Boden Build 2015 DCLB 4x4

About a year ago, I installed a Tailgate Reinforcement Plate and Tailgate Reinforcement Cap from Mobtown Offroad. These were modestly priced and a very easy mod. But I gotta tell you, this is one of my favorite modifications to the truck. I always hated the ribbed tailgate plate, because the uneven surface made it a pain to set down beers and other things. (Emphasis on the beers!) Also, I tend to kneel on the tailgate while getting in and out of the truck, and the ribbed plate was so uncomfortable on the knees. Therefore, I bought the smooth version of the reinforcement plate from Mobtown.

Go out and buy this now!!! You won't regret it. @Mobtown Offroad

 

Last October, I finally got around to installing an ARB 50QT fridge. I wanted a dual slide-out that would accommodate a stove as well. But what I found available for sale, was bulky and didn't fit in with my overall plan for bed storage. So when I built this, I had a loose strategy for my storage system, yet everything needed to fit perfectly without much tolerance.

I didn't take super detailed pics of the entire build process, but this should give you an idea of how I started. Notice that I used 13AWG steel for the side walls. This was necessary to save over an inch of width in the bed. And believe it or not, this made a big difference, which you'll see in future posts.


The box that holds the slides is made of 3/4" and 1/2" Baltic Birch. The compartment on the right will have two drawers. The placement of the unit is as far to the right as possible due to the wheel-well. Also, the Action Packer is there for a reason, because it'll be retained in the long run for storage. To the left of the Action Packer will be my gas cans, which you'll see in the future. Anyway, imagine the entire fridge slide-out wider if I used plywood instead of steel plates for the slide walls. The action packer would have been slid to the left that much further and prevented me from having a place for my gas cans or ample storage on the left-hand side of the bed.


With both platforms slid out, I have great access to the stove and fridge. FYI, I used full extension drawer slides that I was able to purchase from Anderson Plywood, located in Culver City, CA. Also, the gas can in this pic is my old one. I ultimately upgraded to two 3-gallon RotoPax gas cans. This was a planned purchase for my overall storage build out and affected the build of the fridge slide.


Here's a shot of the two drawers.


They're held in with rare-earth magnets.


Next up was disassembly and paint. These are the steel panels. Lot's of planning and holes.


After re-assembly...


Here's the main carcass. Notice the cut-out on the bottom-right side. This allows me to remove the drawers and still have access to the OEM storage compartment in the truck. It's like a secret stash.


This is the back side. The cut-outs are for venting of the fridge. The small hole is for the power cord, but I don't think I ended up using it.


Although the drawers are not installed in this pic, it's complete and ready for me to move on to electrical and then overall bed storage.




One last detail...I didn't buy locking slide-outs. That would have been nice, but they weren't available at the time. Furthermore, they're also thicker than the non-locking ones, which would have added more overall width. I didn't have any width to spare as you'll see in future posts. Anyway, I used a simple slide-bolt to lock the slide in place, one for the stove and another for the fridge. There's also another one on the rear that I can use when parked on an incline to prevent it from sliding back in.


Finally, the entire unit is bolted into the bed using 1/4-20 bolts and rivet nuts. I used part number: 97217A393 from McMaster Carr.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#97217a393/=1cr7el1

 

After I completed the fridge install, I needed to get power to it. This was the perfect opportunity to install a 2nd battery in the bed. I ended up using an IBS Dual Battery System monitor, which has worked out great so far. Sure it's pricier than other setups, but I like the design and functionality of it.

IBS-DBS Dual Battery System with Microprocessor
Relay Booster Module
Both of these were purchased from Sierra Expeditions



I also purchased the Goose-Neck Mount, but ended up not using it. The truth is, I didn't know exactly how I was going to mount it, so I thought I'd need it. In the end, I like where I ended up mounting the control monitor directly to my center console.


In order to mount the monitor at this location, I had to cut and pass the wires through a hole and grommet.


I then shortened and spliced back together.


The main wiring harness plugged into this, and I snaked it under the carpet and through the firewall, where it connected with the solenoid and RBM that I mounted at the back of the engine compartment driver-side. This is right next to my Bussmann RTMR, which can be seen in the pic.


