CAG Gonzo's Tacoma of Fire Build and generally specific BS

Make sure you're sitting down, surrounded by your favorite snacks and/or drinks, because in this action-packed thread you'll find:

• Suspense
• Details
• Nerd stuff
• References
• Tacoma things
• Red
• Words (optional)
• Pictures (mandatory)

Let's start with some introductions. I'm a Computer Science grad from Virginia Tech, the best college on earth (our football team is kicking but regrettably isn't the best...yet). I am a pilot by trade but a nerd by style. Halo, Destiny, Star Trek, computers, programming, raspberry pi, and gigabit number among my buzzwords.

Enough about me. You're here for some Tacoma things. I used to drive a red 2006 Honda CR-V. Absolutely loved that magnificent steed but it was time to upgrade. It was the car in which I learned to drive nearly 10 years prior. I sold it back to my family so my siblings could carry the legacy forward. I got my truck July 28, 2018, at Auto Nation Toyota in Las Vegas. I believe it was $36.9k. It is:

• 2018 TRD Off Road
• Dual Cab, Long Bed
• Barcelona Red

And came with:

• Towing Package
• Tech Package
• Side windows tint
• Resin tailgate inserts
• OEM floor liners
• OEM door sill protectors
• OEM mudguards
• Chrome exhaust tip
• Plastic door handle protector doodads

This may be shocking, but some of those "features" were overpriced. Unfortunately in my zeal to get the truck, having spent several months researching, contemplating, and negotiating, I overlooked them. Oh, well. It's my first true car buying experience and all in all, it went well.

Regrettably, I do not have a picture of it when I got it. I accidentally deleted it...

Here's what it looks like now:


Here's a few pictures from some previous stops. Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, and some lakeshore in between Vegas and Reno:



I'll post links to the specific post in this thread as I make build progress. I've seen this used before and it makes it trivial to find a mod you want to know about and dive into how it came to be. Let's get started!

Since purchasing in July '18, here's what I've done to it. Most of this work is pretty simple and has been well-documented elsewhere, particularly on this forum, but if you've got questions or want to see more, let me know! These mods are listed (roughly) in chronological order of application.

Exterior

• OEM 5" black step bars + OEM bed mat.
• AVS In-channel vent visors.
• Wheel overlay vinyl decals, + custom exterior decals.
• A/C Drain mod.
• Forward-facing camera.
• MESO v4 Ultimate Turns.
• LED front turns

Interior

• Blackvue DR750S-2CH Dashcam.
• OCD Console divider and insert.
• Buncha hauling and securing stuff, plus first aid kit, battery booster, and other good things to have in a vehicle.
• Console rubber inserts.
• DMM with behind-dash charging block for fast wireless charging.
• 5lb ABC Fire Extinguisher
• Mag Lite driver's side mount

Electrical

• Tailgate Lock/Unlock PnP harness.

Here's my wishlist. As things get done, look for them to appear in the list above.

Exterior

• Undercarriage armor
• 1.5"-2" lift, maintaining factory rake
• New wheels. Likely TRD Pros or SEMAs
• New tires?
• Possibly a hybrid bumper
• X-Trek grille
• Camper shell
• Additional cameras (mirror, secondary rear, etc)
• Exhaust reroute?

Interior

• New headunit
• Delete all chrome
• Some sort of carputer. Already brainstorming many ideas for this one. Needs to have things like ODB/CAN scanning and display, perhaps a HUD mode, some means to control accessories (like a Switch Pro), potentially means to control factory systems (such as A/C)

Illumination

• MESO Total Tail Stage 2 (pending install)
• MESO Dome and Map (pending install) lights
• LED replacements for remaining interior lights
• Don't know enough about exterior lighting, but the stock halogens suck.
• Maybe some ditch lights?
• Rear lights, in and out of bed/shell

Electrical

• Bussman RFMR (most parts ordered)
• Carputer!

If you've got any brilliant ideas for how to convert some of these wishlist items into a writeup, or if you've got something I simply must add to the wishlist, do let me know.

Generally specific BS follows.

 

Blackvue DR750S-2CH dashcam with B-124 battery.

I went nearly 3 years in Vegas without one on my CR-V and thankfully never needed one. No way I was going to risk it with a brand new vehicle so this was the first purchase. This site helped a lot with the install.

