wi_taco 2015 TRD OffRoad build "The Gray Ghost"

Things are starting to happen again. New rear bumper dropped off to powder coating on 7/24, quoted 7-10 business days for return.



Fancy shot for the 'Gram that I messed up and pulled wrong focus on my door instead. You get the idea. Crossing fingers I get it back before next weekend's trip.



These funny looking things came in the mail...



This also unexpectedly came in the mail. I emailed asking questions about the bumper and dude sent me a hat and stickers - pretty sweet!



And these arrived today, also including a couple stickers. More on that later after I turn some wrenches. This week is the final week of summer school so it couldn't possibly be a worse time to do all this stuff lol but I will get 'er done.

 

Nice build. We have the same bumpers front and rear.
That is exactly what happened when I mounted the ATH rear bumper. Doesnt line up very well.
In fact, I think it looks pretty bad, but learned to live with it.

 

Yep looks like the same thing. I am also living with it for now due to time constraints, but when I get some time I'm pulling it off and making it fit better. It shouldn't take much, close enough that some time with a grinding disc and carbide bit should make short work of it.

 

@At The Helm bumper is back from powdercoating. Had it done locally at The Blast Shop in Kenosha, WI. Finish color is called "Black Magic" and is a very low sheen satin that is perfect for armor.



All the needed hardware is included and quite well thought out, and as a bonus there are stickers and decals.



View of the bumper installed from the rear. Rocking the block-off plates for now until I figure out what kind of lights to put in the holes. Now that the hitch receiver is moved under the license plate there is a huge difference is departure angle clearance which is awesome.



Here's another view from slightly off to the side angle. You can see better here how the alignment is slightly off on the body lines and in the up/down direction. It's very minimal but enough to notice.



Here's the fit-up from the side view. Gap to body/fender is good, just needs to move up a little bit to be perfect.



Previous photo of the mounting holes to show I have it pushed up as far as it goes. The top of the plate is hitting the crossmember bed support so it can't go any further. I think if I grind off a small amount and clearance the bolt holes a bit with a carbide bit I can get it moved up the needed 1/4" or so to get it perfect. Chalk it up to no two trucks being the same, this is a very minor issue and I'm being very picky because I try to keep a high standard. Trust when I say I'm not losing any sleep over this at all.



For now I'm rocking it how it is because most people don't notice or care. Already had tons of compliments on the appearance and build quality, and Morgan at ATH has been great to work with.

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And now that I'm done with the stock rear bumper it's time to pass along this Diaz Fab relocation bracket to @Taco-Grinder so he can gain a little more clearance. Enjoy, Dan!

 

Out with the problematic SPC UCAs and in with the new JD Fabrication UCAs. These are the 0.75" variation for stock LCA configuration. These are more known for usage in mid/long travel circles but I've been watching them for a while. OE style rubber bushings take no maintenance and should last a long time, and the EMF "sealed" ball joint should hopefully last a long time here in the rust belt. Side-by-side comparison for no good reason other than I had them both on the bench. You can't tell any difference by eye-balling things, it's really such small adjustments that result in big changes here. Hopefully they last longer than these junk ass SPC units (more details about that in the near future after I contact them about warranty stuff).



I contacted JD Fabrication and EMF about what kind of grease to use and they said to basically use anything, but specifically regarding the AMSOIL NLGI #2 synthetic polymeric offroad grease with 5% moly that I had also used on the SPC units they both agree this is a great choice. I pumped a few squirts into the new joints while still off the truck just to be sure they are ready to go. Caused some blue grease to squeeze out from the top seal/cap - not sure what kind this is, but usually blue is some kind of marine grease. I don't expect this will be an issue.



Here are the included instructions. No further details on their website. You really have to hunt for info on these or call them. They do include a nylock nut for the ball joint which is different than OEM - I need to call them back and figure out what size it is so I can buy a few spares.



Fully installed, torqued once on the ground with vehicle weight on it, and since I have flipped the UCA mounting through bolt I use orange thread locker and torque seal to help ensure it doesn't back out. One difference to note: on the JD Fab website it shows a small bracket to mount the speed sensor wire. On the latest units it seems this is gone and there are no instructions about mounting it up. I used a couple zip ties for now, that may stay permanent but I might go back and do something better.

While I was in here I also adjusted the front left spring preload because I had a little bit of lean going on from my initial install (you can see a little bit of the dust marking where it used to be). Previous spring measurement = 11 13/16", new spring measurement 11 1/2". All said and done it has settled almost perfectly even with the passenger side. Front hub-to-fender measurement on both sides is now almost an identical 22.5" so I should be set. Rear hub-to-fender is still the same 24.5" as it was during initial install so I maintain nearly the OE rake.



