The evolution of "Alpine" Tundra

[RoundOut]

Missing the 2007 Expedition Trophy was a tough bite to chew. To help myself focus on the positive, I figured I would shed a little light on the expeditionifying of my 2003 Toyota Tundra SR5 4.7L V8 4WD Access Cab.

I'll do this in several posts. Obviously now, it is much more expedition ready than ever before, as I had hoped to join the festivities in AZ this fall. I have owned it for four years now, LOVE THE TRUCK AS MUCH AS ONE CAN AN INANIMATE OBJECT, and it has become a focal point on a mission to be able to spend more quailty time with my family outdoors.

Here we go with Part 1, mostly on performance mods...

When I purchased it from Fred Haas Toyota in late July 2003, I had a few aftermarket goodies put on, in anticipation of increasing fuel economy. The sticker EPA ratings were 17/13. Here is how I took delivery of it…

Factory & Port installed options:
·Fog Lights
·LSD
·Power Windows & Locks
·AM/FM/CD/Cassette
·Heated mirrors
·Towing package (includes 130 amp alternator, transmission fluid cooler)
·Rear hitch receiver

Goodies I purchased and included in the original deal:
·K&N FIPK cold air intake (at this time, they only made one for up to 2002 – see additional information on this sore subject below)
·Challenger Deflectashield aluminum over-the-rails pickup tool box
·Line-X spray in bedliner
·Aftermarket leather seats & door panel upgrade

Goodies I bought in the parts department before leaving:
·Bug deflector
·OEM rugged Husky-type floor mats

Not satisfied with the nameplate fuel economy, plus the K&N, I was looking for better horsepower and therefore, performance. The first mods I decided I wanted were a Bassani exhaust system and JBA headers. I had the make-ready shop install my Bassani a week after I took delivery.

Figuring to get the big horsepower improvements advertised by K&N and Bassani, I knew I would get better fuel economy, but that was surely elusive. After lamenting about it on TundraSolutions.com, I learned from others there, that the mass air flow sensor could not accurately measure the great volume of air flowing in on my cold air intake. The experts there suggested that restricting the air flow into the filter could actually improve economy. They were right. I purchased a pre-filter cover (I cannot remember what they call this, but it is essentially a nylon sleeve that fits over the filter with elastic on both ends) and it helped markedly. My city mileage was approaching 14.5 regularly.

My next mod was a rear bumper from Tough Country that I purchased locally at Master Hitch. I immediately started saving for the front bumper. I really liked their product and it was locally (El Campo, TX) made.

Getting it home, I was excited to show it to a buddy that wheeled alot in his lifted T-100. I learned about TundraSolutions.com from a him, and that started me down the trail to reach "off-road-ready nirvana".

Before purchasing headers, I had about 5000 miles on my new Tundra. I ordered the headers from JBA through TundraSolutions.com and began looking for a shop that would do the suggested 4-6 hour work at a reasonable rate. The hose-head service Tech at Fred Haas wanted 10 hours @ $70/hr for an R&R of exhaust manifolds. Screw that! I finally found a performance shop that would do it for $350.

After a couple tanks, I began to notice surge of fuel economy. I would consistently hit 16+ in the city.

The guy that installed my headers told me I should consider a Y-Pipe to squeeze out even more, so I bought one, also from JBA, and had the local muffler shop install it. That was about all for the performance mods.

My first highway trip to Tulsa to visit mom after finishing the performance mods, yielded a whopping 19.5 on the way up, and even more loaded on the way back, I hit 21 mpg. What a beautiful thing!!!

[Desertoutpost]

Good post. Funny thing is while reading your mods I read JBA, funny its 1/2 mile from my house. Do you know what JBA stands for and who JBA is? Just some good trivia, sorry not to jack your thread.

[erod]

ahhhhm, pics :) ????

[Overland Hadley]

Yes, lets see some photos of your rig.

[RoundOut]

My buddy with the T-100 had a pretty cool Smittybilt tube bumper for his truck. I also had friends that worked in the oil patch and had big Fords with Ranch Hand bumpers. I liked the Tough Country Apache, and besides ARB, it was just about the only off-the-shelf solution for the 2003 Tundra.

I was able to get mine built and installed for about $1,000, including the KC slimlights. The options I selected were:

Fog light sleeves
Tow loops
Hitch receiver
Euro-bar
Expanded metalI placed my order, being careful to explain to the guy in El Campo that the 2002 that they previously produced would have to be modified for the 2003 round fog light sleeves. A couple weeks later, it was ready and I drove off to El Campo, TX.

As soon as they pulled the paper off the bumper, I was disappointed to see the rectangular fog light sleeves of the 99-02 Tundras. They went ahead and installed it and sent me back to Houston, keeping my OE bumper and fog lights to help them design the new model year's foglights. They promised to rush the right one to Houston with my OE bumper and lights, which they did in about a week.

Before leaving El Campo, they took some pictures of my truck, and it has become a featured truck on their website and in their catalog. I just wish I had it lifted already, because it sure looks better post-lift.

I went to Commercial Van Interiors in Northwest Houston to have the '03 model installed, rather than commuting another hundred or so miles back to El Campo. They fixed me right up.

The bumper, weighing in at about 180 pounds, sagged my front end almost an inch. :( Already raked, this made my Tundra look whimpy, IMO. I was in no hurry to trade in tires with decent rubber, being determined to get max value out of the cheesy Bridgestone Dueler HTs that came stock. On the other hand, I was anxious to get a lift kit and new meats, but they would have to wait!

Performance wise, I didn't notice any degridation in fuel economy, but I did notice a significant improvement in the ride. Although the Tundra's ride was already superior to just about any other truck on the market, the heavier front bumper acted like a damper, causing less bump to be felt in the cab. That was a positive, for sure.

While in El Campo, I was fiddling around in Tough Country Off Road's store while they fit my bumper. I learned a bunch about Hi-lift jacks, some about Mile Marker winches and some about Warns.

After getting stuck in an aroyo in Big Bend before even getting my license plates (another story that I am not proud of, but is funny now) I really wanted to have some excellent recovery equipment, so my wish list continued to grow with all the eye-candy at Tough Country.

Surely this hobby has never caused that to happen to any of you. :shakin:

[RoundOut]

Do you know what JBA stands for and who JBA is?

Let's have it....:chowtime:

[RoundOut]

ahhhhm, pics :) ????

Unfortunately, I don't have any "Before" shots until after my Tough Country Apache was on. Here is a driveway pic, though. These are the pics that TC took after my Apache went on. That is their "economy" rear bumper, by the way.

[erod]

roundout...any pics? i spoke a but too soon, or late, apparently. looks sweet!

[RoundOut]

Before my inaugural off-road screwup at Big Bend, I had purchased a come-along, a yank-strap (that I didn't know how to use properly) and a shovel, just in case.

That was a $400 lesson ($100 fine, and $300 towing out of the black gumbo). Darn, that was half a Warn winch.

After lusting for a winch but not affording one yet, I figured I could get some functionality from a Hi-lift, some accessories, and some straps. And, my hand-brake wouldn't be the wiser, LOL.

Another thing I learned in Big Bend that summer, was that bouncing off-road is well beyond the "working load limit" of the little hook/screw thingys that secured my tool box to my bed rails. Before mounting another 60 pounds of Hi-lift, I figured some reinforcement was in order.

A buddy came over and we yanked the tool box, drilled holes in the cap in one place and used the stake pocket's bottom as another mounting point. Together with the hook, that made a 6 point mount for the box, more in line with my intended use.

We then put some plate steel backing on the inside of the tool box to mate up with the Hi-Lift Jeep mounts that I purchased. We installed the Jeep mounts and the Hi-Lift has been there almost ever since. I've used it and the come-along to bail my own truck out once, and to lift the vehicle to rotate tires, but that is about it. It's a good and relatively cheap insurance policy.

Here are pics of the mounts without, and with the Hi-Lift on.

[RoundOut]

My wife had her new Sequoia, the same color as my Tundra just a couple weeks after I got my Tundra. That Sequoia, is by far, the finest vehicle I have ever owned. I wish I could expeditionify it! I really envied her signal mirrors, so I got some!

Her Sequoia also had painted mirror covers, but she wouldn't trade me. I found some painted ones at Carson Toyota in Cali for $25. DEAL! I hate chrome.

First, I ordered the Muth signal mirrors from Performance, and since Performance didn't list the Tundra heated mirrors, I ordered the Sequoia ones. After all, everything on them is the same, right? WRONG. I called Muth and they said they couldn't figure out why Performance wouldn't stock the heated ones for the Tundra, but they would switch them out no charge. They even cross-shipped. Great company, Muth is!

I did everything except splice the tail light wires. I called my buddy at the make-ready shop and got him to do it for $25. I was too scared to splice to the wrong wire. LOL Roll forward a couple years, I have no fear any more...

:gunt:

Anyhow, back to the story. Almost 18 months after owning her, it was time for some new shoes. I had considered all the tires out there and liked the aggressive look and ratings that the BFG ATs were sporting. I decided that I would lift it 2.5" and get the 285x75R16s, a 33" tire that was about 2" larger in diameter than my original Dueler HT pavement specials.

I decided that I would go with the Wheeler's Coil Springs, new Bilstiens for the front end, Camburg UCAs, get an Add-A-Leaf for the back, and be done with it. Not so simple. Wheelers, at the time, was out of their coils for the Tundra and it would be months before a new design was going to be ready. I decided to get the spacer lift, using a RevTek 2.5" kit that comes with the differential drop spacers. Realizing that the Tundra's suspension geometry limits one to lifting only 2.5", I rationalized that since I had sagged an inch with the heavy front end, I could go 3.5". So, I added an extra Daystar 1" spacer and told the installer to get longer bolts.

In order to protect the CVs at the higher angle, I bought the Porsche 930 boots from Kartek. They would do the trick, I thought. (They sent the wrong ones, so we put back on the OEs).

I ordered, along with the lift, Wheelers' Black Alloy 16x8 rims for the new tires. Boy, this would really make it look good, I thought! I was right (biased, here, but I love black rims!)

Pics:

Here's a "before" front suspension
Here's an "almost done" "After" - still needs to mount the spindle
Here's a MUCH more PROUD look.

[RoundOut]

I was getting some rubbing and that really chapped me, since all the reading I did, said that 2.5" of lift would clear the 285 BFG ATs. Then I noticed that the shop left a 1/4" spacer from the RevTek kit out of the stack of installed spacers. Back to the shop and they added the last spacer. I have NO IDEA why they did that, but oh, well.

It almost cured the rubbing. On compression, I was still hitting the inner rear fender on the driver's side when turning left. I had yet to learn of the BFH mod, so I lived with it for a while.

After getting the last 1/4" plate on the truck, I had about a half-inch pre-runner look. Too high in the front. I ordered a 1" block and longer U-bolts from Wheelers and went back to the shop. Now we're talking! Minimal rubbing and the good lift.

BFH mod, still to come.

Well, the first time driving in the rain was eye-opening (or closing, depending on where you were standing). My new tires extended enough beyond the cheesy original fender trim (with that pesky chrome trim), that they wet-sandblasted my whole side panels. I needed some flares, and still had too much chrome.

I called a buddy at Tejas Toyota and they ordered me a new set of OE flares that fit on some type of Tundra and were a direct bolt-on to my truck's body, too. That cured most of the wet-sanding and got rid of a 3/8" strip of chrome around each wheelwell.

I also had him order me a new grille. They had a dark (Thunder - I think) grey one with no chrome except the Toyota emblem. I pulled the V8 emblem out when I switched the grilles and never put it in the new one. I then used fishing line to get rid of most of the other emblems, leaving the SR5s on the sides and the V8 4WD on the tailgate. Those would eventually come down, too.

Here's an embarrassing pic that shows the fender flares pretty plainly. LOL

[grouch]

Nice job RoundOut. Looks really good. I always loved the looks of the Tundras. Are you going to get a shell for it?

**Hijack alert**

Desert, up until two months ago, I too lived close to JBA. I lived in La Mirage off Mission Gorge. Too bad I moved, we could have met at Rubios before heading out to Borrego!

** Hijack off**

[RoundOut]

The timeline is a little fuzzy, but not long after I lifted it, I got a Skid Row front skid plate for her off a buddy on TS. I picked up the middle and rear Skid Row plates from another buddy on TS. She was getting pretty trail-ready, but we still lacked those sliders.

Back in (about) April or May of 2005, our neighborhood saw a wicked hailstorm. It we had tennis ball sized hail at my office, and fortunately, my wife was able to get under some cover that shielded her Sequioa. My truck was totally exposed and took it bad. There were major dimples, not the kind the sun pops out, nor the kind that the PDR guys can fix.

Not many mods happened between then and a few months ago. :(

After 52,000 miles, (now the odometer read 85K or so), my BFGs were getting pretty worn. It was time to replace them.

WOW do new tires make for a splendid ride! I saved the best of the old ones as a spare, for when I could afford a fifth Wheeler's rim. A few months later, that day came, and I ditched the original spare that had never seen service, but had a couple inch hot-spot where it got too close to the Bassani exhaust on the drivers side. I guess that will reduce the aftermarket value a bit. LOL

The bad thing about the new shoes, was the rubbing was real bad. I had learned about taking a Big Freaking Hammer to one's pinch-welds, and that was a surgery whose time had come. I pulled off the front left tire, found my 4 pound hand sledge and started making noise. A bit of rattlecan to cure future rust, and wallah, no more rubbing!

Then, about 2 months ago or so, I bumped someone from behind in traffic at a slow speed. Nobody was hurt, but I did just enough front end damage to warrant a new hood and get some repairs to my Tough Country front bumper. It flexed into the hood, just tweaking the frame end caps and slightly bending one of the bumper brackets. Thank God for good insurance, so as much as it sucked, this was time for a new hood, and a chromeless grille, BLACK even! The eye-sore hail dimples are finally gone (I still have a couple on the roof, but the rest are history.

