Build 2014 SR5 Tundra Build

[RedSun]

Next step was further fine finishing and paint.

Went over all the welds from 40 to 120 grit flap discs. Then I got an orbital sander with a 120 grit pad and this really got things where I wanted.

Used Rustoleum self etching primer. This was after 3 coats.

Next was laying down the paint. I went with Rustoleum Pro Grade Bedliner spray. It’s not great bedliner but is a great coating. A lot of guys like to use it on armor as it’s easy to touch up. I preheated the cans in warm water and ran a heater in my shop. This was after coat #3.

Finish is excellent. Very happy with it. We’ll see how it holds up though. I added thicker coats to areas that would see more action like the bottom skid. I also plan on coating the inside of the bumper with fluid film too for further corrosion resistance when I install the winch and lightbar.

Finally got things mounted today after curing for 24 hours. Could not be happier. This was my first fabrication project and I’m very excited for what’s next, hoping Coastal comes out with a slider kit and rear bumper.

And now we're finally up to speed with my build. Still waiting on my Baja Designs S8 to come in. And still choosing a winch. Having a custom fairlead made with the TRD logo as well.

 

[RedSun]

Had some colleagues at work that have zero interest in cars tell me the truck "looks really cool". I think so too! Couple pics from the other day, the app i used to edit them slightly distorted the pics. There's no camber in person.

The BD XL's with the amber driving combo lens are great. Have had lots of fog lately and they're actually useful in those conditions at night compared to the clear spot lenses.

 

[RedSun]

Got some maintenance done today. Oil change, finally upgraded the filter housing, and a threw on a new cabin filter.

Should have done the filter housing upgrade a long time ago. It’s much nicer. That and doing oil changes with the TRD skid plate is a breeze. All Tundras should have this.

My custom fairlead came in. Extremely happy with it. Still need to get a winch as well though. This was the pic I was sent of it before it shipped out. I plan on painting the letters red.

Made V1 of the fog light brackets for my DD SS3's and not too happy with them. This bumper has a very tight fit for fogs and the bezel my SS3’s came with are designed for the OEM fog housing. The light output is less than ideal because the light can’t sit flush against the bumper openings.

I ordered a set of standard SS3 bezels and am going to use some smaller flat stock to make more low profile mounts to better fit the bumper.

 

[RedSun]

Finally got into making brackets and wiring the lights into the bumper today. Started with swapping out the bezels on the SS3’s with the traditional square bezels so that it would sit flush in the bumper.

I forgot to take pictures of the fog light brackets I made from flat stock but also made these for the S8 bar out of the existing bracket.

Mocked everything up and started mounting everything. Unfortunately I had a tree fall right infront of my shop so I wasn’t able to work on the Tundra in there as I was still splitting logs and clearing the area. But the mobile setup worked out.

Got all the wiring sorted, it’s a bit of a mess now and temporary until I get a fuse block and organize everything. I also installed another Cali Raised OEM style switch. I love how factory these look.

Tested everything and then mounted the bumper. Very happy with the look.

The output is insane. With the bar, fogs, and ditch lights on there’s about 32000 lumens of output, in addition to however much the OEM LED headlights put out. This was in broad daylight but I’m going to get some shots at night as well.

 

[RedSun]

Got the first camping trip in the books for the year.

Started off with 65 and sunny. Found a somewhat open site with some great spots for my hammock.

My dog was enjoying it.

Drove a lot of trails and found many beautiful spots that I pin and save for later as a potential camp site.

Then the snow came. Forecasted for rain but the temperature dropped enough that it started to really come down.

The awning came in handy and with a fire we had a nice breakfast watching the snow fall. This was about 15 minutes after the previous pic.

After breakfast we packed up and headed out. Explored many trails on the way out.

 

[RedSun]

Did some camping the last couple of days. Truck did great as always.

Explored a lot of trails, always happy with how this barebones OME suspension does so well for my needs.

Set up camp at this site the first 2 nights by the water.

Did a lot of fishing and a lot of cooking.

My dog was having a great time.

Weather was perfect, good spot for hammocking as well.

Did some more exploring and switched to another site for the next 3 days.

