Big-O: A 2012 RW DC

2012 Toyota Tundra 5.7L v8
Rock Warrior double cab

Brought him home with 78,997 miles on the odometer. Like many others, I came from a Tacoma. At first I was lost, but I eventually found my way. This thread is meant to help me keep track of the changes I make along the way and hopefully help others like many threads out there have helped and will continue to help me.

Current State



Upgrades/Modifications/Accessories

Done (in chronological order)

1. 285/75/17 Falken Wildpeak A/T3W (originally on my Tacoma)
2. Center consol organizer
3. Front window tint
4. Weathertech floor mats & window deflectors
5. Caltrend seat covers
6. Ram mount on the 'oh sh*t' handle (originally on my Tacoma)
7. Method 701 Trail Series - 17x8.5"/0 offset/4.75" backspace
8. A.R.E DCU 26" cap

On The Way

• Nothing

Planned

• Baja Designs Squadron-R Sports
• Suspension (???)
• 35x12.50R17 Falken Wildpeak A/T3W

 

Here is a quick trip down memory lane in honor of my previous truck, Onyx. The Tacoma was an awesome vehicle, a great balance between capability and comfort. If it were just myself, I'd still be driving it. But with my lady and our two dogs always in company, we felt cramped. I shed a single tear when I traded it in.

 

On to Big-O. My plan is to turn him into a simple yet comfortable daily driver, camping, and road trip vehicle. I take mountain bike trips in the summers and snowboard trips in the winters so it will need to be versatile. But I'm getting ahead of myself, first off was making sure the condition of the interior is well taken care of. Weathertech mats and deflectors were ordered along with Caltrend seat covers. And because my dogs own the back seat they get a Ruffwear dog hammock (best dog gear company around). To help me keep my sanity, I added a center console organizer I found on Amazon and brought over the Ram mount that was in my old truck.

 

Welcome from eastern CO, and good lookin ride! I assume you're on stock height suspension?

Also, love that front bumper on your old Taco! Wish there were more ones similar to it for 2nd gen Tundras.

 

Thank you. And yes, it's on stock suspension for now. I had Fox on the Tacoma, liked them a lot but leaning towards Toyotec or OME for the Tundra when the time comes. Have you been happy with your Toyotec shocks?

That bumper was one of the first ones made by At The Helm Fabrication out of Nevada. I also wish there were similar ones but there for the Tundras.

 

Damn, I'm kinda surprised you were able to make em work. That's a 34x11 tire right? I have the Toytec/Radflo 2.5's on front of mine and really like em, the 700 lb springs really keep the front end from diving on hard turns. They do feel a bit stiff until they're broken in, but no complaints either way. I'd recommend them. The other benefit they have over the OME coilovers is that these ones are adjustable and rebuildable.

The only one somewhat similar to that that I've found is the Aluminess bumper, its made from aluminum so its only 85 lbs, and has the grille and light guards. The one on yours looks a little more like a hybrid bumper though.

 

Very close, they're technically 33.8"x11.2". I can attest to them fitting without any rubbing when mounted on the RW wheels.

I like the idea of having the adjustability of a coilover but it's the service intervals that make me look at OME. If I remember correctly, Fox suggested a rebuild every 50k miles if used on and off road. How often do you have to service the Toyotecs?

And yes, I saw the Aluminess Tundra bumpers. They're good looking I think. I personally like that the hoops are flat and line up with the hood, reminds me of ARB's design.

 

I'm not sure on the service interval for Toytecs, I'd assume it'd be 70k or so if not offroaded. I only have 15k or so on them at this time so that's a ways off.

That was one of the things I like about them as well. Since I live out in cattle and deer country, I'd prefer having the extra protection for the lights and grill. Now if only those bumpers weren't so godawful expensive...

 

Badass. Welcome from Alberta Canada!

 

It takes a while to reach for sure, but when you do you're out of a truck for however long it takes to send them in to get serviced. Toyotec's customer service reputation seems to be really good so they're the favorite so far. Thanks chiming in with your opinion on your setup! It really helps.

Deer were the main reason for the front bumper. Ice and careless drivers where the main reasons for the rear bumper. The Tundra feels so vulnerable, haha.

 

Thanks for following along. I'm so close to Canada and have never been. I need to change that.

