This blog article is about the build of our 2006 Tacoma into an overland rig. This work spans about 4 years and covers everything from suspension upgrades, breathers, electrical and custom armor. Wherever possible I have tried to pass on the knowledge that we have learned and useful links to other sites.
Our 2006 Toyota Tacoma joined us as a stock TRD Sport edition. With two kids, we were looking for enough room for the whole family to travel comfortably.
After our return, we ordered a Softopper canvas folding cover for the Tacoma. I was really amazed at the quality of the canvas and the attention to detail. This is a top quality cover. I love that I can fold it flat behind the cab in less than two minutes.
Now that we have used the Tacoma for a while and I have been looking through other people's awesome builds, it was time to put my mad engineering and build skills to use. Here are the roof rack bed rail mounts that I made. I wanted to keep the slightly tapered rear end of the box and make the lines of the rack blend into the truck's body work.
Close up of the rack mount.
Nice clean angles to blend in. Low air friction on the highway I hope.
Final product. Now it's interesting to note that I did not want to lose the ability to have large items in the back. This racking is bolted with stainless steel hardware and is able to also fold behind the cab in about 10 minutes.
My amazingly helpful Tacoma owning neighbour Dave came to my rescue. He had just found a mom and pop shop that still hand made custom rear leafs. He was so impressed with their work that he threatened me bodily harm if I didn't go there. East Spring Service Ltd. 50 Granger Ave. Toronto ON.
Yup, that was more than 2.5".
After a few weeks, I managed to get CT Motorsports in Mississauga Ontario to install four Bilstein 5100's all around the truck. This helped level up the front end. This is also when we discovered we had the dreaded Tacoma differential bearing vibration. Most Tacoma trucks have this, and it is noticeable after lifting the front end.
While in PEI, I crushed my exhaust pipe between a 12" concrete post and my passenger tire. Some friendly locals lent me a grinder and I chopper off the crushed tip. Now I took the time to cut the pipe a bit further, so it will not snag on anything while on the trails.
Here you can see where I removed the factory one-way valve and added a sealed 8mm push connect and tube. It runs safely up to the filler spout, behind the rear quarter panel and above high water.
The breather valves for the front differential, the transmission and the transfer case are already factory located high up in the engine compartment. Here I have just replaced the one way valves with two ways.
Little by little we build her up!
We removed the stick-on velcro from the tailgate of the truck and made up a velcro and magnetic strip that stays mounted to the Softopper's velcro.
With winter approaching, we put our roof top tent into storage. Time to start fabricating again.
Finished size is 48" x 76" x 6". I was not sure about the 6" height, but I think it will hold some nice lights up there.
The Cargo rack and rock sliders were a great addition to the overland rig. Now that I have sliders on, I can invest in a quality Hi Jack. There was nowhere on the truck to use one previously. Mounting the Hi Jack was another logistical challenge, because I wanted the jack to be easily accessible,
The back of the Tacoma is a bit of a mess in this shot, but I was happy to find a spot for 50' of 5/8" dia. blue steel rope. I was having a heck of a time locating a good out-of-the-way place to keep it clean and ready to go.
A Dewalt case with ribs cut out to hold miscellaneous spare parts and supplies for repairs.
Nice and compact. There appears to be no fuel loss from adding the Thule storage unit. It is very important to keep your vehicle's center of gravity low for safety and practicality. I admit it looks nice to have a spare tire, Jack All, shovel, axe, 40 liters of fuel and 20 liters or water on the top of your truck. However, that gear is all useless to you when your truck is upside down on top of it.
She really looks like something now!
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We were planning a family trip to PEI for a few weeks and our main focus was on our overland trailer build. We bought this used truck and it came with a decent tauneu cover. That was about all the upgrades it had.
This Softopper has held up well through one of the nastiest Canadian winters we have seen in a long time! We added the additional rear bug screen for when we camp in the back of the truck, which is still unused after purchasing the roof top tent.
Here is the powder coated 3/16" plate mounted below the Softopper.
Close up of the internal tabs to mount to the track rail in the bed.
At this point we were pretty happy with our Overland Project. I was looking at this photo and thought “wow, I really need to get some lift over those 31" tires”. As luck would have it, the Tacoma decided that this was a great time to blow two rear leaf springs.
I asked the suspension shop for 2.5" of lift and another 500 lbs of load capacity for the rear. They did a great job and I was amazed at the skill and craftsmanship. These are not your off the shelf 'add a leaf's'. When all was done I found myself with almost 4" of rear lift. Yikes, it is time to jack the front!
My 31" tires look a bit small all of a sudden.
Thanks to the good people on Tacoma World and East Coast Gear Supply. The solution was quick and fairly cost effective. We opted to change out the Tacoma's eight-year-old CV shafts at the same time. Vibrations are all gone. After adding our roof top tent on the back, I was happy the leaf springs caused the extra lift. I may have been a bit short otherwise.
I had been planning to add my own "Festo" components to make new differential breathers for water crossings. When the differential is hot and then submerged in water, the sudden change in temperature causes a vacuum. The factory differential comes with a one-way valve. Unfortunately, when there is a vacuum the truck draws water through the wheel bearings. Not Good!
The two-way valve allows only air to go in both directions.
I took this time to add longer and progressive impact end stops to both the front and rear suspension. This is to make up for the added lift that I put into my truck and prevent over travel damage.
In response to the velcro wearing out on our Softopper.
Now the rear window uses the magnet to hold in place. This works in all weather and never wears.
This is a cargo rack for the Tacoma. Made for 3/4" and 1/2" EMT conduit. Very light and strong.
Shortly after the cargo rack fabrication comes the rock sliders. These are 1.5" diameter x 3/16" wall tubing. Next time I will go with 1/8" wall, because these are heavy.
Mounting it on the cargo rack would look nice, but it would also expose the jack to weather and trail elements plus add top end weight. This was the best solution for now. The only drawback being that it eats a little bit of the cargo space. Not much, but I can see this being fun to remove with a load in there.
Tool storage is critical to us. I picked up a canvas tool roll and was surprised to find it held all this in a 6" dia. roll! Sockets and all major Tacoma tools, plus some imperial and general ones for friends in need. Also keeps them silent on the trails. I need to add a 4' x 8' piece of canvas to lay on too.
I bartered a 72" x 48" x 6" roof rack for a Thule Weekender roof storage unit. It fits nicely between the roof racks, but had to be custom mounted to sit low. It's the same height as the RTT. Great for storing the sleeping bags, pillows and bedding.
The extra storage is really useful to cut down on layering stuff in the back of the truck.
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