Matt's 2,445 mile 2008 Tundra DC build

Here is a link to my intro post of why it has such low miles and how I got it.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/hello-inherited-2008-tundra-with-2-445-miles.120201/
It had been registered non-op for about six years. It was driven a few times a year though.

Starting point:

When she was new at the dealer in 2008


As she sat at my parent's house 2/2023.
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Fix power steering and get registered:

The first priority was to get rid of the check engine code which was a power steering fluid sensor error PO553. Emission readiness showed good on the Torque OBDII app. I got a one day pass so I could drive it home to repair it and then to the smog place to get it legal to register again. One of the sensor wires was open (probably a critter chewing). Luckily I don't see any other signs of wire damage.
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Headlight restoration:

The exterior was in bad shape. Interior is great. Here are the cloudy headlights.

3M Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit, Easy Heavy-Duty Restoration, 39195, 1 Kit

$16 3M Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit, Contains Masking Tape, Light Sanding Discs, Wax Protectant and More, Use on Plastic Lenses Headlights, Taillights and More, Easy Heavy-Duty Restoration (39195)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08745K56G This kit lets you use your electric drill/screwdriver.
After
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The waxing begins:

I am waxing in sections. The paint was flat as can be. Meguiar's Clay bar kit XL (

$34 Meguiar's G10240 Smooth Surface XL Clay Kit - Includes 240 Grams of Clay Bars, Quik Detailer Spray Bottle and Microfiber Towel

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W58TRBG ), Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound (

$35 Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, 20 Oz - Remove Scratches, Swirl Marks and Oxidation While you Restore Color and Clarity for a Showroom Shine - Safe and Effective on All Glossy Paints and Clear Coats

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W5HCZ9M ), then Meguiar's NXT wax (

$28 Meguiar's ME G12718 NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 Synthetic Liquid Car Wax 532 ml

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001050DO2 ).
One section after all three steps:
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I am still driving my 2003 Tacoma (240K miles) so I don't have to worry about keeping the Tundra driveable each night.
There are many things to do. I have new rotors and pads coming for all four corners. Once that is done I am going to get new tires (original so very cracked) and wheels. Fresh fluids coming too.

 

New head unit:

Bought a 10.1" Joying Android head unit made specifically for the 2007-2013 Tundra. The factory connectors plug right in. I like the physical volume knob over capacitive buttons. Joying Model JY-TQ167N4G-B
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3346172792...uid=QWR5G_0gQF-&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I like how the black bezel follows the dash curves and makes it look OEM.

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Tailgate backup camera:

Going from a 1st gen Tacoma to a Tundra was quite a step up in size and I wanted a back up camera to help with maneuvering. I bought an OEM style tailgate handle with camera from Amazon.

$56 Tailgate Handle Rear View Camera Backup Tailgate Camera for Tundra(2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013),Tailgate Door Handle Replacement Camera(Color: Black)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WR9C3M4
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Bye hyper blink:

Changed the current sense resistors out on the stock flasher unit so LED turn signals won't hyper blink. I had seen some people suggest 0.15 Ohm resistors when going to LED turn signals front AND back. I had some 0.24 Ohm resistors I put in parallel for about 0.12 Ohms . Update although 0.12 Ohms worked at first, when the engine was running the left side would hyper blink. With the engine off, sometimes the left side would hyper blink. I changed values to get just over 0.15 Ohms for each of the two current sense R positions.
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Antenna grommet:

The antenna grommet was in bad shape so I picked up a replacement grommet off Amazon.

$10 Antenna Ornament for 2007-2014 Toyota Tundra - Toyota Genuine Accessory 86392-0C040 Manual Radio Antenna Mounted Base Bezel

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JGHX63G
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Back seat fold down mod:

https://www.tundras.com/threads/dc-fold-down-rear-seats.699/


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Dash charging ports:

Added a Dual USB charging port to one of the empty dash spots under the climate controls. Also added a single USB port that is connected to my Android head unit.

$22 Cllena Quick Charge 3.0 Dual USB Port Charger Socket with LED Light for Toyota

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09F573TVH and

$15 MOTONG Male to Female USB Cable Charger for Toyota VIOS/ALTIS (35 * 24mm)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742DFK2L
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Brakes:

Pump through some fresh brake fluid


New rotors and pads.

