What have you done to your 2.5 gen Tundra today?

Found a pair that says will fit the 2018 ordered and will post pics when installed. Thanks lonedrake

 

Some small updates/upgrades..updated my key and the 3rd brake light to a clear lens and lasfit led bulbs also added a AOB oem color match light bar switch

 

Tuffy lock box for DC, model 313

 

I see I had actually linked the wrong year model. I had put my purchase link up...but then it showed my info so I took it down. Glad you found the right ones. I really like them.

 

Westcott lift and +3 CB shackles today

 

good looking pro , cheers from Oregon .

 

Please provide some additional information on what key fob you used. Additionally, what taillight lense is that?

 

Got it frosted.

 

Yes. 3DCarstickers.com

They ship from Ukraine, so delivery takes a few weeks and no tracking numbers. They were very timely with responses to my emails though. Not sure how well they’ll stay on; time will tell. Maybe another user can chime in(?).
I ordered some for my 4Runner too.

 

Got two shipments today. Ics sent the mounting bracket I need for my Rago plate and some chase lights brackets.

ordered some custom colored grab handles for the back seat. Great product.

Side note: The Caliraised pods are place holders for Diode Dynamic pods on back order. Just needed to run the wire under the truck.

 

Looks great... can you tell me what you did to your 3rd brake light? Tint/spray or bought? If bought where? Thanks

 

Had some fun in the snow

 

Installed hood bulge light!

 

Tint film.

 

hey just a word of caution watch out mounting stuff down there with that knee airbag down below. If you’ve got your pistol down there in the event of a crash it may not go so good. I say this as someone who did have theirs mounted down there until it was pointed out to me guns + airbag deployment may not end too well lol.

 

Where did you get the grab handles from?

 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChesapeakeParacord?ref=yr_purchases

she made it for me.

 

Take the module out of the truck and install on a flat surface. Also make sure to get the letters wet enough so they slide around on the surface...let’s you get them exactly where you want.

 

ive had them one for over a year before I replaced them with custom ones. So they do last at least a year..

 

I need a second key and would like to do the same. How did you do this?

 

Buy the key off of eBay...make sure it's a G Key...then go get it cut at Home Depot for less then $2, last step is to find a locksmith of Facebook marketplace or offer up to program it for for cheap. That is the lowest cost I was able to do with my new key fobs.

 

This is another option. This company specifically makes paracord headrest handles and other paracord handles.

https://tacoma-twins.myshopify.com/

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/293823375159 The lens is from klearz.com

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/293823375159 I got it cut and programmed locally

 

Browsing slickdeals while snowed in, stumbled upon free shipping on Toyota parts through select dealerships so I ordered the 20" 'carved' rims @ 142.60/ea!

 

How long did it take to get it, since it comes from china?

 

About 2 weeks

 

New here. Please let me know if this is the place to share this type of info (??). I also have it on my build thread.

After a few weeks, the sPOD BantamX is up and running along with an Echo Auto. Power to the Echo device is controlled through the sPOD so it’s only active when needed. I’m hoping it will be useful for hands free checking of weather & traffic reports during long trips. If you’re wondering, no, the truck doesn’t have the JBL Entune system so no integrated apps.

Here’s an overview of the basic install and I’ll highlight areas where I had trouble. The sPOD kit is comprised of two main components, the BantamX “brain” and the switch panel. The installation was pretty straight forward as per the instructions. The cable that connects the BantamX unit (located in the engine compartment) to the switch panel in the cab has RJ-45 connectors on each end (think of it as a traditional computer networking cable). Getting the RJ-45 connector through one of the spare nipples in the firewall was difficult, very difficult. It took me pushing the cable from the inside, under the dash, and my husband pulling from the other side in the engine compartment to finally get the cable end through the firewall. I thought for certain we had pulled the connector off or damaged the cable but no, all was good. Kudos to sPOD and whoever makes their cables. As a lesson learned, highly recommend using silicon spray on the inside of the nipple and on the cable. Think this would have made a world of difference and cut down on the amount of swearing that was happening.

