F/R Locked TRD Sport DCLB Build & Colorado Wheeling

They are at 15,000 miles right now, heavily encumbered the entire time they have been installed.

Customer service was on par with every other industry member I have dealt with, except for OK4WD, which is S tier customer service.

No complaints on that front.

 

All good perspectives. Not considering it as an upgrade to my truck, more so just became interested & curious after hearing that podcast & reading more about them, and wanted to get other's POVs as well. They have seem to recently grown in popularity in the Tacoma realm (probably largely due a production batch from 74 Weld being distributed to a lot the bigger shops who have solid followings on social media).

Totally agree that having a small lift, some solid tires, and lockers make our trucks incredibly capable, but I do think that portals will become more and more popular for those wanting something with super massive ground clearance. All comes down to application, but I think for slower rock crawling these things are pretty sweet.

 

A couple buddies and I went wheeling out near Breck (again) this weekend. Denver is getting dumped on right now and Breck was following suit. We tried hitting Middle Fork Rd but ended up turning around quite quickly due to the snow. We wheeled up Georgia Pass for a while and got decently far. Nothing crazy, but just an absolutely gorgeous day out in the backcountry.

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Planning to install the new JBA Offroad UCA's this weekend and some new OEM tie rod ends. Been having an odd creaking noise when turning at low-to-no-speeds and it get super difficult to turn near full lock - almost like there is no power steering. Took the truck to Groove Toyota here in Denver and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Said they even tested my power steering fluid for metal particles to ensure the rack was still fine, but everything checked out. I'm hoping it the tie rod ends that are causing the issue bc the dirt shields are decently covered with grease / dirt and the truck has 109k on it. Will post some pics of before, during and after the service this weekend!

 

Got around to installing my new JBA HD upper control arms and some new OEM tie rod ends. I replaced my SPC upper control arms with these JBAs since the SPCs developed play in the bushings at around 20,000 miles, which is ridiculous in my opinion. The new JBAs are awesome - really excited to test them out. The installation was straightforward since I had already installed control arms before, but the driver's side was a PAIN to get the inner washers between the control arm bushing and the shock tower bolt path. I had to use a pry bar to open it up and tap the washer in. Also, I ran into the issue of the driver's side jam nut on the tie rod being so tight that I had to run to Home Depot, snag a couple of pipe wrenches and a propane torch to get it loose. Luckily, it came loose because I had reached a point of no return when I hammered the ball joint out of the spindle and messed up the old end's thread.

The install of these parts didn't fix my clunk/creaking when turning at slow-to-no-speed or the stiff turning near full lock when not moving. Taking it in for alignment tomorrow at RSG Offroad and having them do an inspection of the steering to see if they can diagnose the issue. I think it may be bad CV(s), something with the steering rack mount, or bad inner tie rods, or maybe bad lower ball joints???

Old Crusty Stuff:

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In-Progress:

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Finished Product:

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Got the truck aligned last week and took it on a light wheel this weekend. Wanted to get outdoors and test out the new JBAs. It was so nice taking the truck out and not hearing the UCAs clunk all around. I know the JBAs are new, but really liking them so far. Here’s some pics from the weekend.

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I also figured out what the creaking was. Turns out it was my aluminum skid creaking under load when turning. I banged it up pretty good this summer and I guess over time it started to develop that creak due to being bent and slightly cracked at the passenger side weld. Took it off today and all is good. Installing a new steel engine skid from RCI hopefully tomorrow while I do a quick oil change.

 

Picked up our Christmas tree yesterday out near twin lakes. The national forest service has a cool program that you can buy a Christmas tree permit and harvest a tree each year for around $10. Makes for a fun outing and helps keep the forest healthy. Got about a 9 footer!

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Just read through your build thread man this truck is awesome! I was born and raised in summit county so wheeler lake is one of my favorite trails! I always ran it in jeeps though and always wondered how my Tacoma would do. This makes me want to run it this summer! I’m down in Fort Collins now but I’d be more than willing to join for some trail rides some time! (We also cut down our Christmas tree this weekend)

 

Dude that's awesome! Summit County is just incredible - that's such a cool area to grow up in. Thanks for kind words about the truck, I really appreciate it Yours is looking awesome too - super clean & functional! You running 33" skinnies?

Heck yeah man, where did you guys grab you tree from? The twin lakes area we snagged ours in was super high desert vibes so we had to drive up and into the mountains a decent amount to find a nice tree. Looks like you guys got a good one!

Yes, lets definitely meet up for some runs soon! Definitely down to hit up Wheeler again next summer. Absolutely awesome trail.

