I'll have to come checkout your setup someday!
My truck has very little done to it, but hoping to start getting some more stuff done this year.
Builds mcgaskins' 2013 build thread - Palladium (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter mcgaskins
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
My truck has very little done to it, but hoping to start getting some more stuff done this year.
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #182
*These next few posts are going to be focused on Cruise Moab 2021 instead of the build*
Getting ready for Cruise Moab this year was easy this year without any last minute projects, and since @JohnJB flew in to join the adventure, I was able to bring out our early vintage Sprinter as a base camp. Packing was easy with all the extra space, and John camped in the Land Cruiser (ask him about what sleeping on an ARB drawer with the Kaon shelf is like!) while I camped in the van. In years past, we've rented condos with large groups and brought along dogs and too much stuff, but this year Cruise Moab was a dialed back event due to covid. @Gregtoy144 , @JohnJB and I went solo this year, so camping made the most sense and was a ton of fun, even with plenty of rain and 30-40 degree overnight temps.
The drive from Denver was pretty easy until we hit some heavy crosswinds starting in Glenwood Springs which didn't stop until 5 hours after we parked in Moab. The 200 had no issue of course, but the van was feeling it which slowed us quite a bit. We saw a semi turned over from the wind which started a brush fire, so we took it easy the rest of the way into town and took in the scenery.
DAY 1
Getting ready
Started with snow
Couple hours later, hot and dry with crazy winds that pushed over semi and started a fire
The alignment on the Sprinter is perfect, but the wind required constant and tiring steering correction! (ignore all the warning lights please - it's fine!)
The first night it was pretty dry, so @JohnJB slept in a tent. By the stables of course!
I highly recommend a rusted out 20 year old Sprinter camper for a base camp by the way, especially with a Webasto heater...
Getting ready for Cruise Moab this year was easy this year without any last minute projects, and since @JohnJB flew in to join the adventure, I was able to bring out our early vintage Sprinter as a base camp. Packing was easy with all the extra space, and John camped in the Land Cruiser (ask him about what sleeping on an ARB drawer with the Kaon shelf is like!) while I camped in the van. In years past, we've rented condos with large groups and brought along dogs and too much stuff, but this year Cruise Moab was a dialed back event due to covid. @Gregtoy144 , @JohnJB and I went solo this year, so camping made the most sense and was a ton of fun, even with plenty of rain and 30-40 degree overnight temps.
The drive from Denver was pretty easy until we hit some heavy crosswinds starting in Glenwood Springs which didn't stop until 5 hours after we parked in Moab. The 200 had no issue of course, but the van was feeling it which slowed us quite a bit. We saw a semi turned over from the wind which started a brush fire, so we took it easy the rest of the way into town and took in the scenery.
DAY 1
Getting ready
Started with snow
Couple hours later, hot and dry with crazy winds that pushed over semi and started a fire
The alignment on the Sprinter is perfect, but the wind required constant and tiring steering correction! (ignore all the warning lights please - it's fine!)
The first night it was pretty dry, so @JohnJB slept in a tent. By the stables of course!
I highly recommend a rusted out 20 year old Sprinter camper for a base camp by the way, especially with a Webasto heater...
Last edited:
Dang, you have impeccable taste
My other, other rig is a not quite 20 year old Sprinter with a pop-top and Espar deisel heater. Pretty great for camping but it's a weak 2nd to having an Land Cruiser that can go anywhere....
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #184
DAY 2
The morning air was very crisp and cool after mid 30s overnight and high humidity with threatening clouds gathering when we woke up. Thursday is my favorite day of Cruise Moab because it's the first official day of trail runs, and it's often the first full day of the Cruise Moab experience for most people. My first Cruise Moab was 2014 in a 1998 100 series, and the first trail I ran was Hells Revenge with Christo Slee leading in a 200. I was so impressed with how cool and calm he was leading a large group on a technical trail that it inspired me to focus on developing trail leadership skills so I could contribute the same way in the future. I have since had the honor of leading Hells on Thursday the last 3 Cruise Moabs, and this one was likely the most memorable for a few reasons.
