FashTaco - Lousy Outdoorsman’s Poverty Cab Build and BS

A wise man once told me, ‘Finish building your truck before you get married.’

My build is an attempt to follow a function-over-form, bang-for-your-buck approach, which was slowly broken down by browsing too many sweet TW builds.

2018 MGM TRD Sport Access Cab 6MT

Today:




Day I got her:


The elephant in the room: TRD Sports are trash, you suck…Manual and ACLB were non-negotiable. Plus I do suck:





USAGE
80% Fly fishing


Bowhunting


Camping/Extended Trips


20% OHV Wheeling


100% Daily Driver.

I wanted a long bed to camp in (I'm over drying out tents) and swore I’d never wheel my +$30k truck hard enough to need a locker. I held out for a year just doing forest roads, but once you get a taste of wheeling…with the family/friends hookup I got, I figured the money saved from that + poverty cab + manual could go towards a locker later if I ever felt I earned it.



SUSPENSION
Bilstein 6112 w/650lbs coils - Bilstein is just solid value and I liked the 2.65” body, plus I needed to fit 33’s. Chose 650lbs coils because of upcoming bumper/winch plans and 0.5” more lift (let’s be real). Figured nothing could be harsher than taking Sport suspension offroad - turns out it’s true.

I went 4/5 setting (access cab) and netted 2” of lift after settling.

Bilstein 5160 w/Fox Roost Shields - I like the shiny remote reservoir, glad I have them for long trips loaded down and blasting through washboards without worry. Overkill? Probably. Still need to install my Fox roost shields.

Ironman Constant Load Leaf Springs - Overestimated my weight and underestimated these springs. I got 7” of lift from these (rated 440lbs-GVWR, I was only 50-100lbs under 440lbs in the rear) and had to pull 2 leaves from each side, still netting 4.5” of lift (1.5” over my target). Might pull an overload later:

(previous 265/75/16’s pictured)

For learnings: Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro


SPC UCAs - Low maintenance ball joint UCAs for improved alignment and clearance for 285’s. Caster maxed out at 3.8 degrees with some cross-caster. Handles noticeably better with new caster.


Thanks to @TacoTim85 I had them move my wheel forward with the LCA bolts first and adjust from there.

OME CB Drop Kit - Solved my driveline vibes.



WHEELS/TIRES
Cooper ST Maxx 285/75/16 - This video swayed me, plus all the positive reviews from TW. Rubbed like crazy with 285’s but a CMC, plastic trimming, and maxing out caster solved it.

Pro Comp 89 Wheels 16x8 - Cheapest 16" black wheel with 0 offset available locally. Almost went steelies but didn’t want the weight. No complaints other than the valve stem is a little exposed.



ARMOR
CBI Sliders w/kickout - Shipped raw, painted myself, grip tape on top, and touched up with brush paint (highly recommend). This should be your first investment - paid for themselves their first time out. Looking back, I should’ve just gotten them powder coated.


RCI Steel Skids x3 - Best bang for buck with powder coating factored in.


Cali Raised Bed Stiffeners - ‘Cheap’ insurance to prevent damage to composite bed flexing while wheeling with weight of the shell against the bed rails. Extra tie down points are nice too.



FUNCTIONAL/PERFORMANCE
OVTune - OVTune 2.0 SFOB. Amazing tune, there are newer ones out there but still happy with this one. Really helped get the throttle more linear for easier shifting, 2nd gear more usable, and better mpgs overall.

SnugTop Rebel - Carpet headliner for condensation, sliding side windows w/pet and bug screens, fold down front window for cleaning, USB ports, frameless rear window for less leakage.


Old man vibes but super functional if you’re outdoors a lot. Secure, waterproof, dust-proof, and windproof. Unlike RTT’s and ground tents, you don’t have to dry it out afterwards to avoid mold (it’s wet in Oregon) and wind is no longer a factor. Zero deploy/tear down time - having a rolling camp is a game changer for fishing/hunting. You can also stealth camp easily on long road trips.

Make sure you have the bed sealed well during installation, especially the front.

DIY Prinsu Rack (rotopax mount, DIY traction board mount, Rhino Rack MPHU) - $236 total for rack materials thanks to this thread by @paranoid56. Started with Rhino Rack crossbars but needed more mounting points at varying lengths and something more low profile.




DIY Sleeping/Storage Platform - Thanks to this thread. I went with horizontally cut panels to stack them if I needed to haul something cab-high without completely removing the platform. Hidden storage underneath is my favorite part.




