Pongo, The story of our 2016 Tacoma

dorton

#rockcreekoverland
Nice truck man,

I live in WNC, great to see a nice build right here in NC.

Jelly over the T4R too!
Thanks, hope to see you on the trails sometime.


Epic up there isn't it! Come out in July for the FJSummit next year and meet all your vendors in person.

We need more Tacos at the event!!

We went to #7, and #8, our friends in the black 5th get 4runner went to #9. Both times for us were in our 86' 4runner. It is spectacular out there.

Real nice truck and work! Must come in handy working for toyota dealership

It does have it's positives at times.

Heading north, we enjoyed the diversity of the seemingly ever changing landscape.
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We had a stop planned in Idaho Falls at CBI Off Road Fab's shop for a video shoot, but arrived the evening before, so we grabbed a spot at an RV park to
get freshened up and rested for the coming day.

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The folks there at CBI were awesome. Their team was professional, and their work was impeccable.
The shoot went well, and after a the better part of a day, we had what we needed.

Here is one of tthe products of our efforts:
[video]https://youtu.be/K6194NqqWEM[/video]

Once we had packed away the equipment, we headed westward towards the Sawtooth Mountains near Stanley Idaho.
 

mb1k

Observer
Dorton,

Fantastic build! Do you have any close ups of the All-Pro bed rack and Soft Topper interaction? I want to do the same setup on an upcoming Frontier project but will have to fabricate my own bed rack to fit with the Soft Topper. Any pics would be appreciated!
 

dorton

#rockcreekoverland
As we got closer, the haze from a wildfire started to build. We made the decision to setup camp and decide where to go from there.

We were rewarded with the longest, and most amazing sunset i've ever witnessed.
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It was almost 11:00PM local before it finally was dark. Then, like a switch being flipped, the smoke shifted and exposed the hidden beauty of the
Idaho night skies.
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The next morning, we broke camp, and headed to Stanley to top off on supplies before heading into the backcountry.
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We were able to enjoy a few days away from town until the smoke shifted and forced our hand to move on. We decided to head back to Colorado for the remainder of the trip.
 

rickashay

Explorer
Awesome build! I follow you on IG. THe 3rd Gen Tacoma is really growing on me... few questions for you.

I keep hearing they are so gutless with the 3.5L engine, even compared to the 4.0L from the previous gen. With yours being modded and having the extra weight associated with that, what are your thoughts on it? Also fuel economy? Yours a 6speed or auto?

Sorry for all the Q's. THx
 

dorton

#rockcreekoverland
Awesome build! I follow you on IG. THe 3rd Gen Tacoma is really growing on me... few questions for you.

I keep hearing they are so gutless with the 3.5L engine, even compared to the 4.0L from the previous gen. With yours being modded and having the extra weight associated with that, what are your thoughts on it? Also fuel economy? Yours a 6speed or auto?

Sorry for all the Q's. THx

Thanks!

Compared to my FJ Cruiser(both autos), the Taco has noticeably less power until closer to 4k rpms, then it takes off. I drive like an old lady, so 95% of the time, I don't even notice it.
With the added weight, and larger tires you can tell heavy acceleration and spirited driving has taken a hit. I plan on getting a set of 4.88 gear sets in the future to help
make up for the losses, and added weight.

The fuel mileage has taken a hit as well. Usually it's around 14mpg(indicated), and can't recall it using 6th gear in months(probably since around day 2 :sombrero:)
What I've gathered from those lucky enough to have 4.88s installed they gained back between 3-5mpg, and say the felt power loss is 100% improved.

I have more miles off road(and on)behind the wheel of 22RE powered Toyota's, so, the lack of grunt doesn't bother me as much as it would
going from a V8 Tundra.

Feel free to shoot with any questions
 

mtnbike28

Expedition Leader
I love the Milky Way picture. Thanks for the honest mileage report! So many inflate their numbers on forums....
 

Bretthn

Explorer
I will make one of these trips with you in the next year or so... looks like this one was as good or better than the rest


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

dorton

#rockcreekoverland
Our camp in Idaho was beautiful albeit dusty, and dangerously dry. No doubt if an ember were to hit the ground, our area would have been up in flames like
so much of the land to our west was at the time. We were camping just feet away from beautiful crystal clear almost ice cold water that was full of Rainbow, and Bull Trout.(I'll have to find
some of the photos so I can post them up)
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On our way back south towards Colorado, we wasted no time, and kept our stops to an absolute minimum to we could enjoy
the smoke free skies of the San Juan Mountains.

The San Juans are magical. It's hard to explain, let alone fathom their beauty without experiencing them first hand.
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Colonal Angus

Adventurer
Great story! Been shopping Tacomas. Trying to determine whether I should go with the TRDOR or just an SR and build it up. I appreciate your feedback on the vehicle. Excellent pics, too!
 

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