1999 Tacoma SR5 TRD Imperial Jade Build, Sweat and Tears

Not really too setup in the back yet, but good enough for me. Im just using pizza and water bottle boxes to cover the windows. Eventually Ill do something a little nicer to cover the windows. Ill probably leave the rest like it is. I need my truck for different reasons so I dont want any build out. Will prob just add some better lighting.

 

For sure, but I hopefully never have to, because I never want to.

 

On my way to do Shafer Trail.

 

Was dark heading back.

Shafer Trail was absolutely insane. Wasnt a hard drive. I was kind of annoyed at how hard my truck rode. I even aired down to 20psi and it was still like off roading a porsche 911. Even on roads that should be mellow. I need to figure this out because everyday I go out I have all my stuff in the back and its shaking the hell out everything.

 

Late dinner in the back.

 

While driving around. The battery crushed my diesel heater cig lighter plug. I soldered the thrift store one back on and it works.


Been using Garage Cafe as my morning ritual to charge up my Anker. Honestly if youre even in Moab they have the best burrito. The food here is much better than anywhere else.

I would get one to go, then put it on the passenger floorboard and eat it like 5 hours later cold and it was still insane good and only like $10.

 

Dinner.

 

Now Onion Creek Trail.

 

I get to the end of Onion Creek and Im losing my mind over these bilstiens being so rough, it dawns on me to disconnect the sway bar. So I did.

I wired everything in place with the left over stainless bailing wire I had for my wheel covers.

 

With the sway bar disconnected I keep driving. I see a trail that says Rose Garden and that sounds interesting so I take it.

 

As Im going to the trail its getting more challenging and fun from the regular trials Ive been on. I was looking for a way to loop back through instead of turning around and on my map it showed it did. I start to see in the distance a hill and Im like no way thats the hill, as I start working my way closer and I can see that its the route Im on. Now Im starting to think if I should do it. I decide to go all the way to the hill and walk it to see. Now I see why its called Rose Garden. I hiked the hill. It looked like it was going to be very bouncy. I seen the shelf at the top and it was a decent size but possibly doable. I debated for a min and decided not to. I was super deep out and I didnt see one person. I was fully loaded with all my stuff and Im a little worried about being on 4runner axels in the front because people claim they arent as strong. Plus Im not really into hiking 15-25 miles to get help. So I turned around. Dont get me wrong, Im crazy enough and I was really close to trying but finically Im not down for it right now.

So after the fact. I learned that I almost did one of the craziest hills in Moab by accident, alone. Almost makes me wish I pulled it off to make the story crazier.

Pictures dont do it justice at all

 

Backtracked Rose Garden and on my way out of Onion Canyon. Glad it finally dawned on me to remove the sway bar. It was a massive difference in ride quality. All the harshness is gone and its finally riding right.

 

Back into town. I went to this shirt place. It was epic. The price cant be beat. Its like $14 and the old school design for the trails are crazy good. Seeing all the trail design has me thinking about trying to run some hard ones.

 

I researched a bunch of the trails. I wanted something hard but I dont want to break anything right now and I dont have sliders and Im not into bashing my rockers. I decided Fin and Things was the one. Im also fully loaded down with all my stuff. The bed and the cab are full and the top box is half full.

Here we go. Sand Flats.


Its been a while since I off roaded it hard, so the Baby Lions back looked good to get the balls tingling.

 

So just to give an overview again. Most reviews of Fins and Things rate it 4 or 10, Im not sure if that with the bypasses or on hard mode. I wasnt sure if I was gonna do bypasses or go hard. Mostly likely Id cave from a safe plan and go hard. Keep in mind Im fully loaded, with the top box, Im a manual, on 31s and most trail guides say 33s minimum. I also have no sliders and my lift isnt that high. Maybe 3 inches and some of that is lost due to the weight. Also I still have my sway bar disconnected.

Loaded


Fin and Things. Here we go.


I didnt get many photos. There was way too many side by sides and for the most part they are annoying. Not a lot of etiquette and young people just trying to rip though. At the first by pass I decided I was gonna go hard mode. There was a guy in front of me at the start in a new fully loaded Bronco. At the very first hard drop we came to we both got out to spot. It was definitely steep. The girl he was with looked super pissed off that he was taking her down it.





Nice steep drop off.


Again not many photos. Photos wouldnt of even done justice of how steep the stuff really is anyways. I was wearing croc style shoes with no socks and they were a pool of sweat. Its def no Sunday cruise. 9 miles straight of pretty decent drops and climbs was def taxing. A 4 of 10 seems a little low but what do I know. I did all the hardiest routes except 2. Right near the end theres 3 drops all next to each other. I took the 2nd hardest. The drop in the middle had a fat drop off. I didnt know if my front bumper would clear and I didnt want to rip off. Even on the 2nd hardest I was dragging my hitch 3 feet down it. I did Kennys climb though which wasnt bad at all, never even barked the tires it just climbed up like I was taking off on flat ground from red light. I was like, damn. It was pretty damn steep though and all my stuff slid in the back and crushed my diesel canister and leaked diesel all over everything in the back.

And the only other one I didnt do was last optional climb, I think its called Fins climb. There was a family just sitting up there blocking the route so I went around.

I made it out fully unscathed. Was a crazy amount of fun. I would say this is one of the best trail possible to take it to the limit without going too far. Was def impressed by the performance of my truck. Especially on 31s. Even though I took all the hardest routes I tried to make the best possible tire placement to try and not hit the rockers or drag too much underneath. I did my best to use good brake control and ease down everything too.

The Grabber ATX tires were crazy good. I was air down to 20psi all around. Never slipped even one time and there were other Jeeps in front of me fully setup barking tires going up stuff I did right after them. I would only engage the factory TRD locker on the hard climbs. I didnt want it binding too much. If I left it on it would effect by braking control by binding up and I wanted to feel the rocks on the drops though the brake pedal with as much feel as I could get.

I would also say that this is pass for the not as strong 4 Runner front CV axles. I cant really say what they would hold up to everything so far they have been good and I would say Fins on hard mode def aint a chump trail.

Fins and Things Completed.