Then, the body shop guy suggested that they Rhino Line my front bumper instead of re-powdercoating it. They threw in the bed and tool box, and I said, "Gitterdun!"

Wow, she looks even better now. I decided it was time to completely debadge the chrome, since I didn't even have a chrome emblem on the front. The body shop sanded the chrome off and painted it black along with all the rest of the grille. It looks so sweet!

[RoundOut]

DevinSixtySeven gave me the plans for his. We made one change, using 1.5" DOM and 1.5" square tubing on the ladder section instead of 1.6" OD pipe. This makes it slightly lighter and just as strong. I have not learned to weld, nor do I own any welding equipment, so I sought expertise in this by talking to many friends.

Ironically, right behind Woodlands Performance & Suspension (where I had my lift put on before I had the balls and tools to do work like that myself), there's a racing & lowrider shop called Innovative Designs. Joey is the owner and in his 20's, he's the bomb welder! In addition to seeing some amazing custom fabrication work, he was able to source the steel cheaper than I was. I had him fabricate all the parts and weld up the ladder section, which would be the most visible portion of the sliders.

He was slammed with work that evening (10/5/07), so I got to help with most of the cutting. He had the tubing bender, tubing notcher, and metal cutting band saws to do it right. While we were there on the (marathon - 6p.m. to 3a.m.) build, I met some cool guys that were working on some drag strip race cars and some dirt oval cars. I learned a ton about using metal fabrication tools, and now I am really excited to fab up my new rear bumper. I think I may have Joey do some of that work, too.

I picked up the ladder sections of the sliders, along with the supports and mounting plates the next morning. Sunday after Church, I headed up to a friend's Meineke shop where one of his employees was going to do some after hours work to help me finish them. Another buddy joined us for the fun. I took my drill press up there to drill the mounting plate holes, too. What a mess of shredded metal that was! The final assembly took much longer than I thought it would, too. We finished up just before midnight.

I rattle canned them before heading home, to keep any rust from getting out of control.

Monday morning, I drove up to Meineke to put them on. WOW, are they strong, functional, and very cool looking.

There are just three more steps until I call the slider project done.

There is one more support brace and mounting plate to be fabbed, which will be mounted just in front of the rear wheel, and at a significantly different angle than the other supports. I think I'll head back to Innovative Designs and solicit Joey's help and well-equipped shop to finish it up more quickly. Now, if I could just find the time.
Per D67's advice, I am going to put backing plates to strengthen the mounting points on the frame. The sandwich design will spread the stress over much more than a small fender washer and makes a whole lot of sense.
After getting the last mounting bracket and plate fabbed, I am going to have them bead-blasted and then coat them with POR-15 all over. When that is complete, I'll head over to have them Rhino-lined on the top to provide traction for those not blessed with long enough legs to get into the cab without using them as steps.Pics:
1. The band saw cutting the 1.5" square DOM tubing, like butter.
2. The tubing notcher making a perfect 1.5" curve on the end.
3. The ladder sections after welding the "rungs" to the 1.5" O.D. DOM tubing.

I'll put some more up when they're done.

[RoundOut]

In another quest to get ready for the ExPo Trophy, I bought a CB Radio from Northern Tool. The install was pretty clean by removing the ash tray at the lower left of the center dash, just above the console, taking out the cigarrette lighter, and using it's power feed to power the CB. How convenient! So far, I have not had any extra noticeable noise as a result of not having a pair of wires run direct from the battery, but if I do, I'll re-wire it. In fact, I'll rewire the whole thing eventually, when I put in my switches to control other things, such as a winch relay, fridge, relays for side lights, roof lights, etc.

This mod is mentioned in my Dual Battery thread (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7709), because I installed it when I had the seats and console out to wire up the dual battery system. I really enjoyed that part of the install, as I love learning about electric circuits and such.

Here's a picture of the installed CB.

[RoundOut]

This one, was started well before our summer trip to NM & CO (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6027). I have already made one change, and intend two more changes to it's design. My buddy, Tom used the design and then improved upon it so much, that I am now going to copy him!

Here is someone else's thread where we were building similar laptop mounts. (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3992)

Since those photos of mine, I have installed a dedicated power adapter and made the top portion removable by installing a "union". This was the first of the "laptop mount envies" that I saw on Tom's.

Tom also had a third flange on the side of the "hump", for added stability. He also used nuts & bolts instead of sheet metal screws to mount it. I am going to do both of these mods to mine soon.

After installing my CB and mentioning to Tom that I would color-match a piece to fill the half hole left by the cigarette lighter, Tom one-upped me and had some paint color-matched at Home Depot to the oak interior of his Land Cruiser. He didn't use much, so he gave it to me to paint mine with. I figure I'll one-up him and air-brush mine, after I finish all the other tweaks. :shakin:

One other tweak I intend to do, is to change the way I have it powered. Right now, the dedicated power adapter is plugged in and on all the time, even when there is no laptop plugged on it (only when the keys are in "accessory" or "run", that is). I want to install a fuse block and switch to turn the power adapter off when not needed.

[devinsixtyseven]

Gary your truck is looking beautiful! :D

A suggestion, try Herculiner instead of Rhino on top of the sliders...it's better traction when wet, just watch the back of your pants legs getting out :p.

That tube notcher is a beast. Looks like a horizontal mill, actually. It's so much easier than using a hole saw...we did mine on a vertical mill, same thing, different direction.

[RoundOut]

Nice job RoundOut. Looks really good.

Thanks!



Are you going to get a shell for it?

Nope. As the money tree blooms in my back yard, I was planning on a custom headache rack, but after seeing a short gear rack on another truck here recently, I liked it better. I like the idea of putting up a RTT where it does not add height to the wind profile, i.e. if it is a foot tall, mount it to a rack that is a foot below the roofline.


Gary your truck is looking beautiful! :D

Thanks! I really love the look of my new sliders! Thanks a ton for the AWESOME engineering design & advice! I owe you, man!


... try Herculiner instead of Rhino on top of the sliders...

Yes I will. In fact, if I said Rhino back there, it was cuz I was too tired. I meant Herculiner.


That tube notcher is a beast. Looks like a horizontal mill, actually. It's so much easier than using a hole saw...we did mine on a vertical mill, same thing, different direction.

It was such a cool tool. I could not believe how fast it chewed up the notch. I mean three or four seconds and it was done!

[Desertoutpost]

Let's have it....:chowtime:


Okay, sorry I got side tracked but I'm back...


JBA would stand for John Bittle Associates

John was a car sales man at a for dealership, Drew Ford. While he worked as a sales man he also had a hobby of building really bitchin mustangs and racing them. The story goes he became so good at the add on he was making for his race cars ford engineers soon caught wind and started to have a look for themselves. Well as time went on Ford started to contact him directly at the dealership about questions on this and that, and just really start to flame the sales manager. But because this was Ford he couldn't get all over them or John for that fact. He was having his cake and eating it too, Ford would send him prototype parts and he would put his tweek on them and after a few races he would send them back to Ford.

Well as you would almost guess he realized he could do much better at building this stuff then selling cars, (although he was awesome at this too), so he opened up a little shop on Mission Gorge Road in San Diego and stated to make this stuff full time, the rest is history.

**I got this story told to me by the guy who was his sales manager**

[crawler#976]

Nice build up!

If I may suggest, and having experienced it myself, don't use any type of liner product on your sliders. Skate board tape works great for those spots that need a bit of traction. The liner will hold mud and other wet debris and tends to make the back of your pant legs get a wee bit dirtier than without it. Also, if you ever really lean on the slider with a big rock, the liner doesn't hold up real well. I managed to peel off liner on my sliders on the upper side on occasion, but that's not under normal use...I don't think you're gonna run any of the Hammer trails.

Mark

[RoundOut]

Although my Tough Country "economy" rear bumper has served me well, I am in need of some space under my pickup bed for relocating the two optima batteries. The positioning under the hood of +/-120 pounds that high and far forward, really concerns me. I would like to get my spare out of it's present position and on a swing-out carrier, opening up the space for a battery holder right behind the rear axle. The elimination of both my present hitch and the rear bumper, should make for a near neutral weight transfer, except for the additional weight of the tire carrier. Of course, putting the tire up a bit and farther back will also effect things some, but hopefully it will bring the front up a bit, rather than down, and not have too bad an effect the on the top-heaviness. With the batteries being so heavy and placed 18"-24" lower, that should be a net gain, plus the weight of the vehicle will be much more evenly distributed over both axles.

Here are some of my design ideas:

3"x6" Tubing for the main bumper.
Utilize the volume inside the bumper as an air tank.
Install +/- 100 watts of extra lighting for backing up or lighting up camp from behind. I have already purchased the lights from Northern Tool.
The swing-out tire carrier, obviously.
Backup sensors (http://www.buy.com/prod/Crime_Stopper_CA_5005U_Backstopper_Replacement_Und er_The_Dash_Mount_Warning_System/q/loc/273/204222640.html)- these have already been ordered from buy.com (Only $50 and no tax or shipping!).
Extra heavy duty hitch receiver for holding a tow hitch OR a portable winch.
Wrap-around lower, rear fender protection acting as behind-the-tire rock sliders.
Rhino-line it to match the front.I really like Willman's build-up. See that here! (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1230) I am incorporating many of his design features and a few of my own. I am trying to decide whether to buy the whole swing-out tire carrier section from Schrockworks (it's pretty cool that they are less than 5 miles, or so, from my house) or buy the same hinge assembly that Willman used and build our own.

Anyhow, I am excited that if I can fetch a decent price for my Tough Country rear bumper, I can afford almost all the above and do much of the work myself in advance of getting it welded up.

:jumping: :jumping: :jumping: In fact, I'm REALLY EXCITED ABOUT GETTING STARTED ON THIS IN A COUPLE WEEKS, hopefully!

[RoundOut]

If I may suggest, and having experienced it myself, don't use any type of liner product on your sliders. Skate board tape works great for those spots that need a bit of traction. The liner will hold mud and other wet debris and tends to make the back of your pant legs get a wee bit dirtier than without it. Also, if you ever really lean on the slider with a big rock, the liner doesn't hold up real well.

Good advice, Mark. It would be a bunch cheaper, too! I'll have to noodle on that a while.

[TACODOC]

Nice build!

[LaOutbackTrail]

I was wondering what your rig looked like! Looks nice Gary. When you heading back this direction?

[RoundOut]

Nice build!
That is quite a compliment, coming from you! I have always admired your Taco as one of the finest on ExPo & TS! Thanks.


... Looks nice Gary. When you heading back this direction?
Thanks! I'll be by in the next couple weeks, probably. I'll holler at you when I make plans.

:26_16_2:

[jim65wagon]

Sweet, sweet build. Love the dual batts and sliders. Now if I could talk you and sean into turning over your plans for the sliders and the battery install I could waste my winter not rebuilding the 65 again!

[upcruiser]

Wow, I finally checked out your build, man that really is an impressive setup! Your attention to detail is incredible. Probably bad for me to be tempted by all of these cool things that you've done for your Tundra. I'm trying to keep mine stock but with the excellance of this chasis, it just begs to be used for a greater function. I can't say enough good things about the Tundra. I love it.

[RoundOut]

Sweet, sweet build. Love the dual batts and sliders. Now if I could talk you and sean into turning over your plans for the sliders and the battery install I could waste my winter not rebuilding the 65 again!

Waste away after you check your email! Hopefully, Sean won't mind that I forwarded the slider plans to you. LOL

Here are some tips that Sean passed on to me, and that Joey (the guy that fabbed the ladder sections) helped me with.

Joey changed the plans from using 1.6" OD pipe to using 1.5" OD DOM tubing. This is slightly lighter and stronger than the 1.6" OD pipe in Sean's plans.

