Ikarus' Unplanned Wannabe Prerunner (ish) build thread

[ikarus]

I had recently sold my '20 Tacoma and my diesel 80 just wasn't quite cutting it as a business vehicle, so I started looking at Tundras. My Tacoma was a fun truck - 6 speed TRD OR - but both the bed and the rear seat were so small they were almost unusable.

I was just about to pull the trigger on a '24 Tundra when I realized I should see what was going on in the Tundra forums as I spend most of my time over here on Mud. I was blown away to see pics of trucks on flatbeds, cab off/shortblock/engine parts all over the dealer bays, and the threads about engine failures...

Needless to say as someone who has owned 3 Land Cruisers and 2 Tacomas now, that wasn't what I look for in a Toyota. As much as I liked driving the 3rd gens, I told the salesman never mind and started looking for a 2.5 gen. That same night a local dealer posted a '21 with 8K miles in the color (MGM) and configuration (double cab 6.5' bed 4x4) I was hoping for.

I ran up there the next day and bought it immediately. It was owned by an older guy who told the salesman that he went on a big trip right before trading it in and really racked up the miles - 250 miles. haha

I felt extremely lucky, like I was buying a brand new '21 in 2024.

 

[ikarus]

Shortly after that I took it on a trip to Steamboat Springs to pick up some cruiser parts. The Tundra got me through a pretty gnarly blizzard and I was impressed by the 38 gallon tank/400+ mile range, headlights, on-road manners and interior comfort. But I'm also used to driving a '97 HDJ81 so maybe I'm easily impressed.

 

[ikarus]

My main goal with this truck is (or was) to use it as a business vehicle and keep it reliable and useful, AKA the bed needs to be useable and I can't clutter it up with camping and overland gear - but I do need better tires and suspension as work often takes me to remote places.

I drove it as-is for a while and I know I'm going to be a little mad at myself for ruining the sporty stock feel - this truck is fun to drive especially in tow/haul.

I started researching on the Tundra forum quite a bit and started slowly ordering parts here and there. I normally would install them as I go but I'm in the middle of a garage remodel so the parts are starting to pile up.

I started saving pics of trucks for inspiration and really love the long travel/desert racer/CA, AZ/pre-runner setup - but I can't commit all the way unless I'm ready to explain to my wife (or accountant) why I chopped up my business truck to put a cage in the back and now I need another business truck... hahaha

I started off slowly with some Husky floor mats. love em so far

 

[ikarus]

Love the color. Really cleans up nice

Next up was ceramic tint - made a huge difference in the summer heat. The AC works so well now I rarely need it on full blast.

I thought about wheels for months and really wanted to get a set of bronze RRW with a machined faux beadlock ring, but I wanted to keep the offset more manageable/flush with the fender at 20-30. I ended up ordering some Evo Corse Dakar Zero straight from Italy. Even after shipping and customs fees it was cheaper than buying them from a US distributor because the Euro is kind of weak right now.

Wheels: 17x8.5 et 25
Tires: Toyo MT 285/75r17 Load Range E

Gotta love having a useable truck bed!

 

[ikarus]

And that's about where I landed now. I was going to keep things pretty mild with a simple Dobinsons or maybe Fox suspension setup but here's what my basement looks like at the moment... I blame @Rouleur mainly

 

[ikarus]

I was getting ready to drop my truck off with my welder buddy to get cam tab gussets, spindle gussets and a BMC when I realized that the spindle gussets might not clear the stock wheels. I was originally going to wait and install suspension, wheels/tires and traction bars all at once but I decided to throw the wheels/tires on today and hope it worked out.

I removed the mudflaps as well and had to remove a bunch of dead leaves from behind the fender liner on the driver's side. Surprisingly no rubbing except for reverse at full lock.

I knew 17s were going to be a tight fit over the calipers but wow haha that's close. I had the tire shop put the wheel weight as far in or out as they could and they all cleared.

The poke at +25 is just about perfect for what I'm looking for. Wouldn't mind a little less but this is great.

 

[ikarus]

Cam tab gussets, spindle gussets and body mount chop done.

 

[joseywales]

SICK! Nothing else to ad at this point!


Ok, except congrats for thinking things through and not buying a new one. You did hear about the 100,000 Tundras just being recalled for V6 engine failures, right?? Can’t wait to see it with the suspension installed…

 

[ikarus]

SICK! Nothing else to ad at this point!


Ok, except congrats for thinking things through and not buying a new one. You did hear about the 100,000 Tundras just being recalled for V6 engine failures, right?? Can’t wait to see it with the suspension installed…

Yeah dude I've been watching the engine drama with interest, what a wild ride. The 3rd gens are nice but even without the bearing failures there's something to be said for a simple drivetrain, simple interior, less computers etc.

 

[joseywales]

Exactly! A neighbor at my friends cottage bought one last year, and when he heard I had a ‘19 (he traded a ‘16 for his ‘23) he brought it over to my shop to show it off. I thought it was fine until he started it up to leave… The V6 sounded like a hamster in a wheel wit a bad bearing.