$431 Power Stop K2813 Front and Rear Z23 Carbon-Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads and Drilled Slotted Rotors Brake Kit For 2016-2021 Lexus LX570 Toyota Land Cruiser | 2008 2009 2010-2021 Toyota Tundra Sequoia

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FKBEIC I know I am cool now since I have drilled and slotted rotors like the kids.
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Bilstein 5100

Pulled the stock struts out to get ready for the Bilstein 5100. Will put on the middle setting.
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Black grill:

Decided to try out a black grill to see how I liked it. I like it better than the fake chrome, but the surround is more shiny that I like. https://www.ebay.com/itm/125699323523 I ordered a color matched (040 white) replacement grill. Toyotoa 53100-0C240-A0 Need to order the brackets too. I'll decide which option I like better.
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Ordered some Moto Metal MO970 (machined spokes) and Kuhmo AT52 tires. Machined isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I like some contrast to the black.

 

A little higher in the front (Bilstein 5100 middle setting) along with new wheels and tires and she is looking a lot better. Moto Metal MO970 gloss black/machined and Kumho AT52 265/70 R18.

 

Beautiful truck. Congrats.

 

Great find..

 

Great job!!

 

Got a lot done this week.
Rock Warrior Grill (for the win!):

The grill with the black surround was a good step up from the chrome surround, but once I got the Rock Warrior color matched grill in it was a no-brainer to keep the RW grill.
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Window Tinting:

Went to the tint shop and got Suntek Evolve ceramic tint. Evolve 30 (32% VLT on the front side windows)


Bit the bullet and went with Evolve 70 (64% VLT) on the front windshield.
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Subwoofer:

The Fox Acoustics box (for double cabs) came in. It fits two 10" semi-shallow subs and is ported, but leaves room under the passenger side back seat for storage. It has 1.9 ft^3 of volume https://www.foxacoustics.com/collec.../tundra-double-cab-2-10-vented-07-up-downfire I used two 10" JL 10W1v3-2 4 Ohms subwoofers. JL recommends 0.9ft^3 per speaker (ported) which matches the box well. It sits under the back seat with the two magnet bumps up (subs pointing down).


Subs mounted


The front edge of the box is right about even with the front of the back seat seats. I can feel the speaker magnet bumps a little bit if I sit back there..... which I of course won't
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Black plastic trim product:

My favorite new product. Cerakote plastic restorer

$17 CERAKOTE® Ceramic Trim Coat Kit - Quick Plastic Trim Restorer - Ceramic Coating Black Trim Restoration to Last Over 200 Washes – A Ceramic Coating, Not a Dressing

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SHJVK4G It blows everything else I have tried out of the water. It was a top finisher on the Youtube channel Project Farm for plastic restorer. The lower black valence was a blotchy gray mess. It is now black.... this was taken a few hours after applying.
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Waxing continues in sections. The rubbing compound stage takes a lot of time as 15 years without wax meant a lot of oxidation.... and she is a big girl.

 

Up to 3,222 miles!
Finally finished waxing her. I did it in sections over three weeks. It took a lot of rubbing compound to get 15 years of oxidation off.

I got around to doing the rear brakes so it now has fresh rotors and pads front and rear along with fresh brake fluid throughout the lines.

Tire pressure:

I couldn't decide if I should follow the recommended air pressure from the door jamb or more at the 42PSI they put in all tires at the tire shop. I decided to try the chalk test. Rear tires didn't wear the chalk off the outside edges at 42PSI. They did at 38PSI. Fronts looked good at both 42 and 40PSI
Fresh chock ready to roll
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Running lights in fog position:

I tried using some switchback LEDs (white for running lights, yellow for turn signals) in the front turn signal/parking light position, but they were too bright for nighttime use being so far up. I tried out some that go in the fog light position. My truck didn't come with fog lights (just a factory filler piece in the position).

$76 LED Fog Lights with Daytime Running Lights Turn Signal Compatible with Toyota Tundra 2007-2013 Sequoia 2008-2011

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YCZ1PJH Functionally and electrically they work well, but mechanically they are so-so. If I had a stock fog housing, I would have just switched the "bulbs" over to the OEM housing. With the turn signal on, the white area turns to amber and flashes with the turn signal.
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Door Speakers:

I went with the Kenwood Excelon KFC-XP6902C speakers (6x9 for door with a mid/tweet for the dash) for the front.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113XP6902C/Kenwood-Excelon-KFC-XP6902C.html?omnews=7891998
Mass loader

$61 Siless 80 mil (2mm) 36 sqft (3.4 sqm) Car Sound Deadening mat - Butyl Automotive Sound Deadener - Noise Insulation and Vibration Dampening Material (36 sqft)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BLSP8JV and the closed cell foam sound deadening material

$50 Siless Liner 157 (4 mm) mil 36 sqft Car Sound Deadening Closed Cell Foam & Heat Insulation mat - PE Foam Sound Deadener Material & Heat Barrier

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B75PD8B
Mass loader inside the door



That is quite the difference in magnet size between the OEM 6x9 and aftermarket Kenwood


Mount the 6x9 woofer.


