The 4 month $27k 2007 RCSB TRD Pro build (Full 2014+ conversion, Front Clip, Interior, Bed)

This is actually pretty funny. I once worked in a manufacturing plant and we joked about employees sneaking parts out to build things in their back yard. If only I worked at the Toyota production facility in San Antonio

 

Half chub over here.

 

This is amazing. Good on ya for all the effort. Doesn’t look like you’d back down from anything.

 

It was in the North East, maybe Vermont or Connecticut?? Lowest priced true TRD Pro on CarGurus. I first saw it listed for $26,500 and I was ready to get it, but waited for a better time to show/ask wife's permission. Found the listing again and the price went up.....so I decided to hold tight. Told the guys at work about it and showed them the listing, and it went up again.... I didn't save a picture of it. A person has to really weed out the riff raff of Tundra's with TRD stickers claiming to be "TRD PRO" on CarGurus. I've found AutoTrader much more reliable for accurate trim level designations. It looks like $31k is the floor for a TRD Pro today.

 

Your next build could be a Reg Cab with 5.5' bed like this

 

Wait.... That is the crewmax 5.5 Ft bed. Wow

I had seen pictures of the truck a time or two but never looked closely enough to see that was the shorter bed. I guess if you were going to cut down a long bed just keep cuting to the short short bed.

Way cool!

 

so ... I guess you DID learn something in engineering school.

Good thing you didn't go into Women's Studies or get a degree in Basket Weaving, like so many are doing today.

Your degree probably had actual MATH in it, correct? (Rhetorical)

I salute you, Sir!Really enjoyed your build

 

Small update 6/18/2021

I installed a steering wheel airbag, threw in a set of TRD Pro floor mats and added a TRD Pro console badge (Thanks TRDBeast)

I just now plugged in the digital AC controls and AC amp for them. The full auto AC install is not done yet (adding temp sensor ect) but soon.

 

She looks

 

I have to say this whole build gave me some sense of pride and I didn’t lay hands in it lol! You’ve done an incredible job and your passion is definitely felt. Thank you for sharing!

 

What all is involved in converting the single zone know a/c over to digital dual zone? Just a temp sensor? A wrote up on that alone would be amazing

 

Dude this is incredible. Good work man!

 

The dual zone has a servo that controls temp on drivers side and then a separate servo on passenger side that controls the passenger temp.

The single zone only has the drivers side servo that controls both sides. To truly switch from single zone to dual zone you have to remove the dash and swap the hvac box. You might be able to have the dual zone digital controls on a single zone hack box, what ever the the driver side is set to the passenger would be the same

 

With the 2007-2013, the trucks were all dual zone but either Auto- or Manual for controls. The swap for those is a bit simpler, but still involved - new controller, new AC "amplifier" (ECU), adding a servo (it won't actually control anything, but has to be in the circuit) and a new servo wiring harness, then adding the thermister, venturi, venturi tube, and ideally the solar sensor. For the 2014+, as you mentioned, the air box on the non-Auto trucks is a single-zone box so you would need to swap the air box to actually get dual zone control.

 

Ahh sounds like a little more work than is worth it, thanks a ton

 

FWIW, I just posted up a thread from a detailed write-up I had saved when I did the Auto-AC upgrade in my 2008.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/gen-2-auto-ac-upgrade.90972/

 

This is an awesome build. Now you have me wanting one.

 

Damn, Im so speechless. Awesome awesome work that you did.

 

Wow.

 

Small Update: Digital Dashboard Progress

For the last month or so I have been very invested in finding a way to update the style of the instrument cluster. It is no secret the biggest downfall of the 2014-2017 cluster is the lack of a digital speedometer and the graphics and styling are not exactly modern. I decided I had a few options, buy and install a 2018+ Tundra instrument cluster, OR design my own style and incorporate it into my current 2015 cluster. For the past several weeks I have been exploring both options.

Most of my time has been directed towards simply replacing the 3.5in display in the center of my 2015 cluster. I don't have the skill set to reprogram Toyotas factory setup BUT I can replace the Toyota screen with my own running code and a design I created. If done properly most people would have no idea it had been changed.

After 6 weeks, this is my current prototype and I made the first drive with it in the truck last night.



As you can see from the photos the prototype is a 3.5in display simply taped over the Toyota screen (for now) on my cluster. If you look closely you can see the power and video signal cables feeding the display. The display is running a custom GUI with a TRD Pro background image and digital text gauges for Speedometer, Gear Indicator, Odometer, and Exterior temp. The data for all of the gauges is coming from the CAN bus signals in the truck and is the same information passed between the ECUs to let the vehicle function.

Here is a link to a video showing it working. https://streamable.com/79bzk0 My camera doesn't pick up the colors well but the Gear indicators are color coded the same as the factory Toyota.

I have plans to add more pages to the display that you can shuffle through with the steering wheel buttons. Eventually I would like to have a page with Current and Avg MPG displayed, Fuel Level in Gallons, Range in Miles, Digital RPM, Digital Coolant Temp, Throttle % ect. I have already reversed engineering most of the CAN bus signals for all of these I just need to create the graphics to display them. I need to add indicators for Cruise control ON and SET also but I have found these CAN signals already also.

Here is a picture in the daylight where you can see how rough of a prototype the current install is.



The final step will be finding a way to permanent install it in place of the current display in the cluster. IF that is done right and nice it will look factory from Toyota hopefully.

 

I have been making progress with the 2018+ Instrument Cluster as well.

When Toyota added the Safety Sense System in 2018, they added several new ECUs on the CAN bus network. Things like forward facing camera, forward radar, rear cross traffic alert ect.

If the 2018+ Cluster does not see these ECUs present in the truck it will throw all kinds of errors. I have spent extensive time generating CAN bus signals to send to the 2018+ cluster to "spoof" the Toyota Safety Sense ECUs.

Unfortunately some of the CAN signals that run the gauges have also changed. For example RPM is on a different CAN address in the 2018 than it was on the 2014-2017. So if the 2018+ Cluster is ever going to work it will need a CAN translator in line to take the 2014-2017 RPM signal and convert it to the style the 2018+ cluster is looking for.


This is the 2018+ Cluster running from CAN signals sent from my laptop.

 

Mind Blown

Badass

 

Well done !

For a split second I thought it was a 2022 cluster lol

 

Hahaha, I think I noticed from some teaser photos the 2022 still has physical needle gauges for like Speedo and RPM. I was hoping Toyota would go all in on a digital dash but maybe not yet.

Something like what is in the new Escalades is crazy.

 

In the span of just a few months every guy on your street has realized just how bad it sucks drive past that badass ride to pull into their driveway. What you made happen is amazing! Enjoy it

 

Incredible build. I can’t believe I stumbled upon this with only 4 pages of posts.

 

awesome build !

 

Such a badass truck, man. Definitely a lot of work put into it. Congrats on making your dream truck!

 

Small Update: 9/1/2021

After several weeks working with a guy, I was finally able to meet him and buy a white tailgate off a 2019 Tundra for $400. We put it on in the parking lot of the gas station I met him at and I snapped a quick photo. (Bonus that is had the Black "Tundra" letters already.) I need to take a minute and finish wiring in the backup camera now.