Which 2014 to buy to build?

The front end is Totally worthless for offroad. its a clamshell. Any serious offroading will deflect it and eat the gears.

The SR5 is the 8.4" ring gear rear. Tacoma Fanboys/offroad noobs will like to say the 8 to 8.4" makes no difference but it does. It makes a big difference.

Honestly for the work I'd go with the rubi.

 

The front end of a Tacoma is not worthless for moderate wheeling. You can swap in a solid axle in the front to do hardcore stuff but you will need to have some deep pockets or have the fab skills to do it yourself.

There are a dozen or do solid axle 05+ Tacoma trucks running around. Some are garbage and some are works of art. I only know of two that are done well enough to be drivable enough to be daily driven.

What is your intended use for your truck. DD and weekend toy? Full trail rig with occasional trips on the street or?

 

How many 05+ Tacomas have you built? Or is it just in your experience from what you've read online?

If you throttle down on a Rubi with a D44 hard enough with 35" tires you can grenade the rear end of it. The same is true with the 8.0" TRD E-locker or the 8.4" rear end.

I would agree with you that the aftermarket support to build a Rubi is better and that a D60 front and rear will eliminate your problems. But a D60 front and rear would allow you the same thing with a Tacoma.

 

It will be my daily driver and off roading on my days off.

 

Guess when it's all said and done it will probably cost just as much to build a Tacoma to get it close to a Rubicon. Bummer.