Mass loader on the inside surface


Add the sound deadening material
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Three more doors to go and the dash mid/tweets

 

Have really enjoyed this thread so far. Great work, still hard to believe its that low mileage. Like something you'd see on BAT. I like that you're keeping it tasteful. You should consider some Rock Warrior wheels if you ever want to switch up your current setup.

 

Over 4000 miles now.
Remote starter:

The 12Vsolutions remote starter was 20% off for Easter and that got me to buy it. Besides being a fun toy, it could be useful for summers here (inland San Diego).
https://www.12volt.solutions/produc...start-kit-dot-key?_pos=1&_sid=d33fae5a1&_ss=r
Here is a 15 second demo of it in action.
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Trailer hitch:

The trailer hitch was faded so I cleaned it off with some isopropyl alcohol and painted it. My paint was good for metal or plastic so I painted the plastic connector covers too
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Running boards:

The Tundra takes a bit of a step to get in so I thought running boards would be useful and some black would tie things together with the black emblems, mirrors, and door handles. I liked the RB20 running boards that are so popular, but no way I was paying that much. I came across these Oedro running boards that got pretty good reviews and had a $50 coupon on Amazon. Price before tax was $259.99. The biggest complaint in the Amazon review was they can rust, but I wasn't worried about that too much in a city that hasn't had snow since 1967.
https://a.co/d/9yss6OO
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Dash Speakers:

I had previously done the front door speakers (KFC-XP6902C). Those speakers come with a 6x9 woofer for the front door and mid-tweets for the dash. I removed the stock mids and cut off the fabric covers to see what was in there.
Stock dash mid with the cover cut off.


I had read that the front door speakers were connected in parallel with the mids near the mids and that is what I found. You can see the OEM connector has two red wires and two black wires connected together to put the woofer and mid in parallel (the mid had a capacitor on it for a high pass filter).


I connected the crossover that came with the Kenwood mid-tweet to the OEM wires. That kept the OEM wires and the parallel connection in place. This speaker is more of a mid than a tweeter, but it does have a whizzer on it which should help produce higher frequencies compared to only a mid. It is very 70s of them. Don't worry, the blue tape was just for testing. Kenwood makes a very similar set of speakers with a dedicated tweeter (KFC-XP6903C), but after much searching I determined it would not fit into my OEM openings without a good amount of modification.
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Electronics board on the back wall:

Like the front doors, I added a mass loader and sound deadening to the back wall. I knew from my 03 Tacoma that a sub will make that back wall ring like a drum.


This was my first time making a board to hold all my electronics so I started out using some plywood for a test fit and then bought a sheet of 1/4" ABS. I used #4 wire from the battery and between the power hogs on the board. The smaller wire feeding in was for testing.
Although there is more depth available lower down, the bottom of the seat pivots toward the back wall when it is lift so my thicker inverter keeps me from folding the seat all the way up. The smaller section of back seat doesn't have anything behind it so it can fold up completely. I can of course fold the back seat down to access my electronics board if needed (back seat mod).

From the top right clockwise is a Down4Sound (D4S) JP95 5-channel amplifier. https://www.down4soundshop.com/down4sound-jp95-1500w-rms-5-channel-amplifier/ , A 1000W Renogy sine wave inverter

$180 Renogy 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter 12V DC to 120V AC Converter for Home, RV, Truck, Off-Grid Solar Power 110V with Built-in 5V/2.1A USB Port, Hardwire Remote Controller

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JMQ27WJ (for 120VAC needs), a Dayton Audio DSP-408 DSP https://www.parts-express.com/Dayto...sor-for-Home-and-Car-Audio-230-500?quantity=1 , A FTM-400 ham radio (base) https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?c...49&encProdID=227201D29C822AEFF8482F3367495319 , and a Epicenter bass restorer https://a.co/d/4NBX1QF​

Audio wire runs:

The Tundra has nice large passages on both sides for running wires. I put the #4 power wire to the battery in the driver side along with all the RJ11 type control wires (Epicenter level, amp level, inverter remote power switch, ham radio mic and remote display) and the analog signals down the passenger side (speaker wires, ham radio audio out, and RCA cables).


