Let's see your frugal DIY mods!

BP, any more pics of the wheels?

 

^^What he said^^

Looks good!

 

Thanks!

Got a little bit more done on the rack today. Not going to win any beauty contests but it should work good. It's pretty stout, I have it propped up off the floor and I have been standing and walking all over it. It doesn't look like much but it has been a ton of work to get this thing to this point. I'm no engineer and there was a ton of little issues to work through. If I had to do it again I would do some things different, but I kind of had to modify my plans as I went. I just need to get the fairing worked out and get the Lexan corners and edges rounded. I have some more U-bolts I was thinking of using as tie downs but I like the low profile design. Besides, I think the mesh will be plenty sturdy for that purpose. One last thing to decide is if I want to paint it. It's all aluminum except for the hardware so it won't rust. I kind of like the aluminum but think it may look a little out of place.

 

Looks real good Dennis! If it passes the walk on test your more than good! I know you have the black and silver going on on you wheels maybe try living with it "as is" for awhile. You can always paint it later on if you change your mind. Harder to do the other way around.
Looking forward to seeing it on the truck

 

Thanks Scott! Yeah, once together I'll get it on the truck and see how it looks.

 

Been wanting better lighting in the back of my cap/rear truck area for loading & unloading camping/hunting gear in the dark. I'm all about versatility and multi-function equipment when possible and I didn't want to install anything permanent. I like that I can store this easily in the cubbies behind my seats when not needed and also use it for any roadside issues using the long 12V cord that was included.

Picked up a combo 110v/12v (10W - 700 lumens) LED work light from Lowes - $22:

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Drilled 5/16" (same size as my landing pad bolts on my cap) holes in the 2 legs:



Picked up a 5/16" knob at Lowes - $5:



Now I can quickly & easily mount this to the passenger side rear landing pad bolts on the inside of my cap and plug into the outlet (and then remove when not needed). Can spin & tilt to aim in any direction.

 

It finally stopped raining and I got it up on the truck. This fairing is driving me nuts. I need to sit and stew about it. I'll take any thoughts.

 

@Sig45 - Been looking at the inexpensive 120v 50W LED lights. I want to to get as close as possible to a 500W halogen but still keep the cost well under $100. Do you have a night time shot showing how well the 10W lights up the area?

 

That's an awfully long span without a brace running behind it. I'd try making it more rigid

 

Yeah, that's the plan. I have one more support for the center just don't know how to mount it. Problem is the center of the cross bar is higher than the ends. I have thought about adding some 1 inch strip behind the fairing also.

 

I like the idea of this!!! good to have for all sorts o stuff!

 

I literally just did this today, so no night shots yet. I did turn it on in my basement to compare to the halogen work light I have....the light output & color are so different it's hard to compare. The LED seemed just as bright...maybe not as focused & intense as the halogen. I expect it to be more than enough for my needs. They did have higher output LED work lights....but it was almost twice as big and didn't have the 12v option.

 

Saw these at Home Depot and want to do this but I don't have a vise. Trying to come up with an idea on how to bend them.

 

2 large vice grip pliars and heat the metal up first

 

CalTrend seat covers with paracord wrap on handle. I bought a Redlinegoods center console cover and it wasn't an easy install so I decided against buying their leather handle covers jus out of spite.

 

just do what i did with the harbor freight D rings. Leave them as is, and simply drill another hole and add an extra screw and nut through the box. instead of bending them

 

I have thought about just doing it that way, just hate to drill when I don't have to.

I did some playing today, ever since I've had my bed cover I haven't been able to use the rail system so I picked up these tie downs from Wally World for $2.99 each.

Had to cut the metal bracket down to fit inside the rail. Cut the length of the I bolt and the thickness of the rubber part and turned out pretty good IMO.

 

Oh and had to cut the outer bracket to fit under the bed cover rail.

 

Here is what I started with. Sorry can't figure out how to post multiple pics from my ipad.