Builds 40 Guy Builds a 100 Series (2 Viewers)

[REZARF]

Well, we are finally settled in Montana... man, I hate moving. Good news is our new place has a 1,000 sq/ft shop to resto-mod the 40 over the next few winters. My little man (who loves driving with me) went out for a drive in our new home range the Bridger Mountains. We had a blast and can't wait to explore more and more. Some of you think the 40 isn't getting any love, not at all!

 

[REZARF]

Got to tag along my first trail ride in Montana with a few of the 406 Cruiser guys. Thanks at @ttFJC and the others for making a great day and welcoming the new guy. Lots of different rigs on the trail, 4Runners, FJC's, Taco's only one other Cruiser... Will's @H E A V Y M E T A L cherry 100 series. Thanks again Brian @adventurefamly for the air and not letting me FLOP on the one flat section of the whole trail!

Picked up a vibration on the way home that feels like I now have knobby tires... gotta figure that one out. Anything above 60mph on the highway and it got pretty rough. I will hop under tomorrow and go through it and see what I can find.

A few pics from the trail today in the Tobacco Roots mountains (I think?) with a shot of Granite Peak, Montana's tallest peak in the distance of the first shot. Great trails, a lot like Colorado but with more water and less big rocks.

Nice scenery, started off with rain in the forecast but the "Big Sky Country" came through.

 

[REZARF]

After playing last weekend I got a slight vibration in the driveline at 60mph and above when I came off the throttle. Putting the truck up on stands revealed the rear u-joint had some play in it... maybe 1/16" but only when it was unloaded. With the wheels on the ground it didn't budge. Anyhow, I called Toyota who wanted $90 for the u-joint and I needed to wait 3-4 days for it to arrive. I dug around mud and found this thread...

Drive Shaft U Joints

... and realized there was a Spicer replacement that is of nice quality. My local NAPA had it on the shelf right down the road so for $29 bucks I was back in business. Then I tried to get the old one out. I have replaced a handful of u-joints in the past but this one wasn't coming out without a BIG fight. A few hours later, I gave up. I took it to a driveline shop today who had it done in 15 minutes tops. Impressive to watch the right tools for a specific job. The factory manual calls for a SST that pulls the caps off the spider... I tried to drive the caps down and through freeing the spider but I couldn't get the last 1-2mm to drop.

Here it was when I popped it out. It had quite a bit of old grease caked on, but at least they were serviced! 325k miles on a set of U-joints ain't bad.

I thought I'd toss in this pic showing where I marked the driveshaft so I could reinstall it in phase. This is important and often forgotten by yours truly. The only thing I would do different is using a punch to mark it since after I cleaned it up it was harder to tell where my marks were.

Nice new fresh u-joint and seals. In this pic you can see the C - clip that holds the u joint to the yoke and flange. The clips on my 100 were internal, not sure of this is true for every year.

This is where the cups sat once installed to the correct depth. The Spicer kit had two different thickness C-clips to match your tolerances. Nice touch.

Smooth as glass now. More trails this weekend!

 

[REZARF]

Winters are for building... Summers are for wheelin'!

End of another awesome day exploring Montana... took this shot outside of the Chinese restaurant in town

'Merica...

Group shot from our trail run yesterday.

 

[REZARF]

Ripped off my HAM antenna my trusty Comet SBB5 again... I think I am going to go to a hood mount. I am also exploring new antenna options for trail work for the dual band HAM. I have a SBB-1 that I use for trail work, but each time I have forgotten to swap it out when on the trail I have yanked it off. This time it was donated to the forest... the SBB-1 is a great trail antenna but it sure doesn't reach out like the SBB-5.

So what is the best overall HAM dual band antenna for a trail truck. Montana's trails are WAY tighter with brush compared to Colorado. I am adding pin-stripes by the dozen each weekend.

Thoughts on mounts? Gamiviti? Bumper mount up front?

Pic from the other night on another barely there trail...

Bridger mountains in the background...

