Hitting the Dirt in the Tacoma for Some Overlanding—and Picking Up the Next 4x4 Garage Project Rig!

In the previous episode of4x4 Garage, presented by RealTruck, we covered the majority of the modifications made to transform a bone-stock 2023 Toyota Tacoma into a mild overland-flavored daily driver and weekend warrior with some select parts from the RealTruck website, as well as a few select vendors we've used and trust. On this episode, Christian, Johnny, and the rest of the gang at Wood's Off-Road in San Marcos, California, put the wraps on the buildup and send vehicle owner Zaed Ismail and his dad, Jeff, home to pack for a weekend camping and exploration trip in the California Sierras over a route we researched and plotted on our onX Offroad app.

See All 20 Photos20

Then we hoofed it north past Lake Tahoe to Grass Valley, California, to visit IH Parts America's super-duper double-probation-secret R&D facility that's chock-full of IH vehicles and memorabilia from the 1920s all the way up to the final light-line production days of 1980. We took a tour of the grounds and checked out some vehicles of interest before being introduced to our next4x4 Garageproject, a build that Christian has been waiting to break ground on for several years. Stay tuned for future episodes, because this build, and the F-350 we'll be modifying to tow it with, should be a couple really great ones!

A Superlift 2.25-Inch Tacoma Leveling Kit for Simple Tire Clearance

See All 20 Photos20

Most modern vehicles come with a nose-down rake for two reasons. First, it helps with aerodynamics, permitting the nose to more easily cut the air and funnel it around the chassis undercarriage. Second, when the rear is loaded to capacity or towing a trailer, the vehicle sits level so the headlights and nose aren't pointed upwards at oncoming traffic. A quick and easy way to retain your factory spring rates and shock valving is to add a simple spacer lift that levels the front to meet the height of the rear. The RetraxPro XR powdercoated aluminum-slat roll-up tonneau cover and Elevate Rack System we previously installed on this truck are both pretty light, and even with the Rugged Ridge Roof Top Tent in place we're not squatting the rear suspension to any huge degree, so instead of a full lift we installed a new Superlift leveling kit that boosts the front ride height 2.25 inches and helps clear room for slightly larger tires.

Rolling the Dice Clearance-Wise With Raceline Wheels and Toyo Open Country R/T Tires

See All 20 Photos20

We've mentioned before that we were completely aware that the leveling kit may not have provided enough clearance for the full-size 33-inch LT285/75R16 Toyo Open Country R/T tires without needing to chop the forward body mount for clearance, but we had the tires and figured, "Let's give 'er a shot." We did our due diligence, selecting Raceline 935M Defender wheels with a 4-inch backspacing that we figured might just position the tires such that they cleared at full-stuff while turning. Unfortunately, after the rig had been driven for a little bit it became evident that the tires just weren't gonna fit without some chopping and trimming, which Zaed was reluctant to do at this point in the vehicle's life. So, we admitted defeat, removed the Toyos for another project, and put in a call to our buddies at Tireco.

Changing Plans With Milestar Patagonia X/T Tires

See All 20 Photos20

We've been fans of the Milestar Patagonia X/T since we first saw a pre-production version of the all-rounder at SEMA a few years ago. The Patagonia X/T is packed with features, including Milestar's "Miletech" three-ply sidewall for strength and survivability, step-down supports on the center tread blocks for stability and increased traction, tread block siping, stone ejector ribs between the circumferential tread blocks, asymmetrical tread design for low noise on the highway, and many other features that make this 40,000-mile-tread-warranty tire a great choice for a daily driver and weekend warrior like our Tacoma build. Milestar had an LT265/75R16 size in stock and ready to ship in time for our trip and video shoot. And as an added bonus, the 3.91 gearing really liked the diameter a lot better, delivering a marked increase in mileage and perceived power over the larger-diameter 33s. Zaed eventually does plan on regearing the truck to 4.88s, so once that is accomplished, upping the tire size to 33s shouldn't have as drastic an effect on drivability.

onX Offroad to the Rescue!