Most of the trails are similar to fireroads. Unfortunately some of my favorite 4x4 spots have since been leveled and had gravel laid down.

Still need to get my winch installed. I was going to do it prior to this trip but realized that the power steering cooler relocation that Coastal Offroad recommended for this bumper would interfere with my winch. So i'll likely need to replace/relocate it to fit this winch.

 

[RedSun]

I finally got around to setting a day aside to install the winch. This started with relocating the power steering cooler. Unfortunately the relocation suggested by Coastal Offroad that I did using their included brackets in my bumper build was still not enough to clear a winch. This meant running an aftermarket cooler. So iI started pulling apart the front end. Between the annoying TRD skid plate and the weight of this bumper, its my least favorite thing to do on this truck. Had my supervisor with me who decided to lay in the grass and watch me struggle instead.

So I started with this Hayden 679 trans cooler. Good quality unit that was a large enough size to replicate and improve upon the stock cooler.

You can see the stock cooler hanging below the mounting points in this shot. I had already taken the Coastal steel relocation brackets off. This would directly interfere with the winch.

To mount the cooler I used JohnLakeman's extremely helpful transmission cooler guide on the Tundra Forums that can be found here. His brackets were perfect for mounting this cooler securely. I plan on adding a transmission cooler eventually as well on the other side. Started with forming the main bracket out of 1" flat stock that I measured, bent, and painted.

Deviated from his instructions a bit of using steel sheet and just used the extra flat stock to make the brackets that would then hold the other side of the cooler to the hood latch support.

Then came drilling the holes into the truck to mount the brackets. The holes were drilled and i subsequently painted the exposed edges to avoid rust. This is where I made an idiotic mistake. I used my level against the flat stock bar to mark where to drill the upper hole in the truck. However i forgot that the truck itself was not level where I parked it. As a result, it came out slightly crooked. Does not actually matter and its hidden by my grill but it still made me feel like an absolute idiot. I then routed some 3/8" hose and added some hose clamps and it was done. Topped off the reservoir with some Valvoline ATF, bled the system, and everything was solid. Very happy with how it came out otherwise.

Now with that relocated I could move on to the winch install. I bought this winch almost 6 months ago for a steal, an Engo 10000lb synthetic line winch. I was not originally looking at Engos but they have a good reputation as a small company and back up their products well so I trusted them. Winch looks to be good quality with good weatherproofing but we'll see how it actually does.

Obviously needed to relocate the control box. This was a bit of a dilemma. It would be easy to put it behind the grill but then it wouldn't be easily accessible to plug in the remote. Under the hood would be a pain between needed to buy all new wire and open the hood every single time I needed to run the winch. So I placed it next to the winch where it was accessible from the front and at an angle so that the cord when plugged in would not be under any pressure or stress that would cause premature wear. I drilled some holes and then mounted the control box. I'm still not totally sold on the location, some feedback would be great.

I used dielectric grease over every contact and edges of the cable sleeves for added protection. I'm wondering if I should seal the control box with silicone as well despite the actual solenoids being weatherproof inside.
Otherwise I got the bumper mounted and also mounted my custom fairlead.

I had this made by a guy on Etsy who CNC'd the TRD logo for me. Trying to add an "OEM+" look. Also added a Factor 55 Prolink. Happy with the look and the winch functions great. The winch remote plugs in easily and is easily accessible. The winch clutch is also easily accessible through the opposite access hole in the bumper as well. While i'm happy with it, i'm contemplating a Factor 55 Flatlink instead now. I like the Prolink but it does stick out a bit more than i'd like. Otherwise I plan on painting the "TRD" letters red too.

My next plans are to tackle the absolute mess of wiring under the hood. This includes wiring in a winch power disconnect switch and adding a fuse block to better manage all of my accessories. I purchased a bunch of Blue Sea Systems parts that i'm piecing together for this and will also be fabricating some brackets.

 

[RedSun]

I ended up buying a property in north Georgia and moved there from Maryland back in 2023. Its a homestead out in the mountains that I bought as a fixer upper, so i've been working at it constantly.

I've really come to love this truck more than ever. I previously used it a lot as a toy camping/offroading and for occasional hauling. Since we moved its really been a tool around the homestead. To start off with I had to do mold remediation in the house and had to haul off a lot of material.

