Joey's Tacoma

[homeforsummer]

Iowa is the most boring state I've ever been through.
Wyoming is way under rated.

When I did my last trip I found Nebraska more boring than Iowa, but I was cutting directly west through both and to me Nebraska was just Iowa without any changes in elevation (on the road itself, which seems to undulate more in Iowa - I'm aware Nebraska has greater actual changes in elevation across the state). Also I quite liked Des Moines, which bumped Iowa up a few notches.

Agree about Wyoming though, not least because it includes most of Yellowstone. Good scenery in general though.

 

[Katiegan]

You forgot to highlight the part where you saw Ken Block's Raptor.

 

[Joey D]

You forgot to highlight the part where you saw Ken Block's Raptor.

I can oblige that:

====

And from today. I went up to Skyline Drive and drove the whole road, and while they call it a road it's nothing more than a trail with rocky outcroppings you need to drive over and no guardrails with several hundred foot drop offs. I did see one guy in a Honda Civic though driving it somehow.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Next up, I'm just going to continue to explore.

I'm sure you won't need anyone to tell you to hit the Moab area, obviously. Utah doesn't get much better than that.

 

[Joey D]

So while I really like my Softtopper, I wanted something more water tight since I'm going to start building my rig up more to do overland travel that's more off the beaten path. I met a nice dude on the TacomWorld forums that had recently picked up a new truck and was selling his Leer 100R in Silver Mica. While the Mica is slightly different than the Silver Streak that my truck it, it was close enough to where I didn't really care and at $450 bucks I couldn't pass it up. He even bought some new hardware for it before having me pick it up.

Now I just need to get the Prinsu Designs TopRac to match my CabRac and I'll be all set to mount a RTT on it and get more into adventure mode.

 

[Slash]

So while I really like my Softtopper, I wanted something more water tight since I'm going to start building my rig up more to do overland travel that's more off the beaten path. I met a nice dude on the TacomWorld forums that had recently picked up a new truck and was selling his Leer 100R in Silver Mica. While the Mica is slightly different than the Silver Streak that my truck it, it was close enough to where I didn't really care and at $450 bucks I couldn't pass it up. He even bought some new hardware for it before having me pick it up.

Now I just need to get the Prinsu Designs TopRac to match my CabRac and I'll be all set to mount a RTT on it and get more into adventure mode.

If you ever get the chance to make it out my way, I know a few offroad parks with miles and miles of trails to go down.

 

[Parker]

That hard shell looks a lot better than the soft one, you truck looks great with that topper.

 

[Qvale]

I was just about to ask about why you preferred the soft top and then I saw that post...

Very tasteful modifications. True example of function over form and even then you're still not sacrificing too much form. Nice. Trucks have been becoming a bit of a guilty pleasure for me lately, and this thread didn't help curb that

 

[Joey D]

So I posted this in the purchase thread, but figured I could expand on it a little more here.

With Black Friday deals everywhere, I ended up getting a bumper and a set of rock sliders for my truck. This should make conquering those forest roads up in the mountains a little more manageable since I won't be worried about smacking the truck into some massive bolder. It will also give me a tad bit more confidence when I head down to Moab later this year. I went with aluminium for the front bumper since it only weighed 60lbs instead of the 180lbs a steel bumper weighs. I figured I could give up a little protection not to lug around 120lbs more weight hanging over the front end. Plus it meant I didn't have to get heavy duty suspension which rides about the same as a farm tractor.

This is about what my truck will look like with the bumper and sliders installed:

I ended up going with the CBI stuff because they're located in Idaho and it's only about 4 hour from here meaning I don't have to pay $400 to ship the stuff freight. Plus they've been around for a little while now (compared to some of the other armor companies) and they have a pretty decent following. They also are apart of the Tread Lightly organization that I'm apart of so I felt like I should support them.

