Builds 2008 LX Live Camera Car and Overlanding Build. (2 Viewers)

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Out of curiosity, do the tires from these other brands have DOT markings? That can be a show stopper in some states.
 
Out of curiosity, do the tires from these other brands have DOT markings? That can be a show stopper in some states.
I told them not to worry about the tires as there seems to be little interest other than myself, but I wouldn’t get any without.

I am just trying to figure out what else I could fill my container with if it looks like mud only wants maybe 25-50 sets total for steelies. I’m thinking I’ll grab 10-20 sets for 200s and maybe 5 each for other series.

I have considered adding a roof rack (or two), and maybe stocking up on a bunch of 3d printers/printing supplies and RC electronics/metal suspension parts. Eventually I want to get into manufacturing my own toys and plastic parts, mainly as a hobby but hopefully one that can pay for itself. I was actually planning on 3d printing 3d printers, so basically set up a 3D printer that replicates itself. From there I could sell them for very affordable prices, and just need to stock up on electronics and things I can’t print myself. And since I’m making the machines used to make plastic toys and plastic parts, I may as well get into the hobby of making plastic toys and parts. I want to eventually design a few things for mud too, like personalized cup holders that fit your cup.

May as well shop around China and get everything I want from there now, because I don’t see myself paying for another container if the shipping costs keep going up like they are.

In a way, I feel like a kid at a toy store; a very big toy store with a very big shopping cart!

I know you guys going to read this and think “damn this kid is ADD as hell”.

It’s true, my mind has traveled all over the place today.
 
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Potentially worthy of precious container space, only issue is its 14 hours away from where the wheels are. It's also in a congested (backed-up ports) area due to COVID but thats a temporary thing (i hope). I am thinking if i want something from them i will just get a quote to the wheels place (they are near a port), then ship it off as one container from there.

Things i'm considering from them:

Hydraulic tent or aluminum roof rack
led light bar and fog lights
steel 200 bumper - If they don't mess with airbags/fit lx. Not expecting that to be the case but will inquire.
winch if i get bumper - Little iffy on this one. Likely will try looking for a good deal on a good brand.
gas can
270 degree fox wing awning to complete my 360 degree umbrella setup (currently have the ARB 90 degree awning)
maxtrax knock offs


winch.PNG


lights.PNG


bumpers.PNG


cans.PNG


tents.PNG


awning.PNG


tracks.PNG


racks.PNG
 
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Decided to go for aluminum roof top tent and trying to figure out if this is Falcon knockoff or if Falcon is a rebrand. I only see very minor differences (that can be tweaked through customization).

I could turn this into a YouTube series lol:

Knock Off or Rebrand, Can you tell the difference?


On a side note, the side opening one is interesting.

Also this Ronix brand one seems pretty common as well.

And damn Grinchy is ahead yet again, since Flyway is the only one out of everybody who could go past +30 offset. The man is secretly way ahead of the rest of us xD.

I am ordering sample set at +40 from Mrs. Chen.

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This looks very promising. Are LC200 mounting points same as LX/will it fit? Fingers crossed.

Airbag compatible (approved in Australia) powder coated steel bumpers for the 200. It even comes with some upgraded plates for the front (mine are plastic and missing the center piece/some bolts).

B922ACB3-289D-4C02-9D38-A7285B4D717D.png


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image.jpg


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Well this answers my last question.

Rip nvm it’s for 2013+ models.

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But these stainless steel drawers though… looks very promising.


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FB2725D3-0145-426F-A65F-AA7DB40D50DF.jpeg
 
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Hello Everyone, Sharpe here checking in. I hope all is well.

My @SharpeCat account got flagged for "spam"? I no longer have access to the email i used to make it which is needed to unflag it; i contacted an admin about it but not sure if anything ever came of it either.

Anyways, I have been busy with the transition into a home and getting a little settled in, and quite frankly haven't cared about building out the truck or even going anywhere/anything else. Let's just say i was happy with what i had and didn't want to ask for more. I have spent the better part of the past year just doing things i enjoy like video games and spending time with Tiger, time that i will forever be grateful for.

