Orange Crush - My 3rd Gen Tacoma Build

[Go4Lo]

Given there aren't many 3rd Gen Tacoma builds started yet I thought I'd share some of mine with the Expo crew. Don't get too excited....this will be a slow build as the cost of the truck ate up most of my budget :Wow1:

I am glad to be back in a truck after selling my '08 DCSB a few years ago and making the switch to a 100 Series LC. No offense to the LC owners as the 100 series was a fantastic truck that took us a LOT of cool places with ease. The decision to move into a new truck came as a result of an opportunity to sell my built 100 series and recoup a majority of the investment I had in the truck and as most of you know that have been playing this game for a while like me you rarely get your money back out of these builds. So the LC found a new home in TX and a shiny new 2016 Tacoma DCSB 4x4 TRD Offroad found a new home in my garage....oh yeah it's bright orange as well :sombrero:

She's adequately been named "Orange Crush".

Goals -
Carry my family of 4 (myself, wife and 3yr old and 5yr old) on weekend adventures off the beaten path around the South Eastern US and hopefully to the wild west over time.
Bilstein 5100 Shocks - Front set to level .85 - Done
SumoSprings for Rear Load - Need to install
TRD Pro SEMA 17" Wheels - Done
BFG AT KO2s 275/70/17 E-Rated - Done
Step Bar/Rocker Protection - Done
Bed Rack - KB Voodoo Rack - On Order
RTT - Tepui Gran Sabana - On Order
ARB 37qt Fridge - Need to Install in Bed
Access Bed Cover - Done

Future Plans -
ARB Awing
Additional Lighting (front, bed, etc)

 

[Go4Lo]

With the goal of keeping things simple and economical I decided not to install a full on lift with this truck and spend the extra funds elsewhere. The stock TRD OR suspension on the trucks sits plenty high from the factory in the rear to clear the larger 275/70 BFGs so leveling the front was all that was needed to provide a bit more clearance. To accomplish this we installed the tried and true Bilstein 5100 shocks with adjustable spring seats reusing the OEM TRD coil springs. We opted to set the spring seat just one notch up at the .85" lift mark so as to not create any alignment issues with the OEM upper control arms. We put a matching set of 5100s on the rear for good measure. After a trip back to the dealership for an alignment I happy to report the set up has been great for the last 2500 or so miles.

 

[Go4Lo]

With no intent to rockrawl in a new truck and the need for an actual step for my kiddos to use getting in and out we opted for set of heavy duty step bars from Body Armor. These certainly aren't rock sliders but they are steel and surprisingly quite stout. Another plus is they sit tight to the cab don't give up much ground clearance.



Plans for the bed include a bed rack with a Tepui Gran Sabana mounted on top. My truck came with OEM tri-fold bed cover but unfortunately it wouldn't work with the bed rack so it was sold off and replaced with a simple roll up cover that mounts inside the bed rails instead of on top. Once the bed rack is here the plan is to adapt it to work with bed cover giving me a dry bed to mount the fridge and other supplies in.

Boring roll up bed cover by Access.



KB Voodoo Fab bed rack that's en route.

 

[Go4Lo]

Made a little progress over the weekend. Installed a set of SumoSprings in the rear to provide load support for the bed rack, tent and other gear. Also started working on the fridge wiring. Ran a pair of 10ga wires from the battery down the the driver's side frame rail to the rear storage compartment. The 12v plug should be here this week as well as a group 34r Red Top Optima to support the fridge.

 

[REDROVER]

Lovely truck man
I will be watching this build and try to learn as much as can , I am getting TRD PRO 6 speed as soon as they release it.


Enjoy the journey

 

[Go4Lo]

Lovely truck man
I will be watching this build and try to learn as much as can , I am getting TRD PRO 6 speed as soon as they release it.


Enjoy the journey

TRD Pro...mmm....that will be the cat's meow! Nice.

 

[Go4Lo]

The weather was so nice here in NC over the weekend we did manage to get the bikes out for a bit with the kids on Sunday.

 

[mouse007]

Nice..!! Will you be doing a write up on the Fridge connection...?

 

[REDROVER]

What's kind of front bull bars are available for those tucks ?
I am surprised ARB hasn't made one yet

 

[ToyotaRoamer86]

New Tacoma is looking great! The chrome grill is one of the 'ew' items. Other than that, I'm all about it!

 

[Go4Lo]

Nice..!! Will you be doing a write up on the Fridge connection...?

Yes, I picked up the final pieces this morning from the parts store to complete the electrical connections. I'll try to post a pic or two of the outlet location later this evening.

What's kind of front bull bars are available for those tucks ?
I am surprised ARB hasn't made one yet

ARB has one "in the works". There are several spy shots of it on an Inferno Orange truck but they have not released it yet. A few other companies like CBI and MetalTech have front bumpers in the works as well. I'm holding out for a hidden winch mount to use with the OEM front bumper like the 5th Gen 4Runner guys are using.

