Box Rocket '03 DC Tacoma Build
- Thread starter Box Rocket
- Start date
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Yep front swaybar stored under the bed. I took it off for the first time right before a Moab trip a couple months ago and didn't know how I'd like the road manners with it off so I put it under the bed in case I wanted to re-install it during the drive to Moab. Turns out the road manners have been just fine without the sway bar so it's stayed under the bed.
Oh and yeah the kids keep us busy. You're right 3 boys and a girl. The two in the child seats are twins. The truth of it is that all 3 of the boys have been a dream. They are a blast and pretty easy going. Now my daughter on the other hand is a spitfire. She has us laughing constantly and she is most definitely the one that adds "adventure" to everything we do.
She's awesome!
Box Rocket
Well-known member
The hardtail hasn't been bad. I've been away from bikes for quite a while and just getting back into riding. I couldn't drop the coin on a good full suspension bike yet, and the trails I ride have some good climbs so the hardtail made sense. I did however go for the 29" wheels instead of the 26" ones. It helps eat up some of the bumps a little better. Not sure if you watched the mountain biking events in the Olympics but I was shocked that nearly the entire field was riding hard tail 29'ers. Must be something good about them. I've liked mine so far.
soonenough
Explorer
Absolutely one of my favorite 1st-gen Tacoma builds, great work! :sombrero:
You may have mentioned it somewhere else in the thread (I tried searching the thread but couldn't find anything) - what did you use to paint your grille black?
You may have mentioned it somewhere else in the thread (I tried searching the thread but couldn't find anything) - what did you use to paint your grille black?
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Painted with Rustoleum Satin Finish Black. Sanded and primed first of course.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
whipped together a quick little project yesterday. I needed to mount my new CO2 tank and get a better solution for securing my ARB fridge in the bed of the truck. Up to this point I've usually had the fridge on the rear seat deck that I built but that only works if I don't need the back seat. Now that my wife and kids are riding with me more the fridge needed to find it's way to the bed of the truck.
I didn't want to drill tons of holes in the bed for all the brackets so i built a simple deck to bolt everything to and the just bolted the deck down with 4 bolts instead of like 16 holes for everything.
Deck is made of 3/4" ply and I bought a cheap rubber garage mat and covered the plywood with it. I tried to keep as much leg room in the bed as I could for my boys and even with the fridge back there it's not bad.
The new CO2 tank fits nicely on the driverside, but I'm considering mounting it vertically instead but that will require me to fab a brace for the bracket to attach to the bedrail so there is adequate support.
I'm using an Engel transit lock for the fridge. The fridge has feet the slide into the metal brackets and locks it into place.
I needed a power souce back there so I wired up a 12v plug tucked up under the bed rail on the passenger side. That gives me power for the fridge.
Fridge in place.
That leaves room for one of my boxes between the fridge and the CO2 if I don't have my boys riding with me in the back.
It's not the perfect setup given that I am working around passengers in the bed, but given the problems with that it worked out pretty good for what I need.
I didn't want to drill tons of holes in the bed for all the brackets so i built a simple deck to bolt everything to and the just bolted the deck down with 4 bolts instead of like 16 holes for everything.
Deck is made of 3/4" ply and I bought a cheap rubber garage mat and covered the plywood with it. I tried to keep as much leg room in the bed as I could for my boys and even with the fridge back there it's not bad.
The new CO2 tank fits nicely on the driverside, but I'm considering mounting it vertically instead but that will require me to fab a brace for the bracket to attach to the bedrail so there is adequate support.
I'm using an Engel transit lock for the fridge. The fridge has feet the slide into the metal brackets and locks it into place.
I needed a power souce back there so I wired up a 12v plug tucked up under the bed rail on the passenger side. That gives me power for the fridge.
Fridge in place.
That leaves room for one of my boxes between the fridge and the CO2 if I don't have my boys riding with me in the back.
It's not the perfect setup given that I am working around passengers in the bed, but given the problems with that it worked out pretty good for what I need.
austintaco
Explorer
Reminds me of some of my best childhood memories. My dad's first truck was a 76 F100 Explorer model with a campershell. His first mod after purchasing the truck in 76, was to cover some plywood with excess carpet material and lay that in the bed of the truck. The campershell had crank out side vent windows and a vent on top that cranked open.
Our road trips would consist of me and my brother in the back sitting in camp chairs or a cot with the cooler down by the tailgate. My dad would knock on the window about every hour or so and ask for a "cold one". I know, it sounds bad, but that was 1976.
Once again, I will have to steal an idea from you when I decide how to mount the Edgestar.
Our road trips would consist of me and my brother in the back sitting in camp chairs or a cot with the cooler down by the tailgate. My dad would knock on the window about every hour or so and ask for a "cold one". I know, it sounds bad, but that was 1976.
Once again, I will have to steal an idea from you when I decide how to mount the Edgestar.
Wrek
I’m lost
I've been lurking on here for years and just recently finally registered. I just wanted to say that I love your truck. It's pretty much my dream truck, only I don't want to take out a loan and all the quad cabs in my area are a bit out of my budget. I have 2 kids myself but grew up in a family of 4 kids. It makes me happy to see you taking your entire family out with you! Some of the most fun I remember as a kid was going up exploring in the mountains with my mom in our 70's Bronco. She worked for the U.S. Forest Service, so I got to do a lot of exploring with her. It was some of the most fun I've ever had, and I guarantee your kids will remember it for the rest of their lives.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
Thanks man! I appreciate it. My personal enjoyment aside, one of my primary reasons for having trucks is so that I can help my kids build memories. I wish I could get out more often but I just do my best.
Box Rocket
Well-known member
speaking of getting out with the kids, we did get out for a little trail ride last weekend. Kids had a fun and the fall colors were in full effect so that was a plus! Mineral Basin Trail in American Fork Canyon, Utah.
soonenough
Explorer
Nice work! I really like the diamond-plate floor. One suggestion, if I may - flip the tank around to face the other way? That way if for some reason (accident, mechanical failure, etc) the valve on top of the bottle failed, and the bottle tried to rocket away, it would do so heading away from the truck and its occupants, not torwards them.
Or was the idea that if the valve failed, the tray/clamp would keep the bottle secure, and by facing the valve away from passengers, you're preventing any injuries from gas/metal/etc escaping the leaking bottle?