Kyle's SR Access Cab Build

Just stumbled across your thread from... somewhere, not really sure how I got here. Anyways, why do you think running the truck in 4lo was the cause of your alignment going out? Genuinely curious, I've got 45k miles on mine and have done a few trails here in CO and over in UT and have never had the alignment go out. If I had to hazard a guess I'd almost think the guys who originally did your alignment didn't tighten something back up to spec.

 

I don't think putting it in 4-Lo is a direct cause of my alignment going out. I mentioned putting it in 4-Lo because it implies that I had the truck in some pretty tight places, flexed, and slammed it a few times. The result of me abusing the truck a bit is more the root-cause. I re-torque my suspension components after every trip so even if they didn't torque things down properly I know I did, unless my numbers are wrong.

 

Gotcha. Here's hoping it doesn't happen too often!

 

Small lunchtime mod today. Picture doesn’t bring out the color very well, but the gray glovebox inlay from @rrentrop matches the gray on my door panels and on the factory all-weather floor mats perfectly. Lost track of how many vinyl decals I’ve gotten from TVD.

 

Got my full size shovel and axe mounted up out of the way. Doesn’t impact bed space and keeps me legal during the summer fire season.

 

Which bracket are you using?

 

I picked up a used pair of these on the classifieds:

http://www.bayareametalfab.com/Universal-bed-rail-mounts_p_93.html

Then used two sets of 1” - 2.25” quick fists. They’re attached to the bracket using a bolt from the front + flat washer and nylock nut from the back. Just take the bracket into Home Depot with you to make sure your bolts aren’t too long. Was pretty simple.

 

Mods have been on hold as I wait out the storm in quarantine. However, I took advantage of a sale and got an Air Locker. Waiting for it to arrive and then the truck is getting re geared. So excited I can’t even explain.

 

Why'd you go with an air locker over an E locker?

 

From what I know the ARB is very reliable. The problems about leaks occurring seem to be pretty blown out of proportion. I’ve known 4-5 people to run the ARB and they all recommend it. I’m also planning to get a compressor this month so it makes sense to me.

 

Air Locker will be here Wednesday so the re-gear has been scheduled for next Monday assuming everything ships on time. I decided on 4.88 Nitro Gears after talking with Nitro directly. Sounds like my truck is right on the fence of 4.88 and 5.29, but realistically 4.88's are going to be plenty for my rig.

In other news my MOLLE panels and light bar fairing are shipping from Michigan so it might be a solid weekend of modding.

 

Doesn’t need an introduction:

 

Installed a Victory 4x4 molle panel on the passenger side today. The fit on this side definitely isn’t as good as the driver side for some reason. I think on the newer tacos there’s a slight bow in the center console on the passenger side. I’m working on a mount for my CB head unit for the other panel before installing it.

 

About 3-4 months after getting the insurance money I finally fixed the dent with a HC rear bumper!

 

Finally did the cab mount chop. Used a fairly big cutting wheel to cut it off:



While we were under there we took an extra 5 minutes to cut and hammer the pinch weld:



Plate was welded back on and smoothed down:



We went a little aggressive but not as much as I’ve seen on other rigs:



Painted the pinch seam with some bed liner and the cab mount with some regular rattle can paint:



Now no more rubbing!

 

I posted this update elsewhere but I’ll upload it here just for the sake of keeping all my logs in one place:

After a 1 AM tow 80 miles back to Portland the truck is whole again. On my drive home my diff was leaking very badly. It turns out my installer forgot to include an O-Ring on the bulkhead fitting of my rear locker. When the diff got hot the fluid had no problems using the unsealed bulkhead as a passage to spray the whole undercarriage. Installer called ARB and they got the bulkhead working properly. Did a test to make sure the locker works with no leaks anywhere in the system. They didn’t take the gears out because I only lost a little bit of fluid and it wasn’t enough to mess with the gears. It could have been a lot worse if I didn’t catch it as early as I did. My dad did a 30 mile test ride for me and it’s good to go. Anyway, the truck is going to be in Portland until this weekend when I get another chance to take it 100 miles home again:

 

Dude that's brutal.

 

Truck is finally back home and without any leaks in the differential! It’s driving great and I’m averaging about 18-20 mpg in the city so far with the 4.88 gears. About 200 miles to go before I swap the oil out and can really start pulling on it. With the limited amount of throttle I can give the truck right now it’s hard to measure differences in performance.

Picked up a rusty set of ATH stiffeners on my way to get the truck yesterday. Sanded them down, cleaned, 3 primer coats, waited 12 hours, 3 coats of red, 2 coats of clear coat. Wanted them bright so they’re not a trip hazard when walking around in the bed. Just waiting for them to fully dry (all holes were pre drilled before painting so it’ll take 10 min to install later):

 

Great build. Just getting into lighting and wiring myself. Did you just tap into the trailer plug wiring to get constant power for the bed lights?

 

Thanks! No I try to avoid tapping power as much as I can. I dropped a dedicated wire from the lights down to the frame and all the way to the fuse/relay block I built. I grounded them to some random bolt behind the bed cubby I think. Or I drilled a self-tapping screw I can’t remember.