• Welcome to Tacoma3G.com, a free resource for 2016-2023 Toyota Tacoma owners!

    This website is the passion-project of a USMC veteran/mechanic, @Tyler. I created Tacoma3G.com to share my knowledge of this subject with others and to provide like-minded folks with a comfortable space to ask questions and create 'build threads' within our Tacoma Forums. Now, if the format of this website is confusing to navigate for you, or if you're interested in my full mission and T3G's history, check out the Help and About pages.

2019 Cement TRD Off-Road Build Thread

Tshaw2009

2️⃣ Bronze
Joined
Nov 2, 2020
Messages
18
Reaction score
21
Location
Lebanon, MO
2019 TRD OR DCSB Auto
Cement
Firstly, I will introduce myself. I am Tony Shaw. I'm from a South Central Missouri town called Lebanon. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ first and everything else comes second. I will not tolerate aggression, profanity, or bullying on my build thread as I would like even children or teenagers who love Tacomas to be able to read this build thread without putting garbage in their minds. I'd rather you adults not fill your minds with garbage either, lol. I am the husband of the most wonderful wife on planet earth and the proud father of (almost) three under three. I am a Baptist Pastor in a nearby town. I am an Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) combat veteran. Now to explain how I came to be a Tacoma owner and my future plans for my truck.

I have wanted a Toyota Tacoma for a very, very long time. Well, pretty much since the 3rd gens arrived to market. I think they are just so sweet looking, especially with a big lift, small Off-Road wheels, and big Off-Road tires. They just look at home with a big lift on them. Anyways, back in late June I had my lifted Tuxedo Black F150 Lariat Supercrew with the 3.5 Ecoboost, which was nearing 185,000 trouble free miles and I was starting to get the itch to find something else before the inevitable "big" break. I absolutely loved this truck by the way. Here she is:
1634937288713.jpeg

I had already canceled my order for a full-sized 2-Door Bronco with the Sasquatch Package earlier in the year due to the uncertainties that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, so the FSB was no longer an option, but the Badlands Bronco Sport seemed like an extremely capable off-road rig as well. I found one 3 hours away from our residence (which was a chore because the Badlands trim was limited availability) and I pulled the trigger on it. After trade, I scored a loaded Bronco Sport Badlands for just under $30k. As with anything I couldn't leave it stock as I was determined to take a vacation to Colorado in it and hit the trails. Needless to say my plans came together and our family took a trip to Colorado in the Bronco Sport Badlands and conquered the Loch Lomond trail, Yankee Hill, Kingston Peak, Indiana Creek Road, Red Hill, among others during our week in Colorado. We had a great time and there was nothing that I could throw at the Badlands that that little goat of a crossover SUV couldn't handle. Here she is:
1634938090812.jpeg

Our time with the Bronco Sport Badlands was cut short (August and September) because we found out my wife is pregnant again with our 3rd child and the Bronco Sport was great, but the size was not family friendly. I got to looking at trade-in prices on a Badlands and was flabbergasted. I could stand to make a ton more money than what I spent. I then got to searching for my dream truck: a Cement Tacoma TRD Off-road with around the same miles (13k) as I had on my Bronco Sport. I found mine in Columbia, MO and pulled the trigger, which has had its bittersweet moments to say the least. I traded in my BS Badlands (for $10k more than I spent for it) and bought my Tacoma in the evening and did not immediately notice a few rather large dents in the driver's door, as it came with a clean carfax, so I didn't go over it with a fine-toothed comb. A couple days after when it was sunny, I looked back at the Tacoma and noticed the reflection was a little warped in spots. I got up close and was immediately ticked off. Here are the dents:
20211001_163452.jpg

