BudgetEverything
New member
Well hi there. So, I’m Isaac, and I guess today, I’m gonna write a build thread. Never done one, and this is my 30th vehicle (I like a lot of different cars and trucks, so while I’d like to have kept most of them, I think we all know that isn’t possible for most people). As of now I’m just kind of building my tundra little by little, but I’d like to start documenting it, maybe start a YouTube channel about overlanding on a budget as well as other cheap sh..... stuff. Anyway. That’s for a later date, for now let’s begin the story of my 2006 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab. 4WD, of course. Feel free to scroll past my jabber and go straight to the buildy stuff. Make no mistake, my pockets are weightless so don’t expect an Xpedition Overland-level build, and most of my ability to build usually ends with “uh, yeah that should work” as I polish off a Voodoo Ranger. Really I should shut up and just say “here’s my truck and this is what’s done,” but hey. I like telling stories.
So, back in February of this horrendously historical year, before we all were blindsided by whatever it is that’s happening today, I had made the decision that it was time to let go of my 2004 Land Cruiser 100. I loved that thing like it was my kid, in fact it had a special place in my heart as less than a year prior, as it brought my wife and I home from the hospital with our first child. Though it felt dependable, and for the most part it was, it started to show its scars, mostly from living its early life ********** in the middle of the rust belt, so electrical gremlins and body rust were setting in hard. So the search was on for a replacement.
I have a deep rooted love for Toyota, so there was no question the 100 would be replaced with another. But which one? I loved my previous Tacoma, so that was in the running, I liked the room of an SUV, so the 4Runner was an option. I wanted to keep a 2UZ drivetrain as sometimes I buy dumb idiot drift cars and needed the extra towing ability, so the Tacoma was immediately out, and the 4Runner narrowed to a 4th gen with the Sequoia in a close second . But then, I realized I absolutely wanted to have a bed again. My choice became obvious, a Tundra, but not just any tundra, it had to be a first gen double cab. You know, the one with the roll down rear window. After weeks of searching with either a poor example, or a price tag I wasn’t comfortable paying, my buddy calls me as I’m about to walk into carmax and sell them my land cruiser for way less than its worth, and tells me he found a double cab tundra that just popped up for sale. I messaged the guy, and he actually happened to be about 800 feet from the carmax I just walked out of with a pride-shattering quote. After meeting up with him, we talked money a little bit and I said ”I might need a week or two to come up with your price tag” when suddenly he asked me if I’d want to trade. So with a couple bills on top, we swapped keys, and I drove away in this well maintained 2006 Double Cab Tundra.
With the back window that goes down, I drove off heart-broken yet excited, as I saw my land cruiser pass me, then fade away on an exit ramp never to be seen again until tomorrow when it popped up on Facebook marketplace (the guy was a dealer and had picked it up from the Carmax auction a few hours prior). So finally I had my new platform in its pure grandpa spec. Obviously, first step was to throw the running boards directly into the trash.
And in the trash the went. Next, grill paint, because Toyota engineers went heavy on the chrome with this one. I wanted to wait until state inspection was completed before I started putting any real work into it, so cosmetic stuff was first.
And that was pretty much it until inspection. During inspection, the worst answer I could have received was given. It could have failed for any other reason, but it failed for a tire, rear drum shoes, and....... this.
This is a middle crossmember, the last one under the cab just before the bed starts. I had looked under the truck from this side and the frame looked really good! But this was directly under my head and I couldn’t see it. That was probably the heaviest thing I could have heard. The shop owner was an old friend of mine, and he, his inspector, and myself stood around discussing how this could be fixed. This was the same fate my tacoma had met, except this was in a much better spot and had not been previously patched, so my first move was to call Toyota to see if I could claim a frame recall. I think we all know how that conversation went. So, feeling helpless, I contacted a buddy who works at Wits End Fabrication in Hanover, MD, and he told me to swing by and he and the shop owner would take a look at it. Pulled up with my tail between my legs as I brought them yet another Toyota truck in for frame repair, and the owner was skeptical at first, but in the end felt confident they could rebuild the rotted section, as well as a new set of tires, shoes, and a front level (because if I’m gonna buy a set of new tires, I’m only doing it once). So I made a down payment and drove home. Once home, I placed an order for some 33x10.5 Kenda Klever RTs after a lot of debate and beer. They had a price point I loved and I had heard only positive things, I was only hoping they would be as good as the Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws I had on my land cruiser. And then into the shop it went days later.
With the truck back in my possession, I was happier than a pig in.... a place that pigs are happy. The truck looked much more aggressive with its new stance and more aggressive Kendas, it felt taller which was a feeling I missed, and most importantly the inspector was happy with the work. So now the fun begins. It’s overland time.
I decided that I wanted an RTT again. My previous RTT was sold when I decided to switch to an ARB awning/room combo, however that proved to be more of a hassle as I’m pretty sure I had the worlds oldest ARB awning and couldn’t figure out what size it was (probably should have measured but I was sure it was the “big” one). Now, the 1st generation tundra does NOT have the same aftermarket support that the 2nd gens have. They will likely become the new underdog after the GX market finishes skyrocketing, in my opinion, and some companies are starting development already. That said, I had like 3 options for a bed setup: bed cage, camper shell, or something like a Flippac. Third option, immediately out because I couldn’t find one to save my own life. 2nd option was out, because the rear window would become useless and that was a huuuuuge factor in my purchase of the truck. 1st option was just more than I felt like paying at the moment as I wanted to save funds for other things as well. So, the idea came to mind, what about a ladder rack with a softtopper over it? And then I found my inspiration in this truck:
And then I hit the image cap.
