Taco Sauce TX Pro Build: Custom LT, 37’s, Tundra Axle Swap, and now a Back Half?

Trans/ transfer skid in the works for today.

 

New A-Trac switch and mounted a fire extinguisher this week.



Truck is washed, clean and ready to load for the lake/rubicon trip starting next week.

 

Well, we made it off the rubicon in one piece. Holy hell was it awesome and fun. I was the newest Toyota on the trail by almost 20 years and the only ifs rig we saw.

Trail damage includes:
Small scratch to drivers door
Small scratch to front fender
1 busted tail light
Dented lca
Bent carrier bearing mount (will need to remake and replace carrier bearing/ probably replace drive shaft)
Bent sliders (rear doors won’t open)

Pictures to come after collaborating with friends to get them all.

 

Good job on the cage! Looks awesome

 

Finally getting around to posting pics from the Rubicon. It was such an awesome trip.
Sorry for the photo dump.





One of two pups that got to ride along during the trip.



And the trail begins.


The gate keeper gets you started through a boulder field and tight turns to make sure you know what you are getting into.


A couple of fun little climbs.







Top of the Granite Slabs.


Bad Ass Samurai that was basically a full Yota underneath (22re, trans, transfercase, axles...)



Taking Toyota Hill out of Little Sluice.


And the first trail breakage on what was supposed to be the best built Jeep in the group. Everything on this thing is built super well except the front trac bar bracket which they moved on the frame and apparently used a crappy welder to relocate. This would be the major failure on our trip.

Someone with Crawl Magazine loaned us a trail welder since they were going to be spending a few days at Rubicon Springs so we could return it whenever we got there. Too bad none of us had ever used one and could not get a good weld for the fix. multiple passes and we decided to keep moving.



Lots of water on the trail from snow melt.



Buddy was brave in taking his brand new (less than 6 months old) JLU on the trip with us. A 2" lift and new 37" tires and it did damn well actually. Biggest thing was his fear of body damage which is totally understandable.



After a long day one, 8.5hrs on the trail thanks to our trac bar breakage, me getting hung up a time or two, and mostly traffic (probably cost us 2hrs) we made it to Buck Island Lake late on day one and called it a night. Since we had had such a long day we decided to wait for everyone else to leave so we could steal a good camp spot and just relax there for the day. It was amazing and absolutely beautiful.

Water was about 45* and air temp in the mid 80's. Didn't stop us from some crude baths to clean up and hanging out playing catch in the freezing water. Sorry for all the whiteness.



Day three and we left camp and headed down Big Sluice towards Rubicon Springs which would be our final camp spot before finishing the trail.

Apparently we did a lot of this and not just on this obstacle, but the whole trail. Everyone waiving their arms and telling the group what their line would be and how their vehicle would handle it.




End of day three and we made it to Rubicon Springs shortly after the first trac bar fix failed. We had already given back the trail welder and had to resort to batteries and stick welding. We couldn't get it going but our neighbors had a "professional" pipe welder that was accustomed to using a stick welder and came to help us out. He had issues as well.

Notice the sweet welding glasses composed of 4 taped together pairs of cheap sunglasses.



Wrench for extra gusseting. Not my welds, we knew they were terrible, but figured it could get us off the trail and to a real shop in town.



And about 3/4 the way up Cadillac Hill the weld failed ripping the bracket off and snapping that wrench in half. Didn't bother trying to fix it again and just threw some ratchet straps in place to try and hold things together. It worked and the guy that all the Jeeps were storing their doors and tops at was luckily home when we finished the trail and was able to clean it up good and put some actual good welds on it to hold for the drive home. Pretty sure he ordered a 1/4" bracket during the drive home to replace the crappy stock one that caused so many issues.


And Success as we got to the top of Cadillac Hill and to Observation Point signaling the end of the trail (lies, there was still like 8 miles of wheeling far tougher than say Broken Arrow in Sedona).

 

Got a set of scs ray 10’s with the 3.5” backspacing waiting for 37’s to come off backorder in a few weeks. In the meantime I have removed inner fenders and started clearancing for them. Engine cage will get started at this point as well.

 

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Got to see the venture to running 37s

 

37’s back ordered another 2 weeks. But had a chance to make more progress on the engine cage.

 

Tires back order release date pushed back again with no eta. Found from a third party seller on eBay and should be here by the end of next week.

Engine cage 90% done. Just need to button up a few last items and paint. Then finish tubbing the firewall.



Also relocated the battery to behind the back seat.

 

This could get interesting.

 

She’s thicc on them 37’s

Gonna narrow her up an inch pulling wheel spacers

 

Aw hell yea dude, looks kickass!

 

No pics but after a lot more cutting, got the passenger side firewall tubbing done and trimmed the passenger front fender. Should clear the 37’s lock to lock at full bump now. I’m about one solid weekends worth work away from being able to wheel this thing again. Just need the drivers side tubbing and a few odds and ends finished up and I’m gonna drive this thing all winter

 

Looking forward to the tubbing photos.

 

the sheet metal tubbing is a hassle

 

No kidding. Should’ve just gone back down to 33’s, done no cutting and never worry about breaking axles.

 

but that’s no fun

 

Snuck one in for ya tonight. It’s as sealed and welded as I could get and will get a thick silicone bead around the perimeter as well as some flex seal inside and out.

Btw as I had heard before, I will confirm that both the rubberized sealing compound used on the outside of the truck as well as the padding underneath the carpet on the inside (seen peaking through the hole where the antenna comes out) are HIGHLY FLAMMABLE. Had several fire incidents before calling my fiancé in for fire watch while I welded and still had a few more fire incidences after that (just got put out quicker). Could have been better avoided by pulling the dash all the way out again and being able to pull that carpeting back a little better. But I’m a risk taker and it gives the truck a nice campfire smell. Better than the paint smell from painting the cage which lasted several months.

Haha exactly my reasoning. Heck I almost went with 38’s because they weren’t backordered for an undisclosed amount of time.

 

Mmmmmm stuffed tires with no rubbing.

 

I feel they’d look weird and/or be super heavy.

Edit: That said I have thought about trying to figure something out for when I go crawling to keep the fiberglass safe. I already pull the rear glass and swap to the stock fenders.