A pleasant surprise I learned during the drivers meeting was that no one had done the trail before! Your first time running Hells Revenge is special - the immediate rush going up the first fin on the entrance, the tippiness going around the first couple bends, watching people do the optional obstacles with a fist full of Ruffles and a walkie talkie strapped to your hip, thinking all the hard stuff is over with before it gets hard for the last half mile...it's a a lot fun!
Heading up as a team - 15 total vehicles in our group
As a trail leader, it's your responsibility everyone makes it back safe, and you also want people to have a good time because for many this is their annual vacation (like it is for me). When you come up over a vista and see this is a few miles ahead and rolling in fast, it makes start to wonder what the right call is.
Slickrock is actually still pretty grippy when it's wet, but it becomes very difficult to see the trail and right line. The safest and most ideal line is painted in yellow spray paint, and you must keep the center of your vehicle on top of these lines to avoid risk of damage or even rolling over.
Doing great so far
Thanks to @Gregtoy144 - I'm mixing some of his pics in here
I took way too many pics of this sweet prototype Slee rear bumper
And then the rain
Continued on next post...
The morning air was very crisp and cool after mid 30s overnight and high humidity with threatening clouds gathering when we woke up. Thursday is my favorite day of Cruise Moab because it's the first official day of trail runs, and it's often the first full day of the Cruise Moab experience for most people. My first Cruise Moab was 2014 in a 1998 100 series, and the first trail I ran was Hells Revenge with Christo Slee leading in a 200. I was so impressed with how cool and calm he was leading a large group on a technical trail that it inspired me to focus on developing trail leadership skills so I could contribute the same way in the future. I have since had the honor of leading Hells on Thursday the last 3 Cruise Moabs, and this one was likely the most memorable for a few reasons.
A pleasant surprise I learned during the drivers meeting was that no one had done the trail before! Your first time running Hells Revenge is special - the immediate rush going up the first fin on the entrance, the tippiness going around the first couple bends, watching people do the optional obstacles with a fist full of Ruffles and a walkie talkie strapped to your hip, thinking all the hard stuff is over with before it gets hard for the last half mile...it's a a lot fun!
Heading up as a team - 15 total vehicles in our group
As a trail leader, it's your responsibility everyone makes it back safe, and you also want people to have a good time because for many this is their annual vacation (like it is for me). When you come up over a vista and see this is a few miles ahead and rolling in fast, it makes start to wonder what the right call is.
Slickrock is actually still pretty grippy when it's wet, but it becomes very difficult to see the trail and right line. The safest and most ideal line is painted in yellow spray paint, and you must keep the center of your vehicle on top of these lines to avoid risk of damage or even rolling over.
Doing great so far
Thanks to @Gregtoy144 - I'm mixing some of his pics in here
I took way too many pics of this sweet prototype Slee rear bumper
And then the rain
Continued on next post...
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #185
THE ROLLOVER
We ran a quick pace to get to the lunch spot by Hells Gate, and as we approached the rain grew pretty intense. We all parked and sat in our vehicles for 30-45 mins, and then after the first brave soul got out, the rest soon followed. The rain slowly eased up, and we waited for the slickrock to dry a little bit and watched a group of Jeeps come up the Gate. There are a few optional obstacles on Hells Revenge that are not part of the Cruise Moab agenda due to the higher risk associated, but if people want to give them a try and have a spotter they trust and are willing to take damage, everyone has a good time watching. After the Jeep crew went through, one of our group members decided to give it a try in his 2nd gen 4runner with a solid axle swap and some huge Super Swampers.
Not your usual sunny pic at this spot
The Gate was soaked - check out the water pooled up at the bottom
He got bored and took a nap
Our friend in the SAS 4runner
Bummer!
