Dick's Dank Yank Wank Tank

Might as well get it over with and start this now so I have a list of all the shit I want to do written in one place. Day 1 after selling the 1st gen. Now I can focus. Kind of.

Don't fuck it all up, you fuckers. Don't. Seriously.

Son was arriving in August 2015. Needed a DC for a growing family. Wanted a long bed for stuff because truck. Don't like skewps. Did not want 3rd gen bleeding edge and unknowns. Plus they look like ass.

2015 DCLB 4x4 SR5 Silver Sky Metallic. Purchased from Freeman Toyota in Santa Rosa, California, after hunting electronically and physically across Northern California. $1000 under invoice.
SL: SR5 Extra Value Package
TO: V6 Towing package
AL: 16-in alloy wheels
EE: Entune Premium with Nav

Current pic
September 2023
Lift on



August 30, 2018. New Leer 100RCC.


June 24 2016:


When I bought it, June 2015:

Fresh off the delivery truck in the dealer's back lot, 3 miles on ODO, still needs dealer prep.

Picking it up a few days later.



Sunscreen mod. Visiting dad after taking delivery.

Enjoying lunch and shopping at Mountain Hardware factory outlet with wife in Richmond at the old nd repurposed Ford Factory, looking across the Bay to SF.


Finally home.
ermagerd, ser merny Tercermers




OK, enough screwing around, need to do this mod first.


Holy shit, that was quick!


OK, Bennett, this thing is as much your as it is mine. The adventures we'll have....
*Note the pose:

 

TODAY (6/25/2016)



3/30/2016



2/28/16


Ok so where am I going with this? I guess light expo daily driver and project-stuff-getter covers it. You know, a truck. Lots of camping, forestry roads and mid-level trails, towing the teardrop camper, exploring, accessing superlative venues for viewing the Milky Way and meteor showers, likely eventual RTT addition when the kiddo gets bigger. And the typical hauling lumber, ladders, and junk for DIY house projects.

Here's a bunch of random stuff that crosses my mind so I don't forget in my new dad haze. Still familiarizing with 2nd gen quirks and tweaks in general.

Note to self: add weights

Somewhat in this order possibly to some degree.

Last update to progress or other tweaks: 8/28/18

Done(ish) in this order. New stuff added at bottom of list for now:

• Husky Weatherbeater mats
• TrailFX bed mat 616D (~33 lb)
• Tailgate anti-theft clamp
• Relentless tailgate reinforcement plate, aluminum powdercoat (13 lb)
• Depo black tail lights #312-1995P-AS2 from 2004momo EBAY
• VLED reverse bulbs (921_15_W_5K 5K white 15 LED high power bulbs). DVexile did a far superior writeup with outstanding images.
• Salex console organizer
• Salex glove box organizer
• Redline hood struts (1 lb)
• Relocate 7-pin harness to license plate light
• Wheels: SCS F5 4.5 backspace matte gunmetal x5
• Tires: Cooper ST Maxx 265/75-16, installed 2/27/16
  
• BFH full-size spare carrier mod
• Rear diff breather extension and freeflow breather
• 2012-2015 Homeroshi color match w/black M1 mesh Grill #1 from Craig Horn relocate, behind-grill blackout.
• FJ Emblem to be color matched 1d6 Toyota Part 75311-90K00. 1D6 and related stuff http://www.automotivetouchup.com/touch-up-paint/toyota/2015/tacoma/
  
• Map light LED swap white/red.
• G-Tek Fab Door Sill Protectors, carbide texture black (2 lb)
• Carhartt seat covers (gravel color) to fight the impending childhood carnage to these difficult-to-clean seats
• Baja Designs Squadron R Sport amber wide angle cornering fog light replacements and fit kit for Toyota OEM fog light mounting. Customized with black bezel, black screws.
• RAM mount A-pillar phone holder
• Stainless steel extended brake lines Goodridge 600 series smooth bore.
  Courtesy of OCTaco. Silver (clear sheath), rears 23 inches, front 14.5 inches
• Secondary air injection pump filter mod
• Hondo Garage radio knobs. Goodbye OEM crap.
  
