Esh's Tacoma Wedge camper

[esh]

I've been after the 4.0L/auto drivetrain for a few years, and finally searching a couple years found a clean local TRD Off Road optioned out. It was bought originally as a forever truck, but plans in life change.

TBH I'm not sure what to do with this as I have a great expedition truck in the diesel-swapped '89 FJ62. Maybe leave that one in South America to visit from time to time and use the Tacoma stateside?


Less words, more pics.

This is what I started with. 2010 Tacoma DCSB Off Road model with 50k miles. Locally owned, extremely clean.






For now, this is where it sat before a top, tank and sliders before a trip to SF and Baja.



Latest and close to final-




I will get the details of time in between filled in over the following days.

The build list is:

265/75r16 BFG KO2 on stock painted alloys 255/80r17 Falken Wildpeak AT3w tires on Tundra/Sequoia spoke alloys
KB Voodoo rail and tailgate caps
Vagabond Outdoors Drifter camper
RAM grab bar and center console mounts
Rok Blokz rear short mud flaps
AVS side window deflectors
LRA 129L fuel tank
Icon coilovers, Icon Delta UCAs
Ironman Foam Cell Pro rear shocks
OME HD springs + extra leaf
Wheeler's Offroad Super Bumps
All-Pro rear offroad bumper with swingout and led reverse aux lights (build in progress) 4x4Labs rear dual swingout with HD Moto mounts
ARB Bullbar, painted factory silver, led fog lights 4x4Labs front bumper
Spyder Halogen projector headlights
Rigid amber fog leds
HID 7" offroad lights
Frontrunner 6 Wolf Pack drawer and 52L stainless water tank with 12V pump
Dometic CFX50 fridge/freezer
BAMF rock sliders
ComeUp 9.5 DVs winch
somewhat extensive sound system
Kenwood TM-281A 2m radio mounted in custom center console bracket

 

[esh]

underside

 

[esh]

First mod was a pair of nice machined anchors for RAM mounts. They fit perfectly on either end of the heater controls, don't interfere with control operation and allow a lot of options with the different bar lengths and accessories RAM offers. I use both mounts at once with dual arms to support a Surface Pro 3 for mapping and it works well.

I also added a RAM mount to the A-pillar grab handle bolt.

Just realized I have no finished pics with various things mounted. todo..

 

[esh]

Picking back up after a long Baja trip.

Headlights had a crack and I liked how these looked. They are Spyder headlights that Tacomabeast sells. Halogen projectors with an LED parking light bar. They are well built and are plug and play- no extra ballast or anything else. Installation is simply pulling the OEM parking light from the connector and plugging in the Spyder harness. Works like stock for DRLs.

 

[esh]

Replaced the Raceline gangster wheels the Tacoma had. For now I got a set of OEM alloys and painted them with Duplicolor Graphite wheel paint.

I will probably go to 17s as I want to try Falken Wildpeak AT3s as 255/80r17 (cheaper than 255/85r16s) and some more Toyota OEM wheels.



The result looked pretty good I think.

 

[esh]

I knew the nerf steps wouldn't hold up to any kind of hit, so I sold them before I damaged them. Not that I'm hard on things, just that they are super thin wall tube.

Next was an All Pro bumper with a swingout. Relocates the rear camera as well. This is a shot of getting it mounted up. Sorry for the poor quality

 

[esh]

Suspension was next. I knew I was going to run pretty heavy. (measured coming back from Baja with 1/4 tank = 8 gallons in it and loaded with gear. 6500lbs- 2750F 3750R) So I couldn't do the best option for about 1000lbs load carrying in the rear (Deaver Expedition Stage III or Deaver custom pack, or a Chevy 53" 5-leaf pack), so I went with Old Man Emu. After a lot of cycling and some good breaking in on Baja roads they haven't really moved from what I've measured. I expect them to eventually drop but since I'm not running big tires, it isn't a big concern. I'll either add another leaf or move to the next solution if they do.



Paired with Ironman Foam Cell Pro rebuildable shocks, they ride great under load. Very controlled behavior and smooth. Front setup is a set of Icon coilovers and Icon Delta UCAs. The Delta joint essentially pushes out your maintenance period. The coilovers are great because you can adjust them 0-3" to accomodate new loads. I still have to mount the winch and find some skid plates, so adjustable coilovers will help keep things level.





I also added a pair of Wheelers super bumps for progressive bump stops in the rear.



It looks like it rides high in this shot, but there is a lot of weight to come.

 

[esh]

I should add it also got a front diff drop and carrier bearing drop to bring angles back in line, or close. With the Drifter and drawers in, and the larger fuel tank in the rear, it has no vibration.

I've got spindle gussets and tabs to weld in to protect the alignment ears, but that is a more involved summer kind of project.

 

[esh]

Next up was the ARB Bullbar. I wanted led fog lights instead of the OEM marker lights, so I found something close on eBay and welded in a bracket I fabbed up. Next was to strip and color match to the OEM color to minimize the appearance of this huge black thing bolted to the front of the truck. I think it came out pretty well. Still have some finishing work to do for the mounting now that I'm back, but it held up well in Baja Sur.

At this point, before I put the bed and tailgate caps on, I had the truck grey barred and paint sealed. This supposedly lasts about a year, but given where I tend to go I'm not holding my breath.

 

[esh]

With the paint sealing applied, I taped over the holes on the top of the bed sides with weatherproof metal tape and ran some silicone as well. All this along with the KB Voodoo caps is to minimize dust entry into the bed.



Here's the truck in the Bay Area loaded with gear, tools, fridge, and BAMF rock sliders I just picked up from Jerry. Bay Area Metal Fab builds solid stuff and has in-house powder coating that helps with build times.

 

[esh]

Then the real fun began.

 

[esh]

Georg at Valley Hybrids/Cruiser Brothers carries LRA tanks in the US. He was interested in documenting a Tacoma DCSB, I was interested in longer range. win/win



Everything went well. It was easier to install with the bed off, and the only hangup was getting the bed up and over the rear bumper but we managed. Valley Hybrids has all the documentation they need to do the installs efficiently so if a larger replacement tank interests you, contact them.

 

[esh]

While I was somewhat idle at Valley Hybrids, I primed and coated the BAMF rock sliders with Krylon truck bed coating. It adds a little texture for grip and is cheap. Also made use of a lift to do a fast install while I was in VH's shop.

 

[esh]

With the bed back on, 34G fuel tank and sliders mounted, it was back to Vagabond Outdoors to install a Frontrunner drawer setup Iggy was selling. He has designed a modular bed interior with Goose Gear that is very nice. I'm very happy with the drawer that holdes 6 wolf pack boxes and has a 15G stainless water tank up against the cab with a 12V pump. The surface was customized to be a large flat surface made from birch and covered in liner. It also has a few tracks and sliding O-rings to strap down gear or a fridge

 

[esh]

After getting the drawer installed, I headed to Sonoma to stay the night with my friend Gary Kardum, owner of Mudrak Custom Cruisers. It was great catching up with him, and he had 3 more Wolf Pack storage boxes I needed for a full set. He also had some ARB sand ladders that I figured might be a good idea in the sandy Baja peninsula. Gary always has amazing projects going on at the house and the shop.

I also made the most of some down time and in Mudrak's original shop space repacked everything I brought into the new drawers to be setup for a (finally!) covered bed. With one of his beautiful 40 builds watching over my work.