Tacoverlander
Observer
rear bumper installed
96 Tacoma Overlanding DIY budget build
- Thread starter Tacoverlander
- Start date
Tacoverlander
Observer
More weight=opportune time for suspension upgrade
Our first trip after the bumper was installed was a great time to really see how much the added weight would affect my suspension. Back to the beach...
here you can see that with all my gear loaded up, the truck sags a little in the back.
so what do you do when your suspension sags? you upgrade
While waiting for parts to arrive I gave the front bumper a little face lift
I just felt like the current bullnose was a little wimpy compared to others Ive seen. So I cut it off and tossed it. I went with a 2" square tubing in the middle with 1 1/2" on the headlight loops. I like this a lot better plus I now have protection around my lights.
Finally the suspension came in...
OME 2882 coils
CS019R leaf pack
D6XL Extra Leaf
Extended break line
Brake proportion relocation bracket
oh and my bag of candy all from wheelers offroad
Luckily I was still able to use my nitro charger shocks
and when you gain more fender space you need more tire...the next few weeks of driving around with the smaller tires was a little embarrassing. I tried to leave it parked as much as possible since this isnt a DD...lol
255/85/16 BFG KM2
waiting to get the new shoes balanced after we got it all installed.
Our first trip after the bumper was installed was a great time to really see how much the added weight would affect my suspension. Back to the beach...
here you can see that with all my gear loaded up, the truck sags a little in the back.
so what do you do when your suspension sags? you upgrade
While waiting for parts to arrive I gave the front bumper a little face lift
I just felt like the current bullnose was a little wimpy compared to others Ive seen. So I cut it off and tossed it. I went with a 2" square tubing in the middle with 1 1/2" on the headlight loops. I like this a lot better plus I now have protection around my lights.
Finally the suspension came in...
OME 2882 coils
CS019R leaf pack
D6XL Extra Leaf
Extended break line
Brake proportion relocation bracket
oh and my bag of candy all from wheelers offroad
Luckily I was still able to use my nitro charger shocks
and when you gain more fender space you need more tire...the next few weeks of driving around with the smaller tires was a little embarrassing. I tried to leave it parked as much as possible since this isnt a DD...lol
255/85/16 BFG KM2
waiting to get the new shoes balanced after we got it all installed.
Tacoverlander
Observer
A little cosmetic work and house cleaning...
Since I purchased the truck I had yet to really clean the carpet... which I was sorta dreading.
so I took all the interior out and cleaned it...
pretty dirty
while it was drying a installed some sound deadening material (duct insulation)
While I was in the mood I went ahead and painted my grille with plasti dip just in case I didnt like it it could be removed...turns out I really like it.
After getting the interior put back in
Since I purchased the truck I had yet to really clean the carpet... which I was sorta dreading.
so I took all the interior out and cleaned it...
pretty dirty
while it was drying a installed some sound deadening material (duct insulation)
While I was in the mood I went ahead and painted my grille with plasti dip just in case I didnt like it it could be removed...turns out I really like it.
After getting the interior put back in
Tacoverlander
Observer
License Plate Relocation and Trasharoo
When I ordered my tires from 4 wheel parts the were doing a promotion for a $50 gift card with purchase of 4 tires so I ordered a Trasharoo
As you can see the trasharoo covered the original place for the license plate so I had to move it. No picture yet but I just moved it to the jerry can holder, It was pretty straight forward.
When I ordered my tires from 4 wheel parts the were doing a promotion for a $50 gift card with purchase of 4 tires so I ordered a Trasharoo
As you can see the trasharoo covered the original place for the license plate so I had to move it. No picture yet but I just moved it to the jerry can holder, It was pretty straight forward.
Tacoverlander
Observer
Thanks! and your totally right. When you have your hands in everything to do with the build just makes it that much more rewarding when it all comes together.
RangeDrive
Observer
I know you said you are going to regear but how did the stock gears and 2.7 handle the larger tires? I'm assuming you have 4:10s right now? What is your total suspension lift height?
Tacoverlander
Observer
I actually have the dreaded 3.58
it really isn't horrible. Other than 5th gear being a dog, the only time time I can really tell is when climbing the mountains on the highway. You just get in the right lane and check out the scenery...lol As far as the lift, I have probably 3" in the front and 3.5" - 4"in the rear. I forgot to mention this in my build but I did install a 1" body lift from 4crawler a few months ago as well. Just didn't want to go hacking on my fenders just yet.
