Ripcord's Spruce Mica Build

|January 4, 2020|

A couple nice quality of life mods.


Suma Performance Mirrors:

I have anti-glare mirrors on my daily driver, and really wanted some on the Tacoma. Suma Performance is the only company that currently offers any for the Tacoma. Really handy for those other drivers that forget to turn their high beams off, which seems to be more frequent lately...

Another benefit: They are also convex (curved) mirrors that help show your blind spots!

Bit of a discount available on this thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ble-wide-angle-mirrors-for-our-trucks.624277/


Tools:
Flat head screwdriver


Time:
10 minutes


Here is the comparison of the mirrors, really shows the wide angle viewing!




Tacoma mirrors clip in on the bottom and slot into the top, so just pop off the bottom edge and you are good to go!




The blue anti-glare tint really helps at night.





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I also went back to Duratracs, same size as all my other tires: 315/70/17

The reason is that the Cooper STT Pro tires had wayyyy to much rolling resistance (shit MPG and Loud AF) for what they were and I have always had good experiences with the Goodyear Duratracs!

As I mentioned when I first got duratracs, they are also the lightest tire in the size, which helps a lot with MPG and stopping distance.

 

Yup, that's why I'll stick with duratrax. My method wheels just added 6 pounds per wheel to my set up witch calculates to a literal shit ton of rotational mass.

 

Suma make a version of that mirror with turn signals built in, so probably not hard to wire it in if you aren't pre-wired!

 

Have you noticed any actual difference in traction between the MTs and the hybrid ATs?

As far as what I've seen in person and based on my own experiences so far there's no reason to run MTs unless the vehicle is running 40"+ tires....and that's because the only AT tire options at that size are from interco.

 

I would mostly agree with that. The only situation I noticed the MTs having a performance advantage was in deep snow. Rocks were negligible differences between them and ice, rain & street were where the duratrac had a clear advantage.

 

@Ripcord Hey just wondering with the diff install where did you get the Toyota orange FIPG, online or local dealer? Thanks! Love the build!

 

|February 22, 2020|


I have completed my Version 2 DIY camper, it is much better than the original!

Link: DIY Wedge Camper - GFC Replica

Please try to direct as many of your construction-related questions as possible to that thread, to keep the info centralized.


https://youtu.be/1iiZJ7xa0jk



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Here are a few choice pictures from the building process.




















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And some completed pics.

 

@Ripcord I may Have over looked it, did you have and estimated total cost to build?

 

Check the spreadsheet he links to in the camper thread. It has all the information you could want

 

Thanks bud

 

How do you program new TPMS sensors?

 

Take it to a tire shop. They have a TPMS tool that will program it.

 

Thanks!

 

|March 2, 2020|


Fan Blower control knob fix:

I was having an issue where my interior fan controls were not working properly. It was only blowing on full power, none of the other settings worked.

There are 2 causes of this, both are associated with the wiring in the resistor that regulates the power to the fan blower. Either the resistor itself can burn out, or the plug that connects to it can. Both are easy to check and repair!


Parts:
$28 - Dorman 973-582 fan blower resistor repair kit https://amzn.to/3pCoJvo


Tools:
5.5mm socket
Wiring tools


Time:
10-30 minutes

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Even on this setting, no air would come out. It was full power or nothing!




Get yourself the Dorman blower resistor repair kit




These components are pretty easy to reach, they are in the passenger-side footwell.





First, examine your plug. Notice the burn marks? If that gets too bad, it can lose connection. The plug pictured here is still functional though.

If your plug is worse than this, it is likely the source of the issue and you will need to replace it with the plug in the Dorman kit.




To remove the resistor, you will need a 5.5mm socket. Not very common size so make sure you have one before you start this.





Side by side of the resistors, hard to tell that one is bad. Easiest way to check is to just try the new one and see what happens.






For me, the resistor was the source of the problem and my fan works normally again after replacing it.

 

Took the truck out for a shakedown run with the new camper, nothing fancy. It did great! Really happy with the changes I made from the V1 camper, not that it was bad by any means.



More camping related mods to come soon, and wheeling season is almost upon us again!






Its more window than wall!

 

Not gonna lie, this build is my favorite build to look at, the attention to detail is awesome, all the time and effort put into the V2 camper and I gotta say the stickers are dope. Lol

 

I try! thanks for the compliments! Glad you enjoy my ramblings

 

Hey @Ripcord, do you recall the diameter of these canons?

Keep up the good work!

 

|March 20, 2020|


Camper accessories:
I have a 2 week trip planned this coming summer, so now comes the fun part of setting up the camper for longer trips! I want to add lights, power outlets, an awning, and a fridge for as cheap as possible.


Parts / Retail Cost:
$23 - 12V outlets & switch panel https://amzn.to/3lGSWqD
$15 - 10awg & 14awg wiring & terminals
$10 - 12v LED lights
$5 - DIY Bracket
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$339 - Costway 44qt 12v fridge
$6 - Tie Downs [McMaster Carr: 3076T039]
$14 - Velcro Tie down straps https://amzn.to/3kGqZhw
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$219 - Tepui 6’ awning
$13 - DIY brackets
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$260 - Wilco Offroad tire mount


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Electrics & Lights:
I got the panel itself from Amazon. It has a switch (which will control power to the panel & lights), a voltmeter, dual 2.1A USB outlets, and a 12v plug. The fuses are inline fuses, one for the panel & lights and the other for the fridge.

The bracket I made myself at my work, laser cutters sure are handy!




Here is the panel all wired up and installed. That plug you see hanging in the wind is for a fridge. I ran 10awg wire from the battery then split it into two separate 14awg circuits for those two things.




Here are the lights, just some cheap 12V lights I had laying around. In addition to the switch on the panel which controls these, they each have their own built-in switches. They are also super bright though so I put a few layers of amber film on them.







You can also see the Wilco Offroad spare tire mount I got, and some cheap outdoor carpet from home depot.





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Fridge:

I was on the fence about getting a fridge for a long time, due to the cost & the weight. But I was able to solve both of those problems.

Costway makes really good budget fridges. This 44qt model is $339 compared to more than double that from the popular brands. It can run on 12v or 120v (from your house), has an adjustable low-voltage cutoff, and draws only 4 amps max @ 12v.

The weight of the Costway 44qt fridge is 33lbs while the weight of my Lifetime 55qt cooler is 23lbs, but once you factor in 10-20lbs worth of ICE the fridge wins!



Here they are side-by-side.






To mount the fridge, I got some Tie Down brackets from McMasterCarr (3076T039) and some Velcro brand tie down straps ( https://amzn.to/3kGqZhw ). The brackets will need to be drilled out slightly to ½” (12mm).




I removed the washers from the bed bolts and will be using these brackets as the washers instead.




Snug as a bug on a rug!






The camper floor is JUST tall enough that the lid can open to this point where it wedges itself in and holds the lid open!






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Awning:


I picked up a basic 6’ Tepui awning for pretty cheap, and made these mount brackets at work. Really love how easy it is to add things like this to the 80/20 that the camper is made out of!










You can sort of see the awning open in this photo (before the fridge was added)

 

the housing is about 4"