Sarsaparilla's DCSB 4WD Build

So far not too many upgrades, I purchased the truck March 26, 2016.
Im starting this thread in hopes that it will come along rapidly.
Mods so far -

Interior:
- Weathertech floor liners
- 40% Black Polarized Ceramic Tint on front windows
- Redline Tuning Hood Struts (cuz I'm too short to open the hood without them)

Electrical:
- Cobra 29 LX CB
- Got nav and entertainment squared away
- Fuse block for reduced wiring mess
- Rough Country Ditch Light Cubes on CBI Offroad mounts


Exterior:
- Debadged all the way around (apparently Texas Edition just means fancy floor mats and a shit ton of chrome badges)
- Installed Softopper
- Built Bed platform
- Installed @tacodane bed light kit and hood kit
- Trasharoo
- Procomp 6" lift
- 35/12.5 R 17 BFG All-Terrain A/T K02s
- Level 8 Tracker Wheels / Black
- Window Deflectors
- Removed fender flairs
- Trimmed rear fenders

Supplies:
- Yeti 35 Cooler
- Cabela's Polar Cap 60 Super Cooler
- ARB 30' Snatch Strap
- VooDoo Offroad Kinetic Recovery Rope

Next Up:
- Fender trim and flair re-install
- Domello Frame sliders, just need to be installed

Parts I'm looking for:
- White Gen2 Grill surround
- TRD Exhaust
- Tubular UCAs

Parts I have available:
- Texas Edition Floor Mats in excellent shape
removed them the day I brought the truck home.

 

Pretty sharp!

 

Thanks! Its a work in progress, with big goals.
Goals are larger than the budget, at the moment haha.

 

I know how that goes.

 

Got the bed platform built today finally. Decided to go with the simple execution, and used the stock cross beam slots. Wanted to keep it simple and test the height and function of the platform under the Softopper. I did put in some extra effort in making it fit clean at the back as well as carpeting it. Also chose to go with two panels so I could pull one at a time to access gear underneath the platform.

The Materials:
2 - 3/4 Sande Plywood
1 - 2"x8"x10'
Dark Grey automotive carpet

The support beams were cut to 2 - 57" lengths to run the width of the bed and sit in the stock bed slots. The 2x8 is actually about 7" wide which is how big the slot is, and the rear one fits great. However the front one is a bit tight and if not pushed in straight will sit at an angle. You could prob. get away with using a 2" x6" and not have a problem.

The platform portion was cut into two pieces. Total width was cut to 56" to allow extra space for the carpet, if I did it again Id prob. error on the smaller side, and go with about 56.5". The overall length is 60" and fits perfectly with the tailgate up. At the back of the bed it tapers in a bit and requires a notch be cut, so I created a cardboard template first and then used it to mark the plywood. This method worked out well, but still required a little bit of fine tuning. ( mostly because I forgot to account for the added width of the carpet here, oops.)

For the carpet we used 3M Super77 spray glue, and applied it to both the carpet back and the plywood. And once we wrapped the carpet as tight as we could pull it we stapled it to help hold it in place.

And then just slide them into place.

 

Got home to a nice surprise today, my @tacodane led bed and hood kits showed up. Which caused me to throw any plans I may have had out the window and immediately start tearing the bed platform out to get the bed kit installed. The quality and craftsmanship of his kits are outstanding and very easy to install. I got the bed done in a couple hours, and it turned out pretty good.

 

I know it's a little off topic but I wanted to do a bit of a gear review on a recent purchase. To give you a little background I have been looking at purchasing a rotomolded cooler (super cooler) for just over a year now I think. As most of y'all know Yeti is the market leader and they cost a small fortune. That said I have honestly gone to purchase a Yeti Tundra 65 at least 4 times and every time I left empty handed, unable to commit to a cooler at that price.
So after quite a bit of research, and looking at all the coolers I could find, I always came back to the same questions. Which one is the best, and are they worth that much money?
Then recently I was at Cabela's looking for a short air mattress to use on my bed platform, and I saw that Cabela's had released their own super cooler, the Cabela's Polar Cap. They had a big display in the front, and were really showing them off. Given my long time interest in these products I started taking a look at them. They looked really good on first impression. They came in two colors, white and tan, and seemed to be just as stout as its competitors. They also had an article displayed from a recent cooler test that Field & Stream magazine did. In this article, they reviewed 12 super coolers and ranked them all. See the article here. To my surprise, the Cabela's Polar Cap was ranked #1. So intrigued I started asking questions, and the rep even went to another display across the store and brought over a Yeti (which they also sell, A LOT OF) to compare.
Upon comparing and talking with the rep I learned the following about the Cabela's Polar Cap "super cooler":
- They are ALL made in the USA ( Yeti coolers are made both here and in the Philippines and if you want a US version you have to contact them directly).
- It has molded handles as well as the rope handles (a huge plus for me, when the cooler weighs 75 lbs full of stuff I want a sturdy way to move the darn thing).
- It has a neat pressure release button on the front, to release the "air lock" that happens from the tight seal and temperature difference.
- It was about 10Lbs. lighter than the Yeti, (the 60Qt. vs the Yeti 65Qt.) despite being larger and having the molded handles.
- It holds a true 60 Qts. where the Yeti 65 really only holds about 52 Qts.
- It has a Lifetime Guarantee, as with anything there are stipulations however Cabela's has a very good warranty on their products. The rep even said just short of it getting stolen they are likely to replace it it ANYTHING happens to it.
- AND the big one. The Cabela's Polar Cap 60 Qt. is $299.99 compared to the Yeti Tundra 65's $399.99