 

Yes you do. I also need to get to Oregon. It’s on my long list of places to check!

 

Oregon is a beautiful state, you'll love it.

 

Welcome. Gonna be a sweet rig!

 

clean job on the ram. which base are you using to cram it into that tiny hole?

 

I used the motorcycle handlebar clamp base. Here's the thread from TW I referenced - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/mod-a-pillar-ram-mount-gps-phone-holder.372250/

Those bolt and nut specifications will also work for your Tundra.

 

Nice looking truck! I'll be checking in to see what all you do to it. I may steal some ideas, starting with that dog hammock. I've also settled on Toytec for my suspension upgrade. They seem to be the right combination of durability, versatility, and price, with good customer service.

 

Thanks! I can't recommend Ruffwear products enough, they're extremely durable. And I think you're right about Toyotec. Paired with an SPC uca it's a solid middle of the road setup.

 

great idea. thanks for the link

 

Don't forget to add wheels to that list!

 

Can't wait to update this thread!

 

Well, sometimes unexpected surprises can be a good thing! @CaptSpaulding posted a while back saying he was looking for some Rock Warrior wheels. I had no intentions of selling mine at the time because they're one of the few simulated beadlock wheels that I actually really like. My plan was going to be to throw some wheel spacers on and call it a day but for the sake of change I decided to offer them up. I ended up ordering the Method 701s and sent the RWs to Jake (can't wait to see them on your truck dude). I have to say that I'm really pleased with these wheels. The specs provide just enough poke and I like the 8 spoke design a lot. They're on the heavier side but I'll offset the weight with some lighter tires the next go-around. No real need for E rated tires on this camping rig. The truck is still sitting on stock suspension and surprisingly doesn't rub as much as I thought they would. However, a suspension overhaul has quickly moved up the mod list because my ARE DCU is getting installed tomorrow after 6 long weeks!!

 

They look so good man! What a great addition to an already awesome truck. I can't wait to see the new DCU installed, especially after the long wait (well worth it). RWs arrive today, my tires are also ready for install as well as an alignment l.
Thanks again for being honest and super cool to work with, we both came out ahead on this.

 

Do you think you would have much rub with a 3/1 lift? I’m looking at running the same offset with the same size tire but it’s not a very common setup

 

I'm expecting some yes, but not much. I just got back yesterday from a week of travel so I haven't gotten in there to pin point the spots that rub and by how much yet. The RW wheels cleared this tire size perfectly for reference.

 

I’ll keep an eye on this thread then because I am curious. I currently have RW wheels but am most likely going to go with methods in the future

 

The ARE DCU is on! When I was doing my research, I was looking at various styles of canopies and campers. The new wedge style ones like GFC and Vagabond are sweet but too expensive (for my taste) with insane lead times. Slide in campers like a FWC would be worth the price if I found a good deal but they're bulky, heavy, and usually in rough shape for the price range I was trying to stay in. Traditional fiberglass canopies are aesthetically pleasing but fiberglass for anything other than street driving is not worth it IMO. And then commercial canopies like the ARE and Tradesman. Tradesman was at the top of my list for a while because of their build quality and endless customization options, but of course with that you get the hefty price tag that I couldn't justify for my "budget conscious" build. Forest service, BLM, and local PD all use ARE commercial style toppers, they're cost effective, and only a 4 week lead time. So I decided to take the chance and order the DCU. We had some rough weather up here in Oregon recently + I had some work travel so I got mine a couple weeks late. No big deal, I've heard GFC owners are waiting MONTHS past their expected finish date of already over A YEAR. Overall very happy with my choice. Some of my initial concerns were height above the cab, thickness of aluminum, and structural integrity. The height - I like it, gives it that "camper" look without being too obnoxious. The thickness - it's a little thin to be honest and I expect to be putting dents in it here and there but I'm not too concerned, I'm not crawling this truck. The frame - this is my biggest concern. ARE's welds are not amazing and I plan to have a welder beef the joints up for me. Only time will tell how washboards will affect the structure. I think for the price and lead time, it was a good buy. Now on to the real build out of this thing.

 

It looks great man! Excellent choice. I haven't seen a black DCU on a Tundra, it flows well and still has that 'camper' vibe to it as you stated. Awesome!
Can't wait to see how you build it out from here.
Congrats man