benbenww 2014 AC Build Thread

The Thule Xsporter Pro post. I liked the adjustability feature of this rack but read about some fitment issues with the taper of the bed. I read across many forums and never got a straight answer. Some people claimed the rack fit, others said that it didn't work at all. As usual, the answer was somewhere in the middle. The rack, as it comes from the factory, fits in the Tacoma bed tracks with a specific adapter purchased from Thule depending on your generation of truck. The rack legs hit the bed at the lip above the wheel well which raised the bars well above the cab height at the lowest setting, as seen in this picture I borrowed from the internet:



And from the front:



The only adjustability was further up, and there isn't much of a reason to go even higher if you've already cleared the cab unless your load has a curve (such as a canoe). You can also see the cross bars stick out well past the fenders, but are within the side mirrors. In Washington, crossbars can't legally extend past the side mirrors, so these were fine, just unnecessarily long and made it clear that this rack was intended for full size trucks.

I considered alternative racks, but I really liked the idea of having a rack that extends up to clear the cab and also tucks away when not needed. There wasn't anything on the market that fit what I was looking for so I kept the Thule on the truck unmodified for a full year while I debated cutting the rack down. This allowed me to run through all my use cases for the rack, paying particular attention to any instance where I would need the full length of the rack.

Things I considered if I cut it down:

• I would no longer be able to sell the rack used to anybody with a full size truck, and these racks fit great in Tundras, F-150s and Silverados.
• Once I cut the crossbar I would lose real estate on my rack that I could never get back. Future mods like canopies, roof top tents, ski racks, storage boxes and kayak carriers would likely be limited to a single accessory at a time.
• Cutting off the bottom of the legs removes the ability to lock the rack using Thule keyed-alike locks.

Since there was nothing else on the market that fit the need and since I already owned the rack, I opted to cut it up.

I used a metal chop saw and cut roughly 8 inches off of the legs, just below the "27" mark dropping the crossbars below cab height.







With the rack fully extended up, I wanted to make sure the clamp on the base of the legs was still secure, so I only lift it up to the "21" mark making sure there is plenty of leg in the housing but still clears the cab.





I was pretty conservative in my cuts and if I were to do it again, I would likely cut the legs even shorter. I haven't needed the fully extended height and having the bars drop even lower would make it all tuck better and give some better visibility to my third brake light when the bars are fully lowered. It hasn't bothered me enough to do anything about it and I'm generally happy with the functionality.

Cutting the crossbars was also on my list. They are 72" long and cutting 10" off left about an inch on either side. If you have the black version it will cut it down to bare aluminum and be visible around the cap. I used black plastidip to cover it up. Speaking of the cap, you will need to drill a new hole for the cap to mount.



After all was said and done, I am much happier with the fit.

Here is a picture of it not-quite-fully raised:


And a picture of it fully lowered:



@averagejp

 

Thank you. This is incredibly helpful!

 

After reading through the entirety of @crashnburn80 's thread on the inadequacy of the Toyota alternator in regards to AGM batteries, I ordered the 0.5v booster from Australia. Like many, I didn't realize that the stock alternator would not be able to send a sufficient voltage and I would have a reduced battery life of my new expensive battery. I didn't want to spend another hundred dollars on a battery tender and have to deal with plugging it in occasionally, so this seemed like the best option for me. The adjustable voltage booster was sold out, but this little thing that replaced the Alt-S fuse is good. It has an auto-resetting PTC fuse, unlike some of the other options that seemed like terrible ideas not even worth mentioning here. My initial readings were good enough that I didn't bother to write them down or remember them, but my alternator is now sending the right voltage to my battery.

AGM Batteries and Voltage Boosters

HKB Electronics Voltage Booster

• You'll add another $20 in international shipping if you order to the US, but our exchange rate works in our favor at the moment and I only paid $54.80 USD shipped
• Shipping took 15 total days

 

Thank you so much @benbenww

 

Can you give me some feed back on the medium duty Dakar’s? How the ride is? Can you put a bit of weight on it before it starts to squat? Things like that. You did a great job on your truck it looks awesome

 

Thank you for the kind words!