• Amerex Purple K extinguisher and Bracketeer front seat mount
• Fumoto F-103s
• Bed rail foam seal and caulk
• Bentrodder bedside stiffeners

Acquired/in process:

• Leer 100RCC with vented windoors (~150 lb) to be installed 8/29
• Total Chaos UCAs with super secret sauce black bushings (acquired)
• Dakars and AALs (acquired, prepped)
• OEM "naked" (bushless) shackles
  
• Front King 2.5 remote reservoir coilover 25001-119-ext
  black anodized parts and hose
  Rear King 2.5 remote reservoir shock 25001-Dickar
  custom length 17 comp, 27 ext, black anodized parts and hose,
  threaded rod end, rubber bump (acquired)
• 4xInnovations HD shackles TO BE SOLD
• 4.0L Magnuson supercharger whoa, where did that come from? (acquired)
• Baja Designs S2 Pro driving combo, clear lens, single pair for adding to front of Prinsu rack. Depending on performance, I may add another pair at a later date. (acquired)
• Mud flaps, my baby's gonna have 'em. But WTF, Toyota, your stock crap hits speed bumps. Going with Proven Designs Classic, and have them add an OEM 4x4 logo. Shorter, far more flexible, and a bit wider/outboard to accommodate increased offset with the wheels. Want to protect the body and also the teardrop trailer when towing that, especially on gravel roads. (acquired, pending lift for install)
• Szechuanese Z-profile Leer glass door bottom seal. Yay, thanks for sending a different item than shown, Chinese ebay vendor, and the ensuing ESL circular argument via PM. May still be able to use it. We'll see.
• Bumper plugs, Lowe's + touchup paint. (acquired)
• Prinsu Cabrac and Toprac, black powdercoat and anodized. Flipping group buy came up, 20% off if you get both March 2016. So I guess this moved up the list. Cabrac 42 lb. Toprac 36 lb. (acquired, currently being seasoned up in the garage trusses)

The indeterminate future:
SUSPENSION
Looking for no more than about 2-2.5 in. overall when fully loaded. I need to do some crunching on projected load weights and with trailer for the rear.

• Front: King 25001-119-EXT, not sure on coil rating yet. Probably start at 600. Swaybar relocate or more likely outright removal. JBA UCAs (updated model). Don't want maintenance headache of uniballs, but want to increase articulation/droop because LWB and no locker.
• Rear: Dakars, plus Kings of appropriate length. The OEM Performance Kings leave a couple inches of droop on the table with Dakars. Shock fitment notes from Crom. Bilstein RCD/BE5-B110-T5 provides extended length: 27.28, collapsed length: 16.34". Get Dakar AAL, remove an overload, add 3 degree shims, add carrier bearing drop. UPDATE: some variance on Crom's Bilstein parts and Kings in terms of measurement. After acounting for that, this is what King is basing design on: 17 in. compression, 28 in. max. extension, 11 in. travel total.
• U-bolt flip and Wheeler's Superbumps front and rear
• Extended rear brake lines

OTHER CRAP

• Unfuck Entune/ Android HU. The
  JOYING® Quad Core Hd 1024*600 Resolution Automotive in Dash Universal Double 2 Din Android 4.4.4 Car Stereo Radio Audio Head Unit GPS Navigation Hd Capacitive Muti Touch Screen Am/fm Radio Automotive Support/bluetooth/sd/usb/bluetooth/3g/wifi/obd2/1080p/dv
  Happy Happy Joy Joy units are getting great reviews and sound like a bargain.
  
• Relentless Industries SR-M clear diffused flood reverse/work light kit. Mount to rear of Caprac. Possible mount to hitch for interim use.
• Maxtrax mounting pins or equivalent for Cabrac.
• High-clearance exhaust cross pipe. WTF, Toyota, this is a 4x4. DVexile also has a great writeup on this Diet Taco... trying to keep things light. Potential local shops: http://specializedexhaust.com/about-us/, http://mufflerexpress.net/
  