I used 1/0 AWG welding cable to connect the two batteries together. I had a bit of a challenge figuring out the best way to route the cables from the engine compartment to the rear of the vehicle. In the end, I chose to go down the driver side, but this brought it very close to an exhaust manifold. Therefore, I bought some heat shielding to protect it.


From the front driver-side fender, you can see how the cabling travels down and towards the rear.


For my 2nd battery, I chose an Odyssey 34-PC1500T, which I purchased from

$421 Odyssey 34-PC1500T Automotive and LTV Battery

Amazon.


I used a Noco HM318BKS Group 24-31 battery box that I bought from

NOCO Snap-Top HM318BKS Battery Box, Group 24-31 12V Outdoor Waterproof Battery Box for Marine, Automotive, RV, Boat, Camper and Travel Trailer Batteries

Amazon. This was installed in the front passenger-side corner of the bed. Also note that I cut a piece of plywood, which was bolted to the bed using rivet nuts. Then the battery box was strapped to it using an

$7 attwood 9013A3 Battery Box Hold-Down Strap Kit, Long Size, 54"es Long, Woven Polypropylene, with 2 Footman Clamps

Atwood 9013A3 battery strap.

 

Mike, Good to see you active in your thread and updates look great!

 

Thanks, Nick! It feels good to realize some ideas. More to come...

 

Once the 2nd battery was installed, I built another Bussmann RTMR to accommodate the accessories in the bed. The fridge would obviously be connected, but I also wanted various other accessories that I'll show in future posts.

I neglected to show the ANL fuse I installed on the 2nd battery in the previous post. So here's an image of it. Since the battery box was bigger than my battery, I had room to install the fuse inside the box. I made a platform out of plywood to mount it to something, and I think it works out perfectly. This fuse protects the positive 1/0AWG cable from this battery to the solenoid between the two batteries.


Next up was building the Bussmann RTMR, which required several parts.

I used a small bracket that I purchased from @Yotamac


I used a Blue Sea 12 circuit terminal block, part #2512, to connect the Bussmann to the accessories instead of individual connectors.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/2512/Terminal_Block_30A_-_12_Circuit



I used a Blue Sea MaxiBus Insulating Cover, part #2718. This is used to protect the terminal block above, but isn't designed to accommodate this specific terminal block. Therefore, I had to modify it a bit, but it worked out great.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/2718/MaxiBus_Insulating_Cover_for_PN_2105_and_2126



I used a Blue Sea 150A 10 gang Bus Bar, part #2301. This is used to connect all the accessory grounds.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/2301/Common_150A_BusBar_-_10_Gang



And then I got to wiring. I used a small piece of plywood to mount everything, which was then attached to the bed of the truck with bolts and rivet nuts.


Although the design of this build is different than what my tutorial outlines, the principles are the same. The terminal block allows me to connect the individual circuits to the Bussmann without having to access the bottom of it and instead of individual connectors.

In the following picture, the bus bar on the bottom is for accessory grounds. The plug on the right is to connect the switch harness, which extends to the rear of the truck where the switches will be mounted. The white plug at the top left is to a secondary dome light switch, which I'll outline in the future. The black plug at top left is to the dome light itself. The ANL fuse protects the Bussmann RTMR.


This panel was mounted to the bed wall near my auxiliary battery. Notice the cover is in place over the terminal block, which helps protect it.


Next up was switches. I used a Hammond 1591ESBK ABS project box that I purchased from

$9 Hammond 1591ESBK ABS Project Box Black

Amazon.


Wiring this up was very similar to what I outlined in my Bussmann RTMR tutorial.


Finally, I installed the switches at the rear of the vehicle above my drawers and next to the fridge.

 

When I purchased my FlipPac camper shell, which was used, it already had a dome light installed. I temporarily connected it to a spare fuse on my 1st Bussmann RMTR that I built a couple years ago knowing that I'd ultimately be installing an aux battery and another RTMR. For this temporary setup, I didn't connect it to a relay or anything. I simply used it to provide power from the RTMR back to the dome light in the bed of the truck and used the integrated switch on the dome light.

