2012 Molon Labe Build-up

Did you have to upgrade your Tacoma's battery and alternator to supply power to all there extra lights you added?

 

PFD Fire, nope, I am still running on the original battery and alternator. I have had no issues; however, I would add three things.
#1 I only drive my truck on weekends and as of today I have a little over 13K miles on it.
#2 I only use the lights/ wench when the engine is running.
#3 Since I upgraded the roof rack lights to all LEDs, I would think that they use less power. The hella's were a big pull I am sure but I opted for the lower profile of the LED light bar to cut down on wind noise.

 

Love your detailed build! The ARB bumper write up gave me the little extra courage to take on a project I haven't found a record of. I ended buying an ARB for the '05-'11 Tacoma and made it fit my '14. It took a little of cosmetic cutting on both the truck and the bumper, but no modification was needed on the mounting. I took a lot of pictures of the process, but I haven't put together a write up yet. If anyone is crazy enough to cut on a new bumper/ truck, let me know, and write it up. The '05-11' bumper sticks out 3" less than the '12-'15 bumper.

The gaps under the grill will be a little off.


I took this picture with the tape measure in the same place as you.

 

I plan on installing the factory fogs in the bumper too, so your posts will help out there as well. Thanks!

 

Crazy joker, looks great. I am glad to hear that my build helped you. I began documenting my build because I was working with a brand new truck and finding write ups on new vehicles being modded is difficult. Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you have planned for your taco.

 

Ok so I have been asked by more than one person about the gap I experienced with my grill and the hood once I modified the grill and did I ever figure out what was causing it. Yep, although I am not sure why it occurred in the first place. To fix the gap I adjusted the two resting mounts for the hood. In this picture I am point at two of the 4 total resting mounts. It was so long ago I don't recall which ones I adjusted but you can play with them till you get a consistent factory gap. I think I just screwed them in more but I really dont recall. I hope this helps.

 

Thank you for your build. I enjoyed the read thru. You seem very attention to detail oriented, and maybe you already do this, but take time to carefully inspect your Bajarack for rust. We bought around same time and mine got replaced due to bad powder coat (rust under the powder coat) last year, details and pics in my build.

Thanks again.

 

Crom, thanks for the information.

Well, here is another mod:

Ham Radio Install 2012 Taco

Hello everyone, I have a recent mod to my truck. I apologize for not detailing this as I normally do; however, we were rushed to finish this all in 2 days before a trip to Coco Beach FL for a wedding. We got there a few days early and toured KSC. I love the real space stuff, and I got a kick ass T-shirt that simply says, “Occupy Mars”.





So, I have had an amateur radio license for several years after some convincing from all my Army Ranger brothers. The Bat boys feel that an alternate form of communication is required in this day and age of terrorism, and I agree. CB does not have the reach and functionality we want, so amateur radio was the logical choice.

For the longest time I have been happy with my handheld radio but where we go camping in North GA it is very mountainous and the desire to work on simplex (line of sight radio to radio with no public repeater) is difficult to do. The solution is to have a vehicle radio that can act as a repeater. Park the truck on a hilltop and have comms for a usable distance in all directions similar to a retrains site in the military. Many of my brothers have such radios and I have been dragging my butt to do the same.

So, I finally decided to bite the bullet. I purchased a Yaesu FTM-400XDR for the hefty price of ~$800.00 with some rebates from Ham Radio Outlet (HRO). This is a C4FM FDMA/ FM 144/440 MHz Dual Ban Transceiver that can pump 50 watts. I also got a ½ wave antenna, wiring, and an aux speaker. The radio specifications are here:

https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?c...EFF8482F3367495319&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0





Since I have 2 open slots in the fuse panel, I installed for my lights back in 2012 (see my build) I used one of those slots to power the radio. We ran the wiring from the engine compartment through the fire wall using the existing wire harness boot located under the dash above the parking brake.








This radio has a main body and a separate head unit. I mounted the main body to the side of the center console on the passenger side. We ran all the wiring under the dash against the firewall and zip tied it in place. I added an auxiliary speaker and mounted it in the cubby to the right of the steering wheel where my arm is.








If the stereo looks dirty, it is, My Rhodesian Ridgeback sheds, and I drive with the windows down so his hair gets everywhere.





We mounted the head unit next to the driver’s side A pillar. The head unit has an internal GPS, so it needs to be in view of the windshield. It is also touch screen and I did not want it to sit in the sunlight, so the A pillar was the perfect location for it. The mount that it came with was bent and forced into the head liner and it holds the face plate perfectly. It does not interfere with my field of view and is accessible.





The antenna is 38” tall and I wanted it as high as possible, so I mounted it to the roof rack and ran the wiring under the carpet along the passenger side. The issue with mounting it on the roof rack is that it is susceptible to being broken by a low hanging branch or even in a drive through. I mounted it on the passenger side to minimize some of this and the antenna can fold over when not in use but in the woods, it would only be a matter of time before it broke and $50.00 for a new antenna is not cheap.











