SoCal '18 Cement Build

For the past 14 years, I've been in an '04 Limited Crewmax, but with 208,000 miles on her I thought it might be time to come into the modern age.

Last Sunday I finally bought a 2018 Cement Crewmax SR5!
I'd been lusting after one of these since last July, so it was super exciting to finally pull the trigger.
It has TRD, SR5 upgrade and Convenience as well as the premium Entune.

UPDATE
Here is a list of all the current Mods (that I can remember)
Susp:

• ADS 2.5in resi clickers in front (700lb springs)
• ADS 2.5in Bypass shocks in back
• Deaver U748 Leaf Springs
• MCM Fab UCA's
• SuperBump bumpstops up front

Protection:

• White Knuckle Sliders
• P&P steel front skid
• RCI Trans/Xfer skid
• OEM tank skid
• RCI rear Diff skid

Rubber meets the road:

• Vision wheels with Cooper STT Pro MT's (295/70/18)

Interior:

• DIY Under Seat Storage
• LED's
• Driver Grab Handle
• Seat-rail tablet mount (for Gaia)
• Bad Elf GPS

Lighting (both on same relay switch):

• CaliRaised 42in Combo bar (behind the grill mount)
• CaliRaised Side Shooters

In Back:

• Total Chaos bed stiffeners
• BAMF Bedrack (rhino lined)
• ARB 2500 awning
• Airline L-Track tie-down rails
• Bedrail mounted high-lift
• Bedrail mounted WaterPort

Well I know folks really just want pics, so lets begin...

Here she is as I bought her:

 

Nice truck! What you do with the 04?

 

By last Friday, I had already de-badged and put on some wheels. +25 Vision's that I got off of Craig's List for $400 WITH 50% tread K02's. Not a bad deal!!
I figure I'll wear through the rest of the tread on these (stock size) K02's before I go 35's. That way I can spread the costs out a bit further.

 

Got $5200 as Trade-in.

 

Over the weekend I was pretty busy...
(Wife is gonna end up hating this truck if I spend too much time on her)

Gotta get in and out somehow!!
Such an easy job. Took 15 min max

 

This, on the other hand, took most of the weekend:


Medium Quartz Grey Monstaliner

 

I have to say that I'm very impressed with Monstaliner. I wish the color matched a little better (or had more contrast), but the product itself is super easy to work with and seems to be very high quality. Most likely I'll end up doing the bed as well. Maybe I can do a color-match with pigment from an auto paint store... If so, I'll do another top coat in front as well.

 

Love that color, and looking forward to seeing your build! If this is gonna be your build thread, you can have Sean move it to the 3rd gen builds section.

 

Oh... Didn't realize there was a section for that.
Sean, go ahead and move away!
thanks

 

Sweet bud! That color is nice.

 

Got my Pro grill on Saturday... Only took me about a half hour to pop the inserts out and put in the honeycomb. I think it looks WAY better than before. The liner on the bumper ends are fine, but they were a bit much on the grill surround. Plus I get still get to keep my Stone emblem!

 

The ORIGINAL next to a wanna-be.

 

Took her out for her off-road maiden voyage... Schnebly Hill Road in Sedona AZ. Not a bad place to break her in!!

 

The views were HORRIBLE though!!

 

Drove up to Apple Valley over the weekend and picked up these bad-boys!!
White Knuckle .120 DOM outer tube Tundra Sliders with full plate top piece (bolts on).

Got them w/o any finish. Here they are with a coat of Self Etching spray primer... Just be sure to wash them well with something like TSP first. They had a lot of oil on them from the mfg process. Helps keep rust away before you add your own finish.
Gonna put on Spray Bedliner as the end finish.

Btw, if anyone cares, here is a comparison between Krylon bedliner spray (Lowes) and Rustoleum (Home Depot).


Krylon:
Color - Matte Black
Pros - Spray is very directed and precise. Comes out in a vertical line pattern. Medium "volume".
Cons - Takes a little longer to get the job done bc it comes out slowly. Need to go over an area a few times for a single coat.

Rustoleum:
Color - Semi-gloss Black
Pros - HIGH volume spray. Covers a large area and has complete coverage.
Cons - Bc it is high volume complete coverage, there is a bit more over-spray when using it.

 

Oh, and for the White Knuckles, all I can say is BEEFCAKE!!!


The main rail is 2x2 .25in square tubing. I watched a video recently comparing DOM tubing to others and when they did their drop-tests, the mounting points ended up bending the truck FRAME before any significant damage happened to the sliders. WOW...
I feel sorry for anyone that T-bones me once they are on the truck!
Hopefully the height will be right for run-away parking lot shopping carts as well.

