Taczilla's Build... Nothing Fancy, Just a Work Limo... STOLEN!... maudit tabernacle!

The one that is all beat to shite belongs to a guy out Odessa way that does demolition. You think the truck is bad, you should see his house! I bought some TRD tips off of him once, then changed my mind on a dual exhaust set-up, so I sold them.

I love that Speedway Blue, but they didn't have that in 2012.

I'll keep an eye out for ya!

 

I thought about that very idea too, but then thought WTF??!! Why have a BackRack, tonneau, and custom made RTT rack.
$$$ + $$$ + $$$ = too much $$$$

Why have a rack that I have to crawl under to open a tonneau that rolls up to the window?

I thought, if I'm camping and its raining, which it does a lot of on our east coast, I'll either have to crawl under the tonneau cover like a worm to access dry goods, or roll back the cover to create wet goods. I'll be soaked, grimy, and really pissed.

If you notice, most of the Expo Rack/RTT guys are out in the desert states, most of the Cap/RTT guys are on the east coast and PNW.

I went with a cap and Thule rack for those very reasons. $750 used + $100 for a new keyless entry latch that works off of my fob. I have a keyless Pop & Lock on my tailgate, so no fumbling with keys in the dark. The RTT goes (will go) on top of the cap. My gear goes in the camper shell. I'm building a platform with storage drawers in the bed of the truck. I have another tent that has an umbilical tunnel that wraps around the tailgate and cap hatch when opened. That 10x10 tent will be our nice dry kitchen with instant access to our stuff, which is already in Roughneck totes..

I'm planning an east coast Maritime provinces/Labrador trip in the next couple of years. It rains a lot there. My wife wants her stuff to stay dry, and for her to stay dry and happy. I just want to stay happy.

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BTW, the cap is real handy. I was at the dump on Saturday doing my recycling, and someone was ready to dump about 80 pairs of hockey and figure skates, hockey sweaters and socks too numerous to count (gear bags and tuff-totes full), bags of gear, sticks, and four sets of goalie pads and gloves. My truck is full, literally. The back seat and cap are stuffed to the roof. I'm a school teacher, so its going be Christmas at school tomorrow, and I'm going to be Santa!

... and it snowed here Saturday night, and everything is dry as a bone.

 

See, I'm from California and possibly moving back but still think a cap is the best bet for my plans. My wife just retired to be a stay at home mom and my work allows me to do it anywhere except for when I have to travel for work so we've been talking about lots of travel to see sights not everybody gets to see.

For that reason alone, I'm moving towards expo-type mods and I think a cap with a Baja Rack to match the one on my cab would be the next logical purchase to make a spot for the RTT; however, the wife has expressed interest in an offroad trailer to replace our small toy hauler. Not sure I want to drop that kind of coin on an offroad trailer when I can spend it on a nice travel trailer for "base camp" to go back to after a day or 3 out and about.

The other thing I don't want is an RTT on top of the truck 24/7 but I can solve that with some pulleys in the garage.

Nice find on the hockey equipment by the way! There will be a lot of happy kids very soon!

 

@dan0mite

So you were thinking of putting an RTT on a canvas covered rack that covers a tonneau covered truck bed? That wouldn't really work, since you'll have to have holes in the canvas to put the RTT u-bolts through.

I agree, a cap is definitely the way to go.

My wife wants a travel trailer as well, but hauling that around is pricey. And, there is no way that I'm over-spending my hard earned cash on an over-priced Expo trailer. I do not see the value in spending $18K USD on one of them. Besides, dragging a trailer around is a PITA.

But what wifey wants....

 

The thought was that the rack and RTT would only go on when needed and when it was on, the tonneau would stay rolled up and the canvas would take its place to keep things somewhat out of the elements (knowing it wouldn't be completely weatherproof). When the rack and RTT are not on the truck, I'd still have use of the headache rack and tonneau.

Typing all this out really brings to light the complexity...I should just go ahead and put a cap on it and be done. Then mount and dismount the RTT as needed.

 

I'm with ya on that one. Lot's of cheap caps out there if you look. I went with a black cap that I found with a Thule rack, was going to colour match it, but then the black looked good on my MGM, so I'm putting that coin elsewhere.

Now I have to figure out where the RTT is going to be stored when I get it. Probably suspended in my barn, since the truck doesn't clear the garage door.

 

Looks our trucks are going the same route, sort of. I found a Baja Rack to put on the roof of my truck. I just have to go get it 3 1/2 hours away, but I'll make a family visit of that trip.

... and a hidden winch set-up. As soon as it warms up I have a pile of lighting and electrical to install as well. It never ends.

 

Tell me about it... I've got all kinds of stuff sitting in the garage waiting on me including electrical as well.

There's a guy about 4 hours from me with a Baja Rack for on top of the camper that I don't have. It's at a price that is hard to pass up...impossible if I would've already had the shell.

If I end up going up that way to the National Forrest this weekend, I'll more than likely be contacting him.

Like you said, it never ends.

 

Really enjoy the thread. Will be back to steal ideas.

Bought my Taco used, and have learned a lot about what PO did from TW. Have also spent much money on other stuff for the truck because of TW.

But, what I want to know is, where are the TACZILLA badges?

 

I actually have a set of letters spelled out that says TACZILLA. I painted them black. Just wondering if I should put them on the truck.

 

I tried to get some of those custom badges Toyota is giving away for free. However shipping to Canada is a no Bueno. What we get in "free" health care we lose in shipping. Lol

 

I had it sent to in-laws in MA, then forwarded here.

 

Nothing but win.

If you don't like how it turns out, you can just switch back.

 

Installed the HiLift that I got from @NorilskSever ... thanks!



The All Pro mounts are pretty slick.

I also got rid of the bar code sticker, touched up the base paint, and zip-tied it to keep the Rattle Fairy at bay.



I couldn't justify the cost of those foam do-dads that hold the handle and the neoprene base sock.

Here is one tool that I hope I never have to use.

 

Got some good shite coming:

- Smittybilt x2o 10,000 lb winch with synthetic line RC / got a great deal from North Shore Off Road... Thanks, Max!
- Pelfreybilt 31m battery cage


Need to order:
- Pelfreybilt Hidden Winch Mount (ordered on sale, get it in early July)
- Northstar 31M battery
- 1/0 welding cable and fittings

Nice weather is here and school is almost done, so I will be on vacation too! I'm not taking any summer contracting jobs this year. I'm building a deck on my house this year.

... and I'm gonna be busy on the taco soon!

I'll keep you all posted.

 

Look forward to when it all comes together!

 

Me too. Shite has been collecting for months. Next week is the battery. I should have the electrical upgrades done by summer break (July).

Ordered the Pelfreybilt Hidden Winch Mount.

Guess what? You're gonna help with the winch electrics! Mod day!

BTW, where did you get the 400 amp fuse block and fuse?

 

Haha I guess so lol. I got the fuse at west marine but it could be ordered off of Amazon but west marine was a tad better. Got everything there. The stainless steel cable lugs for the wire. Everything except the actual cable. See if I can get some part numbers.

 

Ya, pricey on eBay and Amazon. But in the end, peace of mind is worth it.

Thanks!