1. Get the round tubing bent per plans and then cut to length with 5 degree angle on the end, similar to the spreader support.
2. Cut the 1.5" square tubing per plans with 5 degree angle on one end and a notch of the same diameter as your round tubing on the other. The plans call for 14 spreader supports.
3. The spreader supports are tacked to the ladder on 10" centers, beginning from the middle. Use square welding magnets to secure in place for tacking. Measure the next one again after each tack.
4. Lay ladder on comfortable welding surface and finish welding the spreader supports against the round tubing.
5. Measure and cut the 2x2 stringers per plans and cap the ends with plates and finish weld them accordingly.
6. Tack the stringers to the ladder sections' longest spreader supports and then finish weld them all.
7. Cut the 8 forward standoffs (four per side) from 2x2 stock as well. Notch them with a hand-held band saw for best results.
8. Cut two additional standoffs an extra 8 inches long each, and set aside for final assembly. These will become the rear standoffs and be attached at a higher angle than the other 4 per side.
9. From 6" x 1/4" plate, cut 8 pieces 8" long and one piece 12" long. These will become the mounting plates for the stringer standoffs.
10. While vehicle is on a lift, determine the location of each cross-member between the c-channel frame rails. IIRC, there are three between the rear edge of the front tire and the forward edge of the rear tire. Two of the small plates will straddle the front and rear crossmember on each side, and the large plate will straddle the center crossmember, as it is the largest. The front standoff will be mounted almost to the extreme forward end of the stringer in a box-frame area. Many of the plates, especially on the driver's side, will have to be adapted to fit over rivets. I used a 3/4" drill to make sufficient holes to clear the rivets. Using a 3/8" bit, drill four holes on each plate for mounting screws. (Hint: use a drill press with c-clamps to drill all four mounting holes in the 8 uniform plates simultaneously. Hold some cardboard up to the mounting locations to locate rivets and drill out rivet holes on each plate appropriately.
11. Once the rivet holes (3/4") and mounting bolt holes (3/8") are drilled, use some marking paint (we used some flourescent orange) to mark the holes to be drilled in the frame. The bottom holes can be drilled with most hand drills, but it takes time. Use a sharp bit and keep it cool while drilling. There is an art to applying the right amount of pressure and WD-40 coolant. Be patient and don't rush the holes. This is probably the longest single step in the whole install.
12. The top holes in the frame rails will need to be drilled with an angle drill, or cut with a cutting torch. We didn't have an angle drill, so we used the torch. Obviously this has its own set of risks. On the driver's side, there are brake and fuel lines and the fuel tank. It is much less complicated on the passenger side. Be sure to use a spare plate to protect the areas where the cutting torch approaches fuel and brake lines and/or the fuel tank.
13. Once the holes were drilled in the frame, we mounted the plates with 3/8" grade 8 hardware. I found this at Lowes on sale in the bulk bags. The smaller bags (two bolts each) were a rip-off, but the bulk bags with 10 bolts, 20 nuts, or 20 washers were actually on clearance and were a good deal. If some of the holes don't line up, adjust them with a zip-bit or a cutting torch. We adjusted the holes on the mounting plates, not in the frame, but using the torch through the frame hole.
14. Mark a spot on the body by the pinch-weld that corresponds to the forward end of the stringer. Measure the distance from the forward mark to the support centers. Locate the pre-notched supports on the stringers and tack and finish weld them in place.
15. Once the plates are all mounted to the frame, you are ready to tack the rock sliders to the plates. We used a pair of jack stands and shimmed them to be close to the right height. We clamped the extra mounting plates (we have two spares at this point, since we have not located the rear mount yet) to top of the stringer. These will space the slider 1/4" from the lower pinch weld to allow for slight flex without hitting the pinch-weld. Tack the first side in place.
16. Being careful to adjust the angle of the second side to match the first, follow the same procedure as in 15 above and tack the second side.
16A. Choose an appropriate location on the frame to locate the rear support on each side. Mount the final plate to this location after drilling appropriate holes for bolts and rivets.
16B. Using cardboard, mock up a support bracket with the correct angles for the 2x2 supports set aside in #8 above. Mark the 2x2 appropriately and cut the supports with a hand-held band saw or sawzall. Tack in place.
17. Un-bolt the plates and finish weld the supports to the plates.
18. From addional 1/4" plate stock, cut backing plates to be used on the inside of the frame rails. This will prevent the frame from dimpling on the lower bolt locations when the vehicle lands on the sliders. Drill corresponding holes in the plates.
19. Decide what finish you wish to use and prepare the surfaces and apply finish.
20. Mount up and you are ready for some harder core wheeling.

NOTE: I still have not finished step 16A & 16B and therefore forgot to list that step when I first posted these instructions. To prevent rust, I rattle-canned them to get me by until time I build my rear bumper, since we will finish these steps then. I'll be taking some pics of the final assembly once all of it is done.

[jim65wagon]

Sweet! Thanks Gary. If it bothers Sean at all, I'll just e-mail them back to him! Excellent tips too. Now, if you'll just indulge with pics of them in use!

[RoundOut]

Sweet! Thanks Gary. If it bothers Sean at all, I'll just e-mail them back to him! Excellent tips too. Now, if you'll just indulge with pics of them in use!

If I thought Sean was going to have a problem with me doing that, I'd never have sent them. I did speak with him about it and he's glad to have helped. Enjoy.

You had also asked about the dual battery build. I already had a write-up on that, along with some other things I did while doing it. Here's the link to the dual battery thread. (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7709)

I am excited to get to put this vehicle to some use, other than for DD. Can't wait to get some pics out and about, off-pavement.:jumping:

[RoundOut]

I've been swamped with work and helping start a new Scout unit. Finally today, we came up for air and I finished the modification of the laptop mount foundation. My son and I wrapped it up after dark under our halogen work lights.

After removing the entire mount, I re-drilled the holes in the floor and the new ones for the third anchoring leg. We put 1/4 x 20 machine screws and nylock nuts on each hole in the floor flanges, replacing the sheet metal screws that allowed too much wiggle. It is MUCH stronger now.

:wings:

So, getting back after it, I am excited to start working on the rest of the new mods...

Complete the sliders by reinforcing the mounting plates on the inside of the c-channel frame and finishing the rearmost support and mount on each side. When this is done, have them bead blasted then paint them with POR-15. Herculine the top surface when complete.
Install my Icom 208h faceplate and the display unit for my new backup sensors (both will need a partial pull-down of the headliner and drivers pillar for the cleanest install, so we'll tackle them at the same time) DONE 11/5/07 - See Pics in post 48.
Mount the Icom head unit under front seat. Done 11/5/07 - Pics to follow the next time I have to pull out my front seat for something, LOL. Installed antenna cable and run under driver's side scuff plates to the corner by the back seat. I am using a magnetic mount antenna and will mount it when using Ham and dismount when not, to remain invisible to envious eyes. Installed the power cable & run under driver's door scuff plate to area behind kick plate, through the firewall, along with two other future cable pairs, and on to a battery terminal setup I purchased at West Marine.
Still deciding whether to power directly from battery or include a relay and interupt the direct power with a switch. Decided to go directly to battery and utilize in-line fuses from the manufacturer. DONE 11/26/07
Still need to locate a remote microphone jack inside the console, visible only when the seat is removed. I am hoping to find a cat-6 wall-jack with a 90 degree socket so I can plug in from above, between the seat and console. (that may sound as clear as mud, but it's my best effort at describing it - pics will follow, for sure). CHANGED Design... Used a 24" Cat 6 cable and a female-female adapter. Icom wants about $80 for their microphone extension wire. I have $7 in this one and it works perfectly. DONE 11/26/07
Do a head unit swap with a buddy (his 1-DIN for my 2-DIN to make room for a switch panel in the lower DIN slot) 11/29/07 Pulled my head unit to check the mating of the connectors I bought at Wallyworld. They didn't match. took some pics and will try again later.
Get the class III hitch receiver and Tough Country Economy Rear bumper off. I have already sold them to a TSer from Dallas who should come down in a couple weeks to pick them up. He's scheduled to pick it up on Nov. 19th. DONE 11/19/07
Replace it with a new custom bumper with swing-out tire carrier... see first draft of plans in next post DONE - finished all accessory wiring today 11/29/07.
Relocate primary and backup batteries to new location behind rear differential after bumper build is complete. Done, see later posts

OUCH. I bought two runs of 2# Red and one run of 2/0# black. This was almost $300 just in cables. Changed to single red and single black by sealing and relocating my solenoid to the rear inside the battery box. Saved $100.
I purchased two battery lockout switches capable of sustained 300 amp current from West Marine today 11/29/07...Another $50. The lockout is installed, and the auxiliary lockout still needs to be.
Picked up some heat protective cover for the cables where they run near the exhaust manifolds, plus some exhaust wrap. I'll put it in the former, then wrap all three with the latter. Used the silicone sleeves, but not the exhaust wrap. Not only is the exhaust wrap overkill, it's $50.
We're supposed to get to work on the battery compartment next Tuesday or Wednesday, Dec 4 or 5. ( <--- This was written on 11/30/07) Today is 1/5/08 and we still have not finished [maybe read: started :-( I don't know?? ] It's in!
Finish the wiring of the backup sensors in the new bumper Done 11/29/07 - See pics & write-up on post #39
Add a compressor system with appropriate supply lines, valves & fittings to fill the air tank integral in my bumper. CHANGED to use a proper air tank instead of the bumper. Too many things to go wrong with as many welds as we have in my bumper. My buddy at CE Offroad let me have an old air tank from a truck. I need to pressure test it and sandblast it right away. I went with a Viair 400C compressor and remote mounting kit. I got all the stuff already just before and after Christmas 2007. Cheesy (I thought it would work the first time) compressor mount is in (1/23/08), and will be replaced ASAP, before I do anything but test the system.Now, if I can only get my welder buddy's attention away from all his bread-and-butter race car work, I'll be able to avoid driving my buggy bumperless. Changed direction on this and hired CE Offroad to build it. See other posts for more info on this.

[RoundOut]

Here's my rear bumper design. It is the final written attempt before my welder buddy and I tackle it. He will undoubtedly have much wisdom and refinement to strengthen it and make it more functional.

[jim65wagon]

Wow! I don't have any mad skills, or anything constructive to add, but it looks to me like you're gonna have one fine lookin rearend when you're done with this exercise!
:shakin:

[Haggis]

Wow! it looks to me like you're gonna have one fine lookin rearend when you're done with this exercise!
:shakin:

Not sure where you're going with this Jim, I'll let RoundOut and you work it out.:smileeek:

[jim65wagon]

Well, I was going for an interesting way to express a positive opinion on a well designed bumper for a nice looking truck...It's really not my fault your mind reads way more into a compliment than is necessary.

Is simpler better? Nice bumper, Gary.

[devinsixtyseven]

Well, I was going for an interesting way to express a positive opinion on a well designed bumper for a nice looking truck...It's really not my fault your mind reads way more into a compliment than is necessary.

Is simpler better? Nice bumper, Gary.
I must admit, I lost it reading your post as well :p...paraphrased, it went "Nice ***, Gary!" :shakin: :D

That rear bumper design is awesome!

I've been looking at the rear mounted battery thing as well...you figure you'll keep the existing crossbrace or just make a new one? It could go either way, but I was thinking there's that X-brace behind the rear axle, the one that normally supports the spare...I was thinking it'd be a great place to sink a pair of batteries instead, with a redesigned cross brace. I like your idea of mounting them aft of the rear axle better than sticking them in front to the right of the driveshaft.

[Haggis]

Well, I was going for an interesting way to express a positive opinion on a well designed bumper for a nice looking truck...It's really not my fault your mind reads way more into a compliment than is necessary.

Is simpler better? Nice bumper, Gary.

Sorry Jim, I tried to resist giving in to my baser urges to razz my brother inlaw, but I was in a merry mood. I'll await the eventual retribution at a later date.:sport_box

[RoundOut]

Thanks for all the love, guys! LOL


... it looks to me like you're gonna have one fine lookin rearend when you're done with this exercise!

You mean because of all the weight I am going to lose...
(in my wallet)? :shakin:


That rear bumper design is awesome!

Much thanks! I have made one significant design change since posting the plans... moving the hitch receiver from top to bottom.


I've been looking at the rear mounted battery thing as well...you figure you'll keep the existing crossbrace or just make a new one? It could go either way, but I was thinking there's that X-brace behind the rear axle, the one that normally supports the spare...I was thinking it'd be a great place to sink a pair of batteries instead, with a redesigned cross brace. I like your idea of mounting them aft of the rear axle better than sticking them in front to the right of the driveshaft.
What a great lead-in to a (minor) change of plans... (I'm now going to have some extra 3/16" plate to play with)...

Being the patient guy that I am (NOT), I got tired of waiting on Joey, as my bumper build has been getting delayed in favor of his high-priority, bread-and-butter, time-sensitive, dirt track race car repair/fabrication business. If I was him, I'd do the same thing, so no hard feelings, but it sucks not getting his attention.

I found a new fabricator after being referred to him by two different guys in opposite ends of Houston. Check out www.ceoffroad.com, (http://www.ceoffroad.com,) located just northeat of a retail location I have in The Woodlands. After the second guy referred me to Creative Engineering Offroad, I called Mark Klause. He has some down time between some large jobs, so he starts my build Monday morning. He has a CNC plasma cutter and he's going to use a single sheet of 3/16" plate and give me the left-over. As such, I figured I'd get busy designing something for my dual batteries and he can cut that at the same time.

Also, we are eliminating the integrated air-tank idea for a couple reasons...

The number of interior welds with possible leaks is pretty extreme, and without being able to test them for air-tightness, it could get real frustrating.
With the humidity around here, condensation inside the air tank/bumper would create significant interior rust. No matter how often I drain it, there is just almost no way to avoid this, short of lining the interior with a coal tar epoxy, which would be expensive and difficult at best.
We can fit an air tank along with the battery box behind the rear axle where the spare was, and they are not that heavy, anyway.In answer to your question Sean, I was contemplating making use of an aluminum USMC mortar case that I have. It could fit both Optimas and still have room for a third. It is water tight, until I cut holes for battery cables, that is. I'll then use some spare 3/16" plate to make a skid plate for the rear, protecting my battery box underbelly. If I put some brakes in it, it could be pretty strong, and since the rear isn't near as heavy as the front, 3/16" plate should do the trick. It would also serve as an additional cross-member of sorts.

I will be removing my existing Tough Country rear bumper on Sunday afternoon. The buyer is coming Monday morning to pick it up. That will give me Sunday afternoon to get it all cleaned up and shiny for him.

:wings: :wings: :wings: It is getting close and I'm so excited!!! :wings: :wings: :wings:

One last thing, I still need to finish my slider support in the back, just forward of the rear wheels. Mark had a great idea, welding a tab to the spring hanger and running the rear-most support bracket off of the sliders to the tab. Schwing!!! That is a great idea, and it is a perfect horizontal run of just a few inches of 2x2 tube. So, that is the plan.

After getting the rear bumper, swing-out, & sliders wrapped up, I'll have everything blasted and coated. Mark uses a guy that does blasting very reasonably, so off we'll go.

This phase of the project should be done before we go camping next weekend!!! Maybe, I'll even get the batteries relocated!

:jumping: :jumping: :jumping:

.

[RoundOut]

:wings: :wings: :wings:

The new rear bumper project is under way!!!

