The "Reasonable" Tacoma Build

Hey All!

First post here (if you exclude a few comments)!

I decided that since I'm starting to modify my Tacoma, a build thread seemed like the easiest way to track the highs and lows. While I do have a youtube channel, I'm not interested in posting 30 minute videos with fast forwarded footage of me installing something that 100 other channels already have. I can link it if someone's interested, but I am currently rebranding it with my buddy to focus on some other interests.

All that aside, here's the basic details:

While I was still in the Marine Corps (around 2018), my wife's Grand Cherokee was starting to nickel and dime me. I got rid of that vehicle and decided to pick up a 2013 DCSB PreRunner. That truck served me very well for three years, where I eventually traded it in for my current 2018 DCSB TRD Off-Road 4x4 in July of 2021. I've put about 50,000 miles on it since then doing various Arizona off-roading, shooting, and trying to survive on the 17 North. During those miles, I've brainstormed a lot, researched a lot, and talked with a fair amount of people on my expectations, needs, and wants. Finally, after a few deaths in the family, I now have more than enough money to play with this truck in the exact way I want.

My philosophy with this truck is very simple: stay reasonable. All too often I see guys cut up and thrash on these trucks and they end up losing a lot of their charm. Is it cool to see someone buy a $50,000 truck and then spend another $50,000 on it? Sure, but that's not me, and that's not most people. What I like to see the most are the reasonable builds. I like finding builds that are well thought out from experience. I love seeing trucks that have everything you need and nothing you don't. That is my main goal with this truck. At most, I don't expect to exceed 35" tires. While I do plan on strapping on a bunch of junk like armor, awnings, bed caps, and racks, they'll be installed to served to a purpose. My goal with this truck is to build an overall "doer" that I can go camping, shooting, and overlanding with. While I believe that certain factors like weight, cost, aesthetics, and capability are extremely important to any build, I don't believe one should obsess over one more than the other. That's not to say I will choose the most expensive options, nor the cheapest. I will be choosing parts that I believe best fit within my philosophy for this build.

Of course, I'm the one making up the rules, so I can change them at anytime I see fit!

Since I have recently moved into a new house, I am waiting to get some GPR scanning done of my garage so I can install a lift. Most, if not all, of the work on this truck will be done on a lift, so posts might be delayed while that is getting situated.

To start, a list of parts ordered:

RSI SmartCap EVOa Adventure (Arrived 04/08/25)
RSI SmartCap Stow Away Table (Arrived 04/08/25)
RSI SmartCap Load Bars
OME BP51 Lift Kit(Heavy Load Leaf Springs)
SPC Upper Control Arms
Stainless Steel Front & Rear Brake Lines
Cali Raised LED Premium Roof Rack
42" Light Bar - Dual Row Spot Beam
Cali Raised LED Ditch Light Brackets
3x2 18W LED Pods (2 of em)
Cali Raised LED Step Edition Rock Sliders (Kick Out, Filler Plates, Bedliner)
Base Switch Panel (Cali Raised LED partner product, no idea who OEMs)
Vehicle Accessory 8 Switch Control System (Cali Raised LED partner product, no idea who OEMs)
Icon Vehicle Dynamics Rebound Pro (Bronze, 5 of em!)

That's it for now! I'll throw all this on over the next few months, do a few shakedown runs, figure out what I do and don't like!

Thanks for reading!

 

I'm listening... and watching

 

Wow it's been a few decades since I've used a forum. Forgot to add photos!


First time out with the 2018. Had a lot of fun experimenting with the 4x4 and lockers. Bloody Basin is a hidden gem!


Tonto National Forest to Sheep's Bridge (The Long Way!). Great trail to understand my stock suspension, lighting needs, and Arizona off-roading!


Bought and installed a new Decked system. This is the single drawer design. Worth every penny.


Whoever said you can't do truck stuff with a Decked and a Short Bed is a liar!


Used my Tacoma to pick up a Wildernest Camper Shell for my buddies Comache build. Ended up scratching the hell outta my truck, but it made some good memories and that makes it all worth it.


Picking up my friend's Comanche. Towed it from Sacramento, CA to Phoenix, AZ. Very long drive but well worth the time.


RSI SmartCap and Stow Table arrived before I even received tracking. Very much looking forward to putting this on.

Like Porky Pig says, that's all folks!

 

Looks killer so far.

 

Welcome aboard.

So you mentioned you want to "stay reasonable" and then lament about how people "cut up and thrash" these trucks and how that makes them lose a lot of their charm (and that that's not you)... But then you imply you might go as big as 35" tires.
Just so you know, 35" tires WILL require you cut up your truck. Whether it be the frame (crossmember) for a full lift kit, or your fenders & cab mounts and hammering back pinch welds (or both)... 35" tires are a bit outside of this scope you mention.

