Yankee Pirate's Long, slow build

Ok, so, I have seen other people's build pages and decided to do one of my own... so...

She is a 2011 4x4 Double Cab SR5 V-6 with a Manual transmission. My end state for her is to do some light to medium overlanding, primarily in a desert environment, and to have a truck that can get me into, and out of, anywhere I (realistically) want to be (or not be). My biggest disadvantages are that A) I PCSed to Germany very shortly after I took delivery which puts most major projects on hold for a while B) I was not born with power tools in my hand and a lift in my garage and I am, quite frankly, terrified to try something myself and F- it up C) the G doesn't exactly back the money truck up to my bank account every two weeks and D) this isn't my only expensive hobby. With that in mind, here is my baby.

As she looks today:


Oregon Inlet; OBX, NC (35° 48' 0.8568'' N 75° 32' 31.8660'' W)


Current Mods:
Bilstein 5100s on all 4 corners
OME 886 Coils in the front and Deaver U402 leaf springs in the rear.
Light Racing UCAs
18" KMC XD Addict Wheels
285/65/R18 BFG Tires (4 of them... I'm a dumbass and REALLY hope I don't get a flat anytime soon)
Westin Black Tubular Steps
Wake Forest and MN Twins Decals
Color Matched Satoshi Grille by Homer Taco (Thanks bro!) with "TOYOTA" Badge from a 74 Land Cruiser.
http://Demello-offroad.com Front and Rear Bumper (with Spare tire/tool/fuel can carrier and bottle opener)
CMC
Debadged
Stereo Upgraded(Sony WXGT90BT. Still stock speakers, though)

Future Mods:
Yakima Fork lock bike rack
On board air compressor
On/off road navigation
Skid plates
Different wheels/tires
Whatever else occurs to me.

Now, the Pics:

Here she is getting some wisdom from my old truck, a much loved 03 Ford Ranger w/ almost 200K miles



Brand Spankin new, chillin in my driveway.



Up on the lift getting her mods



The old lift...



The new lift...








Her new shoes



Taking delivery



In her natural environment

 

Great start! Good job on the choice of mods. What's your opinion on the ULK life so far?

 

nice looking ride,those XDs look great on mgm

 

Nice looking truck man!

 

ULK?

Thanks guys!

 

@BigPoppa: Sorry, I had an acronym melt down for a minute. Yes, it is. I am quite pleased with it so far.

 

I am back from Germany and progress continues. My baby, she has been re-named "Rogue", is currently in the capable hands of the good folks at Demello Off Road for her bumpers, winch, etc. Here are some pics of the work in progress. More soon!

 

Her mods are finished at Demello Off Road. This is what she looks like now:







Yes, I know that I need to replace that tiny spare but I am going to replace the wheels/tires to, hopefully, stop the rubbing that still happens when the wheels are turned all the way and I compress my suspension.

 

Progress remains slow but there is some news. My Toytec ULK is no more. Replaced by Bilstein 5100 shocks and OME 886 springs in the front/Deaver U402 springs in the rear. The shocks and front springs were bought from Toytec, the rear springs direct from Deaver. The Boss shocks in my Toytec coilovers had a seal crack, costing me the oil and air pressure and the system wasn't rated for my new bumper anyway. Same in the rear as the add-a-leaf kit was breaking down under the strain of the new bumper. This is not to suggest that the ULK is not a good piece of gear. It served its purpose well but was exposed to conditions, two ocean crossings, for one, that it wasn't designed to handle. Also, my stock stereo has been replaced with a Sony WXGT90BT.

The new lift:


The front:


The rear:


These have largely eliminated the tire rubbing that occurred when I would turn and the suspension would compress. It turns out that the wheels were traveling more than they should have because my front suspension was breaking down under the weight of the front bumper. This means that my search for new wheels and tires is less urgent... but has not stopped. I will be returning to a 16" wheel and the appropriate tire (I am thinking 285/75/R16... but we will see)

All of the suspension work was done by the good people at http://www.independent4x.com/. I am very happy with their work and with their advice.



The Stereo:

 

Some pics from the last few weeks.

 

How are those deaver u402 springs? are they pretty stiff when not under any load? Looking into getting some

 

Yes im also curious since i cant find any reviews!