MartinDWhite 2004 DoubleCab 4x4 TRD build

Too me too long to get this mounted and wired, but that is how like goes sometimes.

I used the ARB relay and pressure switch with a rigid lite light switch that came with some LED lights. Light is one when compressor has power, even if pressure switch is keeping it off. A little wire dressing is still needed. The switch and relay are mounted on a bent stainless sheet bracket.

Redrilled and tapped the manifold for the ARB fill kit piece without the little adapter. Works great. Gets hot.

It gets hot four tires from 15 psi to 35 psi. The aluminum manifold got too hot to touch. The hose was warm, but touchable. The motor was hot, but touchable.

 

Used the compressor during the red clay rally a few times. It works GREAT. I love changing the tire pressure. 18psi on trails is SOOOO much smoother and nicer.

Used it once to fill 8 tires. Mine and someone else's tires. Got no hotter than normal.

 

OME suspension from headstrong off-road. All the people at headstrong were GREAT to work with. I ended up with the OME full kit with SPC upper control arms.


To replace 200,000 mile original suspension. Note the rear is reverse arched and the front has three coils that are touching at rest. The front has about 1/4 inch between the lower control arm and the bump stop.

The truck is noticeably lower after the last trip, which was the Red Clay Rally.

 

Added OME lift with 882 front springs. This caused the front to be about 3/4 inch higher than the rear with no load and about 1 to 1 1/4 inch higher with RTT and a load of all the gear for 4 people for 4 days. Here it is all loaded up with a little rear squat.

 

After a few weeks and about 2500 miles I added the extra leaf from OME to the rear.

The rear wheels were also rubbing the front of the rear fender wheel on full articulation, so I added a axle relocation plate to move the rear axle back 3/4 inch.

The rear brake line was TIGHT on full droop, so I replaced it will an extended line from Head Strong Offroad. I love dealing with Head Strong Offroad.

Fully loaded the rear sits about 1/4 higher than the front now, and almost perfectly level when all loaded down with gear.

 

My son and I are heading out to Appalachian Toyota Round up this weekend, and the weather report calls for rain.

This was added to keep us dry when accessing the stuff on the bed slide. It should also keep rain off the fridge when we are using it.

 

We have been taking a few trips recently. Here are some pictures.

 

Found this crane look at a junk sale, I painted it orange and put it on. So much better than truck nuts. I think it's rated for 11 tons, but it's old and worn, so it's hard to tell for sure.

 

When pushing the 4x4 button 4x4 light started flashing on the dash and failed to actuate 4x4. It would also not disengage the 1 in 4 times it would engage, it would just flash the 4x4 light, based on how it drove, it was disengaged, but the computer was not happy. After many miles of just ignoring it, the light would go off.

I found the vent hose on the 4x4 actuator on the transfer case was broken off. I took the plastic cover off and broke a bolt. The inside had signs of water and corrosion on the electrical traces. I cleaned it all up with a little steel wool, and bent out the little tabs on the gear so they make better contact on the traces. If you take it apart, note the orientation of the gear before pulling it out. I had to guess on the orientation. It appears to have some slope so any orientation with the tabs at the top seems to work. Thanks to my buddy Max who was helping and remembered how it was oriented when I pulled it out and said, "oh !@#$ which way does that go back in?".

To fix the molded barb for the hose, I took a small screw that fit the line and drilled a 0.067" hole down the middle and drilled out the hole in the actuator to 0.104" and counter sank the from the inside. The screw sticks out and fits in the hose great.



Then to fix the broken bolt, I drilled out center of the bolt to get it out. It would not come out, so I drilled the aluminum casting to 5/16 and tapped for 3/8-16. I made a 3/8-16 to M6-1 threaded insert and put the insert in the hole. A new M6-1 bolt fits and works great.



The whole thing looks stock and seems to work great now.



4x4 is working every time now. I hope this was the problem.

 

4x4 has worked the 4 times I have tried it since this repair. I am pretty sure this was the issue. With a few offroad events coming up, I sure hope it is fixed. SMORally and RedClayRally

 

Added a Yakima roof rack. Nothing special. Then built a mount to hold some maxtraxx. It is based on 1x1x.090 steel tubes and the mounting pins from maxtraxx. It bolts to the roof rack with U-bolts, and it very stable. The ubolts on the side in the hanging paint picture allow the frame to be mounteed sideways and upright on a bar on the bed cover I made. They aren't used as shown mounted on a roof rack. They could be used to mount the frame sideways on the roof rack.

The next version will probably have 2 mounting tabs at the front with holes for the U-bolts. And use a 1/4 inch aluminum plate for a bracket instead of the thin metal plates that come with the u-bolts.

 

Added a little hook to keep the floor mat from rolling up. It was so rolled up I was hitting it with my foot getting in and out, making it worse. This keeps it in place.

 

Did the steering wheel spot weld mod/fix. OMG what a difference!

All the instruction said to tie the steering wheel to the column, so I did, but I have no idea why that is required.

The steering is SO much better. The wandering is minimized. It no longer feels like it wants to drive off the road all the time. I don't have to continually correct to drive straight.

If you are on the fence. DO IT!!!

1. Disconnect the battery
2. Take the 2 screws and 1 bolt to take the steering column clam shell off,
2.a. Tie steering wheel to column. I don't know why this is required.
3. Remove two tilt springs,
4. Remove the 2 6mm allen bolts at the pivot
5. Unplug the electrical connectors,
6. Completely remove the one clamp bolt at the bottom of the column by the brake pedal.

Installation is opposite of removal.

15 minutes to get it out, 10 minutes to prep and weld, 15 minutes to put it back in.

 

All packed up for a trip to Outer Banks

 

Bent the frame trail end caps while doing a double line pull to help get a Dodge ram 3500 dually out of a ditch. So my son and I pulled the bumper off, cut the bent end caps off, fabed up new ones from 1/4 inch plate, made a jig to get the spaced properly, welded them on, and reattached the bumper.

Relentless Fab bumper had no damage and is back on straight and stronger.

 

Added stickers! These have to be good for 300 hp!

 

It looks like she is walking your truck on a leash.

I have a little bit of rubbing on my truck at full flex. 2003 doublecab, BFG ko2 265/75R16 on same wheels, OME nitrocharger suspension with Dakar leaf springs. I have not put the Dakar AAL on yet.
How did you determine that 3/4" was the right amount? Did you need to buy longer leaf spring pin bolts since the plate and AAL adds overall thickness?

 

The U-Bolts included with the rear suspension kit were long enough for the plate and extra leaf. I bought the kit from headstrong off-road and it all just worked together.

The smallests wheel spacers available were 3/4 inch, so that's what I got. The wheels still rub just a tiny bit on the frame when turned full lock and stuffed all the way up.

 

Thanks, but I'm asking about the rear axle relocation plates. There are several options for offsetting the rear axle and I'm not sure how much I need, but apparently it is a known issue that the OME Dakar leaves on the 1st gens shift the axle a bit causing the issue.

My fronts rub on the frame at full lock when suspension is compressed but it's going to take decades before it causes any structural issues, so I'm not planning on front spacers.

 

The rear plates I bought had two settings. Installed one way they offset a little and installed the the other way they offset more. I just tried them each way and saw which way I liked better.