What have you done to your Tacoma today? 1st Gen Edition

ouch, I've been keeping an eye on the oil sector markets lately... looks like OPEC is really putting the pressure on us here. Good luck to you.

 

If you look at TRS' XTorch LED bars, they use the same Cree XT-E 5w bulbs. The 10" bar, that uses 8 bulbs (40w) puts out 3625lum, or ~450lum per LED.

That 4banger with 4 bulbs puts out 2200lum, or 550lum per LED.

Kinda odd that they advertise the same exact bulb puts out 100lum different in a different product...but the right answer is 450lum per bulb. So that 4banger is really an 1800lum light, not 2200.

I'd personally go with a Baja Designs Squadron Sport..
http://www.bajadesigns.com/products...ffroad-led-lighting/squadron-sport-led-lights

 

Its different drivers. Silimar to ballasts for HIDs. Leds do not like how our trucks voltages are not steady. So you feed LEDs 9-18v and a small driver stabilizes it to a preset voltage. You can vary that to whatever. The more voltage, the more output. BUT shorter life.

Give and take.


Also. 5w LEDs are so yesterday. 7w and 10w is the way to go.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-5Inch-90...=item33afeac412:g:7-UAAOSwk1JWc7mQ&rmvSB=true

 

Cree makes 13w LEDs that are the same size as the ones being used now for lights...1800lum in 1 led

http://www.cree.com/LED-Components-and-Modules/Products/XLamp/Discrete-Directional/XLamp-XHP35

 

I bent my Relentless bumper, I think I can bend it back though.

 

Alright everyone I'm curious to know if anyone knows someone that could create a first gen hood scoop.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/first-gen-hood-bulge-progress.12070/

 

In Moab this past year, my buddy in a 2nd gen bent his headlight hoop back quite a ways. At camp that night, we put my winch on it and bent it right back.

Also, seen this a couple times in here recently: why would anyone install in aftermarket bumper and not remove the low hanging hook and tie down points?

 

The hoop isn't bent much, the top plate of the bumper is the main bend (You can see it under the light bar), I plan on removing the winch, putting a bottle jack under the bend and jacking on it while pulling the bumper forward with the tractor.

I don't really need the clearance and I didn't think about removing it when I installed the bumper.

 

I think most people either don't think about it or don't know where they can source shorter bolts to replace the bolts made to fit with the tie-down point.

 

I'm jus happy to have a job to be honest.

 

Wow, that thing flexed quite a ways. I saw where you referred to it as sliding into a tree. Any more details? How much speed was involved?

 

Impact speed was probably 15mph, went around a mud hole and it was slick on the edge, tried to turn back onto the trail and there was no grip with the front tires, brakes were useless because I haven't done an ABS switch mod and I didn't have the locker engaged, slight right into the tree just to the drivers side of the passenger side LED cube light.

I took quite the chunk out of the tree.

 

Caught a bit of the tree eh? Not surprised then that the bumper crumpled up like that.

 

As you can see the monitor is all jacked up. I contacted PyleAudio for a replacement monitor. I will keep you guys up to date on how they respond. I still have some wires to get tucked away but all in all I like the way it is coming along.

 

Pyleaudio stuff has the nickname of "pyleofshit" for a reasom

 

Yep, about a 2" deep chunk the height of the bumper was missing and wood chips scattered for about 8' on the trail.
I was fully expecting the airbags to deploy because of how centered the hit was, but so far (Fingers crossed) the only major effect is the alignment so I'm probably gonna get TC cam tab gussets since they're fairly inexpensive and I'd rather not have this happen again.

 

It was a gift from my wife, so I appreciate it and am thankful for it.

 

Well... Now i feel i bit rude.

 

no worries.