GeoYota - Adventures & Build

[GeoYota]

Been meaning to post a build thread here at AAV...had some time, so here goes.

Photos...because everyone seems to enjoy before and afters.


Purchase day, March, 2015:

Current state, February 2018:

The Build:

2003 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab SR5 TRD Edition
4x4 Automatic


Engine/Transmission:

- Stock, because Toyota just does it right the first time.

Major Maintenance:

- Timing Belt, Water Pump, (2/2018)
- O2 Sensor (6/2016)
- Carrier Bearing replacement (5/2017)
- Replace A/C Control Switch (5/2016)
- Recharge A/C Freon (5/2016)
- Replace Steering Rack (5/2015)
- Replace Tie Rods (5/2015)
- Upgraded Steering Rack Bushings/Poly (5/2015)


Tires:


- BFGoodrich AT KO2's, Load Range E, 265/75/16
- Spare, BFG AT KO2, LRE, 265/75/16


Suspension:


- Old Man Emu Nitrocharger Shocks, FR/RR
- Old Man Emu 883 FR Coil Over Springs
- Old Man Emu HD Dakar RR Leaf Pack
- Firestone Lifetime Alignment



Exterior/Armor:

- Yakima Skyrise Medium RTT
- Thule X-Sporter Bed Rack
- Thule Canyon XT Roof Basket
- 1998 Toyota 4 Runner Roof Rails/Roof Bars - custom install
- ARB Bull Bar Front Bumper
- WARN M8000 Winch/Steel Wire Lead
- Stubb's Welding HD-KO Sliders, welded on @ ORW in San Marcos (Jason)
- Rotopax 4 Gallon Gas pack
- Bud Built Engine Skid
- Hella 500 7" Driving Lights
- PIAA 5112 Ditch/Driving Lights
- CBI Ditch Light Brackets
- Powertank 10lb CO2 with regulator/bed mounted
- 11 lb. Propane tank/bed mounted
- ARB 50 qt. fridge/Blue Sea 12V plug/US Cargo Control airline track mounts/bed mount
- Raceline Wheels, black


Comms/Electronics/Interior:


- Yeasu FT-2900 2M Radio
- Diamond Antennas 2M/440 Antenna
- Kenwood Double DIN Stereo (model number escapes me, cause' I'm )
- Ruffwear rear seat pet hammock


I will continue to update with currents mods/progress as well as historical photos of projects completed.

John/GeoYota

 

[GeoYota]

First project/priority was to increase ground clearance...by removing the cheap-o side steps.

Before:

For the recycler:

Instant ground clearance!

Also, time to upgrade the Rugged Trails to a set of KO2 BFG's...visited Discount Tire in O'side

Truck is looking better already...

 

[GeoYota]

Next up...swapping the ARE tonneau cover for a Softopper camper, and then a build out of a fridge mount for the pick up bed.

Softopper:

Pick up bed prep...

 

[GeoYota]

Our first big trip was the Mojave Raod with our Nissan friends.

It was dusty, and the stock suspension was sorrowly lacking. The whoops going into camp were BAD...and with a fully loaded truck the rear suspension was on the stops.

Traveler's Monument, Soda Dry Lake, April 2015

Entering Afton Canyon near the big trestle...my buddies heavily modded Fronty in the background...

Oh yes, there were shenanigans on the trail while visiting Kelso Depot...but I'll let @steve c explain this photo...because I always thought saddles were for a party of "one..."

Overall, the Tacoma performed admirably, and I was very happy leaving my heavily modified SUV set up for the double cab set up and reliability that the Toyota offered.


Once home, the search began to source a new suspension set up, so I dialed up Wheeler's Off Road for a better set of springers...

 

[GeoYota]

I knew the future would include some type of bumper with recovery points, as well as a winch, and skid plate armor.

Following exhaustive interweb research, and having had a "custom/high maintenance" suspension set up on my last off road vehicle...

...I opted for something more reliable and less maintenance centric.