Here's a teaser pic of the 3/16" plate on the plasma cutter. I know, the quality sucks, but it was taken by my phone. [NOTE: pic lost until ExPo can find it - I lost some pics, too.]

[RoundOut]

:eek: The point of no return! LOL. :Wow1: I'll be trimming my fenders today so my rear bumper can offer wrap around rear fender protection. :yikes:

I should have the whole thing bolted up, actually in the bed ready to take to the Rhino Liner guy.

I got a new phone with a 1.3 mp camera, so maybe the pics will be better than before. :)

EDIT

Didn't do the trimming yet. I just noticed this post and figured I would clear that up. Still planning on it, though, just not until after the battery relocation is finished.


.

[RoundOut]

Wow, things never seem to go as easy as you expect. What turned out as a 12 hour job, became an all day yesterday (Tuesday) and today (Wednesday), with today until almost 1 a.m. Thursday. Yikes.

It was well worth it though, I am so pleased with the product. I have an appointment at the Rhino place for in the morning. That means that I should be ready to install the backup sensors and rear-facing lights tomorrow night. I can't wait.

One bonus, was that the long-tube hitch that I had fit without modification in the new bumper. This may seem trivial, but it saved me an expected replacement expense.

Here are some progress photos...

1) Left side view before test fit to mark mounting plate holes
2) Right side view before test fit...
3) Pin for spare tire carrier on right side of bumper
4) Mark taking a breather in front of the work-in-progress
5) Mark working on spare tire carrier
6) Vertical for spare
7) Almost done, ready for the final mounting and last few welding steps.

[RoundOut]

I wish I could have some better quality pics and ones not from my driveway, but I forgot to take some while camping this weekend. Speaking of camping, we weathered the worst storm I have ever camped in. Probably close to 2 hours of red-on-the-radar thunderstorms. Took most of the afternoon to clean and dry out my gear.

Here they are.

1) from PS rear
2) from DS rear
3) clamp holding spare tire rack
4) axis pin of spare tire rack
5) lower view from PS rear
6) right end view high
7) right end view low

Note in pics 4 & 5 the flush mounted backup sensors. The auxiliary backup lights are also highly visible in pics 1, 2, 3, & 5. I have yet to wire the sensors to the controller & display. I also still need to wire the aux backup lights and install the trailer wire harness and socket.

Note also the unique design of the clamp in pics 2, 3, 5, & 7. Mark installed it this way, because it pulls the crossbar down, in, and onto the striker plate from the bottom and front.

Mark also warned me to rattle can the bumper until I was sure I had all the bells & whistles I wanted. I should have taken his advice on that, because we didn't weld a stop post to keep the rack from swinging all the way around and striking the RR fender. I doubt this would ever happen, but Murphy's law says it will, and at the worst possible time.

Pic 4 also shows the radio antenna tab.

[jim65wagon]

Wow! I can only refer to aprevious post I made in reference to this subject which raised an eyebrow or two. Now everyone can see I was correct in my prediction!

But I'll restrain myself: Nice Bumper Gary!

[p1michaud]

Very nice bumper. That came together rather quickly.

On a previous post, you mentionned trimming your fenders for wrap around protection. Have you chaned your mind?

Cheers,
P


:eek: The point of no return! LOL. :Wow1: I'll be trimming my fenders today so my rear bumper can offer wrap around rear fender protection. :yikes:

[RoundOut]

Thanks guys! I am very pleased with how it came out. Now if I can just get the lights and backup sensors wired before Tuesday afternoon's road trip.


On a previous post, you mentionned trimming your fenders for wrap around protection. Have you chaned your mind?

Nope. We just ran out of time. We'll have to defer additional "evolution" until after Thanksgiving.


.

[RoundOut]

With my new bumper, I have the backup sensors, auxiliary backup lights, license plate light and trailer wiring harness to wire up before calling this project complete. Before leaving for Tulsa this past weekend, my son and I got some of the wiring done for the accessories. For the cleanest install, I wanted to have a single primary wiring harness to fish into the cab. We wired the license plate light, backup sensors, and power wires for the backup lights all in the same dress-up kit.

First, I spliced into the factory license plate light wiring and ran a feed wire toward the passenger side and up the swing-out carrier. Then we started the primary harness from the outer PS backup sensor including the license plate wire (to it's splice in the center of the rear end), the PS auxiliary backup light and the inner PS backup sensor. Zip-tying these, we continued with the DS inner backup sensor, auxiliary backup light and outer backup sensor. As we added wires to the dress-up kit, we wrapped the whole length of harness with electrical tape for extra protection.

Because the sensors were about 15" apart across the back bumper, their respective plugs on the cicruit board end were spaced that far apart in the harness. In order to be able to fish the harness into the cab, I elected to wrap it in the dress-up kit to the ends. It took four stretched six-foot kits to get the long backup sensor wires all bundled up. After the third kit, I didn't wrap the entire dress-up tubing with electrical tape, because we knew it would be unwrapped for final installation. We just taped one wrap about every six inches.

Our final destination for the ends of the harness would be below the console. I originally thought we would enter the cab through the fire-wall up front. We started out zip-tying the harness, following the tail-light harness forward. We got to the point just below the driver's seat, and realized that it continues into the engine bay protected in some heat-resistant tubes. I didn't have any of those, so I started looking for other options. Under the seat and floorboard there were several plugs, but they would not be acceptable because of their position under foot. I found a plug in the back of the cab, about 6" above the floor where the back seat sits, and about 6" in from the side that would do the trick nicely.

We pulled that plug, cut an 'x' in it, cut about 1.5" off the lower left (as one looks rearward) portion of the plastic trim on the driver's side by the back seat to almost expose the plug (this allowed us to handle it without affecting appearance too much), put the plug around the harness, pushed the harness in the cab, reset the plug, adjusted the harness for best fit with appropriate flexibility, and then put some silicone RTV on the plug, to seal it up. We pulled up the outer edge floor step trim to expose the edge of the carpet and ran the harness forward to the kick panel.

While I had the kick panel off, I took the opportunity to wire up the Ham harness and the two other power cable harnesses I previously ran through the firewall. I put heat shrink female connectors that mated up with the battery terminal adapters that I purchased at West Marine. We pulled apart the end of the dress-up kit housing the bumper accessory wires to allow adding the power harnesses from the firewall accessory power runs. I re-wrapped it and routed it under the steering wheel and over to the console. About four to six feet of extra harness is now stored behind the lower portion of the console until we can finish this install.

[RoundOut]

I just updated post 31 with a status report. I hope to get pics of stuff up tomorrow.

[RoundOut]

I tried to have this radio totally hidden, except for the external antenna, which an ordinary thief would assume was for my mic-less CB (the mic detatches), probably. Here are the pics of the Icom install...

1) The sunglasses holder that I swapped in for the garage door opener holder that was there before.
2) The sunglasses holder, modified to allow my remote faceplate to be kept in there.
3) The mic-hanger with the mic hung on it.

The head unit is under my seat. Cables for power, antenna, remote speaker, and remote head run under the carpet toward the door, then in the loom to the kick plate (except the antenna, which goes back to behind the back seat and out the window to the mag-mount on top. From the kick plate, the power goes through the firewall to the battery, the remote head goes up the A-pillar and across the front of the headliner to the sunglass holder, and the external speaker runs to its spot, just above the accelerator pedal.

I looked for a flat spot to mount the mic-hanger, and its present location was as flat as it gets. The tundra has smoothly ungulating curved lines on the whole dash. Note in the third pic, you can see the CB (sort of) behind the Icom mic.

[RoundOut]

When the bumper was Rhino'd, we still had lots of work left wiring the accessories on it. My son and I ran a harness in wire-loom housing all the wires into the cab behind the back seat, under the carpet along the driver's side edge, up the kick plate, under the steering wheel, and left it coiled under the console until after Thanksgiving this year (2007 for those reading this in the future).

I love learning about electronics, which was my favorite part of model railroading as I built an HO layout in 1/2 of my garage several years ago. These accessories and the Icom install were no different. Lots of fun, sometimes frustrating, but I feel real good about it when you learn something new, have a few opportunities (read: problems) that need solving, and then finally get it working!

To describe the finished part of the harnesses, I'll first describe the backup sensor install...

First, I had to find the wire that is hot when the shift is in reverse. For this, I started by pulling the sill up from the door to expose the primary factory wire loom running to the rear of the truck. Then, I pulled the tail light off, and spotted the red with blue wire that powered the backup lights in the tail light. I looked and looked for that wire and couldn't find it in the factory loom. Then, I noticed the connector right inside the rear fender where the wire changes to red with a black stripe. Back to the front to look for that wire, which was very elusive! I looked twice and couldn't find it, then traced one from the relay, so I knew it was there. I finally found it on the bottom of the loom and tapped it with a 3M connector. I had some 22 gauge aircraft cable left over from my train install, so I took about 5 feet of it to run in the loom to the console area where I planned to put my relay.

I ran the portion of the wiring harness loom that carried the appropriate wires under the steering wheel, and into the console area. After removal of the console, I drilled three 1/2" holes at the rear of the "secret compartment" to allow wires to enter this location. I put grommets in the holes, then fed the (+) & (-) power wires through the left hole, the backup sensor (+) & (-) and hot reverse wire through the middle, and the auxiliary backup light wires through the right. Next, I put insulated bullet connectors and insulated spade connectors in the wires behind the console, so the console can be removed if needed. Before mounting the terminal block, I joined two groups of three terminals to provide multiple locations for mounting wires from similar feed or grounding purposes. After finding and connecting to the right wire, I started work on the location of my fuse bus and aux. backup light/sensor relay & switch. My goal was to have the auxiliary backup lights light up automatically when in Reverse, as well as having the option to turn them on independently to light up the rear behind the vehicle for setting up a campsite, etc. I also wanted the aux. backup lights to not interfere with the backup sensors, such that the switch would also activate the sensors (I got lucky and this was not a problem - yeah!). I bet I spent several hours contemplating the cleanest install layout in the secret console location for this part of the project. I decided to lay out the fuse block on the left side, with the relay and terminal block to the right, respectively.

Finally, I put appropriate connectors on the various wires and connected them as follows:

Power feed (+) to fuse block
Power feed (-) to ground at front left of secret compartment (this wire is probably totally unnecessary, but if needed, I could convert it to something else later)
Hot reverse wire to the relay latching section of the terminal block (front three terminals).
Backup sensor (+) wire to the relay latching section of the terminal block.
Backup sensor (-) to the ground section of the terminal block (rear three terminals)
Terminal block ground section to upper right grounding point.
Relay 85 to ground section of terminal block
Relay 86 to relay latching section of terminal block (Note that 85 & 86 are marked incorrectly on the white plastic I used to mount this stuff on)
Relay 87 to 15A fuse in lower left for power supply to aux lights
Relay 30 to backup light (+)
Aux. Backup light negative to terminal block ground (this is also unneeded, probably, but could serve as a future accessory wire to the rear if needed.)
As mentioned above, I installed an additional switch for the Aux. backup lights. I spliced into the positive feed for the auxiliary backup lights and attached this to the "load" tab of my switch.
I attached another 15A fuse circuit to the "power" tab of the switch.
I attached another ground lead from the terminal block to the "earth" tab on the switch.As I have mentioned in previous posts, eventually I'll use different wires (for this temporary switch location) and feed accessories off the fuse block to switches mounted in the lower DIN of my head unit location, after finding an appropriate replacement head unit.

1) Red with black stripe backup light feed wire tapped with 3M connector.
2) Another view of the tapped factory loom from further back.
3) View of fuse bus, relay and terminal block, and (temporary location of) the switch for aux backup lights. Note the red light is lit when the toggle at the front is switched to the right, indicating that my dual batteries are joined full-time.
4) Another view of the fuse bus, etc. with the dual battery switch lit green, indicating that the batteries are only joined when the key is set to accessory or run.
5) Backup sensor display when in reverse with nothing behind. It also has audible tones that beep slowly when nothing is behind, but more rapidly as the vehicle approaches objects. The center of the display has digital distance in feet, too!
6) Auxiliary backup lights on during the day

NOTE: This "secret compartment" is wired MUCH CLEANER than these photos reveal. The wires I used to incorporate the switch for the auxilliary backup lights are way too long for this temporary location. I just wanted to see if it worked easily, or if I needed diodes. Thankfully, the relay and the switch both have integrated diodes, so the backup sensor system does not light up when not in reverse and the aux backup light circuit is closed. When I get the radio head unit swapped out, I'll run switches out of this compartment, up to the switch bank, mentioned above, in the lower DIN location of the radio.

[BrianTN]

I haven't read the entire thread so this might have been answered, but why did you put the tire swing out carrier on the bumper? Could you not make a tire swing out carrier replacement for the tailgate and save some weight?

[pygmyowl]

I have a 06 Tundra TRD access cab & was wondering if you were happy with the factory LSD or were ever going to install an ARB rear locker?

Would a high-lift jack on the rear bumper work for changing a rear tire?

Very nice write up & pictures - thanks

[RoundOut]

I haven't read the entire thread so this might have been answered, but why did you put the tire swing out carrier on the bumper? Could you not make a tire swing out carrier replacement for the tailgate and save some weight?

That is so funny that you mention that. I thought of that for the first time this past Thursday, just two days ago. I am not sure why I didn't think of it earlier, probably because I have not seen one done that way before. In addition to lighter, it may have been stronger to have the tailgate frame handle the swingout.

In fact, I could probably dump the tailgate right now. I was talking to DevinSixtySeven today and mentioned your question and he suggested I put some sand ladders back there in place of the tailgate. That makes lots of sense, too.

This may become a project on the to-do list, but for now, I just want to get it dusty and stop having to use a rake to my paint look like I was offroad. Time to put the mods to good use!