Stolen from Insta
We ran a quick pace to get to the lunch spot by Hells Gate, and as we approached the rain grew pretty intense. We all parked and sat in our vehicles for 30-45 mins, and then after the first brave soul got out, the rest soon followed. The rain slowly eased up, and we waited for the slickrock to dry a little bit and watched a group of Jeeps come up the Gate. There are a few optional obstacles on Hells Revenge that are not part of the Cruise Moab agenda due to the higher risk associated, but if people want to give them a try and have a spotter they trust and are willing to take damage, everyone has a good time watching. After the Jeep crew went through, one of our group members decided to give it a try in his 2nd gen 4runner with a solid axle swap and some huge Super Swampers.
Not your usual sunny pic at this spot
The Gate was soaked - check out the water pooled up at the bottom
He got bored and took a nap
Our friend in the SAS 4runner
Bummer!
Stolen from Insta
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #186
THE RECOVERY
When you're into wheeling, it's easy to spend a ton of time training, buying fancy recovery gear, watching videos and reading stories about what to do in all types of situations, but you rarely see incidents happen up close. I am fortunate to be a part of Rising Sun, a world class Toyota 4x4 club based in Denver where a focus is formal training with pros like Bill Burke to learn how to think through situations: breathe, remain calm, and make a plan. The first step is always make sure people on scene are as safe as possible, and next is understanding the vehicle's situation. The 4runner was fairly secure but had stalled (stick shift), and the driver had to keep his foot hard on the brake to keep from sliding backwards. The engine would not restart, so my awesome gunner @Gregtoy144 and I met quickly to decide if it made more sense to pull up or down the hill.
Due to the 4runner's position, we decided going back down was the safest decision, but it needed to be very controlled and slow. We positioned my 200 at the top of the Gate and anchored it to Greg's 200 behind mine via a tree saver just in case the weight of the 4runner pulled us forward on the still slightly wet slickrock. @JohnJB was in Greg's truck with his foot on the brake, ebrake pulled, and transmission in neutral to avoid damaging the parking pawl, and @RobW0 did the same in mine. They both asked if they should bail out if the trucks started sliding forward, but I said no without adding any additional detail...
We didn't think it would be an issue with the light weight of the 4runner, but it's always good to be safe. We pulled about half of my winch line out and connected to a tow strap/winch line extension and attached to the front of the 4runner. There was a nice guy in a Jeep already at the bottom who offered to help, so we connected his winch line to the rear of the 4runner. I stood at the front of my truck staring at the winch line and my front tires while Greg stood next to the 4runner, and the Jeep driver stayed in his vehicle. Greg monitored progress to make sure everything was clear and communicated with us over the radio when to run the winches, and I'd power winch line out while the Jeep powered line in. It went very smoothly and surprisingly quickly, and I was constantly focused on making sure I didn't run out of winch line. Had it come off the drum, the 4runner could likely have come sliding down. Fortunately, there was just enough line to get the 4runner to an ok spot to unhook my line, and he was back on flat ground quickly.
Since we were all focused on the recovery, there aren't a lot of pics unfortunately. I believe someone filmed it, so maybe one day there will be some video to go along with it.
Because of the rain delay and the time we spent at the Gate, we decided to break the group up and who was gunning would stay behind and help them get running. I met Greg when I was 16 when he had a 2nd gen 4runner that he personally did a solid axle swap on, so I knew he was more than qualified to manage any situation. We've been wheeling together for over 20 years now, and there's nothing like flow when you know each other that well
@Gregtoy144 ended up with a more complex situation than he anticipated when another rollover, and another breakdown happened in front of him, but I'm going to convince him to share it from his point of view. 