I also ended up buying a tractor that was a bit of a project. Left out in a field for years and years. Here it was on her voyage back home.

Its a Yanmar YM2000 that i had been slowly rebuilding. My first diesel and a lot of fun. Very old school and very Japanese - overbuilt and well thought out. It reminds me of the Tundra. Got it running and used it quite a bit on the property.

My first big project was starting our garden. Cleared a portion and worked the dirt with a blade and then tilled it.

Neighbors watched me the whole time.

Built a fence and a gate for the plot.

Garden was tough the first year. It was a constant battle of pests and disease from the clay getting on the leaves from constant rain. This was from early May 2023.

I've since overhauled this with raised beds and its been much more successful.

 

[RedSun]

Also did some fall camping exploring north GA just as the leaves were at their peak. We drove up to Helen. Rode a couple trails and starting to learn this area a lot more.

Went a few miles on a trail and found this great spot by a stream.

My dog was having a great time.

It was a quick weekend stay but was glad to get out in the fall. Miles of trails littered in leaves with the colors turning was such a great way to spend the weekend.

 

[RedSun]

In addition to the big move and buying a new property, I clearly wasn't busy enough, so my wife and I had our first child. She had some trouble getting in and out of my truck, so it was a great excuse to pick up some "steps" for the truck. And by steps I mean a set of RCI sliders. Found them on FB Marketplace for a steal from a guy who sold his Rock Warrior for a new Trailhunter Tacoma.

I looked up some install instructions and tips but personally I found the easiest way to do this by yourself is with two floorjacks. I had these sliders mounted in about an hour by myself.

Everything lined up with the factory holes. I did not drill the additional holes RCI recommends. The previous owner did not and never had issues with hard wheeling.

I also installed a full set of Talon's skid plates/cat shields. Fit perfectly with my TRD Pro skid. They've come in handy many times already through trails.

 

[RedSun]

I picked up a GFC V2 recently. I enjoyed our RTT and rack setup a lot. We've done countless nights in it. However, with the baby, going up a ladder, having an open bed, and having way more gear made it impractical. So after a ton of research I went with a GFC. It was the perfect solution for a daily driver.

Prior to the install I followed SoCalExpedition's tutorial video on sealing the bed. The beds on these and Tacomas are like swiss cheese as the holes where the bedrail covers clip in lead directly to the wheel well where dirt and water can intrude.

I stopped to pick up the camper during a trip we were doing coming back down from Maryland. Doing this while at my in-law's parking pad and not at my home shop was annoying but made me appreciate my home shop that much more. I started by removing the bed rail covers. I pulled the factory plastic bedliner as well. I knew these were bad, but it was so convenient for me with how much I use the bed. Well it came back to bite me. I found two rust patches in the bed requiring repair. Thankfully not completely through but will require some cutting and welding soon. Let this be a lesson to you to say NO to plastic bedliners. They just trap dirt and moisture. I knew this was true but was too lazy to remove it and I'm paying for it now. Could be worse though.

Sealed with HVAC tape. Then i poked small holes where the clips would go from the rail covers and also put a bed of SikaFlex as extra protection against water and dust intrusion.

I then made the trip to meet Josh at Apex Overland for install of the GFC V2. Had a great experience there with a quick professional install. It was my first time being at a shop and it was nice not breaking my back for once. This was really the cherry on top for this truck. I feel like its really "complete" now. It looks absolutely awesome.

I drove a few hundred miles with it on and could not feel it on the truck. My avg MPG prior to the GFC was about 15.5. I now get about 14.5. The fact that its sub 300lbs makes a huge difference of how it does not change driving dynamics of the truck compared to something like a slide in camper. In addition, the entire drive was through severe thunderstorms and the bed stayed bone dry.

The camper itself is optioned with no windows (no room for leaks) and has two beef bars that I plan to run a solar setup with. Other than that I got some Plano cases for camping supplies that I can quickly load in or out of the truck when we go camping to keep the bed functional for truck stuff as my daily driver. I cant stress enough just how high quality everything is on this. The billet and extruded aluminum parts are really a work of art.