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[RoundOut]

I have a 06 Tundra TRD access cab & was wondering if you were happy with the factory LSD or were ever going to install an ARB rear locker?

So far, I have been able to get out of most trouble with the LSD. Not being locked, though, does tend to make me chicken out some, probably saving me lots of money in repairs, too. LOL

I do plan on getting an air locker from ARB, maybe next spring. First I need to finish the battery relocation mod.



Would a high-lift jack on the rear bumper work for changing a rear tire?

Yes, it works great! Slip the nose into one of the D-rings and it stays in there nicely. Much more securely than just sticking it under the bumper!


Very nice write up & pictures - thanks

Thanks! It has been fun seeing a vision finally become reality, albeit piecemeal.


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[RoundOut]

Earlier this week, my buddy Tom and I went to pick up the replacement backup sensor system from Mark at C.E. Offroad. While there, we were talking about the dual battery relocation and Mark asked if I was putting in an onboard air system concurrent with the battery relocation. I said I would like to mount the tank behind the batteries somehow. He asked if I had a tank yet, to which I replied, "No." He pointed over to a truck project he started and said he'd never finish and said "You can have the one over on that truck if you can take it off."

SCHWEEEEET!

Tom and I got some wrenches and got busy.

After taking a wire brush and flap wheel sander to it, and dropping the brackets in some pool acid (muriatic acid) to get the rust off this morning (and looking like a coal miner from all the black paint dust covering me head to toe), here's what it looks like now...

I'll prime it first, then use some undercoat paint to give it a durable finish for under the bed toward the rear.

Because it had some rust, I am going to have it hydrotested first. I don't want shrapnel popping my new swing-out spare tire!

If all goes well, I'll use it; if not, Oh well.

The drain plug is on the bottom, btw. Kudo's to the guy/gal who sees catches the other problem in this photo (that I have already fixed, but put back for the enjoyment of this puzzle... actually for another reason, but before anyone catches it, the puzzle will have to do).


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[RoundOut]

For the record, I wanted to know the tank's volume. I filled it with water and then poured it into a five gallon bucket. It was almost full. I then had a two gallon bucket that I filled about half-way. I poured the water from the half-full, two-gallon bucket into the five gallong bucket, and wallah, it was at the top. So, I guess it is a 4 gallon tank.

Well, I cleaned up the WD-40 I had sprayed on the air tank a few days ago to keep it from rusting, and then used some fine grit sandpaper to prep it for paint. Muriatic acid cleaned the rusty spots from the inside, I rolled it back and forth to get good coverage, rinsed it thoroughly a few times, and then dried it with my heat gun. Then, I used some alcohol on a rag to clean up any dusty stuff and any remaining oily film. Good to go, or so I thought.

I chose some undercoating from the local Ace Hardware. I should have just used primer. The weather yesterday was not cooperative with the undercoat paint. It smelled like crude oil and didn't dry any faster than crude oil. I put the thing on a hanger in the garage and turned on the heater. Finally it started drying.

This morning, I showed my son, and picked it up. Darn if the undercoat didn't just wipe away in a couple spots on the ends. So, I tried to get all the stuff off that was loose and then touched it up. It's still hanging, hopefully this time to dry more solidly. Maybe this stuff just doesn't ever dry.

See my next post, for an explanation of why it won't matter much anyhow. Once I mount it, it will be almost internal...

EDIT:

I painted the inside with some Rustoleum. I bought two little cans (1/2 pints each) of white. I poured them into the tank with a funnel. I put some rubber stoppers in the fittings to keep the paint inside, then rolled it all around to get good coverage. I then drained out the excess, which ended up being a lot more than I expected. There was almost one and half cans recovered. Below are some pics I took of it.

The first pic is pretty lame, but shows the interior of the tank. Not bad, considering it was from my phone. LOL. The second one is of the funnel below the drain hole as the excess paint was draining.


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[RoundOut]

Yesterday, I went up to Creative Engineering Offroad, and Mark had finished the fabrication of my under-the-bed battery and air tank box. As usual, his design was quite impressive. We had scoped out a plan and he had come up with an even better solution. We lined up and cut out the X-shaped cross member that held the spare-tire winch, put the box into place, tacked it and finisish-welded it.

I took the nice camera and snapped some decent pics of the first part at CEO. After leaving CEO, I went to my buddies shop and put it up on the lift to prime and paint the new "cross-member". The red primer was what Mark had painted the top before we welded it in place. I bought a can of that to paint the box, as much of the skid plate and some of the sides of the box were already primed. I bought two cans of flat black for a finish coat. I underestimated how much primer and paint I would need by one rattle can each. Luckily, my buddy had some on hand, although the primer was grey. I switched to grey primer for the box part, after finishing the skid plate and inspection port cover with oxide red and a couple coats of flat black each. Unfortunately, I totally ran out of flat black with just a little bit left to paint, right above the batteries.

Here is a description of the pics below:

1) The finished box with the skid plate on (upside down as it will be placed under the bed)
2) The air tank's drain hole as seen through the access port on the skid plate. At FastenAll in The Woodlands, I found a handy hex-head npt bushing to use to drain this with a low-profile. I have seen some pull-string drain cocks, and I am considering working one of those in somehow.
3) The inspection port. Again, upside down. This will be used to adjust the terminals, should one come loose through vibration, without having to remove the whole skid plate.
4) The air tank end (rear end), still upside down on the table.
5) The battery end (forward end). Note several things... the tall nuts welded to the exterior to secure the skid plate, the nuts welded to the interor for the inspection port, The threaded rods and nuts used to apply tension to the battery bracket to hold the battery in place, the two-inch angle iron that the batteries rest on, with a cut-out center place for loading the batteries.
6) The batteries fit perfectly on top of a 2x6 board, used to space the terminals sufficiently high off of the tension bracket. This was a solution that was surprisingly not designed from the outset, but was better than design. I'd rather be lucky than smart! LOL
7) A view without the tank in place - a bit lighter for the mounting process, plus I still had to prime/paint.
8) Aligning the box, under the not-long-for-the-world cross member.
9) Thank God for the sawzall, that hitch receiver is too deep under the bed and it needed shortening. Note to self, next bumper build, use a shorter hitch receiver.

Now comes the more difficult (at least for me) part, which is deciding how to route wires from the engine bay, staying as far as possible from hot exhaust pipes. Toyota has not left much room for these considerations. DevinSixtySeven has advised to come in through the wheelwell between the inner wheelwell and the plastic liner. I have never had that liner off, so this will be a fun learning curve.

[RoundOut]

When we started lining it up, we decided that it would fit best and be most stable if there were "corners" cut in the front two parts of the X-shaped cross member, and clean cuts in the rear.

Here are some addition pics of the install...

1) Measure twice...
2) Cut once.
3) OK, cut twice. (just kidding) We used an angle grinder to cut as much as we could, and finished with a sawzall.
4) The notch in the forward left part of the former cross-member
5) Corresponding notch in the forward right part of the former cross-member
6) Mark using a flap-wheel to make size adjustments and remove paint prior to welding.
7) Drilling pilot holes for the cable routing. This was the first step in punching the holes. What a cool tool Mark had for this... It was a hydrolic punch that would punch up to 10 gauge steel with holes from 1" to 3".
8) Me punching the holes. Note the Blue Seas battery switch on top of the box, and the Taco in fab for some military axles in the background.
9) The holes after punching. The hole punch makes holes for the right size grommets in electrical boxes. It is a $675 tool. Ouch, but it sure works well.

[RoundOut]

More pics from the install at CEO...

1) Tack weld on back right of the remaining part of the cross-member. In this picture, the spring hangers look very close to the box. Not so, in fact we made sure that there was plenty of clearance in case we wanted to replace the springs in the future and had to remove the spring hanger bolt.
2) Tack weld on left side
3) Finished welds on right side - nice bead, for welding upside down!
4) Left side finished.
5) View in place without the skid plate, from the rear
6) View in place without skid plate, from the front

When finished at CEO, as I mentioned before, I headed to my buddies shop to prime and paint the box. I have to finish this up with just a couple shots of flat black, and then begin the wiring.

[RoundOut]

Initially, I had purchased two runs of 2 gauge red cable and one run of 2/0 gauge black. After getting the box installed, it dawned on me, that I don't need to have both runs of red if I relocate the solenoid from the dual battery controller to a location closer to the batteries. I need to return the 2 gauge red cables and get a run of 2/0 red. I might even save some money after this swap! There is plenty of room in the box for the solenoid, so that will be at the top of the list. At this time, I also need to properly plumb up the air tank. So, here is the to-do list that relates to wrapping up this install...

Locate and mount the dual battery solenoid DONE 1/10/08
Locate and mount the battery switches in and/or near the battery box. Changed plan. Will locate a keyed primary lockout on the 2/0 positive lead in the OEM spot (Done 1/23/08), and an auxiliary lockout switch on the negative lead in the box next to the solenoid.
Re-route the control wiring for the dual battery solenoid. Done 1/18/08
Fit grommets into the wiring holes of the box. Done 1/18/08
Route the primary wiring from the box to the original battery location DONE 1/11/08
Route the air line from the compressor to the tank. Done 1/18/08
Mount my Blue Sea fuse blocks (without the fuses) which I am going to use as high-current terminal blocks, to secure original wiring up front. These will go on the fender near the original battery location. Done 1/18/08
Mount my Viair 400C compressor where the original battery is. Done 1/23/08.
Route the compressor intake line over near the K&N intake (colder air point) Done.
Route the interior pressure gauge line through the firewall and locate pressure gauge with as close to a factory appearance as possible - I think I will be swapping out my head unit and mounting this in a lower DIN, if it fits. If not, it will go on an A-Pillar gauge pod. In fact, the more I think of it, it will have to go on the A-Pillar. There just won't be enough room for a 2-5/16" gauge in the lower DIN of the factory radio location. Done 8/3/08.
Locate and install a winch power port in the rear. Done 7/14/08.
Extend the lead wires on the winch by about 2 feet, allowing it to reach the front power port and planned location of the rear power port. Changed. Instead, I shortened the leads and made an extension cord to connect the power outlets to the winch. The extension cord can also act as a jumper cable extension cord. Done 7/14/08.
Locate and install quick-release air fittings at the front and rear and plumb them up to the manifolds. Done 7/14/08.Hopefully, I can get this done in the next couple weeks.


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[RoundOut]

This morning after driving to the office, I noticed a vibration coming from the battery box. I thought the left tail pipe was pretty close to the forward left, lower corner, and indeed it was making noise at idle. I'm headed up to Mark's in the morning to have him adjust the routing of that side of the exhaust, a quick fix.

Also, an afternoon trip to O'Reilly's yielded a significant savings on cable. I returned the two runs of 2 gauge red and ordered a second 2/0 black (they didn't have red for a week+). The net savings was enough to get me another heat gun to replace the one I burned up this past weekend (defrosting the freezer - LOL), some heat shrink tubing, and some terminal lugs. It'll be here in the morning.

This afternoon I pulled the heavy gauge wiring from the dual battery system previously installed in the engine compartment, including the solenoid, returned the OEM fuse/relay box to its original mounting points, and tied up the dual battery control harness until I can get more time to re-route it. On a trip to Home Depot, I picked up some grommets for the cable holes on the front of the box (turned out to be the wrong size - I thought the holes were 1", but they were 7/8"), some mounting hardware for the solenoid, and some weather stripping for the air tank to prevent abrasion on the tank from the mounts.

I determined that the solenoid will fit in the location shown below and still allow the batteries to be removed for replacement or inspection as needed without removal of the solenoid. I love that it will only require a short cable run (less than a foot) to each battery! This shortens the 9-10' trip that the cable had in the front and cleans up the front compartment significantly.

I chose a high location for the solenoid to limit water intrusion, but in case fording a stream allows water into this space, I will be sealing the seams of the solenoid with RTV before mounting any cables to it.

Pics below:

Close-up view of solenoid as seen from the inspection port. I still need to paint here, this is where I ran out of flat black just before being finished. Argh.
View of the auxiliary battery in position with the solenoid just a few inches away, and a good view of the battery mounting bracket. It still needs a coat of flat black, too.
View of solenoid mounting position from the air-tank side of the box. Also note the brackets for the air tank.

[RoundOut]

Wow, we got the hardest part started today. I have been concerned about routing the cable the safest way, since failure is not an option. We picked up some blue plastic conduit from Home Depot, along with some cool cable mounts. O'Rielly's had the coolest heat shrink I've ever used... it sort of reminded me of Mick Dundee, "That's not heat shrink, now this is heat shrink!" It starts out about an 1.25 - 1.5 inches in diameter and shrinks down to 3/8", with glue. We also employed two 3' lenghts of silicone starter cable protective cover from Smileys. Other materials used today included two 25' lengths of 2/0 battery cable, one in black and one in red, along with a few dozen zip ties.

Here's how it went...

Getting the cable into the conduit and into the silicone sleeve was interesting. We cut the 25' conduit in half to use some for each polarity of cable, and then put one end in the pipe holder of a bench vise. The stuff is pretty rigid, so we straightened it out and started feeding the black cable. We got the black cable into the conduit with brute force and twisting of the cable while holding the conduit fixed straight out. The red cable was not as easy. Finally I put some dish detergent in the conduit on the vise end and chased it with about a cup of water and allowed gravity to do its thing. I wish we had done this on the black, because it was a snap after that. We left about 18" of cable exposed on the box end of each cable. In the front, we pulled it back out and soaped up the silicone sleeve. We worked it on the cable slowly by sliding it together and then stretching it out, repeating this process until it was where we wanted it. After the sleeve was on, we used the red and black heat shrink from O'Reily's to seal up this joint tight. The funny part about using all the soap, was that when it dried, our hands picked up a ton of dirt, but later when we went to wash them off, they cleaned up without any additional soap. LOL

Next, we identified a route down the right side frame, just inside the rail from the battery box forward to just inside the wheelwell in the front right. I was concerned about heat near the headers, as the cables run within about 6" of them. We used the silicone ignition cable sleeves from this point down about 4" past the catalytic converters, where the blue plastic conduit picked up. I heat shrinked a water tight seal at this joint, after slitting the plastic conduit about 1/2" on the end to cover about 1/2" of silicone sleeve. The glue oozed out the end, so it looks like we got a great seal.

