Capture Colorado 01 TRD Taco - GOAE build

This is one idea for bed mounting, not sure how I'd integrate it, with the factory mounts. I don't want to get rid of the factory mounts, but I like the idea of having a spring/bolt configuration to take up the movement. I suppose I could do a single bolt with the spring on each mounting point, but it'd be a pain to try and get something to sleeve over it the way he did for alignment. http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/27050177-post56.html

 

Not a very good picture, but check this out



The really big unimogs utilize a center pivoting subframe for their bed, that rests on a REALLY BIG pivot in the center, and probably something similar to the sprung bolt subframe mounts above. I could pretty easily fab in 2-3 crossmembers into the frame, then add in some bushing mounts and do something like above, with a single poly bushing in the center, and then a dual spring/bolt configuration on each of the factory bed mounting locations. This would prevent weird metal-on-metal banging and scraping possibilities, and as long as I find a high enough spring rate, it would allow the bed to move side to side without the risk of breaking the box...
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Single-Poly-Bushing-with-DOM-Sleeve_p_1197.html

 

that bottom one looks like an overkill, i think those springs are the way to go. shouldnt be too hard to fab up.

 

It certainly wouldn't be as beefy as that last pic, but my goal is to keep the subframe as low profile as possible, so if I were to do something with a small center pivot, I could allow one side of the bed to compress downward, while the other side extends, all the while not adding much height... I'm going to keep brainstorming, but something like this might work out best. We'll see.

 

Decided I'm finally tired enough of the stock housings to do something about it. About a week ago I went up to a bluegrass show deep in the mountains, and driving back on I70 into a lane of heavy ski traffic, I couldn't see a damn thing on a lot of sections of the highway. My setup was adequate for my commute home from the shop at night - Olympus Offroad LED conversion in stock housings make for a great low beam spread compared to traditional halogen bulbs, but the high beams were no brighter... just a little taller, and they didn't get quite as wide as I would like (ya know, deer). My commute home is a 2-lane back road up Golden Gate Canyon, I don't like using my LED bars on a lot of that, because there's often blind curves where I'm likely to blind the living daylights out of oncoming traffic. But on that road, the LED's and stock housings were OK, not a lot of other traffic to drown out the light from my truck, etc.

So I buckled down and hopped on the Retrofit Source group buy. Got the D2S kit with the 50w ballast and 6000k bulbs - which with the higher wattage ballast, should put out 5000k light color.

This is my project for today (along with cleaning, doing stuff with horses, making some pizza, so on).

Testing the high beam solenoid sounded like I was operating a telegraph.


Once you've got the lens off and the housing is cooled enough to handle (almost immediately), remove the reflecty dingus.


I found no mention of the solenoid leads in any instructions here on TW, so I figured I'd snap a picture - there's a hole by the notch that holds the spring/bulb holder dingus in place, thread the wires through there and you'll never see the wires again.


Note the hole. Once you're here, just put the H4 adapter plate/spacer/washer thing in place, and then tighten the lock nut down. I found that doing this with the housing still warm helped to soften up the silicone washer, and pushing the projector unit into the housing and tightening the nut as much as possible helped to remove all possible play. The threads on the projector aren't really all that finely machined, so expect a bit of a challenge to get this secured. It kind of sucked, but it's fine.


I'm personally not a big fan of the way most of the shrouds look that are available, I chose the Iris shroud, it's simple and clean, no fuss.


I was thinking I might go back in later down the line and pull the lenses back off, and wire in a loop of amber LED strip, similar to what I used in my bed for lighting, as turn signal lights. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do that just yet so I held off for now; my thoughts are that the amber might reflect off the back of the housing and make it look kind of cool when blinking.... that might not be the case, but either way, I need a better turn signal on the front, and that's cheap.

I'm not sure yet where to go to aim these things, there's not a single bit of flat ground up here on the property, might be able to find something in town, but I'll be sure to get output shots soon.

In the meantime, here's the first actual photographs I've taken this year. It's been wacky weather up here, and yesterday I woke up to bluebird skies above me, and dark dreary clouds to the west; with everything covered in a pretty layer of frosty snow.

 

Those shots are amazing! I was up in Denver last weekend, so beautiful. I didn't want to leave.

 

It was stupid cold a few times this last week or so, but when the fog rolls through up here it's really cool.

 

Check it out... came up with an idea for the lid of the bed this morning. I designed it to have some angles to add interest, and generally make it not ugly and flat, but as such, I'm kind of sacrificing potential storage space - no more, check out the rendering for what I'm blabbing about. There's secret...bigger...broader plans for how to use this space beyond just storage, if you're picking up what I'm putting down.



Pricing out material today, I've concluded on a mounting method - sticking with the 4 standard bed mount locations - I found some softer durometer body mount bushings that I'll be using that should be fine. Need to get around to ordering some of the essentials here soon so I can begin working on the flatbed frame and all that, hopefully the bumper will come together once the flatbed is framed out and I have all the dimensions sorted out.

 

looks beatiful man, those retrofits turned out sick, thats still one of the best mods ive done, its night and day difference, im also trying to figure out a blinker, i put a two way bulb and housing in the corner light but its just not very bright at all.

how much heavier do you think that box will be then the stock bed?

 

I really need to see this in person some time....

very impressive

 

My hope is that the box itself will weigh equal, or a little less than the bed, I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation, it's pretty minimal for material use. I'm guessing that once I outfit it with the lid, roof rack, and full-width sliding platform, it might weigh a little more than the bed, but I don't expect by much. I should go weigh the truck some day soon and make note of that, it'd be interesting to see the difference...

I haven't done a 2-way bulb on the corners, that's not a bad idea, I just rewired the leads from the turn signals to go to the corner lights, but you're right, they're not all that bright, and they don't show up well head-on in an intersection. In my random fabrication parts bag I have a pair of 3/4" round running lights that I was going to put in the bumper for turn signals, they're probably plenty bright, but not the greatest looking things ever.

Depending on how motivated I feel I might still do the amber LED strip around the perimeter of the headlight housings in the future, I think it'd be unique and sufficiently bright for Johnny Law. I also want to paint the reflective part of the housing and the shrouds all black...

Thanks! We'll have to get out wheeling once things stop being all white and icy out.

 

ya, i just did safety and emissions and they didnt say anything about mine.. so i assume its ok lol

 

Is this thing gonna be ready for rock therapy in moab this year??

 

The truck will be, my wallet won't. I had to turn down a trip to Moab in March for Outerbike in order to be sure I can fund my trip on the White Rim in April.

 

Dang... I was hoping to check it out down there..

 

While it's not in the plans, if things look like they'll work out I may make an appearance, it'd likely be a short, mostly bike trip since I'll be out there without bike a month earlier

 

Ur pretty close ya?

 

It's about a 5 hour drive, tank and a half of gas one way.

 

Wow.. About the same time as me then
Actually I'm only about 4 hours