the ODO
5,037.1 on Trip B (which I use to measure oil change intervals)

3rd time changing the oil since I purchased it, and I still can't seem to remember what size the skid plate bolts are until I get under the truck and realize I have the wrong size

Oil was in decent shape for 5k miles. Typical dark brown color, no visible particulates. Only spilled about 3 drops. The MotivX kit helps a ton, particularly the oil filter socket.

Noticed a few drops of dried/stained oil on the back of my skid plate from the drivers side CV area. It was not fresh and nothing was actively leaking. Certain it was from the ECGS swap a couple weeks ago, not worried.

 

Thread update:

Paid the truck off this weekend. Title is en route via mail. Wow that feels good.

A few items that need to be done the next time I have a free Saturday:

1) I recently acquired Rough Country forged UCA's from one of the admins in my local Tacoma FB group, "Alabama Tacomas & Tundras". I got them new in box for $200, which is over $100 off. I know RC gets a bad rap and people love to rag on them, but these UCA's appear to be legit. The ball joints and bushings are OEM style, and the actual arms themselves are freaking solid. There's a plastic cap over the ball joint, which I assume can be removed to apply grease. Need to get these installed ASAP, as the OEM UCA's are stretched to the max and currently at sub-optimal angles.

2) Picked up a screw in my rear passenger tire when I was visiting a jobsite last week. Plugged it onsite and aired up with the

$91 Viair 88p Portable Compressor Kit (12V, 120 Psi, Forup to 33" Tires)

Viair 88p that I keep behind my back seats. Need to get an internal patch done for peace of mind and longevity, as I've blown out a couple plugs in my day.

2) It's been almost 20k miles since I had tires balanced, need that done asap. Been almost 6k since they were rotated, so that could stand to be done too.

I have the lifetime alignment at Firestone, so I will probably install the UCA's and then go to Firestone for tire balance/rotate, patch install, and alignment all in one day.


Have a few fun offroad trips planned soon. Will be posting pics & updates for all 3 of the people who've seen my thread.

 

Brief Write Up of aftermarket UCA install (10/7/23)

Installed Rough Country Forged UCAs that I got from one of the admins of the Alabama Tacomas group on FB. I know Rough Country gets some hate, but these utilize OEM style bushings and joints, and are available at a great price point. They are only $300 new, and I got them for $200 secondhand, although the guy who bought them never even took them out of the box.

The overall quality of the UCAs impressed me. They are pretty hefty (they are aluminum and still outweigh the factory UCAs)

Install went smoothly. Drivers side UCA bolt was a pain to get out due to the wiring harness / box adjacent to the battery tray. Passengers side was a breeze and only took about 30 mins start to finish. Got an alignment the next day because the toe was out pretty bad. Alignment is back in spec and I've got just about the maximum caster that spec will allow (which I'm happy with).

Now time for some 33's!




Shoutout to the like 3 people who read this, I appreciate you

I have some mods and some even bigger adventures coming soon. It won't be long before this is a legitimate build thread and not the lackluster "build" you've seen thus far.

 

Thread update after prolonged inactivity:

I've been off TW for a little while with life/work being really busy and nothing new happening to the truck lately. Just burning through gas.

Recently rolled over 55k miles. Prepping to do 60k maintenance items in early May before setting out on a ~4k mile road trip with the wife the week of MDW.

On Saturday I got me a new setup finally getting rid of these 31s and the ugly Level8 MK6 wheels that the previous owner put on.

Thanks to Facebook Marketplace I got the following:

Picked up a set of Method 318s for less than $200/wheel locally. Guy had ran them for less than 5k miles and decided he didn't like them. Score!


Next up I wanted some bigger tires, but didn't want to pay full price for a brand new set. Found a set of (5) 285/70/17 Falken Wildpeak AT3W's locally for $800. They have less than 8k miles on them and even came on 2022 Jeep Gladiator wheels with TPMS, which I am going to turn around and resell. Score #2!


Now to wait on the lugs I ordered from Method to get here and I can get them on! Will have to sweet talk the tire shop to break the beads on my current setup so they can retrieve my TPMS and swap them over.

Goodbye MPG!


Need to start preparing for our road trip now.

Heading west from Mobile to Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alpine Loop in San Juans, Black Canyon National Park, Colorado National Monument, and then Moab for several days before heading home.

My laundry list before we depart:
- acquire some sliders
- 60k maintenance - spark plugs, diffs, Tcase, etc.
- soudproof door panels and rear of cab
- wire in a 120v converter in the cab
- a good exterior and interior detail

Until next time TW

 

Any plans for gears? So far I'm liking your build. Keeping it practical.

 

Thank you! No plans for gears right now since I'm trying to keep this "build" within a budget. If I feel it's too sluggish after putting the 285s on then I'll probably get a tune.

 

I'm on 285/70/R17 right now and have the OTT tune. While in town performance feels great, driving long distances on the highway I can definitely tell that I need to do gears as my next mod.

 

If it were in the budget I'd love to go up to like a 4:88 don't get me wrong

 

Finally got 285s and Method 318s thrown on yesterday. Shop swapped over my TPMS sensors too. Love the look and ride! They are actually quieter on the road than my 265 grabbers.

Front does rub on both sides before getting to full lock. Haven't taken time to look at exactly where it is rubbing yet. Will have to get out the dremel and the heat gun this weekend.

Before:


After:

 

Great looking build, Sam! I'm digging those Method 318s. I absolutely love the look of a spoked wheel.

Enjoyed reading your write ups & I appreciate the goal(s) of your build. It's easy to break the bank and/or add way too much weight to these trucks thanks to this platform's incredible aftermarket. Every modification should serve a purpose! What else is on the list for future modifications?

Looking forward to following along!

 

Thanks man!

100% Agree on the spoked wheels, I noticed yours as well.
And the gloss with my black paint (when it's clean) look's immaculate.

Only have minor things on my mods list now - sound deadening, ditch lights, and going to paint some of the exterior plastics (fenders, front bumper guard, etc) in a dark/flat black.

I read through your build thread as well. Very nice! You've got some awesome pics and bonus points for the pup. I envy the natural diversity and scenery of Colorado. We have good friends that live in Loveland and I'd take that area over the gulf coast anyday.