I didn't think i'd be back here so soon to give an update but unfortunately, Tiger recently passed. Losing my best friend of 11 years has served to remind me that life is short, that there's still so much i want to experience and so little time.

After his passing, i lost my ability to enjoy things i used to love like video games - which took up much of my down time/keeps my mind busy. I now regret the time i spent playing so much video games, as it took away from time that i wished i had spent with Tiger instead.

Now i'm left with all the free time in the world, and the realization that life is short.

And so i made plans/put in motion what i needed to retackle this project. However, this time, i am taking a different approach. I had planned to start my own business of manufacturing from home/my garage this year anyways, and that falls perfectly in line with manufacturing vehicle parts/mods.

I will be starting a fresh thread, as i realized this one is essentially nothing but a brainstorming thread rather than an actual build thread. The only thing i want to save from this thread are the pictures of Tiger.

Btw, Visible is good and i still recommend to everyone around here (because i have tested myself for this area) @32cls6speedmt.

I also bailed on all the Chinese sourcing projects simply because COVID has disrupted the supply chains so badly, that soon it will be cheaper to manufacture yourself rather than rely on China to save you money. That and, there is too much guessing work for fitment, and too much risk in sending money overseas for sometimes months before seeing a product.
 
Hello Everyone, Sharpe here checking in. I hope all is well.

My @SharpeCat account got flagged for "spam"? I no longer have access to the email i used to make it which is needed to unflag it; i contacted an admin about it but not sure if anything ever came of it either.

Anyways, I have been busy with the transition into a home and getting a little settled in, and quite frankly haven't cared about building out the truck or even going anywhere/anything else. Let's just say i was happy with what i had and didn't want to ask for more. I have spent the better part of the past year just doing things i enjoy like video games and spending time with Tiger, time that i will forever be grateful for.

I didn't think i'd be back here so soon to give an update but unfortunately, Tiger recently passed. Losing my best friend of 11 years has served to remind me that life is short, that there's still so much i want to experience and so little time.

After his passing, i lost my ability to enjoy things i used to love like video games - which took up much of my down time/keeps my mind busy. I now regret the time i spent playing so much video games, as it took away from time that i wished i had spent with Tiger instead.

Now i'm left with all the free time in the world, and the realization that life is short.

And so i made plans/put in motion what i needed to retackle this project. However, this time, i am taking a different approach. I had planned to start my own business of manufacturing from home/my garage this year anyways, and that falls perfectly in line with manufacturing vehicle parts/mods.

I will be starting a fresh thread, as i realized this one is essentially nothing but a brainstorming thread rather than an actual build thread. The only thing i want to save from this thread are the pictures of Tiger.

Btw, Visible is good and i still recommend to everyone around here (because i have tested myself for this area) @32cls6speedmt.

I also bailed on all the Chinese sourcing projects simply because COVID has disrupted the supply chains so badly, that soon it will be cheaper to manufacture yourself rather than rely on China to save you money. That and, there is too much guessing work for fitment, and too much risk in sending money overseas for sometimes months before seeing a product.
Sorry to hear about Tiger.
 
Well if you do get back into it, what we need are 16" and 17" steel wheels 6" and 7" wide) that mimic stock 40/55 wheels, and are not $250 a piece, and 'spare tire' bullet hole style steel wheels that are 16" and 17" with stock 40/55 offset, and 6" and 7" wide.
Talk to Carol Chen @grinchy has her contact I believe.

@CSteppe82 I really appreciate that brother. He got me through the hardest times of my life, and I don’t know where I’d still be lost if he never came into my life.

I tell everyone he’s been my dog for many lifetimes, and this certainly won’t be the last. Heaven simply cannot exist without my best buddy. I look forward to the day we meet again.
 
Hello Everyone, Sharpe here checking in. I hope all is well.

My @SharpeCat account got flagged for "spam"? I no longer have access to the email i used to make it which is needed to unflag it; i contacted an admin about it but not sure if anything ever came of it either.