I had to get a pic with my Ford too. One of the most reliable trucks ever made next to one of the most reliable tractors ever made. This is a Ford 3000 I picked up last year and have been slowly restoring. I've completed the entire front half including motor. Hope to dive into the rest of it later this summer. I sold my Yanmar as I needed a bigger tractor.

 

[RedSun]

Prior to going out for our first camping trip, the truck was due for some regular maintenance including front and rear diff, oil, and brakes.

Say what you want about spacers, but I have run these Spidertrax 1.25" spacers for about 50k miles now. Torque specs still the same as when I put them on. Extremely happy with them. I went with a set of Centric coated rotors and Centric pads. Calipers are ugly but they're original to the truck nothing was seized including the pins. Highlights the importance of greasing them.

Started to stretch its legs on some trails. We were solo so I wish I was able to get some more pictures of some of the trails I went down. Really pushed the truck and it did excellent. One of the trails was through a large river crossing and then up some very steep rocky and muddy switchbacks. I ran into a group of Jeeps at the end who were all on 37s+ and heavily modified. They all looked at me like I was crazy. I was definitely nervous through a fair bit of it. My skids and sliders took an absolute beating.

Ended up camping out near a stream. Compared to my RTT and rack, this was like being in a hotel. I am extremely happy with the GFC. Its really in a class of its own and I completely understand why they are so popular now.

Had a pretty bad storm come through and still stayed bone dry.

We plan on doing another trip at the end of this month.

 

[RedSun]

I recently changed my U-joints and carrier bearing as i had a failing center U-joint. I made a formal DIY write up for those interested, but am also posting it within my build thread. That DIY thread can be found here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/diy...rier-bearing-replacement.160056/#post-3957121

This was my center U-joint, you can see the blue seals had failed and the joint itself was rusty/corroded.

Now that we've verified that a u-joint or carrier bearing is the issue, it should be replaced. I recommend replacing all 3 u-joints and the carrier bearing while you're in here.

Parts Diagram:
This is a diagram showing the full shaft, 3 u-joints, and carrier bearing. This also includes torque specs.

This shows the two shafts and parts dissected.

Parts Needed:
The OE manufacturer of the driveline parts is Dana/Spicer. The driveshaft yolks are even stamped "Spicer". These are what Toyota uses and will save you $ versus buying the Toyota branded part. Do NOT go through all of this work to put in a cheap Dorman/Ling Long/Wing Wang Chinese replacement part from Autozone. The Dana/Spicer U joints are made in the USA and the carrier bearing is made in Japan.

• Spicer 5-178X U joint - Quantity: 3
• Spicer 211750-1X - Quantity: 1

Do not buy the "Spicer Select" series. It is a lesser quality more budget oriented part meant to compete with cheap replacements from China.

Steps to Replacement:

On a level surface, park the truck, chock the wheels, and engage the parking brake. If you do not do this, the truck can roll away when you remove the driveshaft and injure you, others, or destroy property.

Using a paint marker or Sharpie, index the driveshaft. The driveshaft is balanced from the factory. Each of these parts needs to go back exactly in the same alignment of how they were taken apart. Index at the flange to the transfer case/rear diff, and also at the U-joint to the shaft.

At the center joint, index the yoke to both shafts. I also marked where the bolts were relative to the carrier bearing slots by circling them.

With the shaft indexed, start by taking jackstands and placing them under the center of each shaft of the two piece driveshaft to support them.

Remove the (4) 17mm nuts at the front of the shaft at the transfer case. The bolts are pressed to the flange and do not come out.

Remove the (4) 17mm nuts and (4) 17mm bolts at the rear of the shaft at the rear differential.

Both yoke flanges will likely be seized to the companion flanges. You may need to strike it with a punch or chisel. Strike at the body of the cast yoke NOT at the companion flange.

Remove the (2) 14mm bolts at the carrier bearing. The nut is welded to the mount. You may have shims on one side or both, note which side they belong to and ensure they go back in that exact order.

This is the hardware you should be left with.

The driveshaft is now floating and should be supported firmly by the jackstands. I laid flat and slowly slid the driveshaft towards the rear of the truck and then let it down. Do NOT drop the shaft. I put a moving blanket down under the truck. If you dent or damage the shaft you will likely need a new one.