 

[dubyahard]

There are some tight trails in Oregon too. Usually old FS roads that no one has been on and they are overgrown. I've realized the age of the map is not related to the age of the road. Was looking for a FS road in my 80 once and drove past it twice before spreading some tree branches open. Was fun for about 1/4 mile then there were actual trees growing up in the road. I went a little further on foot and saw the road was completely collapsed and had been for some time - this was on the USFS 2016 layer.
But I digress. I've seriously contemplated limb risers on both my 80 and now my 100. Have you thought about those? Seems like a homemade version with a turnbuckle would be pretty easy to make.

 

[REZARF]

After a late night trip home from a trail the other day I realized my lights up front needed addressing. I hadn’t plugged the Hella 4000’s into the new auxiliary battery system and they needed some adjusting. I made up a new wiring harness to tie into the auxiliary power system and bumped up the wire to 10 gauge as I am waiting on 130w bulbs coming in the mail soon. I found a long straight dark farm road to light up the night. Here are a few beam shots for those that care...

First is of my factory headlights on low beam...

Then once I punch on my PIA fog lights...

Here is the beam pattern with the high beams on fog lights come off...

And here is the reach with Hellas switched on with the high beams... adding the 130w bulbs will really push the light out there.

I’d like to figure out how to override the fog light shut off so I can always turn them off or on at will.

 

[Otis]

I’d like to figure out how to override the fog light shut off so I can always turn them off or on at will.

This may help, at least with the high beams on: Fog Light Switch Rewire for High Beam Use

 

[REZARF]

This may help, at least with the high beams on: Fog Light Switch Rewire for High Beam Use

Awesome thank you!

 

[REZARF]

There are some tight trails in Oregon too. Usually old FS roads that no one has been on and they are overgrown. I've realized the age of the map is not related to the age of the road. Was looking for a FS road in my 80 once and drove past it twice before spreading some tree branches open. Was fun for about 1/4 mile then there were actual trees growing up in the road. I went a little further on foot and saw the road was completely collapsed and had been for some time - this was on the USFS 2016 layer.
But I digress. I've seriously contemplated limb risers on both my 80 and now my 100. Have you thought about those? Seems like a homemade version with a turnbuckle would be pretty easy to make.

Yeah, I yanked my awning off for some of these tighter trails and I killed a HAM antenna... I don't think I want limb risers, I haven't got snagged up on my roof rack or snorkel yet. In the south I could really get snagged, it is more annoying here than anything, not too much to lift over the rig but more like tight along the doors. I knew when the antenna was gonna rip off, and I thought I could sneak through... I couldn't.

 

[REZARF]

It's official, LED's have taken over the world. I just got these 130w Halogen upgraded bulbs for my Hella 4000's (the on
ce undisputed KING of off road lights) for about $1.50/bulb... shipped. The amount of light these produce over their 55w originals is insane. I have a set on my FJ40 but didn't want to spend any more on "old tech" as these used to be $15-20 per bulb. I simply hadn't checked prices in years. Man, I am sounding old.

For $4.50 I got three to my door with one as a back-up in my spares kit. Would you believe they came in a box big enough for a microwave. I don't get it. Anyhow, here's to BIG lumens in an all metal light that can handle the power and heat.

These three little bulbs came in a HUGE box.

Hella couldn't make it easier. 4 bolts holding the lens in place with a metal ring, then unclip the wire clamp and the bulb comes out the back. I have heard that you should never touch a halogen bulb with bare fingers as it can impart oils to the glass causing premature burnout, however, I am not sure if this is true but I still don't handle the bulbs. I only grab them by the metal mounting bracket, no glass.

What I can only assume is the original 55w Made in Germany bulbs. Still working fine. They get tossed into the spares bag as well.

Now made in Korea...

I thought the filament size difference was cool to see, the 130w on top, and the 55w on the bottom. Otherwise, they are identical to the uninformed eye.

