First post, have a few questions for the experts

[jnelson4x4taco]

Hey all, i have been reading along with this forum for quite some time now and finally registered. Im starting to build up my tacoma and i think i have a pretty good base. Its a 99 TRD (its white, dont worry lol) and i have a 2.5" spacer/shackle lift which i would like to replace soon, and some 33x10.50 BFG AT's. Yesterday i picked up an old Leer topper off craigslist for $40, it needs a new front window but is otherwise in good shape. My plans are to build a cargo deck similar to Bajataco's and a small roof rack/ light bar on the front of the topper so i can carry my inflatable "yacht". My first few questions are as follow:

My truck leans to the drivers side pretty bad, even unloaded, how can i remedy this? Add a leaf, new spring pack....

Since i am on a college kids budget, an engel or arb fridge is out of the question, there is a coleman fridge at wal mart for $75 and i think ive heard it called a "thermoelectric" type? Is it worth it to spend the money or should i just save it and use the trusty cooler? Here is a link:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4810828

Thanks, and im looking forward to sharing some of my wacky ideas with you all.

 

[flyingwil]

Hey all, i have been reading along with this forum for quite some time now and finally registered.

Welcome to ExPo!

Im starting to build up my tacoma and i think i have a pretty good base. Its a 99 TRD (its white, dont worry lol)..

Sweet!

...and i have a 2.5" spacer/shackle lift which i would like to replace soon, and some 33x10.50 BFG AT's.

Uh oh.... this opens a huge can on worms!

Yesterday i picked up an old Leer topper off craigslist for $40, it needs a new front window but is otherwise in good shape.

Nice score!

My plans are to build a cargo deck similar to Bajataco's and a small roof rack/ light bar on the front of the topper so i can carry my inflatable "yacht". My first few questions are as follow:

My truck leans to the drivers side pretty bad, even unloaded, how can i remedy this? Add a leaf, new spring pack....

It's called the Taco lean... most Tacoma's lean to the drivers side. Most aftermarket suspension systems compensate for the more weight on the Drivers side (Fuel and Battery).

Since i am on a college kids budget, an engel or arb fridge is out of the question, there is a coleman fridge at wal mart for $70 and i think ive heard it called a "thermoelectric" type? Is it worth it to spend the money or should i just save it and use the trusty cooler?

You can read more about this in my selection article here.

Thermoelectric (TE) coolers work electronically without the use of Freon, compressors or evaporators. In a thermoelectric cooler, direct current is applied to a semiconductor which makes one side of it hot, and one side cold (which is known as the Peltier effect). Typically these units have the ability to either heat or cool.

Thermoelectric units draw a large amount of current (4.6 Amps) and can only cool to about 30 degrees below ambient temperature. Most units do not have the ability to freeze, or maintain a steady internal refrigerated temperature. Consequently they take many hours to cool a warm bottle of water.

IMO, you are best sticking to the cooler and saving up for fridge/freezer. There are a bunch of posts on cooler tips and tricks just search for it.

Thanks, and im looking forward to sharing some of my wacky ideas with you all.

:iagree:

 

[Ursidae69]

My truck leans to the drivers side pretty bad, even unloaded, how can i remedy this? Add a leaf, new spring pack....

Welcome to the Portal. :victory: I installed an extra 1/4 inch spacer in the driver's side coilover and that helped with my driver's side lean a little bit.

 

[datrupr]

:wavey: Welcome to ExPo!:wavey: It will be fun to follow your build, and good score on your topper. When you get a chance post up some pices of your truck.:victory:

 

[Clutch]

Welcome!

For the Tacoma lean, if you put on adjustable coil overs, you can ad little more preload to the spring. Or balance it out by putting your heavier items on the passenger side. My '99 had a bad wobble at speed with the stock springs, aftermarket coil overs and leaf packs cured that. The cheap trick for the front is using Tundra coil overs.

...and for the fridge, you really don't need one, just don't bring perishables. There is an able amount of dehydrated foods available out there, just ad water! Yeah, they might not be as tasty, but, it works. Half the fun of exploring in the back country is getting away from all of the modern conveniences and daily B.S.

Or if you are up for it, hunt your own game and/or fish. Get the proper license/permits first. Bows, trapping equipment, shot guns and .22 cal guns are cheap and can to the job.

 

[Nullifier]

Welcome tot he Protal amigo! Sounds like you have a great base truck to start your building. Just remeber that spending $ on trips is what really counts. A stock Tacoma especially atrd witht he factory locker will get you most places. Since you are on a budget remeber that there is no shame in used parts as you know with your topper. A good rattle can paint to match and a trip tot he glass company has alrady saed you probably 8 or 9 hundred on a topper good score!

