RSB's Radiant Red Tacoma build

[RSB]

Hello ExPo! :wavey: I drive a Radiant Red 2004 Tacoma XtraCab V6 w/4WD—with both the TRD and SR5 packages—AND grey interior. I was completely amazed to actually find one in such a rare configuration. It was a great find w/only 32,000 miles on it. I've always wanted a Tacoma since the '01-04 body style came out. I was absolutely ecstatic to finally have the means to buy one and drove all the way from Oklahoma to SoCal to pick it up! :bike_rider:

Here's a picture the day I bought it...

The knowledge I've gained from ExPo has saved me—without a doubt—over 20 years of trial & error experience wheelin' on the trails. Special thanks to bajataco, expeditionswest, Willman, and Flyingwil for sharing their builds to help inspire the design behind my Tacoma.

Owner: Ryan Bidinger (RSB)
Location: Edmond, OK

Year: 2004
Make: Toyota
Model: Tacoma XtraCab 4x4 w/SR5 & TRD packages
Engine: 3.4L, V6
Trans: manual
T-Case: stock

Suspension:
Icon Vehicle Dynamics ext travel front coilovers
Total Chaos front UCAs
Total Chaos spindle reinforcements
Icon Vehicle Dynamics extended travel rear shocks w/remote reservoirs
Deaver 8-pack rear leaf springs
All-Pro Off-road 2.5" spring shackles

Tires & wheels:
33x10.5x15 BFG MT KM2s
Pro Comp 87 Series Rock Crawler 15x8 steelies

Exterior/body armor:
ARB front bumper
CBI TrailRider Hybrid rear bumper w/tire carrier (1st of its kind!)
CBI rear frame reinforcements
frame end-cap modification
OEM fenders coated w/Line-X Xtra
Demello Off-road heavy-duty round rock sliders
custom rear crossmember
4gal air tank
Jaz Products 700-500-01 sealed battery box kit
BudBuilt front skid plate
ARE CX Series canopy w/vented win-doors
Garvin Wilderness Sports Series roof rack w/custom tool mounting brackets
Yakima Q Tower Roof Rack System
Yakima King Cobra bike rack
Whelen SA315P 100 watt siren speaker

Electrical:
250 amp Xantrex PathMaker batt combiner
Optima YellowTop D34/78 (starter batt)
Odyssey 1700MJT (house batt)
Ravelco security system
4WD grey wire mod

Lighting:
(2) Lightforce 240 XGTs
OSRAM SilverStar H4s (headlights bulbs)
SpeedTech Lights Quad Pro LED (front)
(2) Whelen TIR6 LEDs (front turn signals)
SpeedTech Lights Hex Pro LED (rear)

Drivetrain:
OEM rear e-locker
rear diff breather mod

Engine:
ARB Safari snorkel

Recovery/extrication:
Warn M8000 winch w/5/16" Viking Offroad Trail Line w/safety thimble, plastic isolator and replacement delrin rollers
Extreme Outback recovery kit
Black Rat towing kit
ARB Bushranger X-Jack
MAXTRAX traction devices
Hi-Lift 48" jack
Paratech 30" hooligan
Fire Axe JP Special 4lb pick-head axe

Interior (cab):
Corbeau GTS II's w/driver seat heater
Yaesu FT-8800R 2m/70 band transceiver w/remote separation kit and Larsen NMO2/70BK 2m/70 band 1/2λ antenna w/Diamond Super Gainer K400SNMO mount
Uniden PRO520XL CB radio w/4' K40 Tunable Whip antenna w/Diamond Super Gainer K400-3/8C mount
ClearTone MFG speaker MFJ-281
Samsung NB30 netbook w/MINIMOUNT case (modified Samsung NC10/N110/N120 model) and Manfrotto Magic Arm w/passenger seat rail mount
GlobalSat BU-353 USB GPS receiver
Garmin nüvi 255W w/RAM mount
Tuffy Series II security console
WeatherTech FloorLiner DigitalFit floor mats
Lo-Tek A-Pillar Gauge Pod w/Xantrex LinkPRO gauge & Auto Meter 2620 Z-series mechanical air pressure gauge
RoadlessGear interior winch switch
Whelen PAP112 Power Airhorn w/PA system w/Linemaster 491-S foot switch
ProClip for iPhone
Neo ProLink iPhone adapter
clutch spring mod

