I’m Using the Taco Fulfill Mod Addiction While Searching for the Perfect Beer

Last August, I bought my truck. A 2017 Blazing Blue Off-Road Double Cab. I had been looking for about 6 months and building it on Toyotas webpage. I have had trucks before. An S-10 in High School and Hilux in Okinawa. I’ve owned cars and a KIA mini-van (sold it).

About a month after the purchase, I decided I hated the grill and swapped it out. That started a downward spiral of mods, tweaks, rewires and Saturdays in the garage. My wife calls it plastic surgery addiction. Like a Scottsdale blonde with fake tits. I gotta get the lips, Botox and lipo. She’s right. I’ll probably not be satisfied. If I can’t do something to the truck…I get grouchy.

I also blame the Air Force. I spent 22 years of fixing and moding every heavy aircraft in the fleet. They gave me an outlet. My technicians loved my hands on leading. I was just trying to keep the wrenches in my hand.

Now I’m Software Delivery Manager (SCRUM Master). I love the tech but miss the “wrenches”.

My thread is a how I took a Toyota threw some parts and sweat at it and made it my own. Bolt-on tits and all.

The post is to consolidate my mod’s. Please drop a beer recommendation and talk shit.


Erich AKA-Sand Shark


Below is the truck on the lot…and who Bruce is today.



Installed Already

TRD Air filter w/ Intake Flow Accelerator

Side Steps

TRD Skid Plate

Bed Header Rail

KB Voodoo Heavy Duty Bed Cross Bars

Cabela’s Aluminum Camping Rack

Uniden 520 CB Radio

Bridgestone AT Tires 265/75/16

Relocate Factory USB/Input Jack to glove compartment and 2.1 Amp USB in factory position

NAV Anytime Mod

Rear camera anytime

Rear console USB port

Side Rail Bed Cap

Pop & Lock Locking Tailgate

Mods that Have Steps for install

Mesh Grill

Tail light strip

MobTown Tailgate Reinforcement Cap

In-Dashboard Garage Door Opener

ETC default on

Borla Cat-Back Exhaust


Up and Coming Mods (looking for opinions and how to…I know, there’s a lot of them here)

Front grill Light bar

Rear Bumper

Front Slimline Bumper

Front Suspension

Add A Leaf Pack

Alexa Voice Command

OEM bed light kit


Beer Recommendations

Laginitas IPA

Kona Brewing Longboard Ale

Deschutes The Abyss

Budweiser (never)

 

When I bought my Tacoma I hated the “chain-link fence” grill (that’s what the sales man called it). I actually wanted the SR5 grill. After looking around at other year models I liked the gen 2. All black with a Chrome Toyota emblem. I went on line and found a grill at CustomCarGrills.com with an easy install. Then I looked for a emblem. I found a chrome one off a Solaris 2006 trunk on Amazon (I could not find a Solaris in my neighborhood J)

The build is as follows. Pretty fun… Kept me out of trouble. (not really)

Parts list

Custom Car Grills Mesh Insert-- $79.99

Automotive Goop-- $8.99

Solaris Trunk Emblem--- 14.99

V6 Emblem--$8.99

Zip Ties

1 Hour of work



Remove the grill and frame




Remove the grill.




After…


Before…Yes, Oliver helped.

 

love it, and feel you on taking the time to document the progress and what things you've done. I'm doing the same thing in my build page (in my sig). that way 10 years from now i'll see the progress the truck has made. Yours looks great and keep on modding

 

Nice looking truck man! I might have to copy your grill!


Here's a good local beer from Utah, Elephino IPA from Red Rocks Brewery and don't worry it is not 3.2.

 

Nice looking Taco. I see you mentioned a Laginitas IPA, try Bell's Two Hearted IPA, tasty. If your into sours I would highly recommend anything really from Wicked Weed Brewing but the Black Angel is bad ass.

 

Your'e right on the Two Hearted IPA...It's delicious.

 

OP you have good taste in beer. But I'm gonna go ahead and recommend Boulevard's Tank 7.

we could probably turn this into a craft beer thread that has no end in sight.

 

THAT Brewery, Strawberry Blonde.

Take a weekend jaunt to Cottonwood and visit the bar and brewery.

 

Great looking truck!

 

Come on over. We talk beer from time to time.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-beer-nerd-what-are-you-drinking-brewing-thread.284717/

 

That's sounds like it might be worth a trip, but dam long ride from Maine.

