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Went back into shop briefly today to put the truck back on a lift and tweak some settings on the MRAs. Lift isn't needed, but it's easier that way.

Right now, I'm at LSC 8, HSC 5, Rebound 12-13 at the front, which is halfway between the light load and heavy load recommendations. I'm at LSC 6, HSC 8, Rebound 10 at the rear, which are the heavy load recommendations. But things just got installed, so I have a lot of driving and testing to do to fine tune everything.

At high speed on the road, I feel pretty perfect. At lower speed and offroad, I need more experience. But again: automatic, massive improvement over stock.

One thing I like about the MRAs is that it's easy to turn the compression adjustment knobs, and you get solid clicks so you know where you're at. This is especially so on the rear (fronts are harder to reach, at least on my install). Since my front load will be static and my rear will be subject to large fluctuations, this is a great feature for me.

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DAY 3 EDIT: While awesome at high speeds on the road, including over bad pavement, these settings are too rough at low speeds, so I'm going to work on dialing back the settings.
 
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Well, today I completed construction of a cord with two female ends and a GFCI unit in the middle to turn the power inlet into an outlet. Of course, at the power station side, I also replaced the female connector on the inlet cord with a male connector.
I’m digging this outdoor plug.
I backfed my entire house last week with my portable generator and a “suicide cable”. looks like this is the same concept:
You cut the female end off the noco and added another male end that can plug into the power bank?
If a little kid opens the noco cover, those prongs are always hot?

i’m thinking of maybe installing that gfci in-line inside the rig before it hits the inverter, and maybe even using that (or another switch) to control the outside outlet.
 
I’m digging this outdoor plug.
I backfed my entire house last week with my portable generator and a “suicide cable”. looks like this is the same concept:
You cut the female end off the noco and added another male end that can plug into the power bank?
If a little kid opens the noco cover, those prongs are always hot?

i’m thinking of maybe installing that gfci in-line inside the rig before it hits the inverter, and maybe even using that (or another switch) to control the outside outlet.

Yes, that's what I did. But I don't keep it connected. It's just there for the times I will need it, when there's something specific I want to power outside the vehicle. It's a bit of a process--takes a couple minutes to drag out the GFCI cable and connect the cable at the other end--so it's unlikely to become a forgotten hazard.

I also use it as an inlet to charge the Yeti sometimes.
 
545 in the rear and 542 in the front.

Again, while the initial result is massively improved over stock, I'm still working on dialing in--and still getting experience with different loads in the back. It will be several months before I have good data.
 
Not sure how I missed the new pic, but that is a Proper Bruiser! Transformation for sure!

Glad to hear this is working out and meeting your expectations. I do believe that full fat tires are underrepresented on the boards, which is too bad, because I strongly believe in their advantages. Aesthetics, traction, bead retention, better ride, blah blah...

Would love to see more pics!
 
MRA settings update. After a couple tweaks, I'm now at:

FRONT
Low speed compression: 4
High speed compression: 5
Rebound: ~7 to 8

REAR
Low speed compression: 2
High speed compression: 8
Rebound: ~5

With my tires at 35PSI, drawers, and drawers with 100 pounds of gear in the back, this has been great on the highway and pot-holed NJ backroads. No offroad or fully loaded testing yet.

Once thing I learned from playing with the settings is that there's a vital connection between low-speed compression and rebound. If you go down on one but not the other, you will end up driving a pogo stick. I'm not as clear yet on high-speed compression. That will require harsher offroad hits to test out to see how it's aligning with the rebound.

I'm finding at these settings, I'm getting very smooth driving over bumpy roads while maintaining remarkably good handling on the highway. I'm able to throw the truck around in a way that would have probably been dangerous or impossible on the bouncy stock suspension while enjoying plushness over roughness. I'm super happy that I went with this option and got the 3 ways of adjustment.
 
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Past several days have been about storage, protection, and security. Lots of things in progress--this stuff gets very complicated fast.

One success for the completed column of the checklist is a custom cover/pad for the Air Down Gear Up platform/drawer combo. As discussed earlier, I had it upholstered in leather--a rather large and costly project that dragged out for a long time. To protect the leather, I had a mat made. This was rather tricky since the mat had to work in two configurations with the platform/drawers. But the upholsterer and settled on a plush, rubbery, vinyl covered matting and applied a little origami-style design to it to make it work.

The mat slips over the folding part of the platform when used in bed-mode, and makes a nice, tight, comfy, non-slip surface for sleeping or gear (and possibly pet) transport:

20210303_150513.jpg


Cutouts provide access to the tie-down devices previously installed.

The mat is obviously not as beautiful as the leather, but it's color matched and still integrates nicely, I think.

When the platform is folded, the mat slips off the folding piece and folds up in a similar fashion. A couple of snaps help it flatten down adequately at the fold, and an extra vinyl flap provides a beauty cover for the exposed underbelly of the mat:


20210303_145950.jpg


The mat's got a little bulk to it in this configuration, but I don't mind, as this is the configuration most likely to be used for heavy gear transport, and the more padding the better.

