100 Series Build Underway (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Oct 27, 2020
Threads
3
Messages
16
Location
Great Falls, MT
Hello All!

New guy here with a 1998 100 series picked up a few months ago. Already swapped to an OME 2.5 lift with Nitrocharger Shocks, 860 rear springs (soon to be 864s), ome torsion bars, and a slee diff drop. Excited to see where this build goes literally and figuratively.

What are some of the first changes you all made to your hundy?

20201026_183334.jpg


20201026_182600.jpg


IMG_20201010_171044_836.jpg
 
Welcome! You don't see many built maroon ones! I would second focusing on the baselining and making sure everything is mechanically sound. I did a lot of the small interior mods/improvements before focusing on big ticket items. You would laugh at how long it took me to dial in a solution that allowed me to carry a 36 oz YETI bottle securely in one of the cupholders....lots of trial and error and flying bottles! Ditto for the phone holders and small storage solutions, to make the daily grind bearable and long road trips more comfortable. 100s are pretty "point and go", even on a high-mileage model I wouldn't hesitate to drive cross country once you have it baselined. I'm confident I could make it to Alaska and back with either one of mine with barely any prep.
 
Welcome! You don't see many built maroon ones! I would second focusing on the baselining and making sure everything is mechanically sound. I did a lot of the small interior mods/improvements before focusing on big ticket items. You would laugh at how long it took me to dial in a solution that allowed me to carry a 36 oz YETI bottle securely in one of the cupholders....lots of trial and error and flying bottles! Ditto for the phone holders and small storage solutions, to make the daily grind bearable and long road trips more comfortable. 100s are pretty "point and go", even on a high-mileage model I wouldn't hesitate to drive cross country once you have it baselined. I'm confident I could make it to Alaska and back with either one of mine with barely any prep.

Baselining has been a definite priority. Mechanically, so far everything looks decent. Everything works the way it should but after looking at my MAF sensor, I'll be doing some deeper digging as the prior owner probably did not do the small preventative maintenance measures I would have liked. Going to be tackling a throttle body cleaning and IAC Valve cleaning this weekend. Had to do the suspension overhaul as it was shot. All shocks were leaking and upper control arm ball joints were barely hanging on. It was a mess that I am glad to have in my possession.
 
Absolute favorite upgrades in order:

1. TRS headlamp retrofit. Upgrading to true projectors. While it makes a big difference in all around driving at night - the biggest shock was when we are driving in snow. The clean cutoff really cuts down on snow-blindness while also firing light further out into the periphery.

I credit the new headlights with keeping us out of a collision only a few months after I installed them. We were driving at night in heavy snow coming back from a ski trip, and saw a vehicle entering the roadway with its lights off. I'd say it was the extra second of reaction time that made the difference in letting us dodge them without losing traction.

2. Brake Controller. We tow our boat and had surge brakes on it previously. Great Falls has very similar terrain and roads to Northern Colorado, so you'll know how great it is to ditch surge brakes for electric braking.

3. Drawer System. Having stuff organized and out of view is awesome.

4. Backup Camera. For all things reverse, including hooking up trailer.
 
New key was my first purchase... and when that broke (and the second one after that) I made my own. :)

 
Absolute favorite upgrades in order:

1. TRS headlamp retrofit. Upgrading to true projectors. While it makes a big difference in all around driving at night - the biggest shock was when we are driving in snow. The clean cutoff really cuts down on snow-blindness while also firing light further out into the periphery.

I credit the new headlights with keeping us out of a collision only a few months after I installed them. We were driving at night in heavy snow coming back from a ski trip, and saw a vehicle entering the roadway with its lights off. I'd say it was the extra second of reaction time that made the difference in letting us dodge them without losing traction.

2. Brake Controller. We tow our boat and had surge brakes on it previously. Great Falls has very similar terrain and roads to Northern Colorado, so you'll know how great it is to ditch surge brakes for electric braking.