Fuse and #4 wire in the engine bay. Split loom tubing starts after the fuse.
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This weekend I am going to pull the radio out and connect my RCAs for the amp and the speaker wire that goes to the amp. It will be nice to have the amp connected and finally get to pump the sub.

 

Keep up the good work, you are inspiring me to work on my '08 again. I've neglected it for too long! Good taste in trucks btw!

 

OBDII app:

I have used the Torque Pro Android app for many years for OBDII. I was interested in reading the transmission temperatures and gear status and found another app called OBD Fusion (Car Diagnostics) that supported those things (with Toyota add-on). It was $5 for the app and then $15 for the Toyota Enhanced Diagnostics
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=OCTech.Mobile.Applications.TouchScan&hl=en_US&gl=US
Not sure how much I will use it, but I like having the information available on the head unit.
When I first started driving it and was really enjoying the V8, my gas mileage was more like 14MPG. It slowly started going up and was 17.1MPG average when I took this picture.
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Ham Radio:

There weren't many options for mounting my ham radio remote head on the dash where it is in arms reach and easy to see. Proclip has four options for mount, but unfortunately none of them fit my truck. Column shift eliminates some and what was looking like the best option ( https://www.proclipusa.com/products...oia-2008-2017-us-toyota-tundra-2007-2013-us-2 ) has a note that says it won't work if you have an ash tray there. The area below the fan speed control was about perfect for closeness and out of the way so I looked at a DIY option for that. I was going to remove the ash tray and mount a L bracket in there, but it is nice to be able to easily remove the radio head for sketchy areas so I decided to use the ash tray.

I removed the silver ash tray beauty cover and put two bolts through the radio mount and into the front of the ash tray.


I routed the head cable from under the dash and through the ash tray opening. The mounting location doesn't block any controls and the ash tray is still useable. it is an easy reach and decent viewing angle.



I decided to buy a new Diamond antenna and coax for the Tundra instead of reusing from my Tacoma. Antenna: https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-000060 Coax with NMO connector

$33 Larsen Original NMO-K 3/4'' Permanent Hole Mount with 17' RG58A/U Cable and UHF Male PL259 Connector

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M255NL2
NNO connector L bracket

$8 Tram Browning L-Bracket 1255-B 3/4 Hole Stainless Steel Black NMO 3/4 Hole Mount L Bracket Mobile Antennas for NMO Mount Cable Mobile Antennas Car Truck Hood Install

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08G5B2Z9F

It took a bit of looking at pictures I took when sound deadening the back wall and floor to find a good spot to pass the coax from the bed to cabin. The small grommet on the back wall driver's side worked well.
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Tailgate Strut:

My tailgate bounced a bit on its own. I read that a new strut can make it easier to raise the tailgate and that sold me. I ordered this one on Amazon.

$31 Premium Quality Brand Stabilus Tailgate Lift Support Compatible with 2019-2007, Toyota Tundra, Black (4B-256726)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MDH8SWL The tailgate goes down slow and smooth now. Lifting the gate takes a lot less effort
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Audio Noise:
I didn't know it at the time, but I had two audio noises I was fighting. It took a lot of experimenting to figure them out.

Noise #1 sounded like a classic ground loop alternator noise. It was on my Dayton Audio DSP-408. I read a lot of people had noise problems with that DSP when powering off vehicle 12V. Luckily a ground isolator between it and the Epicenter took care of the alternator noise.
Noise #2 was a high pitched (maybe 5KHz) steady tone and came in on the RCAs from the head unit. Unplugging the RCAs made the tone go away. The tone was there even when the engine wasn't running. If the key was in the run position, then the noise was there. I tried some grounding experiments, but nothing helped. I realized that there were two sounds in the engine bay when the key was in the on position. One of the noises was a constant whine sound (kind of sounded like fuel pump, but I believe that is in the gas tank) that seemed similar to the noise I got into the stereo. I ran a 2nd set of RCAs from the head unit to the system on the back wall. When I used the added RCAs and put them along the passenger side wire trough, the whine could be heard. When I moved the added RCAs and ran it down the middle of the cab, the tone went away. The passenger side only had analog signals (speaker wires, RCA, and ham audio out), but there is a factory harness in there and the noise was getting into my RCA cables. I was ready to be done, but I pulled out the passenger seat and ran the new RCA cables down the passenger side of the cab middle hump under the carpet.
She is nice and quiet now with only a little bit of white noise.

