2008 Sequoia platinum build- Tundra friendly mods

How it looks now



Hey everyone, I have been intently following everyones build threads and stealing some ideas for my old girl. I had a BMW X5 that was nickel and diming (more like hemorrhaging my bank acct) me to death and, since I tow a boat and trailer, decided to buy a larger vehicle. I found a 08 Platinum model with 107k miles on the clock and grabbed it. Like most of you, I swapped the factory headlights for the Spyder versions which were a huge letdown. When Alpharex released their version I had high hopes and they do not disappoint but have since moved on to the 2018+ factory lights (WAY better). I was also able to locate a TRD Pro style grill that is a direct swap. I now feel as though my truck has all the bells and whistles that I need at this time. The exterior styling is to my liking as well. All mods to this date listed below:

-Custom TRD Pro style grill with the surround color matched
-TRD Pro running Boards
-2018+ Sequoia LED headlights w/Xrunnerdude67 harness
-Toyota TSS wheels with Duratrac tires (takeoff from a 2019 Tundra) with custom center caps
-Color matched mirrors, color matched and blacked out rear sequoia logo, blacked out emblems
-Black door handles
-Joying 11.6" Receiver with wireless CarPlay
-Redarc Towpro elite controller with factory integrated switch
-Easyguard Passive keyless entry with remote/pushbutton start
-TRD Pro skid plate
-TRD shift knob
-LED puddle lights
-Hex smoked tail lights
-Wireless cell phone charger
-Maxpider 3D gray floor mats in all rows and trunk
-Black/gray leather steering wheel wrap
-Flat black distressed American flag on rear window
-SS3 Sport yellow fog lights


I'm sure I am missing some things, but that is the majority of it.


Let me know what you guys think and other possible suggestions. A lift is out bc it's a Platinum with air suspension which works too good when towing my camper.

Old:


Before the transition:

 

That’s a sweet looking ride! I just bought my 2011 Sr5 sequoia. I ordered the grill last week. Haven’t figured out what headlights I want use yet. How hard was it to swap to grill and take off the rear sequoia emblem?

 

Thanks! Which grill did you buy? Mine is actually a 1 piece that came straight from China. I debated on getting the 2020 TRD Pro grill but decided against it due to the style of the surround. It's pretty straight forward though, about 8 or so bolts under the hood and the grill is off. Get a new rubber strip for between the grill and the hood (mine came with it) because the old one is probably already shot or missing. As for the rear emblem, open the hatch, remove the 1 10mm (I think) bolt under the pull strap, and carefully pull the interior panel off. Once that is off you have access to the 4 nuts that hold the entire piece on. Neither job is really that hard.....wrapping the grill surround with vinyl is a different story. So now on to headlights. The newly released morimotos seem to be the best looking and best quality aside from the 2018+ sequoia headlights, however I have been quite pleased with the Alpharex thus far. 1 of them arrived damaged from shipping and the Alpharex team was quick to send a replacement. The light output is much better than the spiders as well. But the biggest reason I went for them was the price. I paid $280 shipped for the gloss black ones. No condensation or other issues to speak of either. Hope this helps.

 

Damn! That’s a bad A$$ looking ride!

 

looks great. headlights/grille look great on it.

 

got a link for the grille insert ?

 

Here is their new eBay link. After I received mine and installed it I talked them in to selling them on Ebay and also told them that there is a HUGE market for a 07-13 tundra version if they wanted to create one....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Front-Gril...TRD-PRO-Style/333429382549?fits=Model:Sequoia

It arrives looking like this, wrapping the surround in pearl vinyl was a booger!



FYI- If you contact the manufacturer directly it is significantly cheaper, I paid $160 shipped.
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...5.html?spm=a2756.review-list-buyer.0.0.j7FNaR

 

Thanks. I ordered the oem grill and surround from Toyota since my sequoia is super white and it came painted already. Did you use gloss black handles or matte?

 

If my truck was super white I would have ordered the painted grill and bulge as well! My truck is Arctic frost pearl so that option wasn't available. The handles are matte black which matches the wheels and plastidipped emblems. The (soon to be) American flag on the back windows will be matte black as well. The look of the gloss black looks great too on the nightshade 4-runners and if I didn't find an awesome deal on the matte (full set for $50), I may have got the gloss ones.