Now we can proceed to replacing the joints and carrier bearing.

 

[RedSun]

With the shaft removed, we can proceed with removing the U-joints.

Each joint has a retaining clip that will need to be removed. I advise spraying these all with penetrating oil to make removal of the clip and U joint cap easier.

Start by removing the clips using a pair of needle nose pliers.

Many of these clips will be corroded or seized. If this happens, use a small punch and tap against the clip so that it will turn and unseize.

Now we can proceed to remove the u joint caps. This can be achieved 3 ways, using the socket and hammer method (which I don't personally recommend as its easy to damage things), using a socket and vise, or using a ball joint press.

If you use the socket method, a 19mm socket fits perfectly. I will not detail this method, look it up on Youtube if interested.

A ball joint press and an impact gun will allow you to press out the joints easily and without risk of damage to components. I used a Harbor Freight ball joint press. You can rent one from an auto parts store as well. This is shown on the yoke on my bench and applies to all the joints in the shaft. After verifying that both clips have been removed, line up the ball joint press to the caps and then use an impact or ratchet to drive the cap out.

The cap will not come out completely, as its limited by the U joint itself in the middle. The cap being pressed into the yoke will bottom out as below. The cap being pushed out on the otherwise will come out about half way.

Take a pair of vise grips and remove the cap. It should slide out fairly easily.

With the cap removed, now place the ball joint press on this side to drive out the cap from the other side.

Just as before, drive out the cap and then use vise grips to remove it. The U joint will now be able to be removed from the yoke.

Clean the joint thoroughly. I use a pick to clean the groove that the clip sits in.

Then use a light wire wheel to clean the surface the caps sit in. Do not use a file or abrasive that will remove material here.

Then remove any burs on the edges using a file to prevent damaging the new caps when being pressed. Lightly file only the edges.

The yoke should be clean and free of metal, dirt, or grease.

 

[RedSun]

We can now proceed to installing the new joints. Start by removing the caps carefully and packing them with additional grease. These come greased from the factory but additional grease will make installation much easier to avoid disturbing the needle bearings. Ensure you do not shift any of the needle bearings when doing this.

Place the joint in the yoke and then press the cap in as far as you can by hand, ensuring that it goes in straight.

Pressing the joint is the same as removal, take the ball joint press and press it in slowly until you see the groove for the clip. Press it just past the groove.

Insert your new clip and ensure it seats entirely in the groove.

Press the cap in on the other side by hand, just as before, ensure that the needle bearings stay in place and the cap goes in straight. It is critical to ensure the joint is straight and seated in the cap properly. Then press it in with the u joint press until you see the groove for the clip as done above. Place the new clip in on that side as well.

If you go to spin the joint and its binding, tap the yoke ends with a hammer to loosen the joint. Do not hit the joint. It should spin very easily/freely after this. If there is binding or the joint is hard to rotate, something is wrong.

Now the yoke can be taken and the other two caps pressed into the shaft using the same techniques as above. Everything should move freely and easily with no binding or resistance. Ensure your indexing marks are correctly lined up.

This is what my center U joint looked like. Total cap failure, no grease, no bearings, and rusted components. Very bad.

Now do this for all 3 joints on the driveshaft. However, before doing the middle joint, we will replace the carrier bearing first.

 

[RedSun]

After removing the center U joint, the two shafts will separate. The yoke needs to be removed in order to remove the carrier bearing.

Remove the nut using a 30mm socket. This will likely be difficult to get off. I had to apply heat and penetrating oil. There is also a washer underneath of it.

The yoke needs to be removed from the shaft. It is splined and is also typically corroded on and difficult to remove. I applied heat to the yoke and liberally applied penetrating oil with the shaft sitting upright. Then I struck the yoke with a mallet until it started to slide off. This took a while. An air hammer would be extremely useful here.

You can see the shaft is fairly corroded. No pitting or damage but expect to fight to get this off.

To remove the carrier bearing its best to remove the rubber bushing using a screwdriver or pry bar.

To drive off the carrier bearing, use a punch or chisel.

There is a washer in this assembly. Do not lose or damage it. It will be reused when installing the new bearing.

