Build Dirt J "Dirt Cruiser" Build

[Dirt J]

Next project:

Marlin Crawler 70" DIY sliders! Hoped to have these before Cruisers on the Rock 3 at Windrock but waited to the last minute to order and they made it a few days after I got back.

Legs (3 each side):

Cool gussets:

Got these scab plates from Trail Gear:

 

[FamilyCamper]

Thanks for the paint write up!! I followed it and it went great. Now I need to buff it to get the shine to come out. Did you end up buffing yours in the end??

 

[TLCPNW]

How are you liking the underdrive gears (and the low)? Thanks for the detailed part list, part location pics, and walkthrough of the problems you encountered. Will be super helpful once I jump into this myself.

 

[Dirt J]

You are welcome! The tcase was a fun project. Access to a press and large pullers was key for me. Let me know if you have questions when you dive in on yours.

I'm really enjoying the underdrive together with the 2WD kit. It's turned driving the tank on the road into a much more pleasurable experience. I have a 50-mile roundtrip daily commute, pretty much all highway. Setting cruise at 70 has me actually running a bit high, IMO (~2800-2900 RPMs) -- excuse to size up to 34s-35s! Hardly ever downshift from OD. Towing my UTV to hunting camp is much more enjoyable too; no constant hunting for gears.

There was a slight radio frequency type whine on first test drive. It has lessened substantially over the last couple thousand miles. Still just perceptible if you listen for it but not distracting or an issue for me at all. My tires are much louder/annoying.

The low gear was amazing at COTR 3 at Windrock. Compared to others with stock gearing, I think I had more control on crawly areas.

 

[Land Shark]

2k primer going on. This stuff was very strong/chemical smell. The 2nd can that I used on the center portion was either bad, I didn't shake well, nozzle clogged, or something. It spit and spattered and ended up with a rough texture unlike the rest:
View attachment 3461760

Used some 1000 grit to get the primer smooth-ish. In hindsight I should have sanded down the bad/rough in the middle all the way out and resprayed.

Base going down. Safety 3rd:
View attachment 3461775
Finished product after few coats of 2k clear. Pretty pleased with it. Some splotchy spots but it is a glossy smooth finish, which is what I wanted. Matches good enough for me.
View attachment 3461782
View attachment 3461785

Looks great. Mine was as bad as yours but I had a shop do it for me.

 

[Dirt J]

Replaced the PCV valve today and associated hoses. Noticed oily dampness around valve a while back. Had been putting this off bc of the potential headache of dropping the valve seal into the valve cover. Fortunately everything cooperated and it wasn't much of a hassle.

My seal came out with with valve, and it boogered up the edge a bit.

 

[Dirt J]

Shiny new rubber. Old ones were hard as a rock.

 

[Dirt J]

New fan clutch and idler pulley today too.

Also did a pressure test of the cooling system. Had slight leak down at first but on 2nd attempt appeared to hold. Very slight drip from condenser drain and oil level and color is good. Also changed it today.

 

[Dirt J]

Bit the bullet and have a new OE steering rack on the way. She doesn't want to drive straight or return to center, and I'm getting the VSS light and beep fairly regularly. Not to mention is still weeping from the boots after a couple rounds of AT205.

Going to replace the engine mounts and transmission mount while I'm at it, and also the oil filter/cooler seals (Oil Filter Cooler Seals Fix Thread). I have some gunky build up there on the housing. Suspect some oil seepage and maybe coolant too. Could be my slow coolant loss culprit.

 

[Dirt J]

Truck started driving squirrelly after a hunting trip. Think I found the culprit:

This may be a new one for around here. Paging @cruiserpatch for damage assessment. I guess I overflexed it (??) -- not sure that's possible on our non-existent travel tbar setup.

Or maybe it just couldn't handle the washboard roads I was driving (too fast).

Planning to go back with another Toyota shock I suppose. Like the soft ride.

 

[cruiserpatch]

I've broken some Ironman4x4 Foam Cell Pro shocks before after bottoming out (compressed) really really hard.

I would begin to wonder the OE shocks might just not be able to keep up on washboards.

What PSI and tire size are you running?

 

[Dirt J]

I'm running Knox-approved 33s. 30ish psi.

 

[Dirt J]

The day AFTER the sale ends is when you find the leak

 

[Dirt J]

All aluminum CSF 7207 on the way from Jegs.