Cali Raised LED Ditch Lights - Bang for your buck lighting. These things are bright. And ‘cheap’ to replace if stolen.

MBRP Exhaust w/chop - I’ve always liked audible feedback while driving MT vehicles, nice to not look down at my RPMs when down shifting. Chopped for HC and to fit my 285 spare.

Exhaust note settles in after a month - end result is a lower growl, still not a V8.

Fire Extinguisher Mount - thanks to this thread by @StillNoPickles


Lev-O-Gage - Poverty Off-Road roll gauge

Center Console Divider - 100% OCD



VANITY
TRD Pro Grille (fake) - 100% vanity, part of my chrome delete.

Badge Derps - 100% vanity, part of my chrome delete.



RECOVERY/EDC GEAR
Rotopax - Yes, I actually use it. Get the yellow spout for easier use.

ARB Deflator - Great so far, removes entire valve core for rapid deflation.

$91 Viair 88p Portable Compressor Kit (12V, 120 Psi, Forup to 33" Tires)

Viair 88p - Great so far, have aired up 2 tacos back-to-back with no issues.

Tire Plug Kit

Poop shovel x2

Rhino Tow Strap - Worked great while helping someone winch.

ARB Snatch Strap - Honestly haven’t used it yet.

Hi Lift w/winch kit - Poor man’s winch.

Tools - Basic things to wrench on short notice.

Tarp - Poor man’s awning.

Moving Blankets - Keep stuff out of sight.



MODS IN CONSIDERATION
Front Bumper - Alu plate from CBI/Greenlane Offroad/Victory or a hybrid steel from Relentless/C4

Winch - Smittybilt X20

ARB Rear Locker + Mounted Compressor

Hammer Hangers

HC Rear Bumper - Outgear Solutions Rear HC Tube or full plate from somewhere

4.88 Gears

Meso Red Interior Lights

Solar

Aux battery

Fridge


THROUGHOUT THE YEARS - PHOTO DUMP

 

Great pics.

 

Poverty cab lol

sweet truck

6MT and Coopers for the win

 

Finally made one

Poverty cab for life!

 

This is a great build.

 

Appreciate that! Been slacking but will post up more build and trip updates soon.

 

Photo dump from some of this year’s adventures

Painted Hills area:


Cedar Tree trail with @TacoTim85 @Astr0Aar0n and others:


Snow wheeling with some previous TW members:


Camp trip with @Astr0Aar0n:


Other random outings in Oregon, Montana, Idaho, etc:

 

Going to be selling my shell soon and headed a different direction. Updates to follow.

 

Nice build. Curious what your take is on the 650 lbs. coils? Is the ride pretty harsh w/o much extra weight upfront?

 

Nice breakdown of your build. Looks awesome I could take a lot of inspiration from it.

 

Still going to be selling your shell?

 

@FashTaco
Did you ever try the Fox roost shields on your 5160 rear shocks?
Been thinking about doing that but I don't want to buy shields if they aren't going to fit the shocks.

 

Sorry for the late replies, haven’t been on TW in a while.

It was pretty rough if I’m being honest, I overestimated my weight upfront based on the sag that I first got on the stock suspension. I would recommend the 600lb coils if you’re not running a bumper.

I did sell it, I eventually sold the truck too haha - needed a double cab with a kiddo on the way. I’ll miss this access cab so much.

After I sold the shell I ended up adding a prinsu cab rack for gear mounting. Also did a retrax retractable tonneau cover for lockable storage and it also had tracks on the cover that I could quickly add/remove crossbars and a basket as needed. It was nice having open bed access again but I did miss easy camping in the bed.

I never wound up installing, I still have them in storage lol. My friend had them on his 5160’s and they fit. He’s the one I got the idea from.

 

And here’s my new truck for anyone interested.

I was able to transfer my sliders, skids, wheels/tires, ditch lights, etc.



Had a hard time getting used to the short bed at first. Ended up getting a used leitner rack and I really like it - lockable dry storage box but with full access to the bed and the rear load bar slides forward to haul taller items easily without removing the rack. Also threw up some fishing rod holders. It’s nice for taller loads with the shorter bed too.

it’s also really modular and gives nice flexibility. I can remove the boxes and mounting plates or add more within minutes, depending on the trip we’re taking.





Camping looks a bit different too - back on the ground.