Ode to FGT; a refresh story

Maybe they will. I looked at the pictures again. I just couldn't tell when I first looked. I know our years are a bit different there

 

Yours being a DC is likely the difference.
I'm pretty sure my 2wd 03 and 4wd 06 are identical up front there

 

Yeah, I looked this morning in the daylight and they will fit. Mine is definitely different and would not require the skid plate modification
Not sure they will be visible. I believe the frame where mine are mounted is higher. Believe I'll still add them

 

just have to trim the skid plate ear a little to fit these

 

Dangit guys, now you're making me feel like I need to throw on some tow hooks. Because, you know.

 

Group: What have you done to your 1st Gen Tunda today?
Me: Everything @KNABORES has done

 

After much deliberation as to where to mount my 20" lightbar, I've decided that it looks best........ nowhere on my truck. Going the ditch lights route instead. Ordered some Tacoma hood brackets and some three row compact 3" lights to mount on them. Had good luck and performance out of my 20" Nilight LED 3 row bar, so gonna try the pod lights of the same design.

 

So what you gonna do with that light bar?
I'm thinking mount it sideways over the 3rd brake light on your cap, facing back, slightly tilted down.

Use it for backing up, for lighting when camping, and for blinding tailgaters

 

Got under the truck and cleaned up all of the trailer harness wiring. It was a mess. Hooked up the new 7 pin in the bumper. Attached the 4 flat under the bumper stealth mode. Scrapped the old 7 pin that was hanging down and had the 4 flat tied around it. Also fixed my backup camera so it actually activated with reverse instead of just popping up every time I start the truck. Looks cleaner and feels good to have the rats nest gone.

 

Couple things came in today.

ditch light brackets. These are listed for Tacomas of the 05+ vintage, but they will work with some mild modification. Widen the mounting holes slightly and bend some of the angles to match the lines. Clears the windshield as is now.



also my BOLT hitch lock that is keyed to the trucks ignition key. Loved this on my other truck, handy.

 

Cute shackles

 

ún bébé

 

just to confirm, my 06 is the same as yours. I ordered the wrong ones - mine are black with red rubber instead of red with black rubber like yours, but still a good addition

Edited to add that on my '06 DC I did not need to modify the skid plate

 

Very nice sir

 

Did you guys get these on the Rainforest? I see a cheaper set for 65 with the red shackles and then a Rough Country set for a little more.

Tempted to copy this and pick up another hook like this from a junkyard.

 

I bought these

$59 Front Tow Hook Shackle Mount Kit Compatible with Ford F150 2009-2024 with 3/4" D Ring Shackles, Demon Hook Bracket Replacement

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D89Z6N9J?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

 

So ditch lights are wired up and aimed to be outside of the headlights reach. With just ditch lights on they look ok. But with the headlights on, I can’t tell the ditch lights add anything really. My LED fogs do an amazing job of filling both ditches currently. Probably gonna switch to one of the dual projector amber style to lower the profile and up the light output. These are merely truck jewelry and aren’t adding anything function for me.

 

What fog light bulbs are you running? I'm thinking about fixing my fog lights soon.

 

These LEDs from Rockauto I believe. They are crazy bright with amazing spread.

 

Point em out to the sides a little more.
Also you wanna wire mine next?

No pics?

 

Pics
Installed


Ditchies

Headlights and foggers

all on

 

Why does it look brighter with headlights and fogs vs all on?

 

Probably just the camera adjusting. In real life it looks the same. No difference when the ditchies are on. To be fair, I did not point them way out to the sides. And I really don’t need ditch light fill to improve my lighting, I really need more mid range and distance fill in dark rural driving. So it’s not the lights fault, I’m just looking for something different. Some of these may do the trick

$90 Auxbeam 4" Amber Fog Light, 60W Square Pod With 5050 LED Yellow Spot Lens Beam Offroad Driving for Jeep Motorcycle SUV Trucks Boat (2 Pcs)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNQ3BBBB

 

I’ve had a 20” lightbar spot / flood combo on the bull bar I had for years and that thing really lit the way when needed. Don’t have anywhere I want to mount a big light bar anymore.

 

Looks so much better w/o that bullbar... I don't like how those look at all for some reason. Your neighbor has quite a collection of big equipment. Isn't that like a 5ton military truck?

 

You have a big wide cutout in that front bumper just waiting for a light bar.

 

You should wrap your hood and roof. It would make your truck look 5 years newer without costing a lot.

 

Black matte or eggshell vinyl or carbon fiber vinyl would probably look great if done between the roof mount rails, down the hood, and the brow. Maybe the painted section above the bumper flare. Would give it a super-modern sport "built" look.

 

Or even color matched vinyl. Bottom line, the truck is too nice to have that much clear coat failure visible.

 

He does. Several deuce and a half’s and a 5 ton