• I used a Blendmount solution. Expensive but high quality. That strapped around the mirror stalk and secured the front camera. The rear is mounted to the driver's side rear window with supplied adhesive tape.
• The rear camera cable was routed from the rear camera down through the driver's side sills then up into the driver side A pillar and tucked neatly into the headliner.
• The power cable was tucked into the headliner and routed down the passenger side A pillar and underneath the glovebox.
• The B-124 was positioned against the passenger side footwall along the center console. The power cord came down from the glovebox to connect to it.
• The B-124 can be powered via the cigarette lighter or a fuse tap. The fuse tap allows up to 9A during charging, allowing the battery to fully charge in about 45 min of driving, so I went that route. I used the supplied add-a-fuse to tap into the DOOR S/L 20A fuse and grounded the system using the screw near the driver side fuse box. This was the hardest part because no amount of searching on this site or the internet was able to give me a list of switched/constant fuses or even a suggestion for which fuse to tap for a battery. I think the only mention I saw was someone tapping the 30A windshield wiper fuse but I didn't want to do that.

I have had only one issue since installation. Somehow, the add-a-fuse stopped reliably supplying power to the battery. I don't know how this came to be, but it was after my 5k service. Could be coincidence. I simply disconnected the add-a-fuse and grounding ring then put it back together carefully. That was last winter. Haven't an issue since.

Blackvue makes an app that you use to connect via WiFi to the dashcam and configure settings. The app is nice to use, but two things it lacks are stitched recording and event highlighting. The camera, by default, records in 1 minute increments. I assume this is to allow a complete video portion to be written to the SD card, versus risking corruption if recording in a longer sitting then experiencing a power loss (due to an actual power loss or to an accident). I could only find a setting to change the increment to 3 minutes but had to alter other recording settings to enable it so I've changed it back to default. The event highlighting refers to figuring out what exactly triggered an event. The camera will alert you if an impact was detected in parking mode. This is awesome but ultimately frustrating because it doesn't actually tell you when that event was; you've got to go dig through who knows how many recordings to figure out if something really did impact you. Most of the time it was just me getting in or closing a door. I've since adjusted the parking mode sensitivity to 7 (default is 8) and have had less false alarms.

Have not had to use this in an accident or other investigation, thankfully, but I have no doubt it'll prove invaluable when that day comes.

 

Misc things.

Bought the 5" OEM black step bars during a Black Friday sale. Install was straightforward and while I like the look of a slick Tacoma, I think I like the look of these bars even more. I wish they were a little lower so they'd be more useful as both a step assist getting in, and a nice resting place when just lounging in the seat with the doors open. That said, I have definitely made use of these, be it getting in/out, lounging, reaching into the bed or up to the roof, or just standing.

Got an OEM bed mat from the same sale but have not had to use it yet. I'd leave it in all the time but I'm worried about theft since it isn't secured. I might drill into it and thread some of the bed mounting bolts through those holes.

AVS In-channel vent visors. Install was also straightforward. I kinda dislike the real estate they take up on the exterior but what they provide makes up for it. Because they're transparent, the sight picture doesn't change too much when viewed from the interior.

Loaded the interior up with all sorts of tie down cords, straps, and other supplies for hauling. The rear storage, behind and under the seats, is really handy. Also added some backup fuses, a tarp, first aid kit, Noco Genius 1000A battery booster, and the mandatory Tacoma center console OCD organizers, both the compartment divider and the tray.

Finally, thanks to @WhiteTaco82 for free console liners! They add a nice pop of red to the cab. I was surprised at the coverage; there's liners for the tiny cubby below the door handles. They've been in about a week now and are holding up well. I can't tell if the Qi insert is interfering with charging; could be a combination of that and my phone's case. Not a big deal since I'll be installing a DMM with a wireless magnetic charger soon.

 

Thanks to @SimplyMuggle for some quality vinyls for my wheels and some decals. Before (with custom center cap decal):

After:


The difference is night and day and definitely improves the visual theme of the truck. They're a pain in the butt to install but she sent plenty of spares and was very helpful in providing tips and critique for installation. Oh, and she took some images I provided and made some awesome decals that I slapped on the exterior:

 

@KTJO 4x4's awesome tailgate harness! Installation took a few hours but was easy because the kit is PnP and had thorough instructions. It's a bit noisy for my tastes so I might add some means of sound deadening later. I can also see a slight flex in the tailgate metal as it actuates so I might have to get in there and reposition some things. Despite all that, it's a fantastic mod, well worth the price. Very convenient to be able to use my tailgate without having to remember to lock/unlock it.

I installed it a week ago and came back today to apply some gasket maker to the passenger side gasket I had to pierce to route the actuator wiring through to reach the interior.

