Cream Puff Build Thread

[TEQAdventure]

Got these in from Australia this week. Put them on yesterday. Ride is much improved and much less bouncy. Should have done these a year ago. Don’t wait on this mod if you have added weight to your rig and want to keep AHC.

 

[TEQAdventure]

Also working on a slider setup for my Dometic fridge. I can’t do a permanent drawer setup because I use all my seats a good bit. I picked up the Dometic slide and have been working on mounting it. I want to be able to quickly mount and remove it. I decided on drilling a few holes and adding nutserts. Drilled the holes and put the nutserts in. I mounted the slide to a 1/2” piece of MDF. Have to go back to the drawing board as the MDF is too soft to hold the weight of the slide and fridge. I used some #12 screws and they are pulling out of the MDF.

 

[TEQAdventure]

Update on my slide mount. Ended up using 3/4” sanded plywood. 3/4” is minimum thickness that will work to give the slide enough height to clear the tailgate. I painted the wood to match the carpet. I think it turned out ok and it works very well.

 

[TEQAdventure]

I also have become quite proficient at replacing these....

 

[TEQAdventure]

General update. Have gone on a few trips and really enjoyed the fridge slide and the new rear bumper.

 

[TEQAdventure]

When I took the entire family to NC in October it was clear we needed more room. The rig was packed to the gills even with the Thule box. So I started looking for M416 trailer. I don’t have time to take on a project, so I was looking for one that was setup well. I came across one near Atlanta that was exactly what I wanted. Looking forward to breaking in this setup,

 

[bozncsurf]

General update. Have gone on a few trips and really enjoyed the fridge slide and the new rear bumper.

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Bumper does look really good. What’s the little thing on the opposite corner of the swingout (kinda where another spindle would be)? A light? Back up camera?

Sweet trailer!

That is some serious bike hauling. Looks like you & the fam are enjoying the LX.

 

[TEQAdventure]

Bumper does look really good. What’s the little thing on the opposite corner of the swingout (kinda where another spindle would be)? A light? Back up camera?

Sweet trailer!

That is some serious bike hauling. Looks like you & the fam are enjoying the LX.

That is a Rigid Ignite backup light. It’s ok but will probably switch to a Diffused Dually for more light output.

 

[bozncsurf]

That is a Rigid Ignite backup light. It’s ok but will probably switch to a Diffused Dually for more light output.

Wow. Really tiny.

I have the PFRAN reverse lights which have helped but would still like to increase my visibility. Looked at some 3.25” traveler led cubes today (tractor supply brand) but something tells me you get what you pay for.

Enjoyed reading about your build. Now following.

 

[TEQAdventure]

Wow. Really tiny.

I have the PFRAN reverse lights which have helped but would still like to increase my visibility. Looked at some 3.25” traveler led cubes today (tractor supply brand) but something tells me you get what you pay for.

Enjoyed reading about your build. Now following.

I have the PFran lights also but a good bit of their light is blocked by the spare tire. The Ignite light is good I will probably retain it as a aux light to help with campsite setup at night.

 

[TEQAdventure]

I noticed a while back that my rear suspension bushings were in bad shape. I ordered some SPC Lower Control Arms from Slee and some OEM Upper Arms. The rear bushings were not terrible but the uppers were totally shot and should of been changed long ago.

 

[TEQAdventure]

Next up was the winch which I have been putting off. I found a great deal at 4WD Hardware on Black Friday. I got a Warn VR-8 for a great price. It is probably a little light for the Cream Puff, but I will not use it much and I have a snatch block. Ordered up a 3/8” winch rope and an offset fairlead from Slee. Trying out this safety thimble from Smittybilt. The Factor55 stuff was way too rich for me. Lol. Only thing left to do is spool the rope on. I will say this feet forward install is a PITA and relocating the control box took the longest time by far.

 

[TEQAdventure]

Got the winch spooled with rope. Also finally put the rubber bumpers on my ARB bumper. Turned out great. The Warn VR line is a lot of bang for the buck.

 

[Rolocado]

I noticed a while back that my rear suspension bushings were in bad shape. I ordered some SPC Lower Control Arms from Slee and some OEM Upper Arms. The rear bushings were not terrible but the uppers were totally shot and should of been changed long ago.


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Does the truck feel better with them replaced? Looking to do this as well. How come SPC for lowers?

 

[TEQAdventure]

Does the truck feel better with them replaced? Looking to do this as well. How come SPC for lowers?

I called Slee and asked what they recommended. They said SPC.

Truck driver better for sure. Also No driveline thud when going from R to D.

 

[TEQAdventure]

Been a while since I updated this. I haven’t really done much to the LX lately, except roll over 200k miles! Just general maintenance mostly and camping trips with new trailer setup. Replaced starter, timing belt, and recently had low Freon issue with AC. Recharged the AC but it is most likely the Evaporator.

My two oldest boys and I head out west next Friday. St. George, Utah and then several stops through Colorado (Durango, Ouray, Gunnison and Salida). We are all looking forward to it!

Some pics from recent trips and shots of the LX only garage!

 

[TEQAdventure]

Two week road trip with my two oldest boys was a blast. Put 5,400 miles on the rig with no issues at all. Did not get to do as much off
-roading as I planned due to the massive snowfalls in Colorado. Did drive out to the Grand Canyon via Tuweep and did Yankee Boy Basin out of Ouray.

 

[TEQAdventure]

Minor maintenance this weekend. Got a box of Toyota parts. Replaced wipers and gas cap with new OEM parts. Have a few sway bar bushings to replace also. Took the opportunity to paint my wiper arms as they are badly faded. Also broke out the heat gun to the trim under the wipers. Looks way better!

 

[nukegoat]

What are the chances you could get that thing up sledgehammer?

 

[Wesley Crusher]

Got these in from Australia this week. Put them on yesterday. Ride is much improved and much less bouncy. Should have done these a year ago. Don’t wait on this mod if you have added weight to your rig and want to keep AHC.

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How have your springs been holding up? Have you done anything else to help with the added weight? I Recently added some armor to my LX and I am thinking about upgrading the rear springs and the front torsion bars with the non-AHC version.