The Some Day Build... And Trip Log

They arrived without any issue, wrapped like a mummy.





Out of the plastic wrap.






Some welders porn..

There was some splatter leftover from the welding process... nothing to distracting for something ment to be dragged across rocks. But, depending on your level of finish desired you may want to spend some time with a flap wheel doing some touch up work. The majority of the splatter on mine was on the frame plates out of sight so I did not worry about it.

Since these arrived while I was on work hitch and only had a very short amount of daylight left, the spray job is far from perfect. But nothing some sanding and repeat when not in a rush can not fix..

The sliders got a coat of self etching primer right away to stop rust from settling In.



Couple coats, where done before they got a second primer coat in black.



Couple coats of this and it was time to get a semigloss black coat which the first one went on today.

 

Several coats of Semi-gloss Black paint was applied, with the new environmental friendly paint it took what seemed like forever for it to fully cure, and I still manage to gouge the soft paint so there is some touch up needed .



The Passenger side bracket, would not fit with out trimming the bracket, Something I wanted to avoid for a couple of reasons. So... I shifted the entire bracket over, and used one bolt to secure



The rest of the install went smoothly, I used a jack and a 2x4 to help hold everything up since this was a solo install.

 

Portable water supply... a few items landed in my lap to make this project happen.

Mainly some Scepter water cans.

One of them I got was dragged across the ground making the bottom really thin and unreliable. So..... it was a scrapped. However it left me with a cap that was in good shape.



Well for now anyway....

I took this intact cap, and proceeded to cut the retaining strap off, along with the vent and pour spout.

I then took a 2" hole saw and cut a big hole in the lid. Trying to center it so it would cover the 2 existing holes as much as possible.

This allowed me to install the hand pump.



A

$52 Valterra - RP800 Rocket Hand Pump for RV, Camper Holding Tank Faucet Pump - Chrome

RV galley hand pump. By valterra

Once the pump body was lined up, I drilled the mounting holes, two #6 bolts about 1 1/2" long was used to secure the pump to the lid. 100% silicone was used to create a seal between the lid and the pump body.



A section of 3/8" id tubing was used to create the pickup.



One end was cut at an angle. The other secured to the barbed fitting with a hose clamp.



Ready to go on the water can after the silicone has dried.



I ended up removing the lid from the full water can. Just to get it out of my way, you don't have to.





Takes a couple of pumps to prime. But then it pumps just a bit at at a time. It took roughly 27 pump cycles to get 32 ounce of water.

 

Subbed! Just went through this all, and I like it a lot! I was sitting down to pay bills, but this was a better choice! Keep it up man!

 

Got in the first batch of Version 3 of the DSIM module, to trigger the rock lights off the courtesy lights. Now to decide on finishing the DIY rock lights I started, or picking up something a bit different.

 

Today Was a Simple and Cheap Mod day, and took a couple steps to keep the area meth heads from stealing my tailgate. I did the cheap tailgate lock mod. an E-Z hose clamp and washer mod for the cables. as discussed here:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tailgate-theft-how-to-prevent-it.27829/


parts used:

Lowes

2 each #114195 Hillman stainless washer 1/2"
1 pack #423547 Hillman nylon washer .317 x 1/2" x 1/8"

AutoZone

1 pack EZ20BK E-Z Clamps 3/4" to 1 3/4" Hose clamps




While this slot makes it easy to remove the tailgate when YOU want to, it also allows someone else to take it quickly as well.




A hose clamp is undone all the way so you can slip the free end around the split collar that the tail gate rides in.



Remove the plastic key and stash some place safe. You may need to grab it with a pair of pliers.


First step complete. But there is one more step you can do that will slow down a would be thief even more, and prevent rage induce damage when they get the cables off and realize that it is going to be a bit more difficult and longer to take the tailgate.

The Washer Mod..



Remove the bolt holding the end of the tailgate cable with a T40 Torx bit. Next slip the Stainless washer over the bolt threads, and add the nylon washer. the Nylon washer will act as a spacer to allow the cable to rotate the same as before the washer mod.



The Stainless Washer will prevent the ends of the cable from being able to be removed with out tools.



Make sure you did not get the bolts to tight and your cable ends rotate freely around the Torx bolt, before shutting your tail gate all the way the first time.