Interior (canopy):
ExtremeAir 12v air compressor
bedliner coated w/Line-X
BedRug

Future modifications/additions:
All-Pro Off-road rear wrap-around bumper w/quarter guards
Walker Evans 17x8 beadlock racing wheels with Spidertrax 1.25" spacers
LT255/80/17 BFG MT KM2 tires
All-Pro Off-road Rock Sliders
All-Pro Off-road Pack Rack System
Eezi-Awn RTT
All-Pro Off Road Skid Plates
ARB compartment drawers
assorted Pelican/Storm cases
Larsen NMO 150B 2m band 5/8λ antenna w/Diamond Super Gainer K400SNMO mount
custom (Alcan?) 10-pack rear leaf springs
assorted fire extinguishers
emergency rescue/survival gear & equip
camping gear
emergency bug-out bag
Engel MT45 fridge/freezer w/transit bag & LoadSpotter levitating slide
slotted rotors
front & rear SS braided brake lines
front locker & re-gearing
HID conversion kit for Lightforce 240 XGTs
rock lights
APRS capability w/2nd 2m radio

Please enjoy and share any comments or questions you might have on this on-going thread!

 

[RSB]

Before I was finally able to buy the truck, I was serving in the Air Force stationed in South Dakota. Every so often I spotted this Tacoma driving around base...

I finally got to the meet the guy who owned it and asked him what he did to it to make is look so cool.

3 years later, I was determined to have the same setup. I drove my Tacoma off the lot and within a week, it looked like this...

Didn't go w/the 35" Super Swamper Boggers, but I came close.
Fabtech 6" Performance DB lift, 35" BFG MT's & 16x8 Pro Comp Xtreme Alloy 1069's.

A few more pics once I got it all cleaned-up back in beautiful sunny San Diego...

 

[RSB]

during the drive home back to Oklahoma...

 

[RSB]

A month later, the CBI front bumper I ordered came in ('Dan's Replica'). It took me a long time to figure-out who made it—after seeing it in a CoTTORA video on YouTube years ago. Definitely one of my favorite front bumpers I've seen seen designed for the Tacoma.

A few 'poser' shots with it finally installed...

Wheelin' in Disney, Oklahoma!

 

[RSB]

Well, not much later after my trip to Disney did I begin to realize the problems with having a DB lift. I ignored it for a year until the suspension started to ride considerably worse. Only after really educating myself on TTORA did I realize just how wrong I built my platform.

I wrestled with different solutions for a few more months before finally making a decision. Finally, I decided to bring the truck back down from a towering mall crawler—to a rugged, overland explorer.

I knew it was going to be a very difficult project. There's a reason why DB lifts are considered permanent! The process would require removing the parts, welding-in a stock rear cross member and having new parts ready to swap-in for the old parts. Financially alone, paying someone else to do this would be substantial. And—it couldn't be done in stages. Everything had to be done all at once—and in one location. With the help of some friends, I decided to do it myself. Since I knew nothing about welding, I hired a local welder to help with welding-in the rear cross member in my friend's garage.

The entire process took roughly 5 days and countless trips back & forth to the hardware store. :coffeedrink: I would definitely say it was the hardest project I've ever tackled. Practically every bolt was seized-up and I was missing parts. Not only did I completely forget to find stock front diff mounts, I didn't realize the aftermarket steering extension was an add-on to the stock adapter—not a replacement.

Because my Tacoma is my DD, I didn't have time to order the right parts or wait to find them in the forums. So, instead I improvised and had the aftermarket front diff mounts welded to the front cross member. For the missing steering adapter, we rigged-up a custom adapter using the Fabtech extension and a piece of steel conduit. It was tack-welded to the upper steering shaft as a temporary fix.

The welder I hired did an excellent job. Even the guys at the frame shop commented on how well the rear cross member was fit back into place. they were very impressed.

Sadly, I misplaced ALL the pictures I had for this project. Hopefully I'll come across them again one day so I can share them with anyone interested.

Overall, the transformation costed me close to a ridiculous $600 for the welding and another $400 for alignment and post-check on all my work at the frame shop. It was really expensive although I know I saved substantially more by not having someone else do it. Yet another reason why a DB lift is considered permanent!!!

New installed equipment:

Icon Vehicle Dynamics ext travel front coilovers
Total Chaos front UCA's
Total Chaos spindle reinforcements
Icon Vehicle Dynamics ext travel rear shocks w/remote resi's
Deaver 8-pack rear leaf springs
33x10.5x15 BFG MT KM2's wrapped around Pro Comp 87 Series Rock Crawler 15x8 steelies

The pictures I took after the install didn't turn out so good, so I'll post the ones w/the additional modifications made shortly after w/additional specs in later posts.

