BreyTundy's Project Trail Whale 2.0

Welcome to the build thread of my Trail Whale 2.0, or Rock Yacht, undecided as of yet. As a little background, I've been throwing money away on Toyotas since I've had my license, and now that I have a family, the Tundra has been, and will hopefully continue to be, a great way to get out with the whole family in tow. See below for my two previous build threads, the first of which being my first car, an FJ Cruiser which I appropriately named The Orca. That was Trail Whale number one, now the Tundra is number two, you see the pattern.

Previous Build Threads:
FJ Cruiser: https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/threads/project-trail-whale.149530/?post_id=2209128#post-2209128
Tacoma: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/foxheads-build.435031/#post-12574932

For anyone around from 12+ years ago on the FJ Cruiser forum and Tacomaworld, my old username was Foxhead because I was wearing a shirt with a fox head logo on it when I signed up for the forum (quite original I know), but with the purchase of the Tundra I felt it was time for a change and BreyTundy was born (a conjunction of my last name and Tundy).

You may say "That truck is too big to wheel", or "You can squeeze your family into a 4Runner or a Landcruiser just fine", or "You can make a Tacoma work once car seats are forward facing". Yes, those are all accurate statements, but one simple fact trumps all of them, I already own the Tundra and I hate monthly payments. And frankly, where I live is pretty full size friendly (even though i don't really consider the Tundra to be a full size truck), so it's really not a huge problem. Anywho, let's get on with what everyone is here to see, stats and pictures!

Most Recent Picture:


Modifications:

Armor:
RCI Arapahoe Front Bumper
RCI Rock Sliders (well used)
RCI Engine Skid Plate

Recovery:
Smittybilt X20 Gen 2 10K Winch

Drivetrain:
Toytec Diff Drop (Will probably remove at some point)
Toytec Carrier Bearing Drop

Front Suspension:
Toytec Ultimate Coilovers (Completely blown out, don't
recommend for actual offroad use)
Icon 2.5” VS RR Coilovers (awaiting rebuild & 650 Lb Springs)
Total Chaos UCA's (Sitting in my shed ready for install)

Rear Suspension:
Toytec Rear Lift Shackles
Bilstein 5160 Rear Shocks
Tired Stock Leaf Springs

Lighting:
Diode Dynamics SS3 Sport Fog Lights

Wheels & Tires:
Icon Six Speed Wheels in Bronze
315/70R17 BFG KO2's

On Board Air:
ARB Twin Air Compressor
ARB Hose Coupling
$10 in Fittings from Home Depot

Misc. Modifications:
RCI High Lift Bed Mounts
Recked Rear Bumper Plastics (rocks)
Rainman Fabrications RMF-001C Switch Bay


Future Modifications:

Icon RXT Rear Shocks (Longest stroke available for our trucks)
5.29 Gears - Motive 5.29s now sitting in my garage. Got in on this deal.
F/R Lockers ARB Lockers
37" Kanati Mud Hogs
More Armor
Custom Tube Rear Bumper
Lots of Trail Damage
Maybe Some More Lights
Deaver Leaf Springs
Maybe a Snorkel
ABS Guards
Archive Garage U-Bolt Flip Kit

The focus of the build will definitely be more towards offroad capability than anything. There will certainly be some camping comfort dollars spent here and there, but being located where I am and the quick access to trails that I have, day trips are plenty for us right meow.

Pictures:
I Bought the truck from Toyota Bozeman in early September of 2019 and promptly took it scouting for elk season within a few days of owning it while still in stock form. I really regret selling that camper shell, that thing was so convenient.


Very quickly after that came suspension, wheels, and tires.



And some dirt of course




The truck stayed in that configuration for a good four years. I was more focused on dirt bikes (another money drain), buying & remodeling my first house, starting a family, getting married, moving back and forth across the country, traveling, etc. But as of late, and after a lot of push from me, we have started wheelin almost every weekend as a family, which has spurred more modifications.

Still stockish but wheelin:



+ Armor:





Doge:



On Board Air & Switch Panel:



Many more updates and pictures to come, but I hope you all anjoy!

 

Trip Reports & Videos

I've come to really enjoy writing trip reports and documenting some of my offroad outings, which are listed below. I'll toss in some miscellaneous videos that I get here and there for a little extra spice.

Schubarth Loop Trail
https://www.tundras.com/threads/schubarth-loop-trail.148234/

Metberry Gulch Fall Run
https://www.tundras.com/threads/metberry-gulch-fall-run.148826/
https://youtube.com/shorts/2eP8mbexEog?si=3Y3Ozq6HUQV7OdAC

 

Maintenance Logs

I know this may not be the most interesting of posts, but with the above abuse the truck gets, I think it'll be worthy to log some of the maintenance I do to keep this thing rollin.

