Kyle's SR Access Cab Build

You have broken the #1 rule of the TW build thread rule. Throw in a puppy for post count.....and you win. Epic puppy add. Well played.
That fella is breaking my heart.
Zim

 

OMG, stop it. LOL
Zim

 

Oil change day. One of the last things I need to do before heading back to Oregon next weekend.

Got started by installing Fumoto’s newest “quick drain” valve body. Had some splash from that stupid OEM oil drain plug. That stuff comes out quick! The new valve was really easy to install, though. 1/4 turn past finger-tight is all it called for I guess.


Tried out a new oil filter drain tool by MotivX. I thought it was gimmicky when I got it but it’s probably one of my favorite tools now. No mess on that part.



Had to zip-off the plastic filter housing using an impact driver and some 3/8 extensions I got specifically for this job. I invested in a nice filter wrench and it made the job really easy. No more Toyota “quick-lube” overtightening.


While I was at it I completely swapped the plastic filter housing for the OEM aluminum version. This thing is beef!

Because I’m a super-nerd I made sure everything was torqued to spec. Filter housing was 19 ft lbs and the drain cap was 10 ft lbs. I rarely see people break out the torque wrench for this job and then see a bunch of seized filters.


Filled it up with Pennzoil Platinum and called it a day. Oil changes should be drip-free and take about 15-min going forward.

 

New seals for the rear locker arrived. I’ve got an appointment next month to have my original installer warranty it for me. It’ll be nice to finally have the locker working! Apparently ARB has had a ton of issues with their seals and these ones are more robust.

 

This image is titled... “together again”


Truck is back in Oregon finally. It’ll be at my parents’ house for the next week while I head back to Utah and pack up our stuff. We should be all moved-in to the new house by June 1. Super excited to be home where I’ll have a garage big enough for the boat. Lots of trips planned this summer!

 

Nice build! Surely you’ve added the intermittent wiper stalk by now? Just didn’t see it listed. One of my first upgrades.

 

I agree it should be one of the first upgrades. However... nearly 20 months later and I’ve still got the stalk sitting on my desk

 

Well, with the weather we’ve been having recently you might want to make that a priority. Welcome back to Oregon. Sick truck.

 

Haha I didn’t even notice until a couple days after I bought the truck and was driving in a light rain having to turn the wipers on and off. I said enough of that, Searched on TW and a week later put the new intermittent wiper stalk on and used it sooo many times since then best easy upgrade ever. Just do it, adds 5HP.

 

I told my partner I’d install it before the drive and that definitely didn’t happen. I got hammered by snow and rain going over Deadman Pass and instantly regretted it. Thanks for the welcome back! We are stoked!

The fact that my truck didn’t come with them is probably contributing to my revolt. It took me 6 months to install keyless entry just because I was appalled that I had to do it myself!

 

Well you’ve done an amazing job with your SR build something you can be proud of! I’ve done just the basic convenience upgrades to just make mine a decent truck, intermittent wipers, OEM fogs, LED interior lights, storage dividers, phone mount, keyless entry (didn’t think I’d really miss that until I realized no key entry on passenger side lol), Lomax Pro diamond plate tonneau, etc. bed lights and new dual tone horns are in the garage waiting on me to install haha.

 

Bro, the lack of a keyed entry on the passenger side is so annoying. I feel the same way. Definitely need to make that upgrade

 

Ah! I should probably update this.

So! We are finally home in the northwest. Everything went great and we are almost settled in. By “almost“ I mean I’ve been on the boat only 8 times since we’ve been here We’re both really thankful to be here and are looking forward to the next chapter. We’ll be searching for a house sometime in Q4 so we’re excited for that.

On the Taco side: I ordered a 12” shock tower relocation kit from Archive Garage and some 12” Fox 2.0’s from Accutune! It’ll be a slow build but I think I can get the entire rear suspension done this year. The front might have to wait a bit. For the rear I need to get new leafs and some hammer hangers and then we’ll get the grinder and welder out.

Until that arrives I’ll just be fishing my ass off. Like normal.

 

Quick little lunch break mods today.

Started with the license plate DIR mod. Install was super easy and build quality was top notch. The relay fit just fine with my diff breather hose running alongside it.



I should replace those tail lights soon. The drivers side is held together by a single bolt and even then that bolt hole is busted.

I then went around the truck and replaced my prototype switch illumination harnesses with the production/retail versions from the factory! Pretty exciting moment. They turned out great and the crimps are much better quality than what I can achieve by hand. I’ll put my long-standing prototypes in a box as a keepsake. The harnesses work great and I’m stoked to get them into a few stores!

 

This is the way.

 

Ordered the rest of my rear suspension today. Hesitated to pull the trigger but if I wait any longer it's going to get pushed until after we buy a house... Which at that point it'll get pushed until after we build a shed, a shop, etc. and never get done.

We'll do the rear this year and the front whenever we get to it. I'm more concerned with the rear as I have a bad sag now and my 5100's are about shot.

Here's what's on order:

• 12 x 2.0 Fox Rear Shocks from Accutune
• Archive Garage 2.0 "Trail Series" Shock Relocation Brackets
• Archive Garage Hammer Hangers
• Archive Garage Stealth U-Bolt Flip Kit
  • I got their new yellow speed bumps
• Dobinson's Leaf Springs
  • Poly Bushings (for all locations)
  • Greasable Pin Kit x2 (for fixed and shackle end bolts)

This is going to be awesome.

 

First 2/3 of the platform is done (minus carpet and paint).




Had to deviate from the original design a little bit to add support to the 4th corner. There’s a tiny flat plastic piece between the seat belts that I used as a support surface. I’m lifting the platform in my hand so it looks off-center but you can see how this tiny piece of 2x4 slots right into it.


Pup will get used to it — he’s kind of squirmy just like every other boxer. Good news is the platform seems sturdy and doesn’t wobble even when he’s throwing a fit.


I’ll work on the removable 1/3 this weekend a bit and order some carpet.

 

Carpet for the dog platform is on order and I'm going to wait until the 110 degree heat is done before I do anything else on it.

I've got an install video shoot coming up for my wire harnesses but I severed a few of my illumination wires around the truck when I was developing the prototypes. Had to put it back to "factory" so the install video isn't janky. I cut the illumination leads of the cargo light harness way back, soldered new color-matched wires onto them, and then crimped the ends with the proper terminals for the OEM connector.


Finished it off by removing my temporary tape job and going back over it with a nice wire harness tape. Should be ready for the camera now!

 

“Mostly” plug and play harness for my @MESO third brake light that’s coming. Tracked down the pins that are in the factory stop light connector but struggled to find the exact connector itself. So I’ll just de-pin the factory connector and slip the two relevant pins from this harness in its place. Ground is tied across all 4 lights, 2 red lights (+) attached to the factory stop light circuit, 2 amber lights (+) will get separate bullet connectors and run to my Bussmann / chase light switch. This will allow me to turn on the amber backlight of my SSC2’s on the a-pillar and the ambers in the new stop light

 

Some goodies from Australia!


Also gave the truck a really deep detail for a photo shoot tomorrow.