Anyways, I have been busy with the transition into a home and getting a little settled in, and quite frankly haven't cared about building out the truck or even going anywhere/anything else. Let's just say i was happy with what i had and didn't want to ask for more. I have spent the better part of the past year just doing things i enjoy like video games and spending time with Tiger, time that i will forever be grateful for.

I didn't think i'd be back here so soon to give an update but unfortunately, Tiger recently passed. Losing my best friend of 11 years has served to remind me that life is short, that there's still so much i want to experience and so little time.

After his passing, i lost my ability to enjoy things i used to love like video games - which took up much of my down time/keeps my mind busy. I now regret the time i spent playing so much video games, as it took away from time that i wished i had spent with Tiger instead.

Now i'm left with all the free time in the world, and the realization that life is short.

And so i made plans/put in motion what i needed to retackle this project. However, this time, i am taking a different approach. I had planned to start my own business of manufacturing from home/my garage this year anyways, and that falls perfectly in line with manufacturing vehicle parts/mods.

I will be starting a fresh thread, as i realized this one is essentially nothing but a brainstorming thread rather than an actual build thread. The only thing i want to save from this thread are the pictures of Tiger.

Btw, Visible is good and i still recommend to everyone around here (because i have tested myself for this area) @32cls6speedmt.

I also bailed on all the Chinese sourcing projects simply because COVID has disrupted the supply chains so badly, that soon it will be cheaper to manufacture yourself rather than rely on China to save you money. That and, there is too much guessing work for fitment, and too much risk in sending money overseas for sometimes months before seeing a product.
So if you like computers/electronics/making stuff/and landcruisers perhaps you could get a cricut machine and make gaskets, decals, etc. Or get into 3D printing/scanning..........So I'm going to shoot you a Idea that's a good one that I'm not going to do, but someone should:
On the gasket thing, they are rather expensive for what they are. Think of all the money spent to package them, stock them, ship them, put them on a shelf, and house them for when some customer needs them someday. Imagine this: You research common gaskets and sort them by thickness and type of "gasket paper" commonly sold by "Fel-pro" "mr. Gasket" etc. You begin making scans or collecting images that print to size and you convert these to whatever file type is used by a cricut machine. You collate as many gaskets to cut as will fit on standard size sheets of gasket paper that fit the cricut. You can then cricut them and package them for Ebay.....Or go a step further than this you could even develop into a company that sells digital gasket scan databases and cricut machine packages to parts stores. Imagine if they never had to stock, order, inventory, or ship another paper gasket. Just pull up the file and cricut it out while the customer waited.......
Fuel at over $3 a gallon makes everything expensive. Small scale on site manufacturing makes sense. It really makes sense to people/companies/organizations operating in remote locations(military, oil companies, NGO's, etc..) I remember the story of "$30K of fresh food rotting because a military unit in AF couldn't get a cracked refrigeration fitting sent in time from overseas" A few smart young troops commented that if they had a 3 D printer and could get someone stateside to scan the part and send the file by satcom they could have fixed it..... (or the presence of some old talented handyman/craftsmen/mechnic to modify/fabricate something to make it work........much more expensive than a 3d printer). Small scale on site production of items is one of the ways of the future.
 
So if you like computers/electronics/making stuff/and landcruisers perhaps you could get a cricut machine and make gaskets, decals, etc. Or get into 3D printing/scanning..........So I'm going to shoot you a Idea that's a good one that I'm not going to do, but someone should:
On the gasket thing, they are rather expensive for what they are. Think of all the money spent to package them, stock them, ship them, put them on a shelf, and house them for when some customer needs them someday. Imagine this: You research common gaskets and sort them by thickness and type of "gasket paper" commonly sold by "Fel-pro" "mr. Gasket" etc. You begin making scans or collecting images that print to size and you convert these to whatever file type is used by a cricut machine. You collate as many gaskets to cut as will fit on standard size sheets of gasket paper that fit the cricut. You can then cricut them and package them for Ebay.....Or go a step further than this you could even develop into a company that sells digital gasket scan databases and cricut machine packages to parts stores. Imagine if they never had to stock, order, inventory, or ship another paper gasket. Just pull up the file and cricut it out while the customer waited.......
Fuel at over $3 a gallon makes everything expensive. Small scale on site manufacturing makes sense. It really makes sense to people/companies/organizations operating in remote locations(military, oil companies, NGO's, etc..) I remember the story of "$30K of fresh food rotting because a military unit in AF couldn't get a cracked refrigeration fitting sent in time from overseas" A few smart young troops commented that if they had a 3 D printer and could get someone stateside to scan the part and send the file by satcom they could have fixed it..... (or the presence of some old talented handyman/craftsmen/mechnic to modify/fabricate something to make it work........much more expensive than a 3d printer). Small scale on site production of items is one of the ways of the future.
I was going to wait until i had more to show before sharing but... well... wow you kinda read my mind.