With all that info, long story short, I bought it. I have had it for just under a week and have been "testing" it out and will be sharing my finding with y'all. I really hope it helps me to figure out just how good or bad this thing is, and if its good (which I hope so) I want yall to know about it too. I am trying to keep the test as "controlled" as possible, but in reality when is using a cooler ever controlled. If there is beer in there it will get opened. A LOT.

The test:
To set the stage, I will be keeping the cooler in the bed of my truck under a black Softopper in high 80's temperature for the week.




Day 1 -
I pre-cooled the cooler as recommended with any rotomolded cooler, with two bags of ice at around 1pm.

Day 2 -
8am I added a 6 pack of beer, 1 bottled water, 2 Gatorades, and a glass bottle of what else, Sarsaparilla. I then went straight to the corner store and piled an additional 40 Lbs. of ice on top. Making it a total of 60 Lbs of ice and 10 drinks.


Day 3 -
I removed a Gatorade (semi-contolled lol) from the cooler around 4:30 and took a picture. You can see the level of ice has dropped a bit, which is in part due to melt but also partially due to me removing a drink.


Day 4 -
I again removed drinks. This time I removed 4 of the beers, it's friday what else would I take out, at about 3:30. I was absolutely blown away by how cold it was to dig into the cooler and find the beers. It was so cold I hesitated to reach back in for another beer. It was absolutely freezing. There was some ice cold water in the bottom near the beers and other drinks, but less than I had expected. Yet again I snapped a photo, and as you can see the ice level has dropped a bit more. Like I said before keep in mind I removed 4 drinks as well.

 

What kind of wheels are those? Very sharp - great looking truck! Nice looking pup, too, bet he enjoys the platform and soft topper. Interesting about the cooler, I have considered a nice Yeti & heard good things, but can't ever seem to find $400 laying around.

 

Thanks! She does indeed, she chills up there any time I'm working working on the truck. The wheels are the stock Texas Edition wheels, I am actually trying to sell them so I can get some with a smaller offset to clear aftermarket upper control arms.
I know what you mean about dropping the $$ on a Yeti, thats why it took me over a year, almost two, to pull the trigger on a cooler like this. But so far I am happy with my purchase, it was cheaper and works great. Highly recommended.

 

Got my Trasharoo and a bleeder/gauge in the mail yesterday. Played around with mounting the Trasharoo on the tailgate a bit. Im a little worried about scratching up the paint but I figure I'll just strap it on when I need it for now until I come up with a better solution.
I also finally got my @tacodane hood kit installed last night, and it is epic! It's incredibly bright, and was pretty easy to install. Also got a few new pics of the bed kit with the platform and the topper rolled up. Can't tell you how stoked I am on these lights.

 

In!!!!

 

Finally went and got the front widows tinted today. I belive its 40% black ceramic. Keeps the heat out really well, and is almost a perfect match to the back.

 

I ordered the tires and wheels earlier this week, they should be in any day now. And I am just waiting for my 6" procomp lift to come in to make space for these enourmous tires.

I went with 35/12.5 R 17 BFG All-Terrain A/T K02s and Level 8 Tracker Wheels.

 

Looking good man!!!!

 

Thanks!! Its a work in progress but every little step gets me closer. Were talking about maybe a little Hidden Falls trip around Thanksgiving, so Im really shooting to try and have it ready to get out there by then.

 

Thats coming up quickly dude!!! You coming to C&C Sunday!?!?!

 

Yeah it is, but I think I can make it happen. I am planning on trying to make it out there, but Im going to a Texas Stars game the night before so we'll see if Im in any shape to get up early on Sun.

 

Oh damn!!! That sounds like fun!!!

 

Yeah my buddy and I took the plunge and bought season tickets this year, so I try not to miss any home games if I can help it.

 

Bad ass!!! Yall have a blast!!! I have to jet, will check back in tonight!!!