2017 Tacoma

Build Specs

Year: 2017
Make: Toyota
Model: TRD Off-road 4×4
Engine: 3.5L 2GR-FKS V6
Transmission: 6 speed auto
Lift Kit: Arizona Desert Racing 2.5″ Shocks and Dakar Leaf springs
Tires: Falken Wildpeak AT3W 265/75R16
Living Quarters: GFC and Kinsmen Hardware 270 Awning

The Qbaum Taco Shack

Welcome to my shack, my name is Cody and this is my idea of a daily driver and adventure ready Tacoma build. The Tacoma is the first brand new vehicle I ever bought. I drove the brand new Tacoma off the lot in January 2017 and started making it in my own image right away. The overall build philosophy has been to use high quality parts that will last the life of the truck, “Buy once Cry once”, to make this a unique adventure Tacoma that can quickly and easily be converted back to a daily driver during the week. I believe in working on my own rig and only modding when necessary, trying to not buy equipment I don’t see a need for. If you’re interested in a faster lifestyle, check out my 2019 Rzr Turbo build here.

GFC & KINSMEN HARDWARE 270 AWNING

I was an early adopter of this camper in 2018, being build #96 as the company launched this new product. My wife and I drove ~5,000 miles, round trip, to install the camper in Bozeman, Montana at GFC HQ in November of 2018. We were also early adopters of the Kinsmen Hardware 270 awning, being in the 1sr batch of awnings, and was the first GFC owner to have a Kinsmen 270 mounted to the camper, I worked closely with the owner to prototype a GFC specific mount.

Lift Kit

I went big on suspension since I wanted something that would last a long time and be rebuild-able. In comes the ADS 2.5″ shocks with remote reservoirs and adjusters. These are supplemented with Dakar HD springs, SPC upper control arms, steel braided extended brake lines, and Durobump bumpstops. Read more about this on my post : Lift Kit.

Dissent offroad Aluminum bumper

I have followed Dissent Offroad for a long time. Nothing but quality, high grade parts and great customer service out of this shop. I bought the 3rd (newest) version of their Tacoma bumper in all aluminum with the stinger. I added a 9.5 rsi Come-Up winch with a Factor 55 Flat Splicer that I spliced on myself using their fast fid (youtube How-To video by Oscar). Full write up: Installing a Dissent Offroad bumper on a 2017 Tacoma.

Falken Wildpeak AT3W

I went with Falken tires after a lot of research across many forums. Based on reviews and price point I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised. These tires have gotten me thru everything from wet Georgia clay, ice and snow in the dead of winter in Montana/Wyoming, and the steep rocks of Moab, Utah. I chose 265/75R16 to maintain close to stock gearing and it kept my speedometer/odometer accurate without having to buy a tuner.

Power Distribution

When staying off the map you typically need to power some of the finer things in life. This brings me to my power distribution system. I went DIY with a Blue seas 12 circuit fuse box, 100 amp bussman circuit breaker, blue seas 12v/dual usb port, paranoid fabrication mount. I topped this off with a X2 Power 24F battery (Northstar) and a Goal Zero 400W solar generator. This sytem powers my Dometic fridge, phones, and led lights in the camper. We can power anything we need and charge the starter battery and GZ 400W while driving. Read more about this on my post : Power Distribution.

T.P.A.M.

The Toyota Powered Accessory Mount (T.P.A.M.) is a nice piece of gear, sold by Expedition Essentials, I use to mount my phone, tablet, and whatever else I need to. It puts everything in an easy to reach location that doesn’t take up much windshield space. This version is the T.P.A.M.2 and has 2 usb ports for charging your devices. Additional charging ports is always nice and this function is used daily in my rig. Read more about this on my post : T.P.A.M.

Bartact Pet Divider

We love to travel with our 2 dogs, a 70lb Husky and a 60lb American Bulldog rescue, but at times their presence in the truck can get overbearing. They are such loving dogs that they want to be sitting right on top of you instead of the backseat, and that can make driving difficult. So I starting searching for a multi-purpose seat divider and found Bartact. This piece of gear creates a soft barrier to keep the dogs in the backseat and provides another space to store items in an easy to reach location. Read more about this on my post : Bartact Pet Divider

Orange Virus Tacoma Tune

After adding slightly larger tires, a camper, awning, and towing the Rzr to trails the Tacoma needed a little extra umph. Matt from OV Tune has really made this a different truck OV Tune gave me just that, with selectable tunes (3 modes to choose from) and different shift points I now have options for when I am driving around town, off map, or towing the Rzr. Matt has recently released the 1st Tacoma 3.5L twin turbo kit that might add the power this truck lacks after all these mods, what do y’all think, should we Twin Turbo the Taco Shack?