Idaho Taco Build

[slater]

Yeah I considered that. Also thought about fang lights. I guess it just wasn’t something i felt was import enough to do. But you’re right it would’ve been the time to do it. I have no desire to ever take the front off again.

I know the feeling....
I only did it 1X, hardest part is dealing with the inner fender liner to the bumper, clips, push pins, etc...
Really dumb design!!!!

Im not a fan of fang lights, looks cheap & cheesy, gimmicky to me...
I splurged...
Went with the BD s1 kit in white in the fang location.
&
4 BD s2 sports in the fog location in yellow.

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[dvrgz]

Went with the BD s1 kit in white in the fang location.

Can you drop a pic? I think I’m gunna do this next. @RichP64 did something similar.

 

[slater]

Thats bad-ass, need some skill & patients though.....
One of the users linked these.....
https://baja686industries.com/produ...uadron-pro-black-led-auxiliary-light-pod-pair

I have the BD pocket kit, theyre only options at the time was the s1, they felt they couldnt get the squadron to work which is what I really wanted...
Im sure they will eventually see these & follow suite......
That being said if I remember correctly, the S1 sport was brighter than the squadron sport, need to get the squadron pro perform s1…
If I remember correctly, need to look at output again.
I have Squadron pros for ditch lights, bright!!!

 

[dvrgz]

Cleeeeean! Love this

 

[slater]

This is the part I didnt love, not cheap but theyre customer service was on point.
I was one of the first to install the kit, theyre were some minor issues & we all learned from it, they made it right & improved things from my feed-back...
2320 lumens, brighter than my headlights..
I get flashed from time to time....
The S2's in the fog location, wish I would have went with Pros instead of sports but came down to cost for me...
https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/toyota-s1-vent-kit-2024-on-toyota-tacoma/?vid=171627&sku=448254

 

[Idaho-Taco]

Ok enough of the odd fang light posts. ;)

This weekend I managed a couple installs. First The sliders. I chose the RCI 20º sliders. They are really beefy and heavy. I had read about people having problem with these and other sliders and them not lining up with the mounting holes in the frame. I had no problem - went right in.

 

[slater]

The added weight, you will have to re adjust the air in your tires, I was blown away how many psi it went up, by just adding sliders....

 

[Idaho-Taco]

Finished the Roof Rack install today. I love the rack even though Ive had some hassles with the company who makes it. Besides the missing instructions, they sent me the wrong light bar mount hardware after not sending it at all. Some of the hardware wasn't the right length so I had to buy some bolts separately. Most of the hardware wasn't black nor were the cross members so I had to buy self etching primer and black paint. But in the end im happy.

Before starting the install, I first put a ceramic coat over the new black vinyl roof.

Mounting to the roof required removing the plastic caps which I assume is the same for all roof racks. I didn't want to just leave the exposed tracks so I trimmed them and reinstalled on each side of the rack spacer. Not a big thing but I think it looks better.

This rack only requires 3 cross members but I bought a couple extras - I then left out the one that runs over the sun roof.. Just prefer to not see it overhead.

I went with Diode Dynamics light pod - light bar. Great quality - incredibly well made and I look forward to seeing how bright they are.

 

[dvrgz]

All coming together nicely . I cut those plastic trim parts on my Sherpa as well. Definitely makes it look more finished.

 

[mikeymtbs]

Issue? If you mean the mounting bracket for the camera - I ordered one from Rave when I ordered the new grille. Everything went in without problem. If there is another issue Im not aware of it.

What light did you end up going with when buying the TH grill from Rave?

 

[Idaho-Taco]

What light did you end up going with when buying the TH grill from Rave?

I bought the grill off Amazon - it came with a cheap light. I did buy a high end light bar from Cali Raised for my bumper though.

 

[Idaho-Taco]

Spent the last few days doing a couple more installs. The rear bumper - and it was a chore, maybe the biggest pain in the arse install yet. I think most of that had to do with the bumper itself - I love the look of the bumper and its well made but at every turn it was a fight.

I went with the ADD (Addictive Desert Design) rear bumper as it in my opinion looked better than the rest and I chose the ADD front bumper so it just made sense. It is stout, has decent welds, and fits the truck really well. The negatives - the back up lights that were supposed to fit didn't, The instructions were lacking (as did their front bumper instructions), The mounting hardware was really difficult to work with - although I did this by myself and perhaps it would be easier with a second set of hands. The sensors all need to be recalibrated - which Im guessing is common with any aftermarket bumper install.

When I ordered the bumper there was a list of lights that would work with the bumper. I went with the DV8 lights. Well the lights were larger than the precut holes... rather than send back and try again I just enlarged the holes - not the easiest task with a grinder...

As most know there isn't much to the OEM bumper. Basically just a collection of plastic pieces... Unfortunately the ARB recovery hooks that the dealership charged me a fortune for won't work with this bumper.

The actual truck bumper... With the install brackets added.

Just like on the front bumper, all the sensors have to be taken off the stock bumper and reinstalled on the new bumper. I carefully cleaned off all adhesive from the mounting brackets so I could install the 3M tape - I didn't use the cheap looking double sided stickers they sent.

There is a lot of wiring the rear bumper... 8 sensors I believe along with the little noise maker which I assume is only on the hybrid models?

Finished job - except for the lights which I need to connect to the truck's reverse light wiring still. They will make seeing when backing up a lot easier. Again, Im happy with how it turned out and the look/quality of the bumper. Id just never want to install one again.

 

[Idaho-Taco]

Next up is the spare tire mount. As mentioned before I took out the stock spare and wanted to keep a full size spare on the truck. The down side is this mount and tire will take up close to 1/4 of the bed space... but since I don't plan on doing a lot of hauling it shouldn't mater a lot. I can always take the tire out if need be. I also like the look of the spare being mounted this way rather than on the rear bumper or onto of some sort of bed rack.

I actually had no idea that the bed of these trucks are composite and not metal… not only that but it is reinforced with fins that run vertically and diagonally which makes the install a pain. I was able to use the 4 large span washers and then supplemented a few extra bolts.

 

[Idaho-Taco]

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