Red Rocket an expedition build

this was my first time soldering it was not fun due to the 510 part being about 1/10 the size that i thought it was.
removed and ready for the repair


right after it was soldered on.


With it working again... it was a bit hot today.

it was challenging to teach myself how to solder but all in all well worth the 900$ or so savings.

 

nice build! i'd be a little worried about the rear end clearance with those tow hooks hanging do that low... but the rear mounted winch is pretty awesome! i'm trying to read your post on TN about the tpms disable mod but there arent any pics? at least for me... think you could post up a how to on here? i really want to get rid of the damn light in my dash!

 

[/QUOTE]

I have these same vent visors for my double cab and they have stuck well for how little they cost! Good to see someone else made a good deal with those

 

thanks for the props. the vent visors have worked out great they make the truck so much cooler when parked on hot days the rear hooks can swing to almost flat so they don't really effect ground clearance. i thought they would make a lot of noise when i first installed them but they have proven to be very useful, and dont make much noise.

ttylerr what year truck do you have? the way i did it i think only works for 05's,06's and maybe 07. but nothing after that. ill look for some pic's.

 

ahh, i have an 09. guess im pulling the dash out and removing the bulb

 

this again is for the 06 but if you don't want it to work its worth a try.
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=326748&highlight=tpms+dissable
good luck with whatever you end up doing.

 

So after one of those days at work i got home and thought i would take out some stress with the chain saw, i had a tree in the yard that needed to go after a recent storm. cut it down and though what a time to use the rear mounted winch to tow it near the woods, it didn't work. so took the solenoid apart and after a little beating on it and jumping it out. got it working, it worked great sorry no action pictures but then i went to put it up and the solenoid stuck on in the in position. almost got my fingers and did get the bumper. some quick thinking and i beat the solenoid with my letherman and it quit.


so after a very long day im just glad to have all my digits still.

 

contacted 4 wheel parts, they were helpful, they are asking me to mail in my solenoid and they will mail me a new one. this is crunch time at work so getting that done will take about a week or maybe a little more I'm thinking that for ease of rewiring i will wrap a piece of tape around all the wires and label them.

I also ordered some new bed tie down D ring things:
-2 of these:http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/product/military-issue-vehicle-cargo-tie-down-4962.cfm
-and 1, 5 pack of these: http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/product/rope-ring-with-clip-b21-5-for-500-3752.cfm

will take pics of it all and post up on the install/ performance.

 

So, this is my busy time of year at work so the truck has taken a back seat but today i got a day off and had an opportunity to get a little done.
-i mailed back my winch solenoid to four wheel parts. hope to get that back within a week or so.
-got most of the locking storage compartment mod done tonight but it still needs a little refining.
-received the bed D rings but i didn't get around to doing anything with them, ill be priming and painting them before install, probably.
-bought a coil spring compressor so that i can work on the 5100's they need to be disassembled cleaned and the rubber at the top needs to be replaced anyone know where to get this?

 

i also noticed that my rear bumper has been tilted by the winch getting stuck in the on position. im thinking that this can be fixed by loosening and adjusting bolts but if not im really not that worried about it.

 

i know its been a while since i posted i have been really busy with work again. anyway i received my D rings a while ago and got them installed today.

here are some pics really self explanatory you can see my really dirty bed in some of these. they look like Toyota installed them from the factory, imo. I also got my winch fixed, no pictures of this but its back to working great.

 

added the storage area lock mod so that i can lock in my rear winch controller inside and leave it wired up.

-BTW Monday is the start of the winch build thinking that i can get the mount built and build a mock up winch out of wood to save on weight in build and increase speed. we will see how this all goes as always ill keep you up to date.

 

how she started today off

with the brush guard removed, driving the truck without seeing it at the front is really weird. and i think that it looks really good without it, with it gone it really brings to the front the grill.

Grill and bumper cover gone.

 

here is the actual mounts to the truck, 6 bolts per.


here is the winch plate being mocked into place.


Would have gotten more done today but i had to go in this afternoon for a while. ill be back at it tomorrow. just entered the slow time at work. so i should have most of this week to get it done.

 

Only got about 2 hours worth of work done on the bumper today. but here it is. started today out by drilling the 4 holes in the winch mount plate, i know you are super jealous of my ultra high end equipment.


here it is with the front part tacked into place, starting to look like something.

 

i failed to mention that i am totally obsessed with square and plumb and identical on both sides.


next was the top piece and no i don't have a break so that bend was done with the bench top vice and a hammer after scoring the back, and an angle finder was used to insure that they are both identical

 

one more view of that top piece i think its really coming together



after this the inspector came by and informed me that it was date night, which means that she made a roast and it was 30 min away from being ready, she approves of the bumper but isn't sure that its going that great

 

NICE truck. RMFT!!!!!! Where in Alabama are you?

 

my seat is like that too! why is that?

 

the seat thing is because of sliding into and out of it there is an internal part of the chair inside of there that rubs through, it sucks and its all the chairs.

also I now live in Birmingham i did live in Tuscaloosa until this last year. Roll Tide.