Regardless, that is a nice build plan (and is how I roll too... Nothing unnecessary, everything that has an actual purpose).
33" tires (285/75R16 or 285/70R17) is a nice size tire that only requires minimal cutting (cab mounts) if you run them on 0-offset wheels.

Keep us posted on how the SPC UCAs work out for you. SPC had a bunch of problems in the past with their ball joints & bushings failing, but have recently been redesigned. Curious how the new ones are faring.

 

Thanks for your service.

Nice Truck!

You went from a dumb cap to a SMART CAP!

 

Well last night, I was painting a rifle of mine and my roommate came down to the garage and said "I'm bored, let's put this cap together", so now I can update the thread!

The first step to putting my cap together had nothing to do with the cap. When I purchased the truck, the rail by the rear window had it's paint worn down. While this rail is aluminum and wouldn't have affected the function to the cap being in place, it would've bothered me if I didn't repaint it. So a little bit of work with a wire wheel and some Dupli-Color Rust Barrier paint. Again, the rail is aluminum but I had the paint left over from when I cleaned up my frame.


Assembly was pretty straight forward. Using the packaging as protection for assembly is slick.


One of the great designs I love are these blocks that are used to put the sections together. Love me some simple designs that just work.


Two people is definitely the minimum. RSI recommends four just for lifting, but two guys in their twenties was more than enough.


Turns out that Rav4's make great tables!

It took a bit of muscling to manuever the cap with just two people, but a little bit of sucking it up and moving in slow bursts so we don't damage the cap or the truck made it easy work.


Putting the clamps on the rails took us a few tries. When we first clamped them down, we clamped them in different spots from where we put the big rubber blocks that go on the under side of the clamp. We found that we were kinda of bending the rail a bit, so we backed them off and reapproached it. We decided to read the instructions (heresy!) and decided the most logical way to clamp them down was to clamp them onto the blocks. Once that was done, we once again reference the instructions (more heresy!) for the correct spacing. Measuring the outside of the cap to the bed for the correct height wasn't proving to be very consistent, so we measured based off the clamps. We decided on about 5/16th's on an inch on each clamp all the way around.


Wired up the cap and we were done! Finished at roughly 2 AM and slept like a baby.


Of course, no modification would be complete without a shakedown run and adding stickers. Hopped on down to Home Depot to get salt for my home's water softener system and added some spare stickers I had laying around.


So far, I'm very happy with the cap. Very simple to put together, well designed, and looks great. Hard to ask for much more.

 

Time for another update. As with most of my updates here, I won't be posting step by step photos and instructions of installs unless I feel it necessary. Plenty of people on this forum, on Youtube, and manufacturers already doing that.

First up was the Morimoto XB Evo Headlights. While my factory headlights were functional and serviceable, running halogens in an LED world was proving to be damn near dangerous. Other drivers running LEDs (turn yo damn brights off!) coming towards me basically negated the light output of my halogens. Even living in a city like Phoenix, it would be hard to see the lines in the road at times. If there was rain or a haboob, forget it. Easier to just pull over so I don't hurt someone.

First part of installing was using something completely unrelated to the headlights:


Tables! I definitely overpaid for the StowAway table, but it is worth it having a table in my truck permanently. The mount for the table is a genius way of using space. While I understand that most of the cost is in the mount, and the table is very high quality, $525 is still a hard pill to swallow. Oh well, having a table I can use for installs on the truck or while in the desert makes the table pay for itself.


Big difference in the two headlights. I went with the XB Evo's for two reasons. First, the LED's were a massive upgrade. Second, I could choose between fade on/off and sequential for the turn signals. I do not like sequential turn signals, so being able to choose fade on/off was a major bonus for me. It's a bit of a bummer that you have to buy their high end XB Evo's to get that feature. The price point of the XB Evo Hybrids are much more agreeable to my wallet, but the ability to have the choice is better. I'm the type of guy who can change his mind on something over the years, so if I feel like I like sequentials down the road, I can go to them.


A much cleaner and meaner look.


My roommate and I ended up breaking some bumper clips while doing the install. Unfortunately, Morimoto's instructions don't account for factory flares, so a bit more time was spent figuring out how to take them off. Broken clips and plastic pieces are no worries, Rock Auto is to the rescue!


Post install test drive. These are worth every penny! Despite my truck having a bit of a lean back due to the SmartCap and Decked system, they are adjusted pretty well. Actually being able to see the road is such a breath of fresh air that I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

I did not buy the Super Chargers with these headlights. I wasn't sure if I wanted them, especially for lights on the road. I'm still not sure I want them, given the task of installation, but I can only imagine how powerful they are.


