Build Build thread: The Bruis3r

[Beanzermin]

Anything special to note on installing the ASAP flaps with the ARB rear?

Nothing at all! They bolt right on with no modifications or anything to figure out. Super simple! Congrats on the ASAP flaps! I love mine!

 

[Beanzermin]

COVID sucks! I haven’t got it! Thankfully! But between friends getting it, Being exposed 6 times and having to quarantine myself, and the amount of places closed or over crowded I just can’t seem to get out. Been on a trail 1 time in the last couple months. Went up to Utah to do some fishing this summer (one time! Pathetic!).
Decided to buy a new daily as my 1981 VW Rabbit has been in the repair shop for 6 months and my poor Land Cruiser has been the daily driver. I was building shelves in my garage and putting 2x4’s and plywood in the Land Cruiser pushed me over the edge. I needed a pick up. I love the 80’s Toyotas. But don’t love the prices being asked for them. Not a big fan of the 90’s pickups. A 1st gen Taco would’ve been nice. But a little more money than I wanted to spend. So I decided to get a Nissan Hardbody. Found this 1986 Nissan D21 King Cab 4x4 for $1,700! Score! She’s got some character. But it’s a daily! It’s nice not having to worry about door dings or rolling the windows up when I get out of it!

 

[Beanzermin]

Now that I’m not driving my land cruiser every day, I’ve noticed I have a problem. Something in my electrical system is draining my battery.
I loaded up the Land Cruiser to head back to Utah for a 2nd weekend of fishing. Fridge is running to keep food and drinks cold while I’m at work. It’s a nice sunny day and normally my 100w Overland Solar panel is enough to keep it working. I walk into work and am told one of our employees has tested positive. Great... this employee is my right hand man. I can’t put my family in Salt Lake at risk. So I cancel the trip. After work I come out and apparently it’s still too hot for the fridge to work properly. The fridge ran all day trying to stay cool in the 100 degree heat, inside my LC, and ended up tripping the low voltage safety Setting on my house battery. Not a big deal because I’m not gonna be going on the trip anyways. I go home & park the LC for the weekend. Sunday morning I get a text. The starter battery is low voltage. I drive the LC around on Sunday for about an hour and park it. Monday I get a low voltage. Tuesday I get Low Voltage. I decided not to mess with it this week and I’ll pull the battery over the upcoming weekend. Throw it on the charger this weekend and it’s reading 4 volts... this isn’t good. I could’ve just ruined this Odyssey Extreme battery. I’ve had it on the charger for a couple days now. Gonna toss it back in tomorrow. Talked to my electrician and he says the Viper alarm Smart Start module is what he thinks is causing the issue. He’s seen them go bad and cause the same issue. It’s constantly linked to GPS and reading voltage. Gonna dig into my dash and disconnect that see if it works. If that is the case, they now offer an RV or specialty vehicle module for vehicles that don’t get much use. I’ll report back on my findings.
Got a camping trip planned this weekend! Looking forward to unwinding at least for a weekend! Due to all the fires on the west coast, Nevada is not allowing camp fires. So I’m gonna have to try a buddies propane firepit and see if that’s any good. While camping most of my night is spent staring into the fire. It’s the only time I have to completely let my mind turn to mush.

 

[Beanzermin]

Finally got around to installing the fire extinguisher mounts I’ve had for a long time from Wits End. My external speaker for my ham radio was previously mounted under my passenger seat. Tried to keep it clean looking and mounted it there but I just couldn’t hear it. So I decided to mount it to the passenger extinguisher mount. Not as good aesthetically but now it’s functioning beautifully! Since my iPad, which used to be mounted to a ram mount utilizing the seat bolts, was removed I decided to mount it to the panavise mount on the dash. My old Delorme inReach wasn’t holding a charge anymore anyways. So removed it and mounted a ram ball. The iPad is a little more flimsy on the panavise mount. Might see about getting a 67 designs mount and replacing the ram. See if it helps.

 

[D21FJ60]

That's the perfect iteration of the d21- do you have the z24 or vg30 in it?

 

[Beanzermin]

That's the perfect iteration of the d21- do you have the z24 or vg30 in it?

