Prest's Build: SR5's Matter

Yup, it's another d-bag with a build thread. Deal with it .

I'm making this thread to:
1. Track my progress.
2. Give some kind of organization to all the thoughts just bouncing around in my head.
3. Give people who actually know what they are doing an opportunity to let me know how messed up I am. Seriously let me know, feedback is welcomed and encouraged!


The Truck:
2017 DCSB SR5 4x4 bought in SEP 2016 in Tampa, FL when on PCS leave from Korea to Fort Hood, TX. It was actually much tougher than I thought to find a 4x4 in Tampa... The SR5 doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it works for me. M

Current Pics:




Progress Pics:






Stock Pic:



Current Upgrades:

Wheels / Tires:
- LT265/75r16 Wrangler Duratrac
- OEM OR Wheels
- Got both as part of a sweet craigslist deal. Tires have a ton of life left in them and I really like the look of the OR wheels over the SR5 wheels.

Suspension:
Front:
- Bilstein 6112
- Total Chaos UCA
Rear:
- Bilstein 5160
- OME Dakar Medium

Armor:
- CBI Bolt-on Sliders (w/o kickout)
- RCI front skid

Storage:
- Warrior Products Light Duty Bed Rack.
- Vehicle OCD Console and Glove Box Organizer. Love them. Crazy how such a small thing made a huge difference for me.

Recovery / Repair:
- Rhino Shackle Hitch
- Tire Repair Kit

Misc:
- Roam Adventure Co Vagabond 3 RTT
- Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners
- Taco Garage Dashtop Multi-Mount
- CMC
- TRD Praux Grill

Future / Planned Upgrades:

Wheels / Tires:
- 255/85r16 once current tires need replacing.

Armor:
- Full Skids
- Winch ready bumper
- Rear bumper? Maybe when I get tired of dragging my ass everywhere

Storage:
- Cab rack (Future). Prinsu / Warrior / Front Runner. The Warrior bed rack should be low enough for me to mount some kayaks on top of a cab rack and still clear a RTT on the bed rack.

Recovery / Repair:
- Winch (Future). Another debate here. Some people say Warn or nothing, some say the smittybilt x20 isn't bad. Love the price tag on the smittybilt.

Comms:
- CB?

Misc:

- Seat Covers (Sooner rather than later). Need something dog/drool proof that fits well. Hate bunched up, scrunchy looking seat covers.

I know there is more that I am missing. I'll update as I remember stuff. As always, comments/concerns appreciated!

PS: I'm not a monster. I mentioned taco dogs, so here are taco dogs:

 

My rack arrived yesterday, and will install today. Had a mini freak-out because I hadn't thought of the weight capacity of the bed rails themselves - and the rack I ordered is supported solely by the rails. After google and forum searches resulted in nothing but "I think the rails support 200 lbs", I dug into the manual which states "Do not exceed a total tensile load of 440lb (200 kg) per deck rail." My very limited engineering knowledge tells me that tensile stress is basically a pulling stress, and my brain is struggling to understand how a pulling stress would be applied to the bed rails (youtube/internet reading didn't really help). Either way the manual reads to me that each rail can support 440lbs, combining for a total supported weight of 880lbs between the 2 side rails; which will be more than adequate to support the weight of the rack, a RTT, my GF and I and our 2 dogs.

Relevant page from the manual:

 

Installed the Warrior Products rack! Really pumped about it. Seems to be a great product that will suit my needs perfectly. Install was super quick and easy - took a total of 45 minutes from unboxing to cleanup. It does feel solid - I did a jump test after installing and it didn't seem to flex or bend the rails in anyways. I opted not to install their included tie bar as I felt it would take up additional usable space in the bed. Ordered some Total Chaos bed channel stiffeners to prep for the RTT.

Pros/Cons / why I decided to go with the Warrior Products Bed Rack

Pros:
1. Low to bed profile
- Will keep the RTT low and shouldn't affect the aerodynamics / fuel economy.
- Should have room to mount kayaks to a cab rack and not interfere with the RTT when it is packed up and mounted.
- Won't obstruct my rear view when RTT is not mounted.

2. Security
- The solid side mounting brackets and multiple crossbars should stop anyone from being able to take bigger items from my bed when the tailgate is locked. I hate the idea of leaving anything unsecured in my bed and this seemed like a good option since I'm losing my bed cover.

3. Weight
- Shipped weight was 75 lbs. When installing it really could not have been more than 50lbs.

4. Warrior Products is based in Tualatin, OR! I went to Tualatin high school, so obviously had to support the hometown!

Cons:
1. Low to bed profile
- All the things I like about it being low come with a trade off. I see that tradeoff being limited usable vertical space in the bed and accessibility. However, I think I can mitigate these tradeoffs with a drawer/slider system.

2. Supported solely by the bed rail system. As we figured out in this thread, I believe this won't really be an issue. However, it probably is better to have the weight supported by the caps instead of only on the bed rails. Time will tell.

All in all the pros outweighed the cons for me.