See All 20 Photos20

We had planned on getting together for a shakedown run once the Tacoma was finished. Since Jeff and Zaed were coming from Grass Valley and the rest of the gang from San Diego, Christian and the gang revved up the OnX Offroad app to find some scenic trails midway between both places that would be challenging enough that the more capable vehicles in our group wouldn't get totally bored, yet mild enough that the stock or lightly modified vehicles wouldn't become overwhelmed or risk body damage. We were able to quickly filter and scan several potential routes, eventually settling on the Mazourka Canyon area just outside of Independence, California. We could see on the onX Offroad app that the terrain level was just what we were looking for, the scenery fantastic, and there were lots of natural and man-made points of interest to stop and check out, from rock formations to old mining infrastructure. We plotted our route, with the newer vehicles interfacing the app with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and the others just following along with the app and offline maps downloaded on our phones.

Comfy Camping in the Rugged Ridge Rooftop Tent

See All 20 Photos20

We all arrived at our campsite in Independence and Zaed got the best rest of all on the 3-inch mattress inside his Rugged Ridge Roof Top Tent. The tent deploys very quickly and closing it up in the morning before departure goes more quickly than you'd expect, especially given that you don't have to pull out your bedding; just fold 'er up and zip on the cover.

Dometic Fridge and Hard Box for Cold Vittles and Storage

See All 20 Photos20

Admittedly, even though we love them, we gave up on ice chests a long time ago in favor of modern electric off-road coolers. We've used Dometic's most recent CFX3 12-volt Coolers in several projects, many of which endure the rigors of our Ultimate Adventure event, and we've come to trust and rely on them to keep our vittles and refreshments cool with low power draw, nice features such as high-res color displays and WiFi or Bluetooth temperature control and monitoring, interior lights, and more. Once you go electric, it's hard to go back. For our Tacoma build we chose a 35L Dometic CFX3 that neatly fits beneath the hard tonneau cover securely mounted to the bedfloor, or can be easily transitioned to other vehicles in the stable.

See All 20 Photos20

Another Ultimate Adventure-proven Dometic product is the Dometic GO Hard Storage 50L box. The box is stackable if you're running more than one, and has secure latches and durable high-impact polymer around a sturdy aluminum shell. We've used them to hold everything from cordless power tools and fluids we didn't want spilling to foodstuffs and camp cooking materials.

See All 20 Photos20

To finish off our Dometic order, we added a Dometic GO Hydration Water Jug 11L. Unlike bulky water jugs or single-use water bottles that can roll all over the place, the Dometic Go Hydration holds 11L of potable water in a durable container that neatly stows almost anywhere, from tucked behind a wheelwell to solidly mounted up on a rack. The jug comes standard with a removable webbed carry handle, a standard 63mm Nalgene opening that accepts filters and accessories, and a spigot and quick-connect fitting for easy connection to accessories. Dometic even offers an optional electric pump/faucet that lets you stuff one or more jugs deep in your rig while still retaining quick water access.

Airing-Up With Viair Dual 400 VMS Onboard Air!

See All 20 Photos20

To get the most out of our Milestar tires, as well as increase our off-road comfort, we dropped our tire pressure down to about 15 psi for our day in the dirt. However, after the dirt exploring was finished, it was time to hit the road for about five hours of pavement driving, which meant airing back up to street pressures in the 32-psi range. The Viair Dual 400 High Performance VMS onboard air system earned its stripes here, getting all four Tacoma tires up to operating pressure before a portable could do a single tire.

IH Parts America R&D Facility Tour

See All 20 Photos20

With most of us halfway there already, after our offroading was done we headed up to Grass Valley to Jeff Ismail's IH Parts America R&D facility that houses a majority of his IH vehicle and memorabilia collection. There are literally dozens and dozens of super cool, rare IH vehicles of all types that span the history of the IH light-line offerings from the 1920s all the way up to one of the last-ever passenger light-line Scouts built. Jeff graciously gave us the guided tour and allowed us full access to the entire place. If you're into IH vehicles specifically, or just cool old iron in general, you'll definitely want to watch the episode.

Introducing the NextProject!

See All 20 Photos20

The main reason for our visit to the IH Parts America R&D location was for Christian to pick up the next project that'll be built on4x4 Garage. We'll be taking this killer 1956 S-120 pickup and transforming it into a killer trail machine at Wood's Offroad in San Marcos, California. We'll also be treating Jeff's F-350 pickup to some smart upgrades to make it a more pleasurable tow vehicle, then we'll use the Ford to tow the S-120 up to the Rubicon Trail for its shakedown run. You're not gonna wanna miss it!

See All 20 Photos20