 

I hate rear view mirrors... they block my line of site in certain situations and I have had near accidents from the blind spot created by them. So when I saw the mirror riser from Birddawg industries I took a chance and ordered it. Yep it is a second gen part, and yes it will not work on a 3rd gen out of the box, but it is so close.

well... I have cutting tools and not afraid to use them.

But first.... a little before shot taken at eye level to show the issue.





First step is to remove the mirror, by loosening the set screw.



Disconnect the plastic wire cover. and put away someplace safe in case you remove the riser and return to stock.




disconnect the wire harness. so you don't pull one of the small wires out of the connector

Here is the mirror Riser as it arrived.




The wings for the Ram ball mount are in the way of the 3rd gen radar camera. so I scribed a guide line and I Removed them




no longer looking as nice now that it has been cut and filed on, but it does fit, and therefore functional







I also took a bit off the very top edge, as it was a tight fit getting the riser mount over the original button. You will need to be EXTREMLY careful it will be very easy to crack your windshield. do not force it, it will go on, if not, STOP and take a closer look, and file the top edge a bit more if needed. yes the powder coat is ruined, but nothing some flat black spray paint can not cover up later.

and here is the after. with the mirror now raised closer to the headliner, and a much improved line of site.

 

Little teaser for some upcoming work..



Right now the 2low switch is actually wired to the ditch lights since I got a momentary switch from the @CaliRaisedLed gang. They where supposed to send a new one. But I guess it got lost in the mail or the local crack head package thief stole it, since it never arrived.

And yes that is there switch panel. Was not expecting it to be metal.. very nice piece.

The parts for the PNP 2low harness are sitting in the rainy day project box in my office. A box that is growing...

 

Well, I decided to switch directions on the rock light project. the strip lights may get used as fill lights, but for now they are sitting in the parts box.

Rock Lights V2.0



The

Aukmak 4 Pods LED Rock Light Kit for ATV SUV Offroad Car Truck Boat Underbody Glow Trail Rig Lamp Underglow LED Neon Lights Waterproof - White

new rock lights are the modules recommend by @DSIM. I also bought the ampper 4 lead harness recommend , but was not happy at all with the quality of it, and I decided to build my own harness from scratch. I used 16g wire, and some

$13 Michigan Motorsports Weather Pack 2 PIN Connectors 5 Sets 12-16 AWG used for cars, trucks, motorcycle, boat, trailer, marine, jetski (2 PIN)

2 pin weather pack connectors, along with

$7 Techflex PTN0.25BK25 Flexo PET General Purpose 1/4" Cable Sleeve, Black, 25 Foot

1/4" braided cable sleeve






One half of the harness, with the front and rear light connector installed. I used the Male end on the harness, and the Female end on the lights




The T splice, where the front and rear light harness come together, along with the feed to the relay the splice is soldered and covered and heat shrink.



Braid Cable sleeve added to cover and protect the wires, the end are sealed with heat shrink to prevent the braid from fraying



Right and Left side of the harness spliced to the relay.

Here is how the

$10 Absolute SRS105 5-Pin 12 VDC Relay Socket Interlocking Style

relay harness gets wired.. 87a is a the Normally Closed terminal and is NOT needed for this harness. since I was unable to find my terminal removal tool, I covered the end of the red wire in some heat shrink tube and tape, and buried in the harness for a "just in case" i ever find a use for it. the blue wire was extended with red wire for the +12v feed, the yellow wire goes to hot side of the rock light harness, and black to the ground side of the rock lights. The white wire is goes to the RED1 wire on the switch harness, and is the 12v input to the relay coil







The switch harness, wired to the pigtail as follows. Green to Battery or keyed 12v sourced, red 1 to white wire to trigger Relay coil to close, black to ground. Red2 floating for future addition to dash light circuit





I used the Switch panel blank from @CaliRaisedLed to replace the cubby. and the switches are from @Ch4x4s



I did not take many pictures of the routing of the wire harness, but I did use a coat hanger to fish teh wire under teh air cleaner intake on teh passenger side.



Building the Light mount assembly v2



I started with a piece of flat Aluminum stock.(mounting system v3 for the second set of 4 will get a steel plate instead of the aluminum to prevent the epoxy from peeling off.)



length was determine by centering the light plus about 2 inches on each side.