I'm not going to spoil any surprises, but here is a teaser:
When you're into wheeling, it's easy to spend a ton of time training, buying fancy recovery gear, watching videos and reading stories about what to do in all types of situations, but you rarely see incidents happen up close. I am fortunate to be a part of Rising Sun, a world class Toyota 4x4 club based in Denver where a focus is formal training with pros like Bill Burke to learn how to think through situations: breathe, remain calm, and make a plan. The first step is always make sure people on scene are as safe as possible, and next is understanding the vehicle's situation. The 4runner was fairly secure but had stalled (stick shift), and the driver had to keep his foot hard on the brake to keep from sliding backwards. The engine would not restart, so my awesome gunner @Gregtoy144 and I met quickly to decide if it made more sense to pull up or down the hill.
Due to the 4runner's position, we decided going back down was the safest decision, but it needed to be very controlled and slow. We positioned my 200 at the top of the Gate and anchored it to Greg's 200 behind mine via a tree saver just in case the weight of the 4runner pulled us forward on the still slightly wet slickrock. @JohnJB was in Greg's truck with his foot on the brake, ebrake pulled, and transmission in neutral to avoid damaging the parking pawl, and @RobW0 did the same in mine. They both asked if they should bail out if the trucks started sliding forward, but I said no without adding any additional detail...
We didn't think it would be an issue with the light weight of the 4runner, but it's always good to be safe. We pulled about half of my winch line out and connected to a tow strap/winch line extension and attached to the front of the 4runner. There was a nice guy in a Jeep already at the bottom who offered to help, so we connected his winch line to the rear of the 4runner. I stood at the front of my truck staring at the winch line and my front tires while Greg stood next to the 4runner, and the Jeep driver stayed in his vehicle. Greg monitored progress to make sure everything was clear and communicated with us over the radio when to run the winches, and I'd power winch line out while the Jeep powered line in. It went very smoothly and surprisingly quickly, and I was constantly focused on making sure I didn't run out of winch line. Had it come off the drum, the 4runner could likely have come sliding down. Fortunately, there was just enough line to get the 4runner to an ok spot to unhook my line, and he was back on flat ground quickly.Since we were all focused on the recovery, there aren't a lot of pics unfortunately. I believe someone filmed it, so maybe one day there will be some video to go along with it.
Because of the rain delay and the time we spent at the Gate, we decided to break the group up and who was gunning would stay behind and help them get running. I met Greg when I was 16 when he had a 2nd gen 4runner that he personally did a solid axle swap on, so I knew he was more than qualified to manage any situation. We've been wheeling together for over 20 years now, and there's nothing like flow when you know each other that well
@Gregtoy144 ended up with a more complex situation than he anticipated when another rollover, and another breakdown happened in front of him, but I'm going to convince him to share it from his point of view. I'm not going to spoil any surprises, but here is a teaser:
Last edited:
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #187
THE SECOND HALF OF HELLS REVENGE
It's easy to forget after an exciting event like that there is still a lot of driving to do before everyone is back on tarmac. The second half of Hells is harder than the first, and the rain started pouring again making the right line hard to see at times. The entire group did a fantastic job of driving and following the right line, and we all had a great time. Here are some pics of the way out.
I don't mind giving spots and snapping pics even when it's 42 degrees and raining!
END OF DAY 2
As we came off the trail, I was happy I packed the important stuff like recovery gear and radios but realized I forgot socks which meant killing some time walking around the town of Moab like the sock shopping tourists we are. We found a great outdoor table at Zax that was just shielded enough from the rain, and we shared some stories about the day on the trail. After a delicious dinner (we may have eaten dinner here 3 nights in a row), we headed back to camp to hear from others about their adventures and recharge for the next day.
It's easy to forget after an exciting event like that there is still a lot of driving to do before everyone is back on tarmac. The second half of Hells is harder than the first, and the rain started pouring again making the right line hard to see at times. The entire group did a fantastic job of driving and following the right line, and we all had a great time. Here are some pics of the way out.
I don't mind giving spots and snapping pics even when it's 42 degrees and raining!
