MQ's 2025 TRD Pro Ice Cap/Cockpit Red Build

[pepco]

Got a little more done today after work. Decided to decontaminate the paint and clay it for preparation for sealing the paint. Also installed the "TRD Pro" tailgate inserts after all that was done.

You would be surprised at how much contamination is on or in your paint straight from the factory!!

All the black/purple specks you see are iron or metal particles in your paint that you can't see with the naked eye. I used Griot's Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner as it was what I had on hand but it's basically the same thing as their Iron and Fallout Remover and is perfectly safe for paint. There is a chemical in it that reacts with the iron particles and turns them purple.

Here is the Tailgate:

Hey, take a look under the front of your ISO dynamic seats and see if there is any surface rust on metal parts? I have a 2025 in Mudbath and noticed it on 2nd day. It's not bad but it's there. Wondering how common it is.

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[Mightyquinn]

Hey, take a look under the front of your ISO dynamic seats and see if there is any surface rust on metal parts? I have a 2025 in Mudbath and noticed it on 2nd day. It's not bad but it's there. Wondering how common it is.

I just checked and there is very little rust at all, I mean 1 or 2 small spots and that's about it. My truck was built on the 26th of March if that helps any.

 

[Mightyquinn]

Got some more parts installed yesterday. The Rough Country Hard Roll up cover got delivered yesterday so I went ahead and installed it. Took about an hour or so after I figured a few things out, the instructions are decent but could be a little more detailed especially for the novice people who aren't use to working on things. Everything went together fairly easily, just had to adjust it a little bit to get it to lock and align with the tailgate. Not sure how waterproof it's going to be just yet as there seems to be a gap on the passenger side tailgate area where the seal doesn't seem to go all the way. I'm sure I can fix that with some foam rubber gasket. It came with a foam gasket that they want to to put on the top of the tailgate which helps seal it but there is NO WAY I'm doing that so I might have to engineer something if it becomes an issue. So far the cover seems like a quality product and looks nice too and is pretty easy to use but time will tell.

I also installed the Ark Mud Flaps and Front Splash Guards. That too took me about an hour each on the Mud Flaps and Splash Guards. Once you figure things out it goes pretty fast and easy. Didn't have to take any wheels off either. I think they both add a little extra to the truck and clean things up quite a bit plus I can have piece of mind knowing the paint is going to be protected from rock and debris, now I just need my rock sliders for that extra bit of protection. The splash guards are nice and really seal up that area in the front wheel wells while still showing off the TRD Pro suspension components.

 

[Ray T]

Looking good I think I’m going to have to invest in those splash guards

 

[Mightyquinn]

Finally got around to installing the Rigid SR-L Reverse Light kit from @SPV Parts, everything was going just fine as I was able to easily find the connections under the hood for the jumper pigtail and it wasn't all that hard to get to, especially if you move the HI output connector out of the way it gives you much more room to get down by the washer reservoir to access the plugs down there. Once that was done, I moved to the back and started connecting the harness in the rear and everything was going smooth and easy until I went to hook the pigtail up and couldn't figure out how to hook the harness into the pigtail. Ended up calling John at SPV and he is a busy man on Monday's, he was a fireman putting out fires so I got myself in the queue and was finally able to get into contact with him and he explained everything on what I needed to do and which wire was what and what it did. John is a great guy and a true professional and his customer support is second to none!!! He was telling me about all the cool stuff he has in store for the Tacoma in the near future and sounds like he is going to make it easy to use all these AUX switches. I'm really looking forward to that and plan to buy from him in the future!!!! After that everything else went together easy peasy and everything worked like it was suppose to. I wish I would have taken more pictures as I could have done a write up on this as I haven't seen any videos or pictures on how to install this with my kit that I had. I might go over to the thread and update that later today with what I found out installing mine.

Here is what I was working with and here are the lights in action

I'm pretty much done for right now with most of my upgrades and builds, just waiting for my Caliraised LED Sliders to get here and install those and I will be done for now but I'm sure I will do some more in the near future. I will post all my experiences here. I also need to do an update on my impressions of the truck so far now that it has been a week since I picked it up.