 

[ikarus]

Not the most exciting mod but I like having full size spares and a 5 wheel rotation so I added a full size spare today. Looks like 34s fit easily. Little closer to the driver side so I might mess with it a little but it clears shackles, exhaust and diff just fine. Tucks up pretty nicely too.

I added TPMS to this wheels and will add it into the rotation. Hopefully the wheel face doesn't get scratched or messed up under there.

If this was a wheeling only truck I'd love to get an SDHQ chase rack but I need the tonneau cover to lock stuff up. I had one on my Tacoma and loved it. If I get a shell maybe I'll get a chase rack...

 

[ikarus]

Installed suspension this week. The Kings were used so there's a little wear on them. They have about 30K on them according to my buddy that I bought them from. I got a quote from a local suspension shop to rebuild them before I installed them, but I decided to run them stock for a while so I can have a performance baseline and maybe tune them in the future.

Started with the front:

- King 3.0s
- Total Chaos UCAs
- Timbren bumpstops - didn't realize there were two bumpstops up front, so I installed two Timbrens on the driver's side and ordered two more for passenger. I've never actually had Timbrens but have always heard glowing reviews. I'll run these for a while before I upgrade to hydros
- SDHQ ABS guards

Install went smoothly. Clearance was good on everything including hoses and swaybar - the TRD swaybar endlinks are nicely rounded and low profile.

After finishing the front end, I took it for a spin around the neighborhood to settle the springs and decide if I needed to install the leaf pack I bought. I don't mind the leveled look...

 

[ikarus]

I ultimately decided that I should go ahead and install the leaf pack while I was in there and I'm glad I did.

Yesterday I knocked out the rear:

- King 3.0 triple bypass shocks
- Dobinsons leaf springs for medium load/2.25" lift - L59-120-R
- Dobinsons leaf spring parts - greasable pins, greasable shackles, U bolt
- Timbren bump stops
- Coachbuilder carrier bearing drop kit and brake line bracket extension

The install went almost 100% smoothly... until 1am when the TRD swaybar just wasn't working out. I couldn't get the frame mount in on the driver's side, the threads are all messed up and a tap/die didn't help at all. So I gave up, removed the swaybar and ya know what? Didn't miss it at all driving today, surprisingly. Might just leave it off.

Got it aligned first thing this morning:

I'm loving it. I didn't measure exactly but it looks like I have a small rake. Maybe 1.5" lift in the front and 2" in the rear. I might crank up the preload on the fronts but it's really not bad as-is. Drives amazing. Very happy with this setup.

 

[OffRoadScott]

Installed suspension this week. The Kings were used so there's a little wear on them. They have about 30K on them according to my buddy that I bought them from. I got a quote from a local suspension shop to rebuild them before I installed them, but I decided to run them stock for a while so I can have a performance baseline and maybe tune them in the future.

Started with the front:

- King 3.0s
- Total Chaos UCAs
- Timbren bumpstops - didn't realize there were two bumpstops up front, so I installed two Timbrens on the driver's side and ordered two more for passenger. I've never actually had Timbrens but have always heard glowing reviews. I'll run these for a while before I upgrade to hydros
- SDHQ ABS guards

Install went smoothly. Clearance was good on everything including hoses and swaybar - the TRD swaybar endlinks are nicely rounded and low profile.

After finishing the front end, I took it for a spin around the neighborhood to settle the springs and decide if I needed to install the leaf pack I bought. I don't mind the leveled look...

I know it hasn't been long since you installed the Kings but how do you like them? I am seriously considering this same setup for our 5th Gen 4Runner.

And now I am following both of your builds.

 

[ikarus]

I know it hasn't been long since you installed the Kings but how do you like them? I am seriously considering this same setup for our 5th Gen 4Runner.

And now I am following both of your builds.

So I've only been able to really drive on them for a couple days but I'm loving them. The adjustability is great and they feel good even with just a stock tune/valving.

The truck feels planted and firm but also comfortable. Hard to describe. I do need to play with the settings and learn about shock tuning using the bypasses.

Obviously the downsides are the rebuilds every 40K or so. I talked to a local shop and if I deliver the shocks to them it's going to be about $350/shock to rebuild. But they are 3.0s, I think 2.5s might be cheaper. Also installing them was enough of a hassle (mainly time consuming on the front end) that I don't know if I want to remove them every time they need to be rebuilt. I might just have that shop do it and drop off my truck. So that will add to the cost.

I need to get it out on dirt and I will report back. Just waiting on my last two bumpstops.

I want to put a set on my 80 now!

 

[ikarus]

Got a little too busy last month getting my 80 ready for Cruiser Fest -

But I finally got some time to get the Tundra out to the desert to test out the new suspension setup. First impressions: amazing

I took it out to the west desert to an area with lots of long winding sandy trails with small whoops and a little bit of crawling. I can already tell I'd rather take my 80 on anything technical but the Tundra still made it up just fine. Just a lot larger and heavier than I'm used to on off-camber, narrow, rocky trails.