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This weekend is sound deadening and aftermarket speakers for the rear doors. Not that I will ever be done, but my to-do list is almost done.

 

Can I see where/how you mounted your ham radio antenna? Just getting into the hobby and will be looking for mobile in the near future. I'd like to find an option that doesn't require me drilling into the roof of my vehicle. Maybe bed rails (though I do have a tonneau cover).

 

I mounted a "L" bracket near the driver's rear of my bed. This was the same setup I used in my 03 Tacoma for over a decade. I park in the garage so I couldn't mount an antenna on the roof (not nearly enough clearance). By putting the antenna at the very back of the bed it should minimize interaction/interference from the cab. I put the L bracket a few inches down AND inverted it to make it a little lower as it was dragging on the garage door too much when pulling in and out of the garage. Now the antenna just bends slightly and is not touching once I pull in all the way. The L bracket has a hole for a NMO type connector (see links in my previous post for coax/NMO mount, L bracket, and antenna).

Not sure if a stake hole mount would help keep out of the way of your bed cover. https://www.tundras.com/threads/stakehole-ham-radio-antenna-mount.41426/ Here is a thread that has a lot of ham/CB setups for Tundras https://www.tundras.com/threads/show-us-your-ham-radio-installations.57715/

 

Thanks. Unfortunately the stake hole knockouts were removed on the 20/21 models. I could cut the hole. Will look through the CB thread, thanks!

 

I hit 5,000 miles driving to Dirty Deeds industries.

Exhaust:

I had my stock exhaust replaced with their Aluminized steel standard catback exhaust System (5.7L engine). https://dirtydeedsindustries.com/st...minized-steel-standard-catback-exhaust-system I went with the 12" muffler option which is their quietest standard muffler (Helmholtz resonator installed). In the video below, I go back and forth between stock and catback repeatedly (at engine startup) so the difference is easy to hear. Very stock like when driving on the freeway or streets at constant speeds. Put the pedal down some and she has a nice growl. Zero drone.






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Stereo/Sound deadening:

Only the rear two doors remained for sound deadening and speaker install. I used Rockford Fosgate R1525X2 5.25" coaxial speakers https://www.crutchfield.com/p_575R1525X2/Rockford-Fosgate-R1525X2.html?omnews=7891998 I adjusted the amplifier gain so they play about 1/2 as loud as the front (mostly fillers).


I thought I was done with the stereo, but I had an unused video input on my Joying head unit that I couldn't let go unused. I installed a front camera.

$39 PixelMan Backup Camera,AHD 1080P Metal 170 Degree Wide Angle Rearview Reversing Camera,PMD2A-S Clear Night Vision IP69 Waterproof Reverse Rear View Camera for Car Vehicle SUV RV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FHLTVBS I mounted it a little way back on the black plastic bumper cowl



I adjusted the angle of the camera so the cutoff shown at the bottom of the head unit screen is right about where my front bumper overhangs. That makes it easy to pull all the way up to a parking space line or another vehicle. The camera has low light sensitivity so it didn't have any white LEDs built in. It has power whenever the ignition is on so I didn't want white LEDs shining all the time.

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Ham radio microphone:

I was waiting for the RJ45 blank socket/jack (FTM-400 microphone plugs into a RJ45 jack) to make its way across an ocean. I wanted the mic to mount clean and be able to easily remove it as needed. https://www.ebay.com/itm/354369983194 (1x Black RJ45 UHF Blank Socket For Toyota Prado Landcruiser RV4 Hilux Dash Panel). It snapped right into one of my dash panel blanks. It let me plug the mic cable that comes up from the FTM-400 head unit on the back wall into the back of the RJ45 socket. Then the microphone can plug into the visible jack on the front. The microphone hanger is just 3M VHB attached to my one remaining blank dash cover.

$5 RoadPro RP-232 CB Microphone Holder, Black Plastic

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001JT0L46
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Good god I love your truck

 

Thanks!

 

Good Job Matt, liked reading the journey, seemed so easy, and I did not even get tired .