Now that I've installed a second battery and built another Bussmann RTMR dedicated to bed/shell accessories, it was time to connect the dome light permanently. But I also wanted to modify the circuit to accommodate two switches to control it. I never liked the fact that when I wanted to turn the light on, I either had to crawl into the shell or open the driver-side win-door. This was really inconvenient. So I wanted two switches, one at the rear of the truck and another at the light itself. The following circuit diagram outlines the wiring.



This is called a three-way circuit and many people might be familiar with it when two switches control a hall light in your home. There's typically a light switch at either end of the hallway and these switches are called double-pole-single-throw switches or DPST for short. I purchased my switches from OTRATTW, part number #V4D2UXXB-00000-000. The specific switch I purchased didn't come with rocker covers, so I purchased two of those separately, VVPZC51-5BA1.

This is the switch wiring diagram that OTRATTW provides.


In the following image, which shows my Bussmann RTMR wiring and connections, the white plug on the right connects to the switches at the rear of the vehicle. Two of the wires are used for the dome light switch, and a third wire supplies power. The white plug at the top left goes to a new switch at the dome light. Notice that there are three wires. The brown and white wires connect to the terminal block and continue to the switch at the rear of the vehicle. The blue wire connects to pin 86 on one of the relays in the RTMR. And finally, the black plug at the top left connects to the dome light with two wires, black to ground and red to pin 87 of the relay.


Here's the switch panel at the rear of the vehicle.

Here's the dome light and secondary switch. In order for this system to work, the original switch that is integrated in the dome light remains on at all times. This was the easiest thing to do instead of replacing the light or re-wiring the dome light.


I used a Hammond 1591DSBK ABS project box that I purchased from

$12 Hammond Manufacturing 1591DSBK STYRENE PLSTC CASE

Amazon for the switch at the dome light.


With it installed and working, I love it. I can turn on the light from the rear without crawling in, but when I go to sleep in the FlipPac, I can easily reach down and control the light from the secondary switch. I'm chalking this mod up as another favorite. It's rather easy to do, and the payoff is better than expected!

 

Another mod that I did was add LED strip lighting to my shell rear window. This serves as great lighting for the tailgate area when cooking. Simple! Cheap! Easy!

 

About 3 years ago, I purchased and installed a 250A alternator from CAE in Van Nuys, CA. Well, today I removed it and re-installed my OEM 140A alternator, because I was having problems with the 250A this past weekend. Basically, the battery light turned on and then fluctuated while I was out in the desert. I also observed via my ScanGuage that the voltage level of the primary battery was jumping around from as high as 13.7v to as low as 11.2v. This was looking like a voltage regulator failure. Bummer because I planned on camping out Sunday night, but I didn't want to take the risk being in the middle of nowhere with this problem.

Anyway, with the old one back in, things look good so far. I think I'll take the 250A alternator back to CAE and see if I can swap it out for another one or if they can sell me a new voltage regulator.

 

Last November, I started work on my bed storage. I used 3/4" Baltic birch plywood for the structure and walls and 1/2" Baltic birch plywood for the lids.

The storage is basically made up of a frame and walls. In this image, you can see the basic frame setup. This is front driver side.


The manner in which I secured the frame in place wasn't necessarily uniform throughout the bed. But generally, I attached small blocks of wood to the bed walls and then attached the frame to these. This image shows the detail of how the frame is attached to the bed sides and how I had to fur out some of the blocks to accommodate the rails and shell. This image is just above the driver-side wheel well.


Here's the framing around my aux battery and RTMR. This is front passenger side. Take note that there is a wall to the left of the battery, which is removable, and basically keeps the electrical area isolated.


With regards to design, the entire storage area is simply a frame. The only walls are what surround the clear area down the middle of the bed, which you'll see in just a moment. This was done to maximize storage as well as keep the weight down to a minimum. To secure the walls to the bed floor, I used rivet nuts and then attached small blocks of plywood with 1/4-20 bolts. The walls were then screwed to these blocks of wood.


