Builds 2014 LC200 Build - Executor - and Adventures (1 Viewer)

[DRCocaCola]

I finally took a picture of the rear camera relocation.

A friend and I relocated the rear camera to inside the hatch just below the third brake light. It seemed like a fairly simple task to just shorten the wires and reconnect but ultimately it didn’t turn out so simple, never does. There were so many wire ties holding the cable in place it was easier to actually lengthen the wire and run it back up. Then came the dilemma of the mount. After considering several options, we ended up cutting the OEM mount down to fit. A little fine tuning with a file to get the angle just right and it works pretty well. Up close it looks like a hack job in need of a true mounting solution but it’s very functional. Sorry no exterior photo as yiu can’t really see it behind the glass.

 

[DRCocaCola]

I installed a custom half panel cargo barrier which allows me to safely sleep in the rig. @TrekboxX was concerned about lateral forces getting in and out and suggested a brace or half barrier, just to be sure. I had to drill a couple of holes but it was a simple install and fit perfectly. Now I’ve got a semi-permanent half barrier in place which allows me to sleep in the rig when its just me, or carry longer items by folding the passenger seat down. I can easily tie off anything on the main drawer to the rack while driving.

 

[Bendcruiser]

Very nice set up. What do you RTT folks do for a heater in cold weather? Thanks

 

[DRCocaCola]

Very nice set up. What do you RTT folks do for a heater in cold weather? Thanks

Just a good sleeping bag plus a quilt and a warm wife.

 

[DRCocaCola]

Another shot of the interior sleeping area that fits my 4” Thermarest perfectly. I’m looking forward to using this setup for a 5to10-day trip to Arizona this winter and at LCDC next summer, hopefully with a few other trips in between.

 

[TrekboxX]

Looks great! Glad the half barrier worked out for you.

David

 

[DRCocaCola]

Camped for most of a week between Christmas and New Year around Arizona, starting near Wickenburg then off road to Crown King where we got snow. From there we camped above Jerome, ending at Sheep’s Bridge in the Bloddy Basin. The 200 performed flawlessly on bumpy dirt roads, crawling up shelves, and on 20 miles of small boulder strewn roads (aka baby heads) that were hell to drive. I had to bail out early due to work so I’ll have more photos of my 200 in action once the others return, here’s just a taste.

 

[DRCocaCola]

This was my first long off road trip with this vehicle and it kept up with my friends modified trucks just fine. Driving on snowy trails was a blast. I even tried crawl control for fun down one snowy path. My friend behind me can be heard in the radio commentary. Crawl control was a little slow for his liking but it did knock out a pretty good beat!

Turn up your volume to hear the “music” and a little radio commentary.

 

[DRCocaCola]

More photos from our trip, this was on a rocky trail to Crown King. The trail went through one area where a mining company had shifted the trail to the riverbed then in up to a large shelf that I used a spotter to assist as this was my first time wheeling my 200 this hard.

 

[DRCocaCola]

My stock roof rails and Thule bars just weren’t working out as I hoped so I finally decided to get a full roof rack. I bought a big one, the Eezi-Awn K9 2.2M x 1400mm (87”x55”). Reading this forum was invaluable in making the install simple and painless. Specifically, learning to back each bolt out little by little in pairs is something I would not have done had it not been for the lessons others learned and shared. I didn’t see detailed instructions for removing the stock rails so I took my time to documents the process.

First, remove the plastic end pieces by sliding them away from the rest of the rack about a quarter inch (see photos), then they pop off by pulling up and from the interior toward the exterior of the vehicle. Once these are removed, you can slide the cross bars out, if equipped.

The center cover pulls straight back. I used a thin screwdriver to loosen in by pushing, not prying, exposing a single bolt.

Remove that single 12mm bolt and the four 12mm bolts exposed by the removal of the front and back end caps. IMPORTANT: As indicated above, back these bolts out in pairs. They bolt into a single bracket that can get damaged or drop if backed out one at a time. I gave each a single turn to break them free of the loktite then alternated back and forth to retain the clips.

 

[DRCocaCola]

If you did it right, you end up with something that looks like this. If not, you’ll have to remove the headliner to retrieve your bracket, and hope it’s not damaged.

Next, remove the two 10mm bolts that held the center bracket in place. I used the same technique, backing out each bolt one turn at a time in order to retain the clip.

Finally, there is a little cover over a final set of bolts that are unused by the stock roof rack. It has instructions stamped in it. Remove those two 10mm bolts using the same technique.

Finally, clean all the dirt and dust out of the channel and bracket area. The threads of all eight nuts are the same, even though the bolt heads were different sizes.

