Alu-Cab Contour Canopy Installation and Adjustments

Just a couple quick install notes that might help others...

If you have an Alu-Cab Contour canopy on your 4th gen, and you're a taller person like I am, I thought I'd share an easy solution to the low hanging lift gate, when open. I bought the canopy straight through OK4WD, the US importer in New Jersey. I bought it through Chuck and worked also with Jon, their Alu-Cab expert to work out a few adjustments. These guys are awesome!

The factory rear gas struts are a little short for me and leave the rear gate opening far less than the side panels. I'm 6'6" so that was less than ideal for me. Jon sent me a set of longer struts but they wound up being a touch too long to cycle to full close. We then tried these extenders and that's the ticket! I have them doubled up on each side, they are metric in thread and length, but added about 1-3/16" in total length to the struts and that extra length transferred to 5 inches more on gate height. The gate started out at 71" from the garage floor as it was from the factory, and now it opens to it's max at 76.5", which might be a little high for some but is perfect for me.

For the third brake light wiring, I actually sourced the SmartCap T harness, that would normally come with a SmartCap canopy, that plugs into the 7-way trailer connector under the truck. You simply disconnect the backside of the trailer plug harness and run this T harness in series with the trailer wiring circuit. I then routed the 2-wire pigtail up through the passenger side taillight housing area and drilled a hole in the steel vertical bed support just ahead of the taillight. I then wired on a Deutsch connector on both ends for the connection. The Alu-Cab just came with an open 2-wire pigtail that you can install whatever connection you want. The SmartCap harness comes with a Toyota/Lexus based connector that I cut off in favor of the ones I have on hand. Sourcing the matching connector proved to be a hassle and costly in area. Maybe they're more readily available in South Africa where all this is made...?

I still have to build and install the interior light harness for the 3 LED light fixtures. Rather than tap into the bed side lights like some do, I'll be running to the battery direct and installing a toggle switch inside the rear gate area to turn them on from the rear. I'm shopping products for that setup.

Hopefully the info is helpful for someone.

 

This is the part number information for the harness that you would get if you choose to go with a SmartCap product. Picture of the actual harness in first post. The harness is made by "Lumen Special Cables", which is also a South African company just like SmartCap and Alu-Cab are.

Rock Solid Industries, or RSI, on the label is the company that builds the SmartCap canopies.

I had a very challenging time getting ahold of the harness as SmartCap direct would not sell it to me without photos and a serial number for one of their canopy products. My local canopy shop was able to order it for me with no issues. It's not cheap, I think I paid $175 for it, but it's a really nice plug and play setup with no cutting or splicing of any of the factory truck wiring so that was a great benefit, and it's a quality built part and worked great upon install.

I also included a photo of the instructions that are available on SmartCap's website, for wiring reference.

 

Good insight.
Do you have a link or part for the strut extender? Would be great to get my contour door open some more.

 

I don't have a part number, but call Jon Van Wagoner at OK4WD in Jersey. He's the Alu-Cab guy there and the one that sent me these. He shipped them to me at no cost but I bought the canopy from them so he was helping me out. They're available on ebay too but I don't know the exact metric size and thread to reference it, Jon knows all that too.

 

$175 isn't too bad for that harness. I paid like $50 for the ggoffroad brake light harness, but it comes off the cyclops. Had I not already been running the wires for the cameras (ggoffroad relocation kit), I would of gladly paid the $125 difference to not have deal with pulling back the headliner in the cab, removing/re-installing the spoiler, and all the associated wiring.

That said, I ran power off the battery, cameras, brake light, and wires for the door locks off the passenger b pillar to the bed, so had to disassemble half the interior I think.

 

I sent an email to Lumen Special Cables in ZA. We’ll see if they’ll sell that T harness.

 

Cool sounds like you really got into it. I like doing that kind of stuff sometimes depending on why I'm doing it haha! You really get to know your vehicle doing that stuff. I'm sure it'll turn out nice. I still need to run my lighting wiring from the battery. I haven't made it a priority but I need to get it done.

 

If you have any trouble, give a canopy retailer a try.