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I am very pleased with my new 2007 Tundra DC Limited. Like many other forum users there are a number of little things that irked me so I recently made some simple mods and decided to share the results.
Mod # 1 - Installed an LED light inside the center console
Cost: $6
Time: 60 minutes
Description:
The center console is big and all-black so it is hard to see anything inside of it at night unless you turn on the overhead lights which can be very distracting while driving. To solve this problem I purchased an amber LED light from Walmart's auto parts section. It is about 1" high x 2" wide x 3/4" deep and is designed to be mounted on the outside of a truck or trailer. It has 3 very bright amber LEDs inside so no need to worry about heat, current draw, or bulbs burning out. I simply soldered thin 20-gauge red and black wires to the power leads on the back and attached some 3M accesory tape to the base. Then I removed the front drink-holder portion of the center console and drilled a small hole inside the console about 1" below the accessory outlet. I pushed the wires through the hole and mounted the light with the 3M tape, then connected the power wires to the molex connector which is already there to provide power to the small amber LED which shines on the cup holders. The blue wire in the molex connector is ground or -12V DC and the orange wire is +12V DC when you have the running lights or headlights switched on. The results are great. The color matches the factory amber lights perfectly and it comes on / off with the other interior lights so it looks and works like a factory option. The LEDs are very bright so they light up the whole interior. Notice in some of the photos that I have inserted 3 tackle boxes which were only $3.50 each at Walmart in the sporting goods section. These are perfect for holding tools, meds, cleaning stuff, etc. while allowing easy access and preventing clutter. Below is a sample pic, click this link to see all the photos.
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Mod # 2 - Installed a Delphi XM RoadyXT receiver in lieu of the factory XM option
Mod # 3 - Installed a Chrome / Carbon Fiber shift knob in lieu of the factory plastic or TRD knobs
Cost: $40 for # 2, $15 for # 3
Time: 2 hours
Description:
I liked the idea of getting the factory XM unit since I already have the NAV installed but I refuse to pay $300+ for XM when I can get a very good receiver for $40 and I already had one sitting around the house anyway. Plus I like the added features and portability of the RoadyXT and this option allows me to easily upgrade the receiver later. I simply mounted the XM receiver next to the TOW/HAUL switch where there were two empty switch bays that were not in use anyway. I drilled 2 small holes in the blank switch plates to mount the receiver base then drilled a third hole in the middle switch plate to run the power and antenna wires into the dash. The area under the front drink holders contains ample storage space for the DC adapter and there is already a 12V source in there so I just wired in another accesory outlet under there and plugged the DC adapter into it. This will allow me to switch the XM units at any time without modifying the wiring later. The easiest place to mount the antenna is on the far right side of the dash up in the corner just under the windshield. I ran the antenna wire through the center console area, behind the glove box, and up through the opening where the dash meets the vertical support. This was an easy run and removing the glove box only took a few minutes. Notice in the photos that I have also replaced the crappy factory shift knob with a chrome metal / carbon fiber knob which was only $15 at Walmart. It looks and feels great and is a better match than the TRD shift knob IMHO. Below is a sample pic, click this link to see all the photos.
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Mod # 1 - Installed an LED light inside the center console
Cost: $6
Time: 60 minutes
Description:
The center console is big and all-black so it is hard to see anything inside of it at night unless you turn on the overhead lights which can be very distracting while driving. To solve this problem I purchased an amber LED light from Walmart's auto parts section. It is about 1" high x 2" wide x 3/4" deep and is designed to be mounted on the outside of a truck or trailer. It has 3 very bright amber LEDs inside so no need to worry about heat, current draw, or bulbs burning out. I simply soldered thin 20-gauge red and black wires to the power leads on the back and attached some 3M accesory tape to the base. Then I removed the front drink-holder portion of the center console and drilled a small hole inside the console about 1" below the accessory outlet. I pushed the wires through the hole and mounted the light with the 3M tape, then connected the power wires to the molex connector which is already there to provide power to the small amber LED which shines on the cup holders. The blue wire in the molex connector is ground or -12V DC and the orange wire is +12V DC when you have the running lights or headlights switched on. The results are great. The color matches the factory amber lights perfectly and it comes on / off with the other interior lights so it looks and works like a factory option. The LEDs are very bright so they light up the whole interior. Notice in some of the photos that I have inserted 3 tackle boxes which were only $3.50 each at Walmart in the sporting goods section. These are perfect for holding tools, meds, cleaning stuff, etc. while allowing easy access and preventing clutter. Below is a sample pic, click this link to see all the photos.
Mod # 2 - Installed a Delphi XM RoadyXT receiver in lieu of the factory XM option
Mod # 3 - Installed a Chrome / Carbon Fiber shift knob in lieu of the factory plastic or TRD knobs
Cost: $40 for # 2, $15 for # 3
Time: 2 hours
Description:
I liked the idea of getting the factory XM unit since I already have the NAV installed but I refuse to pay $300+ for XM when I can get a very good receiver for $40 and I already had one sitting around the house anyway. Plus I like the added features and portability of the RoadyXT and this option allows me to easily upgrade the receiver later. I simply mounted the XM receiver next to the TOW/HAUL switch where there were two empty switch bays that were not in use anyway. I drilled 2 small holes in the blank switch plates to mount the receiver base then drilled a third hole in the middle switch plate to run the power and antenna wires into the dash. The area under the front drink holders contains ample storage space for the DC adapter and there is already a 12V source in there so I just wired in another accesory outlet under there and plugged the DC adapter into it. This will allow me to switch the XM units at any time without modifying the wiring later. The easiest place to mount the antenna is on the far right side of the dash up in the corner just under the windshield. I ran the antenna wire through the center console area, behind the glove box, and up through the opening where the dash meets the vertical support. This was an easy run and removing the glove box only took a few minutes. Notice in the photos that I have also replaced the crappy factory shift knob with a chrome metal / carbon fiber knob which was only $15 at Walmart. It looks and feels great and is a better match than the TRD shift knob IMHO. Below is a sample pic, click this link to see all the photos.