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RangeDrive
Observer
Ok thanks... I love your build, much like mine except you have a bigger lift and tires... I'm trying to figure out what size I should go with on the tires... Keep us updated on the build!
Thoryota
Observer
I really like what I see here Tacoverlander. I love the fact that you built everything yourself. What did you use for the hinge on your swingout? And could you post a picture of how you did your table? I am thinking about doing one myself on my swingout. Please keep us updated on the build because your truck is awesome.
Tacoverlander
Observer
Thanks for the shout out Thoryota! I went with the hinge from A to Z Fabrication. Heres the link https://atozfabrication.com/tire-carrier-hinge-kit.html?category_id=18 I went ahead and upgraded to the mega spindle to avoid trouble in the future. As far as the fold down table, I didnt really take many pictures during the build but i took some more detailed pictures for ya now that its done. Ill try to explain it a little bit better.
For the table itself I just used some scrap metal plate around 1/8" thick and cut it to the size of a standard coleman grill with room for the gas tank on the side. I also made sure that it was far enough away from the bed of the truck so it could be opened while the tailgate was down creating a "L" shaped prep area.
For the hinge I just got some small tubing and a rod that would fit in the tubing from tractor supply that was the length of the table. I cut the tubing into 5 section and slid them all onto the rod. I went ahead and welded the end pieces the rod securing them into place. Now comes the tricky part. The two pieces 2nd from both ends were welded to the table itself while the ends and center piece were welded to the tubing of the tire carrier creating the hinge. Same concept as the door hinge to any door in your home. Just make sure that you leave space between each piece to avoid binding when opening and closing the table.
To secure it in the closed position I just tac welded a bolt to the square tubing of the tire carrier itself and drilled a hole through the table and just screwed some wing nuts on top of washers to the back.
For the table hangers I just drilled a hole through the table and bolted an eye bolt through it.
I welded the other eye bolt directly to the tube frame. I just found some old stranded cable to bring it all together. I did these same steps for the other side as well.
In this last picture you can see a rubber washer around the bolt. I added this to eliminate rattle when closed while out on the trail... this worked perfectly.
I hope this helps a little. Let me know if you have any more questions.
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04dblcab
Observer
Awesome build on the bumper! I haven't been a fan of plate bumpers but I like this one!!
I was kinda hoping you would of just used masking tape to hold the metal together instead of welding it
Sweet rig man! Keep it up!
Tacoverlander
Observer
Awesome build on the bumper! I haven't been a fan of plate bumpers but I like this one!!
I was kinda hoping you would of just used masking tape to hold the metal together instead of welding it
Sweet rig man! Keep it up!
lol that'd been great... Lol
Thanks!
Thoryota
Observer
That is awesome. Pictures show exactly what I need to see. Thank you for taking the time to post the pictures. Looks like I need to get back to work on my truck now.
I don't have any pictures of my swingout for straight on but these pictures should show it good enough. After seeing your set up I have a lot more changes to do to mine. I used scrap hand rail for the basic frame and some 1/2'' plate with 3pt hitch tractor pins for the hinges. It is not happy with one spare tire let alone extra added weight. So with that said I will be copying some of your ideas to make this thing work right. With how its set up now I have to beat a pin out just to open the tail gate. It is getting old. But with everything in a bind from the weight of the tire it does not rattle. Any how I am done with hijacking your build. Carry on with the awesome work.
I don't have any pictures of my swingout for straight on but these pictures should show it good enough. After seeing your set up I have a lot more changes to do to mine. I used scrap hand rail for the basic frame and some 1/2'' plate with 3pt hitch tractor pins for the hinges. It is not happy with one spare tire let alone extra added weight. So with that said I will be copying some of your ideas to make this thing work right. With how its set up now I have to beat a pin out just to open the tail gate. It is getting old. But with everything in a bind from the weight of the tire it does not rattle. Any how I am done with hijacking your build. Carry on with the awesome work.
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Tacoverlander
Observer
Glad it was what you needed!
You take as many ideas as you need! I stole many of mine from the place as well
Let me know if you have any more questions.Love the old Toyota btw! Let me know the updates when you get done.