New Tacoma is looking great! The chrome grill is one of the 'ew' items. Other than that, I'm all about it!

Thanks! I couldn't agree more. That huge chrome grille was the first thing to go on my truck. It got a nice coating of Plasti-Dip.

 

[tmz1m]

Good lucking Taco! We're basically truck twins and we've clearly got a lot of similar ideas. I just got my Voodoo rack and Tepui tent + awning mounted up this weekend.



I'm curious to see how you end up mounting the tonneau with the rack on. I have the factory tonneau and I like it well enough, but as you noted, you can't use it with the rack at the same time. It would be great to see a solution where you can use the rack and a bed cover simultaneously. I don't really want to get a topper because I'd like to take the tent on and off without removing the topper all of the time so I might just end up with my current solution for the moment, but I'd like to see what you come up with.

 

[Go4Lo]

Good lucking Taco! We're basically truck twins and we've clearly got a lot of similar ideas. I just got my Voodoo rack and Tepui tent + awning mounted up this weekend.

View attachment 340742View attachment 340743

I'm curious to see how you end up mounting the tonneau with the rack on. I have the factory tonneau and I like it well enough, but as you noted, you can't use it with the rack at the same time. It would be great to see a solution where you can use the rack and a bed cover simultaneously. I don't really want to get a topper because I'd like to take the tent on and off without removing the topper all of the time so I might just end up with my current solution for the moment, but I'd like to see what you come up with.

@tmz1m great set up! Thanks for posting the pics of your truck. Gives me a good idea of how mine will turn out. How do you like KB rack so far? Also which Tepui tent and awing are those?

I'm right there with you. I really like the topper and it would be great 90% of the time but the 10% I actually use my truck as a truck and haul things in the bed it would be a hassle. Hence my decision to go with a bed rack and tonneau cover set up. With the lockable tailgate the tonneau cover will give me some security to store items and mount the ARB fridge in the dry. I did a lot research on the available tonneau covers for the 3rd Gens, specifically how each of them mounted to the bed and I'm confident I can make this Access brand cover work with the KB rack. It may take a some modification to the KB rack feet but I think it can be done. I'll be sure to post detailed pics of the set up once my rack arrives.

 

[tmz1m]

Awesome! How do you like the Sumosprings by the way? Which stiffness did you go with and has it impacted the ride quality? That's definitely on the list (I think I'm holding off on wheels/tires/suspension until my stock tires wear out and I'll do a big upgrade all at once).

I went with the Autana Sky and the 4 foot awning. It took a bit of doing but they both mounted up really nicely to the Voodoo rack using the included hardware, I didn't need to modify anything. I picked up both from backcountry.com with a 20% off coupon so I feel pretty good about the price point where I ended up. Next up, an anti-condensation mat and then I'll be done. I can't wait for the snow to melt and for camping season to get here! The itself rack is very sturdy and I think is a good value over what some of the weld-together racks cost.

 

[Go4Lo]

Awesome! How do you like the Sumosprings by the way? Which stiffness did you go with and has it impacted the ride quality? That's definitely on the list (I think I'm holding off on wheels/tires/suspension until my stock tires wear out and I'll do a big upgrade all at once).

I went with the Autana Sky and the 4 foot awning. It took a bit of doing but they both mounted up really nicely to the Voodoo rack using the included hardware, I didn't need to modify anything. I picked up both from backcountry.com with a 20% off coupon so I feel pretty good about the price point where I ended up. Next up, an anti-condensation mat and then I'll be done. I can't wait for the snow to melt and for camping season to get here! The itself rack is very sturdy and I think is a good value over what some of the weld-together racks cost.

I like the SumoSprings so far! The truck has only had one moderate load in the bed with them so far and they did not sag. For my build my I'm not trying to lift the rear of the truck so lift springs or AAL's are not in the cards at this point. The truck has plenty of clearance in the rear for the larger BFGs so my primary goal with the Sumos or a set of airbags is just to maintain the height I have when loaded. The Sumos are a nice alternative to a full air bag set up, cheaper and much easier to set up and maintain.

The unloaded the ride in the rear has a bit more rebound to it than before, nothing unbearable or really even noticeable to my wife and kids. As you can see in the picture I put up of them at static height and unloaded the SumoSprings just barely touch the frame so any flex in the suspension instantly engages them. I'm only aware of one part number for our trucks, SSR-610-40, which you can get through Amazon.

Glad to hear you are pleased with the rack and more so that its stout. I was on the fence between the KB and the more expense CBI rack. The fact that the KB rack is bolt together was a big selling factor for me because it will be easier to store when not in use. Nice find on the Backcountry.com coupon! I ended up ordering my Tepui through BoxRocket on here.