Mountain State Overland - Overland Conversion

And now for the power supply...



It became evident real quick that a dual battery system can be quite pricey. There's some great systems out there that do all sort of things, but all we were really trying to achieve is more power!

If I'm not mistaken, we found reference to the DFNA True Dual Battery Kit here on TW; maybe not? Either way, it's the cheapest (nearly all inclusive) solution for connecting two batteries unless you can find a good isolator on your own. Plus, you can buy the DFNA isolator separate if you have all the wire you need; priced at $80.

When the voltage falls below 12.8 volts on your starting battery, this isolator separates the connection. When your starting battery is charged, it closes the connection. This helps keep your rig running when you've got the key turned off; it's all pretty simple. There's even a nifty blue LED that signals a closed connection just incase you're wondering.

So the objective at this point was to charge a house battery; we'll tap into the second battery for accessories and a fuse block later. Here's a couple pics of the installed system. The webbing on the house battery will aid in removal later if and when it needs to be replaced.

 

Glad I just found your build! Looks great.

 

Great looking build, the addition of the ARB bull bar gives the truck a nice look. I just recently found your videos and enjoy watching the trip yall go on. By any chance are you located near Botetourt County?

 

Thanks Chux!

Thanks! Yep, the Tacoma's home garage is in Bedford County and commutes to work regularly in Roanoke. Email us an address to team@mountainstateoverland.com and we'll ship you some MSO swag.

 

Awesome! I am from Roanoke originally. Moved up to Sperryville recently for work, but trying to make my way back down in the future. That area will always be home. Enjoying the videos, build and the principles yall represent.

 

Nice build cool vids!

 

Hey nice rig msoverland! What size are those tires you're sportin w your Ome 3"? Looking at doing a similar build in the coming months.

 

Well, whenever you make it back down this way holler! We'll be all over the south east this year and will also be attending a few events in the region; we'd love to catch up if the timing is right!

Thanks a million Ready6Delta - there's plenty more coming including a video recap of the Taco and T4R builds we've spent the last two months working on. Cheers!

And thanks Fetus, she's a work in progress and nearing completion! I'm running 255/85R/16 and the Taco is about to get a new set of rubber very soon.

 

I very much suggest you guys look into the Cooper ST Maxx. They have been such a great tire both on road and off road. My truck is still my daily driver so I have put alot of miles on these tires with no regret. They have an aggressive tread pattern yet are very very quiet on the road. I have them in 255/80/17 and plan on purchasing the Maxxs again when the time comes if not going to a 315. You would think I work for Cooper or get a kick back for how much I rave about them, but I just want everyone to be as happy with a tire as I am. Cheers

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/346956-show-off-your-cooper-st-maxx.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAY96Y_cBxE

 

X2. I love mine as well.

 

Excellent! Thanks Chux and 540Taco. Actually had someone stop me in a parking lot and tell me all about how much he loved those treads. I didn't care much for the wear on the S/T but the S/T Maxx is far superior. I think it's coming down to the KM2 255 or the S/T Maxx at this point. I know it's a stretch between the two but our first offroad segment (filming in March) may benefit more from the KM2. Thanks again fellow TWers!

 

Because of scheduling demands I'm gonna move to something a bit further from Phase 2 - let's wrap this beast!



Why the wrap? We chose to partial wrap both the Tacoma and T4R to get the conversation started. As we continue to move through Appalachia we've got a message to send so bringing people in and getting people interested who we are and what we do was the end game.

We chose Fast Signs because I'll be honest - they get it done fast! The boys at Fast Signs in Salem VA helped us make the vision for 2015 and 2016 a reality. The process started out a while back with the design. I worked up a pattern in Illustrator and sent it over to them as a guide to build a template for printing and cutting. This also gave us an opportunity to solidify some of the sponsors/partners supporting us.

The T4R finished first and the Tacoma got wrapped this week. I'll have to say I was pleased with the results but I won't have any really good profile shots until we release the build video in the end of March.

The only real hick-up we experienced was wrapping the stock fender flares. As the flares flexed over the past week the wrap started to lift. Good news however - I made the call to Fast Signs this week and they set aside some time to fix everything. The T4R will make a trip back to Salem in a couple weeks for some repairs to it's fender line as well.

So here's a few pics of how things are shaping up for the Tacoma -

 

Need more wrap pictures!

 

I don't know how I missed seeing this before. Truck looks awesome. Can't wait to see all the new stuff you guys are putting on it.

 

Hey guys, good to see you on here! I plan on being up in Boone looking for a place and moving in around the 15th of April. Hope to one day meet up!!!

 

Thanks Medic!

TacoIII - we'll be in your neck of the woods late May filming more than likely!

 

Well definitely let me know and I will be around, I don't start school until August.

 

Right on TacoIII, we know where to find you!

Ask and you shall receive! I had the camera with on my way off the mountain this weekend to get a cup of joe -

 

I took the build back to the engine bay towards the end of last week and spent some time wiring in the fuse panel for some of the accessories that will come in later on. The original plan was to mount a 12 circuit fuse panel under the hood for the whole truck but the wiring diagram changed a bit when I realized I'd have wires running throughout the whole truck if I did that. I opted for a 6 circuit panel instead and will save the extra 12 circuits for the back of the truck once we get the storage system mounted in.

So the wiring for this project was pretty simple - 6 gauge wire from the house battery to a fuse block and then from the fuse block to a grounded Blue Sea fuse panel. Grounding the fuse panel makes for a cleaner install and requires less effort finding separate grounds for each accessory that'd added later.

I installed the whole setup on the OEM fuse box lid cause I liked the idea of everything living together in one location. I used some small coarse thread screws to set things in place and dedicated a little extra time to measuring up wire and soldering up the terminal ends.

Next up, we'll get the IPF 900DB lights and Cobra 75WXST installed.

 

The IPF 900DB Dual Beam lights we picked up from ARB USA and the Cobra 75WXST CB have been sitting in the garage for a bit. With the build well underway it was time to dust off the boxes and start the install.



For anyone that's purchased a set of IPF lights you'll know that the install goes pretty smooth. I had Matt from Blue Ridge Overland Gear stop over for some beers and lend a hand with the install.

Breaking open the box you'll find a neatly organized wiring harness and just about everything you need to get the project done; I burned through the plastic ties they supplied pretty quick but had a big jar full of my own to dress things up.

I opted to solder my wire ends and splice in the switch power directly to the CB + wire lead. We wrapped up the install quick and I probably spent the most time trying to figure out where to put the IPF switch. Although the switch is very functional, the push buttons seem fairly cheap. You can tell some time went into the design but when it came to parts, I feel like the switch is lacking.

Either way, it'll work. I chose to install the switch in the center console where I'd later mount the control box for the CB. All 12V power for both the CB and the lights were resourced from the 6 circuit Blue Sea fuse panel under the hood. I pushed the wires through the outer wall of the wiring harness that feeds through the driver's side firewall.

The only cutting necessary was using a hole saw on the front of the center console to bring the mic plug through and removing one of the lower tabs in the console to pull the antenna and wire in.

Although I don't have any close up pictures just yet, the K40 Antenna is no doubt built for mounting in various locations and the coax connector disassembles so it's easy to pull through the firewall. I'm still toying around with the location for the antenna; it was on the bumper but I've moved it to the hood anticipating better range and clarity. This weekend I plan to tune the antenna as well.

And now for some pictures -