ManInTheMaze's Buildless Thread

No building in this thread. Instead, in this thread you will just find easy and boring TW-fad mods, camping trip updates, empty hopes, and broken promises.

2017 TRD Sport 4x4 MT

The truck now(ish):





Current mods:

Exterior

• 2018 SR5 Grille
• OEM black (unpainted) hood scoop
• 2019 BHLM headlights with Dynamic Diode DRLs
• Ultimate LED turn signals from @MESO
  
• Total tail light kit, stage 1 from @MESO
• Puddle light pods from @MESO
• Smoked taillight inserts from @CBoy808
• 15% tint on front two windows (and 5% visor strip)
• No more badges or stickers

Interior

• Dog platform
  
• Hondo Garage phone mount
• Wet Okoles
• Derlin Shift knob with brass core from @7r41lbr34k3r
• V1 smoked map lights from @MESO
• Ultimate white dome light (with door trigger disconnect mod) from @MESO
• Interior chrome delete (almost) @MESO
• Puddle Light Switch kit from @MESO
• Custom left-side switch panel from @MESO
• Door Bowl Lights (ice blue) from KTJO 4X4

Wheels/Tires

• 4Runner TRD Pro Wheels, Matte Black
• Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S, 265/70/17

Suspension

• TRD OR shocks and struts

"Armor"

• TRD Pro front skid

Junk in the Trunk

• Leer 180
• Total Chaos bed stiffeners
• Sleeping/camping platform

Other

• Accumulator Delete Mod

Planned mods/upgrades/maintenance, shortish-term:

• Replace camper shell struts
• Grille emblem blackout (derp) and decal, maybe
• 2lo PnP mod

Mods/upgrades (and hopeless dreams) for the distant future:

• All-weather floor mats (honestly, I kinda like the carpet)
• 
  
• Air compressor
• ARB locker (yeah right)
• 4 wheel camper (a boy can dream)

 

Nice truck, big improvement from the first gens, eh?

OEM bed cover? I was ambivalent about mine (probably because I've never had one) but I've grown to love it now. I've also pretty much thrown out the idea of a locker, from what I've seen on Tacomaworld and personally, the limited slip traction control is pretty damn solid on these in 4low. But it might be different for a manual, not sure.

 

So comfortable to drive in a 3rd gen. It was a good move up.

Anyway yeah, I have the OEM bed cover on. I like it, seals up the bed pretty well. And it folds up and secures nice for hauling shit in the back. And thanks for the tip about the traction control features. I was thinking I might have to do a yellow wire type mod to use the LSD in 4lo but I guess that is the default setting in 4lo. It appears to be the same in the autos and manuals. The ARB locker is mostly a pipe dream :/

 

My truck has been slowly coming along. I swapped my sport wheels/tires for some OR wheels last month. Recently threw on a TRD faux grill and some of ultimate LED turn signals from @mesojdm . I updated the picture and info in main post to show the truck as it sits now. Below are some before and after pics of the turn signals though. The lack of chrome makes all the difference.
Before:

After:



I plan to get some more shit done with the truck in the next month or so. Including taking it to a body shop to take care of some minor damage on my front bumper valance (my buddy's wife backed into my truck ).

 

Blackout looks good!

 

Here are some pics of the dog platform I built in the back. I kind of built it haphazardly a couple days after buying the truck. My friend needed help hauling some plywood to work on his tiny home and I decided to work on this at the same time. If I had done more research before buying the materials, I would have removed the rear seats first. Oh well. It works.

I stapled stereo box carpet to the plywood, came out okay. (not all of those specks are staples)

I even left a little cubby for some extra gear. It's cute.


Today, I stuck some vinyl letters (shout out to @rrentrop ) on my tailgate. The install was easy. The "M" is a little off and not completely symmetrical. Probably not enough for anyone to notice really. Turned out okay overall.


Overall pic of truck at this time:

 

Been slowly getting some shit done with my truck. Removed the Turd Stickers. Added some LED lights from @mesojdm : V1 smoked maps and white ultimate dome. I also did the door trigger disconnect mod for the dome light. I really like the V1 smoked with ultimate white dome combo. I also added some Wet Okoles I bought in the group buy. Took my damn time installing them and they turned out well, I think. Pics below.

