Nate's build

Vehicle
2013 Pyrite Mica TRD Off Road
Access cab V6 Auto 4x4

Inside
-Marathon seat covers
-Weather tech floor liners
-Removed rear jump seats and headrests
-Dog/gear platform
-@ImMrYo review mirror relocate bracket
-Tint
-Viair air pressure gauge in 4x4 switch location

Outside
-Weather tech LampGard clear headlight covers
-Softopper
-Pelfreybilt Front 3 hoop bumper
-Pelfreybilt IFS and Mid skid
-Relentless Fabrication bolt on sliders with "half kick" out
-Relentless Fabrication Rear High Clearance bumper with swing out: Dual Jerry cans, Hi-Lift mounted under tire carrier, rear tire carrier canted forward, Poly Performance Synergy swing out latch, Rigid SR-M cutout, hidden hitch behind license plate, relocated trailer plug behind license plate
-B.A.M.F. L&R tailgate CB mounts
-Scepter Fuel and Water Jerry cans
-High-Lift Xtreme 60"
-BOLT Lock key matched Padlock and Cable lock
-Base Tacoma fender flares with 2" removed
-Prinsu AccessRack
-Safari Snorkel

Drivetrain
-Marlin Crawler Taco Box with HD and treated 4.7 gears & added crawler crossmember
-RST Twin Stick FJ Cruiser manual transfer case
-One piece drive shaft
-Triple drilled driveline flanges
-Nitro 4.56 front and rear gears with solid spacer purchased from ECGS installed by Yotamasters in Corona CA
-ARB Front Air locker from ECGS and installed by Yotamasters
-BORA .75" black hub centric wheel spacers in front with 106mm to 108mm
-BORA 15mm black hub centric wheel spacers in rear with 106mm to 108mm
-A.R.P. extended wheels studs in the rear
- Suspension
Front
-Icon tubular UCA from DSM
-BAMF 8" ORI struts
- Rear
- - -King 12" 2.0 smoothie with compression adjuster remote reservoir anodized black from DSM
-BAMF shock tower relocation brackets installed by Demello Offroad in Riverside CA
-ATO shackle flip
-Sway bar removed

Wheels & Tires
-Method 16x8 NV's
-Goodyear MTR 315/75/16

Electrical
-Custom fuse and relay panel behind rear interior panel
-Dual battery setup Interstate AGM Group34
-Blue Sea ML-ACR
-Blue Sea 12 fuse block
-Warn Zeon 10S with 78" contactor relocation kit
-Rigid SR-20 Hyperspot
-Rigid Dually D2 Amber fog lights
-Rigid SR-M Aux reverse lights
-Kawell LED floods on roof rack X4
-Overhead OTRATTW switch panels
-ARB 50qt fridge/freezer
-ARB Twin compressor and manifold OBA setup
-LED strip bed lights
-E-Locker anytime
-Fog light anytime

Misc
-Redline hood struts
-AVS 5 gallon aluminum air tank for OBA
-Nitrogen tank with QuickFist mount
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Most recent shots of the truck:









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So I finally decided to put together a build thread and document the progress and changes made with hopes of helping others with their trucks. TacomaWorld has been a huge help and a great source of information that has helped me along the way. I'd like to thank the many members that have helped with with information, products and advice along the way as well as the many badass trucks that have been a source of inspiration for my build.


Here it is new on the lot



Another of the few pictures of the truck before anything went on it.


Right off the bat I did the tailgate clamp mod to prevent anyone from walking away with the tailgate. Used a keyed hose clamp with heat shrink.


Next was a call to Marathon Seat covers for a few samples then placed an order for Weathertech floor liners. Both of these items have made the biggest difference. I would reccomend them to anyone who gets a truck.


Trying to get the military tan color theme going


Around that time I also ordered a tan Softopper with doggie window in the front and extra rear mesh window.
Installing the topper






Folded down. I wasn't a fan of the bare aluminum so that had to change.


Taped everything off not to be painted. Sanded all metal then wiped clean with acetone before spraying a layer of primer then used a few coats of Rustoleum Spray on Bedliner. It came out looking good. Much better than the bare metal look against the black bed. If you plan on doing this, make sure you take the time to prep the surfaces. The first time I tried just spraying as is and it peeled off rather easily.








I also took out the rear jump seats and head rests then built a platform for the dog and gear. Sorry for the bad photo.


