justinhw's 2006 Tacoma Reg Cab 4x4

[justinhw]

I’d like to introduce my new truck, a 2006 Toyota Tacoma. I’m primarily a backpacker, so my plans focus more on a reliable, well organized vehicle that I can sleep in and take to trailheads rather than a rig with all the creature comforts of home.

I was deciding between a Toyota Tacoma(2nd gen), Nissan Xterra(2nd gen), and Jeep TJ(rubicon). The TJ is amazing but a bit too small and specialized for my usage. After reading through each of the factory service manuals (took a loooong time), I decided to go with the Tacoma mainly due to design of the 2TR-FE engine (and the fact that there is much room to work around it since the engine bay accommodates the v6). After that, I chose a regular cab due to reduced weight, length, and because I only need capacity for 2 maximum. I was playing with the idea of an access cab because it gave a good space to mount a row of jerrycans, but with the 300lb weight penalty I figured I would find an acceptable solution in the bed of the truck.

Lucky for me, I found a truck that is exactly what I was looking for: regular cab, 4 cyl, 5 speed, 4x4, camper shell, bench seat, and manual windows/locks.

(old and the new)

I’ve spent a lot of time on expedition portal as well as tacoma world; there are a lot of good ideas!! My truck will ultimately be the emulation and accumulation of the ideas of others.

Let the Journey begin!

 

[Derek24]

Nice truck! You're going to love it!!!

 

[justinhw]

Scangauge II

I wanted gauges for numerical water temp, oil temp, voltage, and oil pressure. Turns out the 4cyl doesn’t have an oil temp gauge, and only a low pressure oil sensor. So, 2 out of the 4 measurement parameter was the best I could do. I also wanted to keep the truck perfectly stock looking inside so to prevent smash+grab type thefts. I saw a picture on Tacoma world (I forget the link) of someone putting the scangauge in the spare change compartment, and thought it was perfect. I can still see the gauges when driving, but it closes away perfectly when parked.

It took a bit of cutting to make fit

 

[justinhw]

Seat Covers

I purchased Cordura seat covers from Caltrend (dura plus) to protect the interior. Here are my impressions:

For $225, it was very poor quality. The fit is acceptable, definitely not as form-fitting as they describe it, but it is good enough for me. The fabric seems to be low-end 1000d cordura (comparing to fabric swatches I have) which is surprising (I was expecting 500d cordura). However, in typical cost-saving mass-production fashion, the stitch length is somewhere in the order of 6mm, and the quality of the sewing finish was low. I ended up reinforcing a few of the seams where I believe will see the most wear. The headrest covers are not as form-fitting as the body and the slits on the cover for the headrests are just cut; no reinforcement or locking of the fabric to prevent from splitting.
Frankly, when it wears down I’ll just use the pattern to make another one of better materials. I would have just paid for the pattern.

 

[justinhw]

Sleeping Platform

I saw drawer systems from roadtripcrazed and was truly impressed. I wanted to make a sleeping system similar, and when I saw something tacoma specific I knew I had to build one for myself.

The bed has cutouts for 2x6's, which I laid across a center beam (notched out) in order to support a bed of plywood. The center section has been routed such that it will lock together with the corrugations along the side and bottom of the bed. Along with the side beams, the support is secure from fore/aft & side/side movements.

2 pieces of plywood make up the bed, and some tie-down tracks (coretrax from Costco) have been installed so I can lash down additional gear if necessary. Underneath lives 4 plastic bins in which I can keep my kitchenware, clothing, gear, and food. The center beam had to be offset due to the corrugations in the bed (in the photos it's offset to the driver side as a test but I offset to the passengers side normally because the fuel tank in on the driver's – every little bit helps), and the extra space on the drivers side can be used for long items. The plastic bins have little wheels on them which mate perfectly with the corrugations and prevents side movement. I decided against making a full-blown drawer system for now as it would significantly increase the weight as well as cost (only $50 in wood so far). If my needs change I may move to a drawer system like roadtripcrazed.

