Build Thread: Another Black Taco

The quest for new shoes?

I got pretty good deal from Costco on 5 BFG KO2s in 285/75/R16/ and of course they will not install them because they are "out of spec". Meh. I figured I was going to need a CMC and some massaging to get them to fit anyway.

Scheduled the CMC with a local shop and played the waiting game...



5 tires fit nicely in the bed

CMC and tires with no lift.



Compared to stock pro on stock tires



Always nice to have the bosses rig present for the before and after. Still a little jealous of his super white.

And before anyone asks... It does rub. But not too much. I couldn't actually get it to rub on the one trail I went on, but at about 45 degree turn to passenger and going up a curb it did rub the outside front of the fender well.





At this point I had already purchased the parts for a lift anyways. I went with the Westcott leveling kit for Fox TRD pros and the Icon RXT leaf pack in the rear. I did a lot of reading before picking these, but I figured this would be the most future proof without replacing those oh so fancy TRD tuned shocks. 2-3 weeks in... I'm very happy.



The wheel wells looked pretty stuffed before the lift, with the lift (1.5 front and rear ish), the gap in tires and wells looks much more proportional.

 

By the numbers:
8 Days, 1500 miles, 3 dogs 2 humans, 1 awesome trip.






Here she is in a slightly slanted parking lot, which is not helping the fact that she is indeed broleaning. While I don't typically have THIS much weight in the back of my truck, I was definitely pushing the boundaries of the RXT pack in option 1 configuration.

Rack - 100lbs
Can-back - 50lbs
Tepui tent - 150lbs
2x2gallon Rotopax with mounts and water - 50lbs
1UP SuperDuty double Bike Rack - 50lbs
Fat Bike + Her bike - 75lbs
3 dogs - 175lbs
Platform - 50lbs
3ish Gallon homemade PVC shower - 40lbs
Misc Camping stuff (Chairs, dog leashes bowls etc, solar panel, folding table etc etc) - 50lbs

790lbs purely in the bed half of the vehicle...




While I have loved this setup, and the very unique look... it is always a project and a challenge to get more convenience based accessories to fit. When I have the time, I actually like hacking together random pieces of aluminum nuts and bolts and discounted stuff I find on craigslist or fb marketplace but as I get older I just want to spend more time getting out and going. I am changing the core principal of my build towards picking more industry standard (if it could exist) parts and pieces. The monotony of the 2020 year while still having a full time job has also made the at home hobby of buying truck parts far too easy.

So let's strip her down back to the basics, which previously has always been a major pro of this setup.







Bippity boppity boo. And just like that, in maybe about 45 minutes of actually working on it, I have taken almost everything off of her. She looks pretty good in those 285s with that little lift and nothing else weighing her down doesn't she? Gosh. Drove her around town a bit like this but only for about a week because I had other plans for her. More toys



RSI SmartCap EVO.
Main determining factors:
In the last 2.5 years I have maybe taken my softopper off 3 times so I'm not as opposed as I thought I would be to rocking a shell fulltime.
This thing is beefy! Static loads of 770lbs, full gullwing doors for accessing stuff and built in security, everything locks.
More room for the pups, a couple inches of headroom, a little bit wider frame than how I had the Can-Back set up (Although it can go wider if it's not under the bedrack). The small sliding windows and air intake were big selling points for hauling pups.

For now I have the Cross bars on backorder but longer term I'm looking at the RSI platform rack, Prinsu Top Rack or a front runner rack. I really like the endless amount of accessories for front runner, although the RSI rack looks almost identical. Prinsu has quite a few options as well and it looks like it could be the most low profile of the 3 (maybe by an inch or 2)

The one downside of the clamshell tents is the 12" box which did create a lot of drag at highway speeds (Mostly on the way back on that icky I-5 in California) so keeping it as low as possible is always a good idear.

Black Friday deals were also murder on my wallet... I have yet to receive my labor day purchase of the BAMF HC dual swingout rear, and I'm already into buying more armor. . .

CBI T3 Front Bumper in Aluminum
I looked for months at front bumper options and while some of the newer hybrid bumpers are very good looking, I just don't think they are my jam. So time and time again I came back to the CBI T3 (Baja w/e you want to call it) and it just checks every box for me. I like the clean lines, and how it really maintains the factory shape while pulling everything up a few inches. I'm hoping the low bar won't interfere with the TSS sensor as the adaptive cruise control is actually really nice for long treks. As I am a bit more concerned with weight these days (Says the guy who just put on a 200lb shell?) the option for aluminum was nice. The $300 shipping was not nice however.. but alas such is life.