When it comes to cable routing, it sure helped having two of us. Starting from the front, we layed out the cable in front of the truck and fed it down behind the ABS controller, down the space closest to the corner of the firewall and rear of the right wheelwell, and over a cross-member, staying as far away from the exhaust as possible, and pulled the slack to the floor. With the truck lifted just about a foot, my buddy David got down on the crawler to pull from below while I fed from above. We then lifted the truck and after pulling all the cable down the rail in the most appropriate spots, we dropped the truck down again and fed it back about two feet more backwards, to allow me to easily add some split loom for the cable in the engine end and wrap it with electrical tape from the point where the silicone cover ended close to the other end. After wrapping it, we fed it back down to its desired location with the silicone protective sleeve in the areas closest to the headers and catalytic converter.

We had about an hour left before having to get cleaned up for dinner, so we zip tied the cable in place, leaving the rest for the next day, hopefully Saturday night. My son and I are headed to Huntsville State Park with some friends to do some mountain biking on the trails, and then have to be back to attend one of his buddies' Eagle Scout Court of Honor.

Here are some pics of today's efforts...

The cable layed out on the floor after putting it into the blue conduit. Note the soapy water oozing from the red cable.
Getting ready to put the silicone sleeve on the red cable.
Heat shrinking the joint between the plastic conduit and the silicone sleeve.
The heat gun is the right tool for this job!
Feeding cable down the route in the corner of the engine bay near the ABS controller.
View from below, just behind the engine on the right frame rail as we fed the cable.
Cable route near the catalytic converter. Don't worry, we zip tied these to the frame as far from the catalytic converter as possible. Also, this blue conduit is much farther back and the silicone sleeve protects it here after the final pull of cable.

[RoundOut]

One other project that I did yesterday, was to use RTV to seal the solenoid for water crossings.

Here are some addition pics of the cable routing project...

Ewe, tenticles!
My best friend, David, lowering the truck after zip tying the cables in place and replacing the skid plate. We sure enjoy tinkering with our cars and trucks, and it sure helps having a great shop to do it in. Thanks, David!
Starting a good wrap of electrical tape on the split loom from where the silicone sleeve ends to the engine end of the cable. We used 25' of red and 25' of black cable and may have as much as three extra feet at the back end. It is not yet finally zip tied in place, so if I needed to tweak it by a few inches, we still can. However, it looks like the length toward the orignal battery location will be PERFECT! Yippee.:Mechanic:

[keezer36]

Thank you for the wonderful write-up on the dual batteries. I've been planning mine out this past week so this came in handy. I now know about silicone sleeves.

How will you be using your batteries? That is, will one be isolated solely as a back-up or will you have add-on accessories constantly feeding off it while the other tends to the cranking and factory accessories?

I don't know if you've seen these yet, but thought I'd make mention of them as you may find them to be better than grommets with regards to water intrusion as a pass-thru to your box: http://bluesea.com/category/9/productline/overview/11

[RoundOut]

Thanks for the kind words, Keezer.


How will you be using your batteries? That is, will one be isolated solely as a back-up or will you have add-on accessories constantly feeding off it while the other tends to the cranking and factory accessories?
I plan to have it exclusively as a backup until such point as I get a fridge.


I don't know if you've seen these yet, but thought I'd make mention of them as you may find them to be better than grommets with regards to water intrusion as a pass-thru to your box: http://bluesea.com/category/9/productline/overview/11

Those are awesome and I'm going to get some. Thanks a bunch. If nothing else, for the strain relief. Unfortunately, I've already punched four 7/8" holes, so unless I can fill them somehow and still use these, I may be hosed there.

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[devinsixtyseven]

Gary this is looking so cool! Can't wait to see everything all hooked up...or better yet, see it in person :p.

[jim65wagon]

Gary this is looking so cool! Can't wait to see everything all hooked up...or better yet, see it in person :p.

agreed! maybe you'll need to make an around the country circuit to show everyone...Gary's 49 state tour!

[RoundOut]

Almost done with this mod. Before our Scout campout this past weekend, we finished up relocating the primary to the rear and mounting the terminal posts to the front in its place. I didn't have time to finish installing the Blue Sea lockout switch, and I am thankful for that -- read on...

When preparing for this work, I researched and learned that the best polarity to lock out was the negative pole. Following this learned advice, I was planning on installing the lockout on the negative lead up near the engine in the OEM battery location. However, when routing the leads forward, I chose to ground the negative lead, and run it through the rear battery box, in the same location. This provided an effective ground to the frame, but after reflection, also prevented an effective on-off switch in the front of the vehicle. I had not yet thought of this.

It is pretty sick, but as I was thinking about my next steps to wrap this up, it dawned on me that I had just rendered the forward negative switch useless. Argh. I guess I'll just have to put it on the positive pole up front. Oh, well.

Pictures included:

I taped all of the positive leads with masking tape to identify them as positive. After sweating on the solder, we used the Borg Warner heat shrink for battery terminals, cutting them into thirds, which was all we needed.
I used large, self-tapping sheet metal screws to secure the terminal block. I used a Blue Sea maxi-fuse block instead of a terminal block, without the fuse, of course, for the front terminal block. I will interupt the positive lead from the rear with a Blue Sea lockout switch as noted above in the next few days, to provide me or my mechanic with a way of disconnecting power simply.
This is a view from the forward looking slightly back, under the battery box. The coil of green and white wires are extra wires from the four-wire trailer harness I used for the two (yellow and brown) wires controlling the solenoid. You can also see the black nylon hose for the air tank line from the compressor in that same coil. The positive lead was just a bit too long and would chaffe the skid plate, so we later installed a nylon eyelet and zip-tied these to hang them high above the skid plate.
Another view with the inspection port in sight. Note in this view the negative battery cable going forward is connected to the bolt at the front of the battery box. Behind that, inside the box, the negative cable comes from the primary, to the auxilliary, to the back of this bolt. Also note the use of a Blue Sea coaxial cable "thru-deck" bushing on the positive lead through the battery box, to the isolator, tying in the primary.
Last shot of primary in OEM location. Notice the 2/0 positive and negative cables coming around from the right side along the top of the firewall. Also notice the coil of split loom at the top right of the photo (this is the harness for the battery isolator solenoid). The blue conduit holds the new harness for the isolator, as relocated, and the black nylon air line for the Viair compressor.Not shown, is the tank in place, with the black nylon tubing coming from the compressor hooked up. I'll get a pick of that the next time the skid plate comes off for hooking up a rear quick-connect and fitting the rear power outlet for winching.

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[keezer36]

Wow! Just when I think I'm about ready to get going, I find something(s) else to consider. Thanks for continuing on with this mod in such detail. I appreciate it.
One thing I'm up in the air about still is the terminal lugs. I've been searching for a cheap way to crimp them in place without buying an expensive tool I'll use once. How did you do yours?

One other item, your selection of wire gauge. Was the 2/0 necessary or did you just go with the bigger is better route?

[RoundOut]

... One thing I'm up in the air about still is the terminal lugs. I've been searching for a cheap way to crimp them in place without buying an expensive tool I'll use once. How did you do yours?
Borg Warner makes a whole line of cool battery wire, terminals, heat-shrink tubing, and so forth. My local O'Reily's had the catalog, and I just looked in it and picked out what I needed, and most of it was in the Houston warehouse. There was a picture in the catalog of how to solder the heavy battery cable to the terminals for a professional joint, and I just ordered the stuff to do that. I had a plumbers torch for sweating solder into copper pipes, and a pair of channel locks. I slid an appropriately sized HST over the wire, used the channel locks to hold the lugs or terminals, melted the solder in the terminal or lug, inserted the cable, let it cool until the solder hardened, then used a heat gun to shrink the HST.

The diagram is in the catalog below on page 41 (acrobat page 42).

Check the following items out in the Borg Warner Wire & Cable catalog (http://www.bwdbrand.com/web_app/catalog/BWWCB-06.pdf)

2/0 Cables: Black = BCW100, Red = BCW200R
2/0 Battery Terminals: Positive = BH33 & Negative = BH34 for straight type, BH27A & BH28 flag type for double wire connections to a single terminal
2/0 Copper Terminal lugs: BH149
Heat Shrink: red = HST11 & black = HST10
Solder slugs = CT474 (for 2/0)
One other item, your selection of wire gauge. Was the 2/0 necessary or did you just go with the bigger is better route?

If it is worth doing, it is worth over-doing! Actually, I was told by an electrical engineer that 2 gauge was big enough for a 25' run. Then I learned that the path for the run is from battery terminal to battery terminal; in other words, positive terminal to 25' of red to electrical appliance to 25' of black to negative terminal. That makes for a 50' run. While the 2 gauge was still probably strong enough, I opted on the side of caution. Knowing that an arcing electrical cable is a recipe for disaster, I chose to over build it and spend the extra dough for 2/0.

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[keezer36]

from battery terminal to battery terminal.

Thanks for the Borg-Warner catalog. I seen you mentioned solder in your previous post but misunderstood the procedure.

Battery terminal to battery terminal, of course, the entire loop! I never would have thought of that.

Thanks.

[RoundOut]

As mentioned in a previous post, I had to mount the lockout switch on the positive terminal because of having multiple grounding points. No problem, except for manipulating 2/0 cable to bend & fit into strange shapes for optimal terminal lug alignment. Also, if you decide to use the Blue Sea switches like I did, be sure to purchase four #10 x 2" machine screws and nuts to match. I didn't know that was the only way to secure the switch to the housing. It snaps, but with the flex on the 2/0 cables, I knew it would need some shackles and bindings to keep it fixed. I used three self-tapping sheet metal screws to secure it to the inside of the fender, and because the terminals were so long, I had to cut about 3/8" off of the end of them to clear the sheet metal screws. Before mounting the housing to a "flat" (read: undulating) surface the inside of the fender, I used some RTV silicone to "glue" the nuts in the shaped spots on the back of the switch housing. After my buddy showed up with the 2" screws, I screwed it on and it looks like it will be ideal. I tested it and it works GREAT!

Before mounting the switch, I started off by realigning the position of the postiive and negative leads attached at the fuse block/terminal block so that I could more easily mount my compressor. I stacked some pieces of wood to see what height would clear the cables.

Here are some pics from today (sorry for the poor quality, I forgot my nice camera and had to use my phone.)

This is a view of the former OE battery location and the cables that now reside there. First, I realigned the cables connected at the terminal block for easier access to the busses and to reduce the chance for chaffing. Note to self: Don't overtorque the 9/16" nut on the positive terminal next time, or else I'll have to use my spare terminal block/fuse block that I had planned to return. LOL
Here's the view of the lockout switch before my buddy showed up with the machine screws. When working on this today, I realized that there are some small cables serving the KC Slimlights that were not installed in split loom. Shoddy workmanship stinks. I'll have to re-install those with heavier gauge wire (to overdo it!) in the future anyhow.
I used some cabinet stock to secure two self-tapping sheet metal screws on each "foot". I countersunk the self tapping screws and then put RTV silicone to keep them from backing out. After this, I mounted another strip of 2x2 on top for added clearance.
On top of the 2x2, I screwed some 3/8 plywood. I later painted it black, but here is a shot just after screwing it down.
This last photo is of a test fit. It fits great.After this, I secured the Viair 400C compressor with the supplied hardware - actually only half supplied :( - I had to send my buddy out for additional pair of 1.5" #10x32 machine screws, nuts, and washers.

Upon mounting, I pulled the plug out of the inlet for a quick "fire-up". It works, but vibrates pretty hard on the wood mount. I am going to have to build a metal bracket for this and secure it better, because after testing it this afternoon for the first time, it probably vibrates too much for the wood mount I used. The wood was a soft pine and without much use, I bet it will split up and ruin under the vibration.

[jim65wagon]

Gary, the Viair needs to be mounted on some rubber isolators. I've used rubber bushings from swaybar endlinks for a vibration free ride. You can see them just underneath the feet of the MV-50 in this pic. http://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1587&d=1144273689

[RoundOut]

Gary, the Viair needs to be mounted on some rubber isolators. I've used rubber bushings from swaybar endlinks for a vibration free ride. You can see them just underneath the feet of the MV-50 in this pic. http://expeditionportal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1587&d=1144273689

Great photo of your application, Jim! Thanks. I'll head over to O'Rielly's and see if they have some rubber baby buggy bumpers like that.

Question for ya'... What kind of torque do you put on those machine screws/nuts holding it in place, and are there lock washers under the nuts? Also, does the MV-50 have rubber feet with brass sleeves inside that the bolts go through, like the 400C has? Thanks in advance...


.

[jim65wagon]

Great photo of your application, Jim! Thanks. I'll head over to O'Rielly's and see if they have some rubber baby buggy bumpers like that.
Question for ya'... What kind of torque do you put on those machine screws/nuts holding it in place, and are there lock washers under the nuts? Also, does the MV-50 have rubber feet with brass sleeves inside that the bolts go through, like the 400C has? Thanks in advance...
.