 

A/C Drain mod. It's a pain the ass working underneath the truck, especially on rocks and gravel. But I got this "mandatory" mod done. My first go was with some hose I got from Lowe's. I don't think it was technically rated for this so I replaced it today with automotive heater hose. It's outer diameter is smaller and it's a lot more flexible. While my first pass at this took about 1.5 hours (due to me, not the difficulty of the mod), this quick swap took about 20 minutes.

Diff breather mod. I got a kit from another member here. It's the diff breather adapter, about 5 feet of heater hose, and a new diff breather itself. It was painful and agonizing on rocks to get the factory diff breather off. It hissed and I smelled gas after I removed so hope I didn't totally just screw over the differential. The OEM breather needs a 14mm wrench; the replacement used a 12mm. I routed it behind the driver side taillight and use a zip tie to secure it to an existing hole in the metal backplate (after taking off the taillight assembly). All in all, about an hour of work.

 

DISCLAIMER: I am not an electrician. I have a basic understanding, however, and felt confident enough both in what I wanted to do and how I set about doing it that I was willing to risk making such a system for my vehicle. If you are not as comfortable, please ask questions (either here or ask an electrician/friend).

Got around to installing the DMM, paired with my charging solution. I used the following materials:

• $26 VIGRUE 1080Pcs M4 M3 M2 Socket Head Cap Screws Bolts Nuts Washers Assortment Kit with Allen Wrenches, Small Metric Screws Set, Black Screws Class 12.9 Alloy Steel
  https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07FCDL2SY/
  
• https://amazon.com/gp/product/B004O8LF26/
  
• https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00PXAMYTC/
  
• https://amazon.com/gp/product/B01LCFEQM4/
  
• Scosche MPQ2WD-XTSP1 Magicmount Magnetic Suction and Mount Holder Charger, Phone Mount for Car, Black
  https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07CXV4RXQ/
  
• Some 10 AWG GXL red and black wire
• An add-a-fuse (15A)

In order to use the wireless charger with the RAM system, you need to screw the RAM plate (above) into the back. This is super easy. First, unscrew the four corner screws on the back of the wireless charger. The back comes off easily and doing this will allow you to safely drill holes without damaging the internals of the charger. I used M4 (either *14 or *18) bolts with no washers or nuts and got a secure fit. Select the bolts such that the length is sufficient to securely grip the back plate and stick a bit through without contacting the PCB inside. Put the backplate on the charger then screw the four corner screws back in and set aside.

NOTE: wiring decisions made here are my own and if you decide to recreate this, you don't have to go this same route. I went this way so I could easily disconnect parts of the system and make changes if I needed to.

First thing to note, that USB 3-way cigarette thingy comes with 18 AWG wire yet is rated for 15A. According to the manufacturer, that choice is sufficient. However, in my research, 18 AWG seemed to be too small a choice to safely support that much current so I opted to play it safe and replaced the wire. The case is relatively solid, a plus for sure, but that meant it was hard to crack. I ended up just drilling into a corner to break a peg which allowed me to pry the bottom off. The internals are simple: all 3 adapters connect to a conduction plate sandwich: a metal plate with some sort of insulator and an identical metal plate. This separates the voltage and ground circuits. The adapters themselves are secured with a rounded bolt (this is the power point of contact in the adapter) that mounts into the conduction plate sandwich. If memory serves, the nuts that secure the bolt are 7mm but I could be wrong.

I removed 1 adapter to discard the supplied wiring. The cables are secured with ring terminals and come right off. I made ~9" lengths of red and black 10 AWG GXL wire. I used a large ring terminal (about the same size as the manufacturer) for the ground wire and a smaller one for the power wire. The larger ring terminal (for the ground) is so it can still make contact for the circuit but allows the crimp joint (where the wire begins) to be position better when the assembly is put back together. This isn't as necessary for the power wire (I'll explain that in a bit). Both wires are capped with a quick disconnect. I opted for this so I could have the whole adapter thingy as a unit that I could easily position behind the dash, knowing I'd make separate cables of sufficient length to connect to the unit and the add-a-fuse/ground. I used heat shrink ring terminals, and put more heat shrink tubing around each crimped component (the ring terminal and quick disconnect).

When you put the adapter assembly back together, you hold the power bolt (in the adapter) with your finger to keep it from falling out. Then put the grounding wire ring terminal on the bolt. Next, the conduction plate sandwich (all 3 parts). Next, the power wire ring terminal. Finally, the washer and nut. It is important that the ground and power wires are placed in the aforementioned order otherwise your circuit will not work. I placed the grounding wire and power wire on different adapter assemblies so I could better position the wires internally. This was largely because I used a large gauge wire. If you go with a smaller gauge you may not have to do this. Just play around with it until you get the wires positioned correctly while allowing the case to seal.

