Inferno.Overland's '04 Tundra DC Build

Go4Lo

Explorer
We are the proud owners of a well loved 2004 Double Cab SR5 4wd that will slowly be transformed into our next overland adventure rig. Some of you may follow us on Instagram but for those that don't our previous truck was a 2016 Inferno Orange (hence the name :rolleyes:) set up for overland travel. After 9 months of ownership and 16K on it we decided for a number of reasons to sell the truck and move back into a 1st Gen Tundra double cab. Most said we were crazy to ditch the new taco for an "old" truck with 220K miles, basic creature comforts and a standard 4wd system...no CRAWL control here. However, as good as the Tacoma was the thought of ditching a car payment, having more horsepower, more cabin room for future family growth and a new project won out. Don't get me wrong I have nothing negative to say about the 3rd Gen Tacoma, it was fantastic and I'm thankful for the time and adventures we got to experience with it.

Fast foward a few weeks and we were swapping the keys to the Tacoma over for a check from the new owner who took her from NC back home to FL. Now that the Tacoma is officially gone we have shifted our focus to prepping the Tundra.

Day one :sombrero:

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Snapped a few pics to show the size comparison between a 3rd Gen Tacoma and the 1st Gen Tundra DC. Crazy how "big" the Tacoma's are now.

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First order of business was to remove the chrome step bars, plastic bed liner and make a backyard body shop repair to the front bumper. Eventual goal is to add plate style winch bumper but in the interim a few hours of sanding and several cans of Duplicolor perfect match Phantom Gray Pearl coat had her looking pretty darn spiffy :elkgrin:

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On the Tacoma we had been running a bed rack set up with a large Tepui Gran Sabana RTT. The set up worked well on that truck but moving into a new build on a different platform has me itching to try a different set up. With the underlying theme of "keep it simple" on this truck the late night Craigslist searches began for a used camper shell. The old adage of "3rd times the charm" certainly held true in my quest for the right shell. Without going into too much detail I'll simply say that I found out the hard way the last 6-8" of the rear bed on a 04-06 Double Cab Tundra is quite different than that of an Access Cab Tundra. A shell designed for an Access Cab truck will "work" but if you suffer from OCD like me the fitment at rear of the truck will drive you nuts. The Craigslist searches did pay off finally with the sourcing of a correct shell from another Double Cab truck that we picked up this past weekend for 1/4 of the cost of a new shell. The only negative is this shell is white and my truck is gray....no biggie as it goes well with my green tailgate :(. I hope to have both painted to match the rest of the truck in the coming weeks.

This is how she is sitting as of today with her fancy new shell and green tailgate just patiently waiting on the UPS man to deliver new suspension, tires, wheels and bunch of other goodies.

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AaronK

Explorer
4 lo 1st gear is our crawl control haha. Nice truck!

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Shadowkross

New member
Looking good! I love the 3rd gen Tacos as well but the price just really pushed me away from them, and these older Tundras sure are a good value these days!
 

tyv12

Adventurer
Nice find, 1 Gen popularity seems to be on the rise awesome to see all the variety of idea
 

Shradicalwyo

Adventurer
I feel you on the topper detail! If only you were closer we could trade... I've got a grey one made for a double cab on my white truck.

Also, I'm glad somebody finally put up a picture of a 3rd gen taco compared to a 1st gen tundra. They look massive!
 

Go4Lo

Explorer
I'm not a fan of 1st Gen Tundras and I definitely won't be watching this build. ;) lol

That's ok, I can't stand 4th Gen 4Runner builds...:sombrero:

Looking forward to your progress.

Nice find, 1 Gen popularity seems to be on the rise awesome to see all the variety of idea

Read through your whole build last night...lots of good ideas!

I feel you on the topper detail! If only you were closer we could trade... I've got a grey one made for a double cab on my white truck.

Also, I'm glad somebody finally put up a picture of a 3rd gen taco compared to a 1st gen tundra. They look massive!

Road trip to trade toppers? Local body guy I've used in the past quoted me $400 to color match the topper. Just need to find time to leave it with him along with the green tailgate...