The upholstery also made me a matching pad for the back seat:


20210303_145811.jpg



It velcros onto the the factory velcro for a nice, tight hold, and cutouts provide access to the seatbelts.

I had look at commercially available seat covers, but only wanted the seat bottoms, so I had to make my own. Moreover, I didn't want to cover any more the factory leather than was necessary for my usage.

Finally, he made me a half-cover for the Yeti battery:

20210303_150110.jpg



This cover is fit over my setup, with velcro flaps that wrap around my upper security straps and GFCI cord.

It's designed to protect against drink spills and mistaken door openings in the rain. Since the flap only goes down half-way, the vents on the sides of the battery remain unobstructed.

Obviously, if someone points a hose at the sides, the cover will be useless, but its purpose it not to protect against any idiocacy or unlikely tragedy, just the most likely reasonable risks.

20210303_150110.jpg
 
Very nice thread! Thanks for sharing
 
@BloggerL What have your impressions been of the Air Down Gear Up sleeping platform? More specifically, how sturdy are the two fold out sections that appear to be attached via piano hinges? I like the concept of being able to keep/use the middle row seats, then fold them down and have a large sleeping platform...but I'm struggling somewhat with the idea that the (unsupported?) fold out platform just rests on the folded up seats?

Any insights would be appreciated.

Absolutely incredible build and attention to detail BTW.
 
@BloggerL What have your impressions been of the Air Down Gear Up sleeping platform? More specifically, how sturdy are the two fold out sections that appear to be attached via piano hinges? I like the concept of being able to keep/use the middle row seats, then fold them down and have a large sleeping platform...but I'm struggling somewhat with the idea that the (unsupported?) fold out platform just rests on the folded up seats?

Any insights would be appreciated.

Absolutely incredible build and attention to detail BTW.

I love it. It's been very solid. The hinges attach through the wood with T nuts, and there are so many screws, I don't see any weakness there.

I find the plaform is fine resting on the seats. If I were really heavy, I might stuff some padding into areas with imperfect contact, though I don't know that would be necessary.

For me, there was simply no comparable choice on tbe market.
 
@BloggerL What have your impressions been of the Air Down Gear Up sleeping platform? More specifically, how sturdy are the two fold out sections that appear to be attached via piano hinges? I like the concept of being able to keep/use the middle row seats, then fold them down and have a large sleeping platform...but I'm struggling somewhat with the idea that the (unsupported?) fold out platform just rests on the folded up seats?

Any insights would be appreciated.

Absolutely incredible build and attention to detail BTW.
Of course, I'm as biased as it gets on this, but here's some insight on how and why we designed it the way it is. :)

The simple piano hinge mounts are very precisely machined into the panels. When the panels open, the edges butt against one another. This prevents any flex in the joint beyond the 180 degrees needed to fold out for sleeping on both the hinge joints. Once you put some weight on it (doubly so if you've got a sleeping pad down) the sleeping section has virtually no noticeable flex. That very precise dimension of the hinge mounts to the edges of the panels is what makes it work.

Keeping the assembly so simple also means that there's no bracketry, rails or hardware on the underside except for the thin flanges of the nuts which mount the hinges. This means when you flip it over for normal cargo use, it's a barely noticeable sheet on top of the platform and you've got all the same storage space you otherwise would without the sleeper. We haven't seen anyone else come up with a better solution when it comes to an on-the-fly flexible sleeping arrangement.

We designed three different methods to attach and deploy the sleeper in the early development stages. For the 100/200 series the fold out method is where it's at. Super simple, lightweight and very effective.
 
Awesome build. Thinking about going with this tire size as well. I understand the front mudflaps are coming off and some plastic trimming in the wheel well will be necessary. If you could provide any detailed pics and/or advice on fitting these tires I would greatly appreciate it!
 
Awesome build. Thinking about going with this tire size as well. I understand the front mudflaps are coming off and some plastic trimming in the wheel well will be necessary. If you could provide any detailed pics and/or advice on fitting these tires I would greatly appreciate it!

I have 1.25" spacers and a 1.5 - 2" lift as well. The only other thing of note is that I hit the wheel stops slightly sooner, which puts more stress on them. So the shop greased them up.
 
[3/3/21 EDIT: mats below replaced with fuller-size custom mats per later posts]

Finished the rear cargo area today! I got a lot done, so I will divide it all over two posts.

First, I installed the rest of the custom pouches; routed AC power to both molle panels; installed a fire extinguisher, using the bracket for this that's made by Rago; attached a molle-style first aid kit on the other side; and lay down a pair of custom-cut "Cadillac" mats from Uline.


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The wires from the power strips routed nicely under the seats. Attaching the fire extinguisher bracket to the mounted molle panel was very hard, but I got it done with just a handful (no pun intended) of finger abrasions.

The Uline mats are truly awesome. The quality is incredible, I got exactly the size I needed cut, and they look great too. They will protect the leather upholstery on the platform, provide cushion when needed, and can be stacked and unstacked, depending on whether the platform is folded open or closed.

I also installed a 2-color touch light from National Luna to illuminate the drawer area, using the wiring approach outlined by @radman at DIY Liftgate LED install. However, my wires looked thinner than his wires, so I soldered and shrink-wrapped instead of plugging into the harness.