It’s got the Z24 in it. I originally thought they all came with the KA24 like in the Nissan 240SX. Found out that was in the later models. Odd motor! When I first bought it I was doing some maintenance and purchased 4 spark plugs. I swapped out the 4 on the driver side and noticed there was 8 spark plug wires coming off the distributor. Followed a wire to the passenger side of the head and found another 4 spark plugs under the intake

 

[D21FJ60]

heh- i had an 86.5 but in 2wd. Fun truck, sold it over a decade ago, wish i hadn't. that z24 was fun, and if i didn't do the oil every 3000-3500 miles you'd know it

 

[Beanzermin]

So this last month I have been chasing a no charge issue. I replaced my Odyssey extreme battery. About a week later I notice it’s low on voltage again. I go to remove the battery to charge it and find the OEM negative terminal cannot get tight enough on the post. So I replace the battery terminal with a military type terminal. Another week goes by and I find again low battery voltage. So I go to remove the battery and find the positive terminal has a crack in it. Might be enough to cause resistance... so I replace that terminal. Another week goes by and again low battery voltage. Then I caught Covid. So I ordered a rebuilt alternator from Toyota. Guessing my ‘99 had an 80 amp in it. So I ordered a 100amp. Thought about the 130amp but didn’t want to have to fight with the connector. I was hoping the alternator would show up during my Covid quarantine so I had something to do. Of course not. It shows up the day I go back to work. After my 2nd day back at work, the battery light finally comes on. Now I know for sure it’s the alternator. This whole time that little light has never shown it’s ugly face! So I take the land cruiser down to my service advisor buddy at Lexus and have them do it. Of course what’s brittle and decides to fall apart during install? The connector... I should’ve just ordered the 130amp and new connector to start off with. The dealership had a connector for the 100amp in stock and slapped it on along with a new serpentine belt that I had provided. The dealership told me my rear brake pads were at 30%. I decided that would be good enough for this weekend trip I was about to go on and I could order a set of powerstop brake pads when I get back to town. I get my truck back from the dealer on Wednesday. I wanted to change up my iPad mount. The Ram mount X-Grip wasn’t holding my iPad very well on trails. It kept wanting to slide down and needed adjustment more than I liked. Also I wanted to mount my InReach mini so I ordered a mount for that as well. Mounted them both on my panavise mount. Saturday I take off for the North rim of the Grand Canyon for Labor Day. Sunday night I start to feel some grinding. Guess those rear pads were a lot lower than we thought. I still had to make the 200 mile trip back to Las Vegas... got back home Monday and the rotors were shot. So Tuesday rear brake pads, rotors, and caliper hardware were installed.

 

[Beanzermin]

I’ve had this jingling coming from the rear end as well. Got under the truck and started smacking things with a dead blow. Found out my sway bar end link was loose. It had been loose so long it chewed up the threads to where I couldn’t tighten the upper bolt anymore. So I ordered the trail tailor extended sway bar end links. Got them in today and installed them after work! Nice to have silence again! I also noticed a couple of the bolts for my Slee skids are loose. The Rivnuts have let go and will need to be replaced. But that’ll be a project for the weekend.

 

[Beanzermin]

Master window switch has been giving me issues lately. Finally it just stopped working. So I ordered a cheapo EBay one and decided I would use the parts from that to fix whatever was wrong with my OEM. So after dissecting my OEM I see the black cover on top had broken into pieces. So I pulled the chineseium one apart removed the cover and put it all back together with the rubber boots, light reflector for the auto switch illumination, OEM switch buttons and the OEM board. Voila! I now have a functioning window switch! No more having to open my door when I hit the Del Taco Drive through.

 

[Beanzermin]

So my tires are starting to wear very funny in the front. The inner tread is wearing out very fast. Thinking either toe is off or I’m starting to get some negative camber. I’ve had a clunk in the front that I found to be ball joints. So I decided to replace the entire front suspension. The only part that has ever been replaced with upgraded parts, was the torsion bars. Trying to find a set of tires right now is impossible. I get ahold of Toyo and tell them I need a replacement set. They tell me they are only available in Georgia and I would need to have them shipped. I get ahold of Discount tire here in Vegas. They only have access to 1 of my tires. Not a full set. So I have them order it. The spare tire I forgot to rotate in and is pretty much brand new. Other then being 2 years old. I’ll mount the new tires in the rear, move the rear tires to the front, & keep the better of the 2 balding front tires as a spare until I can source a few more tires. I ordered SPC upper control arms, Mevotech Lower control arms, OME lower control arm reinforcement bracket, OEM rubber bushings for the frame side lower control arm mounts, Trail Tailor extended front sway bar end links, and finally installed the god awful looking chrome Tough Dog panhard bar. It’s been laying in my garage for at least 2 years. I never installed it because of the silver zinc coating. When I ordered it it showed a gray powdercoat finish which would’ve been ok. If you’re gonna use a zinc coating, Yellow Zinc is always the correct answer… I’ll probably plastidip this so I don’t have to look at it. Of a course a full alignment was done after this. The front end feels so good now. Nice and tight. Didn’t realize how sloppy it actually was.

