My 2008 Tacoma DC Off Road Build

Hi Folks,

I wanted to keep good documentation of this build. I learned many interesting things about accomplishing this (as I did 99% of the work) and I wanted to share this so people didn't have to go searching for hours on end as I did. In addition, should someone see this in the future, please feel free to text or call if you have a specific build question, or if you're asking for where to send the beer to. PS, at the bottom of the tread will be a slide show with full resolution pictures on my Flickr account and links to everything I've bought for parts!!!.

Enjoy,
Cole 612-327-3714

I bought this truck stock (Off Road Model) w/ BFG KO 265 tires on it. Hm, mudflaps, NOPE, those went into the trash when I got home. The stock radio had to go:

thread avatar you skeezy bitches


At the dealer:


Radio before


Radio After


I took the sub out of my Subaru, which I had made the box (original box listed in above parts list) to fit in the wheel well, so I had to chop it a little further to make it fit behind the seat but, it fit and sounds great, Wired in an inexpensive amp to match the sub





After, the stock rims had to go. I read about what would work best with lifting the truck as that was the end goal. Many people pointed out additional back spacing (offset) was indeed beneficial for a lift. The stock offset is +30mm for second gen Tacomas. From forums, I had gathered the ideal rim offset was ~0.0mm. I went with a rim that was -6.0mm and it seemed to be good for about 0.5" of tire showing or extending past the fenders. Here's a link to some basic understanding of offset if you need:

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=101



I had the front windows tinted close the rear which was factory tint (see end picture). Next my decisions were really based on cash flow and how much time I wanted to spend under a truck dripping snow. So I decided to install the winch. I went with a bumper carrier, 10k winch with synthetic rope to keep limbs intact and a remote option. The package was great as it came with shackels, remote, and a well fitted winch to the bumper tray.

You have to cut off one tow hook, forgot to grab the grinder from work and took 10 minutes with my dremel instead.









wiring in the wireless remote, silicon and hot glue are your water proofing friends




Next, and as you could probably see from standing next to the wall I decided to do the rock sliders. I liked the rear bumpout look and aspect of protection so I went with some pretty basic stuff. They arrived in MANY pieces. I was suspecting this would be the case so made for a solid 6 hours of welding. Didn't take a ton of process photos but I'm very happy with the quality and durability. Originally I painted them black, bad idea...it wears off quickly and looks like shit. I went and got a urethane bed coating from Napa. MAKE SURE YOU GET SOMETHING WITH URETHANE if you do this. If not it will flake off.

Prepping rock sliders




finished with paint


refinished with polyurethane dupli-color bed liner




Note, on the rock slider install, make sure you have good door clearance and I would say a minimum of 0.25" of clearance from the rock slider stand offs to the body rails to avoid road noise and vibrations.

Next I wanted to ensure my overland activities weren't impeded by lack of battery power, that's power to run accessories and the winch. I researched this to great depth. Originally I was going to go with a large isolator. The main problem with this is that you need to charge your batteries at different rates IF...IF you have two different types of batteries. If you are running two of the same batteries, you may be able to get away with an isolator only. I went with an AGM cell battery and the National Luna charging system to partition the charging. In addition, it allows for bridging the batteries in several modes so it is an attractive clean system. I also fabricated a solid steel plate, with a cheap plastic battery tray on top and a rubber strap to hold the battery in place. It's not moving...seriously...







controller for battery charging


I installed a Dnyomax exhaust. Really liked it, it was a quick install and added a silencer section to quiet it up. See the links at the bottom for both parts.

Now it was time for some fuel tank protection. I went with an aluminum skid plate for weight and durability to the elements. Very quick bolt on -



Now it was time for the suspension. There are a lot of companies that provide packages out there. Tracy at AllPro was very nice and great a contacting me with updates but they had many issues with their supply chain so I sourced everything independently from either Toytec or Amazon. It was a pretty good combo all said and done. I went with the Fox long travel suspension, 2.5 coilovers in front with standard shocks in the rear. Dakar 2.5" lift springs, Total Chaos upper control arms, Toytec brake lines, Toytech flip bolts and plates, Toytec Axle shims, Old Man Emu center bearing carrier for the drive shaft drop spacers, Fox swaybar spacers, and Toytec polyurethane flipped bump stops in the rear.

The front is pretty straight forward but here are some tips. Measure your driveline transmission angles before you start...

vertical transfer case machine face to front drive shaft
vertical transfer case machine face to rear drive shaft
rear pinion flat surface to rear shaft

Now back to the front suspension. Only back off the locking bolt on the shock spring collar just enough to where it feels like you could turn it with ease. If you pull it out, the spring collar will jump threads with enough spring tension. I used two 7mm allen hex sockets (3/8" drive) with an 8" socket extension to turn the collars to increase spring preload (with WD40). The sockets fit perfectly in the preload collar holes. When you pull out the UCA bolt that's 14" long out, you'll need to bend back the inner fender sheet metal. I used a big fu*king crescent wrench to basically crank the sheet metal away from the head of the bolt...pretty easy after that.

stock


mmm, shocks


good thing I'm not married


ridiculous control arm bolt


happy..


