Gary's 2004 Tacoma

[Terracoma]

Year: 2004
Make: Toyota
Model: Tacoma Xtra-Cab
Trim: SR5, TRD

Engine: 5VZ-FE
Transmission: R150F


Armor:
Front --- ARB USA Bull Bar Front Bumper
Rear --- Stock
Skids --- Skid Row Offroad Front Skid Plate

Brake System:
Front Axle --- Stock
Rear Axle --- Stock

Communications:
- Yaesu FT-8800R Transceiver, Larsen 2m/70cm Antenna, Vertex MLS-100 Speaker ~~~ (Coming soon!)

Drivetrain:
Drain & Fill Plugs --- Toyota P/N 90341-18021
Gear Fluids --- Red Line Synthetic Oils (75W90, MT-90)
Transmission --- Stock
Transfer Case --- Stock
Front Axle --- Stock
Rear Axle --- Toyota Electric Locker

Electrical:
Alternator --- Stock
Battery --- DieHard Platinum Marine PM-1, Group Size 31M, Steel Battery Tray

Engine/Performance:
- Remote Mounted Oil Filter ~~~ (Coming soon!)

Exterior:
- SnugTop "Cab-Hi" Fiberglass Truck Cap
- SPI Spray-on Bedliner
- Yakima Q-towers and Q-stretch Kit

Interior:
- Linear Logic ScanGuage II
- Pro.Fit International VSM ~~~ (Coming soon!)

Lighting:
Front --- Stock
Rear --- PIAA 1500-series 55w Flood Lights ~~~ (Coming soon!)

Recovery:
Front --- Stock
Rear --- Curt Manufacturing Receiver

Rolling Stock:
Tires --- BFGoodrich T/A KM LT265/75R16D
Wheels --- 16x8" American Racing 767s, 4" Backspacing

Suspension/Chassis:
Front --- Old Man Emu 90002 Struts, Old Man Emu 882 Coils, Old Man Emu 5mm Trim Packer
Rear --- Old Man Emu CS046R Springs, Old Man Emu GS12 Shackles, Old Man Emu 60062 Shocks




Modifications Removed:
- All-Pro Off Road Rear Bumper
- Beard Limiting Straps
- Bentup Rock Skids
- BetterBuilt Saddle Box
- Bilstein 5125-series Shocks
- Downey Off-Road HD Shackles
- Fourtreks Modular Hi-Lift Mount
- ToyTec 1-1/2" Coil Spacers
- ToyTec 1" Front Differential Spacers




Future Plans...
- Extended Rear Differential Breather
- Modified ToyTec Differential Spacers




A (re)build in progress!


:victory:

 

[RoundOut]

Welcome!

Welcome to ExPo!

You have a beautiful truck and many here would say it is the correct color, too! LOL

I look forward to watching your build progress.



.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Welcome to the Portal.

Great looking ext cab. Where is the photo taken?

 

[Streakerfreak]

That is one cool photograph. Looks like fun!

 

[hayduke]

nice truck

That is looking great. I love this site and drool over all the highly functional tacomas. My tacoma has high hopes to be simular. I have some questions and Know many are repeats due to reading all kinds of threads on the site but here it goes...Lift are the packages from OME with 2.5, will it affect the frount to increase stress unwantingly on a 98 ext. cab. What size tires can I get or want? 32 or 33, 10.5 or 9.5x15(stock wheels). Should I regear if I go 33, What will the gas milage turn out to be? I have a 100,000 mile 98 ext. cab limited and would like to increase carrying capacity for long climbing trips, snowmobile carrying, moose carrying, etc. OME the best for that? please lend me some knowledge Thanks. B

 

[p1michaud]

New rig

That is one cool photograph. Looks like fun!

Ditto, nice pictures.

Very cool rig, I like it! Welcome to ExPo.

 

[Willman]

What a great rig!

Keep us updated on all your mods!

 

[cawddsasf]

Love the Bridgeport snow pics!

We need to do a run sometime. I need snow!

 

[Dave Bennett]

Awesome looking truck. :costumed-smiley-007

Welcome to ExPo!!!

 

[HMR]

Awesome looking truck.

+1
:26_7_2:

 

[Terracoma]

Where is the photo taken?

Thanks for the kind comments and the "welcome aboard" everyone! I had a nice little update typed up, but then lost it all after I accidentally logged out... Oops! The original photo of the truck was taken near the top of Wheeler Peak in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas), an hour's drive northwest of the town of Bridgeport, CA.

Between the holidays, school starting up again in January, and the rain settling-in in the last few weeks, not much has gotten done. However, the sun was out and the sky was clear yesterday, so I headed outside to photograph the smaller additions I've made during the last few months.



Soon after purchasing the truck, I realized that the All-Pro rear bumper was missing a few important features; no license plate light mounts, no receiver pocket, and most importantly, no recovery points... With a 4-day trip looming, I had to come up with a quick solution. I decided to go with Curt Manufacturing's 5-ton capacity tow hooks accompanied by a set of Expeditionware's backing plates, both available from Expedition Exchange. In the three months that the hooks have been installed, rust has befallen the strap retaining springs and the supplied bolts, but the hooks and the backing plates still look good... Thin paint, perhaps?