130,000ish Miles
This particular batch of maintenance is in preparation for a road trip with my family from CO to CA and back again for the upcoming Thanksgiving 2024 Holiday, so It's a little more intensive than it would be otherwise.
- Standard Engine Oil & Filter Change
- Tire Rotation
- Rear Differential Fluid Change
- Cabin Air Filter Change
- Transmission Drain & Fill
- Transfer Case Fluid Change
- Front Differential Fluid Change (to be done)
- Engine Air Filter

For anyone looking for a really good oil change kit, the Motivx that can be found on Amazon

$75 Motivx Tools Oil Filter Wrench, Drain Tool, and Advanced Engine Oil Funnel Set for Toyota & Lexus 2.0L - 5.7L Engines With Cartridge Style Systems

here gets my vote. I ended up snapping off a cheap extension in the oil filter wrench, but since this kit has a 24mm bolt built into the housing, I was still able to buzz the housing off with an impact and keep working. The oil filter housing drain really makes the process a whole heck of a lot cleaner as well, that thing is super convenient.

 

Additional reservation

 

That should probably do it

 

Nice rig. I am about to
Pull the trigger on a double cab as well. I keep second guessing myself as this will be my work/hunting truck. The longer wheel base and overall length is what worries me as a hunting truck, doing the wheeling like in your videos. Would you buy it again, any regrets?

 

Thank you! I would 100% buy this truck again. When compared to a DCLB Tacoma, the Double cab Tundra has the same wheelbase, but more rear seat room, and drastically more weight capacity. It is wider, but I really haven’t found it to be an issue. When you add in the power and reliability of the drive train, I’m really a believer in the Tundra. I wheel pretty frequently with a buddy of mine who has an FJ Cruiser, and I almost always take the harder lines than he does, and I fit down all the same trails he does. Also take into account that I live in Colorado and it’s admittedly pretty full size friendly here, there might be issues with size if you wheel and hunt on the east coast in tight woods, but for my application it’s killer. And it’s always funny to see the looks on people faces who think the Tundra is too big or not capable enough. Good luck with your purchase!

Edit: not sure if you’re specifically comparing to a long bed Tacoma, but for most people that want enough bed space to actually haul anything of size, it’s a good comparison.

 

Thanks for the info! I’m in the PNW, so things get pretty tight here. Montana and CO, WY are not so much a worry when I go
There. The tundra definitely fits better for my work truck, and much much more power than the Tacoma. Adding an e locker makes it the perfect hunting truck I think

 

Oh yeah, Im currently saving for lockers, I can't wait to see what the truck can do with them. Funny you mention Montana, I was living in Bozeman when I bought the truck and used it as my hunting rig when I lived there. So I can confirm that it works very well in that terrain!

 

great! Ya the open country, with a locker will be money. Best thing is I don’t care about scratches on it since it’s not a daily, that makes it best

 

Oh 100%, scratches on a wheelin/hunting rig just show that it's actually used for its intended purpose

 

oh yes! Can go so many more places when it’s a dedicated rig
I already ordered Fox 2.5 front and rear with resi. The locker should be here any day!

 

That's going to be a money setup, you'll have to post some pics once everything is installed!

 

Got my ARB Twin Air Compressor installed and wired up this weekend. Overall it was a pretty easy job aside from the SDHQ Mount that needed a little tweaking. I used a RFM-001C From Rainman Fabrications to finish off the install and couldn't be happier!

 

Forgot to post in this thread, but I got my Gator Tonneau cover installed about a week and a half ago. I used to not think much of tonneau covers, but man this thing is so convenient.

 

Did a little wire wheel and respray on my slider this weekend. Very happy with the results considering how little effort it actually took

 

Trail whale is the perfect name for the tundra.

 

Thanks man! I’m tossing around the idea of a custom license plate. TRLWHL has a nice ring to it

 

whick one did you go with?

 

Dis one
https://realtruck.com/p/gator-srx-roll-up-tonneau-cover/gtr-13640/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2KksDK6osQAKIeHd3pKjklAv6sP&gclid=Cj0KCQiAx9q6BhCDARIsACwUxu4YOYRKPYWGz7PPUCaFBnvVRMPq-lIMIMFnmqZ2PMPo1DMD6JvaAG0aAjA3EALw_wcB

So far I am very happy with my purchase

 

does it leak when it rains???

 

Truck had a gator on it for a couple years, I like that you can adjust tension when it stretches. My only complaint was after awhile the Velcro stopped sticking.

 

Nope, it’s good so far. I did add a little foam at the corners to make sure it was a little more snug where it mounts to the bed, but other than that it’s good to go out of the box.

Yeah I could see that happening with heavy use. When it gets to that point I’ll probably pony up for a stopper, but I’ll let it ride until then.

 

Got 650 lb springs for the Icon Coilovers ordered yesterday. Very excited to get them rebuilt and resprung, I think it'll be a drastic improvement over the blown out Bilstein 5100s that are currently on the truck