So, back in February of this horrendously historical year, before we all were blindsided by whatever it is that’s happening today, I had made the decision that it was time to let go of my 2004 Land Cruiser 100. I loved that thing like it was my kid, in fact it had a special place in my heart as less than a year prior, as it brought my wife and I home from the hospital with our first child. Though it felt dependable, and for the most part it was, it started to show its scars, mostly from living its early life ********** in the middle of the rust belt, so electrical gremlins and body rust were setting in hard. So the search was on for a replacement.
I have a deep rooted love for Toyota, so there was no question the 100 would be replaced with another. But which one? I loved my previous Tacoma, so that was in the running, I liked the room of an SUV, so the 4Runner was an option. I wanted to keep a 2UZ drivetrain as sometimes I buy dumb idiot drift cars and needed the extra towing ability, so the Tacoma was immediately out, and the 4Runner narrowed to a 4th gen with the Sequoia in a close second . But then, I realized I absolutely wanted to have a bed again. My choice became obvious, a Tundra, but not just any tundra, it had to be a first gen double cab. You know, the one with the roll down rear window. After weeks of searching with either a poor example, or a price tag I wasn’t comfortable paying, my buddy calls me as I’m about to walk into carmax and sell them my land cruiser for way less than its worth, and tells me he found a double cab tundra that just popped up for sale. I messaged the guy, and he actually happened to be about 800 feet from the carmax I just walked out of with a pride-shattering quote. After meeting up with him, we talked money a little bit and I said ”I might need a week or two to come up with your price tag” when suddenly he asked me if I’d want to trade. So with a couple bills on top, we swapped keys, and I drove away in this well maintained 2006 Double Cab Tundra.
With the back window that goes down, I drove off heart-broken yet excited, as I saw my land cruiser pass me, then fade away on an exit ramp never to be seen again until tomorrow when it popped up on Facebook marketplace (the guy was a dealer and had picked it up from the Carmax auction a few hours prior). So finally I had my new platform in its pure grandpa spec. Obviously, first step was to throw the running boards directly into the trash.
And in the trash the went. Next, grill paint, because Toyota engineers went heavy on the chrome with this one. I wanted to wait until state inspection was completed before I started putting any real work into it, so cosmetic stuff was first.
And that was pretty much it until inspection. During inspection, the worst answer I could have received was given. It could have failed for any other reason, but it failed for a tire, rear drum shoes, and....... this.
This is a middle crossmember, the last one under the cab just before the bed starts. I had looked under the truck from this side and the frame looked really good! But this was directly under my head and I couldn’t see it. That was probably the heaviest thing I could have heard. The shop owner was an old friend of mine, and he, his inspector, and myself stood around discussing how this could be fixed. This was the same fate my tacoma had met, except this was in a much better spot and had not been previously patched, so my first move was to call Toyota to see if I could claim a frame recall. I think we all know how that conversation went. So, feeling helpless, I contacted a buddy who works at Wits End Fabrication in Hanover, MD, and he told me to swing by and he and the shop owner would take a look at it. Pulled up with my tail between my legs as I brought them yet another Toyota truck in for frame repair, and the owner was skeptical at first, but in the end felt confident they could rebuild the rotted section, as well as a new set of tires, shoes, and a front level (because if I’m gonna buy a set of new tires, I’m only doing it once). So I made a down payment and drove home. Once home, I placed an order for some 33x10.5 Kenda Klever RTs after a lot of debate and beer. They had a price point I loved and I had heard only positive things, I was only hoping they would be as good as the Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws I had on my land cruiser. And then into the shop it went days later.
With the truck back in my possession, I was happier than a pig in.... a place that pigs are happy. The truck looked much more aggressive with its new stance and more aggressive Kendas, it felt taller which was a feeling I missed, and most importantly the inspector was happy with the work. So now the fun begins. It’s overland time.
I decided that I wanted an RTT again. My previous RTT was sold when I decided to switch to an ARB awning/room combo, however that proved to be more of a hassle as I’m pretty sure I had the worlds oldest ARB awning and couldn’t figure out what size it was (probably should have measured but I was sure it was the “big” one). Now, the 1st generation tundra does NOT have the same aftermarket support that the 2nd gens have. They will likely become the new underdog after the GX market finishes skyrocketing, in my opinion, and some companies are starting development already. That said, I had like 3 options for a bed setup: bed cage, camper shell, or something like a Flippac. Third option, immediately out because I couldn’t find one to save my own life. 2nd option was out, because the rear window would become useless and that was a huuuuuge factor in my purchase of the truck. 1st option was just more than I felt like paying at the moment as I wanted to save funds for other things as well. So, the idea came to mind, what about a ladder rack with a softtopper over it? And then I found my inspiration in this truck:
And then I hit the image cap.
