TL;DR - I replaced the only metal component in the cabinet with wood, and the rattling is gone! The inside of the cab is remarkably quiet(er) ever since I sound deadened everything. However, my dual battery cabinet has been rattling almost since I installed it. The problem is that the…
Leave a CommentMods and Maintenance: Interior
TL;DR - I've raised the height of the center console by 1½ inches, and it's much more comfortable to lean on now, since it's the same height as the arm rest on the door. You know how they say it's bad to keep your wallet in your back pocket because…
Leave a Comment
I've been through this before. Not all that long ago really. But the story bears repeating - at least partially - because, eventually, we all need new seats. And now - at long last - I have some! The last few years have seen the number of miles on the…
6 Comments
The last few years have seen the number of miles on the Tacoma explode. It took 16 years for me to put the first 60K miles on the truck, and now - almost exactly 5 years later - it's sitting at 188,994! It's been a great ride overall, though I…
6 Comments
TL;DR - An appropriately sized (slightly thicker) spacer between the opener and the roof of the Tacoma makes the opener work quite a bit better! Fixing the garage door opener that I installed in the headliner couldn't have been easier. It turns out that there was about ½" of space…
Leave a Comment
TL;DR - After 21 years, my seats are worn out and I need to get new ones or refurbish the ones I've got. It was somewhere in the middle of these trips that I really started to feel my seat being worn out. Until then, I'd felt like the Tacoma…
Leave a Comment
TL;DR - The trim piece for the garage door opener fell off on a bumpy trail. I need to secure it...more securely. When I installed the garage door opener in the headliner - still one of my favorite mods from a convenience perspective - it was difficult to get the…
Leave a Comment
TL;DR - I need to find a way to secure the drawer a little more securely in the cabinet to stop it from rattling. The inside of the cab is remarkably quiet now that I've sound deadened everything. Because of that, I notice and am bothered by the drawer where…
Leave a Comment
TL;DR - the A/C blew cold this entire trip and seems to be going strong. After a couple attempts at fixing the A/C, ultimately replacing the evaporator core (and other inside-the-cabin components), the receiver/drier, and ultimately the compressor, I think the A/C is working now. I'll keep monitoring it over…
Leave a Comment
TL;DR - I did a big sound deadening project, and it worked great. If you haven't read about the sound deadening I did, you should check out the two-part story. The first part outlines Materials and Prep, and the second part covers Mat & Foam Installation. I couldn't be happier…
Leave a Comment
With the interior removed for my sound deadening project, it was the perfect time to install a dashcam that I've had sitting around for - I don't know - call it four months or so. I've wanted a dashcam for quite some time - not so much for the safety…
1 Comment
TL;DR - I need to replace the evaporator core inside the cab of the Tacoma so we can get cold air again. I'm not sure why this hasn't been in past rig reviews, but it's definitely been an issue for over a year. I took the truck in to get…
Leave a Comment
TL;DR - I wish it were easier to hear podcasts, and that the long stretches on the highway were a little quieter. On long trips, @mrs.turbodb and I often listen to podcasts, music, etc. as we tick away the highway miles. Sometimes, we have to turn these up reasonably loud…
Leave a Comment
It's not natural. It's uncomfortable. It's hard. And, I know it's the right thing to do - I want to find a way to cut some weight off of the Tacoma. When I purchased the truck, Toyota listed the curb weight of a 4WD SR5 V6 Xtracab at something right…
10 Comments
I've built a couple of storage platforms in the past - a slide-with-a-slide style platform for my 1st gen Tacoma, and a fridge-slide style for my 3rd Gen 4Runner - so when a buddy of mine asked for help building one for his 5th Gen 4Runner, I was happy to…
6 Comments
Well, this post is a long time in the making. In fact, I assumed this was a project I'd get taken care of in the dead of winter, since much of it would be done in the wood shop, and none of it required the truck to be outside in…
28 Comments
April 2, 2018. A while back, I somehow stumbled on @jberry813's post where he installed a garage door opener in his headliner (Homelink in a 1st gen) near the map lights. Having the same issues - a garage door remote that floats around in the center console; @mrs.turbodb's car that…
4 Comments
November 1, 2017. I've always hated the A-pillars in my truck. Actually, it's the trim I hate. And I've hated it since I first tried (and failed) to remove it several years ago to run the wire for a microphone from my head unit up to the rearview mirror. See,…
1 Comment
November 2016. Most of the time, modifications I make to the truck are firmly in the "meh" camp for @mrs.turbodb. I mean, she appreciates the results, but she'd really be just as happy without them. And, they generally garner at least some amount of teasing about how they aren't technically…
6 Comments
March 20 - April 28, 2016 Courtesy lights are those little lights around the car that turn on when you open your doors. They generally include the dome light, some door lights, that kind of thing. Now, I know what you're thinking - "How in the world does disabling the…
Leave a Comment