 

I had to check out your build... wish I could have bought my truck with everything you've done to yours, I can't say there's a single mod I don't like. Nice work, definitely giving inspiration.

 

Getting close to 7000 miles. Changed the oil, did a drain and fill on the transmission, replaced the 15 year old antifreeze, upper/lower hoses and clamps.

Anti-sway bar:

I knew I would eventually get a rear sway bar and then a used one popped up from user
truckmax. Part #PTR11-34070 He did a great job of keeping all the parts together when he pulled it off his Tundra.


I cleaned her up a little, added some grease, and bolted her on. Everything I read about the rear sway bar was true (really makes a big difference on cornering and less roll). The last mile to my house is full of sharp turns and it makes a huge difference.


Bed AC outlet:

I thought it would be nice to have an 120VAC outlet near the tailgate. I ran some 14/2 UF-B wire (rated for direct burial and outside use) from the 1000W Renogy sinewave inverter (link and picture in post #11) to the rear of my bed where I used a AC outlet designed for this and RV use.

$18 Flanged Outlet RV Outlet with 15 Amp 120-125 Volt, Round Waterproof Cover, 2 Pole-3 Wire, NEMA 5-15 for Commercial and Industrial Grade Truck Bed Outlet

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7Q95HZ
I mounted it to the truck bed liner where there was enough space behind it to accommodate the outlet.


1000W is enough power to do some work. I tried it out on my pole chain saw (truck engine running). It started and ran no problem and things with motors generally pull quite a spike of current at turn-on.

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Cargo hooks:

Got four (two sets) of these Bull Ring cargo hooks. I have no use for the stake pockets and thought it would be handy to have tie-down points up high.

Bull Ring Raised Fit Retractable Truck Bed Tie Down Anchors, Fits '00-13 Toyota Tundra Regular Cab and Extended Cab, Not for Double Cab Trucks, Sits on Rail Cap, Quick & Easy Installation, 1 Pair

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085V8NRF7 (ignore the Amazon listing that says not for double cabs... their website confirms they are for double cabs) They push down so they are about flush normally, but the metal piece pulls out for tie-downs.

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TPMS light:

After I got new wheels and tires, my TPMS light was on. I hated seeing that TPMS light always on. I came across a thread about it. People were trying different, but similar things. The post that made sense to me was this one. https://www.tundras.com/threads/disable-tpms.1056/page-2#post-975359 You just cut one wire and then attach one end of that wire to another wire. I used a wire splice terminal after I cut the one wire. No more TPMS dash light.


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Toyota Techstream for seatbelt ding:

I hate that seat belt ding. I always wear my seatbelt on public roads, but I often drive on our non-public road in the neighborhood (slow speeds). Ding, ding ding, until I am almost there. Grab their trash can, get back in, ding, ding, ding, drop off the trash at the main road, get back in....... I ordered an OBDII to USB cable that came with Toyota Techstream software (V17.X) . https://a.co/d/clgvKrS The cable itself worked great. I used an old 32 bit Windows 10 laptop to install the driver and Techstream on. After some fiddling, I eventually got Techstream to communicate with my truck. It read the model, engine type, and VIN #. However the "Customization" button was not where it should have been.... might have been because of the "reduced functionality" message I was getting in Techstream. Since my truck is a 2008, I didn't need a recent version of Techstream so I found a version 11.X of Techstream and that worked great.


Besides the seatbelt chime, I turned off the auto-lock if you unlock the truck, but don't get in within 30 seconds or so. I made a few tweaks.
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So much awesome in this post! TIL techstream!

I hit the "like" button wishing there was a "love it" button. Now I have some new entries on my todo list.

 

Today I learned the abbreviation "TIL". Was not familiar with that. Yes, Techstream is pretty sweet. It could be handy for trouble shooting, but is worth getting/setting up just for the customizations function. The installation/SW setup took some time, but once you have it working you just plugin to a Toyota and off you go.... I have become the neighborhood Toyota option customizing guy.

 

Love your build Matt. Thanks for inspiring me to add a few more items to my never ending build list.

 

Cranking through the mileage and almost at 9,000 miles.

Side mirrors:

Mirror "covers":

I had seen color matched mirror covers on the web, but I thought they were only crappy aftermarket double sided tape stick-ons. I found out that the back piece of the mirror snaps off and can be replaced. I went with Toyota OEM.

