Builds GCRad1's 1992 ADV80 LAND CRUISER (1 Viewer)

[GCRad1]

Trip Preparation

Its that time again to rotate the tires as I am going on a little road trip for the week!

This is my 5-Tire rotation chart for extracting as many miles as possible and taking the best care possible of the Falken Wild Peaks that are currently in service.

I originally had this on a little piece of paper that was floating around in the rig and finally figured I would put it in the top of my tool box so it would be there every time I needed to reference it. Its the simple things in life...

Getting busy doing the 5-tire rotation in the driveway as the rain falls on Southern California. Its drastically overdue rain! But a road trip is a road trip and thrash-prep is in order today, even in the rain!!!!

I finally got some new tail lights as this one was broken like this when I bought the truck a few years again...

I may as well..

change the other side too as it recently tool on some small damage... I'm going for clean points! hehehe

And I finally broke down and pull the trigger... and popped up a RTT as TJM was having a BLOW OUT SALE! I took advantage but the timing was not the best to be spending all this money right now, but you can never plan these things...

Especially when I just pulled triggers on a light and winch!!!! Now these are items that I really wanted!!!

So yea, Friday after work [Noon] was a massive thrash-prep as I would be leaving in the morning for this trip.

 

[GCRad1]

FrontRunner Slimline II ADV80

Im sure some of you will wonder as to the RTT on the roof rack, I changed it all up and with like this:

This is the FrontRunner Slimeline II Roof Rack system. Yes, it's Gucci - yes its worth it - yes its awesome and yes, I will come back and show you more in detail, but for this week my thread is going to go trip orientated and a I will come back and give your all the specs and tech and full thoughts on the rack as this is my new centerpiece of equipment. In the mean time you can trot over to FrontRunners page and check it out at the bottom of the page - look for the L/CRUISER 80 SLIMLINE 2138MM X 1345MM: http://www.frontrunner.co.za/roof-racks/slimline-roof-rack-kits.html

OK, on with the trip!!!

 

[GCRad1]

ADV80 Trip in progress

The trip begins at ODO: 000.0 AREA-BFE of BUST! Please ADV80 be good to me I beg of the TLC Gods for I have thrashed together hastefully this trip of search of adventure.

While the TLC gods are looking on, the heavan's open up on Southern California! AND WE NEED IT!!! I'm totally OK with it, it can get it all out of its system here and make for clear sky at my destination. I swing by Glendale to pick my buddy Zach of MOTUS up and we are off to rendezvous with Matt of 5.11.

Thick fog covers the Cajon Pass as we slice our way out of basin.

Fellow Toyota enthusiast makes his way through Victorville.

Yes, this ZZYXZ Road is a real exit! For those of you not familiar with exits along the 15FWY from Southern California to Las Vegas, here is a wiki link to ZZYXZ Road: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zzyzx,_California

We stopped in Las Vegas for lunch at Jerry's Famous Coffee Shop. Its on the deep East side of Vegas, its not glamours but the food was great!

Brake check in Vegas as I heard some weird mystery noises I've never heard from the ADV80. Check for wheel bearing movement and all that. I think its brake pads so I picked up a set and will possibly change once we get there. errrrrrr.....

Hello Arizona! Just passing through your corner...

A very scenic pass just after St. George, Utah.

We stop in Cedar City, Utah for the night and grab dinner at Dickey's Barbecue Pit.

Talking over dinner, seems as though we will be taking in some extra routes for sight seeing in route to Moab. I've been to Moab a few times, but I've never been to the areas discussed, so it will be all new for me.

Lets see where they take me! I'm driving, but I am seriously along for the ride this weekend. Next week I will be in DO WORK MODE, just in epic land. But, hey, I should not get ahead of myself and just enjoy the weekend!

 

[WarWagon]

Love that rack system....looks like an awesome trip!

 

[KS-Ryan]

We are doing the same trip starting Friday. Just love Moab.

As for your grinding, is it doing it all the time or just when you brake? I had a similar problem when breaking and found that the lower caliper bolt had come out on the right front wheel!

 

[GCRad1]

Hey CTRJ,

It only does it randomly... Only did it twice today...