• Bedrail/tie-down mod. The stock twisty clampy hooky things suck ass to operate and for attaching simple control devices like rubber trucker bungees.
• Leer cap paint color match to Silver Sky Metallic
• Tailgate dust seal
• Better I-pod/USB setup, including back seat.
• Convenience/reading light above each rear door for passengers. Three-way white/red LED ideal.
• Fire extinguisher/quickfists, and other quickfisty stuff
• De-tick the fucking engine a bit https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ticking-engine-one-fix.43632/
• Rear diff armor
• Auxiliary backup lights 6-inch LEDs
• More (and better) USBs in front console https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dual-usb-charging-outlet-install.381093/
• USB jack in rear center console for back seat passengers.
• Bed D-rings on rear cubbies
• Rear bumper color match or black or high clearance plate. The Relentless is awesome, but I can't justify this unless I damage or get hung up on the stock bumper.
• US Offroad Bumper w/ winch (possibly)
• Unfuck/remove the stock storage behind the back seat.
• Cab sound deadening, speaker upgrade. Crom FTMFW
• Black head lights, Depo apparently over Anzo (doesn't look like Depo makes them yet). May have to just do the BHLM on the OEMs.
  
• Red Line Easy-down tailgate strut. Apparently they only work up to 2011, will see if they ever make a 12-15. The Relentless plate makes the gate a fair bit heavier, even in aluminum.
• RTT on top of Leer when the kid gets a bit older. Note on storage:champion hoist from Cabelas
• Perhaps Vinyl Tacoma decals to replace badges. Dark gray (idea is a bit darker than the paint color, almost ghost), and separated letters across the lower edge of tailgate. After everything else is done and I'm bored and have too much free time LOL.
• OTTRA lighted switches for fog lights, aux backup/task lights, and some LED offroad lights mounted at hood rear corners or roof rack...we'll see.
• Other basic 2nd gen fixes to known stupid issues. Refresh my memory
• Foglights anytime mod
• Color matching note: http://www.automotivetouchup.com/touch-up-paint/buypaint

Future organization in all my free time:

Interior
Exterior
Wheels and Suspension

Oh fuck this. I'll just sell it and get something else.

 

EDIT: wheels post moved down, first junk purchased moved here.

Husky Weatherbeaters


Bedmat



OMG those plastic bins behind the back seats suck, placeholder for future mod.

 

EDIT: moved all cap stuff here.
LEER CAP

Need a cap. Craigslist find, used Leer XQ with bells and whistles for $900, I'll give it some TLC and get it color matched later when things calms down.
Seller threw in a Bedrug, I sold it to a TW member for $300. Leer price now effectively $600. This one with its options would have been new OTD about $3k.

Still need to put all this in.

 

TIRES AND WHEELS RESEARCH

NOTE 2016/02/29: I ultimately decided to go with Cooper ST Maxx on SCS F5 4.5 backspacing instead. Essentially the same key specification and benefits of the Konigs, but the SCS F5 style, structural design, and way they complemented the SSM color of the truck just got the better of me. That said, I learned a heck of a lot by investigating the Konigs and my discussions with Dustin at FN Wheels regarding the Konigs. It was a hard choice. So, for now, I am leaving this here for others to benefit from.

Information on the SCS/Cooper setup is provided here (link fixed).

Michelin
LTX AT2 LT265/75-16 ~$200/tire @TireRack


Cooper
Discoverer ST MAXX ~ $180

Cooper tire weight, as weighed by me on bathroom scales: 55 lb

Wheels

Konig Countersteers are at the top of the list. I've never used non-OEM wheels before, let alone on a second gen, so I was doing some Q&A with Dustin at FN wheels.

Likely black to match other black trim on truck and for ease of rattle can touch-up for rash, but looking at graphite and anthracite, too.
Graphite on left, anthracite on right, pics courtesy of Dustin at my request. He did some in sun and some in shade to reveal the subtle differences. Above and beyond, Dustin, thanks. Your responsiveness, clarity, and professionalism make me want to give you money.










More info from Dustin, some of this is provided on the FN site, but again, he goes above and beyond. This is only a fraction of his thoughtful, clear responses:

Overall fit, spec, backspacing, etc.

Regarding backspacing - all of our wheels are going to be different from your factory wheels. All of our wheels will have more aggressive offset and backspacing than the factory wheels (although some of our wheels do differ from one another).

Your factory wheels have a particularly high offset / backspacing and a narrow width : 16x7" / +32mm offset / 5.26" backspacing.

The 16x8" Konig Countersteer Offroad has a lower offset / backspacing and a slightly wider width: 16x8" / +0mm offset / 4.5" backspacing.