Last night, I ended up using the truck as my work lights while doing some night shooting. Absolutely fantastic. Although, some traditional work lights hooked up to a portable battery system seems like the better solution.


Low beams on a moonless night in the middle of the desert


High beams under the same conditions

Can be a little hard to pick up via camera just due to the nature of how our eyes perceive light vs. the sensors on a camera. In previous night shoots, I'd barely be able to see if front of me, let alone the sides. Now, I can see nearly everything.

Overall, these are well worth the upgrade. Expensive, yes, but worth it. Not pictures are the Morimoto tail lights that I went with a few days after this. I figured the same reasons for buying LED's up front should apply to LED's in the back. Those are a very simple install with only three bolts and a bit of force.


Like momma always said, dirt never hurt!

The same night that we installed the Morimoto's, we also installed the Cali Raised LED Premium Roof Rack. I've always known that I wanted a roof rack because I do plan on mounting a 270 degree awning. I was originally going to go with a Prinsu, but decided on the Cali Raised for the adjustable wind deflector.


The adjustable wind deflector absolutely cuts any excessive wind noise you would get if you didn't have it. It can easily be unscrewed and pushed down from the seat, but you will need to have a passenger to do the passenger side. Otherwise you gotta get out. My advice so far would be making sure they are tight whenever you mess with them. The knobs are kinda short so if you leave them loose, I can easily see them falling off while on the trail or the pavement (depending on the conditions of the roads).


One thing I wouldn't recommend doing is cutting through your weather stripping. As you can see, I totally whiffed cutting up the weather stripping. I tried to make it up by filling the gaps with RTV, but it is most definitely not pretty. I would suggest just using RTV on the spacers and using black 100 MPH tape in the gutter. Even though I used a step bit, a razor blade, and a paint pen to mark and cut in the correct space, it never really cut very well. Even with a very generous application of 3M double sided automotive tape in the gutter to secure the weather stripping, it just never went back in place as well as factory.

Lastly, I purchased the 42 inch light bar (and ditch lights) from Cali Raised LED. Since I was making a large order with them, I figured I'd add the lights just to simplify everything. After paying $350+ for the light bar, I'm quite disappointed. The light bar is made in China and is essentially upbadged with Cali Raised LED's logo's on it. If I wanted a cheap light bar, I could've spent a lot less money. That being said, it is cheaper than a Baja Designs, and I have yet to wire it and test it. However, nowhere on the product page does it say the lights are made in China. I would not call it dishonest, just disingenuous.

Overall, I still have much more to get installed.

Next up:
Wiring hub
Wiring in ditch lights
Wiring in roof rack light
Purchase and wiring on Cali Raid LED roof rack side light pods
Install of Cali Raised LED sliders
Install of Old Man Emu BP-51 lift
Install of Icon Rebound Wheels

Be back soon!

 

Oh man, this is not an update I have been looking forward to writing.

After a long 10 days of my buddy and I driving parts from Rhode Island back to Arizona for his 1989 Jeep Comanche, and another long four days of work, I decided to dive back into my Tacoma and knock out some things that needed to be done.

One of the things I've really struggled with on this truck has been lighting. It gets very, very dark out here in the desert and this specific era of Tacoma was trapped between old school Halogens and new and improved LED's. After replacing the headlights with Morimoto's, I was still not content with the lighting. Given that everything was just sitting on my shelf, I decided to get my solid state switch set up so that the rest of my lighting and wiring needs would be simple. Better to tackle to the most complicated task first so it's all downhill from there, right? Unfortunately, I ended up very disappointed and extremely frustrated.

Now before I throw anybody else under the bus, I'm going to out myself first. In my haste to happily purchase truck parts, I did not do as much research as I should have (do not read that as I did no research, just not as much as I should have). I totally fell for marketing and trusting others at face value instead of fully investigating my needs. Weirdly, this isn't something I did when it came to suspension, wheels, tires, the SmartCap, or the Decked system. Maybe because I don't have as much experience with wiring as I wish I did, but I kind of just closed my eyes and hoped for the best. Regardless, half of the problems I will list down below have at least something to do with me.

That being said, I am not solely to blame.

