Come with me on a small journey!

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Hello again TRF! As many will know, I am not a volume ... well, nor a real quality poster I'm here for the watches and the knowledge. When I do post, it is to share my love of the outdoors, and to help folks who are in the automotive process. I also share my day posts when I get the day off, and anything related to Toyotas. This is one of those....

Right now I'm on vacation. This is the first time I've had two consecutive days off in almost two years, so I'm taking full advantage of it.

To start off, this is my baby. An exceptionally low mileage Toyota Tacoma 4WD 5-Speed that is getting ready to turn 20. It started out as a weekend offroader, but since I live 5 miles from work, it has turned into my daily driver. I love it. Some may remember a half day getaway from this thread:

As with any automotive enthusiast, I am keeping it stock .... by keeping it stock, I mean that I PROBABLY won't yank the motor out .... soon.

Before I fully knew what the hell I was doing suspension wise, a 4.5" lift was added. This lift on my truck is known as a drop bracket. Essentially with a drop bracket, the front-rear suspension crossmember of the frame is cut out, and new crossmembers are added. The purpose of the new crossmembers are to lower the front differential so your front axles (CV's) are more level with the front hubs so there's less wear.

Most ride great on the street, however they perform terribly offroad, and introduce multiple potential points of failure into a damn near perfect setup. My goal during my vacation is to remove (and go back to a stock style lift) the drop bracket, and do some touring.

Here's my ute before:



You'll notice that even though I had much larger tires, the distance from the ground to my front cross member is minimal. When it comes to passing rough trails or going over obstacles, I would get hung up on everything and put an immense amount of stress on the frame, hence the reason to go back.

There is one shop that I trust with my vehicle, and that would be Tandem Offroad. @TandemOffroad on Instagram and you can find their website here:

http://www.tandemauto.com/off-road.html

They are a specialty TOYOTA and LEXUS offroad shop ONLY. They know their craft exceptionally well, and they take an immense amount of pride in their work. If you ask anyone with a Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Tacoma, or Tundra for a recommended shop, Tandem's name is always the first to make an appearance, and it is the name said over and over. It doesn't matter if you have a Tacoma like I do, an overseas Hilux ute or surf, petrol or diesel, FJ40, 55, 60, 80, 100, 105, or even 200 Series Land Cruisers, these gentlemen will take care of you, and do what you need.

So, to start my day: I loaded up my truck with everything that I would need for a multiday touring trip. Camp chairs, tents, spare fuel, recovery gear (getcha snatch out! ) and etc. All batteries were charged and ready to go.



I began my journey east of DFW Texas where I reside, and filled my ute up to the top. Thank you Kroger fuel rewards points and I could take $0.40 off per gallon!



Next, I drove an hour and a half through the cement maze of DFW, to arrive at my hotel, The Hilton in Ft. Worth, Tx. It was a nice place, don't get me wrong, but damn. It is truly nothing to write home about.



I unloaded my two backpacks carrying my clothing and dopp kit, as well as a few devices to ensure my personal safety in the city and while out exploring.

Now .... where to park? Street parking? HELL NO! 10 minutes later I found a garage with a $20 overnight fee. Not too bad as it was staffed 24hrs per day. A younger attendant drove up and offered to take and park my vehicle. DO NOT LIKE. I have a fair bit of specialty equipment in my transmission, and with the drivelines of the garage, it would NOT take long for something to go wrong. I don't let anyone drive the truck, not even the folks at my own service department!!

After multiple requests to park my own vehicle, I gave up, as it was against their policy. Fine. I relent. "Sir, can you drive a stick shift?" .... "No. Can you teach my right quick so I can park your vehicle?"

After a quick understanding, I was able to park my own vehicle, and keep my keys with me. Back to the hotel.



I cozied down in my room, took a shower, then went for a quick meal in the executive lounge. Not terrible, but nothing exciting.



