bones's righteously sinister 2004 tacoma ext cab build

currently (05/25)





well, after getting banned for no reason 3 times now with no resolution no matter how much i contact TW, i will now do a build speed-run to where i am on this tacoma... buckle up because this is going to be fun, buster.

Hello all, my name is bones. i like toyotas, and have had many. my most recent "setup" was a killer 1996 4runner famously named. "lucy". i built it to be the most capable IFS 4runner and it most definitely proved itself, other than strength. it led me to a downhill spiral of satanic ideas, evil visions, and an unholy desire to build what in my eyes is the "perfect truck"



It started off with thinking i needed a crew cab because i was deathly afraid of losing cabin space after camping inside of this 4runner for about 5 years. it truly was the perfect setup. anyways, i did small things to it, and after about 2 months and a couple camp trips, i decided i HATED the 5 foot bed, and hated the automatic transmission as well. sold it. it was extremely clean, with a short renouned name of goldilox. probably could have made something work but i already burned that bridge




which lead me into this. my 2004 TRD extended cab with 275,000 miles including a 5-speed manual transmission. after the one-hit run with the crew cab, i spent about 11-12 in person test drives trying to find the perfect truck. i REALLY, REALLY wanted a 2000 "horizon blue" extended cab in near mint condition, but tacoma tax these days are horrific. the owner had it since 2005, and has done a lot of maintenance and pretty seemingly easy miles on it.


it was a lot more/completely stock looking when i first got with with a lumber rack, brush guard, bug guard, stock mirrors, fender flares, etc. i immediately stripped those down and found chrome oem mirrors, chrome door handles, projector headlights, new turn signals and corner lights. this thing is moderately clean overall from the start with no rust damage, other than wear on the rear cab from a shell or something at some point. these goals may change and i will notify if they are, along with my usual "to-do" list for those who care.

general truck ideas/goals
-40s
-fab9 front, factory 9 rear
-turbo with potential TDI swap
-good power and "decent" fuel economy (15+ fwy)
- robust reduction setup
-drive it everywhere, being able to pull small trailer if wanted to bring

to-do list:
-fuel tank raise
-ABS delete with wilwood LSPV
-rear suspension swap
-offroad jack mount
-power tank mount
-GMRS radio setup

 

first things first

getting small stuff done.





rear door hinges as both have snapped. these are aluminum ones from rockauto. next up was new radio. i usually do double din carplay stuff, but its honestly too much with my garmin i use along with many other specifics. so, i did the kenwood x305 single din. this is their high-end competition use model. its stock 22w X 4 output is pretty impressive right off the bat. i mated them to rear focal speakers and front alpine type R component/tweeter at first. i custom made and 3d printed adapters so theyre bolt in, and completely sealed for best wuality possible. i used foam foam rings to make a seal from the speaker to door panels as well front to rear.




also kilmatted and closed cell foam ontop of that on roof, doors, extended cab space, and the rear wall. this helps accoustics, reduce vibration, and obvoisly helps dampen road noise. another issue was the dreaded steering wheel play. i took the column out and did 2 very cute tack welds hoping they can still serve purpose if a crash were to happen. ended up removing quite a lot of random wiring too! dont need this stuff anymore






upgraded wires to sky high 2 gauge ground and power. along with a new northstar battery. u ran their larger 27f for 4 years with no issue and figured id give this lil fella a try







complete 2 stage buffjob and semi-pro ceramic coat. only lasts i think 2 years which im okay with. anything helps






at this point i get quite a bit of my "creature comfort" stuff i like to do to each of my vehicles. something i didnt note was my custom garmin display/charging that i will show later, my Spod bantam setup for future aux inputs

 

side & rear armor

i went straight into cutting and bending tube to make some armor. i will be lining the bottoms of these with UHMW in the near future with 3/8 material. enough with the yapping






sliders turned out perfect. 2x2x3/16 square and 1.75x.188 DOM, with 15 degree angle. 1/4" gussets. they're seriously bomb proof. onto the rear bumper