20211001_163459.jpg


They had advertised my truck as having ZERO body damage. I called the dealership and said, "This is going to be fixed or I'm bringing the truck back and taking my Bronco." Needless to say, they fixed it, but not without a minor flaw I still noticed and it drives my OCD crazy. The fixed and re-sprayed door was blended into the fender panel but not into the driver's side rear door and the color is just ever so slightly off. In some light it looks pretty dang close, but in others, it looks just a tad darker than the untouched paint, and that bothers me on a truck I spent almost $40k for before trade-in. I also understand that it can take a few weeks for the paint to fully cure and it could change, so I will give it some more time. I have some work being done to it next week and if it is still noticeable after that work, which will be a little over 2 weeks since the paint job, they are going to fix it by blending it properly. I will add a picture of the fixed door tomorrow as I haven't taken a picture of it yet. Here is a picture of the truck on its "good" side lol:
20211002_120829.jpg

Now for what is being done next week. I will be installing the RC 3.5" full suspension lift which includes lifted struts with assembled extended coils, forged UCAs, diff and skid drops, sway bar relocation brackets, carrier bearing drop kit, extended brake lines, rear shocks, and rear blocks for now until I can stick a whole new HD leaf pack in there. I will be running 16x8 +0 offset KMC Summit wheels wrapped in 285/75R16 Falken Wildpeak A/T3Ws. I will do the ECGS bearing in the future, but want to wait to see if I get any vibrations. I look forward to sharing my Taco journey with you all and will update this build as I add new things in the future.
 
Last edited:
Well, the 3.5 inch lift was installed today and now it looks like my Tacoma skipped leg day:
20211026_171615.jpg

I'm loving the look of the new forged UCAs along with the new coilovers:
20211026_171601.jpg

The alignment was able to be brought with factory specifications and the angles don't look too extreme to me at least:
20211026_171549.jpg

The carrier bearing drop kit was installed as well. The driveshaft looks absolutely straight on flush though I don't have any pictures of that. The rear has new shocks as well as a block for now until I can upgrade to an HD leaf pack. The front lift height looks great too:
20211026_171519.jpg

The tires (Falken Wildpeak A/T3W in 285/75R16) and KMC Summit wheels (16X8 +0 Offset) will go on Thursday or Friday to finish it out. Here are the wheels and tires:
km718_black_white.jpg

53f4bf95-00a2-4792-abff-2ae5b391621d.1defaee65608904732dc9496b613981f.png


I will give my next update when the wheels and tires are installed. Peace!
 
Firstly, I will introduce myself. I am Tony Shaw. I'm from a South Central Missouri town called Lebanon. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ first and everything else comes second. I will not tolerate aggression, profanity, or bullying on my build thread as I would like even children or teenagers who love Tacomas to be able to read this build thread without putting garbage in their minds. I'd rather you adults not fill your minds with garbage either, lol. I am the husband of the most wonderful wife on planet earth and the proud father of (almost) three under three. I am a Baptist Pastor in a nearby town. I am an Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) combat veteran. Now to explain how I came to be a Tacoma owner and my future plans for my truck.

I have wanted a Toyota Tacoma for a very, very long time. Well, pretty much since the 3rd gens arrived to market. I think they are just so sweet looking, especially with a big lift, small Off-Road wheels, and big Off-Road tires. They just look at home with a big lift on them. Anyways, back in late June I had my lifted Tuxedo Black F150 Lariat Supercrew with the 3.5 Ecoboost, which was nearing 185,000 trouble free miles and I was starting to get the itch to find something else before the inevitable "big" break. I absolutely loved this truck by the way. Here she is:
1634937288713.jpeg

I had already canceled my order for a full-sized 2-Door Bronco with the Sasquatch Package earlier in the year due to the uncertainties that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, so the FSB was no longer an option, but the Badlands Bronco Sport seemed like an extremely capable off-road rig as well. I found one 3 hours away from our residence (which was a chore because the Badlands trim was limited availability) and I pulled the trigger on it. After trade, I scored a loaded Bronco Sport Badlands for just under $30k. As with anything I couldn't leave it stock as I was determined to take a vacation to Colorado in it and hit the trails. Needless to say my plans came together and our family took a trip to Colorado in the Bronco Sport Badlands and conquered the Loch Lomond trail, Yankee Hill, Kingston Peak, Indiana Creek Road, Red Hill, among others during our week in Colorado. We had a great time and there was nothing that I could throw at the Badlands that that little goat of a crossover SUV couldn't handle. Here she is:
1634938090812.jpeg