Grey/White topper isn't that bad! View attachment 376927

No, it's not nearly as bad as red or blue or some bright color. Nice truck! What lift/tire set up are you running?
 

character zero

dangerfoot
That's ok, I can't stand 4th Gen 4Runner builds...:sombrero:

Looking forward to your progress.



Read through your whole build last night...lots of good ideas!



Road trip to trade toppers? Local body guy I've used in the past quoted me $400 to color match the topper. Just need to find time to leave it with him along with the green tailgate...




No, it's not nearly as bad as red or blue or some bright color. Nice truck! What lift/tire set up are you running?

Thanks! King coilovers up front, Bilstiens rear with a deaver AAL - keeps the factory rake.
FN Wheels 5-Star 17" wrapped in Nitto TG 285/75s.

I might have a line on some cheap vinyl wrap, so I might end up with a black wrap on the white topper...I just don't see the $500 to paint it. I know that ARE uses a gel coat on the white finish, so that takes a bit more prep/specialist work.
 

KTempleton

Observer
Thanks! King coilovers up front, Bilstiens rear with a deaver AAL - keeps the factory rake.
FN Wheels 5-Star 17" wrapped in Nitto TG 285/75s.

I might have a line on some cheap vinyl wrap, so I might end up with a black wrap on the white topper...I just don't see the $500 to paint it. I know that ARE uses a gel coat on the white finish, so that takes a bit more prep/specialist work.

I had a black first gen Tacoma and picked up a green camper. I was able to get the paint at oreilly's in a paint can. I thinned it out to almost water and rolled it on with a foam roller. It came out amazing. I think it took close to 8-10 coats with wet sanding in between, working up to 2000 grit and then a polish and wax. but it matched the truck perfectly. I think i did all for under $150 but was time consuming over 2 weeks or so.

I took the steps from some guys that have done the Rustoleum roll on jobs but I used the Toyota color code instead. if you google it there are lots of show cars that have gone that route with many step by step articles.
 

seanpistol

Explorer
Check out automotivetouchup.com for color match rattle cans.

Didn't you used to have a ************ access cab?
 

JCMatthews

Tour Guide
The phantom grey looks good with a white or silver topper.
 

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Go4Lo

Explorer
Check out automotivetouchup.com for color match rattle cans.

Didn't you used to have a ************ access cab?

Yes sir! Had an 02' Tundra that I bought from Speedtre on here back in 2010. Added the custom front and rear bumpers and sliders to it. I think you reference the rear bumper early in your build thread. Funny how life comes full circle.....

These are still floating around on the interwebs :smiley_drive:

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The phantom grey looks good with a white or silver topper.
Yeah I know, just OCD... Love the 17" steelies on your truck. What tire size are you running?
 

Go4Lo

Explorer
The parts are starting to trickle in so we decided to tear into the front suspension last night. For this build and overall theme of keep it simple I decided to try the recently released Bilstein 6112 set up for our trucks. Hot the press Bilstein just released a 6112 front kit with a matching set of 5160s for the rear in mid-November. It's nice to know some of the manufacturers are still putting out innovative products for this platform. A good read on it: http://mrtmotorsports.org/news/blog/2016/09/23/definitive-bilstein-6112-shock-guide/

Having run true 2.5" coilovers on the last two trucks (Fox and SAW) I thought we'd try a different approach on this truck. In theory these 6112s should be a happy medium between the 5100s and a true coilover. With a 60mm shock body they are basically a non-serviceable 2.5" coilover with 8 fixed ride height positions (0-2.5). The kit comes with a set of matching coils. I can't find a definitive answer on who manufactures the coils or their spring weight but everything i've read leads me to believe they are Eibach 600 or 650lb coils.

They are massive!!

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Installed photo. We treated her to a new set of rotors and pads while we were in there too :smiley_drive:

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tyv12

Adventurer
Very cool with with the bilstiens, if they ride well that's the direction I'll be going. I have SAW race runners and they are amazing on large bumps but way too harsh on regular highway driving


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