All of the exterior mods are great and all, but my favorite upgrade is the wireless CarPlay stereo (Pioneer NEX4400)! Everything works like factory and I keep my iPhone in my pocket. Also the wireless charge mounted in the useless little bin between the cigarette sockets.

Make sure you send pics of yours when it is completed.

Also, does anyone have any input on what to do to the tail lights (besides smoking)? There are no aftermarket ones. Any suggestions are MUCH appreciated!!

 

Looks great Beau! I hadn’t considered or seen the aftermarket grill like you got, so I went with the 2020 factory one. You managed to skip what is probably the biggest PITA - removing the hood bulge from the grill. I can tell you that’s a bitch, and I did it 3 times!

A couple of questions:

Tell me more about the rear Sequoia emblem. It looks awesome, but I haven’t seen one like that. I’ve been waiting for the Pro ones to become available.

Also, can you give more detail on your wireless charger? Model used, install method?

 

Pics are worth a thousand words..here you go. Hope this helps

 

Another handy mod with all the essentials. I stole this one a few weeks back by another member in the 2nd gen tundra forum.

 

Nice truck, man. Thanks for including these details! The supplier is really responsive through alibaba. Is the finish on the ABS plastic reasonable for use without dipping/wrapping/painting? I'm fine with matte black - it's what I want - but don't want it to look like a fleet truck. Should I budget time to dip the surround and make it pretty?

 

Yeah, the supplier was on point when I was making communications with her even though I only wanted 1 grill and not 100s. I even thought about buying a bunch and reselling them (I believe there is a huge market at a $250 price point), but figured it would be better to just share the link for other enthusiasts who are frugal like me! As for the finish, the ABS is more than sufficient to leave bare. There are no imperfections or color irregularities. If my truck was black it would have been left bare. The inner part of my grill is uncoated and looks great. I do recommend protecting it with your choice of plastic protectant (my go to is 303 Aerospace protectant which protects well in the MS sun). Good luck, and post pics when you get yours!

 

Amazing. Thx for the quick response. I'll be ordering probably today... the only delay in installation will be my insane schedule lol.

One more q Beau, I like your Alpharex lights, such a nice update to the truck... you said no issues with condensation, etc., how long have you had them in? It's not an install I'd want to do multiple times, even if there is good warranty support etc. Thanks, man.

 

I've had them for about 2 months now, no condensation to report except for the first week which was probably due to manufacturing moisture. I contacted them about it and they assured me that they would take care of it in the future if their was any issues. The warranty is 2 years. Honestly, for the 280 that I paid, my expectations were very low. I am very happy with the purchase. From all the issues that I have read about them it seems as though the common denominator is aftermarket LED or HID lights. Installing either one of these requires the installer to cut holes in the dust/water shields for the ballast or controller to come through. If not sealed properly, moisture would have a way in. I used Phillips race vision halogen bulbs which are fine for me for the time being. Cutoff pic attached. Hope all of this helps!

 

It does help, thanks... and I suspect you're right about the aftermarket bulbs and leaking.

 

Sneak preview of next weeks upgrades. Installing this on wheel cover and finishing the tint Zoom in on the tint, thoughts??

 

Glad to know it was helpful.

 

Extremely! Your writeup was great! Thanks!

 

Nice build, love the truck!

 

clean cut off for halogens imo

 

looks good with tint. if it were me I would get rid of the "line" across the body. easy to remove with a wizz wheel.

 

I couldn't agree with you more! Can you link me a "wizz wheel" that works good? I tried the 3m stripe off before in the past and had a terrible experience. It left a mark (kinda like an eraser) everywhere it touched. That is why the line is still on my truck....well that, and because I started liking it again after I bought new wheels, grill, and headlights

 

$19 Whizzy Wheel Car Decal + Car Sticker Remover with Drill Adapter Tool Kit - Decal Remover Eraser Wheel Adhesive Remover - Rubber Eraser Wheel, Decal Eraser Wheel, Adhesive Remover Sticker Remover Tool

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FJF0O2K/

I was able to remove 7 years old TRD bed stickers with no issues.
adhesive remover + the wheel worked good for me. Just don't use fingernail to strip the stickers, it will leave scratches.

 

Thanks for the tips, I'm gonna order one today and give it a whirl!

 

Did you take the sequoia letters off of the emblem?

 

The rear emblem? I'm not so sure what you mean.