I'm also working on figuring out what lift I need to make the truck clear 33" tires. Right now I'm looking at Fox Racing coilovers in the front with Fox Racing shocks in the rear and an add-a-leaf, along with a set of Light Racing upper control arms so I can align the thing properly. This should give me a 3" lift all around, keep a rake on the truck, and not sacrifice any load capacity in the rear. I can also clear 33" tires if I get a set of .5" spacers for my wheels since they are only 4.5" backspacing instead of the recommend 5". It's a fairly inexpensive setup too, about $1,500 will cover it and throw on another $500 for a garage somewhere to install it. I could probably do it but I have no place to do it since I'm back living that apartment life and my truck won't fit in the my garage.

My current tires have about 15,000 miles left on them at the most and I've already decided on my next set. I'll be getting the General X3's which just came out, but the guys from Xpedition Overland drove the MacKenzie Trail in Canada with them and I was really impressed with what they were able to get through with their rigs (2 4Runners and a Tacoma).

I'm not sure how I feel about the red lettering, but my truck isn't being built for looks so I'll live with it.

I've also decided to forgo the roof top tent since I can't justify $1,600 on a tent when $200 worth of lumber and materials will build me a good sleeping platform in the bed of the truck. Plus not having an extra 200lbs and 8" on my roof will help with the center of gravity and not potentially dying when the elk that I'll inevitably encounter jumps out in front of me.

Oh and I'm also looking for something else to drive, preferably something older, inexpensive, and I can throw around in the canyons. Also something that doesn't get 12mpg. I probably should just get a bike but with the way people drive in Utah I'd end up extremely dead.

 

[Slash]

If the red lettering bugs you just have them mount the tires back wall out.

 

[ilikewaffles11]

Keep forgetting there's other Toyota truck owners on here.. Looks great! If you don't already get it, there's a magazine called '4WD Toyota owners magazine' that's worth checking out, lots of interesting advice and cool articles.

As for the other car, maybe a Celica? I daily drive a 1990 GT-S and it's great for everyday use yet it's still fun to toss around on some twisty roads. A set of performance tires really livens the car up a lot.

 

[SVX]

something older

Miata.

inexpensive

Miata.

and I can throw around in the canyons

Miata. 👍

 

[homeforsummer]

Miata.

Miata.

Miata. 👍

Joey isn't a fan of those

And @ilikewaffles11's suggestion of a Celica probably isn't too bad either. Keeps things in the Toyota family for one. Any of those 1990s Japanese coupes would probably do the job.

Also, given the fun with the rallycross Neon, how much are Neon R/Ts or maybe even SRT4s going for over there?

 

[CodeRedR51]

Also, given the fun with the rallycross Neon, how much are Neon R/Ts or maybe even SRT4s going for over there?

Just did a quick search in my area on Craigslist and got 1 result with 141k miles for $4,500. Edit: Found another with 20k miles for $8,500.

 

[Joey D]

Keep forgetting there's other Toyota truck owners on here.. Looks great! If you don't already get it, there's a magazine called '4WD Toyota owners magazine' that's worth checking out, lots of interesting advice and cool articles.

As for the other car, maybe a Celica? I daily drive a 1990 GT-S and it's great for everyday use yet it's still fun to toss around on some twisty roads. A set of performance tires really livens the car up a lot.

There's a couple Celica's for sale, but they are all super rusty and clapped out. I'd like to find an early 80's Celica somewhere though, my mom had one that looked like this:

It lingered around for eons and she bought it new in 1982 as her first new car.

Miata. 👍

To small and impractical for me, I at least need a back seat. I'm not sure keen on Miata's either, they are great cars but everytime I drove it I'd be disappointed it wasn't an S2000.

Joey isn't a fan of those

And @ilikewaffles11's suggestion of a Celica probably isn't too bad either. Keeps things in the Toyota family for one. Any of those 1990s Japanese coupes would probably do the job.

Also, given the fun with the rallycross Neon, how much are Neon R/Ts or maybe even SRT4s going for over there?