3. Drawer System. Having stuff organized and out of view is awesome.

4. Backup Camera. For all things reverse, including hooking up trailer.

All are definitely on the list but curious about the trs headlight! Is there a new housing or are you running new bulbs with stock reflectors?
 
All are definitely on the list but curious about the trs headlight! Is there a new housing or are you running new bulbs with stock reflectors?

My understanding is there just isn't a big enough market for any company to make a dedicated housing with the projectors installed, so its a true retrofit. You pull apart the stock headlamp, remove the guts related to the halogen setup, and install the projector and bezel. I think in total it took around 6 hours including the learning curve on the first headlamp.
 
My understanding is there just isn't a big enough market for any company to make a dedicated housing with the projectors installed, so its a true retrofit. You pull apart the stock headlamp, remove the guts related to the halogen setup, and install the projector and bezel. I think in total it took around 6 hours including the learning curve on the first headlamp.

What setup did you go with? If it works well in snow that's a big plus for me!
 
@Ehall1998 what can you tell me about that roof rack? I thought it was the ARB but it looks like you just have something secured to stock rails. Would the maxtrax fit inside the basket if needed?


Also the ARB intensity lights were the best purchase I have made, tough to bite the bullet on the cost but it lights up the night, and even beyond where there isn't visible light, subjects like deers eyes and reflective signs will glow
 
@Ehall1998 what can you tell me about that roof rack? I thought it was the ARB but it looks like you just have something secured to stock rails. Would the maxtrax fit inside the basket if needed?


Also the ARB intensity lights were the best purchase I have made, tough to bite the bullet on the cost but it lights up the night, and even beyond where there isn't visible light, subjects like deers eyes and reflective signs will glow

I unfortunately, cannot tell you much. The original owner custom made it and custom made it to fit the stock roof rail system. It is pretty hefty and is very noisy. Also it isn't "square" so it bothers me from an OCD stand point but it serves it's purpose if I'm hauling wood or camping gear hahaha. The recovery boards do not fit or mount very well except on the sides which is fine with me as I like to keep the storage area free of clutter for more use. eventually I plan to move to a front runner. But good to know on those lights! I really do need something eith more power. Im running some cheapo ditch lights to spot deer on the backroads at night.
 
Yeah I put rnsome open
I unfortunately, cannot tell you much. The original owner custom made it and custom made it to fit the stock roof rail system. It is pretty hefty and is very noisy. Also it isn't "square" so it bothers me from an OCD stand point but it serves it's purpose if I'm hauling wood or camping gear hahaha. The recovery boards do not fit or mount very well except on the sides which is fine with me as I like to keep the storage area free of clutter for more use. eventually I plan to move to a front runner. But good to know on those lights! I really do need something eith more power. Im running some cheapo ditch lights to spot deer on the backroads at night.


Good to know thanks. Yeah so with headlights I put opt7 bulbs in everything up front to give a clean white look, but I think stock were brighter . Nothing compares to those aftermarket light options mounted up front . Only problem is where to mount them on your rig. I had my initially mounted to stock bumper and it works well but when hammering down dirt roads they would shake too much,
 
Yeah I put rnsome open


Good to know thanks. Yeah so with headlights I put opt7 bulbs in everything up front to give a clean white look, but I think stock were brighter . Nothing compares to those aftermarket light options mounted up front . Only problem is where to mount them on your rig. I had my initially mounted to stock bumper and it works well but when hammering down dirt roads they would shake too much,

Ya I have an arb deluxe winch bumper on the way. All should mount up fairly well if i go with those intensities. I "brushed" a deer the other day and it half justified the purchase on a steel bumper lol
 
Ya I have an arb deluxe winch bumper on the way. All should mount up fairly well if i go with those intensities. I "brushed" a deer the other day and it half justified the purchase on a steel bumper lol
Nice, yeah they will easily mount to the bumper but wiring the wire loom up takes a bit of patience
 
I didn't put in any aftermarket light bulbs as the reflector housings scattered light everywhere, made it harder for me to see and blinded oncoming traffic.

I went with this setup:

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom