Battleship Jones: 2015 Tacoma DCLB Build Thread

[Adventurous]

Good deal, thanks!

What are your thoughts on power and driveability with stock gearing and 255s, after having them for a few months? Realizing that everything is relatively slow at your elevation....

I've been trying to locate a DCLB SR5 with navigation and they are very hard to find. I also didn't want to pay another $1000 for a fake hood scoop and 17" wheels. I wanted white or silver, there was 1 white one in the region (enroute to the region actually) but it was a sold order. Ironically the only one I found locally was gray, exactly like yours.

For me, the 255s have been no big deal. Sure they are slower, but I have never wished for something "faster" as I drive conservatively anyway and realize that I got a truck for a reason. Now I have yet to head up I70 into the hills yet, so I can't comment on how it keeps speed going uphill. That being said, my story may change after I throw on a topper, skid plates, a roof rack, and load it up with pepole and gear. Off road I could see wanting gears to correct for the faster crawl speed.

Sounds like you are in the same position I was attempting to purchase a DCLB. I didn't want a Sport which meant that I had 2 to choose from in the entire Denver area. I jumped on it as they are apparently difficult to find. Good luck in your search and be prepared to run to a dealer.

 

[brianjwilson]

Yeah I have a deposit on that one. Waiting to close on our house Thursday, and picking up the truck next week.

 

[Adventurous]

Welp, had the chance today to go out and work on the truck some more. As I mentioned in one of my prior posts, the sliders were contacting the pinch weld. So today I went out and notched the pinch weld to gain a little bit more clearance. Slightly unfortunate as I wasn't anticipating having to drop the sliders again which is a bit of a pain. Anyway, out come all the bolts, in comes the angle grinder with the cutoff wheel, an adjustable wrench to bend the weld back, a bit of hammering to get it out of the way, a shot of primer and paint, and the sliders go back up. The end result was a gap about yay big around each of the slider legs.

20150228-P1010357 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

I was also fortunate enough this past week to pick up a set of Spidertrax spacers on Craigslist for cheap. I have wanted to throw a set on the front wheels for a while to gain back some of the width lost when doing the IFS lift. The install is super straight forward and the instructions on the Spidertrax site are adequate, so I won't go through that part. Here are a few pics of the results.

Spacers:
20150228-P1010355 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

Before:
20150228-P1010354 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

During:
20150228-P1010358 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

After:
20150228-P1010359 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

Much better. Now to thaw out my hands after freezing and beating on them all day.

 

[brianjwilson]

Looking good!
I finally moved into my new house and picked up my truck today (your truck's twin).
I've been thinking about the fj anthracite 16" wheels for a little better stance on 255s. My list of mods to do is so incredibly long! Haha

I think a supercharger is going high on the list. And maybe a valve body. The truck is nice but it is definitely no power house. I think the transmission is the biggest loss. Very slow soft shifts. We will see. I only have a few days to work on cleaning the garage before I head to work for 5 weeks or so, then I get to play with the truck finally .

Still enjoy following to see your mods and updates!

 

[Adventurous]

Looking good!
I finally moved into my new house and picked up my truck today (your truck's twin).
I've been thinking about the fj anthracite 16" wheels for a little better stance on 255s. My list of mods to do is so incredibly long! Haha

I think a supercharger is going high on the list. And maybe a valve body. The truck is nice but it is definitely no power house. I think the transmission is the biggest loss. Very slow soft shifts. We will see. I only have a few days to work on cleaning the garage before I head to work for 5 weeks or so, then I get to play with the truck finally .

Still enjoy following to see your mods and updates!

Sounds like it's been an expensive few weeks for you :sombrero:. Congrats on the house and the truck. I'll be sure to look for your build thread when you start!

 

[Adventurous]

Well, after a few days and 75 miles with the Spidertrax spacers on it appears as if I may have hit a little snag. Well, the tires have hit a little snag to be exact. The spacers must push them out just enough so that when the wheel is turned and you hit a good compression they catch the plastic fender well lining. Damn near soiled myself the first time it happened as it was rather unexpected. The truck needs an alignment so I may see if the tech can push the wheels a bit forward in the wheel wells. Either that or its time to start clearancing!

 

[cdrewferd]

I've got the same upper control arms and had the tech push the tires forward. Take the instructions with you so they know the proper way to move everything. Even if you push them forward, you may still have to clearance for when you're wheeling. It's easy enough and you shouldn't have to do too much more than the pinch weld.

 

[tyv12]

It's amazing how much the tire can go forward or back with an alignment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Adventurous]

Just made an appointment for an alignment next Wednesday. I've got a reputable guy working on it who is also going to pull the LCA bolts while he's at it and antiseize them so they don't freeze up like every Tacoma's end up doing.

 

[Adventurous]

In other news, to prepare for fitting the 33" spare tire in the stock location, the cross member required a little modification. I removed the two ears that help to hold the stock size in the right location. This should buy me enough clearance to get the larger tire in there.

Before:
20150303-P1010360 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

After:
20150303-P1010361 by Tim Souza, on Flickr

Cut flush, flap disked smooth, and painted over.

My Hellas ******** the bed recently. I have not changed the wiring at all since the last time they worked so I'm operating under the assumption that the recent snows have compromised the relay and killed it. I can see nothing else in that time period that could possibly have led to their failure.

I also ordered up a Prinsu designs CABRAC. The intention is to put some Rotopax, recovery gear, Maxtrax, and some other odds and ends up there to cut down on the clutter in the bed once that is transformed into the sleeping area.

 

[AxleIke]

Great looking truck! Where in Westminster are you? I live in Arvada, just off Wads and 88th.

 

[Yulli]

I was curious to know if a full size 33" spare would fit in the spare location. Can you get a pic once you have it mounted up in there and see how it fits?

I'm also curious how well this will work cuz I'm not that sold on the rear bumpers with tire carriers for the Tacoma's.

 

[bat]

Do you have stock rear brake lines

 

[Adventurous]

Great looking truck! Where in Westminster are you? I live in Arvada, just off Wads and 88th.

I'm off Wads and 108th up by the airport. You are a Rising Sun member right? I'll be at the meeting tonight, come say hi. It would be nice to put a face to a name.

I was curious to know if a full size 33" spare would fit in the spare location. Can you get a pic once you have it mounted up in there and see how it fits?

I'm also curious how well this will work cuz I'm not that sold on the rear bumpers with tire carriers for the Tacoma's.

Sure. Give me a week and I can take a few pics of the tire up there. Word on the interwebz is that it is tight but it will certainly work.

Do you have stock rear brake lines

I do yes. They certainly get tight at full droop, but not to the point where I would be worried about them. Some time down the road I'll probably end up getting some slightly longer ones just for complete peace of mind.

 

[ADVW/Liam]

prinsu rack

Just checked them out... looks like I might have to change my mind from the Baja Rack to them.