Gary, if you look under the MV-50 you'll see a metal plate, which is bolted down using the two airbox bolts/platforms where the old airbox went. The machine screws are bolted to the plate, the rubber bushings hide the nuts from sight. The MV-50 is bolted down using a set of nylock nuts. Torque them down just snug, you don't want to compress your bushings too much or you'll lose the cushiness of the setup. Does that make sense?

[RoundOut]

I ordered a Deaver custom leaf pack today. I estimated an extra 4-500 lbs in the rear with the mods I have done recently, plus the two inch lift from my original add-a-leaf and one-inch block. They are going to engineer me a 10 pack to support the extra weight and still give max articulation. I'm JACKED about this! Should be done in about 2-3 weeks, plus shipping time. Can't wait!

.

[RoundOut]

Gary, if you look under the MV-50 you'll see a metal plate, which is bolted down using the two airbox bolts/platforms where the old airbox went. The machine screws are bolted to the plate, the rubber bushings hide the nuts from sight. The MV-50 is bolted down using a set of nylock nuts. Torque them down just snug, you don't want to compress your bushings too much or you'll lose the cushiness of the setup. Does that make sense?

I get it. Thanks. I got some bushings from O'Reilly's tonight and will have my buddy fab me a bracket to lift it about the same height as the wooden cheesy one I made first. This way, it will be sufficiently high off the battery cables.


.

[RoundOut]

Been a while since I updated the thread...

The Viair 400C Compressor is mounted in the original battery location. I have placed the manifold system on the other side of the engine bay, near the air cleaner, where my original location of the dual battery solenoid was. All air lines run so far, except the air line to the interior pressure gauge, as follows:

Air intake line located just behind the expanded metal in the front bumper, run over to a point just behind the top of the right headlight, in front of the K&N intake filter.
Quick connect from braided leader hose with check valve
Connects to 1/4 nylon line, run atop the firewall, around to the manifold system.
The intake of the manifold system is first routed through a small dehydrator, then to a tee above the pressure switch, and then to the manifold.
There are five ports on the manifold (purchased from Sierra Expeditions - GREAT SERVICE, BTW!) as follows:
Line to the air tank in the rear
Line to the in-cab pressure gauge
Pressure relief valve (popoff valve)
Under hood pressure gauge
Line to front quick-connect fitting in front bumper behind the right riser of the bull bar.Rather than locating the pressure gauge in an A-Pillar gauge pod, I decided to modify the console area a bit. I used the area above the plate that covers the "secret compartment" to mount my accessory switches, except for the air lockers and air pressure gauge.

In my quest to mount my compressor in a way that cleared the battery cable lines, I found a really cool rivet tool that installs threaded rivets. See photo below.... It is called a "Surebonder Threaded Insert Tool (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200308963_200308963)" and I found it at Northern Tool one day while browsing and knew immediately that it would work for my compressor install. I like this solution far better than using self-tapping sheet metal screws.

See pics in next post for final installation...

[RoundOut]

Alpine Tundra's On Board Air System is totally functional. I'll be mounting the interior air pressure gauge and switch using the supplied Viair bracket. It will go under the console near the ignition switch. I gave up on trying to get it to look like a factory install at this point for a couple of reasons... 1) the TRD gauge pods are very difficult to locate for the Tundras, and 2) I am satisfied with my factory head unit and replacing it with a single DIN unit to gain access to the lower din for switches, is a project that I just don't want to spend the money on right now. Here are some observations on how it works...

TUBING ROUTING
1) I have the compressor air supply coming from next to my K&N intake filter, around the front of the radiator (to avoid transient heat in the supply air - since the compressed air is hot enough). I am ok with this location, since I will be striving to keep the K&N dry, it won't become an issue to drown my OBA filter. This part is good.
2) Compressed air routing is around the back at the top of the firewall to the dryer, then to the switch/relay, then to the manifold. From the manifold, to the following...
Front air chuck
Under hood gauge
Plug where interior gauge line will go
pop-off
rear air feed to tank
At the rear air tank, the line tees with a feed to the tank and a line to the rear air chuck, just outside the driver's side of the battery/air tank box. When using the rear air-chuck, I have 4 gallons of compressed air (at 140 psi starting) very close by. When using the front air chuck, that air tank is 20' from the manifold and another +/- 3' to the chuck. Filling tires from the front is slow, and I wonder how much I gain by having the air tank in the system. Sure it helps, but I'm not sure how much.

WIRING
The power lines, using the supplied 10 gauge feed wire with a 30 amp fuse, were not impressive, heating up to the point that the temporary electrical tape used to cover my splice under the hood for the switch was smoking hot. I replaced it with 8 gauge wire after seeing that, which helps, but does not totally eliminate the heat. Another possible problem with heat, was running my compressed air line to the dryer/switch/relay/manifold in the same split-loom dressup tubing. I tore it out and ran them in separate split-loom when replacing the wire with heavier gauge.

FIRST USAGES
1) When working in the oil patch a few weeks back, a Kawasaki Mule approached with a flat driver's front tire. He looked at my truck and assumed I had air, which was pretty gratifying, since I had only readied the system the weekend before. I answered, "Of course.", not willing to admit I just got it ready - LOL.
His tire would not inflate, and being the prepared Boy Scout, I had some extra valve stem cores and replaced his bent one. Wallah, it inflated in a jiffy.
2) I used the rear chuck to power my air-ratchet when removing my sliders. It didn't have enough air to drive the tool for more than a few seconds at a time. I could use it effectively to remove nuts from long bolts after the torque was broken, or install nuts on long bolts, then hand-torqueing, but the impact hammer will be hampered severely. Just not enough air volume with my 400C. I may try dual compressors or a MUCH larger compressor at some point in the future.
3) I just installed my Deaver 10-pack (see later post for this description) and had a pull to the right which I thought was from my new leaf springs not getting mounted to the axle properly. After fixing what I thought was the problem (1/16" behind at the right off perpendicular as measured from the forward spring hanger), I drove home with the same problem. Then I saw the flat front right. I inflated it with my forward chuck. The tank only provided about 10 seconds of air before the pressure switch turned on the compressor. I then realized that the valve stem was faulty, so it was off to Discount Tire this morning after putting on the spare.

Photos:

1) Compresor view from front right of vehicle. Below the compressor are the terminal lines coming from the battery/alternator/accessories. Behind it is my Blue Sea master switch.
2) Split loom coming from compressor around the top of firewall to the manifold system.
3) View from the drivers side across the engine to the manifold system. Note the temporary switch atop the wires coming out of the relay/pressure switch, and the dryer in the center back.
4) Top view of the manifold system. Left to right are quick connect, dryer, pressure switch/relay, manifold mounted to inside of fender with standoffs.
5) Air chuck positioned just behind the bull-bar on the passenger side.
6) Pardon the dust -- Note the small red handle outside the driver side of the battery box, just above the skid plate... this is the valve supplying air to the air chuck in the rear. I have a rubber cane tip over the air chuck and lots of splash of dirty water to add effect in the photo. I went to great lengths to get the right amount of soiling for this photo...:p

.

[RoundOut]

After all the mods adding weight to the rear, I had a small sag and a pervasive problem of the leaves in the driver side leaf spring/block/add-a-leaf getting slightly X-shaped. I had always heard great things about Deaver Spring, so I ordered a custom leaf pack to provide the two inches of lift I already had with my 1" block and 1" add-a-leaf, plus enought lift to offset an additional 500 lbs. They shipped out a custom 9-pack a few weeks ago and I had it in a few days. A buddy of mine that has a great shop, helped me get them installed. Prior to installation, I measured the height on both sides to the lower edge of my fender flares and got 37.5" on the PS and 37.375" on the DS. After installation, I measured again and got 36.9" on the PS and 37.1" on the DS.

:confused:

I was so bummed. We looked at putting the block back in, but the pins were not long enough, and I figured if I'm spending $700 on a leaf pack, I darned sure shouldn't need a block.

That was Saturday, so I had to wait until Monday to contact Deaver. I sent them and email to all the addresses I had, and at 10:00 a.m. my time, I picked up my phone to call them and noticed they had already responded. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

I decided I better re-read my email to make sure I wasn't impolite, and it was ok. LOL. Then I called and spoke to Jeff, who said they'd get me another leaf out right away to install in the middle. They did, and last Saturday, we went back to my buddy's shop to get some more experience with rear leaf springs. :Mechanic:

We got it all set up and called Deaver for some last minute pointers. They said put it between leaves 2 and 3 as counting from the top, use clamps to keep them aligned, (but one really needs a jig -- Note to anyone adding a leaf: buy a foot-long smooth rod and have it welded plumb to a sturdy 12" x 12" plate. It will make re-stacking the leaves much more accurate the first time.) Without a jig, we didn't get it exactly straight, and tended to botch up the threaded pins that Deaver included with the new leaves. This made getting the nuts on very difficult. Oh well, someone on here says that cross threaded is better than lock-tite, right?

Leaving the shop, I began to notice a pull to the right. After a couple days, I blamed it on the possibility that we didn't get the threaded pins perfectly plumb in the leaf pack, leaving the axle behind or ahead on one side. I made an appointment with my buddy for the next Saturday to fix it. We took some measurements from the spring hanger bolt to the forward edge of the axle, and it was only off by 1/16". hmmmm :confused:

I got that fixed, backed out, and darned if it still didn't pull right. When we got home, I noticed that the front right tire was almost flat. As mentioned in my last post, that was from a faulty valve stem. They needed rotating & balancing anyhow, so I visited Discount Tire this morning for that service and repair. Done, no more pull to the right!

After that visit, it was off to order some Billstien 5100 rear shocks.

Photos:
1) View from outside left rear of DS "9+1 pack". I didn't have time to get the proper amount of soiling on the new leaf pack for these photos.
2) View from rear of left leaf pack over axle. We cleaned and re-painted the lower axle mounts that the U-Bolts fit into while we had them off.
3) View of the PS leaf pack from under the center of the rear of the vehicle.

[RoundOut]

I purchased two fire extinguishers for my truck and have been carrying them around in the tool box for some time. It was time to mount them, and with my high-lift up against my tool box, I was relegated to looking for alternate locations. A buddy of mine suggested using the spots on either side of the tail lights, just inside the bed. They were flush which made it easy to mount the threaded rivets for the bracket. I chose 1/4 x 20 threaded rivets, as they were the strongest. We drilled the holes, painted the bare steel, inserted the threaded rivets with the Surebonder tool, and installed the bracket. It was a pretty quick install.

A few weeks ago, in order to power (short-term) a centrifuge for an oil-field project I was working on, and (long-term) to have a rear power point for my receiver mounted winch, I installed a quick-connect coupler in the rear. I am very happy with how it turned out.

With my dual batteries just under the bed, I had only a short run of positive cable through the battery box, up the corner of the bed behind (actually, in front of) the tail light on the DS. I drilled two holes and used continuous grommet to protect the wiring, then was generous with the permatex silicone sealant to keep all vibration isolated. I mounted the quick-connect using some threaded rivets, just like described above, and attached the cover behind one of the bolts under the quick-connect. After a coat of gloss black that blends in nicely with the bed-liner, leaving it almost invisible unless you know it is there, it was a finished.

Photos:
1) Standard fire extinguisher on PS
2) Kitchen/Electrical fire extinguisher on DS, with winch quick-connect above.


.

[Buckru]

Looking great. Quick question. Did you take a measurement after you added the additional leaf?
Been busy at the office and haven't had a chance to get out and meet ya. We still need to get together for lunch.

Buck

PS Did you make it out to Big Bend with your son?

[RoundOut]

Looking great. Quick question. Did you take a measurement after you added the additional leaf?

Yep... 39" both sides! :jumping: It's a beautiful thing! :luxhello:



Been busy at the office and haven't had a chance to get out and meet ya. We still need to get together for lunch.

PM on the way in a minute.


PS Did you make it out to Big Bend with your son?

Not yet. Probably going to detour to CO/UT. :jump:

[RoundOut]

Here's a pick (sorry it's from the street) of the finished product. VERY HAPPY!

[jim65wagon]

Very nice! I love having OBA, especially with the pressure switch which saves all the shutting off/turning on of the compressor for each tire. Truck is looking good with all the fresh black.

[keezer36]

Good to see this thread come to the top again.

I'd like to thank you for the good info I got from your dual battery posts. After much research and work, I am now the proud owner of a good quality setup myself. You pointed me in the right direction to getting all those small parts many of which I didn't even know existed. Thank you.

[RoundOut]

Very nice! ... Truck is looking good with all the fresh black.

Thanks!


I'd like to thank you for the good info I got from your dual battery posts. After much research and work, I am now the proud owner of a good quality setup myself. You pointed me in the right direction to getting all those small parts many of which I didn't even know existed. Thank you.

Glad to have been able to help! Do you have a thread on your setup? I would love to see it. I'm pondering a solar trickle charger now. I could easily mount it on top of my tool box.

.

[keezer36]

I never made a thread on my setup only because it seems like dual battery threads are the most unloved mod, present company excepted.

I enjoyed it. I seen it as the most challenging mod, which makes the end product all the more satisfying.

Anyways, I went with a battery backup setup. That is, my battery up front gets all the abuse and my battery in the back is there to provide when the cranking gets tough.
With the parallel 4AWG lines coming from the back, I have instant crankability. In fact, I can take my front battery out of the truck and go about my merry way (proven).

In the drawing, the ground in the back is to the frame. If I have time, I' ll run that up to the block as I am dropping nearly 1.5v front battery to inverter.
The only other thing I wish I would have done was spend the money for a 1800W inverter (15A). I got a 1000W. Good enough to make coffee, my original intention.

