Builds 2008 LX Live Camera Car and Overlanding Build. (1 Viewer)

[grinchy]

If you look at what I chose to take pictures of, it seems like MTs are more my style. I don’t mind the bumpier ride on the pavement, that doesn’t stop me from getting somewhere but having less aggressive tread might. That and I used to have a Yamaha XT250 as my only vehicle for almost 2 years, so I’m used to dirt tires on pavement.

I do have my limits, as in I wouldn’t go with super swampers, but those ones I snapped photos of looks about perfect!

Let’s find some used rims first, 285/70r17 is correct? Anything else I need to know? I assume they will all require transfer of TPMS sensors? Any specific width, or just ignore width and deal with it with spacers if needed? Will any 5 lug nut rims do or should I look specifically at Toyota and Lexus used rims?

Used 17" in the US market? Only Toyota "Rock Warriors" in that space really. You're going to be looking at new probably, and Evo Corse 17" 40mm is perfect. Icon Vector 17" in 25mm is not an ideal an offset, but many are running and many are happy.
Icon has several other models, and then there are Method and other manufacturers that will have a 17" in 25mm.

Tundra wheels are tough, the aftermarket is mainly -12mm, 0mm, 12mm, 25mm. only the 25mm fits in the 200 wheel well. THough of course some are running those narrow offsets and doing fine. It has drawbacks, but all of the fitments do.

 

[SharpeCat]

So before the virus hit, I had plans on looking into organizing group buys and becoming a non-profit mud vendor. I basically just want to help organize group buys to get the discount for myself and mud members in the process.

If I wanted permission to call vendors on behalf of mud to try and get us discounts, whose permission do I need to get?

Also, I got the awning up before the rain this time!

 

[SharpeCat]

Weeeee! Finding good little products like this makes my day.

I have messed around with different head cam mounts, and I think I found the one. It is Made by a 1-man shop, Solvid Solutions. I got the hat as a gift, and it fits around the cam mount nicely! The owner is YouTuber as well, and a really nice guy.

With this addition, I am Almost finished with my mobile stream setup, just gotta figure out a couple more things and run a few test streams. This is a small part of a bigger project of slowly turning me into a cameraman and my car into a “camera car” so I can document my time on the trails as well.

I hope LCDC and other mud events are back on the calendar because Im looking forward to sharing the experience with everyone who can’t make it! We still on right, @codyaustin5 ?

He also nice phone mount adapter that screws into the universal camera Mount, so now my cam mount doubles as a phone mount! I also love the fact that I supported a 1-man shop/small business, on top of getting good products at very reasonable prices. I hope when I make my video detailing my mobile stream setup and comparing different products involved, that I can bring him some well-deserved exposure.

No, I’m not officially sponsored by him, but he did give me a free hat so I’m kinda sorta sponsored, I guess xD. I paid for the 2 mounts and shipping though!

For the record, if you are camera shy, stay clear of me at public events! You’ve been warned.

 

[SharpeCat]

This is what I call working from home!

 

[SharpeCat]

So my cracked window finally caved in while I was on the highway. It’s also raining so I have to get it done before my parents warehouse closes. Replacement glass is chipped but for 35 bucks I’m not complaining. Let’s hope I don’t mess anything up and have this end up being more than a 50 dollar job lol.

But first me and Tiger gotta eat before we fire up the stream!

 

[MayorOfSexyTown]

Incredible price on that window and sweet looking warehouse yall got there. What kind of stuff is stored there??[/QUOTE]

 

[SharpeCat]

Incredible price on that window and sweet looking warehouse yall got there. What kind of stuff is stored there??

[/QUOTE]

We wholesale nail supplies to salons and resellers. And thanks bud fingers crossed when I open it that it fits!

 

[codyaustin5]

Weeeee! Finding good little products like this makes my day.

I have messed around with different head cam mounts, and I think I found the one. It is Made by a 1-man shop, Solvid Solutions. I got the hat as a gift, and it fits around the cam mount nicely! The owner is YouTuber as well, and a really nice guy.

With this addition, I am Almost finished with my mobile stream setup, just gotta figure out a couple more things and run a few test streams. This is a small part of a bigger project of slowly turning me into a cameraman and my car into a “camera car” so I can document my time on the trails as well.

I hope LCDC and other mud events are back on the calendar because Im looking forward to sharing the experience with everyone who can’t make it! We still on right, @codyaustin5 ?

