2014 Toyota Tundra SR5 Build

[RedSun]

Hit some trails and some more camping for the a few days at GreenRidge. September is one of my favorite months to go camping.

Our setup is fairly well dialed in. I’ve been eyeing a Decked drawer system though for ease of access.

This part of the forest had an overlook that looked into WVA. It was beautiful.

From there we set up camp in a more shaded site not far off.

Did a ton of hiking and some fishing.

Our second to last day we spent the whole day exploring trails. Found all sorts of fun spots.

 

[RedSun]

Installed some SS3 fogs. I have been driving through a lot of fog lately and the white light has been abysmal to try to see especially with deer everywhere. These ambers were plug and play with exceptional results. The unit itself is very high quality, output and cutoff is superb without blinding oncoming traffic.

I also installed a Rotopax 2 gallon on one of their mounts for extra overlander points.

Otherwise next move is to buy a mig welding setup and learn to weld. Coastal Off-road just released their diy bumper kit that I really like. I’d also like to build a set of sliders. I thought about just going with a C4 setup for both but for that money I’d rather put it in tools and learning a skill.

 

[RedSun]

Got an AJT blackout kit for Christmas. Just threw it on, very happy with the kit. Only tricky part was the 4x4 knob and the climate control knobs. Looks so much newer inside now.

Next is to black out the emblem and get a new shift knob. It looks so out of place with all the new AJT pieces. Leaning towards the AJT V3 or getting a billet knob off of Etsy/ebay. Also want to eventually get the SR trim blackout pieces for the steering wheel and dash.

 

[RedSun]

Picked up a TRD Pro skid plate. Install was very straightforward other than doing it on the ice.

There is a remarkable difference between the two. As always, OEM quality is unmatched. It’s a very nice piece.

Hard to see with the factory bumper but my Coastal Offroad bumper kit is on the way and it should provide great coverage and look good with this skid.

Also received some new bezels for my BD XL’s. Baja Designs warrantied them because they were faded and had me a new set with hardware in just a few days. Extremely happy with the service and why I won’t buy any other light.

 

[RedSun]

The Coastal Off-Road bumper came in. Started building it today with the help of a friend.

Shipping time was a bit long but it was packaged well and customer service was excellent. They are good guys and upon receiving the bumper and diagrams it’s well engineered. Materials quality is also great. (Excuse my messy shop, being used for storage right now)

Started off by removing the front bumper.

This does require relocating the power steering cooler. This is not mentioned on the website but is in the included instructions. The bracket for the cooler must be modified (bent) and then the cooler is mounted on existing holes with a provided bracket. This allows the winch plate and bumper to be tucked much closer to the frame.

This is the base of the winch plate which includes gussets.

There are subsequent side plates that are also the recovery points for the truck that are 3 plates that are seam welded and plug welded.

These plates are then welded to the winch plate.

The front plate is then mounted with the factory recovery point bolts and is used to align the front section. Then it’s tacked into place. Pulled it off and then seam welded and stitch welded everything. Pic below was not completed but close.

Here it is mounted. This maintained a 3/8” gap from the body which helps with flex and mitigating contact with the body.

Next up was welding in each “wing”. This consisted of multiple plates, all of which needed to try to maintain the same gap to the body as the center section. This was all tacked into place.

That’s how far we got today. We also mocked up the Baja bar as well. Very excited for how it will turn out.

Hoping to wrap up the other side and then finish welding the wings tomorrow. Followed by paint and installing a Baja Designs S8 30” bar over the next few days.

 

[RedSun]

More progress on the bumper today. Got both wings tacked completely and then began the process of seam welding the exterior and stitch welding the interior.

My friend has been absolutely invaluable in this project as i'm a first time welder. He put a lot of time into this bumper as well.

I also swapped out the lenses on my Baja Designs XL ditch lights from a clear spot to an amber driving combo. Installed the lenses and also mocked up the baja bar on the bumper.

I was just using a cutting wheel to make adjustments to get a bit of an outward angle to the baja bar. Was very happy with how it came out. However, the welds around the left side of the bar aren't the prettiest.

Now it was time to grind all the exterior welds smooth. I started with a 40 grit flap disc and worked up to 120. Tacked any additional spots or pits and grinded further.

And that's where we're at now. It looks great, i'm very happy with it. There are still some minor details to be done. I welded the fog light brackets incorrectly because it was about hour 8 into this and i wasn't thinking clearly. So those need to be grinded off and rewelded. Other than that, going to get started on paint. Going with a Rustoleum self etching primer followed by Rustoleum spray on truck bed liner. I want something easy to touch up when this gets beat up and i've seen a number of other people use it on armor with great results.

 

[RedSun]

Next step was further fine finishing and paint.

Went over all the welds from 40 to 120 grit flap discs. Then I got an orbital sander with a 120 grit pad and this really got things where I wanted.

Used Rustoleum self etching primer. This was after 3 coats.