And of course, pics:

 

Installed a pair of Total Chaos Bed Stiffeners. Easy install. I made one rookie mistake and over tightened a bolt on install which caused the bolt to shear in half. Was fun trying to get that out. This was also a milestone for me because it was the first time I have ever drilled a hole into a vehicle sooo... cherry popped. Anyway, should be ready for a RTT now! Won't have a chance to play with the truck for the next 4 weeks due to a field exercise, but that's ok because my CBI sliders should be arriving about the time I come out of the field!

Of course, pics:




My casualty for the day, RIP. I re-purposed a bolt from the headlight housing to take this ones place. So the headlight is holding on with just one bolt until I can get my hands on a replacement.

 

I'll try and get some measurements this week. I'm in and out of the field with limited access to the truck for a while.

 

Got out of the field for a few minutes and got some measurements for you @Scoutman (and really for myself too).

Distance from the top of the rail caps to the bottom of the rack is just under 2 3/4 inches:


Distance from the bed to the bottom of the rack is just under 21 3/4 inches:


Ps: found out my truck looks great with a yeti 65 in the back (not mine, but maybe one day )

 

When you did the bed stiffeners, did you have to tap the holes you drilled? I haven't drilled into my truck yet and am a little nervous of doing something like that! But this looks like a mod I want to do.

 

No tapping required! Each bolt is secured by a nyloc nut behind the tail light housing. I was nervous to drill into my truck too; however, I think this is probably the easiest mod for drilling that can ever be done. There really is no chance to mess up the holes and have to re-drill. Before drilling, the bed stiffeners are already secured in place by two factory bolts into factory holes on the horizontal portion, and secured by one factory bolt into a factory hole on the vertical portion. So all you have to do is place your drill bit into the existing hole and drill it out - no measuring required.

 

GF just sent me a pic of the sliders that were just delivered! And early too. Only two weeks left of this field problem and I can install these bad boys!

 

Well Fort Hood is actively burning down so all training areas shut down for a few days. This means a break from field time and a chance to install my CBI sliders!

I hadn’t read the instructions prior to installing, so I was pretty surprised when I found myself elbow deep inside the frame of my truck trying to thread a nut onto a bolt! If you try to install yourself, I recommend starting with the passenger side - it will give you a good idea of where the holes will line up so you can visualize what you need unscrew from the driver side frame in order to install (the directions confused me a bit as I didn’t really know what I was looking at). Getting everything lined up by myself was a bit of a struggle but it is possible!



Also came home to the Taco Garage Dashtop Multi-Mount waiting in my mail. Project for tomorrow afternoon!

 

Did the CBI Sliders mount to the frame or body?

 

They bolt to the frame

 

Nice to see some SR5 love! Looking forward to seeing your progress as my plans are somewhat similar to yours. I was originally thinking about doing a soft topper for when I go camping but your pros/cons list (and the fact that warrior rack looks sweet!) has me thinking I might look into a rack. Thanks for your service and keep up the good work brutha!

 

Thanks man I appreciate that. The soft topper was a route I was considering as well - I really don't like the idea of the stuff in my bed being constantly exposed. But the warrior rack is low enough that it should offer some protection from the elements once I have the RTT on there.

 

Ordered my suspension today from headstrong! Waiting will be rough!

Front:
- Bilstein 6112
- TC UCA

Rear:
- Bilstein 5160
- Dakar Medium Leaf Pack

Maybe more than I need, but whatever I'm excited!

 

Installed the Taco Garage Dashtop Multi-Mount. Easy install, and provided me the second opportunity to drill some holes in my truck. I really like how low-profile this is - I can't see the mount from my natural sitting position, and neither could the passenger riding shotgun. I had to really lean forward to even notice that the mount was there. Also a big plus that I can retain full use of my vents, and have room for expansion if I decide I need to mount anything else. Great product @FreshMexicanTaco!

 

New suspension arrived and damn is it beefy! I know I said I wanted to do all the work myself, but looking at all this stuff has got me a little nervous - might look for a local shop to do the install...



Here are the 6112s and 5160s compared to the stock OR suspension. Can't imagine what they would look like next to my stock SR5 suspension.

 

Finally got around to installing my new suspension! Got through the front half today. Will tackle the rear tomorrow then get it into a shop for an alignment. The 6112s went on easy once I figured out how to get the truck off the ground high enough. The UCAs were a total pain in the ass tho. All-in-all it took me about 6.5 hours to to the front end. I have some serious reverse rake happening right now. Gonna hold off on full pics till I get the rear put on.

 

Butt lift happened today. Finally got the 5160s and Dakars installed. I'm honestly surprised I didn't duck it up haha. Anyways loving it! Love the new stance and I can already feel such an improvement from the stock SR5 suspension.. unreal.

 

Finally got the RTT! This thing is sweet. Ground sleeping is for suckers. Went with the Roam Adventure Co Vagabond 3. Local company to Austin TX that offer a lot of features standard that others offer as upgrades. It held up great to wind and rain on its maiden voyage to Padre Island National Seashore. Didn't get quite as far down the beach as I would like since we were camping with a group - but it was still fun to test the new setup!

I did notice that with everything loaded down, the back end was sagging pretty good - probably should have gone with the HD Dakars instead of the mediums.

Also, the Warrior Rack did absolutely fine with the tent and everything loaded down.