2010 Tacoma "Are we truck people?" build

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slomatt

Rank V

Influencer I

1,723
Bay Area, CA
(Here's the backstory, skip on down below if you are just interested in the truck.)

My wife and I have used a SUV (first a Jeep ZJ, then a 3rd gen 4Runner) as our primary wheeling/camping vehicle for many years. After having our first child we realized that the extra space taken by the car seat and miscellaneous kid paraphernalia was making things really cramped in the 4Runner, so we started looking into other truck options. Our requirements ran into the standard fight between trail capability and capacity. We would like something small enough to run semi-difficult (and narrow) trails such as Slick Rock and Deer Valley, but that is comfortable and can carry enough gear for longer family trips.

We identified a few brand new options (Rubicon, 4Runner, Diesel Colorado) that we liked, but had a hard time justifying paying $40k+ for a vehicle and then constantly worrying about it getting scratched and dinged, especially since updated versions of many of these were coming out in the next few years.

Ultimately we decided to try out a double cab truck since they have a good amount of storage in the bed and would also be useful for house projects. Neither of us has personally owned a truck before (but we have several in our extended family) so this would be an experiment to see how we liked the format of the truck and also how the extra length works out on the trail. We looked at Nissan Frontiers, but decided to go with a Tacoma based on how reliable our 4Runner has been. As a bonus resale values for Tacomas are high so if we decide to sell it after a few years the depreciation shouldn't be too bad.

It turns out that 2nd gen Tacoma TRD double cab short beds are pretty hard to come by, but in September of 2017 I ended up flying down to LA to purchase a 2010 and then drove it back up to the Bay Area. Almost 2 years later I'm finally getting around to starting a build thread.

I purchased it from the original owner who had taken excellent care of the truck and who had detailed maintenance records. He had modified it, and though he had taken off some parts before the sale many other nice bits came along with the rig such as OME Dakar springs, sPod, Viar compressor, Cobra CB, UCAs, Weather Tech floormats, Katzkin leather seats, and some other items.

In this thread I'll document some of the changes I've made and our thoughts on if we are "truck people" or not.
 

slomatt

Rank V

Influencer I

1,723
Bay Area, CA
Overview
2010 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 TRD off-road DCSB (double cab, short bed)
4.0 V6 1GR-FE engine
5 spd automatic transmission

Suspension/Brakes/Tires
Rancho Suspension Tubular Upper Control Arms *
Rancho adjustable valving shocks *
ECGS front differential bushing *
EBC 3GD Series Sport Slotted front brake rotors *
Dakar leaf pack (w/ overload, but not installed) *
+ Wheeler's bushings
+ Replacement OME clip liners
Toytec 2 degree axle shim *
Toyota FJ Cruiser/Trail Edition 4Runner alloys, 17" x 7.5", 4.75" back spacing *
BF Goodrich AT KO2, 265/70R17 *
Wheelers u-bolt flip kit
Wheelers rear Superbumps
Wheelers 2" extended rear brake lines
Speed Bleeders (front and rear)

Protection
Pelfreybilt steel gas tank skid plate
BAMF sliders (on order)

Electronics
Odyssey Extreme 34R-PC1500 + custom power distribution
sPod with 6 overhead switches in the sunglasses holder *
On Board Air
- Currently a Viair 400H hard mount compressor in engine compartment *
Cobra 75 WX ST CB *
3ft Firestick whip on Relentless Fab hood hinge *
High clearance trailer plug relocate bracket *
IggyCorp 20" LED light bar

Exterior
Deviant Light Bar *
Extra D-rings and L-Track in bed *
Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners *
Pop & Lock PL8521 tailgate lock + support bracket
SnugTop shell
Dust sealed (mostly) bed.
Custom LED shell lights.
Custom fridge slider.
Solar setup.

Interior
Katzkin two-tone leather seat covers *
Weather Techs floormats with TRD badging *
4crawler seat risers


* = Came with the truck
 
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slomatt

Rank V

Influencer I

1,723
Bay Area, CA
Here's a comparison of the Tacoma and the 4Runner. The Taco is over 2' longer with considerably more rear overhang resulting in worse breakover and departure angles. Both trucks are on 32's and are lifted roughly the same amount.

 

slomatt

Rank V

Influencer I

1,723
Bay Area, CA
Pelfreybilt steel gas tank skid plate.

I went with steel since aluminum can get gouged increasing the friction when sliding over rocks. I went with the Pelfreybilt because I liked the way they protected the mounting bolts, though this will make it harder to reverse off of obstacles. Paint is Rustoleum red oxide primer and then Hammerite (not shown in picture). I used this same combination on my 4Runner's rock sliders and it has held up really well and is easy to touch up.

 

slomatt

Rank V

Influencer I

1,723
Bay Area, CA
The original battery was leaking so I replaced it with a Odyssey Extreme 34R-PC1500. I've had really good luck with the Diehard Platinum in the 4Runner which is still working after 10+ years and was supposedly made by Odyssey.

Size comparison.


Parts I used to wire up my non-factory power circuits.


Custom homemade wires.


All wiring is 8AWG which should safely support 100A at these short distances. The 100A circuit breaker is used to protect the connection to the buss bar and to provide a single on/off switch for all non-factory electronics in the truck. The buss bar provides a convenient place to attach high-current loads such as the air compressor and the Spod. All low-current loads run off the Spod. The breaker is mounted to a piece of plexiglass which is clamped under the battery tie down, and there's a spacer in between the two to prevent shorts if the breaker were to move. If I end up moving my winch over from the 4Runner I'll add a second larger breaker to power the winch.
 

slomatt

Rank V

Influencer I

1,723
Bay Area, CA
The 10+ year old Diehard in my 4Runner died so I replaced it with the Odyssey Extreme from the Tacoma and then bought a new Northstar 27F for the Tacoma.


Then, on a recent trip to the Mendocino NF my 100A main breaker started tripping at ~50A load while running the ARB compressor (friend punctured a tire). I replaced it with a higher quality EATON Bussmann breaker which will hopefully hold up to the heat better. At the same time I rebuilt my breaker mount using delrin and aluminum.

The Bussman breaker is noticeably better built with thicker plastic and a more solid latching mechanism.


The delrin mounting plate and aluminum channel to keep it from moving around.