Soon I went to the Sundance Square, and toured the local watering holes. Whisky was poured, women were met and no pics were taken. Probably for the best

Sadly, as I made my way back to the hotel, I was accosted by several vagrants. First time I've encountered any of these folks. Most soon realized it would be in their best interests to keep a reasonable distance away from me.

Back to the hotel, a few more refreshments, and 50* room to keep me cozy. I was going to soak up all of the A/C that I could!

The next morning, it was off to Tandem Offroad to have my ute taken care of. I'll skip the story involving the parking security and the retrieval of my vehicle unless y'all would actually like to know.

I was looking for the correct shop, and soon I saw a friend's Tacoma in the parking lot. I knew I was in the right spot. Here's some of the vehicles at Tandem at the moment:



This is @Shadowrunner_Tacoma on Instagram:






Both technician's vehicles at Tandem Offroad, Pablo (Tacoma) and Brandon (FJ Cruiser):



Both trucks are running Tandem Offroad's Custom Model 612 Wheels, and they are sweet. The wheels are custom made by Tandem, for Toyotas and Lexus trucks. They are 17" wheels, and have the perfect offset and backspacing.

"The outer lip has been given additional thickness for to resist gouges that may be encountered during low PSI conditions. The 12 ridges on the outside have been placed there in order to protect the valve stem from damage. The six spoke design offers excellent strength."

https://tandem-offroad.myshopify.com/products/model-612

Oh wait, this is TRF

A supercharged Lexus LX450 (also known as the Lexus version of the Land Cruiser):





A real deal Toyota Hilux Surf RHD Turbo Diesel:





Just another mid-travel Taco:



As soon as I arrived, the pros at Tandem Offroad started going to work on my Tacoma. Before I knew it, or even though to grab pictures, my ute was in the air, wheels off, rotors on a table, and LCA's were nowhere to be found!!



The front rear cross member from the factory had been cut to allow the drop of the differential. You can clearly see it here. At this point also, they had removed the rear aftermarket crossmember that is a part of the drop bracket lift.



Here Pablo, Brandon, and Alex are removing my front differentials and axles, as well as the front crossmember:



Yes, there are multiple stands in place to ensure the safety of the vehicle, parts, and employees, I just didn't have the best angle.

My front differential and axles, along with the front crossmembers of the drop bracket lift.



Pablo grinding flush the OE mating surface to prepare fitment of a new crossmember.



You can see here that with the remove of the diff drop and the aftermarket crossmembers, about 8" of ground clearance should be restored to the taco.



Back to the hotel, as well as the bars, and again, no pics to be had everything's getting recharged and up and filled to the top!



Day two of work being done-

The new front rear crossmember has been welded in place, and everything is shaping back up! You can't even tell that the crossmember was cut out in the first place!! These guys do awesome work!!





More updates shall come! Thanks folks!

[Art 1]

The pics do not show for me.

[SearChart]

Good stuff!! Your truck is awesome I also really like that shadow runner beast

The Lexus reminds me of Tyler Hoovie's (Hoovies garage on YouTube) Lexus 'land cruiser', he took that thing for a dive last week, I bet his interior now smells like a wet dog

[GerardoG]

[tudorbaja27]

Great pictures and story! That truck is sweet! And that Toyota Hilux reminds me of my european days

[superdog]

great post.

[City74]

Awesome post and pics too. I’m a Toyota guy myself. I have a 96 Tacoma 4x4 V6 with 190k on it. Had it since new. I also have a 2010 4x4 V6 with 35k on it. Love em both but I’d sell the newer one first

[Pix]

Great pics...FYI you blacked out the license plate on the first pic but left the rest visible.

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by SearChart

Good stuff!! Your truck is awesome I also really like that shadow runner beast

The Lexus reminds me of Tyler Hoovie's (Hoovies garage on YouTube) Lexus 'land cruiser', he took that thing for a dive last week, I bet his interior now smells like a wet dog

Thanks!

Yep, that runner thing is quite the truck!

Hahahaha! I saw that as well! Hopefully he has removed his carpet .. like any sensible Toyota owner

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by tudorbaja27

Great pictures and story! That truck is sweet! And that Toyota Hilux reminds me of my european days

Thank you!