Note here: if you get stiffer springs for your front end, make sure the heavy equipment is installed shortly thereafter...so you don't chew through your half axles while overlanding thorugh Death Valley...but that's skipping ahead!!!

Well okay, here's a peek into the future/of the past me...

Back to the suspension upgrade...Old Man Emu 883 coils, Nitrocharger shocks, and Dakar HD rear leafs.

Wheeler's Off Road was very easy to deal with, the lift arrived four days after I clicked "submit" and included a bag of CANDY with a nice note thanking me for my business.

Guess who I'm buying my ARB Bull Bar bumper from?

Yeah...candy is a powerful and persuasive force!

 

[GeoYota]

Next up...an install party with my SCCX buds...stay tuned...

 

[Jayrat]

I'll bring my Mod skills

 

[GeoYota]

I'll bring my Mod skills

You already did...I’m just catching up the build thread here on AAV.

Thanks Jay.

 

[GeoYota]

Having friends help with mods has been a critical part of my truck's build, and coming from a Nissan truck group didn't dissuade these guys from lending a hand with my suspension lift.

We met in Fallbrook in May of 2015, and commenced with the install of my OME lift.

Jordan/knightrider

Jayrat

Joe F.

My fave LEO, Clint

Everyone pitched in. A humbling day with a great group of friends.

I was even allowed to play in the grease...good times!!

Stock vs. Dakar rear leafs

The final product:

It provided me with just over 2.5 inches of lift, but without the aftermarket bumper and winch, as well as skids, the front end was a bit raked following the install.

But I was really happy, as the overall stance of the truck improved greatly, and I was extremely happy.

The ride was stiff on the road, but I knew that translated to a better ride off road/loaded.

 

[GeoYota]

ARB Bumper was ordered next in October of 2015, as well as a Bud Built skid plate to protect the engine.

Bumper in a box

Unpacked...I was more than a little excited

After a solo hydraulic jack install, the bumper was on and I was pretty damn happy.

The Tacoma was beginning to take shape.

Funny story about the DMV.

I attempted to order a vanity license plate with GEO TACO (for geocaching Tacoma, which I explained in my request) printed on it, but after six weeks I received a very formal letter from the California DMV informing me that my requested plate was a term of "lust and depravity"....request denied!

Okay, so I re-grouped and ordered GEO YOTA, which was approved. The twist to the story came later, when a buddy informed me that he caught an L.A. news stations report about DMV vanity plate approval, and that there was actually an accessible database showing all of the denied plate requests and their reasonings.

He sifted through the pages of plate requests, and located mine, where it stated in plain DMV black and white English that:

"Taco means vagina....request denied" Who knew? I guess the DMV doesn't understand geocaching Tacomas, but Toyotas are okay?

We have had several good laughs over this, and I have the letter as one of my prized keepsakes.

 

[GeoYota]

Next up was to be our first trip across Death Valley with a group of Nissan guys from both Northern and Southern California, to take place in mid November.

The sights and weather proved to be both exciting and intense.

The group just before heading up Lippincott Mine Road to Homestake camp for the first night:

But the unladen front springs proved to be too much for my poor half axles, and just after a trip around Hunter Mountain and a splash through a large mud pit, my drivers side axle said "adios muchachos"...and we drove the remainder of Death Valley in 3x4 drive!

The mud pit experience was preceded by a three hour detour at Teakettle Junction...for an unplanned stop and repair of a Made in China overland trailer.

@knightrider @steve c had front row seats for this adventure, and it set the tone of mechanical tension for the rest of the trip.

Fortunately, a group of NorCal Jeepers stopped and just happened to have an on board welder, that was used to tack the trailer tongue up enough so it could be evac'ed out to Big Pine.

We carried on to the mud pit, rounded Hunter Mountain, and finsihed the day well after dark heading into Saline Hot Springs.

It was late, and pitch black when we entered "camp." Unbeknownst to us (since we had lost our trail leader to the trailer debacle) we had parked on some of the "Made In USA" rock art, and a group of unhappy and unwashed individuals "kindly" asked us to move our vehicles.

