300BLK 2014 SR5 Build

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.

 

Got some maintenance done today. oil change, finally upgraded the filter housing, and a few 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 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.

 

Where did you get the custom fairlead? I like that a lot.

 

Thanks! I got it off of Etsy from a guy whose store is called Barranca Design. He has a fairlead in his shop listed but you can message him and request any kind of custom work as I did for the TRD logo. He’s a very nice guy and a big Toyota guy with a Cruiser himself.

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.

 

I’m really into this build. I love the stance and the bumper you built. I’m looking at that same one. Keep up the good work!

 

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.

 

What PSI are you running with this setup?

 

I run 40, good balance between comfort and mpg for me.

 

Great build. The welds on that bumper are insane nice. Definitely not your first time laying a bead.

 

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.

 

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 i 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

$58 Hayden 679 Universal 11” Rapid-Cool Add-On Transmission Cooler to Enhance Cooling (not for direct replacement of the factory unit)

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 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.

 

Read your entire build thread as I've been up since 4 and couldn't go back to sleep lol. Love it. You've done a badass job of turning your rig from a geezer truck to a capable camper! Great work!

 

Lol thanks man! I'm often on here at the oddest hours of the night too. A lot of people see the truck and think its just a stock Pro with a bumper and lights without realizing how much has gone into it.

 

Well those of us who know what it takes to mod Tundras can see you've done plenty.

Regarding the trans cooler, did you install the Hayden as an upgrade? If so, is it noticeably better?

 

Apologies for the late response, but it was actually a power steering cooler. It was not an upgrade, more so relocation due to the bumper not being able to mount properly without relocating it. I haven't noticed any difference.

I realized I haven't updated this thread in a long time. A lot has changed in life but not so much with the truck. I ended up buying a property in north Georgia and moved there from Maryland this past winter. Its a homestead out in the mountains that I bought as a fixer upper, so i've been working at it constantly for the last several months.

I haven't modded the truck much at all other than a full set of Talon's skid plates which i've been extremely happy with.



These past few months 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. The last few months 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've 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 i've been slowly restoring it.



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 has been doing ok. I've been fighting a lot of Japanese beetles and disease from the clay getting on the leaves from constant rain. Going to have to lay down compost and straw along with some beetle traps. This was from early May.



Recently just doing some more landscaping. Pulled the rack off and being doing mulch runs.



That and have been clearing a lot of deadfall on the property to stock up on wood for installing a woodstove hopefully in the coming months. Picked up this Stihl that i absolutely love. Great lightweight light duty saw.



So that's what i've been up to instead of camping the last few months. I haven't camped once this year so far, first time in a very long time for me. Hoping ill be able to squeeze a trip or two in the fall. Thanks for reading.

 

Man you've been busy! Good luck with your new place and keep us posted! Great to have a reliable truck (and tractor) to get stuff done.

 

Awesome photos!

 

Finally got some fall camping in just as the leaves were at their peak here in GA. 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.



One issue i did notice is that i'll need to get some bed stiffeners. The gaps between the bed and tailgate are definitely larger compared to the bottom. I really should have installed some a long time ago but my laziness caught up to me. So that's on the list along with a slew of maintenance.

 

Great build. I don't know how I never saw this one.

 

Truck still running good? Loved this build and your property looks amazing!

 

are these headlights plug and play for a 2014 tundra?

 

Thanks man! Been running great. My wife and I had our first child recently so been extremely busy with that. 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.

Yes and no. They do require an additional wiring harness to "convert" it from the standard halogen setup to the LED. You can find them all over the internet, here's an example: https://www.headlightrevolution.com...conversion-2009-2018-H-TUNDRALED_2?quantity=1

With that harness its plug and play.

But keep in mind any brand harness works. iHacker on this forum sells one too and is well regarded. You could make your own too if you have extra wire and connectors.

 

It's been a little while. I picked up a GFC V2 recently.

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.

 

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.

 

The truck looks great, well thought out and great pics. I also have to say your dog is awesome too.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.