My Super White 5th Gen Build Thread

[91foxbody]

We took a scenic route on our trip to bend a few weeks back and I stopped by Detroit to see how bad the damage was after the fire. It's heartbreaking to see all the concrete pads with melted rubble on top of them. On the bright side, driving out onto the lake bed was pretty darn interesting.

We got some skiing in while in Bend and the ATX tires did phenomenally in the snow, as expected. The Yakima "Fresh Tracks 6" ski rack works well on the LFD crossbars and didn't produce a ton of wind noise either. You need to be careful when putting skis in the racks to ensure that the rear gate can open fully. I have to flip my 178s around to make it work.

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[91foxbody]

Got the truck out onto BLM land for the first time a couple of weekends ago near the Painted Hills. Nothing too gnarly, but a couple of steep gravel ascents and the truck made it seem entirely too easy. Even "stock" (outside of good AT's), these trucks are amazingly capable.

 

[91foxbody]

After a 2 month wait, I finally got my full aluminum skid plate set from the RCI group buy. I installed the front 3 skids plus filler plate earlier this week and then put the fuel skid on last night. The front 2 skids are fine, but getting that transfer case section lined up and mounted by yourself is an absolute PITA. I'd recommend using a pry bar to help hold the frame braces up while you slide it on. It took some very careful knee/elbow/hand coordination to hold it all up and slide it together, but once it went on it's VERY solid.



I'm glad I went with the aluminum over the steel as this truck is never going to be a serious crawler, and I'm especially glad I went with raw Al vs. powder coated, as it looks great from the front and from the side.

I opted to mount the fuel skid as far forward as possible to reduce the gap between the xfer case plate and the fuel plate, as well as providing the most amount of protection to the front of the tank.

 

[91foxbody]

I also got around to installing the ARB compressor mount from LFD Offroad in the engine bay. I don't think I'll ever run a second battery and apparently the fuse box area is different on the '20/'21 models so this is the only place to put it. I added some plastic washers between the mount and the frame to reduce the potential for grinding and galvanic corrosion. The bottom bolt is different than '19-prior years (it's the same as the top hole hardware) so you'll need to source your own from the hardware store. Compressor and AOB switch will be installed this weekend.

You can see the plastic washers I used to insulate the mount here.

I had to stack 2 washers to make this work as the A19 stainless they used is hard to find near me.

 

[007Tacoma]

So, based on this image... do you wish you would have gone with the XLs? I'm still on stock rims, but I'm considering replacing the mud flaps that I tore up and consequently off several years back.

My other project over the weekend were Rokblokz mud flaps for all 4 corners of the truck. ...

 

[91foxbody]

So, based on this image... do you wish you would have gone with the XLs? I'm still on stock rims, but I'm considering replacing the mud flaps that I tore up and consequently off several years back.

No, at least not yet. That was taken from a slight angle (to the left) and the coverage is pretty good for the front tire. I plan on moving to a 0 offset wheel this fall which may change things, but overall I'm pleased with them so far. No more rock strikes on the side of the car and it's reduced the gravel flinging on the underside as well.