View attachment 2468313

I love this light too. It has three settings for white and three for amber. The white is bright enough to fully illuminate the drawers, and the amber will be adequate on buggy nights. What's great too is that this wiring approach results in the light turning on when you open the hatch, assuming you had previously left it on. And it remembers whatever setting what last used.

Here's how I wired:

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Man, I wish Rago still made those rear window insert molle widgets. If anyone knows of an alt source, please divulge. And, thank you.
 
Big day today! Suspension upgraded to the new Dobinson MRAs. 2.5" lift (initially, should settle closer to 2"). 305/65R18 KO2s with 1.25" spacers on stock Heritage wheels, and Dobinson upper control arms.

I picked up the truck today after a few days in the shop (a little over 2 days for the installation of everything and some hours to address a battery drain). So all I've done so far is drive a couple hours home, play around in the snow a bit, and go flying over a low-traffic area of some of the worst pavement New Jersey has to offer (which is very, very, very bad pavement, trust me). I don't have offroad experience with the set up yet, but compared to stock so far...

... IT IS NIGHT AND DAY.

Not just any night and day, but a starless, lightless cloudy night in the middle of the wilderness vs high noon on a white-sand beach kind of night and day.

I wasn't sure if I was driving a tractor or a cloud home. All I can say is these E-rated tires (running at 35psi) felt infinitely better than the smaller C-rated Blizzaks despite some concerns about the harshness of Es. I experienced a huge increase in handling on the road despite the lift. At speed, bumps were... pretty much nonexistent.

At lower speeds, some adjustment may be in order to add plushness. I will dig into the low-speed compression adjustment when I have time.

There is zero rubbing on the tires, forward or back, at any angle. The shop removed the front mudflaps and trimmed the fenders to make this happen.

Traction in the ice and snow--very bad road conditions driving home--was incredible. I experienced zero loss of traction in the snow, slush, ice, and puddles of the storm.

Vibration over rough pavement, a previous nuisance, no longer exists.

The flinging of the truck's weight around during strong corners and stops no longer occurs.

The truck looks incredible to my eyes. It looks like I think a Land Cruiser should look.

Happy day.

Thank you to Mike at Exit Offroad for the consultation and help with product selection. There was an issue at the warehouse, but he stepped up and wiped it out right away: top-notch service.

Thanks as well to Kenny Deans in New Jersey for top-quality work. I really like this shop. They're not 200 specialists but are overall Land Cruiser guys, and they are also deeply experienced offroaders, racers, and customizers. Their approach to the work seemed rooted in a kind of holistic awareness and intuition. They are really the perfect shop for an individual doing mods and custom work that deviate from the book.

View attachment 2589878

Big day today! Suspension upgraded to the new Dobinson MRAs. 2.5" lift (initially, should settle closer to 2"). 305/65R18 KO2s with 1.25" spacers on stock Heritage wheels, and Dobinson upper control arms.

I picked up the truck today after a few days in the shop (a little over 2 days for the installation of everything and some hours to address a battery drain). So all I've done so far is drive a couple hours home, play around in the snow a bit, and go flying over a low-traffic area of some of the worst pavement New Jersey has to offer (which is very, very, very bad pavement, trust me). I don't have offroad experience with the set up yet, but compared to stock so far...

... IT IS NIGHT AND DAY.

Not just any night and day, but a starless, lightless cloudy night in the middle of the wilderness vs high noon on a white-sand beach kind of night and day.

I wasn't sure if I was driving a tractor or a cloud home. All I can say is these E-rated tires (running at 35psi) felt infinitely better than the smaller C-rated Blizzaks despite some concerns about the harshness of Es. I experienced a huge increase in handling on the road despite the lift. At speed, bumps were... pretty much nonexistent.

At lower speeds, some adjustment may be in order to add plushness. I will dig into the low-speed compression adjustment when I have time.

There is zero rubbing on the tires, forward or back, at any angle. The shop removed the front mudflaps and trimmed the fenders to make this happen.

Traction in the ice and snow--very bad road conditions driving home--was incredible. I experienced zero loss of traction in the snow, slush, ice, and puddles of the storm.

Vibration over rough pavement, a previous nuisance, no longer exists.

The flinging of the truck's weight around during strong corners and stops no longer occurs.

The truck looks incredible to my eyes. It looks like I think a Land Cruiser should look.

Happy day.

Thank you to Mike at Exit Offroad for the consultation and help with product selection. There was an issue at the warehouse, but he stepped up and wiped it out right away: top-notch service.

Thanks as well to Kenny Deans in New Jersey for top-quality work. I really like this shop. They're not 200 specialists but are overall Land Cruiser guys, and they are also deeply experienced offroaders, racers, and customizers. Their approach to the work seemed rooted in a kind of holistic awareness and intuition. They are really the perfect shop for an individual doing mods and custom work that deviate from the book.

View attachment 2589878
What is your total height with lift and rack? Trying to determine if I can get into my garage with a similar set up? Nice looking ride!
 

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