Hello ... and where to start :) ?

I've been lurking long enough I think ... I'm coming up on a year with my trusty 2006 DCLB TRD Sport ... ended up here after a totaled 4Runner and a bit of serendipity .

I've put about 20k miles on the truck since last spring. Before that it was a total Vermont vehicle. IE, it has all of the hardplate rust associated with New England winters and too much salt. Cut the u-bolts off to do the lift kind of thing.

I'm now out in Gallup NM ... 1-2k mile adventures every month ... winter is making a strong showing out here this year, but I'm slowly loosening the old stuck parts (half with tools, half with hits to hard rocks).

So far I've achieved:

• new wheels, MB Wheels Razor (16 X8 6-139.70 -6)
• new tires, Discoverer A/T3 (LT285/75R16)
• OME lift
• new front axles (twice on the left)
• Front Runner cargo rack
• HiLift Extreme mounted to rack, recovery kit
• new non-scoop hood
  • not planned, but way better for glare
• locking liftgate
• getting stuck hard due to no winch or lockers
  • epic axle swap and winch recover at 8k feet, 10 degrees, and 40 mph winds
  • https://www.instagram.com/p/BAOlIZJj0S2/

Things I need to do:

• Level the truck - it leans a touch left and forward after the lift
• Figure out why the transmission pops when downshifting under a load (eg, hill climb)
  • (my friend -yes really not me- opened the tranny drain when we were setting up for an oil change ... drove 1/4 mile to dealer who did refill ASAP)
• Figure out growly rumble that came about sometime after lift and tires
  • (I did install the bearing drop kit that came with the OME kit)
• An alignment, likely with replacement of all associated linkages
• Rock sliders ASAP. Mostly pondering custom fab locally or CBI sliders.
• Figure out why my Leer cap is too wide at the base (by like 1/2" each side) and fix it

Things I want to do:

• New bumpers ASAP, leaning towards CBI Moab 2.0, front and back
• Winch ASAP, not sure if the CBI bundles are the right deal or not
• Locker, at least on the rear
• Make it into a much better overall overland Taco

So hi to everyone and thanks in advance for any advice, insights, heckling, etc

 

Awesome truck man Welcome to Tacomaworld!!!!

 

Thanks CT! I actually thought I'd end up with something more like yours, but here I am

 

Welcome to the club!