Our time with the Bronco Sport Badlands was cut short (August and September) because we found out my wife is pregnant again with our 3rd child and the Bronco Sport was great, but the size was not family friendly. I got to looking at trade-in prices on a Badlands and was flabbergasted. I could stand to make a ton more money than what I spent. I then got to searching for my dream truck: a Cement Tacoma TRD Off-road with around the same miles (13k) as I had on my Bronco Sport. I found mine in Columbia, MO and pulled the trigger, which has had its bittersweet moments to say the least. I traded in my BS Badlands (for $10k more than I spent for it) and bought my Tacoma in the evening and did not immediately notice a few rather large dents in the driver's door, as it came with a clean carfax, so I didn't go over it with a fine-toothed comb. A couple days after when it was sunny, I looked back at the Tacoma and noticed the reflection was a little warped in spots. I got up close and was immediately ticked off. Here are the dents:
20211001_163452.jpg

20211001_163459.jpg


They had advertised my truck as having ZERO body damage. I called the dealership and said, "This is going to be fixed or I'm bringing the truck back and taking my Bronco." Needless to say, they fixed it, but not without a minor flaw I still noticed and it drives my OCD crazy. The fixed and re-sprayed door was blended into the fender panel but not into the driver's side rear door and the color is just ever so slightly off. In some light it looks pretty dang close, but in others, it looks just a tad darker than the untouched paint, and that bothers me on a truck I spent almost $40k for before trade-in. I also understand that it can take a few weeks for the paint to fully cure and it could change, so I will give it some more time. I have some work being done to it next week and if it is still noticeable after that work, which will be a little over 2 weeks since the paint job, they are going to fix it by blending it properly. I will add a picture of the fixed door tomorrow as I haven't taken a picture of it yet. Here is a picture of the truck on its "good" side lol:
20211002_120829.jpg

Now for what is being done next week. I will be installing the RC 3.5" full suspension lift which includes lifted struts with assembled extended coils, forged UCAs, diff and skid drops, sway bar relocation brackets, carrier bearing drop kit, extended brake lines, rear shocks, and rear blocks for now until I can stick a whole new HD leaf pack in there. I will be running 16x8 +0 offset KMC Summit wheels wrapped in 285/75R16 Falken Wildpeak A/T3Ws. I will do the ECGS bearing in the future, but want to wait to see if I get any vibrations. I look forward to sharing my Taco journey with you all and will update this build as I add new things in the future.
So here is the infamous paint job on the driver's side front door that I was talking about. It has been two weeks now since I picked the truck up from the dealership after the repair and re-spray, so the paint should be fully cured. I just don't think they did any blending at all. Would you be satisfied with this job or would you take it back since the paint should be completely cured by now and should be blended?
Repainted Angle.jpg

Repainted side.jpg
 
So here is the infamous paint job on the driver's side front door that I was talking about. It has been two weeks now since I picked the truck up from the dealership after the repair and re-spray, so the paint should be fully cured. I just don't think they did any blending at all. Would you be satisfied with this job or would you take it back since the paint should be completely cured by now and should be blended?
Repainted Angle.jpg

Repainted side.jpg
Wheels and tires have now been installed (16x8 +0 offset KMC Summit in Satin Black wrapped in 285/75R16 Falken Wildpeak AT3W). Now just to get the eyesore of a driver's door repainted, lol.....again. I have a 3.5 in full suspension lift system and still have some minor rubbing in reverse, but so far none in drive. I will probably have to work the inner fender liner a little to not rub and that is it.
20211029_172917.jpg

20211029_172925.jpg

20211029_172940.jpg
 
So here is the infamous paint job on the driver's side front door that I was talking about. It has been two weeks now since I picked the truck up from the dealership after the repair and re-spray, so the paint should be fully cured. I just don't think they did any blending at all. Would you be satisfied with this job or would you take it back since the paint should be completely cured by now and should be blended?
Repainted Angle.jpg

Repainted side.jpg
Looks like God is working on your OCD :)

I would recommend you purchase Thomas Boston's "Crook in the Lot." Good soul food for when things don't go exactly your way.