1.75 X .120 DOM round tube, 3/16 2x4" main tube with a bunch of 3/16 fish plates, 1/4" gussets, and 2" hitch receiver tie in. pretty basic yet somewhat complex. had to move the plate. hindisght i wish i moved it to the middle but such is life, im content. hitch will be strong enough to recover and tow from. i will be making better triangulation after i box my rear section in. i decided to weld the bumper in and i know it will probably bight me in the bight because i want to balk half the truck at some point. maybe i will have better ideas then. i switched to LED bulbs. youre going to want this if youre not ghetto and prefer regular timed blinkers. its an LED flasher relay to help with timing and get rid of hyperblink. i got it from o reilys although i suggest finding same box for cheaper somewhere






bed rack system for storage when camping

 

tubby time: fitting 35" tires no rub no body lift

i jumped straight into this after. this concludes the argument if you think 35's fit the 1st gen tacoma. i didnt take many pictures, because this job is plain infuriating. i use 18 ga sheet metal, and .025 wire for body panels. i was able to do both sides with 2 pieces. i found $100 SPC UCA's, had to get new cam bolts and a lower right control arm. ended up being kind of a pain but everything got done correctly. i removed bumpstops and jacked until mechanical bind and then cut until i dont rub and then a little more for deflection. i got a great deal on these battleborn sierra wheels that are 17x9 -11 and i had to run 1.25" wheel spacers to keep off the frame and tire contact. ended up great! this was my 4th tub job. for the rear fenders, i just cut them until they fit. i had to do 2 cuts on my front fenders because i did not like my inital cut. its a lot higher than what id like but everything looks good! my friend let me borrow some roached icon coilovers up until my dobinson IMS coilovers came in. thanks miles!

 

odds and ends

installed some goodies.
-permanent garmin setup
-oem factory side graphics
-140A alternator
-new door checks

 

gfc rack

found a gfc superlite for $800 and made a rack for it with 1.5" .096 DOM. this really made me realize i need to get the rear suspension dialed asap. everything is mounted via "plus nuts" that i drill and fix to the bedsides. i use the m6 variation so i can use oem bolts

 

first trip

she eats.
-hells revenge
-fins & things
-poison spider
-gold spike rim
-gold bar rim
-metal masher

all we had time for a quick 2-day weekend. pretty much all obstacles (other than buggy stuff) it had zero issues with. mickeys, escalator, hells gate, golden crack, you name it i did it with no effort. its going to take some time getting use to the electronic throttle assist, and i really miss having a heavier flywheel. anyways, the long wheelbase is going to be a blast. the camp setup is getting more and more dialed in, ill be sharing more pictures soon.

 

Sweet first Gen! Well done sir!

 

after 2 camp trips with the RTT, i decided maybe i like it better with no tent blocking bed space, so i made this setup out of 1" .095 HREW. it costed me under $20. i made it to fit my action packers, yet still able to strap my dirbikes, my jet skis, or whatever in the center of the bed while still able to have all my camp stuff able to be secured. im very infatuated with modular setups that are easy to remove when needed.






new aisin injectors. this really improved throttle response. easy and cheap maintenance item. i also put in new intake gaskets along with a "d style" throttle body gasket to help airflow. the truck came with an AEM intake and throttle body spacer which i dont like very much, yet dont hate it enough to go out of my way on a fix quite yet.

 

amplified stereo


the 22w kenwood deck sounded pretty good, but i wanted a sound system that sounded great. i upgraded my front speakers to focal flex and i got a UTV streo 1500.5 elite amp, and went to hell on the wiring. also dynamatted the floor along with the extended cab cubbies with closed cell foam. again my goal is acoustics rather than low road noise. i found a JL tw1 10-2 sub and made a box for its specific sealed volume out of 3/4 MDF. it will absorb more noise and sound more crisp than 5/8. the system sounds insane. i wired front tweeters and front components to the amp, and deck power to the rear speakers. that way i have full range of everything and a "front stage center". i wish the sub had more output but it sounds good and will be good enough until i mostlikely fry it. i can burst ear drums and remain crystal clear sound no matter the song with the powered door speakers (about 110w per output)