Not sure if it's out that way, local brew for me, but Funky Bow has a few that I know IPA drinkers enjoy.

 

Thanks I Almost got the Quicksand...I reminded me of a truck I drove in Oman when I was in the Air Force. All that was missing was the smell of Jet A.

 

Just blew beer out my nose. Too damn funny. And true. I miss AZ.

Goodonya!

 

I'm in a building with several hundred of them right now...

 

Founders "All Day IPA" Session Ale, great camping beer. Awesome beer in general! lol

 

The next step in searching for the perfect beer, is making your own.



I'll give a shout out to Firestone Walker Union Jack, as it's my favorite IPA that is readily available. Just be sure to buy fresh.

 

So you are not at the Candy Store on Bell Rd. Most of them have knife scars and are cross eyed. In their defense...they are open on Thanksgiving.

 

Wow... Nice set up. We actually make our own wine. The garage is cooler now so time to start again.

 

Thanks for all the beer recommendations. Some of these are on tap at my Local Fry's. A bar in a grocery store...genius.

Looks like a trip to Total Wine's beer aisle is due to pick up the stragglers.

 

Rampage Products Led Tail-Light W Back Up Install

Below is my write up for installing RAMPAGE PRODUCTS APC LED TAIL-LIGHT W BACK UP on my 2017 Off-Road.

Just too wet you whistle…this is what it looks like in action. I guess you kind of can see it...



Parts List

RAMPAGE PRODUCTS APC LED TAIL-LIGHT W BACK UP from Amazon $41.11

Splices

Wire tubing

Electrical tape

Masking tape

Isopropyl Alcohol

1 Voodoo Ranger IPA and 2 Big Wave Lagers (yup…more alcohol)


1. Measure out the bar on the brace between the tailgate and the bumper to align the LED bar. I used some masking tape to temp fit the bar for fit between the space to make sure it was visible. After getting the look I wanted, I marked the ends with masking tape. I made sure the wire harness was on the driver side. If not the L and R will be swapped.


2. I cleaned the attachment area with alcohol and pulled the strip off the 3M tape on the bar and lightly placed it on the brace. Once I had the right spot I pressed it on tight.



3 .The next step was to remove the drivers tail light by removing the second bolt from the
top and the bottom bolt. Oliver is my puppers helper.



4. After removing the housing, I found the reverse light and traced the wires into a wire tube conduit. I rang out the power line with my multi-meter. Then took a swig of my frosty beverage. My first cut in the factory wires. (Shit). I cut the wire and spliced the white wire from the LED bar and covered the splice with electrical tape then re-wrapped the wires with the factory wire tubing. I ran a separate wire tube to the Led bar for the single backup wire. I taped the whole thing up with electrical tape. The pict shows the white reverse wire and the wire tube before I wrapped them.


5. The next step was to attach the LED Bars 4 pin wire harness to my 4 pin plug on by the hitch. I wanted to see how I liked it before I cut more wires. I drove around like this for a week.


I love it…time to finish the install.

1. I got on my creeper and looked at the wires that go to my 4 pin & pin plug. The bumper outlet is made by Pollakand connects with a cannon plug. I took a screwdriver to release the plug from the bumper and removed the cannon plug from the outlet.


2. The cannon plug pin setting is as below. The 4 pin harness has 4 wires---L Turn—R Turn--Brake—Ground. I found a wire diagram on line from the Pollak company and traced the pins. Then I had my 15 yr old son do the turn signals and brake as I verified the signal with my Multi-meter.

3. I removed the factory conduit from the wire harness and stagger spliced in the wires as follows:

Funct Cannon Plug Factory Wire LED harness Wire

L Flasher Pin 1 Purple Yellow

R Flasher Pin 4 Blue (small wire) Green

Brake Pin 6 Green Brown

Ground Pin 2 White/ Black Stripe White

(my marker board on my beer fridge. Cannon plug Diagram and wire map plus some bottle openers)


(Stagger splicing is where you put splices one right after another so you don’t have a ball of splices…sorry no pict…see the diagram)



4. The factory conduit would not fit around my wires so I installed larger wire tubing and wrapped the conduit with electrical tape.

2. Finished the one beer that I started.

3. Took my Tacoma Widow (as my wife calls herself) out for dinner to pay for burning up a Sunday afternoon.



LED Light Addendum
Springysprat asked how to get the spare tire off. The access hole is covered by the light bar. I built this and keep it with my spare. It goes in the spare tire lowering "crane" and the ratchet goes in front of the bumper.