But in all honesty, I'd ask the body shop to consider a little blending.
 
Looks like God is working on your OCD :)

I would recommend you purchase Thomas Boston's "Crook in the Lot." Good soul food for when things don't go exactly your way.

But in all honesty, I'd ask the body shop to consider a little blending.
I definitely think you could be right in your assessment of my situation. The Lord knows patience isn't a strong suit of mine. Although, in all of my interactions with the people that messed up my truck at the dealership, I've never been rude to them, nor have I had to be. I feel like I've handled this situation remarkably well, all things considered even though I could always improve. I'll be an even better example for Jesus after this debacle and be closer to Him too. That means it's worth it. God never promised things would be easy, but He did promise to be there in those situations with us.
 
Welcome from just down the road in Ozark! I'm a Iraq vet as well! Truck looks awesome with that lift! Those control arms look pretty beefy, and I was (to be honest) surprised to see the RC logo! Where did you take it for the paint? I'd take it back for sure, that's just unacceptable!
 
Welcome from just down the road in Ozark! I'm a Iraq vet as well! Truck looks awesome with that lift! Those control arms look pretty beefy, and I was (to be honest) surprised to see the RC logo! Where did you take it for the paint? I'd take it back for sure, that's just unacceptable!
Thanks for the compliments! The paint was done at Joe Machen Collision East center which is the the Toyota Collision Center for Joe Machens Toyota. This is another reason it irritates me so badly.
 
Thanks for the compliments! The paint was done at Joe Machen Collision East center which is the the Toyota Collision Center for Joe Machens Toyota. This is another reason it irritates me so badly.
That's for sure unacceptable! I'd be calling the collision center manager for sure. I have a friend who owns a body shop down the road in Republic, if you want to get a second opinion.
 
That's for sure unacceptable! I'd be calling the collision center manager for sure. I have a friend who owns a body shop down the road in Republic, if you want to get a second opinion.
I will never say no to having some help in a pinch. If you'd like to DM their info, I'll definitely reach out if Joe Machens gives me problems.
 
Wheels and tires have now been installed (16x8 +0 offset KMC Summit in Satin Black wrapped in 285/75R16 Falken Wildpeak AT3W). Now just to get the eyesore of a driver's door repainted, lol.....again. I have a 3.5 in full suspension lift system and still have some minor rubbing in reverse, but so far none in drive. I will probably have to work the inner fender liner a little to not rub and that is it.
20211029_172917.jpg

20211029_172925.jpg

20211029_172940.jpg
Both sides of the truck are now good as new! My next mods are chrome deletion with black badge overlays, black plasti-dip on the chrome grille bezel, and replacing the front emblem with the original Japanese TEQ emblem.
20211111_130340.jpg

20211110_163447.jpg


20211110_163416.jpg

This is the look I'm kind of going for. This is @kingstoyota on IG:
Screenshot_20211111-134000_Instagram.jpg
 
Last edited:
They did a much better job with the paint match this time! Looks awesome!
 
All emblems are blacked out including the grille emblem. Now I will be ordering the matte black grille bezel to replace the chrome one and the smoked sequential turn signals to finish off my daily driver/weekend warrior build.
 

Attachments

  • 20211205_143908.jpg
    20211205_143908.jpg
    252.5 KB · Views: 77
  • 20211215_163346.jpg
    20211215_163346.jpg
    422.9 KB · Views: 90
  • 20211215_163454.jpg
    20211215_163454.jpg
    277.8 KB · Views: 80
  • 20211215_201307.jpg
    20211215_201307.jpg
    312.3 KB · Views: 93
Back
Top