BAMF Sliders with kickout
I have held off on sliders until now not because I doubt their functionality, but I do really like the look of the Toyota Predator steps that came with my pro but at some point, function had to overtake form. With the BF sale, and it being fairly close to me (will call, no shipping) it was a pretty easy call.

Roam 5ft awning.

Traveling up the pacific coast in November? It's gonna rain, and I do this trip at least every couple of years. With the tent folded over, we had ourselves a nice little shelter on the drizzly nights, but a little extra cover couldn't hurt anyone.

Time to let the wallet recharge a bit, and here's to hoping we're on the path to the world re-opening in 2021.

 

Amazing work! Looks beautiful!

 

Looking to make a bed platform pretty soon, and wondered how you’re liking those dunnage supports? Also, are you using two of the 36x20x8s?

 

It's awesome so far. I am using that exact size with the 1x6 common boards on top. I've been trying to think of a way to use the boards under the rack to make the pocket under the platform taller but I'd have to buy a few more pieces. My camp chairs, table and 2 under bed tubs of stuff fit under it no problem. I still have a couple of small cubbies on either side for misc stuff. Definitely an economical, totally functional setup

 

good build

 

Platform 1.3

Removed some extra wood, added some stability to keep the racks in place. I think this is it unless I decide to recreate the top platform in different sections down the road.




I put little guide strips under the 1x6s and drilled a 1" hole to go around the rear bed mounts and now those boards are locked in place. Added strips around the sides and front back of the dunnage racks so they are fixed. I also left enough room on either side of the base boards so that if water gets in and pools/runs of the wheel wells it has some room to get to the drainage holes in the front of the bed.

Next up, THE BEEF

Dual swing out, high clearance, absolute work of art. Function, form, everything.

 

@Relyk711 was your truck parked at Natural Bridges on Saturday? I saw a black Taco there with an RSI SmartCap ... first one I’ve seen I’m person, looked good.

 

Not I, just got back from Yosemite. If you want to check it out though just PM me

 

It's a slippery slope indeed.

CBI T3 Aluminum mid hoop showed up from black Friday. 3 nights after work and a couple hours Sunday morning, got her done... Mostly






Took 3 shots to get the cut line right. I made the mistake of trying to make the cut level, despite the ground not being level... But my first cuts were pretty conservative. Then I was the dummy that put the bumper on without the grill..



Still need to wire the winch solenoid up somewhere.. TBD. I don't think I lost any noticeable hight with the aluminum bumper and 10S warn.



I got good at getting it on and off too, just slid it on a tub with some padding close to the truck. Start with the driver's side to get over the factory tie down point.

 

Whats the weight of the front bumper? CBI notes its 190lbs? Plus your winch... is that correct?

 

That sounds more like a rear bumper weight.. Mine is the aluminum version, I can't remember exactly what the number was but it couldn't have been more than 100.

 

I was just going by the description on the CBI website, they note 190. Must be a typo as it seemed really heavy.
So that setup with the Warn 10S and the Wescott kit on the stock TRD PRO Suspension works well?

Reason I ask I just received a Lil B's Steel hybrid (109lbs) and have a 10 S Warn. Just want to make sure the Wescott will do the trick on my 2020 TRD PRO Fox suspension
before I order it. Yours looks great!

 

Yeah that seems like a typo to me. Maybe the steel overland bumper (full bar work) with the winch could be 190lbs but there just isn't enough material to weigh that much on their standard bumper.

I haven't had any weight issues in the front, you also drop probably 25 lbs with the OEM pieces that get removed with an aftermarket bumper.

 

Platform v2.0

Recap and process.

Goals:

1. Large under platform storage for bigger objects, (Skimboards, snowboards, camp chairs, bins etc)
2. Strong enough to hold ~500lbs “dynamic” moving dogs on the road
3. Water resistant. Skimboards, surfboards dogs… Things get messy
4. Removable, may need the whole bed for some things.

Materials
3 aluminum dunnage racks from webstaruant store. These are 1" square bar 36"x20"x8". They span the length of my bed (5ft Tacoma). You could also use up to a 40" wide to make the center pocket bigger and use only 1,2 or 3 units to span the bed length.

HDPE 3/8" X 60" X 60". I originally wanted 1/2" and I think it would work still, and possibly save some weight. I got a really good deal on some scrap pieces of 3/8" though, so that’s what it is. I made 6 pieces of 20"x28" and a center spine of 2 pieces 2"x30". This setup allows me to lift up cushions and the panels to access small items that could be stuck under the back of the platform.