$120 Toyota Tundra 2007-2021 Super White Mirror Covers Kit Genuine OE OEM

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C9DMO40 Toyota 87915-0C060-A0 and 87945-0C040-A0 for 040 white.
The Toyota web page fitment guides did not show the covers fitting a 2008 Tundra, but the Amazon page I ordered from said 2007-2021 so I figured I would send them back if they didn't fit as advertised. Originally I could not get both sides to snap in, but then I figured out one of the fasteners wasn't quite lining up with a hole so I bent it a bit to get it to go in and then I was able to snap everything in. Had to work it around the edges to get the lip in.
Back side of mirror cover.


Installed.
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Mirrors with convex + turn signals:

While looking into mirror covers, I came across some mirror discussions and someone recommending Spotter Mirror. The ones I ordered are https://spottermirror.com/p/toyota/tundra/2007-2021-toyota-tundra-spotter-mirror-with-turn-signal/ The Spotter Mirrors come with a nice big integrated convex mirror which can be independently adjusted from the main mirror. Then I noticed they sold mirrors for Tundras with turn signal indicators built-in. That had me hooked. My mirror wiring connector had turn signal + and - wired to the plug, but didn't go into the mirror since the OEM mirrors didn't have that feature. I cut the turn signal wires at the interior connector and ran some PTFE (Teflon) wire through the mirror assembly in parallel with the stock wire run and connected to the Spotter mirror. The Spotter mirrors I bought retain the heated mirror feature and still let you power adjust them.



The Convex mirror helps a ton. You can see the standard mirror cuts off right at the top of my rear tire. Looking into the convex mirror you can see the full height of the rear tire and some in front of it.


The turn signal indicator is very bright and clean. It can be seen during daylight, but of course it doesn't pop nearly as much during the day.

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When truck prices were reasonable:
I posted these in an "original window sticker" thread, but want to put them in my build thread too.
I found this note my Dad made when he bought the truck new (it was mixed in with the truck paperwork). $28K MSRP is pretty reasonable, but combine that with >$8000 in rebates for a selling price of $20,559. He knew a good deal when he saw one!

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Original window sticker

 

10,500 miles now.
Headlights:

The price was keeping me away from headlight housings with LEDs built-in. I considered Alpharex and Morimoto. I liked the 5 year warranty from Morimoto for something that doesn't have replaceable bulbs. I waited for the Black Friday sale in November and bought some. The sale took them from $1125 down to $900 straight from Morimoto. https://www.morimotohid.com/xb-led-headlights-amber-07-13-tundra?quantity=1
I like the amber driving lights. They are SUPER bright in the day when your lights are off.
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Mud flaps:

It doesn't rain much here, but every time I went over wet roadway my tires would flip up water down the side of the truck. She is a pavement queen after all.

From the top of the fender, the offset of the Motometal wheels doesn't make the tire stick out beyond the fender a lot.
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But down low where the gunk will fling off the tire was not covered well by the OEM mud flaps.
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I went with the Rokblokz XL mud flaps. Their standard sized flaps didn't look like they would fully cover my tires. The XL were larger than I needed and stuck out far like I had a dually. I made new holes in the flaps to bring them in some. It was a bit of a pain.
https://rokblokz.com/collections/tr...-flaps-mud-guards-08-14?variant=6403607461931
The flaps stick out just past the tire sidewall and they do their job as seen by the concentration of dirt.
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Skid plate painted:

I did another oil change so while I had the OEM skid plate off I cleaned it (Simple green then Isopropyl alcohol) and then painted it. There was a little rust around the edge that I didn't bother wire brushing down.
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Tail lights:
I didn't plan on changing my tail lights, but after I saw a few videos of these TRQ/Amerilite/Anzo tail lights I was hooked. One of the videos was this one from Luke Shaia https://youtu.be/4yegwC0ko9E?si=kW4XW7ACsmAqTCAi I like that all functions (parking light, brake, turn signal, and backup light) are included and LED. The black-look is nice, but I didn't want smoked lenses that would reduce light output. These use a black background with a clear lens. There is also a smoked version I didn't buy.
All the brands I listed appear to be the exact same tail light so I went with the cheapest option (Amerilite) off Amazon. Just under $200.

$196 AmeriLite Replacement for 2007-2013 Toyota Tundra Pickup Crystal Black [Full LED] Dual C-Type Tube Taillights Brake Lamp Pair - Passenger and Driver Side

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C9V9X5P