New to This - Taco Journey from Day 1

Hello all.

I've never owned a truck, but I just got a 2020 TRD Off Road and I'M IN LOVE.

This thread will just follow my thoughts and actions as I build out the rig.

In a sense I feel compelled to do a thread here. TW has been such an amazing resource for me, I can do my part and document things here to help others who come after - whether they learn from good tips, or from my mistakes - either way it's helpful. So thanks to all the good TW folks around here for sharing their passion and knowledge.

I've always wanted to off road, always. I'm both excited, but at the same time overwhelmed and unsure about what I 'need' in order to do that. Yes, I know all that matters is what type of off-roading I'll be doing - and the honest answer is I don't know. I wanna sling her around in a muddy field, be able to conquer rutty and challenging climbs, be more than capable when I go hunting, tote my road bike to triathlons and group rides, etc.

I want to strike a great balance between off road capabilities and sweet looks, while maintaining a good on-road ride. (I'm not stressing out over 3 mpg's - that's not what I have the truck. I will keep ride quality in mind though as I seek to add/tweak things.

So, here we are in May 2020 and I have a stock Taco in MGM. Let the fun begin.


******Running List of Current Mods and Items for the Taco*******

• Matte Black emblem kit (Sides and Rear)
• TRD Pro Grille with amber LEDs
• Rotopax/fuelpax 3.5gal
• Bunker Indus recovery tracks (red)
• Bubba Rope synthetic recovery (Renegade, 20ft) with synthetic Gator shackles
• Cooper S/T Maxx 265/75R16
• ARB E-Z Deflator Kit (to air down)
• VIAIR 400P Compressor (to air up)
• OEM Tacoma Bed Mat
• Bakflip MX4 tonneau cover
• Rear bed side TRD 4x4 Off Road decals - replaced with matte black one's
• Painted chrome rear bumper caps with bed liner textured spray
• GMRS radio unit. Midland MTX115
• upTOP Overland Alpha roof rack with Extreme LED 38' amber/white light bar
• Cali Raised OEM Style switches for amber and white LED's on light bar
• KB Voodoo / Max Modular Bed Rack (14" Aluminum, with tonneau cover brackets)
• KB Voodoo bed rack side bike mounts.
• Baja-Designs Squadron Sport fog lamp kit (amber, wide cornering)

Current truck pic (July 2019):


******************************************

 

Welcome, and congrats on the new truck. Check out the 3rd gen build threads for inspiration

 

Congrats, welcome to TW and a whole new addition.

 

Play with it stock, build up later

 

Congratulations!

 

Let's start with the beginning of even wanting a Tacoma:

I saw a quicksand (tan) colored one in a parking lot and kind of had to have one. Although I ended up going with MGM ('charcoal gray' color) in the end. The thought process was while I loved quicksand, I feared I may grow tired of it, or think it was a little 'loud' after 6 months or a year. Charcoal gray car color has always been my favorite anyways.

This truck I saw in the parking lot had a roof rack (basket I'd say in this case) and I immediately said, "Oh, I definitely want a roof thingy." This particular one was mounted on a topper (shell bed cover for newbs like I was), and I never saw myself as a topper kind of guy. Especially given it's my first truck - I kind of want to be able to experience having a TRUCK BED, rather than just feeling like I bought another SUV of sorts. Here's what I saw in the parking lot:

I now know that this roof 'rack' is pretty much garbage. Only a week ago I had it bookmarked and ready to buy. I guess you could toss some basic stuff up there, but it's not going to really be able to hold any real loads, and probably not going to last in general.

I wondered down the roof rack threads on TW, where Prinsu appears to be king. Had just about settled on being unoriginal in that regard, until I happened across Uptop Overland's stuff. It's so sexy, so aggressive, so military like, there was no turning back.

