Builds DougCruiser build (2 Viewers)

[Ma son]

The next morning, I woke up in a different truck stop parking lot somewhere close to the Colorado/Kansas border. This is the sight I was welcomed with-

About 4 hours later, I was back in my driveway in Aurora, CO drooling over my newest addition

 

[Ma son]

The day I got home from the trip, I immediately started looking for a new set of rear springs. The rig had some 865 springs from the PO and I was worried that the rear end would sag with a full load of camping gear. Thankfully, I found a set of Ironman “heavy” springs brand new locally for $100! I quickly posted up on the FB group asking if anyone could help as installing these springs would be tough with one jack and a couple of really short jack stands. Luckily, the homie David @dsw1020 reached out and let me know he needed to install a set of springs after purchasing his own Valleytech bumper!

Fast forward a couple days, two happy Valleytech customers were united just outside Boulder at David’s family home. They have good taste in vehicles

David’s 6 ton jack stands and spare jack made the install much less sketchy. I hadn’t installed springs before so there was a bit of a learning curve. We found sucess removing the axle brake line mount, rear shocks, sway bar mount, and pushing down on one side while we jacked up the other, all while supporting the diff with a second jack. The new springs definitely helped with the added weight, but also gave a little bit more lift than I hoped for. At that point, it was something I was willing to deal with.
Big shout out to David for the help, couldnt have done without ya!
Success!

Dat @$$ tho

 

[Ma son]

Things were pretty quiet that winter, nothing failed (thankfully) so we mostly just enjoyed the rig. I did get some Wet Okole seat covers for Christmas, which I love in the winter. Theyre pretty hot in the summer, but it beats sitting on the cracked leather seats

Also got some cheap Hell spot lights off amazon ($150?) with amber protection covers which I love. Great visibility in snowy weather.

 

[Ma son]

The next big addition came in February of this year. SLIDERS!!

Garret from Valleytech hooked it up again, this time saving me a trip through Kansas. Initial impressions- these things are freaking HEAVY. Very well built. For $500 I really couldnt complain. So I got to work scuffing the surface, degreasing and spray painting them. Then time for install!

They have a nice kick out and upward angle to them, which I love. They also have 3 mounting points which was a must for me. Love the way they look!

 

[Ma son]

Less than a year after buying the Prinsu rack, I realized I hated it. Even without the rooftop tent on the vehicle it was extremely loud. It just felt flimsy. Plus, the stainless hardware they provided was junk. I sheared so many of the bolts used to connect the side panels to the extruded aluminum cross bars, I had to call them to get a set of replacement bolts.

The solution? Slicktop.

 

[Ma son]

Someone on FB was advertising a fella who would make an illustration for your rig around this time. I couldnt resist. Only requirement? Doug had to be included. The guys insta tag is @auto.nation.illustration

 

[Ma son]

After buying stuff from his part out for over a year, I finally got to meet up with @Hu1k . He needed to get his valve cover gaskets replaced and I was happy to help. The job went smooth, thankfully, and we actually found some other stuff that needed to be replaced in the near future. Youre welcome for helping you spend your money Nathan.

He has a great lookin cruiser, with a Raptor liner paint job, homemade platform/drawers/dog carrier setup, and TJM t17. Always good to meet another 100 owner, even better to wrench with one!

 

[Ma son]

With warm weather on the horizon, it was time to take things to the next level. As mentioned earlier, I had wanted a set of Wildpeaks since I had acquired the 100. I bounced back and forth between 285/70r17(33) and 285/75r17(34). @dsw1020 said I should get 35s(he was right). I knew the 33s would fit, but 34s probably would too, right? After shopping around for a month a decision was made. 34s it is.

The difference between 285/75r16 K02s and 285/75r17 Wildpeaks was about 1.5” in diameter, resulting in a 3/4” lift. Not bad!

top with the new tires, bottom with old

 

[GTV]

With warm weather on the horizon, it was time to take things to the next level. As mentioned earlier, I had wanted a set of Wildpeaks since I had acquired the 100. I bounced back and forth between 285/70r17(33) and 285/75r17(34). @dsw1020 said I should get 35s(he was right). I knew the 33s would fit, but 34s probably would too, right? After shopping around for a month a decision was made. 34s it is.
View attachment 3202336

The difference between 285/75r16 K02s and 285/75r17 Wildpeaks was about 1.5” in diameter, resulting in a 3/4” lift. Not bad!
View attachment 3202342
top with the new tires, bottom with oldView attachment 3202346

1/4" spacers? How much massaging did they take to fit?

 

[Ma son]

1/4" spacers? How much massaging did they take to fit?

Yup! 1/4 slip on spacers from Bora, just on the front. They didnt need any clearancing to fit for street driving. It rubbed a little on the washer fluid bottle, but only at full lock offroad. I never bothered to mess with that.

 

[Ma son]

1/4" spacers? How much massaging did they take to fit?

I should add, I used the domed center caps as well. I didnt want to run 1”+ spacers

 

[Hu1k]

After buying stuff from his part out for over a year, I finally got to meet up with @Hu1k . He needed to get his valve cover gaskets replaced and I was happy to help. The job went smooth, thankfully, and we actually found some other stuff that needed to be replaced in the near future. Youre welcome for helping you spend your money Nathan.
View attachment 3202304
He has a great lookin cruiser, with a Raptor liner paint job, homemade platform/drawers/dog carrier setup, and TJM t17. Always good to meet another 100 owner, even better to wrench with one!

Don’t forget the time you helped me when I was stranded in Cody Wyoming with a bad fuel pressure regulator

Always a pleasure wrenching with you. You’re hell of a mechanic.

 

[GreenLandCruiser]

Nice to see you started your build thread.
LC neighbors, haha

 

[Ma son]

Nice to see you started your build thread.
LC neighbors, haha

View attachment 3202848

The best kinda neighbors!

 

[Ma son]

Don’t forget the time you helped me when I was stranded in Cody Wyoming with a bad fuel pressure regulator

Always a pleasure wrenching with you. You’re hell of a mechanic.

 

[Somebodyelse5]

sub'd so i can harass you

 

[Ma son]

sub'd so i can harass you

lookin forward to it! Hahaha

 

[Ma son]

With the additional weight of the 34s and my OME shocks doing me no favors, I figured it was time to upgrade the bump stops. I’m lucky that Toytec is about 15 minutes from my house so I gave them a call and they have Timbren fronts in stock. ****ers weren’t cheap, but I’m very happy to have them. There have been a few times that they’ve probably saved my ass. They definitely do a good job assisting on really big bumps. Heres a comparison of Timbrens vs 22 y/o OEMs.

And installed:

I’m sure this gave up a little bit of up travel, but it was something I was willing to live with

 

[Ma son]

Went to get an alignment…

Saw this abomination

 

[Ma son]

Then I got the itch. All the trails in CO were still closed in late April. What to do? Where to go?

MOAB!

We found an open spot at a campground along the Colorado River just south of the Dewey bridge. Perfect.

Doug approved

Snuggly dougie