Luckychase5
Adventurer
Subscribed. I think this may be my next truck when I get back from my trip. Nice parts selections so far! Have fun!
Battleship Jones: 2015 Tacoma DCLB Build Thread
- Thread starter Adventurous
- Start date
Adventurous
Explorer
Weekend update:
I didn't have too much of a chance to get some solid time on the truck as I was battling a plumbing issue in the house. A cracked shower spout insert in the upstairs shower did a good amount of damage to the downstairs bathroom and some to the sub-floor. Unfortunately that took first priority.
I got the auxiliary fuse breaker/panel bracket painted and ready to go. Mounted the breaker and fuse panel and went to bolt it into the truck when I found out that despite looking similar, Toyota must have made changes in the engine compartment between the 2007 and 2015 models. At this point I think I'd rather start over than try to hack this one up and make it work. That being said, anyone interested in buying a bracket for their 2005-2011? I'm not the best painter in the world but the bracket itself is pretty sturdy. PM if you are interested.
20141019-P1010205 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
I didn't have too much of a chance to get some solid time on the truck as I was battling a plumbing issue in the house. A cracked shower spout insert in the upstairs shower did a good amount of damage to the downstairs bathroom and some to the sub-floor. Unfortunately that took first priority.
I got the auxiliary fuse breaker/panel bracket painted and ready to go. Mounted the breaker and fuse panel and went to bolt it into the truck when I found out that despite looking similar, Toyota must have made changes in the engine compartment between the 2007 and 2015 models. At this point I think I'd rather start over than try to hack this one up and make it work. That being said, anyone interested in buying a bracket for their 2005-2011? I'm not the best painter in the world but the bracket itself is pretty sturdy. PM if you are interested.
20141019-P1010205 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
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Adventurous
Explorer
Also, for any of you guys near Denver, does anyone know a good place to go get an alignment? I'm slightly concerned taking my truck to Firestone or something with the Light Racing UCAs. I'd rather someone with some experience with lifted rigs do the work.
Adventurous
Explorer
That's a good question. Being fairly new to the scene out here I don't know for sure. Toytec recommended a Tires Plus off of 120th and Washington.
Adventurous
Explorer
For sure! I'm trying to find people to hit the trails with as well. Not looking to do anything extreme, I just like to explore.
Adventurous
Explorer
Tuesday update:
Dropped by ToyTec last night and they dropped this big ole pallet in the back of my bed. Thanks for lending me the ratchet strap fellas!
20141020-P1010206 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
Here's to hoping I can get it on the truck tonight. See how well it rides on stock suspension.
Dropped by ToyTec last night and they dropped this big ole pallet in the back of my bed. Thanks for lending me the ratchet strap fellas!
20141020-P1010206 by Tim Souza, on FlickrHere's to hoping I can get it on the truck tonight. See how well it rides on stock suspension.
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Adventurous
Explorer
Per usual life gets in the way and you don't have enough time to accomplish what you hoped. I did however get the chance to spend Tuesday and Wednesday night installing the ARB bumper. The install was performed solo in my garage with only a basic set of hand tools. Here are my initial impressions of the kit and experiences with the install. Sorry for the lack of pictures.
- The packing job was fantastic. The bull bar was neatly wrapped in protective cardboard, foam, and sealed in a plastic bag. It arrived with no dings, dents, or other blemishes. The same goes for all of the other hardware within the box.
- The listed weight of the kit at 175lbs is probably a bit much, but its certainly not close to the 75lbs some have contended. I can for sure confirm that it is a handful at times.
- Removing all trim and components for the vehicle was fairly straightforward minus the crash beam. On mine, in its assembled state, the crush cans put outward tension on the mounting studs that did not allow it to be removed as a whole. I had to loosed the bolts to the crush can in order to remove the crash beam assembly.
- For the life of me I could not get the diagonal bolts with the 3mm trim packers torqued to spec. I tried all sorts of combinations with an extension and u-joint but there was just not enough room to fit my torque wrench in there. Snugged it down the best I could and moved on.
- After getting everything lined up it took a bit of effort to drill the 4 bolt holes on both sides. The upper two were straightforward but the way the bullbar is shaped did not allow my drill to get to the bottom two from the outboard side. I had to take some wild *** guesses and drill from the inboard side hoping I hit the right spot. Amazingly I was pretty on the money. I didn't have a 10mm bit as recommended and used a 3/8".