I set the preload via a guess at where I thought may be close to 3" of lift. Drove it for a week to let it settle and reset the preload once the suspension was broken in a bit. Turns out there is more corner weight on the front drivers side of the vehicle

For the rear, and this is why I said take measurements...Every vehicle will be slightly different but the steeper your transmission angles are in the driveline, the more quickly you'll wear out your yolk joints in the driveline. Think of trying to turn a socket with a u-joint extension at 90 degrees of a bolt head...SUPER hard to get the proper torque you need. I used 4 degree axle shims with my leaf spring install to get the pinion back to +1 degree of where my original measurements were. My driveline is not perfectly aligned as it was from factory but it is very close and I don't have any driving vibrations (also why I installed the carrier bearing drop spacers). I had to use additional washers on the drop bearing to ensure the proper drive shaft angle.

my chicken scratch driveline measurements


actual measurements (used an inexpensive angle finder from Harbor Freight)




center carrier drop


because I'm basically as mature as an 18 year old boy




The shims come with bolt spacers so you still pilot correctly on the axle. Use a clamp to hold the springs together before you pull the center bolt out to insert the spacer. You may have to use your feet to kick the axle back into place.



bump stops required drilling a hold in the upper frame pot


steel brake line extensions (of course you'll have to bleed the brakes after)


omg, are we done yet? We'll throw this in since my friend took it...that dick


Okay, so, suspension done, winch done, rock sliders and fuel tank slider done, Oh, yeah, when you do your sway bar relocation, just remove your front skid plates and life will be easier. I had Firestone do a lifetime alignment on the front end. Not all locations will do it but if you call around you should be able to find someone to help you. It will be worth it after you off road a few times.

Now I had RSG do the body mount chop to give more clearance for the 285 tires I put on. This isn't my truck but they did a great job and sent me a few photos of a 2013 Tacoma they chopped

process:


end (they did a fantastic job)



Last thing I did was put in t-slot nuts into my bed rails with rubber straps (you'll need 3/8" bolts for them) to hold my highlift jack, my axe and my shovel. Here is a picture but again, the parts are in the list above



So, that's pretty much it, hopefully this didn't drag on too much. Here are the end pictures and slide show to the full side pictures as well,
Thanks
Cole





also used the bed liner on my pitted chrome bumper, pretty happy (Also got 285s instead of the 265s and upgraded to the KO2 BFG Tires)


headed to Moab, otherwise the tire stays under the truck


tool holders


Slide Show/link to album
https://flic.kr/s/aHskwu6Z24

planet audio head unit with double din faceplate. Great bluetooth unit for the money, don't have andriod integration (although it connects to android just fine) it won't show things like texts or the name of who's calling

$143 Planet Audio P9640B Car Audio Stereo System - 6.2" Double Din, LCD Touchscreen, Bluetooth Audio and Hands-Free Calling, CD Player, DVD, USB, SD, AUX in, AM/FM Radio Receiver

http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Audio-...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

Amp, get's it done, remote level adjustment. No cons

JENSEN POWERPLUS900 900 WATT MONOBLACK 1-CHANNEL CAR AMPLIFIER

http://www.amazon.com/JENSEN-POWERP...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

Faceplate adapter

$24 Metra 95-8214TG Double DIN Dash Kit for Toyota Tacoma 2005-2011 Vehicle (Gray)

http://www.amazon.com/Metra-95-8214...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

wiring kit for audio

$23 BOSS Audio Systems KIT2 8 Gauge Complete Car Amplifier Installation Wiring Kit with Power Cables, Ground Cables, Turn-On Wire, Speaker Wire, Terminals

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Amplifi...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00

audiobahn 10" sub

Audiobahn 10" Subwoofer (AW101T) (AW101T)

http://www.amazon.com/Audiobahn-10-...169854&sr=8-8&keywords=audiobahn+10+subwoofer

Box Subwoofer

$54 Bbox Single Sealed 10" Wedge Shaped Subwoofer Enclosure - Car Subwoofer Boxes & Enclosures - Premium Subwoofer Box Improves Audio Quality, Sound & Bass - Red & Black Spring Terminals,charcoal

http://www.amazon.com/Atrend-E10St-10-Inch-Single-Sealed-Enclosure/dp/B0013MYXD4/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1463169894&sr=8-9&keywords=10"+subwoofer+box

floor mats (really like these actually!!!)