He also nice phone mount adapter that screws into the universal camera Mount, so now my cam mount doubles as a phone mount! I also love the fact that I supported a 1-man shop/small business, on top of getting good products at very reasonable prices. I hope when I make my video detailing my mobile stream setup and comparing different products involved, that I can bring him some well-deserved exposure.

No, I’m not officially sponsored by him, but he did give me a free hat so I’m kinda sorta sponsored, I guess xD. I paid for the 2 mounts and shipping though!

For the record, if you are camera shy, stay clear of me at public events! You’ve been warned.

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As of right now we are still on. CO is opening back up but we’ve sent our own personal deadline for June 15 to make a final decision.

 

[SharpeCat]

As of right now we are still on. CO is opening back up but we’ve sent our own personal deadline for June 15 to make a final decision.

Sweet. Glad to hear the good news, and fingers crossed it stays that way!

On another note, I had to cut my DIY stream short because the replacement window from carparts.com came BADLY cracked. Its been sitting in a safe spot this entire time and I opened it on stream as I was about to begin removing panels. i was prepared to keep a chipped window for the price but this thing is in terrible shape. I should have known based on the packaging alone... I would never ship Glass by padding it only with a little bit of cardboard.

I emailed them regarding the chipped area 2 weeks ago, still no response. Called many times and every time it disconnects me after a long wait for no reason.

disputing it with credit card company and moving on with another lesson learned.

I would not advise anyone ever buy glass from them if this is standard.

 

[SharpeCat]

Going to start by calling local shops as well as look for replacement glass online. Hopefully the rain is gone for least a few days while I’m riding without a drivers window.

Someone told me that air conditioning used to be “4 windows down, 40 miles an hour”. I’ll let you guys know how that works out .

 

[SharpeCat]

My awning almost collapsed this morning because I did not slant it enough to let the rain run off, and I woke up to a swimming pool on top. Even with what must’ve been least 30 gallons, it held. One leg collapsed as I tried to lower the other side to let the water run off. First picture was before I went to bed.

It didn’t help that I stayed on pavement and didn’t use my ropes to anchor it down.

There is slight damage where the pole connects but awning still works. I should’ve taken a picture before I drained it. Also my fabric is stretched out on the side that fell (pole slid out on top) and caving in the middle and I can’t get it back as straight as before. Lesson learned!

I’ll keep this post as a reminder to be more careful and check water run off before I go to bed.

on another note, I’m an idiot and didn’t see the light sleeve the first time so I returned the light strip. Time to go back and buy it again lol. Either way I had to return other one because they didn’t send me the cable to hook it up to a 12v output. I’m glad I got the right awning after all.

 

[SharpeCat]

So the final verdict on the broken drivers window:

After the cheap class from carparts.com turned out unreliable, I have to assume other websites offering similar deals are as well. The cheapest good sources seem to be 100+ for the glass from eBay.

The local shops want ~230 for parts and installation and can get it done today, so even if I found good glass for 100-150 I’d have to wait for shipping and do the installation myself, with it raining this week it is not worth it to gamble and try and save 50-100 bucks. I’m taking the sure route and going in at 4 today to have them replace it. I will keep the auto trim removal kit as a reminder of a lesson learned.

They are also very friendly, and supporting a small business in a time like this is worth the little bit of labor cost they are asking. I’m very excited to have a working drivers window again, it’s been a month like this with limited use of my window.

also, I’m a bit concerned about the stretched fabric, and I will call ARB later to see if my clumsy ass is covered under warranty. I might call 4wheelparts but going to see what ARB says first. Just going to tell them it was my mistake and hope they cover it.

 

[SharpeCat]

ARB said to call 4wheelparts and 4wheelparts covered the awning no questions asked. This was a relief because I’ve read that sometimes they give you a hard time even through their “no questions asked” return policy. I don’t even have their warranty but I will add it now. 5 years coverage for 50 bucks seems worth it when a simple mistake like this can jeopardize the integrity of it in the long run. They also offer 3 years for 30.

It may vary from store to store and rep to rep, and it may be that I’m lucky, but I have nothing but good things to say about the guys at the Raleigh location.

I get another chance at doing an awning install video with the mighty mounts, this time it will be much quicker and way less messy lol. Will order a wireless mic and fix the sound before then so I can talk to the stream while I’m on the roof.

