Buyer Beware: KTJO 4X4 Driver's Side Grab Handles w/ A Pillars, HUD, and Bowl Lights

It was hilarious. The fam played along well.

 

I dig the bike attachment!

a while ago I had a plan with a buddy to each buy the transaxle Ural or variant, stick all our gear into the sidecar, and ride through Asia, Russia, and then Europe, since the Chinese ripped off the Russians who reverse engineered the BMW OG when Berlin fell; the thinking was we could get service anywhere we went. It never materialized, but I still think it would be cool. Or maybe I’d be shot the first day. Either way, epic.

 

Thanks! A friend welded a plate on for me. It worked great.

That sounds like a fun plan. I never did a big trip with it, but I did with my other bike. Just great adventures.

 

He could in theory do a handle with similar styling as the passenger-side OEM handle, but with the shorter driver-side hole spacing and mounts on top of the OEM A-pillar trim. On installation, you drill through the existing push-clip location and thread a bolt in the lower bracket with the same type of clip nut we use now.

2nd gen hole spacing is 20 cm. 3rd gen hole spacing is 19 cm:



EDIT: This is how the 4Runner folks do it: https://www.4runners.com/threads/driver-side-a-pillar-grab-handle.10893/#post-203587
Put C0 suffix in lieu of B0 in the P/N to get the black-colored part: https://www.mylparts.com/oem-parts/lexus-grip-handle-7468060010c0

 

Did my final install. I was originally waiting for a different style clip nut because I didn’t like how the dormwn clip was 1/2” raised off the bracket. Another poster said they had to put a spacer because it sucked the panel away from the tweeter trim. So figured I give it a go with the dormwn. I also finally bent the top bracket with the pillar attached no handle, 14mm deep socket over threaded bolt pulled to center. I’m not happy how much I had to bend the bracket and you can definitely see the bracket deformed.

I added some rtv to the lower bolt sleeve that kept coming out. I threaded both bolts but snugged the lower bolt first while holding the trim in a way to minimize gap against rubber weatherstrip. Then snugged the top bolt holding the trim to suck up the gap at weatherseal and headliner. There was a slight gap along weatherseal near bottom of the trim and I just pushed the rubber past the dash lip

Since had the handle off I took pics of the covers that I sanded down the edges smooth and to try to seat it flush (along with strips off duct tape). Still not perfectly flush but definitely better.

 

I do wish I had a torque spec. I tried searching for the passenger side but was not successful

 

I pulled the door seal away from the A-pillar to get a better look at the edge. That step was in the early how-tos of the Subaru tweeter mod.

 

I’m not sure we are talking about the same (although I don’t have an idea what you mean and I never did the subi tweeter) the picture below I marked the piece of dash (just that corner piece really) that the door seal was on top of originally, I just pushed it behind to close to small gab from this oem quality/plug n pray pillar.

 

So i ordered some interior door handle lights from KTJO 4x4 a week ago and haven't received an email or anything stating that my order is being prepared for shipment. Only an email with and order number as soon as i clicked buy. Just wondering because its been well over a week now and nothing has been sent out. Thought id be patient but never bought anything thats taken that long to ship out and if so the company usually lets you know. Should i be worried?

 

From what I've seen, it'll eventually get sent out.

But also don't get too excited once a labeled is made and you get tracking info... I've seen multiple reports of people asking her about an item stuck in preshipment just to be told something along the lines of "oh, that's been sitting in my truck" because she doesn't take it to the post office in a timely manner.

 

So I got around to installing mine. Had to go to a local hardware store to get the clip nut, heavy duty compared to the cheap one in the package.

I have taken apart that A-pillar so many times, that the Install took no longer than 15 mins.


Added some weather stripping to mimic OEM. Sadly i don't have the exact same type Toyota uses.



Finished!



Now I know everyone had their torches and pitchforks at the ready, but... I am actually very happy with it.

Honestly, other than the clip nut, I think the fit and finish is on par if not better than the OEM grab handle on the passenger side. I also have MESO's puddle lights, and it would bulge with the OEM A-pillar, but doesn't bulge with the Grab handle's trim piece.


My OEM handle isn't exactly the same texture, finish or even shade of black/darkgrey as the A-pillar trim panel. It also isn't really flush either, since the handle joints are slightly smaller than the area it attaches to on the A-pillar.

Also had zero issues with the install itself. Getting the bolts through was easy. Then getting it to sit flush up at the tweeter speaker is the same as you would for the OEM A-pillar trim piece, aim the trim piece at a 45°angle then pivot in.

 

Ordered 3/12/20, installed 1/17/21 - 10 months! Crazy!!

Packaging could be a half inch longer and my plastic was poking through the end of the box. No damage though.

All parts in the package, including the right capture nut.

The plastic color and texture matched the truck well enough to not be noticeable. Strangely, my handle and trim piece were not matching each other very well. Not enough of a mismatch to bother me.

I sanded and trimmed the caps to make a better fit before installing. Though it improved, it still does not look clean.

Install was a bear though. The main problem was screw alignment. About 30 minutes of fiddling with screws to get them going. I was wondering if this type of thing would happen on an assembly line.

After the struggle with the screws, came the struggle with the caps. Even though I sanded and trimmed, they did not sit flush and stay. The upper one is okay; but the lower one seems to hang proud of the edge. If I press on it; it goes flush. I'm going to add double stick tape.

I don't think I'm ever going to order a 'prototype' product again as it is not worth the hassle. The overall experience was frustrating from start to finish. I appreciate that KTJO is doing difficult things requiring time and coordination; however, I prefer to see the output and not the process over 10 months.

I have 4 other KTJO products that I am 100% satisfied with, both from an ordering experience and a product perspective.

 

Generally, an 8.8 M6 bolt has a torque spec of 11.3 Nm or 8.3 ftlb. But, depending on what clip nut you are using, you might want to creep up on that.

 

After a really long wait (10-11 months?) I received mine a week ago and tried to install it just now. An install job that I thought would be simple turned out the opposite and just gave up completely after an hr of frustration. The top bolt just would not even align properly no matter how much I tried. I contacted them for either a proper replacement or a complete refund. I’ll keep you guys posted.

 

If you really want the handle, you unfortunately have to bend the upper clip. Not at all Plug n Play, which sucks.

Good luck!

 

When the news came out about having to pay for shipping after all this time, it soured the deal for me.
Then I considered how little I actually need a grab handle. I've gone without one for all this time...

 

I was considering getting one of these. Just reading through this thread, I'm gonna go with nah, I can do without. Sounds like a sh*t show to me.

 

So when's the "BS and KTJO 4X4 Rear B-Pillar Assist Handle" thread going to start?

 

Not from me. Learned my lesson and ACLB.



Also smartly, I do not believe TW will allow any KTJO 4x4 new product threads.

 

Maybe Katie can start up a crowd funded ACLB B-Pillar mod for you. Plug and Play guarantee still pending.