Weirdly I was looking at this on KSL: http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/3313324?ad_cid=7

Although I made the mistake last time buying a Neon solely on the color, but it's only $1,000 and only has 158,000 miles on it. It's at least worth a test drive because all it would really need is some rims and tires and it would be a fun little car. IT could be rather rusty underneath though, they used to put an obscene amount of salt on the roads in SLC and cars from the mid 90's don't fare super well.

There are a couple of SRT-4's around me for less than $5,000 but my dog is afraid of them and the noise they make .

Part of me also wants to find a 4 cylinder, 2WD, 5 speed Toyota Truck and do this to it:

 

[SVX]

I've heard Utah is the Subaru capital of America, what about a cheap Outback or Forester? Not really that exciting, but they are nice chassis.

 

[Joey D]

I've heard Utah is the Subaru capital of America, what about a cheap Outback or Forester? Not really that exciting, but they are nice chassis.

You've heard right, people for the most part here drive one of a handful of cars: A Subaru of some kind, a Land Cruiser, a Jeep of some kind, a 4Runner, a Tacoma, or an Audi.

An old Subaru wouldn't be bad since I could go to any junkyard and get parts for it and I'm sure I could throw a wrench in any direction and find someone who's an expert in how to fix them.

 

[ilikewaffles11]

There's a couple Celica's for sale, but they are all super rusty and clapped out. I'd like to find an early 80's Celica somewhere though, my mom had one that looked like this:

It lingered around for eons and she bought it new in 1982 as her first new car.



To small and impractical for me, I at least need a back seat. I'm not sure keen on Miata's either, they are great cars but everytime I drove it I'd be disappointed it wasn't an S2000.


Weirdly I was looking at this on KSL: http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/3313324?ad_cid=7

Although I made the mistake last time buying a Neon solely on the color, but it's only $1,000 and only has 158,000 miles on it. It's at least worth a test drive because all it would really need is some rims and tires and it would be a fun little car. IT could be rather rusty underneath though, they used to put an obscene amount of salt on the roads in SLC and cars from the mid 90's don't fare super well.

There are a couple of SRT-4's around me for less than $5,000 but my dog is afraid of them and the noise they make .

Part of me also wants to find a 4 cylinder, 2WD, 5 speed Toyota Truck and do this to it:

Third gen Celicas are great to drive, friend of mine bought a 1985 GT-S coupe as his first car. Fun in the twistys yet still practical enough to use everyday. The engine is a little disappointing considering its out of a truck but it lasts forever and it's torquey. I'd recommend a GT-S, though to be honest other than a posi rear and an IRS it's not significantly sportier than a GT. But the flared out fenders and the seats with adjustable lumbar support and an air bladder are quite nice!

If you could find one, there's always a 22RTE that could be swapped in with very little modifcations, as another friend of mine is doing.

 

[Joey D]

Got my new plates today!

I also picked up my bumper and slider on Monday from Idaho, which was -22 without a windchill. First nice day here in SLC I'm going to be getting my bumper on. I'll be dropping off the sliders next week to get bed liner sprayed on them too and that should probably take a week or so.

 

[TB]

@Joey - Watching your build, you are not helping me with wanting a Taco for my next vehicle. Which normally wouldn't be a problem but the long-term plan for my Pilot is to make it to 15 years then pass it off to my son, so another 3 years.

 

[Joey D]

@Joey - Watching your build, you are not helping me with wanting a Taco for my next vehicle. Which normally wouldn't be a problem but the long-term plan for my Pilot is to make it to 15 years then pass it off to my son, so another 3 years.

 

[Joey D]

My lift went on today and it rides really nice. Bilstein coilovers in the front with a set of Light Racing upper control arms and an add-a-leaf out back with some Fox 2.0 shocks. I should now be able to clear 33's which I hope will be going on relatively soon.

 

[Joey D]

So it finally got really nice here in SLC and I figured I'd take the day off, drink beer, stream basketball to my phone, and work on my truck.