Have a great trip! We will be here in Moab for the week and heading back home on Friday! Safe Travels and will be looking for you on the other side as we head home on Friday/Sat.

We are doing the same trip starting Friday. Just love Moab.

As for your grinding, is it doing it all the time or just when you brake? I had a similar problem when breaking and found that the lower caliper bolt had come out on the right front wheel!

 

[GCRad1]

Too tired to post photos tonight!

We did Bryce, Kodachrome Basin, Escalante, Grand Staircase, snow recovery and winching at a 9600' summit, Capitol Reef, Indian petroglyphs, Goblin Valley, and on into Moab - one incredible day! The 3FE 80-Series did AWESOME today!!!

Stay tuned to: Instagram.com/motusworld & Instagram.com/gcrad1 for some images but I will bring the full-report back here!

 

[alltel05]

What a great thread. So many awesome ideas, I just don't know where to start. I will check your progress many much more times.

 

[musthave]

Wow, awesome thread, only read the last few pages, but am subsribed now. Great pictures too.

 

[WarWagon]

This is my go to for ideas and maint for my 3FE.

 

[devildogcruiser25]

Hey bro, I started following you on insta right before your trip. Looks like you had a great time! I'm headed to Moab in May if you are ready for round two!

Jon

 

[GCRad1]

Hello CTRJ,

Was that you I saw in route to Moab in a Burgundy 80-Series? Hope you had a great trip!

We are doing the same trip starting Friday. Just love Moab.

As for your grinding, is it doing it all the time or just when you brake? I had a similar problem when breaking and found that the lower caliper bolt had come out on the right front wheel!

 

[KS-Ryan]

It was! I figured we'd miss each other during the night before. We had a great trip thanks (and my son had a blast running my SCX-10 on the slick rock)!

Hello CTRJ,

Was that you I saw in route to Moab in a Burgundy 80-Series? Hope you had a great trip!

 

[GCRad1]

Thank yous!!!!

Hello alltel05, thanks for the comments and just start it it will take you their!

Hello musthave, Thanks for checking out my images and subscribe!

Hello jeeperatt1, glad to be of 3FE-help to you!!!

Hello devildogcruiser25, thanks for checking me out on Instagram!

For anyone else interested, my insta'page: https://instagram.com/gcrad1

Hey bro, I started following you on insta right before your trip. Looks like you had a great time! I'm headed to Moab in May if you are ready for round two!

Jon

 

[GCRad1]

Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack Installation

My ADV80 has been in transitional development since the day I bought it in stock form in 2008.

Choosing a roof rack can be both simple and difficult depending on how much thought you put into it. For some it is a simple matter of need at the cheapest price. For some, it can be an item of overland bling that will only carry the dust that lays on its cross rails from the home to office. And everything in between is a wide open plethora of options, ideas and brands.

I was the guy who just needed a roof rack to do my desired task of carrying load on the roof be it for work or weekend outings. I was also on a more reserved budget at the time, yes I was looking for CHEAP but sturdy! I purchased my first roof rack in 2010 and while it is an all steel construction model it has served me well. But over time I would discover it came with limitations and sacrifice. My biggest recent discovery of limitations is the fact that adding a roof top tent (RTT) was going to require making homemade "skyscraper" mounts to clear side rails of the roof rack. Note, if you purchase a fold-out RTT, it has to sit above the side rails in order to fold out over the side of your roof rack. Something that I did not consider on the previous roof rack at that time as I was not in the market for a RTT. The other limitation of my original roof rack was that if I did make use of home-made skyscraper mounts for the RTT there would be very minimal space left on the rack for other items associated with a camping trip, such as boxes, fuel/water cans, etc. Also, the steel made roof rack could use a diet as I would be adding the weight of the RTT, thus I was looking for something lighter and strong. Even if I was not adding an RTT, my original roof rack just did not give me the full length coverage I wished for. So the research began! You know the story, we have way more time than money, thus many nights are spent on-line researching while your wifey is watching her favorite TV programs.