I'm going to do my best to get out to the same stretch of road and add one more beam shot of the 130w bulbs. Since I have gone from 110w to 260w... I expect to see a real world difference. I think my 40 series has some of the best forward lighting I have ever seen with the same beam pattern and bulb mounted to the bumper. However, it could be that the 40 only goes like 55mph and I never seem to catch up to the light... I have no chance of out running my hi beams in the 40.

 

[REZARF]

So I have finally found the time to get started on my rear storage setup in the 100.

I have wanted a rear drawer setup for about as long as I have had the 100, I just wasn't 100% sure what I wanted... well, I take that back. I wanted a set of two full length drawers that gobbled up all the gear I could think of and have my fridge (an ARB/Engel MT45) on a slide above the drawers... and I wanted to be able to have a sleeping platform as well. However, with my lift and tires the top of the fridge would be too high to access without a stool or drop slide both are more than I am willing to endure for a Coke. So I landed on the following...

REZARF Drawers:

• One main large drawer as wide as the fitment allows.
• Fridge on drawer slide taking as little room as possible.
• Short drawer below the fridge.
• Integrated 20 gallon water tank.
• A slide out prep surface under the fridge.
• Side wings to fill the gaps and give a level "Floor" again.

I also wanted to account for and include in the design:

• Water faucet and pump.
• Discrete long gun storage.
• Integrate a charging/outlet station of some sort for USB charged and 12v outlet gear.
• Rattle free/squeak free design.
• Cargo management and tie downs.
• OEM-ish looking in fit and finish.
• Extended "bed" panel that can be used on top of the folded middle row seats.

So I have started amassing parts for the build.

I plan on using these for the small drawer pulls and for the side wing panels that will lift up for more storage. Southco makes them and they are very high quality, I have used their stuff before and it's top notch.

The main drawer will use this spring loaded latch as the main pull. No rattles

I am going to hard-wire my fridge to the dual battery setup so I picked up this CNC cable run. This way the cord won't get kinked or cut by the constant sliding of the drawers and it should keep the wires from slapping around too.

I picked up a Shurflo mini pump and marine faucet a LONG time ago, it is going into this build. I will likely run the faucet in front of the fridge where it is easiest to access or I will access it near the side wings.

 

[REZARF]

For the hardware I decided to bite the bullet and spend the $$$ for the good stuff. I picked up a full set of Accuride Slides for this build. I picked up a pair of the 500# locking slides and a pair of their non locking counterparts (they have yet to arrive). I also picked up a set of 100# slides from Accuride for the prep surface and the short narrow drawer for under the fridge.

I also stopped by my local aluminum store to buy some dimensional "L" aluminum. I bought various sizes and thicknesses to get the job done. I picked up some 3 x 2 x .375" some 2 x 2 x .25" and some 1.5 x 1.5 x .188" all of it is 6061.

 

[REZARF]

I scored a great deal off the "scratch and dent" rack at my local lumber yard. I nabbed two sheets 3/4 sheets and two sheets of 1/2 birch and one sheet of 1/4 birch for $60 out the door. It was my lucky day

Time to start chopping. I made some quick measurements in the back of the 100 and started cutting...

Main box is roughly 42.5" wide by about 40" deep.

My sides are just 13.5" tall, a little shorter would be perfect to make a platform over the rear seats but I needed to clear my water tank which wasn't perfectly 12" high... no biggie.

I had to clearance the side of the box for the fittings for the water tank. Thanks @hoser for the perfect 100 series water tank. He sold it to me a while back and it is really quite perfect for the 100. It eats up a lot of room for the drawers but with my family of 5 (kids at that) we are always going through water fast for cooking, drinking, cleanup etc. I figured I filled my 7 gallon jug 2-3 times a weekend with no rationing so 20 gallons is about perfect for us.

Another shot of the water tank, I will leave this side open and secure it with a strap of some sort to keep it in place but easily removed for cleaning should the need arise.

