'Tejon' Build

I got this 2003 TRD SR5 with 108k miles and named it Tajon (badger is Spanish). I plan to make it my overland adventure vehicle, and will not have it as my daily driver. I want to build it out so that it is as reliable as possible and make it so that it will be able to handle a moderate difficulty level of off-roading. I will be going on trips where I will be many miles from a mechanic, mostly in Mexico. I will be carrying heavy loads due to needing to bring water and gas. I'm not trying to make a long travel truck. I want to achieve as much wheel clearance as possible without making it unreliable. I would also like get as large of wheels as possible without changing the stock rim size 16" and not going too big that a spare will not fit in its location underneath the bed. I also do not want to go too big on the tire size that it will hurt the transmission.

I just ordered a camper shell for it

Long term goals: Get a rear bumper that will hold another tire and a lot of gas, then a front bumper with a winch.

I could use advice on what suspension to put on it. I need to get new suspensions soon, as the front struts are almost done. Please let me know your thoughts.

I will continue to post pictures as the truck progresses.

 

@Toytec Lifts are popular and good lifts. Check those out.

Off-roading in remote places in Mexico? You're a brave man; not sure I would enjoy doing that. Keep posting pics of the build.

 

Awesome opportunity here; and congratulations on finding a low miles 1st gen- score!!

Suspension: King, Icon, and ADS get a lot of love on here for recent gens. I think 1st gens do Old Man Emu. If you check in with @Toytec Lifts, you can save yourself a bunch of time learning.

@01erionracing runs a very capable (purpose modified) 1st gen-- and regularly adventures without a lot of trail support. Maybe search the site or PM to see what he's done to his.

I'm excited to watch your build!!

 

Best advise I have for you on suspension is, do it right the first time. ICON or King. Old man emu and Toytec BOSS are cheaper but not on the same level, imo. Plus ICON and King are rebuildable.

 

Welcome from CO> Yes......check out Toytec. Lots of 1st gen guys here too can help you.

 

My rig is set up for sandy beaches (for pleasure) and towing a trailer for work. Most driving is on pavement. Tire size is 285/75/r16 with no lift. Very slight inside rub. The other guys mentioned shocks. I have been looking around and seems the best for my budget is the Bilstiens although they don’t do coilovers which is what I want. Fox has a 2” coilover (for front axle) 2 shocks for around $1000. Mexico is a beautiful place. Let us know what you find out and do as far as shocks.

 

The bilstein 5100 front struts use your stock coil springs and have 5 different “circlip locations” for different lift heights. Some swap out the stock coils for OME 885 coils and run the struts at the stock height location(#1). I had this setup on my 4Runner and it was a firm ride but not intolerable. I finally swapped those out for ICONs and wish I had gone that route from the get go.

I would stay clear of Fox c/o’s. I’ve read that they impede the steering at full lock.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Not wanting a firm riding shock and this info helps my decision making.

 

Thanks for the information everyone I have been looking at Toytec a lot since I got the truck. I was looking at the Old Man Emu kit. I will now look at ICON and King.

Yes off-roading deep in Mexico is thrilling. My buddies and I always take two vehicles so that we can go get help if need be. Last year my buddy blew out his rear differential and we had to tow assist him 50 miles off-road to get to paved road where we were able to hire a proper tow vehicle. We also use a satellite communication system where we can text or call for a life flight in-case of emergencies.

As you can probably tell this is why I bought a reliable Tundra and want to make it reliable in the work that I do because stuff does go wrong and when you are down in Mexico it changes things a little.

I will let you know what I find.

 

Don’t get me wrong, OME suspension is designed by ARB and very well proven in the Australian overland community. Simple and gets the job done well. If you want to go this route I would recommend a set of 886 coils which will handle the extra weight of your future bumper, winch and skid plates(if you build them). As for the rear, with future tire carrier and extra equipment/weight, I would say a whole new set of springs from Deaver.

Please note...this set up will drive horribly stiff/rough while stock, until you start adding weight.

On the other hand, I believe ICON and King c/o’s come with 600lb(maybe 650lb) coils but can be swapped out to 700’s to handle the added weight in the front.

 

Welcome from Socal Austin!
Sharp looking truck and super low mileage. My 02 has 295k now and it still running strong.
There are many good choice of the suspension brands out there. I choose ADS because it offers front dsc adjuster and rear piggy back for gen1 and I think Fox does it too. So far I am happy with my setup.
For the tire size I have met a local gen1 running 285x75x16 and he said there is no rubbing.

 

Making some headway with sorting out all the different options for my build. Thanks for all of your help! Does anyone have a recommendation on skid plates for these first generations? I feel that this is one of the first things I need to address for my adventuring.

 

First major upgrade completed. Added a shell and took her out for a nice camping trip over the 4th of July week. Hopefully the paint will bake to the same color after a few years in the sun.

 

Skid Row skid plates

 

There's not many options for skid plates on the 1st Gen. Most of our armor options consist of Sliders and front and rear bumpers. Unless you go to a Fab shop and get something custom made.