END OF DAY 2
As we came off the trail, I was happy I packed the important stuff like recovery gear and radios but realized I forgot socks which meant killing some time walking around the town of Moab like the sock shopping tourists we are. We found a great outdoor table at Zax that was just shielded enough from the rain, and we shared some stories about the day on the trail. After a delicious dinner (we may have eaten dinner here 3 nights in a row), we headed back to camp to hear from others about their adventures and recharge for the next day.
Last edited:
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #188
DAY 3
Wipeout Hill was our Friday trail led by my friend @nakman who was also our trail leader on Friday of our first Cruiser Moab on this same trail. Tim knows the trail like the back of his hand, and he always impresses with his ability lead the group very calmly and professionally while keeping people laughing on the radio. The trail is incredibly scenic and family friendly with a few areas you can easily get out and explore, and the notable obstacles are a blast to watch people attempt. This day is more about hanging out and having fun rather than constant trail challenges.
Airing down and heading to a cool lookout point you walk through a cave to see
We ran into some treasure hunters @Markuson @RobW0
@JohnJB
We had lunch on a Hollywood set - felt like the real thing!
Wipeout Hill was our Friday trail led by my friend @nakman who was also our trail leader on Friday of our first Cruiser Moab on this same trail. Tim knows the trail like the back of his hand, and he always impresses with his ability lead the group very calmly and professionally while keeping people laughing on the radio. The trail is incredibly scenic and family friendly with a few areas you can easily get out and explore, and the notable obstacles are a blast to watch people attempt. This day is more about hanging out and having fun rather than constant trail challenges.
Airing down and heading to a cool lookout point you walk through a cave to see
We ran into some treasure hunters @Markuson @RobW0
@JohnJB
We had lunch on a Hollywood set - felt like the real thing!
Last edited:
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #189
The main obstacles on Wipeout are after lunch, which could be bad timing for those who don't like steep drops, but the good news is there are great vantage points for spectating if you don't want to ride along. Here is a video of a few of us on the 2 main obstacles. You can hear my buddy Neil giving great spots starting around 4:30, but my favorite was the direction Mark received at 5:54. PS - @Markuson did you ever see the nub?
@TheGrrrrr making it look easy
My buddy Dan and his awesome family. They all contribute immensely to Cruise Moab by volunteering time leading up to the event, working the event including trail leading and gunning duties, and then cleaning up afterwards...oh and he also works year round as the treasurer of Rising Sun!
Neil spotting a well built 1st gen 4runner with some Marlin gears
Everyone down with no incidents
The scenery is amazing
I wanted to give a special shout out to Neil seen below in his sweet 1st gen 4runner. He has been a contributor of Cruise Moab and Rising Sun longer than some members have been alive, and he's excellent wheeler and my favorite spotter. He's always quick to help and his positive attitude is contagious! Bonus video from our first Cruise Moab going down this same obstacle with none other than Tim and Neil spotting us. If you turn up the volume, you will hear Neil telling us what to do and my passenger having a good time. My wife was there, but she declined to ride along and our friend hopped in instead...you know, because it was after lunch and all...
@TheGrrrrr making it look easy
My buddy Dan and his awesome family. They all contribute immensely to Cruise Moab by volunteering time leading up to the event, working the event including trail leading and gunning duties, and then cleaning up afterwards...oh and he also works year round as the treasurer of Rising Sun!
Neil spotting a well built 1st gen 4runner with some Marlin gears
Everyone down with no incidents
The scenery is amazing
I wanted to give a special shout out to Neil seen below in his sweet 1st gen 4runner. He has been a contributor of Cruise Moab and Rising Sun longer than some members have been alive, and he's excellent wheeler and my favorite spotter. He's always quick to help and his positive attitude is contagious! Bonus video from our first Cruise Moab going down this same obstacle with none other than Tim and Neil spotting us. If you turn up the volume, you will hear Neil telling us what to do and my passenger having a good time. My wife was there, but she declined to ride along and our friend hopped in instead...you know, because it was after lunch and all...