For some reason the ham radio community in the US is not as interested in ruggedized antennas and mounts as they are in Australia. I can get a heavy-duty spring mount from California or Australia for $350.00 but I was not interested in spending that kind of money. So, we welded up a spring mount and painted it with KG metal coating 2400 gun coat and cooked it at 350 for 1 hour.








I really needed the spring mount to keep from snapping the antenna in the woods. Well, that’s it and now I can talk to Germany, the UK, hell even the International Space Station all from my truck.


I look forward to your comments and questions.

 

Nice build, I like the rack a lot!

 

STR8_BEAST thanks, I hope to have new wheels and tires by February. Currently looking to redesign my high lift mounts and order a new wind screen for the Baja Rack. Over the past few years I have modified it several times and it now looks like bad and makes a lot of noise on the highway.

 

So I finally got new shoes and socks. American Racing 17x9 Baja Wheels in satin black, Black lug nuts, and 285/70-17 Mud Claws. $1,369.00 total. I have not done the CMC or trimmed anything yet. I am getting very minor rubbing on front inner plastic liner with the wheel at almost full lock in reverse but nothing else. I plan on clearing everything soon but for now its good to go.

 

It has been some time since I have updated any information on my build thread.


My last entry was from February 2017 when I put the American Racing 17x9 Baja Wheels in satin black, Black lug nuts, and 285/70-17 Mud Claws on my truck. I do not recall the exact milage at the time, but It had to be 20,000 or less.


Just before the tire install, I relocated the roof rack led bar. I fabricated some brackets and moved the light bar to sit just below the rack wind screen.


Shortly after the tires, I installed a StreamLight Strion rechargeable flashlight on the passenger side of the center console. Yes, my dog’s hair is everywhere.





Sometime in 2019 I started to notice a thunk noise whenever I crossed over a large enough bump in the road. This normally occurred when I had the wheel turned to one side or the other and I assumed this was the tires hitting the cab mount since I had never gotten around to doing the cab mount chop.


In early 2020 I took my truck for service (oil change and tire rotation) and the technician notified me that all of my bolts on my coil overs were backed off by about ¼” or loose. I forgot to take a picture at the time but in this pic I have circled the nuts that were loose and backed off. there are three at the top of each coil over that mount it.





I was shocked, and the tech suggested I double nut each bolt to prevent them from backing off. I snagged some grade 8 nuts and did just that. Now I no longer have the thunk noise. Well, that could have gone horribly wrong if I gone off roading in that condition.


Also, in 2020 my dog managed to rip the rear drivers side leather seat. In August 2020 I ordered a set of Saddleman Ballistic Canvas Seat Protectors from RealTruck.com. I paid $145.00 for them and installed them. However, in October I noticed that the seam was ripping on the driver’s side.








I contacted the company about the one year warranty after only two months of use and they asked me to email them pictures. I did and then they wanted me to mail the bottom section back to them and they would fix or replace the section.


Here are my issues with all this:

First, I have designed and built ballistic nylon tactical gear for several large companies. I no longer do this, but I have a lot of experience with tactical gear, sewing and all the materials used.

Second, the cost of this part would be less than a few bucks, why would a company not just mail out a replacement especially after I provided the pictures (the same pics I posted here)?

Third, even if I was going to go to all the trouble to mail back a defective product, why should I pay for the shipping? Hell, even Amazon lets me mail back stuff at Amazons cost.

Forth, like I said, I have some experience with tactical nylon and this product was made of the cheapest materials. The nylon is probably 500 denier but the weave is way too loose. Its actually more like duck cloth than nylon and ballistic nylon (especially seat covers) should have been 1000 D. The thread used is not even nylon, it’s a cotton blend thread and tactical gear uses #69 nylon thread.

I had considered making the seat covers myself, but I decided that it really was not work my effort to get all the bends and curves correct and decided to buy a set that was in the mid-price range. These are total crap, and I would not recommend them to anyone. Given the hoops I was asked to jump through, I also do not recommend Real Truck.

In the end, I re-stitched the seam myself with proper thread and they have held up so far.


Also, in 2020, I fabricated a wind screen spacer to fill the gap between the led bar and the rack wind screen.





This is how my truck looked in 2020.











Most recently, I Decided that I needed to replace the Mud Claw tires. Those things lasted 25,000 miles at best. They got to the point that I was constantly skidding in the rain so time for them to go. I decided to replace them with BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 285/70R17 Tires. These are the E load with 10 ply and the S speed rating. there are several versions of the KO2 but I prefer the 10 ply in all my truck tires. I had considered the General grabber ATX. This tire is an outstanding tire and widely used by Expedition overland but the KO2 seemed the better of the two. The General is a bit cheaper and next time I will probably go with them unless the KO2 really impresses me.





Here is a pic of my truck as it is today with 45,900 miles on it.




I have a trip coming up in November, so I needed to grab some traction boards. I opted for a fairly cheap brand off Amazon. Others in my group will have Maxtrax or ARB tred pros so if I need these boards and they fail, I have options, but I also wanted to test them out and see if they were as bad as some have said.





