Badass Brunette Tacoma - Build & Adventures

Awesome trips. Would be great to meet up for a trail run this spring (I'm local as well).

 

Lets do it!!

 

A few shots from the Utah Toyota Off-Road Expo





My buddy has a pretty sweet setup!

 

Me and the missus use the garage for a tool shop/ bar/ front porch. This may have been a pizza Friday.


That's Us with our 16 year old and Oliver Twisted (My Puppers)

 

Beginning of May I joined a group of photographers, including @jarvie , on a trip to the Doll House in Canyonlands National Park. This probably ranked one of my top 5 favorite trips yet! I also got my Prinsu Rack installed the night before the trip.

Brace yourself.. this is a picture heavy post!!

We started off the trip by checking out Crystal Geyser springs. The story goes that workers were drilling and hit a pocket of pressurized water. Now abandoned, the geyser still erupts periodically (we had just missed it!) and the minerals from the water make the grounds around the geyser look really neat. The water is also freezing cold if you were curious.



Taken with my phone camera. (I can't wait to get a professional camera!)



That night we camped in Goblin Valley hoping for some Milky Way shots with the "goblin" features. Unfortunately it was too cloudy for that but it made for a beautiful sunrise none the less.



Next up was the Poison Springs Trail. My profile picture was taken on my first time on this trail, however a massive landslide has blocked the trail for over a year. It wasn't until just very recently that they were able to clear the trail and we decided to take advantage of it.


(Sponsor photo?? )


Such a beautiful trail!!






What happens when you lead the pack and realize you chose the wrong path? You get stuck and require a couple of winches to pull you out.




At the beginning of the Doll House Road, you are greeted with this sign. Let the fun begin!




Night 2 and 3 were parked at the Doll House. The name comes from the dramatic rock features that tower over you! This is a very unique place!

 

Now for the professionals photos of the same trip! Featuring @jarvie and Nate.



I loved this shot.



Yeah, we had a freaking drone! Check out his video of the Poison Springs Trail



One of my absolute favorite shots!




Double Prinsu rack install before the trip meant we had to get a photo.


I hate to brag but... Utah is pretty damn spectacular. I don't know if I could ever leave.

 

What are you doing for the rear e-locker? Swapping in an oem 8.0 rear axle or going aftermarket?

 

So bad ass​

 

Nope no swapping. I'll be modifying the current axle housing to accommodate the locker.

 

Subd sweet build!

 

with the Harrop/eaton locker?

 

Had some of my own fun at the Old School Rock Crawl in Delta, Utah once all the big wheels were done. #IDoAllMyOwnStunts





Check out the video for this stunt! Volume is encouraged.




Can't wait for that high clearance rear bumper life.


Play-by-play of a Tacoma taking flight.

 

nice jump!

 

I know this truck!

 

In preparation for an 11 day trip through Canada I decided to commit to solar to run my fridge (and to one day run all of my accessories). I have dealt with a dead primary battery a few times prior because of the fridge and I didn't even want that to be an issue any more.



So here is a little walk through of what I did.
I purchased a Renogy 100 W solar kit off Amazon that comes with everything you need to get started. I debated for a LONG time as to where I wanted to put my second battery. To this day I still might change my mind down the road. Unless I purchased 2 Optima batteries to put side by side I wouldn't be able to fit a second battery in the engine bay - there's not much free room. I considered putting the battery in the bed of the truck but at the moment I didn't have a good set up for that and I wouldn't want a battery bouncing around back there. I noticed someone here on Tacomaworld had their secondary battery behind the rear passenger seat and I loved how clean it looked. Not mention that I currently have my fridge inside the truck so this would make the power access super easy.

First step was running the solar wires into the cab. In my stubborn mindset of having things look as clean and professional as possible, I made the decision to drill through the roof with MUCH hesitation. There was so much sealant applied in my paranoid state that I have had zero leakage so far. I drilled under the weather striping as well so if I decide to remove it one day I can hide/seal it up completely.



I took the back panels out and drilled holes for the wires. The gray side panel had to be trimmed a little as well.



On the other side of the black panel I drilled a larger hold for a cigarette lighter socket to plug my fridge into.



I fed the solar wires down the side panel next to the seat belt and through the holes I created in the back panel.
NOTE: If you do a similar setup one day, be sure the run the wires behind the side airbags. Last thing you want is to block those, heaven-forbid you should ever need them.



I added a fuse from the solar panel to the charge controller box just for peace of mind. From the controller box you wire to the battery. This kit makes it super simple to install. Solar --> Charge Box --> Battery = done.
The battery fits like a glove back there; I was seriously impressed. The copper cable is the cigarette lighter wiring to which I added another tiny fuse before connecting to the battery (I'm all about just in case).


The final product with a sealed deep-cycle gel battery so no fumes or gases are released. You can see the fridge plug in the bottom right corner, which I could always use that port for other needs in the future. The next step will be running cable up and connecting to the primary, at which point I will completely rewire the mess that's up there and clean it up with a fuse box/panel. I'll save that project for the downtime this winter.


I removed the back seat bench and built a ghetto but level platform for the fridge. It can open all the way with a few inches to spare.



It's all a work in progress but overall I'm currently really happy with this set up. I will probably change things up down the road but this works perfectly for now. Plus, I've never been more happy to not have to continually buy ice or worry about my battery dying overnight.

 

That solar set up is winning! Nice work...

 

Nice writeup. What did everything cost?

 

Thank you!

 

That kit is just shy of $200 on Amazon so with the other little pieces I was still under $250 but that's not including the cost of the secondary battery since I already had one. So maybe $350-$400 for how it currently sits. The cost will jump a little once I connect the batteries. I'll update then.

 

That is great. Thanks!