Research for myself usually starts with looking at all the advertisers supporting this forum and spelunking the different build threads to see what others are doing. Lots of "window shopping!" Then I will usually open several tabs of different companies and start with their history or “About” so I can see who they are and what they are all about. I want to know first and foremost if they are enthusiast or if they are simply in it to make a buck. Also if I am able to make it out to events, this is a great way the meet the people behind the label and see the product first hand as this is usually the next item after you do all your research, you want to see the product in person. I had that opportunity during the my visit to the Overland Expo in 2012.
You can see lots of rigs and all the happenings of Overland EXPO on my Flickr Set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodneywills/sets/72157629883908392/with/7264785328/

Lets openly admit, there is just something cool about roof racks. When you see a rig adorned with a full roof rack, it has safari-ready adventure cache even if the driver has no idea what he is driving down Rodeo Drive. Roof racks have a mystique to them and upon spotting that full equipped rig slips you into an adventure daydream. The Overland Expo was an open air showcase of all things roof racks! I was able to see it all from the used and abused to the latest offerings.

Personally, the INTI roof racks most resemble what we have all seen on the Camel Trophy Land Rovers and with that I guess it is easy to say these vehicles and their roof racks have been the pinnacle of dreams to either own or use as reference to build around no matter the actual vehicle we drive. While I do not know the whole history on the INTI racks and doubt they were used on actual Camel Trophy rigs due to their country of origin. While I did see a few INTI’s on some exotic rigs, the real issue is finding readily available INTI racks here in the USA. Just try and find one available for purchase, these racks are imported from Venezuela yet not on a regular established basis. Rare, scarce and expensive was enough to scare me off.



Also at Overland EXPO I saw a few Front Runner racks and they also had a booth at the show where I was able to speak with them.

Front Runner display at Overland EXPO 2012

First impressions are always important and I remember Front Runner staff being very willing to talk with me and show me their product line even though I was not ready to buy anything at the moment. Most importantly, while they are from South Africa, they have an office in Burbank, California. That is crucial when you start thinking about shipping, service and getting more accessory items down the road. As time past and I got closer to actually making a purchase decision I started poking around on their site and found they are actual enthusiast and all the specifications for the rack stacked up in their favor. Thus it was easy for me to make my decision to go with Front Runner as their Slimline II roof rack met the specifications I was looking for with more roof rack load area that covered the entire roof of my rig. I want it to be RTT capable with less weight than my current steel frame roof rack. As I drive an 80-Series, Front Runner makes a rack kit to my rigs specifications and needs!

So lets begin the build process as I will be putting this rack into service use right away with a trip to Moab, Utah from Southern California.

Just from the point of delivery, the Front Runner packaging is clean and elegant looking from the outside. Could this elude to the interior contents?

I get the Front Runner box into my garage to start the contents inspection process. My 5.11 Tactical Alpha Scout Folder does the job of carefully cutting the heavy duty paper-banding strips.

From the moment you open the Front Runner box you immediately notice how organized and well protected the contents are. This is a true sign the company cares about its products!

All 80-Series fans will have to sit down for a moment and admire this computer generated document and all the cool accessories Front Runner offers.

There is a considerable amount of documents and instructions. Some of you may forego the instructions, but keep them handy, you will be coming back for these for the finer details. The instructions too are another sign that Front Runner has gone to extensive lengths to make sure everything is covered.

I like to get everything out of the individual boxes and start laying things out to see what I will be working with. You can see the individual bags as EVERYTHING is ORGANIZED!

My dog looks on as to say, are we done yet?

Quality workmanship exudes from the Front Runner side clamps.

Lay out and organize the roof mount claps. There are two sizes for the 80-Series. The longer ones go on the front of the rack as the front cab slopes down toward the windscreen.

All of the Front Runner hardware is individually bagged. This is the hardware for the side rails, note the extension slugs.

This may give you a better idea of what the slugs are for as we will be connecting two channel sections for the full length of the Front Runner roof rack.

Once we have the two sides put together, we side in the cross beams. Everything about this rack is modular and bolts together but all of the nuts are nylocks to relive that worry. All of these bolts are actually on the underside of the rack. Now we are ready for the end plates.

