Desertjunkie760's 2011 Not So Basic but Never a Bad Bitch Build Thread

The summer is a good time to do the mods so its ready for desert season come fall. It's a mod i've been looking into.

 

It'd probably be sick on your setup. I want to keep my factory geometry so I'm opting for the BAMF relocation and Dakars.

Hey @ChadsPride

I see you're already at it this morning.

 

Hello there!!! ​

 

Getting all my plans together for the weekend at the moment. I should know at the brewery how things are looking. Might be leaning toward Sunday morning if they are open. There are like 7 junk yards all right next to each other in Otay so we might be bouncing around to find the right part. It's fun. You can search the vehicle you are looking for online. Sometimes I went to the junk yards website. I'm looking for a 5 lug to raid.

http://www.car-part.com/

 

We can talk more about it on Thursday. Sunday morning shouldn't be an issue for me.

 

Pretty sure my whole weekend just opened up. Going to stop by a yard in escondido tomorrow morning. They have a transmission there that might have a few parts I'm looking for.

 

Some stuff I'm trying to unload and not using. Let me know if anyone is interested.

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/mpo/6206366408.html

 

So, I had a little 2wd scare today. Had a box flopping around in the bed on the way to the dump and decided to pull over to make sure it didn't go flying into the road. I just so happened to choose a spot that was all sand.

I came to a complete stop before realizing that I couldn't use 4x4 due to the gearing issue and my ARB compressor isnt hooked up yet to engage the locker.

Needless to say I tried pulling forward and the truck began to sink after a foot or so. I threw it in reverse and skinny peddled it back onto the road. I called Slee on the way to town to order a compressor mount so that I could rig the locker up. Not a fan of that feeling.

 

Pretty much all done! I have pics to post from the bedside install and fab work I had to do to get that support bracket on. Happy with the way it all turned out though. Thanks a bunch for the hookup!

I threw an ARB locker and 4:56 in the rear and got all that wrapped up and installed late last week. Waiting on a bumper delivery from @Mike likes Tacos before I send it off for a full detail. The trail left some deep pin stripes so it's time for some TLC.

 

Yes sir. Bed side worked out great!

 

Well, I have got a second now to update the thread and post some repair pics. Truck is now back on the road. The compressor is still not mounted as I just received my Slee Off Road compressor mount yesterday. ARB is plumbed and should be hooked up to the compressor this weekend if my plans come together.

Thanks again to @ECGS for the care package!


First thing I did when it was drivable was run to the local pressure washer to get ride of the mud from the trip!

 

The bed work took some time as the previous owner had taken the support bracket that retains the rear tail light off to use for some fiberglass fenders. I took this bracket off of the damaged bed side and welded it back together. As I've previously stated, Im not a welder by trade. I have the ability at times depending on the Earth's rotation to get what I need done. The spot welds were a little tricky to remove for the bracket without too much damage and I had trouble finding a solid ground on painted sheet metal. most of the work is hidden but it came out looking okay.



I used an aerosol paint match that came out looking pretty clean. I think it was a Duplicolor product, but they actually match the manufacturer paint in a can. Primed, painted, and clear coating took a few hours after the welding but overall I'm happy.

Huge thanks to @itaro for reaching out with a good bedside that matches the truck. It's a small community and this worked out by pure coincidence. He just so happened to have an short bed MGM driver's side laying around.

 

Lastly, I got my bed support brackets from @At The Helm all painted up. These things are a solid product and will look great installed. I ran out of time/energy when doing the bedside work to drill into the bed for the install, so these are yet another project I'm hoping to do this weekend.

 

Let me know if you need the T55 bit and I'll bring it Thursday (with my busted torque wrench) lol

 

Just bring it Sunday. Thats where I was planning on doing the install anyway.

Edit: bring the busted ass torque wrench tomorrow. haha

 

So how do you like the 4.56s?

 

Still in the first 500 miles of break in so I can't say too much. I think i'll like them once I hit the dirt and need the extra power. I can say that I will be getting a bigger set of tires. the 32"s make freeway driving a little extreme. 60 MPH is 2k; 70 MPH is 2,5k roughly speaking.

 

Completed my ARB compressor install but still need to finish up the wiring. I used the Slee Off Road mount that relocates the power steering reservoir. Install wasn't too bad and I took a little extra time to route the wiring. I will need to add a few feet to the positive/negative wires to run them to the battery as I ran the harness along the firewall and it took a little extra length. I'd rather keep it clean looking though.



I loosened up the 10mm bolt at the end of the manifold and rotated it 90 degrees to clear the locker solenoid and adapt the T-fitting for an air line. Went and bought the ARB Tire inflation kit (171302) that comes with the T-fitting, quick disconnect, and hose/fittings. Although the compressor is capable of airing tires up, the accessories to do so are not included in the kit.

 

Pic of the T-fitting and quick disconnect for the air line that came with the inflation kit. I looked into piecing the kit together but by the time all of the fittings and air hose were pieced together I would have saved only a few dollars. Additionally the T-fitting I found was much larger in size and the air line connector in the kit is pretty nice!