How the day began:

Then it really got bare:

After that it was a ton of removing odds and ends and death wheeling some of the other mounts to get the bumper to fit. I also had to call CBI a couple of times because while they're a great company, their instructions were terrible. The lights however took me just a couple minutes to put in, which was a nice change of pace after dealing with the bumper for several hours. A lift, proper tools, some decent lighting, and not being in a tiny garage would have made this all easier. But here's how it ended up:

I still have some trimming to do, I need to mount my LED off road lights, and I need to clean up the wiring for the HIDs, but I think the hard part is done. Now only if my sliders would hurry up at the Line-X dealer so I can get those installed too.

 

[GDII]

That looks far more modern and aggressive. Nice work.

 

[Bram Turismo]

God damn, that looks pretty sick. 👍

 

[Joey D]

Now that the weather is nice, I figured a bit of a road trip was in order, especially to some places that I've always wanted to see. This is roughly the route I took:

First up was City of Rock and Castle Rock State Park just over the boarder in Almo, ID. It's in the middle of no where and the roads were muddy at the higher elevations due to the snow melt, but it was cool seeing big rocks stick out of the ground. It's mostly known for rock climbing, but driving around aimlessly worked too.

It was then up to Twin Falls to see Snake River Canyon (which Evel Knievel attempted to jump in a rocket back in the 70's). Apparently you're allowed to BASE jump off the Perrine Bridge whenever you want too with no permit, there were about 20 people preparing to jump later that day.

After that I wanted to see the twin falls of Twin Falls, which is actually called the Shoshone Falls and they're 45 feet higher than the Niagara Falls, cooler to look at too.

I also went up to Hagerman Fossil Beds, but the museum didn't allow any photos.

I stayed off this road in Burley, ID which I liked the name of.

The next day I was up early for a drive to Craters of the Moon National Monument near Arco, ID. It's really in the middle of nowhere, but provides a look at a ton of lava rock and parts of it look really alien. It's flanked by the Idaho National Labs, where they build nuclear reactors. I was disappointed because EGR-1, the world's first nuclear reactor, was closed until the end of May, I really wanted to check it out. Oh and I also ran into some folks from Switzerland that had their Land Cruiser shipped over and were touring the US with it.

After that, I made my way to Jackson, WY through the Teton Scenic Byway that took me to almost 9,000 feet over Teton Pass and had 10% grades in some places. From Jackson, I drove up through the Grand Tetons. Most of the park was still closed due to the snow cover, but the main road had just opened a few days ago and I could at least see some of the park. I wanted to go up to Yellowstone, but the south entrance was still closed, guess that will be another trip. It was weird being in 70 degree weather and seeing that much snow and a still ice covered lake. Oh, and I came across a heard of bison.

Then this morning I drove down to Fossil Butte near Kemmerer, WY. Most of it was still closed, but I at least got to poke around the museum a little bit which had a ton of fossils in it. From there I headed home, but made a little detour to see something I thought would be pretty cool. I love boarders for whatever reason and I wanted to see the "notch" where Wyoming and Utah meet, it was down a little bit of a trail but I found it.

So that was my trip, over 1,000 miles in three days and saw some cool stuff that I've always wanted to check out. Now the snow just needs to fully melt so I can explore some more places.

 

[homeforsummer]

Looks like an absolutely fantastic trip. Went to Craters of the Moon myself a few years back and loved it. Some absolutely incredible scenery in your bit of the world.

 

[Joey D]

So I figured I needed to change up my truck. The overland look is getting way too expensive since everything is about four times what it ought to be. So I'm just going to focus on having a good off road vehicle I can adventure with and just camp in a ground tent.

Today though I got my new tires on and I finally went up to 33's. They're Goodyear Duratracs, which is supposed to be the best off road tires you can use in the snow. I really liked my KO2's but they were only OK in the snow and they would have been about another $150. I need to do some more cutting to make the fit properly since they rub at full lock, but nothing a death wheel and a Dremel can't solve.

I also scored some tail light guards for $20 and figured I'd throw them on. I know they aren't going to protect anything, but I like the look of them.

