ShapeShifter Builds Bumble

Bought a bone stock '02 5 speed with 186k miles.

Just added 2" Ironman Foam Cel Pro struts and custom Deaver 11 leaf packs with Dobinsons nitro socks. She floats over washboard. Well, at least that's how it feels compared the hard-ass stock suspension.

Also added 265/75R16 Falken MTs on Method 701 bronze wheels.

So far, the only other mod besides double-DIN GPS and reverse camera, is a Deckplate mod on the airbox.




More to come.

 

Tested new suspension out on some rough trails yesterday. So much better than stock.

 

Just for fun I built a mini-me RC truck.

 

Building out the camper shell on Bumble. I wanted to put some sort of blinds in the windows and decided the cheapest way would be to get some of this pleated material and make is work:

$38 LUCKUP 3 Pack Cordless Blackout Pleated Fabric Shade,Easy to Cut and Installl, with 6 Clips (48"x72" - 3 Pack, Black)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075J85W9J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Its light weight and completely nylon or ABS or something because when I cut it to length with a bandsaw, it melts together.




The pleated material doesn't have a headrail but instead has 3M adhesive strip at the top. I trust 3M adhesive (if its genuine 3M). I cut some aluminum angle and rounded to corners to minimize gouging myself when moving around inside the camper. Then measured and drilled the holes for the window frame screws.





Then I prepped the aluminum with alcohol (an a beer or two for myself) the schtuck the adhesive to the new headrail. Most automotive quality 3M peel and stick adhesive should set for a few hours before putting load on it. It's amazing stuff.





The whole thing is extremely light weight and simple. No cords to get tangled. I used metal snaps at the bottom for simplicity.






The set of pleats I got off Amazon actually came with binder clips (yes, it came with binder clips) so when not in use, I keep the pleats clipped to the top. The clips seem kinda cheesy but they work fine.





I'm pretty happy with the way these turned out. Now I have to figure out a way to make shades for the weird angled windows in back....

 

Backup Camera Install

I had a cheesy license plate camera that had a chip in the lens but I wanted something cleaner looking.






I wanted to put the new camera right in the center of the tailgate in the angled strip of sheet metal but the latch mechinisim was in the way, so I had to offset the camera to the right.





The camera came with a hole saw but it went dull immediately so I used an ezbit.





I wanted to seal the bare metal around the new hole with black silicone. Black silicone around a white truck is a potential mess so I masked. I kept the lens clear so I could adjust the camera before the silicone kicked.







I used a small monitor for adjusting lens level. Something Ive had since my UAV building days.





Clean install. Now I just need to de-badge the whole truck.

 

The guys from Foothills Transformations are lurking on my thread

 

Since this is my daily driver and weekend trail truck, I'm trying not to add too much weight so a full on winch bumper isn't going to happen (at least not this year). I'm also trying to keep the truck looking simple and clean so I want to hide the winch behind the stock bumper.

Josh and Aaron at Foothills Transformations are fabbing a custom one-off hidden winch plate for me. Today they measured and mocked up the plate and tacked it together. We're waiting on a couple of parts and hope to have it finished up soon. They do great work for a couple guys that claim that this is only a hobby....

 

Foothills Off Road Transformations finished my custom winch cradle. I am extremely happy about the way it turned out. Josh and Aaron went out of their way to fit this beastly winch right where I wanted it.



Mocking-up the location of the 12000lb winch.





They cut square holes for the beefy shackle mounts and welded them all around right next to the frame rails.






It sits just how I wanted it.




These guys are two of the nicest people and they do this stuff in their spare time. If you're lucky enough to get some of it, you'll be glad you did! I am!

 

The fog lights on the bumper were temporary and looked stupid. I finally moved them in to the lower bumper facia and mounted them on brackets connected to the winch tray.


To cut these holes, I clamped a drill to a heavy floor jack and used a 3.5" hole saw. These were not easy holes to cut because of the shape of the plastic and without using the floor jack the hole saw would have just wondered and probably destroyed the facia.





I like the fog lights much better down low.

 

That's awesome! I love RC trucks.

 

I dig it. Subscribed

 

I came here for the build, but now I'm intrigued by the RC car. How did you build that?

 

Not just for mall crawling!

While Josh and Aaron were building my hidden winch cradle I semi-jokingly said I may use my new winch to pull my daughter's car out of a ditch, and then I showed them a picture of her car upside-down in a ditch from when she rolled it in to a ditch last April and totaled it. She had just got her drivers license that week.

As fate would have it..........

A week after my new winch was mounted, my daughter actually ended up in a ditch AGAIN! She hit a patch of ice and spun out. She didn't roll it this time but she did blow both driver side tires off the rims.

So, as I jokingly predicted to Josh and Aaron, I used my new winch to drag her 4100 lb. Cherokee 300 feet along the ditch, up to where the embankment was shallow enough to get it on the pavement. The winch plate and shackle mounts worked perfectly. I never had a doubt about that. My daughter's winter driving skills I have many doubts about......

 

Same way you build a full size vehicle. The parts and tools are smaller though....

 

Definitely one of the better stealth winch mounts i've seen that uses the factory bumper.
Adding the fog lights and shackle mounts were a nice touch as well! Nice truck!

 

Thanks! I used to live in Concord, CA BTW.

 

Small world!
Wish there was closer offroad spots other than the Sierras to the east bay.

 

Yeah. Soon there will be no access to off road in Kalifornia.

 

Hey man, love the build (and the rc)! I'm looking to get some ironman foam cell pros on my first gen double cab and haven't found anyone else running them. Do you still like them after a while? Any reason you didn't go with them in the back as well/how do you like the dobinsons? How much lift did your leaf pack give you? Any info on your suspension setup would be awesome!

Also, I'm up in fort collins, so not too far from you. That hidden winch mount is awesome! I might just have to go to the same guys that did yours and get mine done!