Mounting holes along with a hole for the power leads to fish through.



The excess bolt was trimmed off.



A washer was used under each neodymium magnet to help clear the nuts used to secure the lights, and it also helps create space for the wire leads to clear. Some 2 part epoxy was used to secure it all to the aluminum base. (mounting system v3for the second set of 4 will get a steel plate instead of the aluminum to prevent the epoxy from peeling off.)



The 2 pin weather pack connector, that will be used.



light modules with the connectors installed.



Rear modules attached behind the pinch weld in front rear tires



Front Modules attached to the cab mount, keep in mind this may not work on your truck due tire clearance issues, and I may end up moving it later. One of the reason for using magnets to hold the modules to the frame.



I still have a second set of 4 modules to be added to help fill in some of the dark spots in the front

 

Today, was the day where the Rock lights get wired up for there main daily driver task.

​

The DomeRock Module from@DSIM, is what allows this bit of "Majic" with the help of some creative electronic work





The Plug'n Play T harness. helping keep the wiring neat and unmolested as possible in the truck. makes it easier in the future to remove or undo any mod added. the little Black box is the heart of the mod.




Since I was going to be working around the airbag, I decided that disconnecting the battery was a good idea.






The little oval disk hides the 10mm bolt that hold the A-pillar trim in place, Remove the 10mm bolt and pull the trim free. be careful not to damage anything or to break the white plastic push tab that hold the center of the trim in place.



The grey plug next to windshield is where the T- Harness gets hook into. and While I was in there, the wire for the interior antenna for the Cell booster was rerouted to clear the airbag(The thin black wire crossing over the airbag by the door)



I ended up having to pull the plug off the plastic mounting tab so it could be tucked in so the trim could go back on.
Route the extension harness down between the A-Pillar and the dash to the switch cubby opening


The "purple" single wire gets wired into the trigger wire on the rock lights, which is the Red1 wire on the CH4x4 switch pigtail.



I did run into a slight hiccup after the intial testing and as I was putting all the trim panels in place, I notice the an intermittent issue that would go away by "jiggling the the extension connector" oops.. this was a slightly problematic issue. as I notice the wires where lose. I knew from previously opening the module that there was a terminal block for the connections.

It turns out, one of the grounds had pulled loose, and was not making a proper connection, and I ended up popping the 7.5a dome light fuse.



The Green wire, on the left side mark GND was the culprit, I re-stripped, leaving a bit longer tail than normal, and folded it over to increase the diameter so the terminal block would tighten down properly on the small gauge wire. I did not feel like desoldering the terminal block and soldering the wire in place, at least just yet. the VCC terminal has two wires in it So it tightens down just find, but I did redo it to clear up a stray whisker wire that may have caused an issue in the future.

I did reach out to DSIM with the issue, and he got back to me very quickly, however, me being me... I kept troubleshooting and discovered the issue just before he got back to me. He stands by his product, and was willing to make it right in case the module was damaged. the fact it was not damage when the GND came loose and made contact with the 12v supply is a testament to his design and the safeguard he built in.

 

South Padre Island Memorial Day Weekend 2019
​

With the long memorial day weekend, it was decided that we would go on a snap camping trip to the beach. The decision was made and the trip planned, and prepped in about 48 hours.



The truck was loaded the night before so we could get on the road early(ish). since it was about a 6 hour drive.



As we got to port Isabel Traffic became much heavier, something that was not unexpected for the holiday weekend.





Traffic on the causeway was backed up and slow moving.



We entered the beach at access 5 and headed North past access 6 to get away from the crowds.





The hard packed sand near the entrance was extremely crowded



Little surf driving, the truck is going to need a good cleaning after this trip.





once we arrived around 4pm it was time to get camp set up so we could relax a bit after the drive.



The Modified Scepter MWC worked great for the trip, and helped conserve water, even though we brought two of the water cans we used just under one





Sunset over the dunes.



One of the items we picked up for this trip, I was not certain if traditional campfires where allowed, and some areas that I want to go in the future they are not allowed.





While it is not as good as a real campfire, it was nice not having to put a fire out before bed or wait for it to die down. just turn the gas valve off, and let the lava rocks cool down.

