Enthusiast I
A couple more shots from the trip. I have about 2 hours of gopro footage from the windshield to go through so we'll see what can be pulled from that.
2020 Tacoma Off Road Build
- Thread starter RainierandTacos
- Start date
Enthusiast I
Updates for the build so far:
-Plano Sportsman tote for recovery gear/emergency/seasonal gear
-Yaesu FTM-100 Mobile Radio running through a Tram antenna on a fender mount. I also picked up a Hondo Garage unholey dash mount and will swap the control head to a ram mount in the future because that best buy special shakes a LOT.
-Softopper. Was easily my highest priority mod and I'm super happy to have it on the truck.
Not really sure where I'm going next as of yet but now I can at least start measuring for the bed rack design I have in my head.
-Plano Sportsman tote for recovery gear/emergency/seasonal gear
-Yaesu FTM-100 Mobile Radio running through a Tram antenna on a fender mount. I also picked up a Hondo Garage unholey dash mount and will swap the control head to a ram mount in the future because that best buy special shakes a LOT.
-Softopper. Was easily my highest priority mod and I'm super happy to have it on the truck.
Not really sure where I'm going next as of yet but now I can at least start measuring for the bed rack design I have in my head.
Enthusiast I
Update on the build: I added a Blue Ridge Overland Gear visor Molle panel to the interior. It currently holds my parking pass for work as well as a pen and my sunglasses. Someday I'll remember to take my tire pressure gauge off of the table and put it in there as well. I also installed a Badland ZXR 12000 winch with the Harbor freight synthetic line and their hook and fairlead. The winch was installed on a Bulldog hidden winch mount purchased from etrailer. The only issue I had during the installation was the mount plate was not designed with the TRD Offroad in mind, and it interferes with the factory tow hook installed on that trim level. If the hook hadn't been there it would have been a good fit with new bolts needed to reach up into the factory bolt holes. Once travel restrictions are lifted I will be taking the angle grinder to the mount in order to relieve the interference. I also made a poor choice on a front plate mount, and it doesnt have room to flip up as designed. Total cost with the 2 year, no questions warranty from HF and a $289 coupon for the winch was around $700. Someday I am planning a low profile bumper and I'll stick something better (Ramsey Patriot, perhaps) under there, but for now I think the setup will serve.
At some point I will be adding wing nuts to the license plate mount to make getting the plate out of the way a little easier, as well as adding either a wing nut to the battery cable for the same reason or a switch/relay for isolating the winch when not in use.
At some point I will be adding wing nuts to the license plate mount to make getting the plate out of the way a little easier, as well as adding either a wing nut to the battery cable for the same reason or a switch/relay for isolating the winch when not in use.
Enthusiast I
Started my DIY roof rack build, will be ordering some Lexan to make a fairing and I will post pics of the full deal once its mounted. Also took the rig up National Forest Development Road 2070 near Darrington in search of a fishing spot yesterday. Didn't find the spot, but I did do some unintentional customization of my paint when the trees and bushes next to the road got really close.
I'm sure there's a view here, so I will definitely be returning once the smoke clears up.
I'm sure there's a view here, so I will definitely be returning once the smoke clears up.
Attachments
Enthusiast I
Mostly minor progress on the truck so far. I built a fairing for the roof rack out of 1/4" lexan and some foundation straps from Home Depot. My first attempt didn't have enough support on the lexan, so at speeds from ~20 mph to 70 mph it flapped in the wind and hit the roof. Once I put more brackets on it for additional support, it was a night and day difference and I can now hear myself think while I'm driving again. Just need to take it back off to paint it now...
In the process of gathering information to do a 6 month review of the softopper, I decided to run a quick and dirty test to see how it affected fuel economy. I've been wondering for a while now why I'm getting city MPG on the highway when Toyota advertises 24 mpg, and I finally figured out why.
This was with the topper up, normal (for me) highway driving.
And this is with the topper folded down against the back of the cab. Same route, same driving, and the only thing I changed was the topper being folded down. I will most likely be getting a boot cover for the summer months, but with how the topper reacts to the cold it will most likely stay up for the winter. Hope someone finds this information useful.
In the process of gathering information to do a 6 month review of the softopper, I decided to run a quick and dirty test to see how it affected fuel economy. I've been wondering for a while now why I'm getting city MPG on the highway when Toyota advertises 24 mpg, and I finally figured out why.
This was with the topper up, normal (for me) highway driving.
And this is with the topper folded down against the back of the cab. Same route, same driving, and the only thing I changed was the topper being folded down. I will most likely be getting a boot cover for the summer months, but with how the topper reacts to the cold it will most likely stay up for the winter. Hope someone finds this information useful.
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