Another One.. 04 Double Cab Build Thread

Hi, my name's Chris and I have a Tacoma problem..
This won't be so much a build thread but more of a photo dump for me to reference and look back upon.

This will be my 4th Tacoma and hopefully, I hang on to this one for a while.

The truck is an 04 Tacoma 4x4 Double Cab. I was zooming around in a 2013 Scion FRS for a while but missed having a truck so traded the car in for this 04 Tacoma.

Here's some photos from the first day of ownership.




Current-ish:


And... the engine bay will never be this clean again.

Here's a little history of trucks I've owned in the past.

First one was a 05 Taco 6spd Prerunner.

Complete Stock:


Nice "Mid Travel" stage. Very clean & very practical.

Slippery slope to Long Travel...



Second one was a 99 Full Long Travel Acess Cab.
Full Bed Cage, Camburg LT, King 3x Bypass, 35's.
I was young and stupid and thought a truck with no bed was totally practical and would be fine for a DD.




Third one was a 98 4x4 Manual v6 with E-Locking Differntial. Had the awesome Lavender Steel color too. Miss this truck.



Ended up with a Canti-lever Rear Long Travel, Mid-Travel Front End, 01-04 Conversion, 33's and custom bumper.



*Peep those full tread tires*

 

After going through quite a few different trucks from Long Travel to "Expo", I've decided to keep this build as clean and functional as possible.
I enjoy modifying my vehicles and I enjoy doing hands-on projects so that's what this truck has been to me.
Graduated college this year and can finally afford to have a "project" truck and have a daily driver which has been awesome.

Anyways, when I got the truck it had a crappy spacer front and rear which made the truck ride like crap.

Suspension was redone with All Pro Expos in the rear paired with Bilstein 5100's.
Front was redone with custom anodized/cerakote King Coilovers, Camburg UCA's, Total Chaos Spindle Gussets, and Tundra BBK. Also, changed the front to manual hubs; kind of up in the air if this was a good idea or not.. time will tell.



Damn wheel bearings nearly broke my 20-ton press, things pretty much exploded. Very sketchy job.


Ended up buying a second-hand RTT and built a basic rack for the truck. I designed it so that the RTT say below the roof line of the truck.
At the same time retrofit a bed slide from a tundra and redid the top wooden portion.






Finally got around to welding on my BAMF sliders. Had these sitting in my garage for almost a year. Worth the wait and love the way they look.


Installed a Snorkel because EXPO.
I couldn't get myself to drill into my truck so I drank a beer and had @Robmonster117 drill through my fender.


The bed rack and RTT were awesome but did limit bed space and storage.
So being impulsive and constantly unsatisfied I changed my setup again.
Sold the rack and RTT. Bought a camper shell and hard shell RTT. Designed a mount and rack for the top of the shell. Also, installed a awning.


Got a killer deal of 285's and took the opportunity to change rims to something with more backspacing.



Bought a CSI Fridge and was honestly less than thrilled with how it performs. The fridge reads voltage that is falsely low and triggers the low voltage cut off. Waiting on CSI to fix this issue..
My workaround in the meantime is to use a Bluetti AC50s. (500W powerbank similar to Jackery 500). This has a dedicated 12v output so even when it's dying it will signal 12v and won't trip the fridge low voltage cutoff.

 

Before Covid Quarantine I was really debating on practicality of my camping setup.
The hardshell RTT is great because it allows me to have a full bed and keep the tent above the roof line but really kind of sucks because I can't sit upright inside the tent.
I needed a project to keep me busy during quarantine and stumbled upon @Ripcord amazing DIY Camper. Seriously super sick and awesome write up.

I'm planning on doing a few things differently but that's the beauty of DIY. Super grateful on his write up as the BoM itself is a giant time saver.

Started working in CAD and came up with this.
This has a sliding bed platform, side doors that open, and a rough idea for a cabinet system with bed fridge slide/drop down.



Started the build off by cutting and notching tubes. Used 3D printed jigs to hold everything in place for tack welding.



Here's a photo with all the gussets in place and the sliding bed platform.
The steel is all 1.5" square/round tubing 0.65 wall.
The bed platform is 1.25" 3/16 thick 6061.

 

+2

 

Nice '04

 

what's the milage on this truck. maybe you should leave this one alone for a while and just enjoy it. you seem to get rid of the ones you mod.

 

It’s okay we all have a Tacoma problem

 

What’s the red piece on your throttle body?

 

Thanks, hopefully keep this one for a good while. Definitely like the simpleness of 1st gens.

Quite high, 260k but still running strong.
I wish I could keep it stock but I like to design and make things too much.
I also like working on projects, but I'll keep this one around for longer since I finally have a DD.

Thanks guys.
Tacoma Anonymous. Lol

Throttle body spacer.
Useless piece of aluminum that promises "Gains" but doesn't do much except creates a whistle.
Came with the truck, I ended up removing it with the snorkel install. It's a fancy paperweight now.