Alignment done at my local trusted shop. Since the new UCAs won't have the same adjustment as the SPCs, and since I don't know what it within the realm of possibility, I asked them to shoot for 3° caster (or more if possible), 0 or slightly negative camber, and 0 to 0.03 toe each side. Ended up with only 2.8° caster while maintaining the other specs. The LCA cams definitely have more room to move forward but apparently I can't get any more without wrecking camber due to the UCA geometry. Initial thoughts after the alignment are that it handles about as well as it did before but feels "tighter" in a good way and steering feel is lighter in a good way.



Due to the loss in caster and LCA now moved further backwards I have lost a touch of clearance. My existing 265/70/17 tires now rub just a tiny bit when in reverse at full lock and going down and incline (i.e. stuffed). No doubt I absolutely need to massage the pinch weld and CMC now before my dreams of 33's move forward. I ran out of time last week due to an offroading trip with the Wisco crew and didn't want to rush the job, but it will happen very soon.

 

Been riding the struggle bus lately trying to get projects done. Every time I have free hours to do work, it's been hotter than balls outside. When I'm busy? Perfect weather. I can't win. Doubtful I'm fitting those 33's before the upcoming roadtrip late September.



Building a DIY Prinsu-style roof rack for the camper shell and that is actually going pretty well but I made a tiny mistake. Ordered the extrusions last year and didn't recall that I ordered bare aluminum versus powdercoated/anodized. Did not order paint, do not have time to paint, now I need to order more extrusions with the correct finish. Minor problem - it's more just that I'm annoyed of a continuing theme of things not going right. Rack is going to be pretty sweet though.



Ordered a new larger dual-zone Iceco fridge and wouldn't ya know it arrived damaged by FedEx. Those bastards. Box was smashed on the top face right in the middle where the two lids join up. There is a big piece of foam protecting the top, but right in that very spot there is a cutout in the foam offering zero protection. Top left door is dented and shifted over like 1-2 inches causing the door to not close securely and it probably would leak cold air out the seals. You can see the gap between the lids is cockeyed too. And unless I'm blind they completely forgot to send the slide mechanism that I paid for (Edit: slide showed up next day, I think that’s on FedEx). Grrr. Return requested, let's see if they can get me a working non-damaged unit in the next 3 weeks before I hit the road! What a fun game!



Need something to go right soon. Feels like life is punching me in the dick repeatedly and I'm not a fan. Excited that fall is coming soon, I need to do some serious hiking and outdoor adventure to regain my sanity.

 

I'm very far behind on doing updates. Lots of fun and positive things to share, but going to start on a bit of a negative. While on day 4 of a 3-week road trip around Wisconsin this September my Pioneer headunit died. I've already had tons of problems with the first one and even RMA'd it to Pioneer at least once, maybe twice but can't remember. See post #95 where I've been tracking all the random crashes and problems over time - it hasn't been ideal.



I had to make some quick decisions: drive home a couple hundred miles, lose a day, and pray that local stores had other headunits available? Or try to repair it on the fly? I drove to the closest Best Buy which was 60 miles away in Appleton, Wisconsin. Not a bad option, but far from the largest or most well stocked store as it isn't the largest city population-wise.



They had a crappy Sony unit that I didn't really prefer (big step down in specs), lots of even crappier choices, or I could replace it with another exact same Pioneer unit like the one already in there. Not a big fan of the options at hand but sometimes you have to choke it down and move on. I caved and bought another Pioneer but I'm not happy about it. I do get 12 months 0% since I have a Best Buy card so that's nice I guess, ugh.



In a stroke of unbelievably idiotic luck, and because I'm an IT nerd by trade, I had my laptop in the truck and it still had the iDataLink Maestro programming software installed. Flashed the Maestro to the new stereo serial number, reinstalled, and confirmed working. Amazingly I had this done in like 30 minutes because I've done it so many times before. This was the best cause outcome and while I'm glad I made the choice, I'm still a little burned about buying another one of these. What I really wanted was a new Sony ES unit but those cost even more $$$$$ and hard to get. Oh well, this will do for now and I'll keep on truckin'.

 

A few other minor things were taken care of before my road trip. Engine skid needed a small touch of percussive maintenance to fit back into place after recent offroad trips. Mr. Sledge convinced it into compliance.



This part is embarrasing...I've neglected my poor air filter for far too long and I've had a spare onhand this whole time. It was quite badly clogged, and I noticed an immediate improvement in butt dyno and throttle response after replacement. Check your air filters everyone, it's the simplest and cheapest way to get back performance and mpgs trust me!



And this next one is a bit odd. I also had a Wix XP cabin air filter onhand and by cleaning my garage I finally found it. I don't have mice problems (to my knowledge) and when I pulled the old filter it looked like the one below which was concerning. I did more inspection of the fan using my phone camera and everything inside there is spotless so I have no idea what this is about. Maybe it's that fluffy crap that comes off the trees sometimes? No idea, but I did see a noticeable improvement in HVAC immediately after removing all that crap and installing the new filter. A/C was blowing twice as hard which was a welcome improvement.



Not pictured: Did a quick lube job on the rear driveshaft U joints and UCA ball joints just for good measure before the road trip. Was overdue on the U joints so this was a very good idea. Everything else was in spec and ready to rock and I had no trouble on the road after some 2,500+ odd miles.

