The Frankenstein Build: 1996 Tacoma Long Travel/Expo/Trail Rig

[Blackdawg]

Alberta Bound!-15.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
Hey everyone, thanks for looking through my build!

This is the build and story of my Tacoma, Frankenstein. I bought the truck as a junior in high school fulling my dream I'd had since I was about 10 years old of owning a Tacoma with 96k on it. I started modifying it in college and ever since then, haven't stopped.

A LOT has happened to this truck in the process, namely, I rolled it. my first trip to Moab in 2012 i flopped in on a dirt road at night for a number of reasons and crunched the cab up good. But I found another 96 cab from a 5 lugger 2wd truck in Idaho for 500 bucks and swapped it on. Thus, Frankenstein was born. Since then, I seem to almost break something every trip or so and often resort to junk yards for parts. As it stands now, 10 or so other Tacoma have donated parts to the cause. So he really is Frankenstein.

I have documented just about everything i have done to the truck and at a certain point in the build I started doing very detailed posts. You will also notice the change from using my ipad as my camera to a real DSLR haha!


Anyways, i hope you enjoy it. I am ALL about open discussion about ANYTHING. My other build thread has over 10k replies in it because i like to talk trucks with anyone no topic has gone untouched and it never gets old so ask questions!

I will also be hyper linking ever mod in the OP so you can easily skip the BS and go right to the mod/pictures.

Thanks!





Current setup::

Christina Lake 2016.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr
LongTravel Install-149.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


MODS:

• Armor
  
  • Elite Offroad Front Bumper Custom
  • Elite Offroad Rear Wrap Around Bumper with Swingout. Tire Carrier, Table, Jerry can
  • Modified RAT front skid
  • BAMF Diff skid
  • BAMF Kickout Sliders
• Suspenstion
  
  • MCM Fab 3.5'' over Long Travel kit with ADS Coilovers
  • Rear FrankenFab leafs 10'' 5150s
  
  
• Wheels/Tires
  
  • Summit racing 15x8 Steel rims with 3.75'' Backspacing
  • Goodyear MTR/K 35x12.5r15
  • 1.5'' wheel spacers on the back
• Drive train/Performance
  
  • Yukon 5.29 Diff gears installed by myself
  • Magnaflow 14'' Muffler with custom piping to 3'' tip
  • AFE ProDry Air Filter
  • BEEFED Carrier Bearing Drop 1.5''
  • Trail Gear Ceramic 6 puck Clutch
  • Trail Gear BOMB Proof Solid Motor Mounts
  • 4xinovations Solid Transmission Mount
  • TRD Supercharger Gray body
  • URD 7th Injector
  • URD 2.1'' Pulley
• Lighting/Electrical
  
  • Light Force 240s 100w Halogens
  • 4 - Hella 500FFs converted to 55w HIDs
  • PIAA 510 ION Fog lights
  • Custom made Mirror lights with 6'' Blitzpro LEDs
  • 2 - 21s Hawk Blitzpro LED bars side firing
  • 2 - 4'' Blitzpro LED pods for rear fills and custom made Camp lights on extension Poles
  • 2 - Rear firing Blitzpro 6'' LED bars
  • 4 - 1' Ridged LED bars firing into the bed
  • GM CS144 alternator swap. 140amp
  • Dual Yellow Top Batteries with custom solenoid
  • 12v power plug in the Bed
  • 600w Power Inverter
  • 4 - 5 1/4" Sony Xplod speakers
  • 2 - Kicker 100w 6x9 three way speakers in separate boxes
  • 2 - Alpine Type X 1000w subs in vented box
  • 500w JBL 4ch Amp
  • 4000w SSL Mono block amp
  • 3.4 Farad Capacitor
  • Custom made Bussman Relay box
  • Custom made switch panel with master ON Switch
• Recovery
  
  • XRC8 Smitty Built 8000lb Winch with Synth Line and repacked grease
  • LOTS of tools
  • LOTS of spare parts
  • Axe
  • Shovel
• Coms/Nav
  
  • Uinden 520xl Pro CB with 5' Firestik Antenna
  • Icom 5100A DSTAR HAM Radio
• Trip Reports
  
  • The SOS Trip Report

Will be updating list as i post the mods with links.

 

[herecomestony]

Your truck looks awesome. Good job!

 

[Blackdawg]

Okay, bear with me, because the begining is slow and my god, the photos are awful! haha

So to start, i should mention that my first vehicle as a teen as an amazing 1986 toyota pickup. It was amazing. So much character. I loved that truck. I came with the first 4 speed automatic that toyota put in the 4x4s, and it was a total dog and usless transmision haha but man it was a good truck. It would go anywhere in 4 lo. Sadly, a very unfortunate event happened. My dad had been build a new shop in our back yard and was gone for work. So, it being Wyoming and freaking cold in November, i decided to park in the almost complete building for the first time. I had also just installed a nice little stereo in the truck with my dad the week before he left. Total custom box and everything.



