March 2013

We have been talking about building up Tacoma’s yet keeping a little of that stock look.  We got an email from Brian and Justin over at UHWMS (Undercover Hidden Winch Mount System) with a couple of pictures of their product installed on Tacomas, 4Runners, and FJ Cruisers.  With their setup you get an aftermarket sub-bumper that has a mount position built it for a winch while using your existing bumper skin.  I have to say I was more than a little intrigued.  So I got a hold of Brian, figured out what I wanted to pick, had it shipped, and now we get to install.

I am more than impressed with Discount Tire Direct and the Discount Tire store in our neighborhood.  We have had a very interesting first six months with our evaluation.  From a tire damaged in a parking lot due to a contractor’s lost debris to getting hit by a Jeep and ruining 3 tires and rims.  We have been to the top of 15 mountains.  We have put on 10,000 miles.  But best of all, we have made a lot of great memories.  And we look forward to the memories we have yet to make!

So, I finally made my first Mod that is primarily for fun.  With quite a bit of help from and a huge Thank You to Otter Box, Kicker, and FJC Magazine we switched out the Tacos previous aftermarket head unit for an IPad Mini.   

The installation process between the common snorkel kits for the Toyota Tacoma is very similar.  They all require a disregard for the well-being of the truck body and/or some liquid courage to help you get over the idea of drilling into your prized possession.  The main variations lie in the plumbing running from the snorkel to the factory airbox.  Installation will take normally 3-6 hours, depending on the amount of liquid courage you decide to have and any unforeseen delays.  Here are some tools needed and highlights of the installation process of the Airflow snorkel on a 2006 Toyota Tacoma.