He still preferred the front seat


When I got the floor liners I also got the weathertech headlight covers. I jacked them all up and would not do them again. They are the kind that you have to heat up and carefully put on the headlight. Due to the shape of the headlight, I ended up with creases that wouldn't contour the headlight and had to cut a portion of the cover off to fit. Kind of looks like crap. Ohh well. Lesson learned.

Here was the truck before I went mod crazy a few months ago.


I didn't plan on doing anything to the truck other than basic add ons since I already had a project I was working on. A 1970 Datsun 240Z. But, long story short, it is now gone and my project attention, money and time had to shift somewhere. The Tacoma was next in line so here we are.

I started researching and saving for a build since the truck was purchased. I went through countless threads figuring out exactly how the build would come together and have a good idea of how it will turn out. I can be pretty particular on how things are done and try to have attention to detail with the things I do. A hard lession I learned with doing the 240Z restoration is to take the time and do things right the first time even if that means waiting longer to save up for quality stuff. Too much time and money was wasted doing things twice or even three or four times over. So the Tacoma was a chance to get it right.

I have a lot planned for the truck. Lots of camping, off roading and road trips to come. Thanks again to all the TW members for their threads that have helped guide my build. There is more to come.

Here is glimps of what's to come


Nate

 

Some random progress shots...

 

Nice looking truck! Have any other pics of how the seat covers turned out?

 

Subd. Good looking coma man, any better pics of the rear seat mod?

 

I'll try and snap a few more for you today.

I just starting unbolting and removing panels till I had access to remove the rear seat bottoms and headrest. Hope this photo works. Sometimes it appears sideways.


If you need more photos of any other part let me know. I'll be glad to take them for you. This thread has more information on how others made the platform.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/72761-access-cab-dog-platform-udpate-pics-5.html

Nate

Edit: Photo added

 

Nice, running ORIs in the front?

 

Looks SICK. Love the softtopper

 

Yes. I'll be posting photos and info of them soon.

 

Sweet rig! Do you have a pic of the softopper front dog window? Curious to see how that looks.

 

Sure do! From bed looking forward. You can see it's the size of the sliding rear window. Two clipped straps keep it rolled up.


The side


From inside the cab looking back


Lots of good info on softopper in this thread.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/277644-lets-see-some-softoppers.html

Nate

Edit: Photo added

 

Method NV wheels in 16x8 with 0mm offset are what I'm going with.


My last set of Methods didn't make it out the box


Going from stock to this. 315/75/16 Goodyear MTR. It was a pain in the ass trying to find these tires in stock anywhere. Eventually found someone in Ohio, or something, that had like 40-something tires in his warehouse. Basically the only guy in America with them. Luckily he dealt with Americas Tire and was able to have them get them in and not only price match the lowest price but beat it.


Laying them next to the truck. It's going to look pretty good.


Will definitly need to do some trimming/grinding/BFH to clear them

 

A damn nice truck

 

Thanks bro. Your armor came out great!! I'll be sure to take some in depth photos of the rear bumper and sliders. The armor really makes the truck what it is!!

 

thats relentless gear? i was thinking pelfrey. you should post all that info on the first post.

 

Pelfrey front, the sliders and hc rear are mine

 

Oh ok. Thanks.

 

What are your specs for wheels/lift? Are those wheelers steelies?

 

How do I delete a post!?!?!

 

Front suspension install:

Went with ORI 8" with remote reservoir. Jerry at BAMF had these for his "deal of the day" so I went ahead and got them. I did tons of research and it came down to these or King extended coil overs. Decided to go with ORI with the hopes of having more adjustability.




Icon UCA's. I also tried the method where you cut the old UCA bolt and install a new one from the other direction. UCA bolt Toyota part #

$22 90105-A0095 Axle Flange Bolt

90105-A0095.


The install of the ORI's was fairly easy since they were compressed (not charged) and fit easily. The only thing was having to grind and clearance a bit in the cool bucket to fit the top bolts.


Used a bungee to keep the spindle out of the way then also installed the UCA's. I followed the instructions on this thread. There is a good how-to video on page 23 post# 443
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/14507-total-chaos-uca-how-install.html



With Icon UCA and ORI installed. The reservoir mount still needs to be mounted here. That'll be done once I'm able to figure out where they'll clear the tires from lock to lock. I also removed the sway bar. That took me and my brother some figuring out to get it free.


