Oldie2007 - The Little Big Red Readers Digest Renovation, Revival, and Restoration Thread.

Looks great Kurt just need a couple skid plates and your ready to bounce of them rocks.

 

Special rubber rocks!

 

I Can't HEAR You Very Well! Phase Twenty Seven; Audio Gets a Much Needed Boost!

With all of the truck seat time this Spring and Summer, it became apparent, that hearing aids of no, my stereo was more like a transistor radio. Better than the OEM, but only sounding good a LOUD volume level. So, along the way, I got a used amp for subwoofer from a friends garage. It ended up broken. It went downhill from there. As long as I need a new amp, I might as well amp up the door speakers while everything is apart. You know?



So, I ordered up

$91 BOSS Audio Systems R4002 Riot Series Car Audio Stereo Amplifier – 800 High Output, 2 Channel, Class A/B, 2/4 Ohm, Low/High Level Inputs, High/Low Pass Crossover, Full Range, Bridgeable, Subwoofer

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S50ZNA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$130 BOSS Audio Systems R2504 Riot Series Car Audio Stereo Subwoofer Amplifier - 1000 High Output, 4 Channel, Class A/B, 2/4 Ohm, High/Low Level Inputs, High/Low Pass Crossover, Bridgeable, Full Range

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S52OL6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$120 KICKER CompVR 10" (25cm) Subwoofer, DVC, 4-Ohm, 350W

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BDCBBSI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and a couple wiring and goodie kits along the way....



It's plenty hot around here in July and August, so I set out to get out the pop-up for some working shade. Last I knew, it needed some TLC after the last C&C in Austin in January. Turns out, just had too many hands putting it away, and some of the cables were stuck in the legs. I proceeded to set up the M.A.S.H. @ 1011 (Mobile Auto Stereo Hospital) in the drive. And as long as I going to yank the stereo head out, I know it has a front cam input. So, for like $12, you know?




I have this big ass fuse for the amps, that needs to go near the battery (I have sub fuses for each amp). So, since I have another big positive wire to land on the battery, where there is no more room, I am going to finally clean up those battery terminals, and put the ones I bought to good use! And I have cables as well for the project. So, found the fuse a home, and get after that battery wiring, because, you know?







Time to turn things around, so I can work in the cab. While I'm waiting for the sub box (just wait), I'm going to clean up the wiring that is there, and get ready for the line level wires to the amps. It's a mess, but it always worked. Worth the bargain price we got, you know?




Well, OF COURSE the sub box is a story, because everything so far has been one step a day - at best. I ordered a single box from an outfit in SA, that can't be named. It was in stock, but never got built. At least I got my money back. So, I ended up with one I found on Amazon. But, it's a two speaker box. So, I ordered another sub speaker, you know?



(The cubbies have to come out. I've never used them. Sold for a 12 pack of Shine Blonde. Should have made it two!)


(I had to cut these little brackets out)



That was plenty of fun - really, not that bad. So, time to strip the seats out of the front, and get on those amps! And, emptied probable for the first time in it's life, do you think I found even a DOLLARS worth of change? Not a chance, including the shiny stuff I know I dropped, I think it ended up at 71 cents. Of course, I had to mark up some wires, then stuff it back in the dash. And, not that anyone I mentioned it that I saw, I need spacers for the seat backs - mostly the passenger. So, I have to cobble and then order, because, you know?











(of course, with all the new RCA plugs, I can't get all the wires back in the same space. EVERY little "cap" connection was cut out, and redone with solder shrink.)




(It's all in there, and it all works. BUT, of course, the faceplate trim broke. This is how my beer feels about it.)

While I am waiting for the new trim, I might as well open the doors up, and do a good seal on the inside, because, I'm like most of the way there anyway, you know?






(And the other side looks the same...)

And while the interior was out, the console cover needed a coat of paint and seal, you know?


And these little suckers are a must have, because they real ones fall out, you know?

$5 X AUTOHAUX 30pcs White Plastic Nylon Switch Bezel Clip 90467-10203 for Toyota for Lexus 4Runner Camry Corolla Highlander Land Cruiser RAV4 Sienna Tundra Etc

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XFPDF9S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I ended up with the "official TW 1" spacer" on the driver, and my 1 1/2" Ag bushing on the passenger. Because, the passenger needed 1/2" more, you know?



And with the new trim, and the removal of STILL more connectors, it all fit in. Of course, the new trim was different than the old, you kow>




That's right. It's complete. It sounds MUCH better. The truck is much quieter, if I turn the music down. And I don't have to have it LOUD to have it sound good. This 8 day process should have been called, "But Wait, There's More!"