However, our neighbor across the alley got in a fight with his girl friend and decided to break into the new build, steal a bunch of tools and my stereo. Then go over to my Lawn Mowing buissness trailer, take the gas can and drench the seat of the truck and light it on fire.

Needless to say...the truck..didn't make it.




I was devastated.

But after about a week and a half, as we were driving by the Toyota dealership on the way to Cody, i spotted a Tacoma in the back lot. Fresh from being traded in. I bought it the next day.

Here is the earliest photos i have of unmolested Frank. Least, unmolested by me..






It had a bull bar and a small lift. I think it was a Rancharo lift or something. Had lift coils that were wore out and 1.5'' blocks out back. Of course I barely knew what that was at the time...

I did however put a overkill stereo system in it, I was 17..it was cool at the time and i still have it in there! However, as an audio production guy, i have since retuned it and never blast it like i did as a stupid high schooler.

System is as follows:

Pioneer UD4100 (discontinued)
Sony xplod 5 1/4" Door speakers and rear panel speakers.
Kicker 6x9" rear speakers in separate boxes
2 Alpine Type X 10'' subs in a vented box
SSL 4000w Mono block sub amp
Sony 600w 4ch amp




This system will change in arrangement and i kill a few amps later..

 

[Blackdawg]

Your truck looks awesome. Good job!

Thanks! Stay tuned to see how it got there

 

[Blackdawg]

Next was cleaning up the stock wheels. I liked the look, but they had seen better days..

So I sanded them down and repainted them! Made a bigger difference then i thought it would..
















Then, I took it out with the lil Bro and did what god intended...wheeled it

Plus took of the sway bar. Best free mod ever!

 

[Blackdawg]

I also added some Hella 500s convereted to 55w HIDs i snagged for super cheap. wired up two.









But..i had 4...sooo....why not?

 

[Blackdawg]

The truck was fun to drive and really enjoyed it, but the suspension was shot. 3 of the 4 shocks were leaking bad and the leafs were sad. So, i decided to lift it while i replaced the suspension.

I REALLY wanted to put Long Travel on the truck, but it was well out of my price range at the time. So i went a more affordable route.

I got Toytech Eibach coils to go with 5100s up front, and 5150s for the rear with Wheelers Offroad 5 pack leafs (Basically Alcans at the time, Wheelers gets them from China or India now) and 1'' lift shackles.







Then swapped it all on!

Before:







During and after!









Then, went and tested it out

 

[Blackdawg]

Road WAY different! But better. And i knew it would get better with the future weight i was planning on adding.

However, i didn't love it. The rear was too low compared to the front. So i ordered the AAL Wheelers makes for their leaf packs too. I also needed longer rear shocks as i basically was maxing out the 8.5'' 5150s just sitting. So i ordered 10'' ones as well.

I also hated how tall and skinny the truck looked. I think it was the supra background that made me want it wide. so i ordered some 1.5'' wheel spacers to push out the small 31'' KM2s.






With 1.5'' spacer


Stock


I used extended thread lugs on all of the spacers. Highly recommend!



Spacer on.



Vs no spacer




Got the new shocks on and then it looked good and rode nice. Still a bit stiff..but not for long





Then i decided to spice things up and add some decals. I had the bedside ones made and the hood one too.



I also got a custom exhaust installed. Its a 14'' Magnaflow and sounds mean! Bit loud for most, but i was still in real young and it is just a rig now so i love it I have better pictures of the custom routed piping later.

 

[Blackdawg]

Truck was starting too look nice!






Damn, i LOVE that color..miss it often

 

[Simo_4x4]

My compliments !!! It's one of most beautiful Tacoma that I have seen !!!

 

[Blackdawg]

My compliments !!! It's one of most beautiful Tacoma that I have seen !!!

Thank you!



I will post more today. Hopefully I'll be able to post stuff daily till I'm caught up here.

 

[Simo_4x4]

Not at all !

It will be a pleasure to see more pics !

My favourite modification of your Taco is long travel arms on front suspension. It's a work that I would make even on my Hilux

 

[Blackdawg]

Just got off job 1. Have to go to job two and o do some more posts.

The long travel is AWESOME. I love it. Wish I could have done that to begin with.

 

[Simo_4x4]

I guess ! It's a really good job, although it's expensive...but certainly in the future I will even I

The track width has been expanded ?

 

[Adventurous]

I've always loved your build, but what I have loved even more are the places and adventures you've taken on the truck on. Good to see you over on this site as well.