The main obstacles on Wipeout are after lunch, which could be bad timing for those who don't like steep drops, but the good news is there are great vantage points for spectating if you don't want to ride along. Here is a video of a few of us on the 2 main obstacles. You can hear my buddy Neil giving great spots starting around 4:30, but my favorite was the direction Mark received at 5:54. PS - @Markuson did you ever see the nub?
@TheGrrrrr making it look easy
My buddy Dan and his awesome family. They all contribute immensely to Cruise Moab by volunteering time leading up to the event, working the event including trail leading and gunning duties, and then cleaning up afterwards...oh and he also works year round as the treasurer of Rising Sun!
Neil spotting a well built 1st gen 4runner with some Marlin gears
Everyone down with no incidents
The scenery is amazing
I wanted to give a special shout out to Neil seen below in his sweet 1st gen 4runner. He has been a contributor of Cruise Moab and Rising Sun longer than some members have been alive, and he's excellent wheeler and my favorite spotter. He's always quick to help and his positive attitude is contagious! Bonus video from our first Cruise Moab going down this same obstacle with none other than Tim and Neil spotting us. If you turn up the volume, you will hear Neil telling us what to do and my passenger having a good time. My wife was there, but she declined to ride along and our friend hopped in instead...you know, because it was after lunch and all...
Neil is one of my favorite people.
Read all of this in one sitting and immediately knew I needed to cancel my EvoCorse wheel order and snagged some vectors. Amazing build, really enjoyed all of the information and progress photos with explanation/reasoning behind your choices. As a new LC owner this information was invaluable!
Ironman FCP rides like a lumber wagon. I had it on my Land Cruiser for a few months and got rid of it. It was enough to make my bugeyed on a gravel road. I replaced with Dobinsons MRA and I couldn't be happier
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #193
Thanks for following along! I know there's a lot here, but glad it was able to help.
This is good feedback - I've tried a few different suspension setups, but never tried Ironman or Dobinsons. I'm still on the standard OME and after 15k I am still very happy. I've added a few more mods along the way but left the suspension alone with the exception of some Timbren bumpstops - more on that to come soon.
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #194
I like chronological stories, so I'll pick up where I left off 1.5 years ago and give some background as to why I've largely been MIA! Continuation of day 3 at Cruise Moab 2021...
After the awesome day on Wipeout Hill, @Gregtoy144 @JohnJB @Markuson and I decided to stick around afterwards and go play on some optional offshoots and go for a quick hike. I love being in groups and leading trails is probably my favorite thing to do, but the time spent in small groups with friends is always incredibly special. Especially when the views look like this:
The only time I look taller than these guys
After the awesome day on Wipeout Hill, @Gregtoy144 @JohnJB @Markuson and I decided to stick around afterwards and go play on some optional offshoots and go for a quick hike. I love being in groups and leading trails is probably my favorite thing to do, but the time spent in small groups with friends is always incredibly special. Especially when the views look like this:
The only time I look taller than these guys
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #195
That night when we got back to base camp at Spanish Trails, we were surprised to see a couple EV Hummers getting loaded onto a transporter in our shared parking lot, so we all went over to check them out and talk shop. The Hummer crew was on Poison Spider that day and clearly put the vehicles through their paces. We couldn't help but notice they brought along some benchmark vehicles - a Gladiator Rubicon and an H2 pickup! The GM guys were super friendly and they got a kick out my license plate.
Gotta respect it
Later that night, we all celebrated some fresh, indelible memories from the trail with a big bonfire and generous pours of whiskey under the stars. Like I mentioned above, I usually rent an Airbnb with family, friends, and dogs to make it easy, but CM21 was a great change of pace being immersed in the experience of camping right in the middle of the action with friends. Speaking of which, I ran into these 3 legends hanging out together around the fire and am so grateful to call them friends. There are no pictures of it, probably better for me, but a few moments after this pic Bill whisked me off the ground and kissed me on the cheek to say hello. It was a true honor if I'm being honest - Bill has truly changed the trajectory of my life for the better. As many of you know, Bill Burke is a treasure in our community and has been a mentor and teacher to countless who are hungry for knowledge and has trained countless neophytes to the most elite special ops teams in off road proficiency - and equally as importantly in Tread Lightly values.
