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

$59 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.