 

Thanks! Yeah my wife and I both grew up there so we both feel pretty fortunate to call it home! I’m actually running 285/75r16’s on a two inch spacer lift (for now as I’m currently eye balling some fox 2.5’s) once my factory suspension is done! Did some light trimming at the back of the wheel well with a dremmel and reshaped some plastic with a heat gun. I ran the Kelly flats trail a couple weeks ago outside Fort Collins and was amazed that I didn’t have any rubbing issues!
We grabbed our tree from the canyon lakes ranger district which is up highway 287 about 40 minutes and we brought our 1 year old German shepherd mix for the hike. She had a blast!

 

Nice man! The 285s look sooo massive on the 16" rims. I wanted to move over to 16s when I upgraded my wheels, but there weren't nearly as many tire options and I got the RRWs on sale for 20% off, so couldn't pass that up. That's great you're able to run them w/ the 2" spacer lift and some minor trimming and plastic shaping.

Man... I'm eyeballing a mid travel setup for my next upgrade as well. I'm leaning towards the Bilstein 8100 series - you should check em out in this article. Badass shock w/ built in dump stops and big time contender with Fox and King.

@LunarTaco13 and I actually hit up Kelly Flats this summer as well. That trail is super fun too. We definitely gotta meetup and do some wheeling soon!

 

Fun thread to read, nice truck and super jealous of the snow wheeling in Colorado! Hoping to get out the CO sometime in the near future.

 

Thanks man! Super appreciate the kind words

The snow wheeling is so awesome out here. The landscape literally turns into Narnia, haha. Hope you can make it out soon. It’s certainly worth the trip. I would recommend coming in the summer tho, unless you’re wanting to ski/board. Lots of trails seasonally closes during the winter time unfortunately.

 

Finally got around to uploading some videos from Moab this past 4th of July. Hit up Hell's Revenge right after getting the lockers, compressor, and rear bumper installed. Really fun trail, but definitely be ready for some STEEP climbs and descents. We did about 1/3 or 1/2 of the trail since it was our first time out in Moab. Hoping to go back this winter for some additional fun down in the desert. During this trip we also hit up the Shafer Trail, which was absolutely beautiful. Any stock Tacoma, 4runner, other 4wd with clearance and low range would have no problem on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rCwB2D9kQY​

 

No big updates as of lately, but figured I'd post up some of the plans for the truck over the coming months and into the new year.

Maintenance:

• Oil change is gonna be needed here soon - likely in the next two weeks. Been meaning to get to this and just been putting it off.

Upcoming Upgrades:

1. Get exhaust re-route mod (see why in upgrade 2)
2. Install new RCI steel engine skid, and aluminum transmission & transfer case skids (skids purchased during RCI's black friday sale)
3. Remove sliders, take in for powder coating, and re-install
4. Purchase & install new 35x10.5 Kenda Klever RTs
   • Will check for rubbing & then may take the truck into my local shop to get a CMC or CMR depending on how they new tires sit
   • I'm planning to purchase these following the winter. My BFG KO2s are still amazing, but I am ready to have a taller tire and the fact that the Kendas come in a 10.5 skinny and load range D is awesome.
5. Purchase either Deaver Stage II or honestly just add a 1" lift block to the current rear setup. I love the ride & weight capacity of my Icon Progressive AAL, but the truck is too level / low in the rear for my liking. I want to have a rake again and I think getting another 1" of lift will be helpful with the new 35s.
6. ~Potentially~ invest in a new front bumper setup. I really like the CBI covert front bumper or the Relentless Fabrication hybrid front bumper. I am in between on the OEM+ front end and going all in with Relentless Fab bumper. I think I'll likely go with the full Relentless Bumper for tire clearance & those more aggressive trails that may require some additional front end protection / departure angle. Plus, they just look badass. I am in between on going with the Stealth look or the Summit look. I like how clean & simple the stealth look is, but have always loved the stinger style bumpers. Any input on these options?
   • CBI Covert Front Bumper Option (OEM+ look):
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   • Relentless Fab Hybrid Front Bumper (Stealth):
   1. • 
   • Relentless Fab Hybrid Front Bumper (Summit):
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Edit: I have officially pulled the trigger on some of the Ironman4x4 medium duty (0-440lb) leaf springs. All the reviews I seen are great, Ironman's service was awesome when I called in and asked a few questions about the pack, and they're on sale for 25%. Can't wait to get em. I will be documenting the install & will let folks know how it goes + will report on my experience with the pack after I've got some miles on them. Here is the link to the packs for anyone who is interested.

 

This was a dope read brotha. Subbed.

 

Thanks a ton my dude! Glad you enjoyed. Will keep adding updates as frequently as possible

 

Beautiful truck and build.

If you ever move to a camper setup and are looking to get rid of your topper, let me know.