I don't know how to keep this brief so here we go:

The idea is simple, to focus on manufacturing robots that manufacture other robots. For example, a 3D printer that can print other 3D printers, or robots that build other robots. Reprep.org is a good example of a community that is focused on self-replicating 3D printers that i am learning from.

The idea is to start small, with small machines like desktop 3D printers and CNC mill/Engravers/whatever i can afford, and from there use the machines to build more machines (bigger/more capable ones that i can't afford). My goal is to get the cost of building these machines to a minimum, and from there scale it up to much bigger machines. As the size/capabilities of these machines grow, so will the size/capability of the things i can make with them. I'm hoping by end of next year i can start pumping out things like bumpers, awnings, drawers roof racks and etc. For now i can make you guys a toy scale model of anything you want .:rofl:

While i was looking for steel rims from China, i noticed that one of the biggest manufacturers of steel rims actually started off as a manufacturer of the machines that makes steel rims. Well, since i will be building the machines that are used to make a bazillion \small-products, why not get into selling/trading small products? That could be my way to acquiring the tools that i need to acquire bigger machines, by selling what i can make with the smaller ones.

And like you said, when you are doing additive manufacturing and you own the machines, there is no more guessing work. I can manufacture based on exact demand; as in someone orders a toy boat on Monday, i will manufacture it on Monday. It's beautiful because i can offer an infinite # of products, but do not need to stock up on any. My parents lose a lot of money on their warehouse/way they do business because they have to stock what they think will sell, and when it doesn't sell it becomes a waste/loss. I will only need to stock the materials (plastic, metal, clay, wood and etc), and the machines used for manufacturing. I could offer thousands of different gaskets and be able to sell any quantity, without needing to stock any. I could offer thousands of different gaskets and have it be just 1% of my inventory, and still not need a single warehouse to stock anything. In-house and on-demand manufacturing is definitely where i am headed.

And very similar to your gasket idea, my plan was to not only browse online databases for models/specs, but also to acquire a 3D scanner (fairly affordable now). With a 3D scanner i only need to have a copy in front of me once to scan, then i can add it to stock permanently.

Another plus, and this occurred to me when i was playing with my RC trucks and waiting on replacement parts - that most of the parts came from China and sometimes takes months to arrive. Even the prime-shipped items takes a day or two in most cases; even with the cheapest 3D printed ($100 bucks black friday), i can manufacture those same parts faster and can even improve the quality for a fraction of the cost. The plastic parts i make, i have control over things like infill% and material used and etc, and in the end i can almost always improve on something when i print it myself. I get a better part for a fraction of the cost and much faster than even Prime shipping.

Now, because i do realize the vast/infinite potential of going this route, i decided to set a modest goal of $30k a year for myself so that i don't lose myself to "work", which brings up another beautiful part about all this: once my "farms/machines" are setup, i can control them remotely. I will also always have 1 printer with me (built into truck). Basically, i can still travel the world and do the things i love. Small orders i will be able to print from the car-mounted printer, and drop off at local post boxes in whatever country. Big orders will be automated via my "print farm" and have scheduled pickups.

One way to put it is that my goal isn't to sell a 3d-printed drawer/bumpers to everyone in a year, but rather, to find a way to build my own and from there teach others how to do it.

