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Clean, Purpose-Built 3rd Gen SR5

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Builds (2016-2023)' started by Road_Warrior, Aug 22, 2021.

  1. Aug 22, 2021 at 11:26 AM
    #1
    Road_Warrior

    Road_Warrior [OP] There is nothing on my horizon except everything

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    Last Updated 09/27/2024
    List of places visited in Post #480

    “There is nothing on my horizon, except everything.”
    -Dwight K. Schrute

    IMG_0586.jpg
    Yours truly somewhere in Montana

    I plan for my truck to be a no-frills (okay, maybe a few frills) rig with almost all of my modifications serving a specific purpose. I will attempt to keep the frills to a minimum.

    I’ve done a few minor cosmetic upgrades but this truck is intended to be my daily driver/adventure vehicle/road-trip workhorse and I plan on having it for 20+ years. I keep it maintained meticulously and would love for it to be a truly high mileage taco one day.

    I am going to try something different that I don’t see much around TW; I’m going to attempt to keep this build armor-free. I don’t plan on doing any real wheeling/rock crawling, it is really a long haul highway rig designed to also do a lot of light-to-medium trails during those long haul trips. Think, Atlantic Ocean to Montana and back with a week’s worth of trail riding in the middle.

    We’ll see if I regret the no-armor plan, but I want to keep the truck light and (relatively) fast.

    I started my build thread to track my progress. I figured maybe it can help some people out if they have questions about any of the stuff I’ve already done as well.

    I wanted the most reliable truck possible and all signs pointed to the Tacoma. I went with a 2021 SR5 because I planned on doing a good build and needed enough money to make my truck perfectly dialed to my needs, which I wouldn’t have had if I went with a TRD Off Road or Pro. I also don’t do any serious wheeling so I really didn’t need rear lockers or crawl control (I’m not gonna lie to myself and say I do).

    I don’t have any social media besides Tacoma World and you won’t find pics of my truck with 3 shovels (I only have 1) and 12 rotopax of gasoline strapped onto a RTT with maxtrax hanging off the side. This truck is a vehicle for my family and I to see more of the world, not something I have to look “cool”. That being said, it is my main hobby and I spend a lot of time on TW lol.

    I don’t like buying new things but unfortunately my last truck was no longer safe and it was actually cheaper to buy a new Tacoma than a used one when I was in the market. So here we go…

    Modifications:

    -Ionic side steps
    -Prinsu cab rack
    -BillieBars bed rack system
    -Bakflip MX4 bed cover
    -Ready lift rear 1inch block kit
    -SOS off-road concepts sliders
    -Yokohama Geolandar g003 M/Ts in 285/75/16
    -General Grabber ATX tires (E rated 265/75/16)
    -Maxxis Razr MTs (E rated LT265/75/16)
    -Rough country 2 inch leveling kit

    -
    Icon Vehicle Dynamics 1.5” AAL
    -Headstrong Offroad 1/2” Shims under
    Icon AAL.
    -Bilstein 5100’s (front and rear) w/ stock springs
    -A.R.E. CX color matched bed cap
    -Window tint (front matched to factory rear)
    -OEM Toyota exhaust tip (black)
    -Black Rhino 16x8 stadium wheels
    - Yokohama Geolandar AT4 tires (LT285/75/16)
    -Exterior Chrome Delete
    -TRD Pro style grille
    -Tacoma emblem blackout package
    -LED tag lights
    -Front air dam delete
    -SR5 debadging
    -KDMax Tune
    -TRD Pro CAI
    -Diode Dynamics (red) map & dome lights
    -Diode Dynamics SS3 amber fog lights
    -Cali Raised bed stiffeners
    -Meso Total Tail Stage 1 kit
    -Desert Does It seat jackers (driver and front passenger seat)
    -Professionally sealed and rust-proofed frame.
    -Morimoto XB LED headlights with amber DRLs
    -WeBoost Drive Reach
    -East Coast Gear Supply (ECGS) clamshell bushing
    -Goose Gear Full Rear Seat Delete
    -Paid off mod :D
    -Hypertech Speedometer Calibrator

    ————————————————————

    Current setup:

    IMG_0287.jpg

    Previous iterations:

    IMG_9513.jpg
    IMG_8295.jpg
    IMG_7796.jpg
    IMG_7670.jpg
    E3C19E42-227E-4C5B-9E82-65D8A2012BC7.jpg
    IMG_9856.jpg

    The night I purchased the truck and the journey began:

    [​IMG]

    Various past stages of the truck:

    IMG_7062.jpg


    847C24DE-1996-41CE-A195-7D22DDBA2F1E.jpg
    4EBF72C4-5E03-4168-8CAC-9A415887BCF1.jpg

    873EDB8D-1631-438C-ACC2-C0493BF021E8.jpg

    The many forms of my truck on the way to finding my perfect setup….

    Before the ARE cap:

    574CC793-7A95-4F48-BAB4-83F0E97D2106.jpg

    The setup when I had BillieBars:

    upload_2021-10-6_19-19-32.jpg


    Before the BillieBars, with the Prinsu cab rack:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2024
  2. Aug 22, 2021 at 11:38 AM
    #2
    rdvm1972

    rdvm1972 Well-Known Member

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    None, brand new. Looking for ideas
    Truck looks great. We share the same idea. I also went with a 2020 SR5 knowing I could make it more capable for less money. I ordered mine with the tech package so I have almost all the options without spending the money for the TRD decals. I’ll follow your build.
     
  3. Aug 22, 2021 at 11:47 AM
    #3
    Road_Warrior

    Road_Warrior [OP] There is nothing on my horizon except everything

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    Awesome! Yeah I wanted to add my own touches since I plan on keeping it for forever. Thanks for the kind words.