BantamX unit was installed on a Rago air compressor mount positioned over the fuse box ( ) in the engine compartment (all cables are run to/from one side of the mount so it can be pivoted out of the way for access to the OEM fuse box.). The positive (+) cable is terminated to a Blue Seas 40amp MRBF block on the battery (https://www.bluesea.com/products/2151/Dual_MRBF_Terminal_Fuse_Block_-_30_to_300A). I really like these types of fuses cuz they are heavy duty and take up so little space. The sPOD instructions caution you to not connect the negative (-) cable directly to the battery if your vehicle has a smart charging system so I used the chassis ground located on the fender next to the battery.

The eight button sPOD switch panel is mounted to the overhead console along with an Echo Auto. I spent a lot of time researching and trying to figure out the best location for the panel and finally settled on using the SDHQ overhead mount. Details can be found here: https://sdhqoffroad.com/collections...-sdhq-built-switch-pros-rcr-12-overhead-mount. I’m trying to keep the cab clean and uncluttered so I didn’t want the panel mounted flat on the center console where dog hair and dog dirt seem to collect (I’d be kidding myself if I thought the truck belonged to me. It really belongs to the dogs and I’m merely their chauffeur). The SDHQ overhead mount is made for a SwitchPro system so I had to make a few adjustments to accommodate the sPOD panel but all-in-all I’m very happy with the way it turned out.

sPOD BantamX installed on the Rago air compressor mount -



Positive cable connected to MRBF fuse on the battery -



Negative cable is connected to the chassis ground next to the battery -



Here’s the sPOD 8 button switch panel and Echo Auto mounted to the overhead console. The SDHQ overhead mount (this the black plastic insert you see in the pic, think it is 3D printed) is made for a SwitchPro so I filled in the recessed area with black Kaizen foam and surface mounted the sPOD switch panel to it. You can barely see the corners of the recessed area. The Echo Auto is attached with 3M tape.




Holes had to be drilled for the communications & power cables and for the two 1/4” x 20 screws located on the back of the switch panel.




I ran into a problem because the two 1/4” x 20 screws are permanently connected to the back of the sPOD switch and were not long enough to pass through the black SDHQ panel insert so a nut couldn’t be threaded on. Thought I was going to have to drill out the back of the black panel until I stumbled across “brad hole tee nuts”

$9 The Hillman Group 2511 1/4-20 x 5/16 x 3/4" Brad Hole Tee Nut, 13-Pack

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HYLZ33W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. These things turned out to be the perfect solution. Because of their T shape, the nuts were able to grab the recessed threads on the screws. I considered making flat bottom holes so the T-nuts would sit flush but there was no need. The sPOD switch panel is light enough and the T-nuts tightened down nicely so I didn’t need to do anything else. I used a little Loctite purple #222 on the threads to make certain they won’t loosen up.

This is the back of the black SDHQ overhead panel -





The last item is the Echo Auto device. I used Anderson Power Pole connectors so the wires can be disconnected if I ever need to drop the overhead panel. The connection was extended to the BantamX box in the engine compartment using 16awg wire. Both the sPOD cable and Echo device wires were run through the headliner, down the driver’s side A pillar, dropped straight down the side of the front dash to the firewall pass through. I was a little concerned the sPOD cable might be too short from the run through the headliner but it wasn’t. It was the perfect length, like it was custom made for this particular install.



The next and final step is where I screwed up. Big time. I must have been suffering from brain cramps or too much alcohol because I completely forgot the Echo device runs on 5 volts, not 12v. I connected the Echo to the sPOD BantamX, turned on the switch, and the cab immediately smelled of burnt electronics. I had fried the Echo device and killed Alexa.

The fix was to grab another Echo device (ugh) and also install a 12v to 5v step down transformer. Picked one up on Amazon for ~$9 (

$10 BINZET DC Converter Step Down Regulator 5V Regulated Power Supplies Transformer Converter (5V 3A 15W)

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J3MHRNO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). The wiring for the Echo goes like this: BantamX 12v ==> 12v step down transformer to 5v ==> 5v Echo device.



No more fried electronics and the sPOD will make it easy to add more mods.

 

Took a trip out to Big Bend Ranch State Park last weekend and did some off-roading. I must have hit every bush in west Texas.
I washed, clay bar, put some clear coat on deeper scratches, wet sand, compound, and put a ceramic coat on. I still have the front and driver side to do.