Ripcord's Spruce Mica Build

|September 22, 2020|

Cowl Intake:
I have always hated the snorkel I have. The only reason I added it was after I removed the wheel well liners the intake was exposed so I needed to route the intake to somewhere with clean air. This cowl intake accomplishes the same function, and I can remove the dingus from the side of my truck!

Parts:
4” to 3” 90° silicone elbow https://amzn.to/32QwHHC
3” 30° silicone elbow https://amzn.to/3kFJxP1
3” spectre flange (PN 8148) https://amzn.to/2IFE8tP
3” OD steel or aluminum tube
3”-4” hose clamps


Tools:
3”+ hole saw
Drill
screwdriver


Time:
1 hour

I didn’t take very many pictures during this process, but I have made a youtube video about it which is even more useful!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jXeze6KzmDo


Here is the final product:




Due to the fact that I had a snorkel already, I needed to get a replacement fender. Had this painted by a local auto body shop. I also removed my factory antenna and covered the hole with a plug for a 79-93 mustang tail light.





FAQ on the Cowl intake mod:
*What are you doing for an Air Filter?
-The factory air filter housing is unchanged, only the piping leading to it is altered.
*Are you concerned about water getting in the intake?
-No, I went over water intrusion in the video.
*Is this as effective as a snorkel?
-Yes, the primary reason I had the snorkel was to get my intake to an area with clean air. This also suits that purpose and is great for water fording depth at the same time.
*Is there intake noise transmitted to the Cabin?
-Yes, but it sounds pretty good IMO. Could always put a separating plate between the two intakes to lessen the noise.
*Does this pull air from the HVAC system?
-No, I had a concern that it would but the fan blows just fine even at WOT.

 

|March 21, 2020|

C4 Fab Bumper:

I mentioned above that I had a winch failure on the trail. The cause of the winch failure was that I did not have a large enough washer on it and the bolts just pulled through the bumper. This caused torsion to build up in the winch assembly (bad) and it basically exploded. Due to this winch failure also causing some damage to the bumper, I felt the need to replace the front bumper.

Here is a picture of the winch…




I picked up a newly released bumper from C4 Fabrication.

I did do some modification to the new bumper, such as:
-Trimming some off of the top plate, to remove the need for trimming the grille supports
-Cutting 3” off of the wings and capping them to better line up with my trimmed fender flares
-Drilling license plate holes




After that, I had it powdercoated at a local shop.

I also got some new Baja Designs lights for it, since this bumper was specifically made for them. An S8 30” Combo pattern light bar and the Squadron Wide-cornering pods.

For the winch, I went with a Smittybilt X2O 10k synthetic winch.




All together with the snorkel deleted

 

|Sept 19, 2020|

And more trips with this new front end look…

 

so are you gonna be selling that snorkel kit? I may be interested

 

That is all sold, sorry!

 

Catch'd up on your thread, I follow you on both IG and Flickr, as well as Youtube, but reading through the thread and viewing the photos in a larger format makes it so much better!
Props to you Jim! The build looks stunning as always!

 

Thanks Arne!

I appreciate the compliments!

 

You have very pretty nails!

Awesome job with that snorkel delete. Getting pretty much all of the benefits without an irreversible hole in the fender sounds like a no brainer. I think that's going to be my next mod after I fix the door dig from my last trip.

 

Absolute favorite build! Inspiring me to build mine more like yours everyday!

 

Impressive build! I am glad to have met you at ROCKtober Therapy and seen the Tacoma in person. Great job on the DIY Wedge Camper youtube video.

 

Love the build sir! Am looking at doing the exact same thing to my c4 bumper when it comes in in March. A couple questions:

1) The image of the raw steel bumper shows where you trimmed the top plate, correct?
2) I am a local CO guy (Littleton) and was wondering what powder coating shop you used and about what they charged you? My bumper won't be in for a while so I'm trying to gather as many quotes as possible.

Thanks in advance and keep up the great work!

PS: I also took a page out of your book and did the center console ram mount + wireless charger. I'm loving it!

 

Any issues long term with the 600lb springs and the bumper, winch, and added weight?

 

Nope! They work well for how low I keep the truck (the cut fenders are deceiving, its like 1-1.5" of lift in reality)

 

How has the intake relocation mod been working out? Any updates?

 

It is working great! The only downside if I have noticed is that it occupies the space normally used for 2nd batteries. But functionally it is what I hoped it would be.

 

Love the build man!

What video camera setup do you use?

 

Just saw this post sorry!
Yes, those lines I drew in sharpie is where I cut. I test fit it before cutting to see where it would interfere with the grille support piece then cut that area away.
I had it coated at a shop near my work for $225 I think it was (that included the brackets that come with it). Prices should be pretty standard anywhere you go.

Thanks! I have a canon R.

 

Parts ordered! Thanks for the inspiration.

 

Totally agree and then some,awesome truck

 

Would have to agree, look at the sidewall action from a picture above, that’s a good seller to me.