Oh well. They'll be paying a visit to the powdercoater once my bank account says it's okay. Here's the "prettier" of the two.


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Having a saddle box means that the front factory rope rings are useless... A trip to ACE Hardware soon fixed that.


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In the pitch black of night on the first day of the trip (somewhere on Highway 108) we happened upon a motorist on the side of road who had struck a deer... Whilst rummaging through my toolbox looking for my road flares and the box of nitrile gloves, it dawned on my that I really needed a set of lights under the lid. That way I can rummage around with both hands, rather than only being able to use one hand while the other holds the flashlight. Dad was impulse shopping at Costco a while back and brought these home. I tracked down a pair of them and put them to work. These suckers are BRIGHT, not to mention that they swivel and tilt on their base, so you can get the light closer to where you need it.


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We encountered a substantial amount of snow during a hill-climb that trip, and after almost getting myself stuck once or twice in a particular rut, I wondered why we left home without bringing a basic, yet very important tool...


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Ahhhh, that's better. Now my conscience sleeps soundly at night. A fellow 'wheeling friend tipped me off to a fiberglass-handle shovel at Harbor Freight for less than $10 that I could "customize" to fit the space restrictions of my bed. I had previously invested in a set of Quick-Fist clamps, so I put a pair of them to good use.


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That's all I have for now. However, I have updated the first post with the additions described above and also added a taste of what's to come!

:jumping:

 

[JJackson]

Gary, you have a smiliar truck to mine, except I have not done my mods, I do hope I can get it to look like yours. In the back of mine I have a low profile box that allows me access to my rope hooks, I use them when I have the quad in back.

 

[Terracoma]

Update!

I'd been looking at getting the bed of my truck spray-lined for a while... I couldn't stand the texture and thick, chunky lay of Rhino Linings, but also couldn't bring myself to pay the $550+ for Line-X over the rails... A buddy of mine recommended me to a local chain, Campways, and their spray-in liner which he had applied to his Tacoma... After reading a bit online and going down to the showroom to check out some samples, I made an appointment. The spray is officially Specialty Products Incorporated's "Full Metal Jacket" - looks and feels very similar to Line-X, but without the heavy price tag; perfect!

Before:


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After:


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Once I got the truck back, I didn't waste any more time being lazy and got two more additions squared away.

The first are two pieces from Pro.Fit International, their 'Vehicle Specific Mount' and 'Express Mount'. I've seen a few, less expensive variations of these mounts, but Crutchfield carried this particular brand and that sealed the deal for me. The little bugger is very handy for keeping my Yaesu VX-7R in a upright, easily visible location that is within arm's reach. The Express Mount has a slot that accepts the button stud on the back of the radio, and the little rubber pad on the mount also keeps the radio from rotating or swinging around on it's button as we bounce down the trails. The mount install was straightforward, and the bracket does not interfere with the glove box or the air bag.


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The second addition is a set of trick little Modular Hi-Lift Mounts from Fourtreks Off-Road... The jury is still out on these, though. They are very high quality products and very stout, but I had the wing nuts come loose (more than once) during a recent trip. Seems as though the constant vibration worked them loose, even after I cranked them down as tight as I reasonably could... I've installed a lock washer between each wing nut and the Hi-Lift and will see if that keeps them from loosening up again... They may be a little too *bling* for some folks, but I feel that the quality and attention to detail on these babies is worth the price if appearance isn't an issue. I did mention to Luke at Fourtreks that he should consider making a small batch and having them anodized black, just to see how they sell versus the standard finish...... If the lock washers work out, and I can get them to stop vibrating loose, my set will definitely be visiting a local powdercoater for an aesthetic overhaul.


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[Terracoma]

Overall photos after the spray-liner and Fourtreks mounts:


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Two weeks or so went by and I couldn't take it anymore; I had to have something over the bed rails... After oogling the BajaTaco, several other sleeping platform designs, and talking with a like-minded friend, I decided that a fiberglass truck cap would suit me best. But which one? There's only several handfuls of manufacturers out there... Another trip down to Campways got me straightened out. I narrowed it down to the Leer 100R or the SnugTop Cab-Hi, and after a day or two or thinking it over, I decided on the SnugTop. My friend also told me his 'woulda-shoulda' regrets after having put 10,000+ miles on his cap, so I promptly specified a front tilt-down sliding window, dual side windoors, and Yakima tracks installed in the roof for mine.


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So far I'm very happy with the cap, especially for the price. The additional weight over the rear axle made a noticeable difference on the pavement, the rebound of the rear shocks is no longer bone-jarring going over large speedbumps, curbs, and small Hyundai sedans at anything faster than walking speed. Body roll has increased a little too, not much, but just enough for me to take notice while cornering at speed...... The real question, how well does it camp? I intend to find out, but I need a solid weekend to give it a good breakin' in!

:camping:

 

[7wt]

Looks good Gary. I am thinking on going with a cap in a couple of weeks too. I am having the toughest time deciding to do it though. On one hand I like the way my truck looks and works now, on the other hand a cap will only increase my truck's usefulness. What to do, what to do?