I over-anticipated the weight I would be consistently carrying and even the medium duty Dakars are probably a bit much. The rear end is a bit stiff around town with an empty bed, but with ~150 pounds and a full tank of gas it rides like a dream. Several months ago someone suggested that you should only get Dakars for the extra load-carrying capability (permanently mounted stuff like a shell, mounted recovery tools, truck boxes, etc.) and not strictly for lift and I would tend to agree with them now. I'm constantly looking for things to toss in the bed to soften the ride a bit.

I haven't experienced much sag, even when loaded. In the picture below, I had about 250 pounds in the bed and another 75-100 in the access cab space. It probably only dropped 1".

 

Love this AC build!

edit: I tried looking but I’m terrible at navigating this forum still and want to keep it that way.. lift and tire size OP?

 

I have OME 885 coils paired with Bilstein 5100s in the front. Initially it was a 2.5” lift, but has settled closer to 2”. I’m torn between wanting a bit more height and being happy that my CV angles are at a great level.

The medium duty Dakar leafs gave me a full 3” lift over some sagging leafs and haven’t settled at all in 1.5 years.

The tires are 285/70r17 and are load range C. I love the lighter weight and softer ride compared to E-rated tires and don’t put my truck into the type of situations where the heavier duty tire would be needed. I had to do the cab mount chop to clear them.

 

I took advantage of the Black Friday sale at Bullet Proof Fabricating and ordered the front recovery point. I wasn't sure what the rating on the stock bolts was, so I threw on some 10.9 M12-1.25x40 bolts just to be sure. I have a 3/4 shackle in the cab because I'm sure anything not locked down would wander off the truck if I left it parked.



To celebrate my new front recovery point, I installed my newly acquired Alu-Cab Expedition III and Shadow Awning.

 

What a great practical build! Since you got the awning with the Alucab are you still going to be able to run the slumberjack tarp?

 

Good point. I don’t think I’ll have a need for the Slumberjack tarp anymore. The only place left to mount it would block the ladder for the RTT and I can’t picture myself setting it up as a stand-alone shelter away from the truck.

 

subbed, sweet build

 

Ooh, the ladder is on the rear of the RTT rather than the side like a CVT or otherwise?
If you wanted to part with the tarp, I would be in the market, I’ve always though about just using a blue tarp over my soft topper like that, but the Slumberjack looks very well made!

 

Baja Designs SAE are out, Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro are in.



The light scatter from the BD fogs was pretty unacceptable, and the "fix" was a blocker plate in a replacement lens that blocked even more of the already dim light. I'd be curious to see the numbers of the actual output vs. the stock fog lights because it sure didn't feel like much. All the cool kids were switching to Diode Dynamics, so I gave them a shot.

The cutoff on the DD SS3 makes me happy. I still need to do my aiming somewhere I can back up 25 feet, but my initial shot relieved any hesitation I had about purchasing a third set of fog lights.

 

Social Distancing during Covid-19 gave me some time to fix first world problems.

I know you’ve experienced this frustration:


So I looked through my scrap wood that was headed for the fire and pulled out a few decent pieces.










And now no more tippy beer.

 

Stimulus money lining up with Memorial Day sale led to this. I wanted my stimulus money to really help local and independent businesses who are struggling during COVID-19, so while I'm not sure I actually need skid plates for what I do, it seemed like a good opportunity to help out a good business. Aluminum for weight savings, unpainted because aluminum.

 

How does the aluminum RCI skid fit with the BPF front shackle mount? Great truck, functional, practical, tasteful!

 

The skid plate and the shackle mount fit great! I didn't have any compatibility issues.

 

Glad for the thread revival. Sub'd. Excellent build and write up OP.