'07 Tacoma Budget Buildup

[KingCrabberCurry]

I fill your fuel woes, but it is worth it even with gas going up like it is. I was wondering if your wheels rubbed the frame at full lock? I dig the practicality of your truck.

There is a little bit of rubbing of the driver's side tire when at full lock in reverse. Nothing major though, as far as I can tell, it seems like the sway bay is the problem, so hopefully that will correct itself after I get rid of the sway bar.

On a mileage-related note, I recently got 17.8 MPG round trip from the Raleigh/Durham area to Hilton Head, SC. I took the roof basket off for driving around town and that has helped a tremendous amount. No more getting blown all over the highway either. It's easy to put back on if I need the extra space for a trip.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Late to this thread, but

Welcome to the Portal.


Let us know how you like the Black Rat, it is on my list as well.

 

[maxama10]

Well for what its worth you can buy a cheap winch for 400$. Compared to the blackrat...

 

[KingCrabberCurry]

I'm not looking into the black rat anymore. I've got all the accoutrements for the Hi-Lift to use it as a winch and I can't justify having a piece of gear such as the Black Rat that only performs one duty. I've tried to design my rig with a premium placed on functionality, so single-use tools like the Black Rat fall by the wayside in favor of multi-use tools like the Hi-Lift.

I think the next two planned mods for my truck are a tarp/awning setup similar to what BajaTaco is running and some Stubbs sliders, probably the HD-SKO model.

I recently mounted an MV-50 compressor in my engine bay, which you can read about here:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16835

I'll try and get some pictures of the new bed setup up soon.

 

[KingCrabberCurry]

Couple of new additions to my truck as of the past week:

- BlueSea Auxillary Fuse Block (6 circuit ST blade-type) mounted in engine bay, driver's side fender near the brake cylinder

- Rewired all aftermarket electronics through fuse block

- Added an additional 12 V DC outlet at the rear of the center console

- Added a permanent charging cradle for my handheld Marine VHF radio

- Installed a Cobra 75 WX ST CB radio with a 3' Firefly antenna mounted in the hood channel on the passenger's side; junction box mounted under driver's seat, mic hanger installed to the driver's side of the center console

- Added Firestik AR-1A "Match-maker" to CB antenna, thereby allowing it to pull double duty as an AM/FM antenna as well as CB

- Removed stock AM/FM antenna

- Organized "Bug Out Box" in the Bed; an action packer with recovery gear, emergency food and shelter supplies, tools, electrical fix it kit, tire repair items and ALS medical supplies


Pictures coming when it's not so rainy out!

 

[buddha]

I've been enjoying this thread. Looking forward to seeing pics of the new mods. And let me know if you find some cool local spots to wheel/camp. I'm always looking... :sombrero:

GO HEELS!

 

[KingCrabberCurry]

Removed my sway bar today in anticipation of greater articulation on a wheeling trip this weekend. There is a noticable increase in body roll, even just driving it round the block. I'll be interested to see how it feels at highway speeds, this truck is my DD and I can't afford to sacrifice on-road stability and safety for off-road performance.

Full report, with pics of all the new mods and some wheeling and camping photos from this weekend, will be posted next week.

Side note: Anyone running Dakars out back in conjunction with a shackle lift? Would you recommend it? I'm looking for a replacement for my AAL and I think the Dakars are my #1 choice at the moment, but I'm worried that with a 200 lb. topper, a bed full of gear and 3-4 jerry cans on the roofrack even the 2.75" offered by the Dakars will be offset. Do they increase payload capacity? What shocks are you running with your Dakars? Is a shackle lift just a bad idea when used in conjunction with the Dakars?

Thanks for the help.

Side-side Note: Picked up two jerry cans off CL the other day for $20. They are rhino-lined and came with spouts. I'm planning on using both of them for fuel as I ran over my previous fuel can during a trip to the beach last fall.

 

[Jacket]

Are you looking to do a shackle conversion first?

Seems like there's been a lot of discussion lately about the load carrying abilities of the Dakars, and that they excel in this area in comparison to the other off-the-shelf leaf packs you can get for the 05+ Tacoma. And you've got the option of an additional overload spring if you underestimate your weight requirements at first pass.

As far as the sway bar goes, everyone will have a different opinion. In my case, I recall noticing it quite a bit on the first day when I was trying to test the changes. On the second day I noticed it less, the third day I could still make the front end dive, and after about a week I forgot what a sway bar is....