I ended up covering the hose in sand to help protect it from the heat as the wind was blowing in from the gulf.







woke up to an amazing sunrise, and the truck covered in salt spray







Love the sound of waves crashing on the beach.







South Padre Sand dunes...







A squadron of pelicans decide to fly around our campsite







Little childhood throwback. Jiffy pop was always a fun treat before the days of microwave. popcorn











Some fun shots...

Monday, we woke up early and it was time to strike camp. but before leaving the island it was time for lunch.



Dirty Al's has become one of our stops when visiting South Padre, and this trip was no different.

After lunch Our trip back across the causeway ended much the same way it began...



Bumper to Bumper Traffic.

Until Next Time...

 

Borders And Tacos

Nuevo Progreso, Río Bravo, Tamaulipas
​

This was part of our trip to Mexico Christmas Eve 2018, and one of the things I wanted to do was to complete the leg of I-35 From San Antonio to the border. this way I can say I have driven the entire I-35 highway from North of Duluth Minnesota all the way to Laredo. the pictures below where taken across the two days we went across the border, and yes street Tacos where the main reason for going.











Not crowded yet, but it will be. street vendors line both sides of the main street trying to sell there goods to the tourist, and the hawkers try to get you into one of many Doctors offices and pharmacies



The little Side street where, I always stop and grab lunch when I visit.


Street Food, a nice cheap lunch. The price does seem to vary a bit depending how the little old lady who runs the stand feels that day



I wanted some, but was to full after the tacos.



Of course have to visit some of the shops to keep the rest of the family happy and content. So much colorful pottery



Sun down, time to head home...

 

One of the mods, on the list is a bed rack for a future roof top tent. I decided it was time to take a preventive step, and add the bed stiffeners before the bed cracks from the future added load.

I ended up going with @CaliRaisedLed and now being local I could have them the next day.




Remove the tail light housing, using the 10mm socket.


Top Bolt right above the latch.


and the bottom, of the two bolts.


Pull firmly, to pop the locating pins free.




The large silver bolt is a T55 and the smaller black bolt in the tie down, is a T40. once side
of mine was loose enough to break free by hand, the other side required a bit more leverage.


Four 3/8" holes where drilled in to the composite bed, Three on the side, and one in the front. the bolts where inserted and tighten.



There are Nylock nuts and washers that go behind this brace on each side. I used a boxed end 14mm wrench to hold the nut while I turned the bolt to start everything. on the drivers side(pictured) i removed the relocated Diff breather to prevent damage while drilling the front, and top side bolt holes.





The OEM Bed mat needed to be trimmed slightly to clear the Bed Stiffeners, I used a pair of EMT shears and a very sharp knife.

 

Time for some Cargo security, I found a great deal on an used Extang Solid Fold 2.0 tonneau topper that I could not pass up. This will solve the cargo security issue, and allow the drawer project to move forward... but I am getting ahead of myself a bit.



First thing, I had to remove the tool mounts so I could Get the Front mounting bracket to slide into place.


The base plate of the High Lift had to be unpinned to clear the rear latch plate.


So I used used some zip ties to hold it to the Beam, and a couple of extra to keep it from rattling



It clears... now I can still use the Tool Mounts

 

Ranch Road Fun Day
Or
On Roading Texas Style​

It was time to get out of the house again and take a day trip, I decided to head out to Junction Texas and take the Ranch road route that a group had done the previus week.

I Passed through Llano right about the time Coopers was opening up, so a Brisket lunch was on the menu for the day.






The first part of the trip was the better portion, it was from this portion that most all of the pictures where taken. there was several gates across the road, and couple with warning signs to let you know there where traps out and to let your pets wander at your own risk.



photo dump in no particular order ..








On the way back, I could hear something in the back bouncing around. Turns out the the Extang sold fold that I had just put on had vibrated loose and only being held on by one clamp.

Just a a little bit of Red Mud... I have had vehicles way worse

 

Very cool pics

 

Thanks!

 

Did you run the route by yourself

 

yep. made the gates a bit of challange, but there where strategic rocks at all but the push gate. and that one had a 2x4 nearby to prop it open.

 

Looks like a great drive