The wood has been sealed to prevent moisture rot.
Next step for me is to put the carpet on!

References:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47516
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...mple-sleeping-platform-cheap-works-great.html

 

[justinhw]

Tool roll

I've been wanting to simplify and organize my tool setup, and in order to do that I decided to ditch my typical steel toolbox. I want to make a board of Velcro attached to the body behind the bench seat where I can stick organized pouches of tools (wrenches, ratchets, etc). The first step in that process was to make tool rolls. I used waxed canvas for the cover and a specially treated, stain resistant cotton liner. Sadly I got so caught up in sewing and forgot to sew Velcro on the back. I might have to make another.

 

[justinhw]

General modifications

The truck has been well taken care of in its 5 years of life. Oil changes and regular trans/transfercase/diff changes have been done, as well as u-joint lubrication.
I replaced the battery with an Optima Redtop because I feel safer with a sealed battery on corrugations.
The air pump for the smog air injection has no filter as far as I could tell visually, and it is not very clear in the FSM. Another goal is to make a filter for that as well. I figure I don’t want the catalytic converter and O2 sensor to be exposed to dust or contaminants, and so this will be more of a “peace of mind” change.

In addition, I want to add a metal grate in front of the a/c radiator in order to block large rocks from damaging the fins. Again this would be for reassurance.

I was concerned about skid plates, and BudBuilt makes some very beautiful pieces. However, I don’t go driving where the roads are extreme enough to utilize the strength of an aftermarket skid plate (yet) and so for simple rock and gravel protection I think the OEM one will work fine for me. Plus, it only weighs in at 8 lbs (according to my bathroom scale).

 

[Tim A]

Enjoying your build so far. Especially the tool rolls...they got flava. :smiley_drive:

 

[justinhw]

Sleeping Platform Continued

Carpet padding. It's made of closed cell foam - hopefully it'll protect the carpet, and act as a cushioning. Everything in the camper needs to be resistant to damp environments; the wood is sealed and the padding has moisture barriers.

Next, I cut out areas to recess the tie-down straps (core-trax). The padding is attached with some adhesive (liquid nail) to keep it in place before carpeting

I stretched the carpet taught and secured it with staples

Holes were drilled before carpeting, and I cut out small areas to expose them to attach the track.

A finished section

Bad picture, but here is the finished project

Thoughts:
It's very comfortable! I don't think I'll need an additional sleeping pad to sleep, the metal tracks are recessed enough not to bother me. As to whether the extra weight of the pad was worth it I'm not sure, I've yet to weight it!

 

[justinhw]

Weighed the sleeping platform, whole thing comes in at 96.2 lbs

 

[justinhw]

New Shoes - Toyo M-55

I found a really good deal on craigslist for 235/85/16's.. set of 4 for $150. They came off a Ford f250 powerstroke, still plenty of tread left.
$50 to mount & balance = $200 total said and done

These are Toyo M-55, an industrial/commercial 10ply E rated tire. There's a bit of a hum, but that's common with most aggressive tread tires (so I read).

These are also my first time driving with E rated tires, but it's too soon to have any opinions.

On to the pictures!

^Solution to Taco-lean - 32" tires on the driver side, stock 30.5's on the passenger :elkgrin:

At first, I thought I had a bit of rubbing at full lock, but after looking around the wheel well, there is plenty of clearance.

 

[trailrunner]

I think you'll like the M55's, I have 235/75-15s on my S10. One thing you may have to watch with the heavy sidewalls is your tire pressure, especially if your rims leak a little. After sitting for a while, my truck was down to 20 PSI in the rear, and there was no sidewall bulge at all. The definitely do have a whine at highway speed.

 

[bmh]

looking good. I look forward to seeing what you do in this thread. I like your sleeping platform.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Looks great, I like the simplicity of your thought process. as for weight... you can easily save 130-150 pounds by leaving the passenger at home...lol.

 

[justinhw]

One thing you may have to watch with the heavy sidewalls is your tire pressure, especially if your rims leak a little.

Thanks for the tip!

bmh, Jnich77; thanks for the comments!