 

Happy Father's Day To ME!!
(Got the sliders on the truck over the weekend)

 

One thing that is obviously missing from our 3rd Gen CrewMax is under seat storage!!

After looking at the options (ESP), I found the nearly $200 price for the plastic open bins to be ridiculous. If you need a locking/secure option, then yes, their aluminum boxes are AWESOME. I'm saving for... Well... EVERYTHING, so I decided to go the DIY route. One thing I knew I needed was storage for tools, so I went to good 'ol Harbor Freight and picked up a 130 piece tool set. I also needed some space for recovery gear, bug-out survival stuff and other assorted tools. Off to Home Depot for that! Picked up a tool organizer with latching lid for $9 and a tote for $4.




Next, I laid them out in the back of the truck and marked up the positioning with a piece of chalk. Then cut the carpet out with a razor-blade and proceeded to cut into the foam under that. In the ESP install vids, they recommended using linoleum knife, but I found that a good serrated steak knife worked even better. The floorboard underneath isn't totally even, but I'd say that the foam averages about 2.5in deep.


It was VERY scary cutting into the floor of a brand new vehicle, but I was fairly confident in what I was doing from watching the ESP install vids. Ended up turning out PERFECT!!
I'd say that you could fit anything that is about 5in or less in depth, as long as you can fit it between the seat rails.

Here is the finished product!! The tool set sits absolutely flush with the floor line. The other two stick up an inch or more, but all of them easily fit under the seats when they are in the down position. Ended up ditching the lid on the tupperware since the seat will keep the items from coming out.

 

Thanks... Stop back in here next Monday and there should be a MAJOR update.

 

So last week I finally took the plunge!!

Drove out to Vegas and had Matt (MCM) install a Full Mid-Travel setup on my rig.
2.5in ADS Resi Clickers in front (700lb spring) with MCM UCA
2.5in ADS Bypass in back with extended travel to match to a set of Deaver U748 springs

 

Great build! Now go get some bigger tires and park next to the raptor again.

Raptors seem to look smaller after ADS Mid Travel and bigger tires

 

Yeah... Bigger tires for SURE!

I got my wheels off of a dude on Craigslist for $400 and they had 33in KO2s on them with 50% tread left. Figure if I run them bald, then I basically got the wheels for FREE.

I'm looking hard at the 285/75R18's in both Nitto RidgeGrappler and Toyo R/T
Both were highly recommended by Matt MCM...
Or of course the 35x12.5 18 BFG KM3s

 

I'm jealous!

 

Went out and did a local trail over the weekend just to "test out" the new suspension. All I can say is DAMNNNNNNN!!! So happy with the performance. I think I was able to run this trail in about half the time it used to take in my 1st Gen (with 5100's).

 

Got this entire setup for sale. I'm glad you had better service from mcm fab than I've had.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what was the issue?

 

Without knowing all the details... I wont bash them I'll just share my experience. I ordered this exact setup on may 8th to be exact. I was never informed until after payment was received that they were moving locations. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I know that's a tedious process. I had to email and ask for tracking info repeatedly. Recieved the leafs and shocks late june.. still no word on ucas or shackles. Attempted contact with matt asking for tracking info once again and now cant get a return email or phone call. Was told end of June that they would "try to ship" the following week. Which would have been 1st week of july.. still no parts, tracking info or returned calls or emails. This is in now way a shot at anyone including ads and deaver. Parts are gorgeous and obviously top notch quality.. but I won't install a setup from a company that have poor customer service. Again I'm sure that they are behind from the move, but an email isn't too much to ask.. especially when everyone is getting their setup installed(I follow them on ig too) worst part is we have a trip planned at the end of June and now I've missed my date with my installer.

 

Sorry to hear that... I too had to wait a bit for my stuff. As with any super high-end boutique equipment/parts, there are often delays and some of this is just unavoidable. Remember, you are getting stuff from at least 4 different manufacturers here. ADS shocks - Arizona; Deaver springs - SoCal; Shackles - not sure where; UCA's - Vegas
If I were you, I would STILL INSTALL IT. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water (so to speak).

 

I completely understand. However I have already put down my deposit with sdhq on their stage 10(minus omega bypasses) and have already set up a drop off and installation date. Going to head out early on our trip to drop it off and then go beat up it when their done everything I've ever done with those guys has been 100% great service. That's what won me over. I've read good and bad about both. I feel like that's the equivalent to the ads setup.