As previously stated in this thread, I purchased my roof rack from Cali Raised LED. I purchased that rack in a combo deal with a 42" Spot Beam. I also purchased the Cali Raised LED Ditch Light Brackets with 3X2 18W LED pods. All of this was to be wired into the 8 gang switch control system that they sell on their website. I have seen all of these on several Tacoma builds, and all of the reviews I watched and read led me to believe that these parts were quality, well designed, and could handle the load of a light bar, ditch lights, and anything else I could throw at it. I was wrong. The switch control system that is sold on their website seems to be a knock off of the Auxbeam 8 Gang switch system. From what I can see from handling it and looking at Auxbeam's website, it seems to be the exact same product without any of the Auxbeam branding. What I didn't know, again from my lack of reading, is that this switch system is limited to a maximum of 60 Amps. Now, I cannot find the Amp draw for the 42" light bar or the 3x2 pods on Cali Raised LED's website. However, when you consider that Baja Designs OnX6+ draws a max 26.8 Amps and is of a much high quality, the Chinese rebranded light bar that Cali Raised LED sells for $1100 less has to be pushing closer to the 30 Amp max that is on the first line of the switch control. While ditch lights will pull less amps (Baja Designs crazy expensive LP9's only pull 9 amps), we are not exactly dealing with quality hardware here. If I wanted to add an ARB Dual Compressor to my rig, that has a max amp draw of 50.4 amps while under load. Now I may be under experienced or I might be missing a few brain cells from my time in the Marine Corps, but I don't think it is an unreasonable scenario to be running a light bar, ditch lights, and a compressor, let alone anything else.

That's a long winded way of saying that this clone (see: same OEM) of the Auxbeam switch control system that Cali Raised sells is junk and is basically dead weight. The best way to run this switch system is to add a separate relay box that then feeds into the switch system. If you ask me, that totally defeats the purpose of the switch system. The only caveat I have to that is that it does simplify running cables to the cab. Instead of a bunch of wires running to individual switches, you have one wire running to one switch panel in the cab, which then hooks up to the control system.

This is something that makes me feel like a total idiot and, if I'm being honest, I feel somewhat swindled out of my money.

My solution is to totally ditch this control system from Cali Raised LED. As of a few hours ago, I ordered a Switch Pros

$659 SP-9100 8-Switch Panel Power System With Concealed Mounting Hardware

SP-9100 system. I also ordered an SDHQ power module mount to keep everything much more organized and clean looking than it is now. The Switch Pros system is capable of handling 125 Amps with 4 outputs rated at 35A and 4 outputs rated at 20A. In my mind, this is a much more reasonable power usage and gives plenty of overhead. That being said, I will probably still wire a compressor on it's own relay, but that is something I see as totally acceptable and reasonable.

Now, for these light bars and light pods. What an utter disappointment. While I know I was paying for cheaper lights, and they wouldn't be anywhere near the quality of the expensive stuff, they are so laughably underpowered, cheap, and poorly designed that I seriously have to question the intentions and integrity of the guys over at Cali Raised LED. I don't know how you can create genuinely good products like your Premium roof rack and rock sliders and then turn around and sell Chinese e-waste, let alone advertising them on the same page. I guess idiots like me will buy shit like this and learn a lesson, but it is utterly baffling.

While these photos I post might seem like they are of acceptable brightness, remember that camera sensors and the human eye perceive light differently. I hate to be that guy rambling on a forum saying "trust me bro", but trust me bro, these suck and aren't worth the postage.


Not to mention that the brackets the lights sit on make them extremely low to the hood. If the brackets sat higher (the light bracket, not the Cali Raised mounting bracket), then I could get a bit more peripheral vision in the dark and a little bit more spill downwards. That downwards spill can be extremely important here in the desert where things can be perceived weird when white light is shined. Given that these are definitely bargain bin universal garbage, it's hard to be too mad about it. Again, mainly disappointed after putting in a few hours getting this set up. The juice is not worth the squeeze in this case.


Compound all of this with the fact that I'm still waiting on grab handles for my roof rack after a month of ordering and contact with customer service, I cannot recommend Cali Raised LED for just about anything. As good as their sliders and roof rack might be, their competitors do the same thing with better customer service. The things that their competitors don't have and that they do provide are of such low quality that it's questionable why they would even have it on their website.

All this negativity set aside, massive shoutout to the guys at Guild Outfitters. Their base switch panel (4 short switches for a Double Cab) has been absolutely fantastic and creates an extremely clean look. Not to mention that when I decided to go to a different switch system, they have a insert that will work with no change at all. What a refresher it is to have people making some stellar products that have multiple options.


I will take some more photos over the next few days as I take out the garbage switch system and add them to this thread. I won't waste my time with trying to return any of it to Cali Raised. I'll throw up on on the BST here or on Facebook marketplace and give 'em away for few cases of beer to some kid that needs lights on the cheap.

Today's lesson: the expensive stuff is expensive for a reason. Sometimes, it's just better to just go with it.

 

Update:

HALO. THE COMBAT HAS EVOLVED.

 

Install some bed stiffeners with that cap if you haven't already.

https://www.chaosfab.com/product/2016-2022-Toyota-Tacoma-Rear-Channel-Bed-Stiffeners-48676

 

Great catch. I actually installed the Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners shortly after I installed my Decked system about a year ago.