Andrew's 2010 Tundra

First off, I'll refrain from using the 'E' word at any point in this build, lest the die-hards smite me. However, the goal is to use this for all ex...I mean, "navigational endeavors" for the purpose of further discovering what this beautiful state has hidden in it's vast mountainous terrain. Now how's that for political correctness?

It will be a very, very, very slow build but it's going to happen. First item on the agenda, bed rack. All-Pro makes a nice one for the Tacoma, but nothing for the Tundra...and apparently nobody else does either. So, while I'm in Vegas for Thanksgiving, we'll be building something very similar to what you see below. Plan is to bring it home raw and get it powder coated locally. Why Vegas? Because it's warmer, there's a HUGE shop, welder, tube bender and I won't be working!

Sweet. Those allpro bed racks are insanely expensive for what they are. Good call building it yourself.

Will this replace the need for a 3rd gen Runner, or are you still planning on a 3rd gen?

No need for a 3rd gen. I'll keep the 1st gen around for now, just in case someone's up for running Mineral Basin...

I think this is a fantastic idea. Did you hear back from Rocky Road at all?

from my experience, Rocky Road is pretty sketchy. I've had some buddies work there, and it was shady for sure.

They had a thing up that they were looking for a Tundra to test fit, which normally means free goodies, so I was wondering if Andrew had managed to get in on that.

But yeah, I probably wouldn't give them money either. Any local vendor that isn't on RME is automatically sketchy until proven otherwise, as far as I'm concerned.

Nope, never heard back from them

clfrnacwby wrote:No need for a 3rd gen. I'll keep the 1st gen around for now, just in case someone's up for running Mineral Basin...

I hear 3rd Gens can run Mineral!

I like what you've got planned for the rack! You may be able to sell a few of those locally.

I'll bet this tundra can run mineral.

I nominate Andrews Tundra as our official DesertRunners Backcountry Support Vehicle. He can carry our spare tires and stuff.

eta - he can carry our trucks when we break down, too.

Kevin wrote:I nominate Andrews Tundra as our official DesertRunners Backcountry Support Vehicle. He can carry our spare tires and stuff.

I'll get him a 24" sticker for his tailgate!!

Kevin wrote:I nominate Andrews Tundra as our official DesertRunners Backcountry Support Vehicle. He can carry our spare tires and stuff.

eta - he can carry our trucks when we break down, too.

I second this!

let's just get him a crane and he can lift our rigs into the back of his truck and haul them off.

Perfect. Andrew, instead of building a bed rack please flatbed your Tundra.

Whoa, this is getting out of control! Not really, these are my exact ideas as well (all but the flatbed ). It will be used to haul gear and perform recovery, if needed. I won't go crazy on lifts or "blingin'" tires, but would rather spend the $ to get the "right" equipment I know I need. After the rack, here are my plans.

Suspension
For now, I'll do front only to level things out. My rear is about 2" higher than the front. A set of Camburg 2.5" CRS Coilovers should take care of that.

Armor
I hate body damage so sliders are a must.

I would love to have this bumper holding a Smittybilt X2O 12,000lb electric winch.

Other than that, I'll just make sure I have all the necessary tools, onboard air, etc.

That bumper is AWESOME!!

dutchman wrote:That bumper is AWESOME!!

x2!



For upper control arms, i HIGHLY recommend the SPC ones. (I can't add a link since I haven't been here for 7 days yet).

lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/light-racing-spc-upper-control-arms-07-toyota-tundra-09-sequoia-25490.html

My buddies all have icon/allpro/camburgs, and I much prefer these ones. Plus you can get your alignment back to spec and adjust castor and camber. These are what I'm running on my runner right now. They may not look as sexy as a uniball, but they don't squeak, they're super beefy, and they flat out work. Plus my alignment is back to stock.

also, one other thing to consider on the front suspension. With how much snow, salt, and grime we run into in this state, nice coilovers usually need to be rebuilt every year or two. I had 2.5" icons on one of my past tacomas and I wasn't impressed. Plus they got hammered their first winter.