The last thing to do is to widen the hole through which the cables come out. I used a Dremel and just sanded away. I also decided to wrap the portions of the wires that will rest in that hole with electrical tape to minimize the chance of damage on the corners of the cutout. Here's what it looked like when I was done. You can see the jacked up hole in the upper left corner; this is where I drilled to loosen the cover. The rest of the holes still allow the cover to easily secure to the rest of the body.


Once you've got your wiring modifications made, close the unit up and set it aside. If you used quick disconnects as I did, make some wires to connect the unit to your truck's power system. For me, I used an add-a-fuse with the included butt connector cut off. I stripped some wire off and instead put on another quick disconnect and then wrapped it in heat shrink. With the quick disconnects i have, a female 14-16 AWG (blue) could still connect to a male 10-12 AWG (yellow).

At this point, I brought all my supplies into my truck, disassembled the dash, and removed the headunit (no need to disconnect anything, just let it rest on the shift knob. Recommend you place something on the shift knob for the headunit to rest on instead of letting it sit directly, as it could leave indentations in the knob leather/material). I used about 4' of red wire for the power, with quick disconnects on either end. The ground wire used a quick disconnect and a ring terminal. I chose to use a bolt behind the dash (reference picture below). I used a ring terminal sufficient for that bolt (don't know the size but the bolt itself is 10mm). I placed the unit to the left, bottom side facing me, tucked neatly behind the dash. The cables from the unit route above it. From here it's just a matter of plugging everything in. I tapped the P OUTLET NO. 1 fuse as that is 15A and ACC.

Below, the unit is circled in red. The USB adapter I bought is already plugged in (top most socket). I used a twisty tie wrapped around the face of the USB adapter and the body of the unit to keep it all together as I found the USB adapter fit loosely. The grounding bolt I used is circled in yellow.



I had already installed the DMM into the dash trim and had it set aside. I connected the wireless charger to the adapter, then turned the truck on. Thankfully, nothing exploded or ignited, and the LED light at the top of the charger illuminated. I placed my phone on it to see just how quickly it charged. Initially, I was only getting about 500mA (using Ampere app on Android). I get about 1A on my fast charger pad on my desk. I thought perhaps the charger wasn't getting enough juice, which is odd since the circuit should be getting up to 15A. I used the center console adapter to see if I got similar results and I did. I also discovered that it takes a bit for the truck's electrical system to supply power to the charger. Regardless of where I plugged in, which adapter I used, or which USB cord connected it all together, I saw around 800mA. I called that good and sealed everything back up. Turns out, once I had everything cleanly put back together, and the phone sitting on the wireless charger, I get enough juice for the phone to report "Fast charging wirelessly". Success!

Picture:


I used more M4 screws with some washers to fill the empty holes. Like others, I also used heat shrink to mask the ugly chrome of the RAM ball stalks.

 

I'm curious if you think if your disassembly of the dash that you think there would be enough room for a power inverter? I was thinking about that route instead since I could plug in normal AC cords as well as USB for charging.

 

I guess it depends on how large your inverter is. There's a surprising amount of room back there but it's still small. If your inverter needs any sort of air-cooling or otherwise has the potential to get hot, I'd absolutely not stuff it back there. Too much things could melt.

 

Thank you! I wasn't thinking of going over the stock inverter's 400W, so not too big, but airflow is pretty needed for most inverters. Potentially room above the feet of the driver or passanger?

 

I'd avoid the driver's side because you don't want anything interfering with the safe operation of the vehicle. The undersides of the driver and passenger sides are pretty limited and I doubt there's sufficient airflow. Plus, you'd have to affix it to existing wiring/pipes to keep it secure. Perhaps you could put it in the glove compartment? It's pretty big but I don't know if it will give you enough airflow.

 

I've heard that's where the OEM one is located. I could always dremel out some small vent slots in hidden places, suppose I have to get the inverter and just open it all up and see what room I have to play with

 

No idea where the OEM one is but if it works, it works. What are you doing this mod for? I know there's a few inverter plans out there, like adding some plugs inside the cap that tap into the OEM inverter (or something like that).

 

I don't have an inverter in mine and for camping it would be great. What plans do you speak of?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/t-harness-for-incab-120vac-tap-interest-list.604652/

I think that's actually for something else but it still might be useful.

 

Front camera installed via anytimebackupcamera.com. I got the full harness for front and rear as well as their switch. Installation was straightforward and thoroughly covered in the main thread (available here). I used a custom driver's side cubby panel from Meso for an additional switch location. The front camera itself is attached to a central grille cutout and secured via a metal backing plate. The plate is a simple 65 cent fence bracket I got from Lowe's. It was about 6in long before I cut a third of it off. It comes with an array of smaller predrilled holes; I made the central one bigger using a 5/16 bit. Note that this will allow the camera stud to simply slide through. The included nut is what keeps it secure.