 

[Beanzermin]

Also I noticed the exhaust was leaking, so I tightened every band in the exhaust system. Hood hasn’t been staying up, so ran to O’Reillys and bought new struts. Ordered front wheel bearing kits from Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters, OEM front sway bar bushings, might be time to do CV’s too. They are looking a little beat.

 

[Beanzermin]

Installed the Ohana Rig Supply center console Molle. Took me a week to decide if I was gonna paint to match the interior or not. It was so easy to install I might still do it. Had to modify it a little to accommodate the power supply I put in the center console to run the iPad. Mounted an Alien Gear holster & 5.11 mag pouch to the driver side and a 5.11 bag to the passenger side. Great place for passengers to store cheezits, chargers, and sunglasses. I may move the iPad down lower on the panavise mount and move the Garmin InReach to the top support bar of the ORS console.

 

[Beanzermin]

Greyman Tactical released a headrest mount. It used to be hung with a strap tied to the top of the panel and up and around the headrest posts. As you can see after 5 years of hanging the straps have crushed the top foam of my seats. Also with the straps the panels are a little more flimsy when they have a rifle mounted to them. These headrest brackets have really tightened things up. No more slop and a much cleaner look.

 

[AustinJoe]

The original CB I got was way to big to put anywhere. So I got the small handheld version from Cobra, the 18 WX ST II. I hung it from a Slee Off Road CB Mic holder and Switch panel.
Cobra dashcam and radar detector hard wired into the truck.
Greyman Tactical Molle seat back panels outfitted and installed
Lloyd Mats are in. You can see the speaker grilles in this picture. I thought the fabric was gross and outdated. So I peeled the fabric off. To my surprise there was a much nicer pattern underneath. So I painted the plastics to match the door panels using the SEM Color Coat.

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Do you happen to recall exactly which SEM Color Coat you used for the speaker covers? I need to do this same job and I have the same color interior. Much Appreciated!

 

[Beanzermin]

Do you happen to recall exactly which SEM Color Coat you used for the speaker covers? I need to do this same job and I have the same color interior. Much Appreciated!

I used SEM Color Coat part number 15853. It came up as a Toyota ivory

 

[AustinJoe]

I used SEM Color Coat part number 15853. It came up as a Toyota ivory

Very much appreciated! Ordering today!

 

[Beanzermin]

Old hood squirters weren’t spraying too good. Tried soaking them in CLR and didn’t help out too much. Replaced both hood squirters with OEM.

Center console butterfly broke. Replaced that as well.

AC control knobs we’re starting to show some wear. Replaced those as well.

 

[Kabanstva]

Greyman Tactical released a headrest mount. It used to be hung with a strap tied to the top of the panel and up and around the headrest posts. As you can see after 5 years of hanging the straps have crushed the top foam of my seats. Also with the straps the panels are a little more flimsy when they have a rifle mounted to them. These headrest brackets have really tightened things up. No more slop and a much cleaner look.

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Who makes that zippered pouch attachment on your headrest? I know it’s not greyman. Thanks man

 

[Beanzermin]

Who makes that zippered pouch attachment on your headrest? I know it’s not greyman. Thanks man

Blue Ridge Overland Gear makes the velcro head rest panels. They also make the pouches.

Headrest Panel - 8" wide loop

Headrest Panel - 8in wide loop perfect for you hook and loop head first aid pouch

www.blueridgeoverlandgear.com

Solid Front Velcro Pouch Medium - 4 x 8 x 1" | Black

Solid Front Velcro Pouch Medium - 4 x 8 x 1" | Black

www.blueridgeoverlandgear.com