SAR_Squid79's (Jamie's) 2000 Tacoma Build-up

[SAR_Squid79]

CHAPTER 1:

While I was living in San Diego in 2002, I bought this truck bone stock.

It WAS a 2000 2WD SR5 TRD PreRunner.

I don't even have a picture of the truck when it was bone stock. When I bought it, it had 31" BFG All-Terrains on it. I kept the truck stock for about a year until it needed new tires.

The first official mod was upgrading the tires - 32 x 11.50 R15 Bridgestone Dueller M/T's:

I have to admit that when I bought this truck, my plans were to Supercharge it, lift it, and turn it into a shiny & pretty "Mall Hauler - Street Queen". After my first little wheeling trip (pictured above), I found TTORA and I was bitten by the bug.

[SAR_Squid79]

CHAPTER 2:

If I was going to build this truck for Off-Road, I was going to need to lift it, so I could fit my tires without rubbing. I was on a tight budget at the time, so I couldn't afford the Donahoe setup that I wanted. ToyTec had just started up. They were inexpensive, and had a great reputation going.

ToyTec 3" Pro-Deluxe 1000 Lift Kit:

The next thing that I had my sights set on was the TRD Supercharger and URD Kit. I finally saved up the money and bought the Supercharger and URD Fuel Kit. One fine day, at 65,000 miles, I changed my oil. The next day one of the cam shafts on my 3.4L DOHC engine seized. Since the factory warranty expired at 60,000 my extended warranty and Toyota split the cost of rebuilding my engine. The Supercharger was delivered while my truck was still being fixed. I got my truck back just in time for me to transfer to Illinois. I had read about the "Deckplate Mod" (which my father-in-law called the Poor-man's Supercharger)& "Rear Diff Breather Extension" so I did those, and went ahead and installed the Hayden 679 Aux. Transmission Cooler in preparation for installing the Supercharger system. I never got to install the blower.

[SAR_Squid79]

CHAPTER 3:

When I got to Illinois - my first order of business was installing the Supercharger + URD Kit, and getting her all tuned up.

At around the same time, I upgraded to the URD 2.2" Pulley. Installed the Airaid M.I.T., and a few other performance related accessories (Boost gauge, Innovate Wideband o2 Gauge):

[SAR_Squid79]

CHAPTER 4:

My truck stayed more or less in this stage for a while. New to the Midwest, I went on my first serious Off-Road trip. This gave me a real look at what my truck was capable of, and what it lacked, and where I needed to make improvements.

Toyota Tall Corn Event 2005:

At Tall Corn I looked at a few other Tacomas that were there, and got some ideas about what direction I wanted to go. I surprised everyone - including myself - with how capable my locked 2WD PreRunner was. I knew I needed some armor. The way I had my Hi-Lift mounted was weak, and I wanted to make a few cosmetic changes, and I saw the value of having a CB on the trail. I also met and became friends with a guy that would become very important in the evolution of my truck. Adam - future CEO of 4xInnovations!

CB - Cobra 75WXST + 4' Firestik
Sliders - Demello HD Round Bolt-Ons
New Wheels - American Racing Mojaves
Bed Bar - Demello Bed Bar w/ Hi-Lift mounts
New Tool Box - Delta Professional Low-Profile (in fashionable black)
...and I had my bed Line-X'd

>>BED BAR INFO - CLICK HERE<<

[SAR_Squid79]

CHAPTER 5:

My next big wake-up came at TTORA TakeOver 2006. I got to see LOTS of awesome rigs that were built in a million different configurations. By now I had a clear idea about which direction I wanted to go. I was already contemplating going to 4WD. I was thinking I wanted to do SAC, but I wasn't sure. TakeOver gave me the chance to see tons of options. My truck did well at Tall Corn and gave me a little bit of a false sense of security. TakeOver proved 100% that I had to be 4WD if I wanted to hang with the big boys. Running the rocky trails of Superlift ORV Park in the mountains of Arkansas in 2WD completely ruined my tires. I also found out that my CB was too powerful and was interfereing with my ECU and specifically fuel delivery. Immeditately after TakeOver I sold the 75WXST and installed a Uniden Pro520XL, and have had no more problems.

Before the long road trip from Northern Illinois to Central Arkansas I finally upgraded my exhaust system. Dual in-line magnaflows. No more catalytic converters:

TakeOver & my ruined tires:

[SAR_Squid79]

CHAPTER 6:

Late 2006 - Early 2007 saw the biggest evolution of my truck to date.

After TakeOver - I was more than a little disappointed with the capability of my truck. I had made the definite decision to convert to 4WD. Originally I thought that I wanted to SAC, but at TakeOver I realized that I had not seen 1 single broken IFS 4WD Tacoma, but there were broken SAS rigs all over the place. That did it! Almost immediately after TakeOver I started doing research and amassing the parts I would need for my converison. First things first - NEW TIRES!!!

I saw a lot of rigs at TakeOver running these tires, and kicking ass. Good enough for me!

