Another Tacoma Build (Brian's 2015 DCLB)

[brianjwilson]

I like where you're taking this build!
Have you gotten the Blue Sea panel yet?
I'm building an aux. harness for my rig with one right now and it's impressively built, they're solid six ways to Sunday and easy to play with.

I do have a blue sea fuse panel, I must have bought it used 8+ years ago. I haven't had time to install it yet, like so many other things...

I've definitely become a Tacoma lover, your rig looks awesome

Thanks! I am enjoying it.

Awesome build man, really like the Capmer. Do you like the change, Jeep to Toyota..?

I'm happy with the change, but my needs changed too. The Jeep was very capable off road, and definitely had a cool factor that the Tacoma lacks. But it's nice having the truck low key, I don't get paced on the highway while people take pictures, questioned everywhere I go etc. It is hard to compare the Jeep as an SUV and the Tacoma as a truck though. Without the camper I struggle without having much dry or secure storage. For an all around rig that is a daily driver and weekend wheeler, I'd probably go with the Tacoma or 4Runner vs the Jeep.

The Tacoma is boring in comparison but I'm not saying that is a bad thing. It drives great, has lots of power now, interior is much quieter than the Jeep. Rough roads and big bumps are handled way better than the jeep, but it certainly wouldn't crawl as well, especially the long wheel base. I would really like to work on some decent skid plates but I'm cautious about adding more weight.

Aside from taking the camper off for a couple of days, it has stayed on since I bought it. With everything set up now it doesn't impact driving much (aside from fuel economy). When I'm home, I have my 15 month old daughter by myself on weekdays and the camper makes it so much easier to get out and be flexible. I leave the fridge on, plenty of snacks inside, extra clothes etc. If I remove the camper during most of the winter, I will definitely be searching again for a used canopy or bed cover of some sort.

 

[Acerwin]

Where did you buy your wheels from?

 

[brianjwilson]

Where did you buy your wheels from?

I bought them from the forum sponsor, trdparts4u.com

I just briefly looked and only saw the black and the silver wheels in this style right now.

 

[Acerwin]

I bought them from the forum sponsor, trdparts4u.com

I just briefly looked and only saw the black and the silver wheels in this style right now.

What do you have the antherciate?

 

[brianjwilson]

What do you have the antherciate?

Yep.

 

[brianjwilson]

The wife, daughter and I spent 9 days in Idaho. Mostly around Boise, with a trip to the sawtooths to stay at redfish lake, followed by a drive through sun valley and back to Boise. Lots of nights in various drive ways in the camper to be honest. Our daughter got sick, I got a sinus infection and she wasn't handling all the driving and changes of houses. So we found she slept best in the camper which is a familiar place to her now. Anyway I never plugged into electricity and everything worked great. Lows in the 30s up in the sawtooths. The furnace kept us warm and comfortable and the fridge kept everything cold, making fresh ice every night.
Mileage was anywhere from 13.5 (65-70 mph) to as low as 9mpg (80-85 mph with a direct 20 mph head wind). Definitely works better with normal Oregon 55mph limits. No issues going as fast as I like, just how much fuel I can stand to burn. Easy climbing up a steep 8700' pass in the mountains too.

We are home now, this weekend I'm heading to Reno for 9 days by myself. Originally I planned to head further East afterward but I may end up back home sooner.

The only real progress with camper/truck stuff was the hi lift mount. I got the idea from Jonathan Hanson. I used 2" square steel stock with 3/8" grade 8 hardware. The rear mount is through two layers of plywood, with 2" washers on top. The handle sticks out just past the edge of the camper, but less than the jack brackets. Still trying to find 2" plastic caps for the steel.

 

[brianjwilson]

Quick update. I haven't done much with the truck and camper lately. FWC had it for two months for some repairs.

Today I installed an AFE cold air intake with dry/washable filter. I only drove a couple miles so it's too early to say a whole lot. The TRD re flash for the supercharger runs very rich. Between that and the constrictive stock intake it felt like it had some more power hiding. Most of the reports I've read indicate that the intake causes the truck to run slightly leaner, and those with AFR gauged and superchargers on their tacomas said that it is a good thing. We'll see. Toyota installs an oiled filter with the supercharger. It is very small, and was packed with dirt at 10k miles. The new filter is much larger and will be able to go longer between cleanings. No fowling the MAF with oil. Don't mind the dirty bits.


I'm going to pony up and order custom deaver springs. I bought another car, so the truck and camper are garage queens at the moment, so I'm committing to a heavy duty spring and carrying the camper full time. It will also allow me to use more suspension travel and hopefully a more supple ride over rough terrain.

The new car...

 

[Watt maker]

TDI? Still love that Taco though.

 

[brianjwilson]

TDI? Still love that Taco though.

Nope, can't buy a new TDI still! We kept our 2010 VW Golf TDI. It has been a great car. Resale dropped after the "dieselgate" scandal, so either way we wanted to hold on to it.
The new car is a 2016 Jetta GLI SEL (2.0l gas turbo). The idea is that the new car is the kid hauler. When I'm home with the kids I drive it, and the wife commutes with the Golf (40 or so miles per day). When I'm gone, she drives the new car. I removed the fake engine noise maker and took it in for a stage 1 APR tune. Intake and downpipe on the way for stage 2 reflash.

 

[MTaco]

What Interstate battery are you running? It looks bigger than stock. Any special modifications you had to do? I'm looking to upgrade my battery and since Sears no longer sells the Die Hard/Odyssey Group 31 I'm looking for other options.

Congrats on the new VW.

 

[Watt maker]

I hear good things about Deka batteries but I've never ran them. I've had good luck with Optima Red tops in the past but I hear the quality has hit an all time low. I'm Still running the OEM Panasonic in both 4runners.

 

[brianjwilson]

What Interstate battery are you running? It looks bigger than stock. Any special modifications you had to do? I'm looking to upgrade my battery and since Sears no longer sells the Die Hard/Odyssey Group 31 I'm looking for other options.

Congrats on the new VW.

It is a group 34 agm, MT7 or something as interstate is calling it. I believe it is actually smaller than the stock battery. If you're only going to run one battery I would probably look around for a group 31.

 

[MTaco]

Thanks for the info!

 

[DJSponge]

If you ever decide to sell that truck/camper, hit me up. I'm looking to downsize from my F150 FX4 DC Ecoboost. Great build!

 

[brianjwilson]

If you ever decide to sell that truck/camper, hit me up. I'm looking to downsize from my F150 FX4 DC Ecoboost. Great build!

Thanks. Honestly I've thought about it, as our second kid is right around the corner. I would like to build a van, but I'm not sure I could get away with parking it outside with our HOA. A big ford van with 6" lift and pop-up wouldn't fit in the garage.



I've been trying to order springs from deaver for 11 days now, getting quite pissed off. Multiple calls, and I only got through to the "right guy" once, and he told me that he needed to know the total added weight, not actual total weight. Haven't been able to get him on the phone or return multiple emails. What pathetic customer service! I'm just going to take it to a spring shop or something when I'm back home if I can't get through to deaver.