 

[SharpeCat]

Today I’m trying the grass side, no anchor ropes but at least the poles can dig into the ground. Feels much more sturdy than using it on pavement. I also angled it down as far as I could, only way to drop it lower is to use a flat surface and not pop it up on the curb. Car is in high mode as well. Good thing I’m only 5’3. Also, you can see how stretched out the fabric is, and can tell where the center of the big puddle was that awaited me this morning. Really glad Tiger wasn’t under it when it collapsed on me.

Raining again tonight so hopefully I won’t wake up with a swimming pool on the awning. Water seems to be running off it so far, rather than collecting in middle. It’s nice to have if I needed to collect rainwater With the awning, but not nice if I’m not lol.

Really glad I’m learning these lessons while still close to home and not while I’m across the country or across the world. Also, really big thanks to 4wheelparts and ARB for covering this under their warranty!

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

Today I’m trying the grass side, no anchor ropes but at least the poles can dig into the ground. Feels much more sturdy than using it on pavement. I also angled it down as far as I could, only way to drop it lower is to use a flat surface and not pop it up on the curb. Car is in high mode as well. Good thing I’m only 5’3. Also, you can see how stretched out the fabric is, and can tell where the center of the big puddle was that awaited me this morning. Really glad Tiger wasn’t under it when it collapsed on me.

Raining again tonight so hopefully I won’t wake up with a swimming pool on the awning. Water seems to be running off it so far, rather than collecting in middle. It’s nice to have if I needed to collect rainwater With the awning, but not nice if I’m not lol.

Really glad I’m learning these lessons while still close to home and not while I’m across the country or across the world. Also, really big thanks to 4wheelparts and ARB for covering this under their warranty!

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I’ve seen people lower just one leg / post in the rain, so the water is directed towards one corner. Seemed to help with the puddling problem, might give it a try if the rain gets heavier.

 

[TeCKis300]

Glad you're no worse for wear. The awning rain lesson is a common one in the RV world as well. Where we have gigantic awnings that have the ability to catch a lot of rain water or wind. Ending up in an ugly tangled mess that may cause one not even to be able to get back on the road.

One strategy with RV awnings is to not only tilt them downward away from the vehicle, but to tilt them side to side, so there are two slopes at work to shed water. I can't tell from the pics, but can the ARB legs be extended to different heights?

 

[CharlieS]

I dig the rhino setup where the bases of the poles have diagonal plastic guides for two pegs. That, plus the guy lines, keeps it very well anchored.

 

[SharpeCat]

Yes, the legs are extendable, and I have it as short as possible in the last photos. I hadn’t thought of lowering just one corner to create another slope, will try that for sure! Great advice fellas

When I look into my 270 awning I will look into the Rhino setup as well, thanks for educating me on their poles. Long term I plan on reviewing other awnings, and wanted the ARB as a base for comparison since ARB seems to be the industry standard.

anyways, all good this morning on the rooftop swimming pool part. I will angle it towards the side and corner next time and do 1pole higher just to be safe.

next issue is how do you guys deal with the door digging into the fabric and stretching it? It’s creating an area where water can collect, and I’m concerned it might put a hole in the top.

 

[SharpeCat]

My parents bought me a new drivers side window.

Really grateful for them, because driving in the rain on the highway with no drivers window this morning was not fun lol.

Don’t forget to tell your parents how much you appreciate them.

 

[SharpeCat]

So when I am streaming I am using about 150 watts continuously between the laptop (95w) and cameras and phones. Then you add the fans for Tiger.

When I plugged the Jackery 160 into the cars 115v output with engine on, I am getting 48w in. This means even with the car running the live stream is not sustainable unless I’m missing something. Ideally I do not want to keep the car running. My battery banks can sustain the stream for probably an entire 24 hours, problem is it will probably take days of driving to recharge it all after. (1 Jackery 160, 1 maxoak 50000mah, 1 renogy 72000 mah, and 1 Small phone/camera power bank with 10000 mah). I don’t count the Noco since I only use that as a battery bank as last resort, so that it always hold a good charge in case I need to jump someone/myself.

I am considering some panels and a bigger Jackery, and I think I want the flexible ones that I can move around easily, rather than permanently mounted ones. Problem is I can picture some situations where I would want them mounted well, so they don’t fall off when I’m filming/streaming on trails. I don’t have a good place to permanently mount it at the moment, and I like the flexibility of moving it around the car depending on the suns angles.

Any of you fellas who had done more research in this area want to chime in? Are there any particular panels you’d recommend or setup that could work for my needs? Thanks in advance for your time.