Before I closed down to be with the family tonight I mocked up the last two L-track pieces I had laying around. I LOVE THIS STUFF! I will break out my router tomorrow and set them nearly flush to the surface for a clean look and to not have them poking me in the back when in sleeping platform mode.

 

[fireball]

Looking good so far! Don't forget to "add some lightness"

Drawers are heavy no matter what, so anything to shave a few lbs will be helpful.

 

[REZARF]

Looking good so far! Don't forget to "add some lightness"

Drawers are heavy no matter what, so anything to shave a few lbs will be helpful.

View attachment 1765528

Thanks @fireball your builds are truly inspiring. One I get this thing mounted with all the drawers and items in place and have run it for a few weeks, I will blow it apart for finishing (Carpet and such) and remove material where I can, then glue it up and install it for good.

 

[fireball]

Thanks @fireball your builds are truly inspiring. One I get this thing mounted with all the drawers and items in place and have run it for a few weeks, I will blow it apart for finishing (Carpet and such) and remove material where I can, then glue it up and install it for good.

Thank you, I do cheat a bit though with a fully outfitted woodshop

Your idea to run it and see if you want to make any tweaks or changes before making cut outs and finished is a good one. That said, your picture above makes me cringe and think of my grandfather, who was a shop teacher. "That is a table saw, NOT a work bench!!!"

 

[REZARF]

@fireball I do know better...

In time I'll make a proper assembly /out feed table and chop saw station but for now it's a free for all! No horizontal space gets a pass in my shop. I'm not even unpacked yet alone properly setup

Maybe your gramps would like to see my glue up table? It's a Powermatic 2000 too (I will even use some paper... I'm not an animal after all)

 

[REZARF]

Snuck in a few more hours on the drawers today. First order on the list was to fit up the fridge compartment and cut the top to the correct size. all in all it went well. It was a balancing act of how tight to make the walls for the fridge enclosure but in the end I think I will have plenty of ventilation and enough room to mess with the final fitment (even with a transit cover).

Figuring out side to side fitment before screwing everything in place.

Next up was setting the final height of the fridge and by default setting the height of the small door below the fridge. I had my lovely wife come out and try to access the fridge (unextended) to see if she could still grab something out of the fridge... we decided 6" off the floor of the drawers was all I could feasibly raise it and not be a pain to access for her. As a bonus, 6" of lift allows nearly 100% of the factory vents in the rear to be in the open air. I will likely add a cage around this down the road for when we really are piling on the gear.

In this shot you can see the big payoff... maximizing the 60/40 split bench rear seat for a sleeping platform. This design allows almost the entire width of the rear 60% seat to become available for creating a platform to stretch out and sleep on. I picked up an ExPed Megamat 10 about a year ago and it is absolutely the most comfortable mattress I have slept on outside of my own home mattress. It's amazing, nothing else compares. This platform will allow me to sleep in the truck for when I am solo wheeling without the family.

And here's my view when the tailgate is up but the hatch is open. It will be almost level (within an inch or two below top of the tailgate. Should make loading gear (or groceries) easy.

 

[REZARF]

Next I had to cut the top, easy enough. I just ran it through the table saw up without going all the way through to the other end. This kept the strength of the one piece top and will help with keeping the drawers square.

I left the front edge of the top 1" longer for an overhang. With 3/4" drawer faces it should look nice.

I cut the overall front to back just a hair too long... so I ended up needing to angle the back edge to match the seats when they are upright. Prototype issues...

And lastly I decided I would flush mount my L-Track so that when I lay on it or put gear in the back it isn't always getting in the way. However, I really love this stuff for lashing things down so I am stoked to have it on the top of the platform for strapping down gear and cargo. Man, I haven't used my router in years... what a loud tool, I had to bust out the ear muffs for these two grooves.

That was it for today. Up next I need to:

• Located and drill the mounting holes, gonna use the seat bolts.
• Create and attach the side wings and front corner panels.
• Create the "extension" and french cleat to hold in it place.
• Create the drawer for the big side.