Cushions:
3 pieces 2" foam cut to 20" X 58"
3 covers from coversansall website.
Good news is they are supposed to be boat cushions which aren’t obsurdly marked up right now.

2 common boards 1x6 60". I keyed in a few pieces of 1/2" ply scrap so that they would lock in the bed grooves, and cut a hole for the bed mounts with a paddle bit. I also used scrap pieces of ply to lock the racks into place so the whole thing can’t move side to side

 

Seat Delete v1.0
I'm pretty happy with the concept 9.5/10 and so so on my execution. 8/10.

Definitely time consuming from idea to cardboard to plywood, test fits and cuts. Test fits and holes. Test fits and more holes. Maybe 10 hours after work and a good weekend day, and 5 trips to the hardware store, mostly hunting for metric hardware.

Goals: Flat deck, additional water storage, access to OEM cubbies. Not too heavy, but sturdy enough to mount molle on the back wall. Ability to go back to stock but doesn't have to be quick.

If the group buy molle panel was still a thing I may have gone a different direction. I still may at some point but for a v1 this will do.

Base is 3/4" ply that I already had, the back is 1/2" ply all covered in some glued/stapled auto carpet off Amazon. Cubbies were cut with a jigsaw, probably the 3rd time I've ever used a jig. I've gotten away most of the time by sinking a skill saw/Dremel/sawzaw but I wanted this a little cleaner. Used longer OEM size hardware on the backside of the base and top of the back to mount everything.

One thing to note is the back wall is no where close to flat, and without using some wood bending wizardry or multiple pieces you will need to have a wedge to offset the slope and space it out to clear the lower seat hooks that are welded on.



I sanded down some extra pieces of 1/2" to a wedge and bolted them behind the back wall to get it mounted. The holes on the back wall are also angled slightly up so take that into account. I ended up using a forestner bit to make large counter sunk areas and widened it with a Dremel to probably around 1"x2". Also ended up with more of a slot than holes on the back wall. Cardboard could only get me so far in this stage.

The base was pretty straightforward, started with a 54"x29" piece. Notched the rear to allow it to slide in between the plastic sides, I think about 3" on each side and 2" in or so (don't use those measurements, it's all 90 degrees at this point so ymmv). Once that was slotted in, I took 2 measurements from the back wall and side wall to locate the bolt holes. Fitted one side and slotted the other to account for some variation on the other side.



I feel like I should be better at carpeting by now, but something always doesn't go as planned .. I painted the bolt holes and cubby holes so they wouldn't be raw wood where the carpet is cut but then I had to widen them... And paint again and cutting oval holes in carpet is not so bueno. Turned out okay in the end though.



Of course my dogs decided to lay on them while the glue was drying so there will be dog hair inside forever! #huskylife



Still need to do latches of finger holes.

Tank is the Front runner footwell 10 gallon which fits nicely, flush on the top with the platform, and still allows the seats all the way back.

The molle panel is the I think.. 1650 pelican which only set me back $60 on Amazon, and has a quick release system to add/remove molle items making adjustments a breeze. Looking forward to putting the extra real estate and bulk water storage to work on our next adventure.

Also still to add, methinks at least 1 strip of Ltrack for tie downs.

 

Reviving this for questions.

When you made the change to the smart cap were you still running the RXT option 1? I read elsewhere that you ran the option 3 and said it was quite harsh when you weren't fully loaded.

I just picked up a 2020 Pro and looking to run the Westcott up front and RXT rear, but unsure if the option 1 is the right choice. I think option 2 might be the right choice for me. Similar setup as when you changed to the Smartcap. I was thinking either the EVOa or a ARE CX Classic, raised bed platform, storage of basic items underneath, awning, extra fuel, basic recovery items, etc. Front bumper with winch, rear bumper, and Westcott sliders at some point. I daily this rig, the cap will stay on all the time but all gear will be unloaded between trips so I want to make sure its not too harsh.

 

I never ran option 2 but I also never ran option 3 without a steel rear bumper either. Having felt a variety of options though,

I would say run 3 if you ever plan on adding more than just the shell (Rear bumper, leaving a hitch bike rack in full time, RTT etc).

If you can confidently say you won't do those things at least for the near future, Option 2 does sound like a good option for you.

Option 3 really only felt too stiff when the truck was naked and empty (although I did still have the steel HC rear bumper)

As far as caps go, I think I would only ever do a Smartcap or Alucab, (Maybe RLD or Dirtbox too but no experience with those). The features/weight/durability and availability all being huge factors.