That Hilux had me a bit jelly.

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by superdog

great post.

Thank you Seth!

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by City74

Awesome post and pics too. I’m a Toyota guy myself. I have a 96 Tacoma 4x4 V6 with 190k on it. Had it since new. I also have a 2010 4x4 V6 with 35k on it. Love em both but I’d sell the newer one first

My brotha!

If you need anything done to it, head to Tandem

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by Pix

Great pics...FYI you blacked out the license plate on the first pic but left the rest visible.

Yessir. Took too much effort to put the glasses on the rest of the pics

[austinp]

Very cool. Thanks for taking us with you. Looking forward to more pics.

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[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by austinp

Very cool. Thanks for taking us with you. Looking forward to more pics.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

Thank you! Not a problem sir!!

[swils8610]

TRD Pro anyone!?!?


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[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Wait, where did all my front end stuff go?












There it is!



There wasn't a lot of picture worthy work going on today, but today we moved the spindles, and spindle spacers. Also removed coil spacers and installed the new Eibach/Toytec coils and reset the Bilstein 5100's. Not only that, but we also installed new upper and lower balljoints as well!!

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Here's my front differential and axles stabbed back in!



and now with the lower shock mounts bolted in and the lower control arms attached!

[austinp]

Originally Posted by swils8610

TRD Pro anyone!?!?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

My neighbor has that exact rig. It looks incredible.

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[Gharddog03]

Damn it!!! More Toyota madness!!! Been looking at the Tacoma PRO!! Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[enjoythemusic]

Mmmm, truck and watch pron. Wonderful story!

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by Gharddog03

Damn it!!! More Toyota madness!!! Been looking at the Tacoma PRO!! Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Stop looking and buy it! With the way those things hold their value, if you decide you don't like it, you can flip it faster than a ceramic Daytona! (I also have two Cavalry Blue Tacoma TRD Pros in stock, but I won't be in the office until Saturday )

Not a problem man! I don't add a tremendous amount to the forum, but I can share my stories every once in a while!!

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Mmmm, truck and watch pron. Wonderful story!

Dang right Steven! And thank you!

[GB-man]

Great thread Karl! Really appreciate your detailed post. Hope you’re pleased with the result

Originally Posted by swils8610

TRD Pro anyone!?!?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Looks good with a detail

Hiked devils hole today and those cooled seats were a dream when I made it back

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Great thread Karl! Really appreciate your detailed post. Hope you’re pleased with the result

Thank you GB-man!

Yessir. I used to be fairly proficient in writing, however it is a skill that isn't​ used often in my day to day life. I enjoy it when I'm able to, but sadly I believe my grammatical efficiencies and immense vocabulary have suffered over time.

Full effort is still in effect though.

I find it while reading other articles, coming from an engineering mindset, that providing enough info to teach a little bit keeps everyone interested. Providing too much detail kills curiosity, and too little angers the enthusiasts.

Had this been on one of my Toyota forums, i'd fill up an entire page before I had gotten to the first picture LOL!

[tritium8]

Looking good! Can't wait to see the finished product.

That Hilux, though! Wow!

[Chewbacca]

Taco Tuesday.


just don't do this.


http://www.thedrive.com/news/20013/t...ust-so-painful

[SearChart]

Originally Posted by swils8610

TRD Pro anyone!?!?


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Yes please!

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by tritium8

Looking good! Can't wait to see the finished product.

That Hilux, though! Wow!

Neither can I!!

Same! More pics coming in a minute!!

[KarlTheToyotaGuy]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

Taco Tuesday.


just don't do this.


http://www.thedrive.com/news/20013/t...ust-so-painful

Yes sir!

Not a chance! I remember when that first happened. Off-road recovery is not as simple as hooking up a strap then slamming down the skinny pedal. I definitely recommend everyone who plans to really go out wheeling to take an off-road recovery course.

Done wrong, it can break stuff. Like the Tacoma in the video.