July 29, 2019. In perhaps our most-traveled month to date, July was nearly an entire month in Idaho. In fact, we've had four trips in the last couple of months to this tiny state - after only having visited once before. After our SE Idaho trip to Indian Hot Springs and City of Rocks, our trip to the Highest Roads in Idaho, and running the Idaho Backcountry Discovery route, there are definitely a few things worth mentioning on the rig. So let's get right down to it. Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews The Electrical System - now with moar…
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Everything on AdventureTaco is Epic, but only posts in this category will be sent via email to those who have subscribed to be notified of new content. A post with this category should always be included in at least one other category as well.
May 27, 2019. That sure didn't take long. It's been two years that we've been upping our adventure quotient, and the odometer is a stark reminder of what living in the northwest corner of the country can do. Still, it's a nice gig if you can get it! And while we're reminiscing - let's take a look at the truck a mere 3 years ago and today. Definitely a different beast! Looked good stock. Looks better now. As always, stay tuned for more .
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April 29, 2019. The trip to the Alvord Desert and Hart Mountain Antelope National Wildlife Refuge was one that we threw together relatively quickly and without much work on the truck after the previous trip. The only work really was maintenance - an oil change, tire rotation, and re-booting the passenger CV axle. That said, as the trip progressed, there were still several items worth noting. Unchanged / Still an issue from previous Rig Reviews There are some things that have been featured in Rig Reviews that are - as yet - unchanged from when I originally reviewed them. Rather…
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Rig Review is a new type of post that I'm going to try to write up after most trips, where I'll note any things that worked really well, or could have been better. The idea has always been to optimize the Tacoma build and setup over time, so there's nothing really new from that perspective. I won't talk about everything I've got going on - just new equipment to the trip and/or any outliers that deserve a mention. At the very least, I figure that long-term, real-world reviews of the products I use are good for everyone! March 30, 2019.…
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Rig Review is a new type of post that I'm going to try to write up after most trips, where I'll note any things that worked really well, or could have been better. The idea has always been to optimize the Tacoma build and setup over time, so there's nothing really new from that perspective. I won't talk about everything I've got going on - just new equipment to the trip and/or any outliers that deserve a mention. At the very least, I figure that long-term, real-world reviews of the products I use are good for everyone! February 18, 2019.…
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Rig Review is a new type of post that I'm going to try to write up after most trips, where I'll note any things that worked really well, or could have been better. The idea has always been to optimize the Tacoma build and setup over time, so there's nothing really new from that perspective. I won't talk about everything I've got going on - just new equipment to the trip and/or any outliers that deserve a mention. At the very least, I figure that long-term, real-world reviews of the products I use are good for everyone! October 16, 2018.…
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Rig Review is a new type of post that I'm going to try to write up after most trips, where I'll note any things that worked really well, or could have been better. The idea has always been to optimize the Tacoma build and setup over time, so there's nothing really new from that perspective. I won't talk about everything I've got going on - just new equipment to the trip and/or any outliers that deserve a mention. At the very least, I figure that long-term, real-world reviews of the products I use are good for everyone! September 8, 2018.…
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March 24, 2018. "I feel sorry for anyone who needs a cam bolt sleeve in the Seattle area this weekend." said Mike @Digiratus as he and Zane @Speedytech7 walked in the door a little after 4:30pm. See, they'd just driven a 50-mile loop to get every last one they could find - since we were in the process of destroying all four of Mike's. But we are way ahead of ourselves. For several months, Dan @drr and Mike have been planning a shop day. Mike wanted to install a new set of W53377A Whiteline LCA bushings as well as a new steering rack…
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December 31, 2017 Well, this happened yesterday. Definitely racking up the miles faster than I used to, but there are a lot of good miles to go!