We finally settled in and were greeted at our campfire by a terry cloth robe wearing/commando twigs n berried dude named Don.

Quite entertaining when he wasn't flashing his tanned tube steak, we made nice with him as he had introduced himself as the self proclaimed "Mayor" of Saline Hot Springs.

Between Don's antics and the braying of the local burros, we finally crashed for a well earned nights sleep.

The next morning dawned early, and we set to work in removing the clanky half axle.

We worked for a couple of hours, and were finally able to extract the destroyed axle and got the open diff covered with a combination of Gorilla tape/zip tyes/Ziploc baggies.

Desert ingenuity!



Steel Pass was up next...

 

[GeoYota]

Steel Pass was an adventure, over boulders and down the waterfalls, but our reward was views of the Eureka Dunes and our last evenings campsite.

@steve c

The view from Eureka Dunes camp looking east

Inclement weather was on the horizon, so a group of the SoCal folks made the decision to exit one day early.

@jfanaselle took a few group shots before we left...windy?

We exited the park northbound, and the storm hit us full force with wind and rain.

Seemed like a lot of the park roads were affected

We made a hasty exit and headed for a warm hotel room in Lone Pine, but not before a nice group lunch and final good byes at the local Shell Station

My wife and I retired to a local hotel, for a "wind free" recovery night before our drive back to San Diego

The next morning before departure, I discovered this cool off road trailer parked near us and snapped a couple of shots...well equipped for sure

 

[GeoYota]

Before we left Lone Pine, we took a tour of the town and a quick drive along Movie Road in the Alabama Hills.

We made a vow to return and explore more of the area, so much history and natural beauty to see here.

One final thought...always liked Iron Man (the movie), and found a little history of the scene that was filmed here where Tony Stark introduces the Jericho ordinance package...

An avatar is born...

Overall we had a good time visiting DVNP for the first time, although some of the group decisions on travel plans became diluted when our trail leader exited early. An organizational learning experience for sure...in essence, have a plan C to your plan B.

We loved the sights of DVNP, and planned a return trip for the near future...who knew the future would be 24 months away.

 

[GeoYota]

Once returned from Death Valley, and back into the swing of life and work schedules, I jumped on the internet and began sourcing new parts to rebuild the Tacoma's diminished front end. I also started research on recovery tools, specifically the winch that would weight the front end properly, reducing the "chew through" rate of my half axles because of their exaggerated angles.

The steering rack on the Tacoma had been sloppy and worn since my purchase, so I ordered a Cardone steering rack, Moog tie rod ends, and a set of Cardone half axles. I also replaced the passenger side front wheel bearing, as it took some abuse during the trip.

Thanks to @knightrider for his help with the install.

Old vs. new

Spindle and wheel hub went off to Napa Auto Parts in Oceanside to have a new bearing pressed in

New tie rod ends

Did the boot slide mod on my half axles

With all new steering components installed, the truck employed much more stable handling characteristics.

And with new half axles, 4WD was once again an option...now about that winch!!

 

[GeoYota]

I looked for quite a while trying to narrow down my winch choice, but for me, when it came right down to it, I had to get a WARN winch.

I looked very closely at Engo's products, but the WARN quality and reputation won me over.

I selected the M8000 for its durability and ease of install into my ARB bumper.

Again, I sent out a call for help and @knightrider and @sdcaX responded, thanks again guys.

Clocking the motor for proper mounting

Bumper removed and ready to bolt up the winch. Having friends help with a bumper removal/install is great, as I had done it solo in the past.

Blue gloves Hennie...critical element to all bumper installs, or so I'm told

Winch installed, wiring was next.

We finished up, and my wife and took the Tacoma for a shake down run up to Big Bear the next weekend. No use for the winch, but the front end rake with the weight of the winch installed was definitely more level.

One case where spending money (the winch) to save money (chewed half axles) was in serious order

 

[Aggrocrag]

Very clean 1st gen! Good work