Side view with maps:


Side view with both maps and dome:


Wet Okoles:


I also attempted to install a TRD Pro-style hood scoop decal but failed miserably. I am just going to have a professional vinyl shop do it on Monday. Gonna copy mesojdm and eliminate the space in between the actual scoop and the Pro-style hood decal.

Leer 180 is on order and should be here in another week or two. Things are coming together!

 

Put on some Total Chaos bed stiffeners today in preparation for my shell and for romping on some forest roads this summer after I move. Install was pretty easy. I need to start taking some better installation pics though. I didn't think of taking any until the process was nearly finished. Oh well.


Installed:

 

Got the skewp decal done yesterday at an auto vinyl shop. I am fairly happy with it. Although, it turned out a little more boxy than I wanted. To be honest, I kinda preferred the look of the hood when I just plasti-dipped the scoop w/o the hood decal. Hopefully the full Pro-style hood grows on me. I also had them throw on some taillight inserts from @CBoy808 , which they basically did for free.

Super rad hood skewp decal (adding at least 10 HP):


Taillight inserts:



The truck as it was at this time:



Next steps: Leer 180 install and derp the badges

 

Got the Leer 180 put on about a month ago. Perfect timing for moving down to SoCal. I also got Cooper Discoverer AT3s put on. Surprisingly, I get better mileage now with the AT3s than the stock Goodyear Wranglers. Smoother ride on and off road.

Got to take her out for some light romping on some forest roads and camping. Went up to the San Bernardino National Forest south of Big Bear Lake (roads 2N10, 2N86, 2N11(b), 2N08 and 2N17). She handled great, although the stock Sport shocks were a tad bumpy. But that may just be my mind . Pictures below:





Next step is building a sleeping platform in the bed and getting some storage and organization figured out for camping trips. After that, I will decide if I want to mess with the suspension at all.

 

Nice truck, I have a similar build going. This is my fourth Taco/camper build. Once you put your bed system in and load gear, you are going to “want” to modify the suspension. They drive so much nicer if the suspension matches the load. I have some work to do on mine.

 

Thanks. Always happy to see another completely debadged 3rd gen (plus an access cab). I appreciate the advice. What route did (or will) you go with your suspension?

 

Bilstein 5100’s,884’sOME, medium duty Dakar spring pack in back.

 

Did you happen to measure how much lift you got up front with the 884's?

 

Haven’t installed them yet. On my last truck I got a little over 2” but that was a 2.7 L.

 

Glacial. Pace. Indeed.

It's been 2 years since my last update so it is safe to say that I've fallen off the TW wagon a bit. Gonna try to be updating more with trip pics though. I will also be posting updates of some mods I have planned. Long overdue trip update here followed by some mods in another post.

Not much has happened with my truck in the last 2 years in terms of Mods. I have gone on multiple camping trips without taking pictures. Last summer (2019) I did a road trip up the Eastern Sierras. I actually took some pictures that trip, some of them are below:

Alabama Hills:



Bishop (next to a creek outside of town):



June Lake:



Lake Tahoe/Carson City (Kings Canyon Road):






Truckee Area:




I actually just got back from a 3.5 week long road trip through Southern Utah (Zion, Ceder City, Bryce, Moab, etc.), Salt Lake, Reno, Northern California Coast (Mendocino), Santa Cruz, and more. However, I didn't take one single picture of my truck on this trip. Haha. Like I said, I am going to get back to posting here.

In Moab a few weeks ago I took my truck down a pretty sketchy road for a stock suspension like mine. I contacted the owner of a lodge 10 miles down a dirt road about camping on his property because he had a rad disc golf course there. He said the road was no big deal but it definitely challenged me and the truck a little. The property is all the way down Kane Springs Rd, through the Chicken Corner's Safari Rt. past Hurrah Pass. Spent most of the time in 4lo 1st gear. No real damage besides some rock chips. Definitely got an alignment in Salt Lake City ASAP though, ha. I am now much more inspired to install some real skid plates. Bummed that I did not take pics of the trail but below is a picture of a basket on the disc golf course on the dude's property next to the Colorado:

 

Like I mentioned in the post above, not much has been done to the truck in the last 2 years. Just lots of miles and a couple oil changes. However, I've found new motivation to fiddle around with my truck lately so more mods are coming.