(Just clocked over 13K miles today)

On the long washes and flowy trails this thing is too fun. It's going to take some practice to understand the limit and how to best drive it. I had a 100 Series back in the day with Icons and beadlocks so I got used to driving that fast on trails. But now my 80 has the base model Dobinsons and stock bumpstops so I'm too familar with how jarring it is to bottom out and I've slowed way down on trails.

With the Tundra though, I could just point it and go. I kept bracing for impact but it would smooth out and keep going. I don't think I even hit the bumpstops very much - I thought I read somewhere that the 3.0s have some sort of internal bump? Could be wrong.

I only messed around with the front coilover stiffness settings and found a happy medium about 15-16 clicks in, so right in the middle. There were a few times I was laughing cause I hit some consecutive whoops too fast and it felt like the rear was bouncing all over.

Got a ton to learn still. Need to learn how to tune the bypasses in the rear, and figure out if I need to tune/revalve the shocks. It's just the stock King valving.

Overall it's a blast to drive offroad and can easily cruise down dirt roads at 60+. Now I just need some bumpers. And lights.

Nothing better than being able to hit trails all day and then jump back on a 70 mph road home with no problems. No creaks rattles or groans yet.

 

[CaptRussia253]

Great pictures. What camera are you using? I'm in the market for a new one. I'm leaning towards a Sony a7iii.

 

[ikarus]

Great pictures. What camera are you using? I'm in the market for a new one. I'm leaning towards a Sony a7iii.

Two of those pics are from an old Fuji X100F I got off craigslist for like $400. It's a decent little camera. Other than that, iPhone.

Sonys are great, I used to be a photographer for a living but now I shoot professionally just every now and then. I started out with Canon, shot Sony for a long time, then switched to Fuji, and now shoot a mix of the two. Actually just shot a job on an A1 yesterday.

If I were to go out and buy a camera system right now I would definitely go Sony and yeah the a7III would be perfect. Sony lenses are great and I think they're leading the pack in terms of tech, video capability and image quality. Plus then you can shoot video if you want as well - Sony autofocus is amazing.

Fuji makes some good cameras and lenses too but they're more limited in capabilities, can't do low light or video as well as Sony. But I have really enjoyed getting back to the basics with this old Fuji. It just has a fixed 35mm lens and it's forced me to do more with simple gear.

 

[CaptRussia253]

Two of those pics are from an old Fuji X100F I got off craigslist for like $400. It's a decent little camera. Other than that, iPhone.

Sonys are great, I used to be a photographer for a living but now I shoot professionally just every now and then. I started out with Canon, shot Sony for a long time, then switched to Fuji, and now shoot a mix of the two. Actually just shot a job on an A1 yesterday.

If I were to go out and buy a camera system right now I would definitely go Sony and yeah the a7III would be perfect. Sony lenses are great and I think they're leading the pack in terms of tech, video capability and image quality. Plus then you can shoot video if you want as well - Sony autofocus is amazing.

Fuji makes some good cameras and lenses too but they're more limited in capabilities, can't do low light or video as well as Sony. But I have really enjoyed getting back to the basics with this old Fuji. It just has a fixed 35mm lens and it's forced me to do more with simple gear.

Wow, old camera and iPhone, those pictures turned out great.

I'm happy with my Sony a6100 mirrorless that's why I'm leaning towards the a7iii. Plus my buddy has one and his pictures are amazing.

 

[ikarus]

Small updates. Been too cold to wrench, I need to get a garage heater.

Used it to drag home a bunch of stuff from Harbor Freight to finish up a little garage remodel:

I was having a tough time deciding between Scangauge II vs III and mounting locations when a random google search turned up a thread on the Tundra forums about using a bluetooth OBD reader and an app on carplay. Maybe this is old news to most people but I was stoked, much cleaner and easier for my needs. I just want to be able to monitor trans and coolant temps when towing.

I used an OBDLink MX+
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JFRFJG6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

And OBD Fusion

‎OBD Fusion

‎OBD Fusion is an app for your car that allows you to read OBD2 vehicle data directly from your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad. You can clear your check engine light, create custom dashboards, read diagnostic trouble codes, estimate fuel economy, and much more! Is your check engine light on? Do...

apps.apple.com

I found instructions to add custom PIDs in regards to the trans temps sensors here:

Support

Instructions – Downloadable PDF’s 15 Row 2019 – 2021 5.7L Tundra 15 Row 2008 – 2022 5.7L Sequoia Email us at GenuineCoolingSystems@gmail.com for discontinued kit instructions Videos Monitoring Transmission Temperatures To start, you will need a bluetooth OBDII adapter. There are many bluetooth...

genuinecoolingsystems.com

It works well. The refresh rate isn't instantaneous but it updates every few seconds - enough to get an idea of the temps. Can't have graphic displays on carplay unfortunately, just data.

Did a test run, 40 degrees outside. with no trailer and no trans cooler (I have a 2021) and saw temps of around 200 on the freeway and up to 220 accelerating up a hill on the highway. Going to install a trans cooler next.

Then I installed Total Chaos bed stiffeners. Pretty easy job. Hardest parts were peeling/digging the bedliner off of the bolts so I could get the torx in there and worrying that I would drop washers and nuts into the void inside the bedsides