So first big purchase was the roof rack Uptop Overland Alpha:
https://www.uptopoverland.com/collections/tacoma/products/uptop-alpha-tacoma?variant=29690978697276

with the Extreme LED X6S Slim 38" single row LED light bar (mixed white and amber LED's)
https://extremeledlightbars.com/x6s...gle-row-led-light-bar-17100-lumens-combo-beam

Just have a look around at pics on the uptop overland site - so sick - very pumped to get this in. Not only does it look great, but it's built to work and work well.

Will obviously update here when I get the install going.

 

Not sure what the guy's deal is about the block, I can assure everyone I'm a regular guy with zero affiliations with anything I do or post here... maybe my love for the roof rack - which is still being fabricated I'm sure - turned the gentleman off.

I am excited, and will continue to be for what I'm putting on my truck!

 

I've also gotten some traction boards: went with a cheaper route but the reviews looked good... so I pulled the trigger. Pretty hard for me to justify maxtrax right now... we'll see if that hurts me one day stuck somewhere... I'll test them out as soon as I can.

Here's what I've ordered (in red, will look great with MGM color):

$80 BUNKER INDUST Offroad Traction Boards with Jack Lift Base, Mud Sand Tracks Snow Tire Traction Mat Recovery Ramp for 4X4 Jeep Truck SUV ATV UTV Pair Red Traction Pads

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NV71XVB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My plan is to get the uptop overland trac mount and just drill some holes in the boards to fit those mounts. Will also post here when I do that!

 

I've also gotten a rotopax 3.5gal for fuel - hope I never need to use it, but I think it looks cool and it's great to have if I ever DO need it. I think I'll get a water one too soon, as my wife and I do love to camp, and we're planning a 2 week trip out west later this year (zion, arches, etc).
https://rotopax.com/fuelpax-3-5.html?category_id=31

Cheers all, just documenting my Taco journey here - it'll get more interesting as things actually arrive and I start gettin em on the truck!

 

Dont worry about it sometimes when you start a thread you get some negative feedback .

 

Congrats! Best color choice by the way!

 

Congrats on the new OR, Have fun!

 

Tomorrow I'm supposed to receive my TRD Pro grille. I've watched a few YT vids on installing it and wiring the "raptor style" LEDs and it looks super easy. Will keep y'all posted on that process. The place I got it from was out of the TSS sensor garnish, but will send it in a few weeks when they get some. From what I've read I'll likely be fine.

You just cannot beat the look of the Pro grille, although the grille I have is much better than the shinier cheese graters of recent years. IMHO.

 

Welcome to the Rabbit hole called Tacoma World. I joined a little over a year ago and have found it extremely helpful as well as extremely hard on my wallet lol. Enjoy the ride.

 

Run Forest Run! Looks like you’re hitting the ground running. Tacomas are journeys, not destinations. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

<edit>. Oh, and Welcome to TW.

 

Congrats, sweet truck!

 

As I wait on my grille to arrive I'm researching light switches for the light bar which will go on the roof rack. The thing that has thrown me for a little bit of a loop is that I didn't realize the light bar wiring harness would come with TWO switches. I ordered one of the cali raised OEM style switches which will be nice and clean to just pop into one of the 'blanks' on the left-hand panel.

Now I'm thinking I need to order another one. I do like the idea of being able to only pop on the amber lights in fog or something. The problem is the two switches wouldn't be nice and tidy next to each other, nor would they be the same size. This is because the blank switches on the left taco panel are different (one smaller and wider, one tall and narrow), and they aren't next to each other:


The other option (which worries me cause surely it's a lot more work and brand new truck panels to pop out and potentially break plastic stuff...) is to go over to the middle panel. I could slide the ECT switch over one slot, which would leave me with two same-sized blanks, right next to each other.




Hmmm..... thoughts?

 

Welcome and congratulations on the new truck!!

 

Check out Meso Customs.
Stew is a great guy with quality products.

 

Welcome. Go have fun. Not too much fun. Not call the insurance company fun. But medium fun. Have that.