2013 Tacoma DCSB TRD OR Build

[Jeremy M.]

I bought my truck new on 30 APR 2013. Growing up my father always had trucks and I always wanted one, but it wasn't right for my family until 2013 because we had a minivan as the family vehicle.

Here are some pictures of the truck new:

 

[Jeremy M.]

Not Long after I got the truck I purchased a Softopper for the truck. At the time I did not want to commit to hard bed cap because I was afraid to lose a lot of functionality. The softopper was easy to install, remove, or collapse if needed. It fits very tight and did not flap at all at highway speed. To maintain the softopper I used Aerospace 303.

Toyota softopper

Aerospace 303



The softopper proved to hold up to wind, snow, and rain really well. The topper itself is waterproof, however there are a few gaps where some water can ingress. It is important to note the Tacoma bed also as several water ingress points making any topper difficult to seal completely.

 

[Jeremy M.]

The stock BFGoodrich Rugged Trail tires that come stock on the Tacoma TRD Off Road were terrible and I wanted to replace them as early as I could. I replaced them with the Cooper AT3 based on this review on Expedition Portal :

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

When I purchased the Coopers I bought them in the stock size P265/70-16. The increase in traction was drastic and I was particularly impressed in snow and heavy rain. In mud the tires were better than stock, but not great, much like most AT Tires.





If I had purchased these tires in LT265/75-16 I probably would have been happier with them and would not have had the sidewall blow out that eventually led to me replacing them.

 

[Jeremy M.]

The next thing to get installed was a CB Radio, I have had CB radios in two previous vehicles my 99 XJ, and a 2006 Xterra. I gathered the materials and did my best to achieve a clean install.

Here are the highlights:

Cobra CB Radio 75WXST

Wilson Flex-3 Antenna

Panavise Mount

External Speaker













After the install I struggled with high SWR and chased grounding issues. Even after troubleshooting and tuning I was never happy with the performance and eventually replaced this with a Ham Radio. the CB was really only useful as a weather radio.

 

[Jeremy M.]

After about 10 months with the softopper I found a color-matched LEER topper with a carpeted interior and pop out windows. During the time I had the Softopper I had only folded it down once and knew I wanted a more permanent solution.

 

[Jeremy M.]

I used the truck in that configuration to take trips to Shoe Creek, Uwharrie, Corolla, and other camping trips.










The FJ Cruiser in the photos belongs to my brother-in-law @reh8388 You may also notice a change to the wheel and tire setup more on that next.

 

[Jeremy M.]

After a number of trips I knew I wanted to increase my tire size. a 265/75-16 and 265/70-17 will both fit the Tacoma with no lift and place minimal additional wear on the drivetrain. I decided to switch to a 17" wheel so that I could get a 265/70-17 BFGoodrich KO2 in a Load Range C. I know many people run load range E tires on the Tacoma but this seemed overly heavy on the Tacoma so I prioritized a C rated tire. The wheels are from a 2010-2013 4Runner Trail Edition and have the added benefit of increasing the track width 25mm.

 

[Jeremy M.]

I decided to add a set of driving lights in the lower valance. I went with a set of Baja Designs Squadron Sports wired to a relay so they come on and off with the high beams when the switch is depressed. @reh8388 helped out a great deal on this by modifying the switch to change color when the lights were on. It's really nice to have an electrical engineer in the family.

Baja Designs Squadron Sport

 

[Jeremy M.]

I bought some lamin-X Fog Light films and took the truck on a trip to Vermont. I fought to get a smooth install on the films, but I did like the look and felt like they helped in rain, fog, and snow.

Lamin-X









I had switched to Ham Radio by this trip and I can honestly say it saved the day. We lost cell reception early on in this trip however because I was able to reach mountain top repeaters I was communicated with others in my group from more than 80 miles away. I even made a believer out of my wife on that trip.

 

[Jeremy M.]

Once I decided I was going to take my Ham exam I downloaded the No Nonsense Technician Study Guide read through it then used Ham Study to study. In my opinion the Hamstudy.org flashcards are hands down the best way to prepare for the exam. the algorithm ensures you see all the questions in the pool, offer explanations for most questions, and keep track of your aptitude. After taking and passing my exam I got an easy to remember vanity call sign.