End goal (10 years from now) is to be able to build affordable machines/show others how to build their own, that can 3D-print houses onsite using locally-sourced materials like clay and concrete (already done but the cost is beyond my reach, cheaper to build my own "Printer" over 10 years).

Right now the printers that can build in large volumes/houses are ridiculously expensive because of the sheer size/new tech. Also, they aren't the most efficient designs as we are entering fairly new/cutting edge territory, and new/more efficient designs are coming out very frequently. The main reason they are so big is because they are framed printers (some companies construct with giant robot arms), and so the printer has to be bigger than the object it builds. There are a few concept printers that i am waiting to be refined, that will make it possible for me to build very big structures with very little machines:

Robot Arms - Can print areas much bigger than itself.
Hangprinter - Portable and only requires anchor points (trees walls poles etc).
Infinite Z Axis - This printer prints its own supporting structure and raises it as it prints, so it can print infinitely upwards (as long as the motor/gears/supporting structure can support weight of print)
Infinite x Axis - Conveyor-belt printer, can print infinitely in a X/Y Axis.

Right now i am still in research phase (i have 3 3d-printers that i am messing around with and using to learn the in and outs of them). My goal is to largely eliminate build size as a limiting factor, and then learn to work with many different materials including clay, limestone, wood, metals, cardboard and etc.

i could literally go on all day but you guys should know by now not to get this boy started XD unless you like reading novels...
:rofl:
 
Just now noticed you also mentioned 3d scanning and i can't edit, so ignore the part about the scanner. Like i said you read my mind boss! @robmobile73
 
I was going to wait until i had more to show before sharing but... well... wow you kinda read my mind.

I don't know how to keep this brief so here we go:

The idea is simple, to focus on manufacturing robots that manufacture other robots. For example, a 3D printer that can print other 3D printers, or robots that build other robots. Reprep.org is a good example of a community that is focused on self-replicating 3D printers that i am learning from.

The idea is to start small, with small machines like desktop 3D printers and CNC mill/Engravers/whatever i can afford, and from there use the machines to build more machines (bigger/more capable ones that i can't afford). My goal is to get the cost of building these machines to a minimum, and from there scale it up to much bigger machines. As the size/capabilities of these machines grow, so will the size/capability of the things i can make with them. I'm hoping by end of next year i can start pumping out things like bumpers, awnings, drawers roof racks and etc. For now i can make you guys a toy scale model of anything you want .:rofl:

While i was looking for steel rims from China, i noticed that one of the biggest manufacturers of steel rims actually started off as a manufacturer of the machines that makes steel rims. Well, since i will be building the machines that are used to make a bazillion \small-products, why not get into selling/trading small products? That could be my way to acquiring the tools that i need to acquire bigger machines, by selling what i can make with the smaller ones.

And like you said, when you are doing additive manufacturing and you own the machines, there is no more guessing work. I can manufacture based on exact demand; as in someone orders a toy boat on Monday, i will manufacture it on Monday. It's beautiful because i can offer an infinite # of products, but do not need to stock up on any. My parents lose a lot of money on their warehouse/way they do business because they have to stock what they think will sell, and when it doesn't sell it becomes a waste/loss. I will only need to stock the materials (plastic, metal, clay, wood and etc), and the machines used for manufacturing. I could offer thousands of different gaskets and be able to sell any quantity, without needing to stock any. I could offer thousands of different gaskets and have it be just 1% of my inventory, and still not need a single warehouse to stock anything. In-house and on-demand manufacturing is definitely where i am headed.

And very similar to your gasket idea, my plan was to not only browse online databases for models/specs, but also to acquire a 3D scanner (fairly affordable now). With a 3D scanner i only need to have a copy in front of me once to scan, then i can add it to stock permanently.

