I honestly swore the whole time I was adding the relay to my super clean BantamX.
Trump's 03 Tacoma
- Thread starter Trump
- Start date
I honestly swore the whole time I was adding the relay to my super clean BantamX.
Since my headlights had been properly addressed, and I no longer needed the LED driving lights as a supplement, I wanted to switch to a true fog light. So, those driving lights that had been working hard since 2012 were replaced with a set of Baja Designs Squadron-R SAE Fog lights. I chose yellow as I have found that it really works well for me in the snow and contrasts well on wet blacktop. The new optics Baja Designs went with in these 'version 2' SAE fogs do an excellent job of focusing the beam into a low and wide SAE approved pattern. I liked them enough that I ended up buying a second set and replaced the stock fogs on the 4runner too.
Back when I was planning the lighting upgrades. I contemplated fitting more physical switches in the cab. I contemplated where I could fit them all together, and have their position make ergonomic sense. I was drawing a blank, and as you’ve already seen, ultimately went the touchscreen route.
During that mental exercise I made the discovery that a 4th Gen Celica turn stalk fits the 1st Gen Tacoma and 3rd Gen 4Runner’s steering columns. That turn stalk is available with a switch for OEM fog lights. Of course, the 1st Gen Tacoma never had OEM fog lights, so there’s no OEM wiring present on the vehicle. In all my searching, I’d seen others talk about swapping, but couldn’t find anyone that had made the switch work. I was up for the challenge and picked one up anyway.
I did some continuity checks with the multimeter and found the two pins on the stalk that were for the fog light switch. All I needed to do at that point was pin the unused positions on the OEM connector. After reading up on Toyota connectors, I found I needed Sumitomo Female terminals in 0.5mm and 1.25mm sizes to complete the OEM connector. The terminals came directly from a business in Japan.
These are the added locations on the OEM connector, with my wiring (green) visible out the back:
The connector is visible in the upper left-hand corner of this picture, with the green wires following OEM routing:
I added a simple fused 12v source for power into the connector and used my old wiring through the firewall to connect to the fog light trigger on the BantamX. Success… they worked like they would’ve if installed from the factory… but better. Because my switched power source is with the ignition, I don’t have to turn the headlights on to trigger the fog lights. With the key off, I can also control them independently via the touchscreen.
During that mental exercise I made the discovery that a 4th Gen Celica turn stalk fits the 1st Gen Tacoma and 3rd Gen 4Runner’s steering columns. That turn stalk is available with a switch for OEM fog lights. Of course, the 1st Gen Tacoma never had OEM fog lights, so there’s no OEM wiring present on the vehicle. In all my searching, I’d seen others talk about swapping, but couldn’t find anyone that had made the switch work. I was up for the challenge and picked one up anyway.
I did some continuity checks with the multimeter and found the two pins on the stalk that were for the fog light switch. All I needed to do at that point was pin the unused positions on the OEM connector. After reading up on Toyota connectors, I found I needed Sumitomo Female terminals in 0.5mm and 1.25mm sizes to complete the OEM connector. The terminals came directly from a business in Japan.
These are the added locations on the OEM connector, with my wiring (green) visible out the back:
The connector is visible in the upper left-hand corner of this picture, with the green wires following OEM routing:
I added a simple fused 12v source for power into the connector and used my old wiring through the firewall to connect to the fog light trigger on the BantamX. Success… they worked like they would’ve if installed from the factory… but better. Because my switched power source is with the ignition, I don’t have to turn the headlights on to trigger the fog lights. With the key off, I can also control them independently via the touchscreen.
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That's some seriously impressive work, Mark. Just about anyone else would have just added soft buttons to the Bantam and called it good.
Thanks, Doug. The OCD compells me... meds would likely be cheaper.
A suspected failure and a hasty diagnosis on my part started me down the next rabbit hole… in reality, everything was fine. It’s a long story for a campfire conversation, so I’m not going to type it out here. That misstep did, however, provide the downtime to address some preventive and due maintenance on the 21-year-old truck.
-New Water pump (from the condition of my original, I could have put that one off for another 20 years.)
-New Steering Rack with inner and outer tie rods
-New Power steering Pump
-Valve Adjustment
…Since I was in there, I had my valve cover powdercoated and added a retro Toyota engine ID for the dependable 3RZ.