For suspension I would say run what you got for now. Keep your eyes open on ttora for a used OME lift or buy it is stages from TRDparts4u.com For the money it is a great lift. I added 2 "trim packers" on the front driver side of my OME kit to offset the taco lean. The kit is very smooth on the road and performed great on my recent 6500 mile baja trip. you'll pay less for an OME kit then just a pr of Donahoe coilovers. If it were me I would start with replacing the rear suspension since shackle lifts are hell on leaf springs. And the tundra coil swap does work well. I know 2 guys locally that have done that as well.

As far as coolers vs engels, I have always used coolers. Fab a cover for them to keep the sun off and use block ice. A good cooler should hold ice for a week. I just got to use an engel fridge for the first time on the baja trip and I ave to say it is the best way to go, but very expensive. I do not own one yet but it's on my list just not in my top 5 right now. I would skip the cheap electric cooler and buy a good standard cooler.

Good luck on your build! keep us posted with pics of your truck and adventures.

 

[Scott Brady]

Welcome

Save the $75 for fuel and dont buy the coleman. Either an ice chest or fridge is the best options.

I know that Chris (BajaTaco) installed a short, yet thick piece of spring steel on the drivers side to cure that problem.

 

[jnelson4x4taco]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Good news, i replaced the front window ($36) and im getting the new clamps tomorrow ($20) so all in all im about $100 into the topper and my brother has some extra white paint lying around so we might spray a fresh coat on it for good measure. If not new paint then im sure a good cleaning will do the trick. The previous owner didnt take great care of the thing, it looks like he started painting an arctic camo scheme on it so there are grey spots in random places, and he glued tin foil all over the inside of the thing so i spent a good couple hours scraping that off . It sure is a project but i think the juice is worth the squeeze on this one. Its all mounted up and looking good, i love the taller roof, i have about another 8 inches or so of headroom above the cab which is sweet. This way i can sit up in and i dont have to slouch and kill my back

It was too dark (and late) by the time i finished up w/ the topper but ill try and get some pics up tomorrow. Ive never posted pics before so any tips would be awesome.

Up Next... Topper lights, GPS mount, CB, Cargo deck

 

[jnelson4x4taco]

Ok here are some pics. The window seems to be watertight so im excited about that, it is a little messy but itll do the trick. Ill go back and clean it up up so it doesnt look so redneck (not that redneck is bad, cuz redneck works!). I do need to replace the rear hydraulics so the window stops falling on my head. Then probably the light bar but i do have a few questions. Is there alot of noise because of the lights up top? I know that my VW had horrible noise at speed when i had the yakima bars on. If there is noise, would having it fold down help? I think i might have a few ideas for that. Thanks for lookin and as always, constructive criticism is welcome

 

[Nullifier]

Not to shabby for the $ you have in it! I would suggest investing in some better clamps. I would use 3 topper clamps per side for wheeling purposes.

As far as the racks the Taco's do not do as bad with rack noise from my experience. If it is annoying to you just get a wind fairing. That eliminates it.

 

[jnelson4x4taco]

LOL yeah those clamps were used just to get it home from my brothers house. I did get those aluminum topper clamps. I only got 2 for each side but i will probably go back to get 1 more for each side. Do you have any examples of a wind fairing for it? would it just be a piece of plexiglass or something? Hopefully this weekend ill be able to fab up a light bar and get some lights mounted

the past 2 weeks we have gotten dumped on with snow but ive got the camping bug. so now its time to see which of my buddies has marbles to go with me :REOutCampFire03:

 

[BajaTaco]

Welcome to ExPo. Very cool looking Tacoma you have there. I dig the blacked out grill and the clear corners. Congrats on the shell, I hope it is good to you. With the prices of shells these days, you just made a steal (if it doesn't leak on you). The lean on the truck is weird - I see some trucks with it, and some are fine. Mine was always fine until this last set of rear leaf springs. I added a short piece of spring steel to the base of the leaf pack (drilled for the center pin) and it sits level now.

Have fun on your snow camp adventure!

 

[jnelson4x4taco]

Thanks for the tip on the lean. Im not sure if you remember but im the kid who emailed you a few years back about your truck inspiring me to build an expedition tacoma. That topper is gone now and this is round 2. I hope to use the same ideas i had back then but improve upon them.

Coming up soon should be the light bar and some neato interior additions.

 

[BajaTaco]

Very cool! I am glad you made your way here. It's a good place to be. Keep us updated.