Next was laying down the paint. I went with Rustoleum Pro Grade Bedliner spray. It’s not great bedliner but is a great coating. A lot of guys like to use it on armor as it’s easy to touch up. I preheated the cans in warm water and ran a heater in my shop. This was after coat #3.

Finish is excellent. Very happy with it. We’ll see how it holds up though. I added thicker coats to areas that would see more action like the bottom skid. I also plan on coating the inside of the bumper with fluid film too for further corrosion resistance when I install the winch and lightbar.

Finally got things mounted today after curing for 24 hours. Could not be happier. This was my first fabrication project and I’m very excited for what’s next, hoping Coastal comes out with a slider kit and rear bumper.

And now we're finally up to speed with my build. Still waiting on my Baja Designs S8 to come in. And still choosing a winch. Having a custom fairlead made with the TRD logo as well.

 

[ThePartyWagon]

Great looking bumper, nice job on the build. I am originally from Maryland, now living in Utah. Looking into building a Tundra for a pop up camper next. I envision something very similar to your build.

You ever fly fish the Gunpowder? I grew up a mile away from the river. Great memories.

 

[V1GiLaNtE]

How much front lift did you end up at prior to the bumper? I love the OME's for simplicity, but not interested in running a block out back.

 

[huerta32]

Also did the rear diff breather extension mod.

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What size hose did you use?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[RedSun]

Great looking bumper, nice job on the build. I am originally from Maryland, now living in Utah. Looking into building a Tundra for a pop up camper next. I envision something very similar to your build.

You ever fly fish the Gunpowder? I grew up a mile away from the river. Great memories.

Thanks for the kind words. Utah is beautiful. I think its a great platform for a popup camper, that's the direction i anticipate going in as well. Looking to build one from scratch between a 4WheelCamper Project M style vs a GFC style with a space frame and a pop up top.

Gunpowder is one of my favorite places to fish, lots of beautiful native browns. Its a treasure.

How much front lift did you end up at prior to the bumper? I love the OME's for simplicity, but not interested in running a block out back.

Its about a 3" lift up front prior to the bumper. I have yet to see any settling from the bumper, these springs are 700lbs so i don't anticipate it to settle too much. I agree about the block, not a fan either but its temporary until i settle on a proper setup. I love OME but have seen a number of people complain of premature flattening of their OME packs on the Tundra so i may go with Deavers.

What size hose did you use?

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Used 3/8 transmission cooler line, about 6ft in length.

 

[RedSun]

Had some colleagues at work that have zero interest in cars tell me the truck "looks really cool". I think so too! Couple pics from the other day, the app i used to edit them slightly distorted the pics. There's no camber in person.

The BD XL's with the amber driving combo lens are great. Have had lots of fog lately and they're actually useful in those conditions at night compared to the clear spot lenses.

 

[redthies]

The truck looks great. I’m considering a move from a 3500 diesel to a Tundra after selling my big camper. Going back to a smaller pop-up is the plan. I live about 15 mins from Coastal, so may have to drop by and grab a kit if I end up with a Tundra. I looked at their stuff for my 1st Gen Sequoia, But I don’t care for the look. I think it’s much better suited to the 2nd gen trucks since they are much more angular.

 

[Watt maker]

Nice Tundra! That bumper came out nice!

 

[RedSun]

The truck looks great. I’m considering a move from a 3500 diesel to a Tundra after selling my big camper. Going back to a smaller pop-up is the plan. I live about 15 mins from Coastal, so may have to drop by and grab a kit if I end up with a Tundra. I looked at their stuff for my 1st Gen Sequoia, But I don’t care for the look. I think it’s much better suited to the 2nd gen trucks since they are much more angular.

Thank you. I think the Tundra is a great option for a smaller pop-up. That's probably the direction i will head in as well. I'd like to build a custom popup similar to a 4Wheel Camper Project M or GFC style with a popup mechanism. The payload stock isn't great but bags etc can amend it.

I have nothing but great things to say about Coastal. This was my first welding project and their kit and instructions made it very easy. The parts took little to no modification for fitting, they're very accurately cut. I agree that its better suited for 2nd gens. I also think being a black truck helps it be more subtle and blend in better.

Nice Tundra! That bumper came out nice!

Thanks! Very happy with it.

Got some maintenance done today. Oil change, finally upgraded the filter housing, and a threw on a new cabin filter.

Should have done the filter housing upgrade a long time ago. It’s much nicer. That and doing oil changes with the TRD skid plate is a breeze. All Tundras should have this.

My custom fairlead came in. Extremely happy with it. Still need to get a winch as well though. This was the pic I was sent of it before it shipped out. I plan on painting the letters red.

Made V1 of the fog light brackets for my DD SS3's and not too happy with them. This bumper has a very tight fit for fogs and the bezel my SS3’s came with are designed for the OEM fog housing. The light output is less than ideal because the light can’t sit flush against the bumper openings.

I ordered a set of standard SS3 bezels and am going to use some smaller flat stock to make more low profile mounts to better fit the bumper.