-Front bumper powdercoat - I was thoroughly tired of repainting every two years, so I took it over with the valve cover.
-New coolant overflow reservoir - The patch I made on the OEM was failing. It had been damaged in a mock trophy truck whoop mishap on my way to Desert Rendezvous #1 in 2011.
Finally, I cleaned and degreased the ever-loving crap out of the engine bay. What I got in return after reassembling everything was a 21-year-old truck that looked darn near new under the hood. Oh, what a feeling!
3RZ valve adjustment tool
Calculating shim sizes
-Got fed up with one of the exhaust valve shims and pulled the cam shaft to aid in getting it out.
-Fresh powdercoat and retro decal
-Also fresh powdercoat
-minty fresh and ready for more.
-New Water pump (from the condition of my original, I could have put that one off for another 20 years.)
-New Steering Rack with inner and outer tie rods
-New Power steering Pump
-Valve Adjustment
…Since I was in there, I had my valve cover powdercoated and added a retro Toyota engine ID for the dependable 3RZ.
-Front bumper powdercoat - I was thoroughly tired of repainting every two years, so I took it over with the valve cover.
-New coolant overflow reservoir - The patch I made on the OEM was failing. It had been damaged in a mock trophy truck whoop mishap on my way to Desert Rendezvous #1 in 2011.
Finally, I cleaned and degreased the ever-loving crap out of the engine bay. What I got in return after reassembling everything was a 21-year-old truck that looked darn near new under the hood. Oh, what a feeling!
3RZ valve adjustment tool
Calculating shim sizes
-Got fed up with one of the exhaust valve shims and pulled the cam shaft to aid in getting it out.
-Fresh powdercoat and retro decal
-Also fresh powdercoat
-minty fresh and ready for more.
Love the retro decal!
Thanks! I will admit... the motivation to powdercoat the valve cover was driven by me wanting to ensure that decal had a smooth surface to adhere to.
I like the retro battery too.
#unobtainium
Nothing retro about that... two years old at max.
https://www.odysseybattery.com/products/odp-agm34r-battery-34r-790/
I don't think you need to worry about that happening... She is still my daily driver.
Three years back I was backing into my favorite parking spot at work and snapped off the mount for one of the Flip-pac support rods on a snow laden branch. Fortunately, I heard it and didn’t lose the rod. I had to research a replacement part and ended up discovering the broken part was actually a bimini top deck hinge from the marine industry. $10 later it was a straight forward replacement.
Fast forward to last spring… The parking lot lights were off, and I caught the same branch with the same result. I hadn’t been getting out camping, so I didn’t replace it immediately.
Back to current...
I started a new job mid-summer and it offers me a tremendous amount more free time. Anticipating more time to go camping, and wanting to try ski bumming in the truck this winter, I went back to the local West Marine to get another replacement. This time the part was out of stock, so I went looking for a better solution. I found these in my search of various bimini top hardware:
This replacement leaves a snag free quick-release cleat in place on the camper with a clevis that stays attached to the rod. I filled in the mounting holes that didn’t line up with the new cleat. Then, drilled, sealed, and installed the new cleat. The retaining clips for the support rods were also removed and holes filled. When not in use, the rods now live inside the Flip-pac along with the crank handle. After the Flip-pac is opened, it’s super easy to connect, and no more vulnerable nylon in harms way. This is probably the best improvement I've made to the camper and it was a grand total of $30.
Fast forward to last spring… The parking lot lights were off, and I caught the same branch with the same result. I hadn’t been getting out camping, so I didn’t replace it immediately.
Back to current...
I started a new job mid-summer and it offers me a tremendous amount more free time. Anticipating more time to go camping, and wanting to try ski bumming in the truck this winter, I went back to the local West Marine to get another replacement. This time the part was out of stock, so I went looking for a better solution. I found these in my search of various bimini top hardware:
This replacement leaves a snag free quick-release cleat in place on the camper with a clevis that stays attached to the rod. I filled in the mounting holes that didn’t line up with the new cleat. Then, drilled, sealed, and installed the new cleat. The retaining clips for the support rods were also removed and holes filled. When not in use, the rods now live inside the Flip-pac along with the crank handle. After the Flip-pac is opened, it’s super easy to connect, and no more vulnerable nylon in harms way. This is probably the best improvement I've made to the camper and it was a grand total of $30.