We make all of our wheels with a wider width and lower backspacing vs. the factory wheels to give a wider range of tire fitment options, better suspension clearance, and a wider stance for better appearance (looks).

If you plan to install the wheels with factory suspension and 265/75R16 tires (which are about 1" taller than the OEM tires) you might have a very small (minimal) amount of rubbing on the front mud flaps / aero flap under the front fender liner.

This is pretty easily remedied by removing the flaps or trimming the flaps, or you can just leave them on and wait until you install your lift for the rubbing to go away. Again it will be very minimal, and probably only noticeable when pulling into or backing out of tight parking spaces. If you install the new wheels with factory sized tires and factory suspension you would not have rubbing at all.

Lugs
The lug nuts are not particularly special so to speak, but they are different from your OEM lug nuts. The OE lug nuts have a shank that goes into the wheel and a flat washer. This is called a mag-shank or E.T. style lug nut. Our wheels are drilled with conical seats that have 60 degree tapers, and as such they take 60 degree tapered lug nuts. The lug nuts that I include a spline drive, small diameter lug nuts which use a special spline socket key (which is also included).

We prefer to use small diameter spline lug nuts because they fit better in the lug journals of our wheels, and as a result there is less risk to scratching the lug
journals / spokes. The spline socket is a 19mm or 3/4" hex drive, so you will need to keep a 19mm or 3/4" adapter or wrench w/ socket in your truck in case you get a flat. You'll also want to keep 6pcs of the original factory lug nuts just in case you need to put the spare on the truck, since the factory spare uses the factory lug
nuts.

This is all standard, and the same way we've been doing these wheels for the last 10 years that I've been selling them on Custom Tacos, Tacoma World, and the other sites.


And an approximation of black on the lighter silver SB, but black trim. Tires similar ish to Cooper ST MAXX for...burliness.



Differences from Stock

Weight
OEM alloy 22.2 lb according to Crom's sources.
Dunflop AT Grandkraps 245/70 r16 [TBD]

Konig Countersteer 19.3 lb per wheel, 955KG load rating (2,100lbs+).
Cooper S/T Maxx 265/75 r16 54lb (according to an individual who called Cooper and was given this weight for this size tire)

Weight difference:
Konig is 2.9 lb lighter
Cooper is [XXX] heavier
Total wheel weight delta: [TBD]

Stance
OEM factory wheels have a particularly high offset / backspacing and a narrow width : 16x7" / +32mm (approx. 1.25 inches) offset / 5.26" backspacing.
Konig Countersteer Offroad has a lower offset / backspacing and a slightly wider width: 16x8" / +0mm offset / 4.5" backspacing.

Stance difference:
Konig
1 inch wider wheel
1.25 inch less offset (farther outboard)
.76 in less backspacing [NOTE: This number is suspect, check with FN. O inch offset on an 8 inch wheel should result in 4 inch backspacing, not 4.5 as stated by Dustin. Waiting for a response on this.]

 

Yesss

 

Subd

 

In.

 

In

 

Srsly guys. Keep it chill in here.


Baby on board


Shhhhh


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbxtYqA6ypM



This is actually one of the first albums I played for Bennett.

 

What the... Devil?

 

Let me know if you want my flush-er fit bolts for the tailgate protector if you don't go the full recessed route.

If you want to maintain your OEM fiberglass pieces, you can re-use the bolts you have now with the shoulders, you just need to take a drill bit to the OEM piece and widen the holes to the diameter of the shoulder, IIRC - 1/2". Could've been bigger.

Also, fiberglass likes high speed drilling. You probably already know that, though.. I didn't.

 

Yeah, I saw that guy's write-up on that, thanks. Since that is at the top of my list. I think I'll keep the cover on for usability purposes and ease of loading/unloading.

 

Would.

The aluminum piece is great, but it's soft aluminum.. I didn't want to scratch it all to fuck and worry about putting divots and dents and scrapes into it while using my bed for truck stuff, so it was a no brainer to cover it up with the OEM piece.

Winning.*




*Except the $12 I spent getting bolts I didn't end up using.

 

Wow, so THATS what they look like before we get ahold of them.. GL with the build Dick , I will follow without comment...haha...