Operation Crash Bandicoot 4x4 Swapped 05' Tacoma

Any luck finding one yet?

I'd really like to run an RTT as well but in order to do that i'd have to reinforce my topper from the inside. A lot of extra costs and headaches just to run a tent off the ground tho. I might just have to stick to sleeping in the box for now.

 

nope...

So, i have decided to get a bestop instead (~500$ compared to my quote from LEER which was about 2K+taxes, not including the cost to color match.) and run a bed rack over the bestop, like sytfu has on his rig. It'll be stronger than the cap, cheaper, i could customize it to my needs better, it'll be more versitile than the cap, the only thing from what he told me about this setup is that the Rtt will be sitting above the cab so a roof rack with a fairing is advised to help with the air flow. He also advised that i reinforce the rack, so the weight isnt putting pressure on the bedsides. Besides that he said it's a great setup, i'll mount the hi-lift,shovel,axe,RTT and store everything else in the bestop(a small box with my tools).

Im also going to be making my new leaf packs like OMD(old man doug) has been doing, using old chevy leaf springs, it'll be like 70$ tops and i'll be able to get ~2-3" of lift. so alot of plans, it'll start once i sell my UWS toolbox though.

 

How much are you looking to get out of the UWS? My kobalt is crap lol it bends when you put any weight on it and the latches suck

 

Try to look to do something like Colin did with his bedrack. The bedsides are way too weak to support anything that you want to put up there.





Matt

 

Although that looks like a very good setup, i'll have to ask sytfu mounted his rack.. He has the bestop and the rack on at the same time, which is what im going for.

That concept looks like something that i may be able to incorporate. I'll have to get with my bud and see what we can come up with, i just sold my toolbox too so i'll be getting a bestop in the next couple weeks and we can get started.

 

Cam, mounting the bed rack shouldn''t be too hard. while i'm familiar with Alex's rack, I've never dug into the details of how exactly he mounted it.

the general concept though is not far from how you mount one without a topper of some sort. you will still utilize angle iron of some sort, but the portion that sits on top of the bed rails will just have to go out beyond the edges of the bed a few more inches. it may be easiest to actually make your own "angle" steel by welding some 4''ish flat bar at a 90 to some 2''. the 4'' will get the bed rack wide enough to clear the topper, while the 2'' will give you the depth to bolt into the bed rails. if you jsut got off the shelf 4'' angle iron, it would be a lot heavier, and have unneeded steel hanging on the inside of the bed.

the parts that are overhanging the bed caps will probably need to be 3/16 or 1/4 ich though, because of the extra leverage from the overhang. you should also still be able to brace it to the bed bolts in a similar fassion as i did. with a RTT, it's almost a must. I only breaced mine in the rear becasue that's where the spare tire and most of the weight is. if i had heavier loads on the mid and forward mounts on a regular basis, i would brace those to the bed bolts as well.

looking forward to seeing what you come up with

 

Spies everywhere it seems...

Well if you could take pics to show me what you're referring to would be good. The more pics the better.

 

since i don't have a topper of any sort, i can't take photos, but i can draw something up for you.

 

that would be great! I'd appreciate that.

 

I'm really diggin' your idea using a bestop with a rack over top! Very versatile and seems like a great solution for you. I wonder about the longevity of the bestop tho, I've heard the snaps and windows turn quite brittle during the winter months and what not. Other than that, I love how you can remove those windows and take it down when not needed. It's such a pain taking a full topper off! Also, quite the price savings over a fiberglass topper, leaves extra $$ for more mods.

Those chevy leaf springs should be pretty flexy offroad for you as well. Probably more so than my Dakars.

 

yeah.. i dont have topper money. so i figured i'd do something(Plan B) and it turned out in theory to be a great idea, the topper unpainted would be about 2K.... With that much money i could get the bestop,bed rack(custom), shovel,axe, storage solution to replace the toolbox i just sold, and i could possibly get an RTT...

It was a no brainer.

As far as the suspension, the OMD solution is MUCH cheaper and it should yield similar performance and lift from what ive seen compared to the expos or dakars. Im just not ballin' like that haha. I've been thinking with the money i'll save, to just get some coilovers but that may be overkill haha, cranking them to 2" till i can afford armor then i'll get the 3" and UCA's at that point.

Next step, Bestop. I called Headstrong Off-road, amazing customer service, in about 30 mins, she had worked out a deal with bestop, offering ANYONE at ANYTIME without ANY conditions a price of 590$ shipped anywhere in the lower 48. Smashing anyones 700$+ price that they're listed for.. I inquired about a GB on the Bestops as there are others who want one and she's going to call be back today, if the price is lower than 590$(should be) i'll go ahead and place my order.

In any case, im gonna have it within the next 3 weeks.

Im excited.

 

I can see why! Love when a plan comes together eh, (even plan B!) and what a great deal on that Bestop. Definitely a no brainer dude..

I really like the Icon COs on my truck right now. Love the adjustability, especially if you aren't lifting all at once, or adding extra weight down the road. But, all that comes at a cost and that can certainly add up fast!
My buddy is running chevy leaf springs on his first gen Taco and damn he gets a lot of flex! Looking forward to seeing how well they work for you.
Personally at the time I didn't consider going that route because I needed extra hauling capacity and I know the Dakars are up to the challenge. Its a fine line between DD, offroad/expedition, work rig. Cant win them all. lol

 

Your truck is wayy nicer, i should be dancing!

Yeah.. idk how the suspension thing is going to work out exactly, i want the OME but if something else comes up and it's a better deal i'll take that instead. I've seen leaf packs on the 1st gens as well as 2nd gens with the chevy springs and man does it look nice!, lots of flex and the weight capacity goes up as well, which is important in my particular use of my 2wd. I simply need a DD and a light-moderate off-road rig that can make the 2wd not so much of a problem since it isnt 4wd like all the cool kids...

i'll be watching your build, btw SWEET 35's....

 

Here ya go Cam. not exactly sure how the bestop mounts, but i figured it was somewhere along these lines. everything is pretty decently labeled. let me know if there is any concusion. no tan markers, so you got a speedway blue bedside

if you take this route, the only alteration you would have to make is that the hole in the mount for the bestop will have to be elongated a hair, to acount for the 3/16''-1/4'' that it is raised up as a result of sitting on the extra steel. you'd also want to put some sort of water sealer (foam or silicone) between all of the layers on top of the bed cap to keep things watertight.

 

Bestop's mount like this Colin if you were curious or it changes any concept you were thinking about. (Sorry if the picture shows up weird, I'm on my Mac and sometimes image/codes don't work)

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/at...64429-bestop-supertop-dcsb-socal-dscn1310.jpg

Matt

 

nice, that clamp design makes it even easier. no need to drill out any holes, just make sure you have gaps in the angle steel wherever you need to place those clamps.

 

will do, i sure appreciate you taking the time to do the drawing for me Colin.

 

Sold the UWS toolbox today, got my bed back haha


got some toys starting to build up.
Going to pick up my cb from walmart later today




Stay tuned for more.

 

Where the stuff for the 4x4 swap??? Haha

 

thats stage IV. wayyyy down the line, haha i dont plan to do anything that careful driving,2wd, and a rear diff locker couldnt get me through.