Factory wheels put on and resting on the bump stops.


One clearance was checked I burned on the brackets supplied by BAMF. Repainted it all then buttoned everything back up and torqued and was done.


After Action Review:
Icon UCA: Getting UCA bolt and washers in were a pain in the ass. These things are tight as hell. Lots of knuckle busting, banging and cussing to get it all aligned. I've done other brands and they were a breeze. These took extra effort because of it.

UCA bolts: cutting vs bending sheet metal. I went through the thread linked on UCA install and it seemed easy enough to just cut the bolts and install them from the other direction vs bending sheet metal and moving stuff out the way. Well, if I were to do it again, I'd just remove whatever is in the way and reuse original bolts. The passenger UCA bolt was able to slide in easily from the rear but not the driver side. I ended up bending the metal and removing stuff in the way to get it in. I'm not certain on why others has no issues and I did. Maybe difference in model years? There seemed to be a bunch of brake line stuff on the way for me and couldn't get an angle that would work.

Sway bar: two people communicating is better than one aimlessly banging things around trying to get it free. Remove skid plate.

ORI: don't charge them till after install. Rotate shaft to put lower chamber valve facing inboard. Be prepared to grind coil bucket to fit with the BAMF kit. Don't mount reservoirs till after checking clearance. I zip tied in place.

Brake lines: factory brake lines were long enough at full drop. You don't NEED them but are recommended.

Nate

Edit: photos added to post 5 & 11

 

Sooo.... I needed 800-900 PSI delivery, high pressure regulator I had broke, used regular regulator and pumped 550 PSI of nitrogen into shocks. Only lifted what you see here till new regulator came in. Just ORI's in the front with factory rear suspension in the picture.


Now I need to start cutting and clearing for tires.

Got a spare set of base flares from the TW marketplace for a good deal.


Started beating truck with large hammer. Flattened pinch weld.


Cut cab mount in increments. Lots more has been cut since this. Will box in eventually.


Traced out two inches with radius tool.




Used 4.5" angle grinder with cut off wheel to cut fenders. Left the original mounting tabs and just folded them back. Used painters tape on parts to be cut.


This next part is what I tried to do research on but many details were left out. Rather than just cut the fender flare and finish with door trim I wanted to try and adhere the pieces back together to give it the factory look as well as increase rigidity of the flare. A few members have done it this way like Maxamillion2345, n0rth and RelentlessTaco that came out really nice. I tried to plastic weld a small test piece and it ended up being really brittle. After more research I went with the 3M automotive adhesive 08223. A Dremmel with cutting wheels was used to cut the two inches out. Here are a few shots.


How the cut piece overlaps. Put adhesive on the overlapping part and stick together.


I did driver side first and learned how to do the passenger better. I added cross hashing by cutting into overlapping area with hopes it'll give it a better bond. I also did the front of the flare different. Rather than cutting a piece off like I did with the driver side, I just cut on crease to fold down into place to be adhered later.

Driver has two gaps to be filled.


Passenger has one because I left more on the front by cutting on the crease. Also note the cross hashing added so adhesive fills and prevents slipping. Hope it works.


Factory vs cut flare. One thing to note is the flare clips. If you look at the factory vs cut flares, you'll notice the colors are opposite. For the cut ones I used the Toyota flare clips from Fastenal which are aftermarket and much cheaper than Toyota factory clips. I didn't know this and ordered much more of the blue only to find out they were reverse and was short on red clips.


Here is how it turned out. Still rough and still needs to be cleaned up, sanded and painted. The gaps need to be filled as well and would like to figure out a way to maybe attach some form of fender liner. Still unsure if I'll color match or just spray on bed line them. Bed lining seems easiest.


Use liberal amounts of the adhesive. It can be sanded down later if needed. Also, use as much as you can of the cartridge in one use. The dispensing tip will get clogged from the hardened adhesive and will need to use a new tip the next go around.

A few days prior I placed an order with Tyler at Pelfreybilt. I went with the three hoop, 20" and Dually LED cutouts. He contacted me a few day letter and said he has one ready!! Someone backed out with the same setup I wanted so I waited a whopping 5 days from time of order till in my garage!!




For those removing crash bar to install aftermarket bumper, the easiest way is to just unbolt the long bar from one of the legs and it'll slide rite off.

The flares with 2" removed mate up perfect with the lines of the bumper. Sorry for crappy photos.




More to follow...

Nate