My First Radio was a Kenwood TM-281 tied to a Nagoya 1/4 wave magnetic antenna. For trail duty this setup is perfect and is no more expensize than most CB setups.

Kenwood TM-281a

NA-771 Nagoya

After getting into the hobby I switched to a Kenwood D710 which allowed my to do dual watch/dual receive and get into APRS for vehicle tracking. This is an expensive radio, and is not for everyone, however it does everything.

Kenwood D710GA





For anyone looking to get into Ham Radio primarily for trail use I would recommend the Icom IC-2730a. The benefit of this radio over the Kenwood TM-281a is it is a true dual bander and can monitor two stations at once this is useful on the trail to monitor a simplex and repeater at the same time.

Icom IC-2730a

 

[Jeremy M.]

After owning the truck for a few years the cloth seats were showing some wear and I found a great deal on a set of returned Katzkin leather. These are a full replacement seat cover so I removed the cloth upholstery and replaced it with the Katzkin leather. This took me a full day to do, and my hands were tore up at the end, but is was well worth the cost and effort.





Note: many of the wrinkles you see in these pictures smooth out after a few heat cycles.

 

[Jeremy M.]

The truck took me into the top of Mount Washington and the swamps of Coastal Georgia many times.

 

[Jeremy M.]

I found there is a serious lack of capability of the stock Tacoma TRD Off Road suspension. Most notably the rear leaf springs. I went from the 2+1 TRD Springs to the 3+1 Sport Springs. I installed Timbren Off Road Bump Stops. I replaced the shocks with Bilstien 5100s and eventually installed the full Old Man Emu suspension kit. The primary purpose of this was not to achieve lift, but rather just carry the weight I routinely have in the truck.

Timbren Active Off Road Bumpstops

Bilstein 5100 Series

ARB Old Man Emu

Attached is are various pictures and after shots of the suspension installed:











I have been happy with the Old Man Emu other than one issue the leaf springs are very noisy.

 

[Jeremy M.]

Then probably the biggest game changer for the camping setup I got an ARB Fridge. I had wanted one for sometime, but /I could not bring myself to spend the money to get one. I happen to be in REI Jacksonville and I saw one new in the box drastically marked down. I bought it and have been running it in the truck since. To make thins even better ARB was running a promotion at the time where you could get a transit cover free with purchase of a fridge. All in I got a 37L fridge with transit cover for $450, a steal!







Eventually I bought a fridge slide as well. I used rivnuts to attach it to the bed so it could be easily removed if I needed to.





I have been running just a single battery with the fridge when I replaced my factory battery after 5 years of service and 8 months running the fridge in Georgia heat I replaced it with a X2 Power battery from Batteries Plus.

 

[Jeremy M.]

I took my family on the Georgia Traverse joined by @reh8388. It was a great weekend and despite running into a few gates we had no trouble navigating using the gpx downloaded from the website. It was on this trip that I became a believer in Gaia GPS. I particularly enjoyed the National Geographic layer.

Georgia Traverse

 

[Jeremy M.]

Although my TRD skid plate had served me well I knew I needed something better. I found a deal on a set of ARB skid plates being sold used from a 4 Wheel Parts store. i bought them and installed them on the truck, but I immediately regretted it. The skids plates link together and do not have access to drain points for service so an oil change requires removing the entire skid plate system.





I bought a RCI Off Road Skid plate and I have been very pleased. It is extremely tough and has great access for oil changes.

RCI Metal Works







Eventually I will get the RCI Transmission and Transfer case skid plate.

 

[Jeremy M.]

Next I found a great deal on a second hand Baja Designs fog light kit for the Tacoma.





These are really great but if I was buying a set new I would get the SAE kit since I occasionally get flashed.

Baja Designs Fog Light Kit

 

[Jeremy M.]

I had Yakima crossbars on the cap, but when they started to crack and peel I started looking for something else. I came across a second hand rhino rack on facebook marketplace.

 

[Jeremy M.]

I had been wanting to get a set of rock sliders for sometime and my wonderful family bought me a set for my birthday. I get a set of Step Sliders from Bud Built in fact my truck is featured on their website.

Bud Built Step Sliders

 

[Jeremy M.]

I found a set of Total Chaos bed stiffeners on facebook marketplace. These have been on my list for a while. I like that they stiffen up the bedsides, but they also add very useful tie down points.


@reh8388 thanks for installing these while I’m in Korea.