Backcountry Haul Truck

This is the Backcountry Haul Truck.
We like to explore the backcountry and need to haul shit. Seems fitting, I guess.



Quick background:
My wife and I are working to build a rig that will enable us to get a bit further into the backcountry, a bit faster, way more comfortably. For 20 years my weapon of choice has been a CJ7. I love our CJ, but we're at the point where the rustic, kidney punching, platform has become enough to deter us from taking longer trips... and a tow rig & trailer are not in the cards.

Insert the Tacoma. It fit the bill as a good reliable base platform, and with some upgrades I expect will be a great truck for hucking through the desert, crawling moderate rocks/trails, and hauling shit.


A new addition, but certainly not a replacement


The Build:

1. Harden the truck where it needs it.
2. Upgrade systems that don't fit our use case.
3. Spend as little as possible, while maintaining high standards.

I've never built an IFS rig nor one that was newer than circa 1984, so this started with a great deal of research and bouncing ideas off vendors/partners. I had Andrew @AccuTune Offroad on speed dial for a few months. He has always been available for feedback and guidance, his input has been invaluable. TW has been an ok source, too, if you don't mind sifting through shit tons of BS to find the actual tech. My Google Fu is strong, but damn there's a lot of BS in here...

Anyways, on to the build sheet. I initially planned this as 2 or 3 phases, but due to lead times and my time, phase 1-2 is smearing together and now I'm shooting to have them both complete by mid-spring. I'll line out the whole shebang below, some is complete, some is in progress, and some still on order.

The Truck: 2016 Tacoma MT6, TRD OR, DCSB

Phase 1: Mid-travel 2.5" Suspension, etc.

Front Suspension:
Fox Factory 2.5" with remote reservoirs and DSC, tuned by @AccuTune Offroad
Icon UCA with Delta Joint
Wheelers 2.7 bumps
CMC and fender clearance
Fender Trim
Toytec 1" Body lift

Rear Suspension:
Fox Factory 2.5" (Tundra) with remote reservoirs and DSC, tuned by @AccuTune Offroad
Archive Hammer Hangers and 3.6" shackles
Archive Ubolt flip kit
Icon RXT leaf pack, opt3
Wheelers 2.7 bumps
Extended brake lines

Wheels/&Tires:
16x8 SCS Ray 10
315/75R16 Yokohama Geolander G003

Engine/Drivetrain:
URD y-pipe
ECU update 04B13

Interior:
Dash Multi Mount (DMM) by @FreshMexicanTaco
Various RAM arms and mounts
1" Al seat riser mod by @olecoot
Extended Fuse cover by @mesojdm

Other Mods and Gear:
ARE CX shell, solid windoors
ARB High Output Air Compressor
BAMF Grill
Xeon10 Platinum winch

Armor:
Front Bumper w/pre-runner hoop - At the Helm
High clearance rear bumper w/swingout - Relentless Fab
Front Skid - Relentless Fab


Phase 2/Outstanding:

Gears:
5:29, front locker

Armor:
Sliders TBD

etc:
Spindle gussets
Alignment cam gussets
Fender inner liners
Intake mod
RRW Seat Covers
Anytime Front/Rear Camera by @Logistics91

 

URD Y-Pipe installed. Tucks exhaust under the transmission vs routing behind the t-case.

 

Love the way it sits, good looking truck man. Sub'd for trip pics in the future

 

Thanks! Pre-build trips were limited 'cause I didn't want to beat it up prematurely, but we did do a little panning late summer and then the annual X-mas tree hunt!



The bar at the Washington Hotel is pretty rad. Self proclaimed worst Bloody Mary in the Sierra, and it was damn good! Really nice folks as well. Stop in for a drink and some grub if you ever run through Washington, CA

 

The Christmas tree hunt

 

Love it, excited to see how the build if you're adding anything additional progresses!

I have a similar picture of a tree hunt success in my Gen 2 tacoma. 16 footers don't fit too well.

That backdrop is incredible

 

1" body lift and trimmed the fenders

 

Looking mean! Make sure you adhere your fender flares back on well with the 3M tape. One of mine flew off once upon a time

 

Thanks man, it makes me smile Now I gotta flip 'er around and take care of the backend! Appreciate the hardware, will be used and abused. RIP HSF5K...

Ordered the tape with the clips I recalled your fender went flyer and made sure to grab the tape, too. Removing the old shit was fun.

 

Beast truck.

 

Because Roadkill... @ Summit in Sparks. Freakin' great show.

 

Making some progress...




@At The Helm Helm front bumper fitted up and getting ready to powder coat. I love this bumper. The lines are great and for my non-ME ass opinion, I think the construction is on point as well. Morgan is great to work with, on time, great work ethic, and a solid dude. I highly recommend you give his bumpers a look.

@RelentlessFab front skid and rear HC w/swingout installed as well. The rear survived a rollover and its hardly noticeable, not even a little bit out of square. So yeah, that passes the smell test with flying colors. Nice work, Eric! You guys do great work.

"I love it when a plan comes together." I installed the extra leaf in the Icon RXT pack, Option3. She's riding like the A-Team van, but still lacking the spare, shell and some other crap that may have perm residency in the bed. I initially installed the RXTs in the default config which was level and a great ride unloaded, but she sagged pretty good once I installed the HC bumper.

 

Kyles old bumper?

 

Yeah, skids as well.

 

Cool. Nice to see it live on

 

BAMF grill 2.0. The original vers looked pretty beatup against the new bumper and fresh powder coat so I figured it was time to cut into it and clean it up.

Cut 50% of the weight, removed the nasty plastidip the PO sprayed on it, and repaired some damage. Should look pretty nice once powder coated.

 

Grill 2.0 and ATH bumper powder coated courtesy of Alltizer Powder Coating in Mound House, NV. They do great work at fair prices, no BS. Well worth the drive if you're in northern NV.

 

Great looking truck!

 

Day trippin' to find a lake or pond to paddle on.