I have been looking at the ARB front recovery point, but that thing is damn expensive. I have not decided to buy it yet and currently I only have the OEM hooks on the front. Unfortunately, the ARB bumper did not come with shackle points. Anyway, I am exploring options.


Lastly, I am planning on replacing the dog hair infested carpet with a vinyl floor sometime in the future. Oh, and the rear sliding window latch broke. This is a well-known failing part and I have not decided what I will do to address it.

Well that’s it for not and thanks for the interest.

 

Just gonna step out on a limb here, might wanna whip out the ole shop vac.......... And give the ole carpets a one or two, possibly three or four over.

Other than that cool truck. I always liked the Spruce Mica.

 

Bet the wheels would look good painted Spruce too. It'd be different.

 

Guerrilla, it’s a lost cause. My dog is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and his hair is short. Once the hair gets into the low pile automotive carpet, it is not coming out. Yes, a vac will clean up some but (and trust me on this) I have tried many times to detail my truck and it is a lost cause.

Further, I only drive my truck on the weekends and when I go off-roading or camping so the hair really does not bother me; however, I also like things to be clean and look a certain way and that is why I will be installing a vinyl floor at some point.

 

I personally have never understood why all trucks don't come standard with vinyl floors, really all vehicles...
I know some may argue things having to do with sound... But aside from that, sure seems like vinyl is the best option for a truck, at least when comparing to carpet.


I bet one of these type rubber brushes or gloves would be worth trying if you wanted to, since they're designed specially for pet hair removal, from pet, carpet, and furniture etc.

 

If you decide to try one, post the results, my OCD would feel better if it helped.

 

Oh i have tried several of those and the only thing that put a dent in it was this thing:
https://www.chewy.com/fur-zoff-pet-...MItMO1nKKM8wIVxZyGCh3RSg70EAQYBCABEgIRqfD_BwE
But it also destroys the carpet so its not a realistic solution. I have wanted the vinyl floor ever since i got my Taco back in 2012 but I never got around to it. Its really the only option that will work. The vinyl floor from Rock Auto seems reasonable and thats most likely the route I will go. If the actual floor in the truck under the carpet was flat I would just bed line it but its not so vinyl is really the only option.

 

This would be a perfect scenario for one of those QVC type marathon ads, where those ladies/guys get on jibber jabbering about how great a product is etc.....
Could have some "special" carpet pet cleaner item on, that they're trying to sell, roll your truck in with all the dog hair, and let them talk up the product real nice.... Then proceed to fail epic style on a live air broadcast.
Then listen to them try and cover for it.

 

Guerrilla, thanks for the laugh and sorry it took me 2 years to respond to your post. Good on you to remember Extortion 17.

Ok so an update to my build.
BTW, its 2023 and I am still have not hit the 60K mileage yet. Only really drive the truck on the weekends.

I had to replace the driver’s side lower control arm back in April 2022. I replaced both sides but that ARB bumper and the Warn are heavy. If they had aluminum bumpers when I started this, I would have gone that route. Other than that, the truck runs like a champ.

Anyone that has taken the time to read through this thread would know the amount of work that was put into wiring all the lights on my truck.

I have been wanting to add my IR light forever and just never get around to it. Partly because I needed to figure out how to kill the DTRL. I found Crom’s DTRL toggle switch mod
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dtrl-toggle-switch-mod-stealth-mode.85326/
and decided it was time to consolidate all my switches, install the IR light, knock out the DTRL switch, install an 8 gang remote switch system, replace the side and rear roof rack LEDs, move the trailer hitch power to the bumper, move the heated seat switches, and a few things that aren’t coming to mind at this moment.

Jumping in:
I ordered a used center console off ebay.

This is what I started with, note the heated seat switches and the roof rack light switches. I never liked this location for switches.


So, after extending the leads on the heated seat switches, I added them to the replacement center console. The roof rack light switches were moved to the 8 gang box.


Since I was moving all the switches to the 8 gang box, I could remove these two light switches for the front light bar and grill Hella lights.


I got some blanks to fill the holes and modified one for the DTRL switch.


Then installed them.


This is how all the lights were originally wired.


And this is the 8 gang system installed: I looked at a lot of systems but chose the MKING 8 Gang Switch Panel.

MKING 8 Gang Switch Panel Built-in Circuit Control Relay System,Switching Toggle Momentary Pulsed Multifunction Switch,LED Automatic Dimmable,12-24V Waterproof for Jeep, Offroad UTV car, Truck, RV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJTTYDPP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


Much cleaner and I wish I had gone this route originally but I don’t think they even existed back then or they were insanely expensive.

Next, I had to figure out where to put the switch panel. I ended up going with the fuse cover coin tray. I had to do some cutting but it fits nicely and folds away when not in use.




Next, the decals that came with the 8 gang system were good but not specific enough for me so I made several that I wanted to use.


And here is the 8 gang panel installed.



Next, I install the IR headlight.


I received the replacement roof rack LEDs for the sides and rear and will be installing them tomorrow. I also hope to knock out the trailer hitch lighting mod.