Cwopinger's Dirt Road Exploring Trail Limo Build, Travels, and BS Thread

This thread is to document the ever so slow build of my 2019 Tacoma Off Road. My build philosophy is to keep the truck as simple as possible, improving its comfort and capabilities, while maintaining Toyota reliability. This is not going to be a long travel, high-speed desert runner or a hard core rock crawler. My end goal is a truck to comfortably take me off the beaten path to Alaska and the Yukon in a couple of years next year for my long planned retirement trip. After that trip, it will be runs out West, Death Valley is high on my list, and to Baja. The TAT, Newfoundland and the Trans Canada Adventure Trail are also on the list of “retirement trips.” I joined TW and other forums to get ideas as I don’t intend to try and reinvent the wheel and will gladly borrow ideas from others, credit will be given for what I intend to blatantly copy.


Current as of 03/20/2021

This is not my first Toyota truck. My first was way back in 1985, a 22R, 5 speed, 4x4. Did a lot of traveling and truck camping in it while I was in the military. We didn’t know what “overlanding” was back then. Finally sold it in 1993 when my son was born as the cab was just too small for a car seat.


Damn it was a good truck.

After the red truck was sold, I bought a 1993 Chevy 1500 extended cab which I still have. It’s been a good truck but not the adventure rig I want for off the beaten path travel.

So, fast forward to early 2019. I’m looking to retire in a few years and know I want a Tacoma for my planned misadventures to Alaska and beyond. I asked the wife and she gives me the green light to buy a new truck (love you honey, you’re the best!). I call around to local dealers and end up placing an order for a 2019 Quicksand DCLB Off Road so I get exactly what I want. March 17th, 2019 I became a proud Taco owner again.


The day I picked her up, my wife’s birthday, yes i bought my wife something really nice and I took her to dinner in it that night.


Current Mods:

The first six were all bought within the first few weeks of owning the truck.

• Debadged and TRD decals removed
• WeatherTech floormats, vent shades, and bug deflector
• @Tacowiede Radio knobs
• @olecoot Seat spacers
• ARE MX Topper with windoor sliders 11/2019
• Anytime Front and Rear Camera 11/2019

• ARB Single Compressor Install
• Sleeping Platform Build
• Sleeping Platform and Topper Crossbar Updates
• ARB Touring Awning Install

Local Rambles

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Big Trips

• Overland Expo East 2021, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

 

Reserved in case I need it.

 

Better grab this one too.

 

This was the first vehicle I’ve had that had the steering wheel controls for the radio. Since I’m old school I just reach over and turn the radio volume knob tha adjust the volume. Really quick I noticed how thin the factory knobs were. Wtf Toyota? How many pennies did you save making them so thin? I learn I’m not the only one who doesn’t care for the factory knobs. @Tacowiede to the rescue. Now that I have nice thick radio knobs I’ve learned to use the steering wheel controls.

 

Ohhh, you got the best color!! Quicksand is the bees knees!!!
We dang near have the same shell! Great minds!

BTW: Death Valley is 20 minutes up the road from me...

Subbed for progress.

 

I didn’t realize you were that close to DV. With the covid border closures I may have to move DV up in the order. I’ll be hitting you up when I start making those plans.

 

I'll be here! Just be sure that those plans don't involve visiting DV in the summer...

 

From the first time I saw a quicksand Tacoma I knew I had to have one. I picked the shell because I’m doing a sleeping buildout and wanted the extra height. It was between Leer and ARE for the shell. ARE had the shortest lead time and I like the larger slider in the windoor.

 

Nope! That’s going to be a spring or fall trip. May do it in the winter but I know the higher elevations can get snowed in

 

Yep, I have a sleeper in mine too. Very handy! I really like the windoors. Super handy!

 

You should make a build there’s for it.

 

I’ve got my air compressor to install, just got the shipping notice on the mount. Maybe an update this weekend or next week.

 

Here’s a pic of my copilot to hold you over

 

Cool!
What’s her name?

 

His name is Lucian. Lol. He’s a rescue we adopted about 3 years ago. He had a silly name so I said since we broke him out of jail he needed a new identity. We were watching Longmire at the time and his attitude really matched Lucian Connally's character.

 

Very cool! Lucian.
My last for dogs have been rescues and they have all been great! My cat is a rescue also!

Delilah (cat) and Amy.

 

Rescues are the bestest!

 

ARB Single Compressor Install

It’s time for a real truck mod!

Dropping tire air pressure is one of the simplest ways to improve traction and the ride while off-road. Having a way to air back up for the road home is necessary as is a way to air up after a puncture repair. This makes an air compressor (and tire plug kit) a very necessary piece of equipment for the truck. I’ve known I wanted on board air since I got the truck, but which compressor?

The cheap Wally World chinesium stuff is junk, it won’t last and would take forever to air up 4 tires. I considered Viair but decided to go with ARB because of their reputation. I originally wanted the big twin compressor but was having difficulty finding one in stock. I started to research the single instead and learned there have been a number of twins that had problems but very few singles with problems. I also found Dan Grec's (The Road Chose Me) video on the single and learned the twin is just faster and costs more but really doesn’t bring more to the table. When he explained the single had worked for him on his 3 year trip around Africa and was still going strong I decided it would work for me too. Lol.

With that out of the way I ordered the single with the “pump up kit” and a CBI under hood mount.


This open spot behind the air filter just begs for something to fill it.


It even has this nice factory mounting point already in it.


After the boxes arrived it was time for the install. I don’t need air lockers so a large part of the supplied wiring harness is not needed. So what’s the first thing I did? Yep, cut up a perfectly good wiring harness. I also decided I would mount to switch under the hood since I will need to open it to access the compressor anyway. That eliminates more wires I would have to snake through the firewall and makes the wiring pretty simple from the battery to the compressor.

All extra stuff I don’t need.


Pretty simple and I didn’t need all the extra red and black wire that I left myself either, about 18” was plenty.


Compressor mounted and wiring routed along the firewall with the factory harness.




Over to the drivers fender and tucked behind the black trim piece to the battery.


Final hook up to the positive and factory grounding point.


Switch mounted, pressure switch and hose chuck installed.


After getting everything connected I flipped the switch and it worked! The compressor cycled for a few seconds and then the pressure switch shut it down as there was no demand just like it’s supposed to do. After this I dropped air pressure in one of my tires down to 17 psi to see how long it would take to fill back up to the road pressure of 30 psi. It took about 1 minute, one whole minute. To think I was originally worried the single was going to be slow.

On to the next mod.