$83 Genuine Toyota Accessories Front and Rear All-Weather Floor Mat - (Black), Set of 4

http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Toyot...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

oh shit handle ram ball for phone mount

$13 RAM Mounts RAM-B-367U Motorcycle Handlebar Clamp Base with M8 Bolts with B Size 1" Ball

http://www.amazon.com/Ram-Mount-Mot...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

phone mount

$36 RAM Mounts X-Grip Universal Phone Holder with Ball RAM-HOL-UN7BU with B Size 1" Ball

http://www.amazon.com/Cradle-Holder...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

ram extension

$20 RAM Mounts RAM-B-201U Double Socket Arm (Medium) Compatible with RAM B Size 1" Ball Components

http://www.amazon.com/Mount-Double-...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Bed t-slot nuts (you need 3/8" bolts for this)

$24 Te-Co 41406T Black Oxide 1018 Steel Tapped Through T-Slot Nut, 3/8"-16 TPI, 5/8" Height x 7/8" Width x 9/16" Table Slot (Pack of 5)

http://www.amazon.com/T-Slot-Finish...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

Tool/accessory holders

$15 END OF ROAD Original Quick Fist Clamp for mounting tools & equipment 1" - 2-1/4" diameter, 2 Count (Pack of 1) - 0010

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Quick-Fist®-mounting-equipment/dp/B000CQPANY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

$21 QUICK FIST Long Arm Clamp for mounting tools & equipment 1/2' - 4-1/2' diameter (Pack of 2) - 40010

http://www.amazon.com/Quick-Fist®-Clamp-mounting-equipment/dp/B003TUBTSA?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

Old Man EMU Carrier Bearing Drop kit

$37 ARB FK29 Old Man Emu Fitting Kit

http://www.amazon.com/ARB-FK29-Old-...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Fox 2.0 long travel rear shocks PN980-24-675

$175 Fox 980-24-675 Body Shock

http://www.amazon.com/Fox-Racing-Sh...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Fox 2.5 Shocks PN883-02-025
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com...for-2005-Tacoma-07-FJ-03-4Runner-_p_1483.html

Total Chaos UCA
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Total-Chaos-UCAs-05-Tacoma-07-FJ-Cruiser-03-4Runner_p_1009.html

U bolt flip kit
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Ubolt-Flip-Kit-05-Tacoma_p_389.html

bump stops
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/99109G--Energy-Suspension-25-Bump-Stops_p_1457.html

Rear brake lines
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com...Steel-Brake-Lines-for-05-UP-Tacoma_p_296.html

Axle Shims (I needed 4 degrees)
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/Zinc-Rear-Axle-Shims_p_273.html

Rear Old Man Emu Dakar Spings
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/OME-Rear-leaf-springs-2005-Tacoma-SET_p_18.html

Rims MB 352 -6 offset
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/wheels/mb_wheels/product/submitProductSize.do?r=CODINT|pc|80210&pc=16987

Tires (got rid of the 265s for 285s):

$291 BF Goodrich LT285/75R16 Tire, All-Terrain T/A KO2 - 05855

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Tires/LT...aspx?t_c=13&t_s=536&t_pt=101509&t_pn=BFG05855

US Off Road Winch/Bumper carrier combo
https://www.usoffroad.us/store/bump...1-tacoma-bumper-engo-10k-winch-shackle-combo/

RCI skid plate fuel tank (super cool guys)
http://www.rcimetalworks.com/05-15-Tacoma-Fuel-Tank-Skid-Plate-TACO-05-13-04.htm

Rock sliders (just went with the standard HREW w/kickout)
http://www.4xinnovations.com/2005--2016-Dbl-Cab-Shrt-Bed-Tacoma-Rock-Slider_p_74.html

National Luna Charging system
http://www.equipt1.com/item/dual-battery-system-kit-with-surface-mount-controller

Second Battery
https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/car-and-truck/toyota/tacoma/2008/v6-4.0l-585cca/sli24fagmdp

These guys did the body mount chop, did a great job!
http://www.rsgoffroad.com/

Bed liner used for rock rails and rear bumper:
http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/dup...sgktgJgbn7zO4HjloHCAervAk9mVE57mvEaApxY8P8HAQ

dynomax exhaust

$331 Dynomax Ultra Flo 39447 Exhaust System Kit for Toyota Tacoma

http://www.amazon.com/Dynomax-39447-Stainless-Exhaust-System/dp/B00503PRVO

silencer (only used 1 of the 3 sections)
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cci-3di25r

Firestone Lifetime Alignment (lifetime cost me $180)
http://www.firestonecompleteautocare.com/repair/alignment.jsp

 

Just some short video from my Moab trip this weekend

Hell's Revenge and Hell's Gate

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZWbSB1t6Fl8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Damn, thought someone might be interested in this...hah...just another taco build...I need to start putting a picture of a chick at the top for the post avatar

 

Damn man you have been busy, good build so far.

 

Looks great. It's like a short bed version of my truck.

 

Sweetness