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z235/keezer36/Coffee001.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z235/keezer36/Coffee002.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z235/keezer36/Coffee003.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z235/keezer36/Coffee004.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z235/keezer36/DualBatt001.jpg
http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z235/keezer36/DualBattDrawing.jpg

[RoundOut]

OK, time to reciprocate, LOL... What part numbers are the through-wall terminals you used? Those are FINE! I would really like that positive one in a couple places. It would really simplify the wiring in my box, and permanently prevent any chafing of cable through the hole, should the grommets fail.



http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z235/keezer36/Coffee002.jpg

[keezer36]

http://bluesea.com/productline/overview/11

West Marine has them. I found some cheaper on Amazon.

[RoundOut]

Well, I started to give up on getting a factory look for my air pressure gauge and switches. I selected the space just above my right knee, below the ignition switch as an ideal place for the gauge pod and switch that comes with the VIAIR kit. (See picture 1.) After almost drilling into my fuel lines when mounting my Icom head unit under my seat, I decided that I would check where my holes would be drilling into before drilling the mounting screws for the VIAIR switch and gauge pod. I found that there are only four 10mm screws to remove to get the lower dash valence (or whatever it's called) off, so I removed them and pulled it out.

When getting the large plastic part out, I discovered that there is an outline of plastic flash where maybe Toyota had some other parts designed in. It looked like it might be just the answer to that "factory look" of an aftermarket accessory. (See picture 2 for the outline and approximate location of the gauge before cutting the hole.) If you have read this thread through, you will have read my pondering of swapping out the factory radio head unit for a single DIN unit to allow the lower slot for switches and gauges, but the gauges are just too high. I blew off this final step, plugging the hole in the manifold that was set aside for this gauge, just because I didn't want a cheesy, obviously aftermarket look to my interior air pressure gauge. All good things come to those who wait, I guess.

I had to trim the light socket a bit because it was too deep for the air duct that is behind the spot I chose to mount this. It looked like it only needed about a half inch, so out came the rotary tool. In order to keep debris out of the gauge, I rolled up a paper towel. The tool made short work of it. No pun intended. (See picture 3.)

When lining up the 2" hole on the back it looked like I might need to trim some of the metal support backing. I cut a piece that looked about the size of a 1.5" x .5" right triangle. In the fourth picture, you can see my left index finger is touching the area that was eventually removed. In Picture 5, see the test fit.

In the next picture, I had another accessory that needed a good switch home, so the place to the right of the gauge would be an ideal spot. I drilled two 7/16 holes and mounted the switches there. In this picture, you can also see the air duct that necessitated shortening the light socket behind the gauge.

All that was left was hooking it all up, so I fished the air line and positive switch wire through the firewall and hooked them up to the appropriate locations. I used the fuse block in the "secret compartment" of the console to supply power to the compressor switch. Then, I re-wired the auxilliary backup lights from the switch that was just wadded up in the "secret compartment", to the top switch in picture six.

Picture 7 shows the final mounting locations. I chose the lower switch to power the compressor relay/pressure switch, and the upper switch to power the auxilliary rear lights. I took this picture well after dark, at about 9:45 p.m., and realized that in looking for a "clean install", one should first clean the dust and mud from the work area, LOL. Oh well, so what, I use my truck.

After getting it all hooked up, I realized that the gauge light is on all the time, so rather than splice into a gauge wire from the factory fuse panel, which may have taken another couple hours to find, I just threw a switch inline so I can turn that little light off. It is just never finished, is it?

I hope you guys enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed getting it 99.5% finished. All that remaines is to get my positive power lead from the switch to the relay/pressure switch in split loom, and splice into gauge power for the illumination of the air pressure gauge.



.

[jim65wagon]

That looks excellent! Nice choice in the gauge and switch positions, looks quite factory. I like it!

[Buckru]

I had the chance to see the Alpine Tundra up close. Great looking rig with well executed modifications. For me, the way the 2 meter radio face plate was installed was really quite cool. And if you haven't met Gary personally, he is one heck of a nice guy.

Buck

Breakfeast or lunch is on me next time. How bout next week?

[RoundOut]

First off... Thanks Jim and Buck for the kind words. Buck, I'll call you tomorrow. (Saturday)

Tonight was a good news/bad news night. Good news: tomorrow morning I take the truck to Mark at Creative Engineering Offroad to do the locker install next week. The rear locker arrived today and the front one arrives Monday. Since I was doing my own wiring/plumbing, I had to get I had some work done tonight before taking it to Mark.

On my TO DO list were:
1) Check the wiring of the two switches previously installed and connect them to front and rear locker solenoid actuating wires ran through the firewall and to the rear.
2) Rewire the new console switches installed yesterday and check circuits.

When initially installing the wiring in my Ham radio and backup sensors, I ran two spare 12 gauge wires through the firewall for future expansion. Boy, did this save me some time tonight. I had also ran two extra 14 gauge wires front to back when I wired/plumbed my dual battery/air system. To gain access to the rear wires, I removed the skid plate from my dual battery/air tank mod in the rear.

Now for some bad news: as I was under there, I noticed there were no white raised letters on the right rear tire. A further inspection of this curious discovery revealed that oily fluid has leaked from the seal in the axle on that side and soiled the letters. ARGHHHHH. I have no experience with this. I have to get on it immediately after the locker mod since I already have that scheduled.

The good news: I was able to rewire all the recently installed switches (all 7 of them) to better organize the layout. It made more sense to use the switches in picture 8 of my last post to control the differential lockers, the top being the front locker and the bottom being the rear. The 5 new switches I installed above the "secret compartment" in the console (shown in the photo attached) can now be used to control other accessories. Right now, the center one, between the two 12V outlets controls the auxilliary rear lights. The one on the very left controls the air compressor. The one on the very right controls the power supply to my laptop -- this was previously on all the time. The two switches on either side of the 12V outlets will control future accessories, probably a right and left camp light to be mounted on the bed rails at some future point. Alternatively, I could use them to activate solenoids which would switch on the high amp power outlets for my front and rear winch power, or a fridge.

Although it is not as nice/clean as having them all in a row, I am pleased with how it turned out, and can't wait to have the locker mods done and get my rear axle fixed.

[RoundOut]

Since I didn't have time to mess with it , I made arrangements to get the axle seal fixed this morning. When I called a buddy of mine to have him come pick me up, he asked... "If you're getting locking differentials installed, they'll be removing the axles anyhow. Why not have Mark fix the seal?" I called Mark and he said no problem! That saved me three hours of labor @ $99.

:jump:


.

[RoundOut]

Mark finished the lockers and replacing the axle seal while we were on vacation in Canada. I picked it up this morning. I still need to put the wires in split loom and replace the 110/145 pressure switch with the 80/105 pressure switch. I plan on doing that VERY soon.

I am looking forward to getting to test it all out on September 6, if not sooner. There is a new club forming in Houston and we're planning a get-together. Should be a blast. I can't wait.


.

[TBS]

Hey man, i have seen your truck around town. I think you actually came by the shop when you were trying to put together your tire carrier here at Shrockworks.

I dig your build, the wiring is really clean and brings a couple ideas i have had for my own into reality for sure. I'd like to check out your rig sometime if you wouldnt mind, or maybe ill just flag you down next time i see you on Louetta.

[devinsixtyseven]

Gary it's looking GREAT! :D

...I like the ARB switch and gauge spot. Was gonna do mine there, but the HU for the CB is sitting in that very spot. Convenient they left us that little space behind dash ;).

Will be in touch :D!

-Sean

[hovenator]

What happened to the pics? I can't see them. I would love to see what this truck looks like.

[RoundOut]

What happened to the pics? I can't see them. I would love to see what this truck looks like.

A few weeks ago, there was some kind of database error related to the quantity of ExPo-hosted pics on the board exceeding some maximum number. All of us lost pics when that happened. I'm in the process of restoring mine. Hang in there, I'll try to get it finished tonight. I'm about half-way done.

.

[RoundOut]

I have updated all the pics in this thread that I found on my computer. Unfortunately, there are tons of pics that I could not find. Must be moths in my hard drive. :-(

Anyhow, I'll get some more in the next few days and get the thread back up to date.

.

[Haggis]

It's amazing how many times I make it back to this thread to find some tidbit or other of info. So as there is many new Tundra owners on the ExPo as of late I thought I'd bump Gary's thread as it is one of the most useful and informative threads on Tundra mods out there.

So what's new? What have you been modding lately? And we need to see some action shots of the Alpine Tundra out and about.

[RoundOut]

It's amazing how many times I make it back to this thread to find some tidbit or other of info. So as there is many new Tundra owners on the ExPo as of late I thought I'd bump Gary's thread as it is one of the most useful and informative threads on Tundra mods out there.

So what's new? What have you been modding lately?

Wow, I can't believe it has been 6 months since I've looked at my own build thread. Sorry for the delayed response, which will be photo-less for now, but I will try to add some later. I can't believe how many photos are missing from the thread. That sucks.

OK, here's what's new...


Fire extinguishers: I was wheeling without a tailgate a year or so ago at Katemcy Rocks (before it closed and reopened elsewhere), and there was a sand trail where a bunch of us got on it. Previously in the day, someone had thrown a shovel into the bed of my truck, and it hit the fire extinguisher on one side, breaking the cheap plastic bracket. In the sand, a bump and corner must have thrown it out of the bed. A few weeks later, I began a quest for metal brackets which turned out to be a wild-goose chase. I finally bought two matching metal-bracketed fire extinguishers from 4Wheel Parts and installed them horizontally above the wheel wells in the bed.
New KC Slimlights: When I have the portable winch mounted in the front bumper, the light from the two KCs inside the bull bar is greatly blocked by the winch carrier handles. One of them had a failing seal, so I got 4 new ones, replaced the original two, and added two outside the bull bar, just inside the OEM headlights. Really bright now! :Wow1:
In preparation for the Expedition Trophy 2008, I bought a fridge from Sierra Expeditions. I mounted it on the deck just under the back seat, which requires removal of the back seat. Eventually, I'd like to make a "half-seat" out of the rear seat, so I can have a fridge and another seat. This is by far, one of the coolest mods anyone can do. I really love my fridge. Keeping steaks or ice cream frozen is no problem now. What a beautiful thing, LOL. :sombrero:
The ugly oil seal leak continued to haunt the rear passenger side. I have fixed it three times. Each time, getting new brake pads, too. First, when replacing the differential with the ARB locker. Second, I got real pissed and replaced the whole damn thing, axle, bearing, inner seal, outer seal, brakes, etc. I had a shop do this, and the (add really bad expletive here) jerks left the Toyota identification sticker on the axle shaft. I pulled the shaft again a few weeks ago and discovered this, and they p-tex'd instead of using the proper gasket. The decomposed sticker must have been too much for the seal to handle and it started leaking again. So, I fixed it a third time. <begin rant> :( One more note about this... I hate screwing with the drum brakes on this truck. I can do everything to the front disc brakes with one arm tied behind my back and a blindfold. I can't confidently get the rear ones adjusted right. I hate screwing with this axle seal issue. :( <end rant>
Other issues... When wheeling in Colorado about 18 months ago, I broke the left front steering knuckle. I realized that the stacked donuts (2 1/2" Revtek kit and 1" Daystar spacer) that i had on the shocks were probably causing the suspension geometry to stress the ring at the top of the steering knuckle that holds the bottom part of the top uniball for the upper control arm. This is the 2nd time it has failed in the exact same place. I decided to replace the front suspension with Camburg SAWs. First, in order to get the desired lift, I torqued the ring on them up, and the ride sucked. I called Camburg, because their tech had said their stock coil for the Tundra would be plenty for my front bumper and winch (he was wrong). I asked about putting back the Daystar 1" spacer, and he cautioned me greatly to not do that, for the same reason I removed it in the first place. He said the tolerance was not there for 1". I shaved them down on a belt sander to about 3/8" and stuck them on top of the coilovers and got the desired lift and ride without compromising the suspension. :wings: There is a great war story that accompanied the trail repair of this steering knuckle damage. I'll get to that later, too. We typed it up on TTORA's Colorado forum and I'll get the link up here soon. LOL
I've had a couple of axle failures on the front left side, too. With the manual hub conversion for the Tundra, the hub is replaced with a 1996 Tacoma hub and new bearings. This is all pressed into the stock steering knuckle and then a special outer CV joint with splines is installed on the axle half shafts. This is a weak link in the front drive train, as the axle shears off frequently when torqued too hard for whatever reason. The first time, it broke in the expected spot, where the snap ring holds it in the steering knuckle. The second time, the middle axle snapped just outside of the inner CV joint. I carry a spare and we replaced it the 2nd time IN THE FIELD, which makes for a good war story. I realized that the reason it was over-torquing, was that without the sway bar in place, my front left tire would stuff into the wheel well so far that it bound up. I replaced the sway bar, sacrificing some articulation for lower maintenance costs. LOL

That is all I can think of. I'll try to get some pics up soon of the fire extinguishers, etc.

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[RoundOut]

And we need to see some action shots of the Alpine Tundra out and about.

New trip coming soon. Will post up when I get back, or maybe while on the road if I get service on my air card. :elkgrin:


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[jim65wagon]

Thanks for the update G! It's always nice to see old friends are still out there alive and kicking. So, pics of your new mods, links to your WAR stories, and pics of your latest trip......I'll check back in 6 months:sombrero:

[Haggis]

So what's new? What have you been modding lately? And we need to see some action shots of the Alpine Tundra out and about.


New trip coming soon. Will post up when I get back, or maybe while on the road if I get service on my air card. :elkgrin:.

So...same question as before and still waiting for those action shots. The Tundrabird Nation needs an update and pics of one of it's most outstanding members. :elkgrin:

[ctapia]

Roundout,

Amazing mods!! Killing time while waiting for downloads for work, I went thru all (11) pages of your thread! Is there a central location for all your pics of your mods? Thanks again for info/knowledge that you have shared here for the rest of us.