- I made the mistake of installing the turn indicators prior to putting those fascia into the bumper. Bad move. Got all brackets mounted up in the bumper and re-installed the turn indicators. Much easier.
- No winch was added at this time
- I didn't wire everything up yet, so I'll be back with comments on that when/if I get around to it.
Note: I did not cut up my prior bumper. While there is a noticeable gap around the top of the bumper, it isn't enough to convince me to cut up my old one. I may however source a third party unprimed one to cut up for the sole reason that without the bumper there the grill is a bit floppy. I zip tied it to the crossmember there to keep it from rattling around.
And a picture of the final results!
20141023-P1010210 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
After impressions:
- With the stock, non-TRD suspension you can for sure notice the weight up front. There was some settling of 3/4" I'd guesstimate and I'd anticipate a little more as the springs bed in.
- It does stick out a fair amount from the front end but I knew that going in and I suppose that's sometimes the price you pay for an aftermarket bumper
- I very much need to install my lift and tires. It's more than a bit unbalanced with this cool bumper and the stock suspension and Dunlop turds.
- The packing job was fantastic. The bull bar was neatly wrapped in protective cardboard, foam, and sealed in a plastic bag. It arrived with no dings, dents, or other blemishes. The same goes for all of the other hardware within the box.
- The listed weight of the kit at 175lbs is probably a bit much, but its certainly not close to the 75lbs some have contended. I can for sure confirm that it is a handful at times.
- Removing all trim and components for the vehicle was fairly straightforward minus the crash beam. On mine, in its assembled state, the crush cans put outward tension on the mounting studs that did not allow it to be removed as a whole. I had to loosed the bolts to the crush can in order to remove the crash beam assembly.
- For the life of me I could not get the diagonal bolts with the 3mm trim packers torqued to spec. I tried all sorts of combinations with an extension and u-joint but there was just not enough room to fit my torque wrench in there. Snugged it down the best I could and moved on.
- After getting everything lined up it took a bit of effort to drill the 4 bolt holes on both sides. The upper two were straightforward but the way the bullbar is shaped did not allow my drill to get to the bottom two from the outboard side. I had to take some wild *** guesses and drill from the inboard side hoping I hit the right spot. Amazingly I was pretty on the money. I didn't have a 10mm bit as recommended and used a 3/8".
- I made the mistake of installing the turn indicators prior to putting those fascia into the bumper. Bad move. Got all brackets mounted up in the bumper and re-installed the turn indicators. Much easier.
- No winch was added at this time
- I didn't wire everything up yet, so I'll be back with comments on that when/if I get around to it.
Note: I did not cut up my prior bumper. While there is a noticeable gap around the top of the bumper, it isn't enough to convince me to cut up my old one. I may however source a third party unprimed one to cut up for the sole reason that without the bumper there the grill is a bit floppy. I zip tied it to the crossmember there to keep it from rattling around.
And a picture of the final results!
20141023-P1010210 by Tim Souza, on FlickrAfter impressions:
- With the stock, non-TRD suspension you can for sure notice the weight up front. There was some settling of 3/4" I'd guesstimate and I'd anticipate a little more as the springs bed in.
- It does stick out a fair amount from the front end but I knew that going in and I suppose that's sometimes the price you pay for an aftermarket bumper
- I very much need to install my lift and tires. It's more than a bit unbalanced with this cool bumper and the stock suspension and Dunlop turds.
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Adventurous
Explorer
Also, through 2 fill ups I am averaging 20.5 mpg combined in stock form. That's with probably 70% city and 30% highway.
Adventurous
Explorer
The tentative plan is to install the lift and control arms this Saturday. I'm looking forward to getting this thing on proper suspension though it's going to look pretty funny rolling around on the stock 245/75s until I find a good place to get an alignment done.
Weekender41
Ready to Learn
Tires plus is used to lifted rigs, your alignment should be fairly easy for them. I travel up near Wellington about every other weekend. Some very peaceful camping spots as well as fun trails like Kelly Flats and Stormy Mountain Pass. The truck is looking great! Good choices.
surfnmoto2
New member
I sure like the ARB bumper, nice looking set up so far!