I'm not an ARB fanboy, but I am an OME fanboy. Everyone online told me to go with the icon coilovers, and while they looked nice and rode ok, they blew a seal, leaked, and needed to be rebuilt in less than a year. I ended up running Old Man Emus on the front of my next tacoma and I like them 100 times more. In the fast, in the slow, on the road, they were way better than my icons (which is ironic since the icons cost 3x as much). Plus they're sealed and the salt/grime/snow doesn't get in there. Mine are still in fantastic shape after lots of miles. I never thought I'd say it, but for my needs/use, I'll take OME suspension over any other suspension, regardless of price.

sixstringsteve wrote:lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/light-racing-spc-upper-control-arms-07-toyota-tundra-09-sequoia-25490.html

I've literally got nothing done at work this week

The research I've done confirms that replacing the UCA's with these will help with alignment. They are not required, but recommended. They're on my list.

sixstringsteve wrote:I'll take OME suspension over any other suspension, regardless of price.

I've done lots of research here as well. OME, unfortunately, doesn't make a Tundra coilover. They do have replacement coil springs/strut that will lift the same as a coilover. However, once a bumper is added, the coilover is supposed to squat less. General consensus is that ICON is actually CRAPCON (plus, their coilovers aren't even rebuildable). So, I've steered away from them. I then went to the Toytec coilovers, but a lot of Tundra owners recommended you spend the extra $150 to get Camburgs.

I'm probably looking at Spring before I put these on, so maybe OME will have a new product out by then...

clfrnacwby wrote:Whoa, this is getting out of control! Not really, these are my exact ideas as well (all but the flatbed ). It will be used to haul gear and perform recovery, if needed. I won't go crazy on lifts or "blingin'" tires, but would rather spend the $ to get the "right" equipment I know I need. After the rack, here are my plans.

Suspension
For now, I'll do front only to level things out. My rear is about 2" higher than the front. A set of Camburg 2.5" CRS Coilovers should take care of that.

Armor
I hate body damage so sliders are a must.

I would love to have this bumper holding a Smittybilt X2O 12,000lb electric winch.

Other than that, I'll just make sure I have all the necessary tools, onboard air, etc.

I really like where this is going.

Even if there's no flatbed.

clfrnacwby wrote:I've done lots of research here as well. OME, unfortunately, doesn't make a Tundra coilover. They do have replacement coil springs/strut that will lift the same as a coilover. However, once a bumper is added, the coilover is supposed to squat less. General consensus is that ICON is actually CRAPCON (plus, their coilovers aren't even rebuildable). So, I've steered away from them. I then went to the Toytec coilovers, but a lot of Tundra owners recommended you spend the extra $150 to get Camburgs.

I'm probably looking at Spring before I put these on, so maybe OME will have a new product out by then...

As I'm sure you know, OME has two different lift rates for the tundras. One is a "medium" spring, for 0-200 lbs extra weight, and the other is a "heavy" spring for 200+ lbs on the front. That'll keep it from squatting with a big bumper and winch.

Heavy coil for the Tundras:

lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/yotamain/tundra/2007-2008-2009-2010-toyota-tundra-leveling-suspension-lift-kits/tundra-5-7l-old-man-emu-stock-light-load-suspension-kit-ometun57hk.html


Just something else to consider in your research. I've been really really happy with mine.

sixstringsteve wrote:http://lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php/yotamain/tundra/2007-2008-2009-2010-toyota-tundra-leveling-suspension-lift-kits/tundra-5-7l-old-man-emu-stock-light-load-suspension-kit-ometun57hk.html

I love advice from knowledgable, trustworthy people - thanks Steve! This is the kit I'll be going with. From what I've read, though, if you don't already have the additional weight you shouldn't put on the heavy duty springs. The result is a very rough ride and possibly even damage to other components. DARN...guess I HAVE to get the bumper/winch combo first...

Another cool thin about the OMEs: They us the same shock between the mediums and the heavies. The only difference is the coil which is removable. In other words, you can run the medium setup for a year or two until you get a winch. once you get a winch, for $150 you can buy the stiffer springs and swap them out for the old ones. And usually you can sell used springs for around $100. That way you don't have to get a new bumper.

or you could save $150 and just get the bumper and the heavies at the same time.

if you do end up getting the OMEs up front, i'd recommend getting an OME rear setup too. Usually the entire lift is around $1000-1200, including front and rear. The shocks/springs work really well together. They ride like the vehicle was supposed to ride from the factory.

in the rear, OME has an add-a-leaf if your rear end is sagging due to a RTT or other heavy weight.