Additional modifications:

ARB front bumper w/mounted Lightforce 240 XGT's
BudBuilt front skid plate
ARE CX Series canopy w/vented win-doors
Garvin Wilderness Sports Series roof rack w/custom tool mounting brackets
Yakima Q Tower Roof Rack System
OSRAM SilverStar H4's
SpeedTech Lights Quad Pro LED (front)
Whelen TIR6 LED's (front)
SpeedTech Lights Hex Pro LED (rear)
Paratech 30" hooligan
Fire Axe JP Special 4lb pick-head axe
Viking Offroad hawse fairlead
ProClip for iPhone 3GS
Neo ProLink iPhone adapter
BedRug

Here's how it turned-out...

 

[RSB]

 

[RSB]

Notice the spare tire & Hi-Lift just waiting to be put on a tire carrier!

 

[RSB]

If you look closely at the bottom right of the 240 XGT on the left, you can see one of the 4 tabs I had welded in place next to the lateral adjustment screws. I put these here to prevent theft in addition to the special Lightforce nuts on the bottom of each light.

Thanks to my friend Chris for coming up w/the idea!

 

[RSB]

After installing the roof rack, I spent a lot of time looking around for a secure yet functional way to mount recovery & extrication tools outside the vehicle. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything that fit both categories.

Finally, I spotted a bracket manufactured by Gobi Racks w/the perfect design. Using the Garvin shovel & axe mount designed for my roof rack, I had a local fab shop (Custom 4x4 Fabrication) put together the perfect mount. The locking knobs are made by RAM mounts and have a 3/8-16 thread (the largest I could find). At $19 a piece, they weren't cheap!

The mounts work perfectly and because my rack doesn't extend all the way to the edge of the canopy, they don't stick-out too far from the rack either. :victory:

 

[RSB]

I wanted flashing LEDs installed on the truck for additional safety and higher visibility during vehicle recovery and in situations when I'm pulled off to the side of the road. For the front, I went with a SpeedTech Lights Quad Pro and mounted it directly to the headliner on the passenger side.

A few close-up shots...

I also ordered the Whelen TIR6 LED's to upgrade the brightness of the ARB turn signals. The inspiration came from this thread on ExPo:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21304

Right before making the modification, I changed my mind. I didn't really like the location of the turn signals on the ARB. I thought they'd look better relocated in the parking lights. With the available space in the ARB, I could complement the light bar in the cab. It took a lot of time grinding with the Dremel—but it was the only way to get the job done in such a small space. Ultimately I had to grind off (shave off, really) the lower tab on each housing opening. I bent back the rear tabs where the housings originally screwed-in and filled the open gaps w/some weatherstripping.

A few close-up shots...

All together...

Here's a link to a video of what the front LEDs look like all fired-up. Kept it simple, yet effective.

http://gallery.me.com/rsbidinger#100190/IMG_0278&bgcolor=black

Interior setup...

I wired the switch below the hazards to both the TIR6's and the Quad Pro. The switch box below is for the rear light bar. I'll post a few photos on that later...

 

[RSB]

Next to the switch box is the ProClip for my iPhone, wired to the Neo ProLink adapter behind the cigarette outlets. It allows control of the iPhone from the stock radio. It's very secure and won't fall-off when wheeling on the trails.

Switch location of XGT's on-board the ARB...

(Yes, I know. I'm missing some screws. :ylsmoke

The lights turned-out to be even more useful than I first anticipated. I also use them to alert other drivers of oncoming traffic hazards or when pulling out of blind spots. I'm very pleased w/the results.

I advise anyone considering installing flashing lights on their vehicles consult their local regs first.

 

[AlwaysExplr87]

Love the truck man, glad to see you saw the light and got rid of the DB lift. Your truck has turned out awesome.

 

[Wes Craiglow]

Love the truck, buddy. Can't wait to hear your details of the rest of the build.

One question, though: when do we get to see it dirty?

 

[RSB]

thank-you

Love the truck man, glad to see you saw the light and got rid of the DB lift. Your truck has turned out awesome.

 

[RSB]

thanks! Ya, I know. I haven't been out in awhile. Once I get the recovery gear in a few weeks (and now my front diff actuator replaced ) I plan to hit the trails!

Love the truck, buddy. Can't wait to hear your details of the rest of the build.

One question, though: when do we get to see it dirty?