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This is a whole different kind of trip report. In fact, it doesn't involve my truck at all, and is yet perhaps the most Tacoma-heavy trip report I'll ever make (and that has perhaps been made to date) on TW! You see, we have somewhat of a tradition each winter - as the weather gets cold and gloomy in the Pacific Northwest, we escape for a week to Kauai. We always try to stay in the same cottage; we eat lunch every day at our favorite café on the island. We walk the beach, we snorkel, and we relax. We…
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October 13, 2017. Two wise men once told me: If you're going to get bigger tires, then you should consider bigger wheels at the same time. Because with bigger wheels, you can fit Tundra brakes. So yeah, these showed up today... When they did, the UPS guy said, "Were you expecting me?" and "What kind of vehicle?" and it was clear that he'd been checking them out. @mrs.turbodb suggested that he may have been even more excited than me.
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September 3, 2016. Ever since the truck was broken into in the alley, its place at night has been in the garage. That isn't simple, since the garage was built in 1925, and is only 1" longer than a stock 2000 Toyota Tacoma 4WD. I mean, I did have to sacrifice…by removing the tow hitch so it would fit. But with the new armor the truck was lengthened by 3½", due primarily to the Predator hoops on the front bumper. No problem I thought - we'll just knock out the front wall of the garage and go along our merry…
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July 26, 2013. We're headed home from work, just about to get on the freeway and I push the clutch in to change gears. The clutch never comes up. I reach down while trying to keep an eye on the road, squirm my fingers behind the pedal, and physically pull it back out. I'm now in 3rd gear. Not happy, we pull over before getting on the freeway and I give the clutch a try again. The clutch never comes up. At this point I know something's wrong, but I have no idea what, so I put the truck in…
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January 19, 2012 We had our biggest snowstorm ever in January 2012 - 6+ inches that stayed on the ground for over a week. Of course, in Seattle, that wreaks havoc and this day was no different. At 8pm a call came in from Shahar - he'd slipped into a ditch and needed help. An opportunity to tow? Traction chains required? Yes and yes and sign me up! Of course, the truck didn't just pull him out of the ditch. It dragged him home.
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2008. I forgot to lock the truck last night. Actually, I rarely lock my truck. I mean, we live in a neighborhood of 75-80 year-olds. But apparently there is some hooligan in Woodridge too. A hooligan who opened the truck, rummaged through the glove box, and took several invaluable artifacts: My Tacoma owner's manual. My gas log The piece of door jam sheet metal that had my VIN information They did not take: My Maglite flashlight My tape measure The $20 in the change tray OK, obviously this guy was a moron. In terms of real value, he missed the…
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June 23, 2008. There was a time when I was working with Dad on some job site when we went and filled up the back of his Jeep (1989 Cherokee Laredo) with bags of concrete, and he pulled out a bike pump to inflate his rear shocks. I was hooked. It took me 8 years, and lots of heavy trips to the dump (from home renovations) but I finally bit the bullet and bought some Gabriel air shocks. Installation was straight forward for a pro, but I was far from a pro, having only ever disabled the daytime running lights.…
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November/December 2006 It's snowing! The truck loves snow. Snow means pulling people out of ditches, driving on roads that are impassable by cars, and having an all-around good time. One night I headed over to pick up Gina from school (the buses had stopped running) and the unthinkable happened. Getting off the Montlake exit in Seattle, the car in front of me slammed on it's brakes. I did the same, and started to fishtail. Already going slowly, it didn't take long (time or distance) to come to a stop, but just as the truck came to a rest, the font…
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I found out today that the truck loves landscaping. That is all.
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November 12, 2004. Two weeks after moving from an apartment in Redmond to a house in Bellevue, we were setting up the house after work (at about 10pm) and there was a knock at the front door. And then, Gina found me in the back room and said, "someone needs to talk to you." Headed to the door, I had no idea that I'd soon hear that the son of the neighbor across the street had backed out of their driveway and into my truck, with his GMC Jimmy. The result - Toyota of Burien cut out and replaced the…
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August 1, 2001. While the ABS brakes may have been a lucky break (in certain on-road situations), one thing I wasn't going to put up with were the daytime running lights (DRL) that I couldn't turn off. Three things bugged me: First, what if I wanted to drive around a campground with just my parking lights on, so as to not disturb other campers. Second, they used the same bulbs as my headlights, and I didn't want to have to pony up $3 too often. And lastly, just imagine what they'd do to my gas mileage. I mean sure, it…
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