Learned of it here. Jegs priced matched from $595 retail to $450 from some online retailer.

 

[Dirt J]

I'm pretty sure this red splatter (dye + coolant?) wasn't on the thermostat housing the other night...

 

[Dirt J]

Figured out the red crust is dried coolant mixed with UV dye from the radiator leak. Pulled onto the front of the engine from the fine mist at temp via the fan.

 

[Dirt J]

Updating with some recent maintenance/repairs. Mileage 343k:

• Installed CSF 7207 all aluminum radiator and new OE fan shroud
• Replaced the five transmission cooler hoses and upper and lower radiator hoses
• Replaced the coolant reservoir connector hose and pickup hose
• Replaced thermostat with Aisin and new housing o-ring
• Replaced cracked bushings that hold the A/C condenser lines above radiator
• Drain/refilled fan clutch with 40(ish) mL of 15k CST fluid
• Replaced 9005/9006 low and high beam bulbs with 9011/9012 bulbs (requires trimming one tab)
• New oil pressure sensor (still reads the same!)

 

[Dirt J]

Replaced the parts store alternator in Spring 2025 with rebuilt Denso 130 amp (# 210-1099) for a late model 100. It never charged over 14 volts even with the diode mod. It had a 12 month warranty.

I watched the max output voltage slowly drop over time until now it stays around 13.1-13.0 once the engine is warm. This is below spec per the FSM and definitely not doing any favors to my AGM battery.

Since no new alternators are being made I narrowed my choices to:
- another reman Denso (12 mo. warranty. Obviously not a great experience on this last one)
- Toyota-sourced reman Denso (12 mo. warranty Allegedly rebuilt to a better extent that the non-Toyota but I'm skeptical)
- parts store alternator with lifetime warranty
- local rebuild

The first 3 were all similar priced so I decided to go with the NAPA Power Premium Plus (RAY 2139544) that has a lifetime warranty. My logic being that none of these will last more than a few years anyways, so I'll just swap it out at NAPA when needed.

I found interesting that the one I bought was rebuilt in 2017 (!) and included the printout from where it met testing specs after the rebuild.

 

[Dirt J]

Well, that NOS NAPA alternator appears to be failing. Voltage is still in low 13v range even with the fancy HKB voltage booster (upgraded from the GM diode thing). Since I didn't turn in my old Denso as a core, my current plan is to see if a local rebuilder will do that to the Denso, and I'll return the NAPA and keep as a trail spare. SMH.

Other updates:

• Drained the fan clutch of the 15k fluid and replaced with 8k. Temps have not gotten over 186 even with the 100+ days we've had.
• Tried to "fix" my pegged out oil pressure gauge, thinking it was a wiring issue. Nope: the gauge broke internally somehow after the sender replacement. It's going to stayed pegged out for a while!
• Installed SmartTap CF18 Flasher Relay so my LED blinkers won't hyper blink. They also do cool strobe effects for hazards.
• Installed a Powerwerx LF-1 noise filter to FINALLY get rid of the engine whine on my Midland MXT275.
• Replaced the two factory 4" woofers in the cargo area with a single 6.75" woofer (Kicker 48CWRT672 CompRT 6.75" Subwoofer, DVC, 2-ohm) using a DIY-ish conversion kit found on eBay. Powered it and the door speakers with a 1600W Kenwood KAC-835, in place of the factory amp. Attempted to reuse the factory mount for the amp but it ended up being too tall to fit under the seat.
• Replaced the RAM mounts in my A-pillar grab handles with some unitized RAM mounts from YotaForge3D which is operated by @UT08LX570. The rubber portion of the RAM brand mounts released from the bolts, I assume, due to heat. These mounts won't have that problem since they are one piece. Though branded for the 200, they also fit the 100s.
• Backflushed the line to my rear washer windex and air to get it back operational.

To-do list for parts I have on hand before COTR 6 in a few weeks:

• Install the LX470 door lock chime retrofit kit.
• Reinstall front wheel well liners (removed to work on front fender body damage).
• Have a welding day where I will burn in the @cruiserpatch front LCA reinforcement brackets and the @LJE rear LCA skids that I got at the Artisan Garage.
• Build my rear cargo drawers! Picked up the material yesterday. (I'm not sure why my brain thought that 5x5 panels would be easier to handle/load that 4x8 panels...?? Especially with a fullsize truck and multiple trailers at home.)