And as you can see I sold my topper and roof rack, I like them but with the change, I figured I'd ditch em. I made money on the topper and broke even on the roof rack, so I can't complain too much. The sale of them also covered the cost of the tires.

Next up is a "roll bar" for the bed like 80's trucks used to have and some KC Daylighters. I also want to work on the performance a little bit with a CAI, 70mm throttle body off a Tundra, 170 degree theromstat, and a URD tune. It should be good for another 20-30hp if the dynos are to be believed. And if we didn't have emissions testing I'd probably do headers and Y-pipe but I don't think I could pass with those.

One more thing, I found my old Focus. It was sold in January and whoever bought it totaled it a few weeks later. A collision shop bought it and is fixing it I think. Looking at the repairs I'm guessing it was t-boned.

 

[prousonhairy]

Nice Tacoma @Joey D! I love your wheels and tires. Your bumper/grill guard combo is also really sweet. Those are both items I'll be looking to invest in in the future, wheels and tires probably a few years down the road, as I'm happy with the ones that came on mine for now.

I'll be picking my Tacoma up Wednesday. I've been looking at all kinds of neat stuff to put on it, I would really like maybe some KC lights someday, but that isn't a priority, yet.

The main thing I'm going to be wanting to get, sooner than later, is seat covers. At least for the front seats, maybe the back. There's a ton of options I've seen, and pros and cons. What would you suggest? I want something that's going to hold up well, but be easy to clean. I get pretty dirty at work sometimes, and want to protect my seats.

I've been looking at some neoprene ones, and other types. The two brands I keep seeing recommended, are Wet Okole, which I think are neoprene, and Clazzio, which make a really sweet leather mesh seat cover, that's supposed to be easy to clean.

The Clazzios are high dollar, I think it's around $700 for front and back seats, and $400 for just the front seats. I don't know if I want to go that much on seat covers, but they do look really great. They are supposed to be a Royal Pain in the Ass to put on though, but everyone I've read that's gotten them, absolutely love them.

I've also read of a material called Cordura, that's supposed to make some really durable covers.

I got the floor mat/sill protector package, that's kind of like a weathertech system. I honestly didn't get a chance to check it out yet, but if I don't think it's good enough, I may get weather tech floormats too.

There's all kinds of stuff and accessories I've been looking at. I want to make sure I don't "cheese" it up, some of the stuff is a little over the top for my liking. Basically right now, I want to get stuff that will keep my truck nice, like seatcovers. Down the road I'll start doing other things.

Here's a pic from the rear I took last night, I can't wait to pick this thing up.

 

[Joey D]

As far as tires go, the 3rd gens fit 33's without modification so keep that in mind when new tires are up. Yours was at least sold with halfway decent tires so you should be good, the General AT's were the same tire I had on my Honda Passport and they worked great. It's pretty much standard to go with either BFGoodrich KO2's or Goodyear Duratracs with your tires, there's pretty similar.

With seat covers, pretty much everyone who wants seat covers with a Tacoma ends up with Wet Okoles at some point. It's probably what I'm going to end up with too. Join TacomaWorld.com and check the Group Buy section, a couple times a year Wet Okoles does a group buy and they are way cheaper than MSRP. Neoprene will be a little more comfortable than Cordura, go feel your suitcase and that's the same material Cordura is. I'd recommend going Neoprene but most companies will send you samples so you can see for yourself.

The Weather Package should have the heavy duty rubber floor mats and they'll work just fine. The only reason I got the Weather Techs is due to the fact mine came with carpeted floor mats with are standard on the SR5.

Accessories will be as expensive as you want them to be. If you need ideas check out www.trdparts4u.com, they're out of Dallas and have pretty much everything.

One thing to note, and I'm not sure if its changed with the 3rd gens, is the frame will rust on you during the winter. I've managed to solve it by using Fluid Film spray which can be bought at Home Depot for like $8 for a can. I spray down the frame rails right before the snow flies and then put it on again in February. It's also nice because mud won't stick to it very well either. It's a natural based oil that's mostly waterproof.