I got my truck detailed yesterday so it is looking quite sharp (pics below). However, whatever the detailer used on my cheap, china-made TRDFaux grille made the paint on the "TOYOTA" letters fall off (or dissolve, idk). The grille plastic was already fading so I said fuck it and messaged @Siblue about an SR5 grille he has been trying to give away.

Yesterday evening I started to install chrome delete and blackout vents, climate rings, and 4WD selector ring from @MESO . I was actually in the middle of disassembling the dash when @Siblue got back to me about the grille. Had to drive to meet him without parts of the dash and vent rings installed:




Finished the vent ring, climate ring, and 4WD selector chrome delete this morning and it turned out great! Super easy installation. Slowly getting rid of the interior (and eventually exterior) chrome. After pic below:




After finishing the chrome delete install I installed the new SR5 grille and drove to the nearby orange groves for some glamor shots




I am not sure how I feel about the SR5 Grille. Definitely a little less aggressive than the TRDFaux, but I like it. Might try to do something with the emblem. I am thinking that smoking it out with some dark tint might look cool. I don't have TSS so I don't have to worry about the sensor none.

In general order of expected appearance, here is my short(ish)-term mod list:

• Weighted Derin Shift knob from @7r41lbr34k3r
  
• TRD Pro Skid Plate
• New Wheels and Tires (might wait for winter)
• Tint
• New Shocks??? Considering a small lift or just a TRDOR Swap.

 

Vent rings came out great. Nice to meet you.

 

Where to begin! Below is a list of everything I did (or got done) in the last month:

• Derlin shift knob with brass core from @7r41lbr34k3r
• TRD Pro skid plate
• TRD OR suspension swap installed by @Bot_Chu
• Front window tint and windshield visor strip
• Puddle Pods from @MESO
• Door handle covers and steering wheel logo cover from @MESO
• OEM black (unpainted) hood scoop (also removed vinyl decal)

Shift Knob from @7r41lbr34k3r . Super stoked on this. Feels great in the hand. Shifting is smoother. Honestly, this is probably my favorite "mod" overall. Beyond glad that I swooped on one of the last ones.



TRD Pro Skid Plate. Been meaning to do this for a while. 20% Toyota parts coupon (through local dealership) in the mail finally convinced me.



Front two windows tinted to match to rear (3M FX Premium 15%). Driver side had a bubble and had to get it redone. The 15% tint is a little darker than the factory tint on the rears (and the shell). Doesn't both me too much but I notice. Oh well.



Door Handle Covers and steer wheel logo cover from @MESO . I am already deleting interior chrome with MESO's products, why not keep the train rolling. Forgot to wipe the steering wheel with alcohol first but it stuck just fine.





TRD OR Suspension Swap installed by @Bot_Chu . Been wanting to make a change to my suspension but I am too much of a bitch to go balls out on a whole lift right now. I've had these laying around for a couple years so I figured I would give them a try. Been liking them so far. No complaints.



Puddle Pods from @MESO . I was looking for one more project to cap off the summer and picked these up. Install was not "easy" but I enjoyed it a lot. Super happy with the result!

Work Station:


Cut my finger a bit trying to get the cable boot out of the driver side. That thing was a bitch:


Driveway pics, Puddles off:





Driveway pics, Puddles on:




Glory Pic of the truck as it is right now (pre puddle pods though):




This may be it for my truck for a while, more or less. Gonna try and save as much as possible. However, just when I think I am out, you guys always pull me back in!

Below are a list of mods/upgrades I have planned at the moment:

• Grille emblem blackout (derp) and decal, maybe
• puddle light switch kit
• 2lo PnP mod

Going camping this weekend up in Wrightwood (CA) for a disc golf tournament. Should be a good time. I will try to get a few pics.

 

Got the @MESO puddle switch kit installed. Along with a @MESO custom left-side switch panel. Had to replace the switch kit ground eyelet because it was too small for the ground I wanted. Besides that install was easy.



I plan on installing a 2lo PnP kit when the next group buy comes through. The middle-right tall switch is where the 2lo switch will go.