Schattenjager
Expedition Leader
05 Tacoma build
Well, not that it matters much in the grand scheme of things, but I wanted to put up a thread of my mods before I forget what I have done. Hopefully I will be able to fine tune this setup with a little help from you folk.
After more than 10 years as a Land Rover man, I bought this 05 Tacoma TRD SR-5 used with 8K on the clock. Heritage comes at an awful price – namely a royalty paid to whatever Land Rover dealer or repair shop is nearest – so after discovering this forum and careful study, I became a Toyota man. As you can see from the photos, it was heavily laden with stickers, which I removed the night I brought her home. I then spray painted the front “shield” under the bumper black, for a less metro look. Despite these efforts, Max, the mighty German Shepherd opined as to HIS preference in cars. You can take a Dog outta the Land Rover, but…
Next I purchased an Odyssey 2150 power plant – mainly just because. I have had my fare share of electrical problems and thought getting the best here was a solid beginning.
To further distance myself from the metro look, I took the 235/85/16 BFG AT’s off the Rover and put them on the Toyota. They fit great – no rubbing at all.
The last mod I had done in Alaska was the addition of two Light Force 170’s. Love Light Force stuff and these lights are really good at making you think a football stadium is fitted to your front bumper.
After traveling the Alaska Hwy. and The Cassiar to Seattle, I had an ARB front bumper and an OME HD spring and shock kit installed. This gave me about 3” of lift, a GREAT ride, and yes, it shredded the metro look I hate so much.
Once I arrived in Denver, I had the fender flares Line X’ed Painting cost twice as much, I have seen Herculiner and while a fine product, was not the look I was after. Rhino turns white very easy, so I looked into and chose the Line X. It looks great, wont turn white, is easy to clean, and provides a lot of side protection. Once that was complete, I installed a Yakima track and Load Warrior to the shell with steel reinforcements inside.
This week Off Road Solutions is fitting their rock sliders. That will do it for a while.
I am very please so far, however the front suspension’s articulation SUCKS. I hit a bump and it pitches the whole truck up. Not much flex at all. The rear is superb and I have no complaints. I am wondering if the lack of flex is due to a too firm of a spring in the front or the swaybars. Ideas???
Well, not that it matters much in the grand scheme of things, but I wanted to put up a thread of my mods before I forget what I have done. Hopefully I will be able to fine tune this setup with a little help from you folk.
After more than 10 years as a Land Rover man, I bought this 05 Tacoma TRD SR-5 used with 8K on the clock. Heritage comes at an awful price – namely a royalty paid to whatever Land Rover dealer or repair shop is nearest – so after discovering this forum and careful study, I became a Toyota man. As you can see from the photos, it was heavily laden with stickers, which I removed the night I brought her home. I then spray painted the front “shield” under the bumper black, for a less metro look. Despite these efforts, Max, the mighty German Shepherd opined as to HIS preference in cars. You can take a Dog outta the Land Rover, but…
Next I purchased an Odyssey 2150 power plant – mainly just because. I have had my fare share of electrical problems and thought getting the best here was a solid beginning.
To further distance myself from the metro look, I took the 235/85/16 BFG AT’s off the Rover and put them on the Toyota. They fit great – no rubbing at all.
The last mod I had done in Alaska was the addition of two Light Force 170’s. Love Light Force stuff and these lights are really good at making you think a football stadium is fitted to your front bumper.
After traveling the Alaska Hwy. and The Cassiar to Seattle, I had an ARB front bumper and an OME HD spring and shock kit installed. This gave me about 3” of lift, a GREAT ride, and yes, it shredded the metro look I hate so much.
Once I arrived in Denver, I had the fender flares Line X’ed Painting cost twice as much, I have seen Herculiner and while a fine product, was not the look I was after. Rhino turns white very easy, so I looked into and chose the Line X. It looks great, wont turn white, is easy to clean, and provides a lot of side protection. Once that was complete, I installed a Yakima track and Load Warrior to the shell with steel reinforcements inside.
This week Off Road Solutions is fitting their rock sliders. That will do it for a while.
I am very please so far, however the front suspension’s articulation SUCKS. I hit a bump and it pitches the whole truck up. Not much flex at all. The rear is superb and I have no complaints. I am wondering if the lack of flex is due to a too firm of a spring in the front or the swaybars. Ideas???
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You'll probably be glad you have them if and when you do get a winch. I drove UncleChris' '05 without the front swaybar (and with ARB, winch, and DR coilovers.) It drove fine on the street but it definitely does like to lean more in corners and it doesn't react as quickly if you have to swerve. It takes some getting used to.