Cooper Discoverer STT's 32 x 11.50 R15:

Tall Corn 2006 - No big changes. Still prepping for the 4WD conversion:

At Tall Corn 2006, I talked with Adam about designing and building a Swing-away Tailgate / Spare Tire Holder. I also won the Demello Tacoma Skid Plate in the raffle!

FINALLY - over the winter of 2006 I finished getting everything I needed to do my 4WD conversion. I just needed to wait for Illinois to thaw out so I could get out there and do the wrenching. Me and a few friends went ahead and made plans for Moab in May of '07 - so there was the deadline that HAD TO MAKE!

[SAR_Squid79]

CHAPTER 7:

The 4WD Conversion:

I figured that as long as I was doing all this work, and spending all this money, I might as well do things right. I finally sprung for the Donahoe Suspension & Camburg UCA's that I had wanted from the start. I got an Inchworm Transfer case. ...and all kinds of other goodies! 2 Long days of wrenching, and I was FINALLY 4WD!!!

...Oh yeah - and Adam at 4XInnovations built me the front winch bumper that I wanted too!

http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68120

Moab - The best proving ground in the world!!

[SAR_Squid79]

CHAPTER 8:

Current & Miscellaneous

Since Moab, we've had Tall Corn 2007. I've added a Superwinch EPi9.0 Winch (with Viking synthetic Combo Line), 4 x KC Titanium Slimlite lights, and a Demello Rear Hybrid Bumper.

...and that's where I'm at now! My goal is to build a well-rounded truck capable of everything from daily driving, to trail riding, to mild rock crawling, to self-sufficient overland expedition.

There are tons of other minor mods that I've done along the way. I'll probably come back and add that stuff in here later. This covered all the major stuff. I'm happy to answer any questions, give my opinion, or help anybody out. At this point - there's not much that I haven't done with my Tacoma.

Thanks for looking.

[SAR_Squid79]

Full List of Mods:

2000 Tacoma TRD PreRunner SR5 Converted to 4WD


Engine:

3.4L V6
TRD Gen. I Supercharger
URD Supercharger Fuel Upgrade Kit
URD 2.2" Pulley
IPT Valve Body Upgrade
URD O2 Simulator
Hayden 679 A/T Cooler
4" Deckplate Mod
Airaid M.I.T.
True Flow Air Filter
Custom Magnaflow Exhaust System


Suspension:

~3" lift

Front:
Donahoe Racing Extended Travel Coilovers
Camburg Uni-ball Upper Control Arms
Sway Bar Removed

Rear:
Custom Deaver 9-Leaf Springs
Bilstein 5125 Shocks

Wheels and Tires:

32 x 11.50 R15 Cooper Discoverer STT's
15x8 American Racing Mojave Teflon Wheels

Drivetrain/Brakes:

Inchworm "Lefty" Transfer Case w/ 5.0:1 Low Range
FROR Twin Sticks
4XInnovation custom T-Case Crossmember
Rear Differential Extended Breather
OEM 4.10 Gears
TRD Rear E-Locker
Cross-Drilled / Slotted Rotors
Carbon Kevlar Brake Pads

Armor:

4xInnovations Custom Front Tube Winch Bumper
Demello Rear Hybrid Wrap-Around Bumper
Demello Front Skid Plate
Demello HD Round Sliders
4xInnovations Transfer Case Skid
4xInnovations Rear Frame Reinforcements
Inchworm e-Locker Motor Guard

Recovery Gear:

Superwinch EPi9.0 9000lb winch with Viking Combo Synthetic Line 3/8" x 100'
Front ProComp Recovery Hooks
Rear Receiver Hitch Shackle
Hi-Lift Jack with Jackmate & Hi-Lift Winching Kit
Full Recovery Kit


Electrical:

Odyssey PC1200MJT Battery
4xInnovations Custom Odyssey Battery Hold-Down
Painless Waterproof Auxillary Fuse Block

Auxilliary Lighting:

4 - Long-Range KC Titanium Slimlites (Front)
2 - Blazer Amber Driving Lights (Rear)

Accessories/Other:

Custom 4xInnovations Swing-out Tailgate / Spare Tire carrier
4xInnovations Tacoma Tube Doors
Custom 4xInnovations Bed Rack
Uniden Pro520XL CB
Firestik Firefly 4 Foot Antenna
Innovate LC1+XD1 Standalone Wideband Kit
LOTEK Boost Gauge
Line-X Bed Liner
Demello Off-Road Bed Bar (new style w/ billet Hi-Lift Mounts)
Delta Low-Profile Black crossover toolbox
(2) ExpeditionWare Jerry Can Mounts
Coleman Cargo Basket
Camping Lab Roof-Top-Tent
Redline Tuning Hood QuickLift System
Roadless Gear In-Cab Winch Control
Garmin 60CSx GPS Navigation
SCION Radio Mod W/ Sirius Satellite Radio

Expedition Trailer:

http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120604


FUTURE MODS - COMING SOON:

ARB Front Locker
ARB Safari Snorkel
Mastercraft Baja RS Suspension Seats
Alternator Upgrade
Dual Battery set-up
URD Crankshaft Pulley
JBA Exhaust Headers
Powertank System
HID Headlight Conversion