At the rear of the vehicle, I simply attached the plywood to the bed sides using wood screws directly into the fiberglass bed. Worked out great. Notice that I still have access to the OEM storage compartment.


With the fridge slide-out cabinet already installed, I was able to attach my storage framing directly to it.


The storage is complete, but not yet painted or covered in carpet. I haven't decided exactly how I want to do this. All of the plywood on top of the frame is removable to allow access to the storage underneath. These are currently held in place with gravity, but I installed small blocks of wood to the underside to keep them from sliding around. Also, this image shows the walls surrounding the clear area down the middle of the bed.

Here's another angle taken from the tent/sleeping area above the cab. Notice that I left a corridor or "hallway" down the middle. This is used for two Action Packer storage boxes while traveling. These are removed when at camp so I retain standing height in the bed. It's also a great bench to sit on.


From the rear of the vehicle, you can see how everything is packed in. If you recall earlier from from my post showing my fridge slide-out build, I mentioned how tight the tolerances were. As this image shows, there is no extra room. I had to build the fridge slide-out with the exact measurements of the gas cans, Action Packers, plywood wall thickness, and the width of the drawer slides. That was quite the challenge.


In conclusion, this build has definitely met my needs and I couldn't be happier. I went into it without a clear vision of how to make it work. I just knew what I needed and worked around that. The key was to have enough foresight to think of any potential pitfalls. The prime example is the tight tolerances that I had to keep in mind when I built the fridge slight-out.

Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas of how I could have improved this. Maybe it'll help the next person who wants to do something similar.

 

My truck had been long overdue for new leaf springs. After installing the Flip-Pac a few years ago and recently the auxiliary battery and bed storage, my OEM springs with an Icon add-a-leaf were really starting to sag. I had always planned on doing custom leaf springs, but I felt like the springs were becoming a safety hazard so I didn't want to wait any longer. After some research, I settled on Dakar EL096R heavy duty leaf springs. These made quite a difference as the pictures show. The distance from wheel hub center to fender was 21.5" before and 24" after.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

 

@tacozord - I wanted to say thank you for thorough posts. I just picked up my engine battery wire harness no. 2 and will be doing the big 3/4 soon after I get all my parts in. I am also using your posts to wire up my switch panel. So, thank you!

questions:
What happened with your HO alternator? I planned on upgrading mine so was curious.

For the alternator - fuse box - battery cable, did you have trouble getting the 2 gauge in there? In other threads I have read they had trouble with 4 gauge or it barely fit.

 

Hi from NY!
I could use some help.

I’m trying to locate the voltage sensing wire in the engine fuse box. I’m trying to diagnose a low 11.8 v charging rate of my new 250 Amp Alternator.

Is this the terminal plug that contains the white sensing wire from the alternator? I circled the plug in red. From your nice write up, I’ve determine the location of the green alternator connector (circled in yellow.)



Is this where that connector is plugged in the engine bay fuse box?


I’ll need to figure out what voltage the alternator is sensing.


Thanks so much!

 

Whoaa. This is my issue. I installed a 250Amp in February. Last month it started showing 11.8-ish

The 250 Amp was replaced under warranty. Still the same thing. So I bought a 180 Amp from Advanced Autoparts (Carquest) and same low voltage charge rate. So I’ve eliminated the alternator as the problem.

Now I’m investigating the voltage sensing wire.

 

Sorry for the late response. Yes...you've indicated the correct plug at the fuse box.

 

Hi @tacozord

nice write up on the big 3 upgrade. One thing that I had a difficult time visualizing is how you powered the oem fuse block. I’m referring to when relocating the alternator (+) wire from oem fuse block to the ANL fuse/positive bar.

did you run a 4ga cable from positive busbar to the fuse oem fuse block? I’ve seen other big 3 take this approach. Or did you keep the stock wire that used to charge the battery from stock alternator positive wire location?

These guys:

 

Hey! Sorry for the late reply. I haven't logged into TW in a while. Anyway, if I recall correctly, I simply left the OEM cable to the OEM fuse block.

 

Sub’d

 

Your build is so clean I’m crying. Reading through everything, you make it seem so easy!