Gotta respect it
Later that night, we all celebrated some fresh, indelible memories from the trail with a big bonfire and generous pours of whiskey under the stars. Like I mentioned above, I usually rent an Airbnb with family, friends, and dogs to make it easy, but CM21 was a great change of pace being immersed in the experience of camping right in the middle of the action with friends. Speaking of which, I ran into these 3 legends hanging out together around the fire and am so grateful to call them friends. There are no pictures of it, probably better for me, but a few moments after this pic Bill whisked me off the ground and kissed me on the cheek to say hello. It was a true honor if I'm being honest - Bill has truly changed the trajectory of my life for the better. As many of you know, Bill Burke is a treasure in our community and has been a mentor and teacher to countless who are hungry for knowledge and has trained countless neophytes to the most elite special ops teams in off road proficiency - and equally as importantly in Tread Lightly values.
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #197
I apologize for the slow burn here - it wasn't my intention! Hopefully the next few installments will help explain my absence. Life hit the fast lane right after Cruise Moab 2021!
To wrap up Cruise Moab, @Gregtoy144 @JohnJB @TheGrrrrr and I decided to do our own run on Saturday in the Behind the Rocks area and tsand dunes nearby. BTR is a very difficult trail, and we decided to backtrack after it became clear it was a bit much for 200s on 34s. The dunes were a blast, and we had a great time just hanging out.
@JohnJB means business
I accidentally aired down to 7 psi in the back, and these Icons and Ridge Grapplers did an amazing job of never letting me know how low we were!
Then we all headed home after one last night of camping! I have to say even with the cold and wet weather this was probably my favorite Cruise Moab - well until Cruise Moab 2022 which was epic! More to come on that one soon!
mcgaskins
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #198
Quick little detour from the fun part of the build and adventures. I noticed about 45 seconds after a cold start, there was a very loud intermittent ticking sound that lasted about 3 minutes then stopped. After lots of research, mostly on the Tundra forums, I found it was likely the left hand side timing chain tensioner. The good news is the part is pretty cheap - the bad news is the labor is very expensive, and there are a lot of "while you're in there" parts to change. I purchased a third party warranty when I first acquired the vehicle, but like most aftermarket warranties the fine print is a huge buzzkill. It ended up only covering less than half the total cost of the repair, but it was better than nothing I suppose. My share of the cost plus the cost of the warranty ended up being nearly what the total repair bill was, so the way I looked at it was any additional repairs covered by the warranty would pay for the warranty. That logic sounded great until the next repair occurred, and of course the fine print got me yet again. I'll share more about that repair along with the story of what happened.
Here is a video of the sound the engine would make upon startup:
Also here is a list of all the parts that were replaced along with list prices and how much labor was. Not a cheap repair, but in the five 200s I've owned, this is the only one that required the service.
Here is a video of the sound the engine would make upon startup:
Also here is a list of all the parts that were replaced along with list prices and how much labor was. Not a cheap repair, but in the five 200s I've owned, this is the only one that required the service.
I'd prefer a slightly more warm color for the LEDs, but they are bright and functional. Per PM request, I'll post the links to the bulbs I bought, but I am not endorsing these in any way nor do I know their long term quality. They were cheap and work just fine which is exactly what I was looking for. I actually didn't need to buy the grid/matrix style one for the rear cargo area because I found a couple in a random bin in the garage
I believe the 200 uses exactly 12 bulbs in this size including the license plate lights
Amazon product ASIN B07GRVN7R6Before
After (only rear most light is changed in this pic)
Is there a method unique to the cargo/3rd row light cover. I’ve been using a firm guitar pick. The puddles and backseat covers popped out with little effort.