 

Thats what my 3 month old air filter looked like after our June adventure. I did have a new one along that I put in at the campsite.
With your cabin filter, do you live in an area with lots of Cottonwood tress?

 

That’s the funny thing, I do not have any cottonwoods here so it was very odd to find it. Not sure where I picked up all that stuff but was happy to get it out and double thankful it wasn’t from rodents!

 

Finished doing a write-up on my 12V house power system version 1.1 including new REDARC charger and ICECO VL65D dual zone fridge. In a nutshell this is what it looks like and it works great. Will have more details on that aux fuse panel/tray soon but it's there for future upgrades on things like lighting and accessories.





Edit: A few more details on the aux fuse panel in the previous post's photos. This huge thread was the inspiration and will give details to build one if you are looking to add new toys. Was on a time crunch before the last trip so I only built out the panel this far and plugged the remaining open cavities. I'm waiting for some accessories to show up in the mail so nothing to plug in yet, but it won't take long to finish. Notice I was also able to mount the bus bars on the RTMR bolts which saves a bit of clearance to the panel mounting bolts.



Installing the two bolts on the fender are kind of a PITA but once it's in it ain't going nowhere (I slapped it to confirm as is the custom, it's good). Spiker Engineering hood strut just clears the RTMR cover. Overall it allows for a pretty dang clean install. Can't wait to start adding accessories.

 

Looking real nice

When I mounted my tray to the fender I had a hard time getting my fat hands in there. I took the tray to work and had one of the tool room guys make some slots on the top to fit a wrench.

 

Thanks! I considered that, either after looking at yours or someone else's online, but by the time I remembered I already had the thing half assembled lol. Oh well, I don't think I'm going to stick with this particular tray for the long run anyways so I'll address it later if it ever comes up.

 

Got a sticker in the mail the other day and this groovy lookin' thing came with it. More to come soon on that front, just waiting for shipments to arrive.

 

Finished doing a write-up on my DIY extrusion style camper shell rack. Very happy I built this, should have done it way sooner. Added a 23ZERO shower awning and mounts for my Maxtrax MKII recovery boards, lots of other plans for future accessories too.

 

GAH!! I miss my 2nd gen!

 

Still catching up on posting old stuff. Decided to hit the CAT scale during my October road trip with the full loadout and she's tilting at 5,580 lbs. Heaviest weight I've hit yet and that doesn't include me sitting in the driver seat. A bit scary because I have a bumper and winch coming soon plus some E load 33s so that's only going to increase...

 

Well this got delivered today. Now I just need a bumper to put it in. I'd ask "which comes first, bumper or snowfall?" but we already had snow once this year (though it's 70°F today, typical bipolar Wisconsin fall). Hopefully more to share on this project coming soon.

 

I've been searching for a while to find a first-aid kit that mounts on my rear seat overhead molle bracket. Somewhere on the interwebz I found the My Medic MyFAK which are a bit pricey for what they are, but I do like the mounting mechanism. Lo and behold they were having like a pre-Black-Friday sale and I got 25% off and I couldn't resist. Arrived today and installs in seconds. I mounted on the driver side which is basically wasted space above my fridge now. Pretty sure I'm leaving the rear seat deleted permanently too so no concerns about passengers. I was worried about it being too low but it actually fits like it was made to be here. Quite pleased with it as a basic kit and starting point to build on for later.



Here's another angle from the front. Basically it has a velcro pad which attaches via molle straps. There is a piece of nylon webbing and a buckle that runs around the pouch and secures it / helps keep it from sagging down. When you need access, unbuckle the strap and rip the entire pouch off the velcro and you're ready to go. I debated on the pouch color for a long time but in the end I went with gray to match the interior trim as closely as possible. It came down to either red or gray in the end and I bypassed red to maintain a low profile and reduce my likelihood of being a theft target. It's all personal preference in the end anyways.



As part of the sale I got the "Hiker & Scrapes Med Packs". The Hiker pack may be better than my own DIY kit already in my backpack so that's probably where that goes. The Scrapes pack contains...well, stuff to treat small scrapes. It contains many things already in the FAK but is a good supplement for extras. Will probably add that to miscellaneous supplies that I carry in the bed cargo area with other stuff like paracord, fire starting, and other generic little things.



This has made me realize I really should do better with preparedness for medical situations. In 2021 I got stung in the lip/mouth by a yellow jacket and while I'm not allergic there is no escaping the results of that type of event; had I not had antihisthamines quickly available it could have been a much different situation. It only takes one occassion where you aren't prepared to have a really bad day. I may add this to like a yearly review/maintenance and build it up as time goes along. Make no mistake I have no delusions of turning my Taco into an ambulance or becoming a medic - 100% not my jam. But given the fact that most times I travel solo, figure I should put a little more effort into it than having a few allergy pills and ibuprofen in my door pocket.