Build 24’ OT+ Build, Grey Ghost

[Franken470]

The most recent round of MODs has been completed and a few are a “first” on this platform.

Day 1 of driving the truck I went straight to our local cruiser shop @49tire and had them install some 285/75R18 on the factory wheel, all that is needed to unbolt the large crash barrier for the KDSS lines and viola, no rubbing.

I drove the truck in stock form other than the tires for a while until the aftermarket started to catch up.

Victory- Full Aluminum Offroad Sids, and overland shelf in the cargo area.
Slee - Sliders
Dissent - front and rear bumpers with swingout, lights and Comeup winch
S-Pod - controlling the added lights and ACC.
Terrain Tamer - Front E Locker, this setup matches the 300 series as we share a front diff
Doninsons - MRR suspension lift with heavy coils front and rear to accommodate for weight
LRA - 24 Gal Aux tank from the 250, there is some modification required and I believe MEO has shared notes with LRA.
Goose Gear - Rear Tray delete
Fuel & Fire - above mirror cubby, and hatch light kit.

I just wanted to get the thread started, I’ll add more pics from beginning to end and some tech notes if something was difficult to install.

 

[G-Cat]

In!

 

[Tex68w]

First of all, awesome! Excited to see where it goes from here.

More details on the front locker, please. Does it tie in with the dash at all, or does it have a simple standalone switch? Can it be engaged by itself, without the rear locker? Can it be engaged in High? Who sells them?

 

[Franken470]

First of all, awesome! Excited to see where it goes from here.

More details on the front locker, please. Does it tie in with the dash at all, or does it have a simple standalone switch? Can it be engaged by itself, without the rear locker? Can it be engaged in High? Who sells them?

I purchased the locker from our new Terrain Tamer North America warehouse @orangefj45 cam get you fixed up…

It does not wire into the dash as it wasn’t ever an option in this platform. I can operate it independently in any range, I have it wired to my Spod Controller, it did come with its own relay and independent switch.

 

[orangefj45]

I purchased the locker from our new Terrain Tamer North America warehouse @orangefj45 cam get you fixed up…

It does not wire into the dash as it wasn’t ever an option in this platform. I can operate it independently in any range, I have it wired to my Spod Controller, it did come with its own relay and independent switch.

Thanks for the honorable mention!

Yes, we keep plenty of the Harrop electric locker in stock here at the Terrain Tamer branch in Northern CA.

Looking forward to watching this thread and your build!!!!!

Georg

 

[Franken470]

Day 1 at the dealership, my truck was MFG 4/24 so still pretty early in production, I was the first 550 specific dealer order, as I called the GM while watching the public product release video 6/23…. I spewed the truck and package I wanted except for my original color of choice was nori green, I adapted my order to incognito after seeing the full color palette and what was going to be available. Factory rock rails were going to get me by until aftermarket support had caught up.

 

[Franken470]

Woke up the next morning and drove over to see @wct49 to get the new shoes mounted up. 285/75R18 Yokohama X-AT… these have been a good tire and now have 30k miles on them, I’m going back to see him in a couple days to throw on a set of 37x11.5R18 Nitto Ridge Grapplers.

I’m sticking with the factory wheels for now as they already have rock rash and I like them being tucked… poke looks great for the gram but getting dirty every time you hit a puddle is annoying.

 

[Franken470]

Doing some urban flex testing on my steps and hill in the front yard, the tries only rub on the mount/cage for KDSS which easily unbolts. And it only rubs ever so slightly at full lock and at ride height, travel up and down actually don’t see rub throughout (I’ve wheeled it and know).

 

[Franken470]

Next up modification wise was a set of ditch light mounts from Nash Fab Co. they developed these for the 250, and my impatience may have gotten the best of me a little bit, the fit and finish leave a little to be desired as you can see from the pics. The Baja S2 are a great light and I love having nearly 180 degrees of full view at night for deer in the rural SE.

 

[Franken470]

First trip in the new truck was to our annual MS TLCA chapter event Southern Cruiser Crawl in Hot Springs, AR. The truck performed flawlessly and far beyond my expectations for a stock truck. These things are the most capable cruiser out of the box since the 80 series. Pictured alongside a new heritage edition 250 belonging to my friend and TLCA Pres, Heather.

 

[Franken470]

I forgot to picture the S-Pod I mounted to control all my accessories. I hate running wire through the firewall and knew this would save me some time and effort down the road, I’m still extremely happy with this setup and still have 2-3 switches left.

 

[Franken470]

I dented my factory rear bumper in hot springs due to poor line choice and needing to “back up” into a dip/hole that got me. I also smashed my resonator, so I cut it off behind the axle at the turn. The replacement was a place holder as I knew I wanted Dissent armor. The Victory was in stock and ready to ship, so that was my devils advocate. The install of the victory is pretty straight forward and does require some cutting of the factory plastics. This bumper was sold to a friend and helped finish his build.

 

[Franken470]

Pics of the victory.

 

[Franken470]

Somewhere along the way I bought slee sliders as I was waiting to see designs from both Slee and Dissent, I’ve owned their products or have friends who do and thoroughly tested them as I know I will. I don’t have any specific pics of the sliders or install but an easy half day job or less. You can see them in other pics moving forward.

 

[Franken470]

Next up on the list was for some permanent interior storage and cargo mounting, I opted to start with just the tray delete and not the full drawer and second row delete (I’m single more than I’m not and don’t have any children ).
I also installed the hatch light which is one of the best $20 I’ve spent on the rig. Victory overland shelf installed above the cargo area for extra storage. I chose the Engels fridge slide because I honestly haven’t found a better mounting system on the market, they sell adapter feet for domestic and ARB. This is a full slide and tilt with 2 levers that lock the feet in place for easy removal (I don’t ever remove mine).

 

[Franken470]

When I was looking to wire the fridge, I didn’t want to cut up a huge body panel, so the 3rd row cupholder (OT don’t have a 3rd row) seemed like a great piece to cut up of I ever wanted to go back to stock, sell the truck and keep the fridge and slide etc.

 

[Franken470]

The switch itself is a blue seas switch with extra USB power for charging camp lights etc. I can do this while driving and Velcro cords to the shelf and have all of that going while driving, and keep them out of the passenger area.

 

[Franken470]

My first real trip in the truck for me was up to the Ozarks with a couple of friends, I went everywhere with ease including multiple crossings and even 1-2 “hood dips” which honestly gave me a little brown streak in my pants knowing how much is electronic on these new trucks. I slept in the rig which was plenty comfortable for me.

 

[Franken470]

If I remember correctly I used my wolf pack storage boxes to level out the cargo area with the 2nd row folded down, allowing more headroom, I’m 6’.

 

[iwashmycar]

Im looking everywhere but dont see any 275/85r18 tires..... That would be like a 36" tire too. Are they 275/65?