Here's the plate, after a coat of rubber spray:

You can see the rubber is already coming off at the central hole. It didn't want to adhere and I literally rubbed the whole coat off with my bare hands under running water. I used three coats of truck bed spray instead and let it dry for over 24 hours. Much better! No pictures of it by itself but they'll be one of it mounted below.

I had to pierce a hole in the driver side firewall with a phillips screwdriver. It made me nervous but it was easy. I ran the power and video wires through that with the assistance of a bent coat hanger to thread it through easily. From there, internal connections were easy: red to 12v (note: I tapped into the green wire from the ABC switch so that the camera is only powered when I select the front camera. You can also tap into the red wire but that means your camera is always on. Some have said this could reduce the life expectancy of the camera). Red/Black to ground, solid, thick black was the RCA that plugged into the free spot on the ABC harness.

Inside the engine bay, here's what I did with the wires:



Most of the wires are secured to the same cord that (I think) is used for the hood release. I followed routing to the grille along existing wires for the things like the horns and TSS so it'd stay away from potential heat sources. Excess wire was double-looped behind the headlights, and the unsecured excess, to include the connection between the camera and its power/video wires, was left down below in front of the battery, behind the headlight. I did this in case I needed to disconnect the camera or mess with the loops of wire (the green, white, and purple wires that you can cut to change how the camera operates).

Here's how it all mounts to the grille:

It's kinda sloppy but it works. No modifications to the grille were made. The camera is resting inside that cutout, angled upwards. The mounting plate behind is not fully perpendicular to the mounting stud of the camera but that's fine. I used the included nut to tighten everything up. I forgot to snag a picture of what the camera looks like when viewed inside but it matches with what most people set up: portions of the license plate bracket are visible for reference.

I used this camera:

$40 NATIKA Backup/Front View Camera,IP69K Waterproof Great Night Vision HD and Super Wide Angle Metal OEM Style Reverse Rear View Backup Camera for Cars Pickup Trucks SUVs RVs Vans (Black)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H852D49. I cut the WHITE and PURPLE wires. This orients the picture. Flips it horizontally and vertically, I think. The GREEN wire is untouched as I wanted guidelines.

 

Misc things and catch up:

I added a 5lb ABC fire extinguisher, stored behind the left passenger seat (barely fits). I bought this:

$138 Amerex B500, 5lb ABC Dry Chemical Class A B C Fire Extinguisher (2)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0777R7JVF/. I did some cleaning and reorganizing and installed a Mag Lite mount to the side of my seat:

I just drilled into the plastic. When I was finished the system was flimsy because that plastic flap is just that. It hangs over the seat mount but doesn't offer support so I took a 1 x 1 wood block I had, cut it to an approximate length, and put it behind the plastic flap. It was just trim enough to fit in between the flap and a metal slide behind it, but wide enough that it actually offers support when I take out the light or put it back.

I installed these guys:

$20 JDM ASTAR Extremely Bright PX Chips 7440 7441 7443 7444 Amber Yellow Turn Signal LED Bulbs

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PHVUWR8/ for my front turns. I have some LED rear lights, Meso's Ultimate Turn V4s, and these. No hyperflashing in any state. I will be adding Meso's Total Tail stage 2 this weekend and don't anticipate hyperflashing either.

 

From one pilot to another I am in! Will be back with a frosty beverage to read this in its entirety.


-M

 

What do you fly? I used to live in Vegas. I really miss it. So much to do and see and eat. Mostly eat.

 

@CAG Gonzo I fly a corporate jet now. Its a good time, we usually fly 225-250 hours a year. We don’t generally work weekends. Just me and another guy running the department.

Yeah Vegas is alright, I grew up here and when I first moved away I thought I would never come back. Fortunately or unfortunately the job market has always been pretty good for pilots here. Plus with a few of the LCC airlines being based here it made the move that much easier.


Man there is some good restaurants here! You really gotta be careful though cause things can get out of hand! For my birthday this year my wife took me to the Mayfair Supper Club in the Belagio; mind you we don’t normally eat on the strip, and it was AMAZING! The atmosphere, the drinks, the food! It was such a great time. I tell everyone to check it out at least once. It is every bit of $$$ out of $$$ though. I think it was $50 for two Old Fashions before we even sat down at the table. Worth it though.


What about you? What do you fly and we’re did you end up?
-M