Clean the shaft thoroughly of grease, debris, and corrosion.

Now we can install the new carrier bearing. Remember when I said that Dana makes this part for Toyota? The part is even stamped with "TOYOTA" on it. Note that this is also pre-greased. However, I still packed in extra grease.

Slide on the bearing by hand, it should go on fairly easily until you feel some resistance. Then you can use a 1 3/16 socket to lightly tap it in the rest of the way ensuring that its seated flat.

Reuse the washer obtained from disassembly earlier.

Ensure that your index marks are lined up and put the yolk back on. I tapped it in using a 1" socket.

Next, place your washer and nut back on.

Place the yoke in a vise (not the driveshaft) and torque the 30mm nut to 94 ft/lbs.

Stake the nut using a punch over the divot in the bolt it threaded onto.

The carrier bearing is complete. You can now install the u-joint and finish servicing the driveshaft.

 

[RedSun]

The driveshaft is now ready to be reinstalled. This can be a bit of a pain. I did it myself but a second set of hands would be immensely helpful.

I placed the shaft in a moving blanket and then grabbed the corners of the blanket to carry it to the truck and then slide it under the truck.

Take a jack stand and then prop up the front of the shaft at the transfer case. I also took bungie cords to support the shaft at the carrier bearing but also as a failsafe if I were to drop the shaft or it slipped off.

In this position you can slide the shaft forward and align it with the companion flange with your index marks. Be mindful of the slip joint in the middle of the shaft (where the rubber boot is) that you do not over stretch it or tear the boot.
Once aligned with the companion flange I take one nut and thread it on to hold the shaft in place.

I then took a second jack stand and supported the rear shaft and then installed the rear yoke with the nuts and bolts loosely at the rear differential.

Now at the carrier bearing, thread in your bolts. I matched it to the position that the previous carrier bearing was in. In addition, ensure the single hole on the bearing is facing downward. This is the correct orientation.

After ensuring that all indexing marks are aligned correctly, apply blue Loctite and torque all fasteners. The (4) front nuts and (4) rear driveshaft nuts and bolts are torqued to 52 ft/lbs.

The (2) 14mm carrier bearing bolts are torqued to 30 ft/lbs.

Servicing the driveshaft is now complete. Go for a drive to verify function. My truck drove like new afterwards, no vibrations and no clunks with going into reverse or drive.

 

[RedSun]

Did another trip to the Chattahoochee National Forest over the weekend.

One storm rolled through. Put the camper in "cabana" mode by removing the floor tiles and it created the perfect hang out spot to make some lunch while we waiting out the rain.

Got settled in after it passed. We found a great spot at the very end of a narrow trail. Earned a few pinstripes getting to this one.

It was right on a beautiful stream.

Slept great in the GFC. A common complaint is the mattress, however, I had zero complaints. Ventilation was perfect and despite the humidity I didn't have any condensation issues as I ran a 20V Dewalt fan in the tent the whole night for added airflow. Lots of fog in the morning but still stayed dry.

Made some breakfast the next morning too.

Also did some hiking. Ran into a black bear halfway into a trail. Thankfully it ran off. But was a nice reminder as to why I carry bear spray and a firearm with bear loads.

Quick trips like these are so much easier with the GFC. I essentially have it ready to go at all times. Its perfect for getting out on short notice.

Got home, aired things out, and did some clean up.

 

[RedSun]

Not much to update. Doing maintenance on a couple machines today and did the oil on the Tundra. Just shy of 200k.

If you can't tell, I like reliable stuff. One of the most reliable tractors ever made, with one of the most reliable 4 wheelers ever made, with one of the most reliable trucks ever made.

My hood bulge and grill surround are starting to peel their clear coat. So i'll have to order replacement panels soon.

 

[RedSun]

So that's everything caught up in my build thread. Now I can start posting more recent changes i've made.

This season I plan on building out the bed of the truck more. We had an upcoming trip to Allatoona Lake so I started by making a bed platform that will be the mounting point for the rest of the build out.

Made some templates with cardboard and created a split floor that can easily be removed.

Then upholstered them with outdoor carpet.

I made the tolerances tight enough that when carpeted it really doesn't move. Very happy with how it came out.