    I see our trucks look very similar as well
     
  4. Aug 22, 2021 at 12:02 PM
    #4
    rdvm1972

    rdvm1972 Well-Known Member

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    None, brand new. Looking for ideas
    They definitely do, that’s what caught my attention. I like seeing similar trucks and what the owners do with them. I get a lot of good ideas. The build definitely becomes addictive. I currently have a ATH rear HC bumper waiting in the garage for an install.
     
  5. Aug 22, 2021 at 12:05 PM
    #5
    Road_Warrior

    Road_Warrior [OP] There is nothing on my horizon except everything

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    That sounds awesome, I was actually just looking at rear bumpers the other day but it’s not really on my short list. I think next for me will either be the TRD cold air intake or a ceramic coating for the paint.

    I know there aren’t many performance benefits of the TRD CAI but I love the Toyota heritage and the idea of sticking to OEM stuff under the hood. I’d like to keep the warranty as in-tact as possible.
     
    rdvm1972[QUOTED] likes this.
  6. Aug 22, 2021 at 1:02 PM
    #6
    rdvm1972

    rdvm1972 Well-Known Member

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    None, brand new. Looking for ideas
    I did the KDMax tune that I’m sure you seen the tread on. It did wonders for the performance of the truck. Increased my milage slightly and corrected the gear hunting. I also swapped my ignition coils for a set from RIPP. And replaced the factory exhaust with a turn down one. I now average 22.8 mpg with a little more power and a lot less transmission gear hunting. Those are a few inexpensive mods that return big benefits.

    I am going to add the TRD air box as well. I like the look of it and it’s an easy “plug and play” option. And it works with my ARB compressor. A lot of the other air intakes take up too much space and require more modifications then I want to do under the hood.

    I haven’t had any issues with my warranty. So far the engine mods have not caused any concerns when at the dealer for service.
     
  7. Aug 22, 2021 at 2:16 PM
    #7
    Road_Warrior

    Road_Warrior [OP] There is nothing on my horizon except everything

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    Interesting, that’s a lot of great info. I don’t know much about those engine mods but I’m definitely going to look into it now that you mentioned those MPG increases. My truck got great MPGs until I added the Grabbers and the Prinsu rack. Oddly enough, removing the air dam actually increased my MPGs.
     
    Mudtoy90 and KillBill216 like this.
  8. Aug 23, 2021 at 11:20 AM
    #8
    Road_Warrior

    Road_Warrior [OP] There is nothing on my horizon except everything

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    Here is a different side profile of the truck; anyone have any opinions on black lugs vs. these silver ones?

    I was supposed to get black (I’ve already done a full chrome delete on the truck) but the wheel place sent me silver by mistake. Put them on until I could find the correct black ones and I think they actually compliment the center cap really well…

    E254FC10-B435-4B38-B191-B8CAAD2103F8.jpg
     
  9. Aug 25, 2021 at 7:19 PM
    #9
    Road_Warrior

    Road_Warrior [OP] There is nothing on my horizon except everything

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  10. Aug 26, 2021 at 5:15 AM
    #10
    mquibble

    mquibble Well-Known Member

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    I’m interested in understanding the benefit of the coil swap.
     
  11. Aug 26, 2021 at 9:31 AM
    #11
    Hogbaseball06

    Hogbaseball06 Well-Known Member

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    following for this also
     
  12. Aug 26, 2021 at 9:47 AM
    #12
    rdvm1972

    rdvm1972 Well-Known Member

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    None, brand new. Looking for ideas
    Increased spark, less resistance, slight increase in performance.
     
  13. Aug 26, 2021 at 9:47 AM
    #13
    rdvm1972

    rdvm1972 Well-Known Member

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  14. Aug 26, 2021 at 1:22 PM
    #14
    mquibble

    mquibble Well-Known Member

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  15. Aug 26, 2021 at 2:40 PM
    #15
    Hogbaseball06

    Hogbaseball06 Well-Known Member

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    BillF1564 and rdvm1972[QUOTED] like this.
  16. Aug 26, 2021 at 9:55 PM
    #16
    rdvm1972

    rdvm1972 Well-Known Member

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    Just a cold air intake and the KDMax tune. Swapped my factory exhaust for a larger turn down exhaust.
     
  17. Aug 27, 2021 at 5:25 AM
    #17
    Road_Warrior

    Road_Warrior [OP] There is nothing on my horizon except everything

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    I think this might have turned into your build thread :laugh:
     
    rdvm1972[QUOTED] likes this.
  18. Aug 27, 2021 at 5:47 AM
    #18
    Hogbaseball06

    Hogbaseball06 Well-Known Member

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    Sorry didn't mean to hijack the post. Carry on and love the truck
     
    Road_Warrior[OP] likes this.
  19. Aug 27, 2021 at 6:08 AM
    #19
    Road_Warrior

    Road_Warrior [OP] There is nothing on my horizon except everything

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    hahah no worries at all man! I’m glad it started a conversation :thumbsup: That’s what it’s all about
     
    saf023 and Hogbaseball06[QUOTED] like this.
  20. Aug 27, 2021 at 8:10 AM
    #20
    rdvm1972

    rdvm1972 Well-Known Member

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    None, brand new. Looking for ideas
    Sorry bud, just answering questions. Definitely, still about your truck. It’s awesome that people are checking it out. That’s the same thing I used to do when I started building mine. I had a little knowledge of what was available for the Tacoma and the forum conversations definitely helped me. I just try to pay it forward by helping the next guy locate parts he may be unaware by of.
     
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