 

[DRCocaCola]

Next, I applied a liberal amount of silicone to the bolts holes. This may not be necessary, and wasn’t mentioned in the instructions, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a bit more insurance between the holes in your roof and your headliner.

Insert the spacers over each bolt location. I just squished them into the silicone which held them in place.

There are rubber spacers in the channel and it’s unclear to me if they are functional in the stock configuration or just decorative. I tried installing the K9 rails with them in place and without them. The rails seem to fit better for me without these trim pieces in place so I removed all but the small front and rear pieces.

Set the rail in place an insert the eight bolts loosely into the bolt holes and tighten them carefully, making sure not to apply significant torque to one bolt in a pair without having the second bolt at least somewhat tightened in place, the reverse of the procedure describe for removal.

In the process I discovered my many attempts at using a variety of bars to hold my RTT, awning, etc. left my roof somewhat damaged and badly in need of a good wash and wax. Rather than complete the rack, I decided to wait and wash/wax tomorrow after the silicone has completely set up.

 

[Tex68w]

Have you had any issues with noise coming from your Eezi-Awn awning? I have spoken to a few guys running them on 4Runners who complain that it rattles and makes a lot of noise off-road, have you found the same in your use?

 

[DRCocaCola]

Have you had any issues with noise coming from your Eezi-Awn awning? I have spoken to a few guys running them on 4Runners who complain that it rattles and makes a lot of noise off-road, have you found the same in your use?

I’ll let you know. So far I just have the roof rails on, not the full rack. I’d imagine they need to spend some time with an Allen wrench going around the rack and retightening everything.

 

[T4Runner]

Have you had any issues with noise coming from your Eezi-Awn awning? I have spoken to a few guys running them on 4Runners who complain that it rattles and makes a lot of noise off-road, have you found the same in your use?

Don’t have one on my LC, but I have had one on my 4R for about 5 yrs. Never noticed any untoward sounds emanate from the Eezi-Awn awning. Had to replace the mounting brackets twice due to failures — once was random and noticed it while driving, the second was due to an unfortunate car wash incident. Still happy with it.

 

[DRCocaCola]

With the rig washed, buffed, and waxed we set out to finish the install. After installing the wind deflector, we deviated from the instructions a bit which called for mounting the feet using a measuring tape. Instead we placed the feet in their general location then put the rack on top and tightened all the fasteners finger tight. That was a mistake. With the legs attached to the feet, the tiny 4mm Allen bolts were very difficult to reach with the Allen wrench. We pressed on by removing one of the leg bolts at a time and tightening each tiny Allen bolt 1/3 turn at a time. It worked but was tedious.

Had we realized the position of the first foot is essentially as far forward as possible we could have simple measured the locations of the rest of the feet based on the gaps between the cross bars in the rack. It probably cost us 20-30 extra minutes and an experience akin to buying furniture from Ikea.

This location of the front foot leaves less than a 2” gap between the back of the rack and the rear spoiler.

After the feet were tight we tightened the rack to the brackets leaving the legs or risers for last thinking there would need to be some leveling before tightening the last bolts. As it turned out, the curvature of the roof put enough tension on the rack that it didn’t need any adjustment from where it sat naturally with the center at a low spot and the ends stretching the legs to their longest.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the rack. It was fairly easy to install, although a bit tedious at times. In my first test drive I had very little wind noise below 60 miles per hour and would not have heard any with the stereo on. Above 65 or 70 there was a low rushing sound that wasn’t bad and easily concealable with a little music.

Disclaimer: I’m just sharing my experience to hopefully help anyone else who might be doing a roof rack install, especially this particular one. I’m not affiliated with Eezi-Awn or Equipt and don’t intend these experiences to supplant their instructions or your own good sense and abilities.

 

[bryson]

Looks nice! From reading it sounds like maybe a set of ball-end Allen wrenches would have eased your pain?

Amazon product ASIN B07DQN87J2

 

[DRCocaCola]

Looks nice! From reading it sounds like maybe a set of ball-end Allen wrenches would have eased your pain?

Amazon product ASIN B07DQN87J2

No doubt. I have a set but the ball end is only on the “long” end which was too long to fit in the space, even with the added clearance from the angle. I guess I need to find a ball end set with balls on both ends! (Ignoring the easy jokes about balls in general!)

 

[Markuson]

I guess I need to find a ball end set with balls on both ends! (Ignoring the easy jokes about balls in general!)

(No comments necessary) -<hehe

 

[indycole]

Have you had any issues with noise coming from your Eezi-Awn awning? I have spoken to a few guys running them on 4Runners who complain that it rattles and makes a lot of noise off-road, have you found the same in your use?

I have a similar awning. There are a couple spots on the inside of the case that need a bit of felt tape.