 

[SPV Parts]

Finally got around to installing the Rigid SR-L Reverse Light kit from @SPV Parts, everything was going just fine as I was able to easily find the connections under the hood for the jumper pigtail and it wasn't all that hard to get to, especially if you move the HI output connector out of the way it gives you much more room to get down by the washer reservoir to access the plugs down there. Once that was done, I moved to the back and started connecting the harness in the rear and everything was going smooth and easy until I went to hook the pigtail up and couldn't figure out how to hook the harness into the pigtail. Ended up calling John at SPV and he is a busy man on Monday's, he was a fireman putting out fires so I got myself in the queue and was finally able to get into contact with him and he explained everything on what I needed to do and which wire was what and what it did. John is a great guy and a true professional and his customer support is second to none!!! He was telling me about all the cool stuff he has in store for the Tacoma in the near future and sounds like he is going to make it easy to use all these AUX switches. I'm really looking forward to that and plan to buy from him in the future!!!! After that everything else went together easy peasy and everything worked like it was suppose to. I wish I would have taken more pictures as I could have done a write up on this as I haven't seen any videos or pictures on how to install this with my kit that I had. I might go over to the thread and update that later today with what I found out installing mine.

Here is what I was working with and here are the lights in action

I'm pretty much done for right now with most of my upgrades and builds, just waiting for my Caliraised LED Sliders to get here and install those and I will be done for now but I'm sure I will do some more in the near future. I will post all my experiences here. I also need to do an update on my impressions of the truck so far now that it has been a week since I picked it up.

Well it looks AWESOME! Most importantly, you are HAPPY!

John

 

[Ray T]

Yes time to enjoy it

 

[Mightyquinn]

I have had my truck a little over a week now so I thought I would give my initial impression on it. The first day or two it was a little overwhelming as I was just getting to learn the truck so I wasn't completely impressed but the more I drive it the more I'm loving it. The ride seems to get better to more it is driven and it's just a blast to drive around town. I wouldn't say it is fast but it will get up and go and love hearing the exhaust and turbo when getting into the throttle. It's still hard to believe it's here and it's mine since I had to wait so long. I really look forward to driving it every day and just loving the looks of it too, as it's just a great looking truck IMO.

One of the things that gravitated be towards the TRD Pro and Tacoma in general is all the aftermarket products that are available for it so it's usually not too hard to find something that I'm looking for as I am always trying to improve something as I go along. Also, I think I found a way to get into the drivers seat finally without hitting the steering wheel. I basically slide my right leg into the seat and then pull myself in with the steering wheel. I'm sure that will change once I get my rock sliders and install them, it should make the process a lot easier. I feel like this truck will be a great vehicle to have over the next 10-15 years which is typically how long I keep my vehicles as I like to buy them new and then take great care of them. I can't wait to take it to the beach later this Summer and see how it handles in the sand.

 

[TacoFreak]

Thanks for your review. You experience is essentially the same as mine. I love my truck and appreciate it more every time I (carefully) get behind the wheel. Your sliders will make that a lot easier and like you, I plan to keep mine for a good, long time.

 

[Mightyquinn]

I bought the Carista EVO since it was on sale and hooked it up yesterday and I have to say I am a little underwhelmed by it as there wasn't a whole lot to adjust or tinker with. It will probably be a good thing down the road to have on hand but I have to say I was not impressed with it. Might have to search this forum some more to get some ideas of what else I can do with it.

 

[Mightyquinn]

Finally got the last major thing for my truck today! The CaliRaised Rock Sliders finally got delivered. I ordered them on the 17th of March, so almost 3 months. After the truck driver dropped them off, I inspected them and all the powder coating looked to be in great shape. Took me a little over 3 hours to install them all by myself with jack stands and floor jack. Most of that time was spent trying to figure out how to install them correctly as the instructions that were online were not very good since I think they updated the design of these. Also having a TRD Pro requires you to remove the factory rock slider in order for them to fit which I couldn't find anywhere in the instructions, just noticed it on a video. They also omitted the through bolts that go through the frame and they also enlarged the area for the grounding wires. Once all that was figured out it all went together pretty easily and quickly. I put blue loctite on all the bolts and torqued them down to 55 ft/lbs. Now I have to get use to getting into the truck with the sliders So far I like the look of them and they add a little extra toughness to it too. Hopefully I won't have any issues like some other members here have had. The 2 extra "gold" bolts I believe are for the grounding wires which I just reused the factory ones.

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