The end plate corner intersections can be a little tricky when sorting orientation upside-down - right side up, but with patience and referencing the instructions its rather easy. This is from the bottom of the rack. Familiarity and patience comes ease. Its one of those deals that you just do not want to be in a rush! Don't try to install this rack 30-minutes before you leave on a trip. Enjoy the craftsmanship!

Now you can flip your roof rack over right side up.

These are the corner caps and it is important to note that you will be taking these off when you add Front Runner accessories to you Slimline II roof rack. I did bore the hole out a little bit as it was very snug and if I will be removing these later, I didn't want too much stress on the bolt. A side note here as you can see more of the racks rails, you will note the deep channels in the aluminum rails, these channels hold the locking nylock nuts. Also notice the cross beams also have a slot in them. Because of the unique T-slot mounting system, “basket style” side rails are not necessary for securing gear. I will come back and show you more on that later.

 

[GCRad1]

Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack Installation

Corner piece installed.

With the corner pieces installed I flip the rack back over - under side up so we can install the legs. You can see the sturdiness of the rack with its load support slats and double walled aluminum extrusion channel side profiles. This patented design creates a joint support that is stronger than usual for a roof racks and the L-shaped rear and front slat design increases the strength of the entire rack, making the Slimline II the lightest and the strongest roof rack available.

Part of what makes this rack so cool is the slots in which the bolts slide into and are infinitely adjustable.

The final bit of installation is the wind deflector, again tidy packaging.

Now the rack is complete and ready to install. Unlike most roof racks, the Slimline II was designed and built specifically for off-road use. Manufactured with high density aluminum and rated to carry up to 660 lbs. Yet the aluminum design is on average 30% lighter than steel making the best strength to weight ratio of any roof rack at 1/3rd less the weight of a traditional steal roof rack.

 

[GCRad1]

Front Runner Slimline II Roof Rack Installation

I get the rack onto the roof and start getting everything fine tuned minus the clamp bolts as it is easier to set the main portion of the clamp onto the pinch mold with out them.

Another cool feature of these clamps are the small set screws that are limiting bolts to keep the clamp bolts from slipping over the edge of the pinch mold, but with them backed all the way out, it is also easy to get them into the clamps when they are are ready sitting on the roof. For those who has messed with roof rack pinch mold style clamps knows this is a bit tricky when you are trying to install them, so you will appreciate these more than someone who has not fiddled with roof clamps.

Now we have the Front Runner Slimline II roof rack fully installed and ready to add accessories!
Its almost a shame to add anything as it is so clean, simple and even elegant looking.

 

[FloridaFJ80]

Do you have pictures of how you connected the sPOD switches in the cab???? I like the setup very practical when adding external lights etc. .Didnt know it existed.

Subscribed

 

[GCRad1]

Hello FloridaFJ80!

Thanks for asking, more like THANKS FOR REMINDING ME!!! It's been really busy of late... always!

I will get right on this post!

Do you have pictures of how you connected the sPOD switches in the cab???? I like the setup very practical when adding external lights etc. .Didnt know it existed.

Subscribed

 

[GCRad1]

How to make my sPod oh-so-functional! Hook the switches up!
While hooking up the brain of the sPod system was easy the switches is just ONE PLUG to plug in SIX SWITCHES!!!
This is going to be EASY-PEEZEE!!!

I started with some cardboard for a template and to test fit into my rig. If I like it I can make a pattern from it.

Plus I am in a major rush as I was about to leave for King of the Hammers and just wanted to get the lights working. So this little switch box would allow me to get the switches in quickly. I cut the hole on the passenger side and run the ONE CONNECTOR through as this is the side my sPod brain is wired through on the firewall. (scroll to the top of this page for the sPod installation if you missed that part).

The switch box is upside down here as I was looking at how the switches would look flipped.
Ergonomically they work better the other way around...

And then when trying to place my switch box on center console I then saw the need to wedge it to fit it closer in line with the dash, so I had to make some adjustments on the fly!

So it would temporarily fit like this. And it is still currently mounted as such as time is still on backorder for super-duper custom mounting!