Baymax the Crewmax - 2017 TRD Pro (overlanding family hauler)

Howdy,

This is going to be a thread detailing my shenanigans with my new-to-me 2017 TRD Pro (super white) that my kids affectionately named "Baymax." After a 5 year stint of begrudgingly owning a variety of Fords before finally throwing in the towel and getting back into a Tundra. My last Tundra was a 2006 1st gen that I miss dearly so I'm excited to get back to being an all Toyota family (my wife's Sequoia is closing in on 190k and has been rock solid). I picked this Tundra up with 110k on the clock. The market in my area is still crazy so I had to go with a well-maintained, higher mileage rig to fit my budget (and give me some room for upgrades).

The end goal here is to have a practical daily driver that likes to party on the weekends. I live in northern Idaho and want to build out a rig that will take the family and I throughout the Idaho and Montana backcountry (usually with a fly rod or two in tow).

Here is Baymax in all of the stock TRD Pro goodness.



Here are my rough plans moving forward:
- Tires/wheels
- Decked drawer system
- Bed rack or canopy (haven't decided what will work best for me yet)
- Ditch lights
- Rago Fabrication dash mount
- CBI front bumper
- Upgrade the fog lights
- Prinsu roof rack
- Beef up the rear for the added weight (going to be looking for suggestions here)

 

My first easy mod was to do some TVD vinyl bed inserts.



This was fairly simple yet requires some patience for us OCD folks. Thankfully, my wife jumped in and gave me a hand. TVD's instructions were great and easy to follow. My biggest advice is to use copious amounts of soap and water while installing. Keep spraying and when you think you've sprayed enough, spray some more. We also had some problems with bugs who kept landing on the sticky portion of the vinyl during install so, in person, you can see the vinyl graves of some of these bastards that are now permanently etched into the inserts.





Only took about an hour to get both bed sides and the rear tailgate inserts done. Probably would be a lot faster for those who aren't OCD.

 

The next order of business was to get some new shoes. The stock wheels and tires were in great shape so these are going to be relocated to my wife's Sequoia. After spending most of the last two weeks researching and agonizing over wheel/tire combos and sizes, I ran down to Les Schwab to see what they had in stock. Surprisingly, they had exactly what I was looking for. I probably could have gotten away with spending considerably less and ordering online, but Les Schwab has always been good to us and their customer service is top notch so I stayed as local as I could.

Here are the new kicks: Method 305 NV wrapped in 295/70r18 Maxxis Razr AT's:







Overall, I couldn't be happier! The 295/70r18's were way bigger than I anticipated but look so much better than the stockies. I also was unsure on the Maxxis Razr AT's as they are relatively new to the market and not many reviews out there. But they look fantastic, have the 3PMSF rating, and a 50k mile warranty. Time will tell but they at least look solid on paper (and in person).

After driving around a bit though, I did find quite a bit of rubbing on the front fender well. These tires measure considerably bigger than most 295/70r18's (they are a true 34.5 by 12" so just as big as some of the 35"x12.5's out there):

 

Tonight's order of business was to do some trimming on the plastic fender well liner. Looking at the rub marks, I took my oscillating saw and went to town. I'll need to drive it some more tomorrow as I think it's still rubbing a bit but this will be temporary until I decide on what bumper I'm going to go with. The +25offset on the Methods though gave me plenty of clearance from the UCA. It also looks like I shouldn't have any problems with the cab mount either (so no CMC!).

 

Well another mod update. I was able to make it to the Inland Northwest Tundras DAP Tune Event and got Daptized. Truck seems to be running much better now (especially after the slight powerloss of going to the bigger/heavier tires). Power is a lot more linear and sure is a lot of fun to drive. Thad also hooked me up with a bulge light bar that looks fantastic and harnesses a small power of the sun. Seriously, this thing is BRIGHT! will most pics soon.

 

With my truck fund sorely depleted after the wheels, tires, and tune, I decided to stick with some minor/cheap mods. I updated the interior map, dome, vanity, etc lights to LED. I also swapped out the license plate and cargo lights. For $24, this was a super easy yet impactful update.

Before:


After:


Before:


After:


And the updated cargo/license plate lights:

 

Was able to pick up a Leitner Design bed rack (came with the pods, RotopaX, etc) and Decked drawer system off a fellow Tundra enthusiast's rig up in Sandpoint (huge shoutout to Selkirk Offroad, these guys do awesome work). The extra storage is awesome for camping, fishing, and hunting gear. Next step is an awning for day trips on the river and keeping the family out of the sun/rain.






The only installation problem we had was with the Decked drawers. I'm assuming this is only the case when installing a used system but the plastic end caps that run in the center (where the two main sections connect) had come loose and were blocking the middle from seating properly. It was an easy fix but took us a bit to figure out why we couldn't get the drawers to sit right. Also, the bolt posts running up the middle are easily stripped out so I need to call into Decked to see what's going on. Otherwise, solid system!

 

Simple and functional! Truck looks great man. I cant wait to find a used Decked system for my Tundra. I love having a tool box but it makes my bed useless on my CM. But the Decked system will come after the lift and tires.