You know?

 

This got done (finally) seven months out of order;
FINALLY The Switch and Relay Guinea Pig Project! - Phase Twenty Four; To the Rear! (Part III)

If you want to go back: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...storation-thread.569377/page-11#post-22521318

 

Brother Kurt! I have been watching your progress on the homestead for what seems like months now. Inspired me to do my own little walkway!



Not quite done but at least I don't have to drag the cans completely through the dirt anymore. Going to cut the last two for a tight fit then figure out something to fill the rest in.

Keep up the good work man

 

Might I recommend,.....rocks? so many choices!

Seriously, nothing has grown on that East fence in 30 years we've been here. And since Rex is a digging escape artist, I just took it to the logical conclusion!

 

Rocks sound good! I'll look into them

 

nothing been able to grow on this side of the house either so it was time.

 

Also a fan of rolling trash cans!

 

It used to look like my cans did a few trips back to Area 51 after a hurricane

 

You trying to prompt me for Phase Twenty Eight? Well, OK.

 

Move That Light a Little Bit Over Here Please; Phase Twenty Eight - Relocate a Bunch of Pods

This is kind of a combination of little things over time, and a recent add because I was just so happy to have tagged @hoverlover for a win in a CaliRaisedLED contest, I just HAD to get something for myself too! So, because I really needed them, I ordered a pair of the ditch light brackets. Someday, all of these miscellaneous little pods will get real upgrades, when the lottery lets me know, or when I actually use them more than once. But, prepared I am!

Now, some pictures along the way got lost in a great OneDrive accident, so we'll just start here in July. This is what was now on the front bumper;

• Yellow LED Spot/Flood fogs (non DOT) are now down in the bumper round holes. They are wired to the Taco Fog switch, but I did use a new harness. They are also wired to toggle off the LED's in the grille - one or the other on only.
• Outside on the bar are the round LED floods that came with the bumper from @MattCowsmasher . At this point, wired to the same control as his old light bar in the middle.
• Inside on the bar are the Cutoff White LED fogs that ARE DOT. They are wired to a switch in the relay pod control I installed.

But, things are going to move!



I took everything off the mounting plate I made last year, and retired it for now. Then, the Cutoff fogs moved to the outboard. Still wired to the same relay and control.



Alrighty, now those old rounds are going to go up on the CaliRaised brackets, so I cleaned them up, and put three nice coats of a matte black on them.




The brackets are here! The brackets are here! They recommend installing the pod before the bracket. They are absolutely right. I will wire these into a separate relay, stealing the one I was going to use for under hood lighting. I will just steal that from the same relay as the bed lights whenever I get some new ones (I used them in the shed!).







So, nothing but excitement around here now! Stuff moved and wired and working! Because I sort of changed my mind, I pulled off the original stickers on the switches, and swapped them with a replacement set the vendor sent me by mistake. Turns out to be a good mistake, I like this better! (LEDs are green when off, yellow background when on.)



It being inspection time, I got a great suggestion from @Beretta4x4 , so that I didn't actually have to mess with any of the lights on Inspection. They didn't fuss this year, but that's OK, I have it covered cheap. The non-DOT fogs have a black out cover I can snap on, and I also got an amber cover to try out for the cutoff fogs.



For reference, and not particularly aimed (cutoffs are low on purpose until I mess with them further), this is what they each look like.



And, that's the way it is (for now). I keep saying next up is real suspension change, but I keep having other spends get in the way. I do have a nifty aluminum front skid! But, that all might keep until I start to get my big SS checks next year. Couple months of that with retire WD's will pay without charging stuff, so I'll see.....
Because; But Wait, There's More!"

 

Damn Kurt you never disappoint love your detailed post and what you’ve done to LBR.

 

Looking good, Kurt

 

Thanks guys. You are both inspirations!

 

Looking good! That truck of yours keeps growing and growing.

 

Follow up I didn't want to lose on the Front Cam I added when I updated the stereo. It's not a huge investment, but it really works great.
I wondered just how long it would last in the car wash before the Chinesieum mounts gave way. The answer was Saturday! But the pookie I had stuffed around it kept it all together, so nothing got lost. So, there it dangled. A challenge. Because it needs to go where it needs to go!




I really wish I was a top notch fabricator, but I got the job done. Scrap 3/16" aluminum bar stock...



Hammers, drills, and a sabre saw...


JB Weld....


The matte black paint


Two little screws and some pookie in the back


Fill in the sides with more pookie, and a popsicle stick, and screw it back on!



And one armored camera mount! Ta-da-ski!
Not a Phase, but see? There's more!

 

Wow Kurt!