Another plus, and this occurred to me when i was playing with my RC trucks and waiting on replacement parts - that most of the parts came from China and sometimes takes months to arrive. Even the prime-shipped items takes a day or two in most cases; even with the cheapest 3D printed ($100 bucks black friday), i can manufacture those same parts faster and can even improve the quality for a fraction of the cost. The plastic parts i make, i have control over things like infill% and material used and etc, and in the end i can almost always improve on something when i print it myself. I get a better part for a fraction of the cost and much faster than even Prime shipping.

Now, because i do realize the vast/infinite potential of going this route, i decided to set a modest goal of $30k a year for myself so that i don't lose myself to "work", which brings up another beautiful part about all this: once my "farms/machines" are setup, i can control them remotely. I will also always have 1 printer with me (built into truck). Basically, i can still travel the world and do the things i love. Small orders i will be able to print from the car-mounted printer, and drop off at local post boxes in whatever country. Big orders will be automated via my "print farm" and have scheduled pickups.

One way to put it is that my goal isn't to sell a 3d-printed drawer/bumpers to everyone in a year, but rather, to find a way to build my own and from there teach others how to do it.

End goal (10 years from now) is to be able to build affordable machines/show others how to build their own, that can 3D-print houses onsite using locally-sourced materials like clay and concrete (already done but the cost is beyond my reach, cheaper to build my own "Printer" over 10 years).

Right now the printers that can build in large volumes/houses are ridiculously expensive because of the sheer size/new tech. Also, they aren't the most efficient designs as we are entering fairly new/cutting edge territory, and new/more efficient designs are coming out very frequently. The main reason they are so big is because they are framed printers (some companies construct with giant robot arms), and so the printer has to be bigger than the object it builds. There are a few concept printers that i am waiting to be refined, that will make it possible for me to build very big structures with very little machines:

Robot Arms - Can print areas much bigger than itself.
Hangprinter - Portable and only requires anchor points (trees walls poles etc).
Infinite Z Axis - This printer prints its own supporting structure and raises it as it prints, so it can print infinitely upwards (as long as the motor/gears/supporting structure can support weight of print)
Infinite x Axis - Conveyor-belt printer, can print infinitely in a X/Y Axis.

Right now i am still in research phase (i have 3 3d-printers that i am messing around with and using to learn the in and outs of them). My goal is to largely eliminate build size as a limiting factor, and then learn to work with many different materials including clay, limestone, wood, metals, cardboard and etc.

i could literally go on all day but you guys should know by now not to get this boy started XD unless you like reading novels...
:rofl:
Start small, set the bar low, and then crush it! With that confidence/success build. 3D printing is not cheaper for large scale production than molding/injection molding. A mix however may work quite well. 3D printing to help make the molds for large items. Small intricate parts still 3D printed. Large items from a few simple molds. .... good luck!
 
Sorry to hear about your loss, Tiger sounded like an amazing companion. It is also great to hear that you're doing well. It enjoyed reading about your adventures previously, and seeing the creative ways you were making your LX into a home on wheels and exploring.

On the current conversation topic, I think you guys might need to find the "smoke lots of weed and come up with amazing ideas to get rich" forum. This is less 200 tech than the "how do I remove my cupholder" or "where can I buy a heritage badge" questions. :)

So, on a tech note - I've recently been in touch with Wilson, and found out that they offer a NMO antenna option to replace the magnetic mounts that came on the weBoost cell booster.

The compatible NMO antenna and mount are.

904423 - NMO Antenna Mounts - https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/nmo-antenna-mounts/?sku=WA904423
314405 - Wilson NMO Antennas - Requires NMO Mount - https://www.wilsonamplifiers.com/wilson-nmo-antennas/?sku=WA314405

Thanks again for lining up that WeBoost group buy - I've gotten a ton of use out of mine.
 
Noted boss @robmobile73.

@CharlieS i will be moving the custom fabrication part to the small business corner, thanks for the reminder. Don’t worry, it will all come back around to 200 tech because a big part of this project is to allow me to fabricate my own mods.

For example, stackable and collapsible drawers!



Collapsible bed platform/extra storage for the 200? Wouldn’t be too hard, just scan current drawers and add collapsible system to non fridge side? It would also allow for me to setup multiple levels of drawers if needed.
 

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