Great narrative to your build - for the Spod, the Tundra kit fits perfectly in the sunglass flipdown....
Builds indycole's 2016 200 Series Build and Retrospective
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indycole
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- #262
Thanks for the tip! I ended up with the 8-circuit HD panel which is still pretty small so maybe it'll fit there? I thought about mounting to the A-pillar but don't like the idea of the curtain airbag launching it toward my face in a collision. The current plan is to fab a small bracket, install it behind the headliner between the sunroof and the console, and then mount it to that. However, I'll be pleasantly surprised if there's enough structure in the actual roof console area to mount directly to that.
Was it much of a chore to drop the headliner to run the Cat 5 cable to the sunglasses area?
it wasn't too bad - the pillar area was a bit snug.....would the 8 switch panel fit in there with a bit of dremeling ?
I post pics of how it came out in my rig when I get home this weekened. or you can look in my build I think towards the beginning.
E
I post pics of how it came out in my rig when I get home this weekened. or you can look in my build I think towards the beginning.
E
indycole
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- #264
I recall seeing the final product in your thread (love the black on white look, btw). Very clean.
Coincidentally, I just watched a video this morning where the X Overland crew mounted the same switch panel on the roof console where I was thinking and it seems to work pretty well there. The good news is that I don't think I'll need to make a bracket.
Congrats on the Stealth RTT. I'm about to pick up the Alu-Cab, we should be able to do a side by side comparison on the Baja trip.
Excellent build - I admire your attitude as well....Too often it seems people have/build vehicles for the satisfaction of owning said vehicle - sometimes just storing it away and admiring it.....when life is really about experiences and the vehicle is simply the tool to achieve those experiences. Build it, use it and relish in the memories of time spent with those you want to spend time with.
indycole
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- #269
Yeah, in some respects I can't believe I'm putting 220 lbs on the roof. I've been combing through the rest of my kit to compensate as much as possible... 5 lbs here, 10 lbs there. In terms of handling my JB tent was 180 lbs with an additional 70 lbs of gear in the JB storage area. You could definitely tell it was up there but it didn't seem to dramatically affect the types of trails I do. That said, thinking back to some of the off-camber shelf roads in Breck I'm glad it wasn't up there.
indycole
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- #270
Well, got the SPOD installed. It took the better part of the weekend but I’m pretty happy with the results.
Here are some notes from the install:
Here are some notes from the install:
- I had to remove all my original wiring from the firewall boot to make enough room for the Cat 5 cable.
- Ran the cable up the A-pillar and to the map light / sunglasses / overheard console area. It took a few minutes to figure out that I needed to pull up on the A-pillar to remove the interior panel.
- I mounted the switch panel to the overhead console with minimal modification. Given the interior clearances there was really only one place to mount it. I also noticed there is enough room in the roof area to relocate my ham speaker.
- I wanted to do the install as cleanly as possible so it took quite a bit of time to redo all the device wiring, create new pigtails, and position everything so that I can still pop open the fuse box with minimal effort.
- Important Note: Before hard-mounting the SPOD to your fuse box (assuming that's where you want it), you should ensure that there's enough clearance from the hood struts for the hood to close. Otherwise, you may get done with the entire install and be unable to close your hood. Ask me how I know.
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indycole
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- #271
I received a PM asking for a more detailed side profile photo and figured I’d post it here as well.
In other news, I changed the oil this morning (Amsoil) and had forgotten how much of a chore the ARB skid is to remove. I may look into the Budbuilt system once they figure out the suspension skids.
In other news, I changed the oil this morning (Amsoil) and had forgotten how much of a chore the ARB skid is to remove. I may look into the Budbuilt system once they figure out the suspension skids.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
What do you mean about “suspension skid”?
indycole
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- #273
@Taco2Cruiser I’m referring to the rear LCA and rear shock skids. I think Mark had some prototypes on his truck last summer.
Taco2Cruiser
Crazy American Off Road
Ah, I was thinking something totally different, like with the front and their oil filter access.
indycole
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- #276
I've been on jury duty this week and was dismissed today so I spent the afternoon mounting rock lights and an engine compartment light. I had hoped to get to this stuff last weekend but the SPOD took longer than I anticipated.
Here are a couple photos of the Baja Designs Dome Light in the engine compartment. The light has a switch but I can also control it from the SPOD which will allow me to dim the light if needed. The light has not been wired yet.
I'm not in love with the placement but I went for the past of least resistance. The hood insulation was more of a challenged than I'd bargained for so I went with a mounting location that is easy to wire and service if needed. The angle of the light may end up being a problem but I think it will serve the purpose.
I also cleaned up my primary battery wiring a bit.
Here are a couple photos of the Baja Designs Dome Light in the engine compartment. The light has a switch but I can also control it from the SPOD which will allow me to dim the light if needed. The light has not been wired yet.
I'm not in love with the placement but I went for the past of least resistance. The hood insulation was more of a challenged than I'd bargained for so I went with a mounting location that is easy to wire and service if needed. The angle of the light may end up being a problem but I think it will serve the purpose.
I also cleaned up my primary battery wiring a bit.
indycole
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- Thread starter
- #277
I expected the rock light installation to be tedious and I was right. The trouble is finding suitable mounting locations which can also work for wiring and lights the desired location.
The lights are all Baja Designs Rock Lights and they're pretty tiny, in a good way. My goal was to mount two lights in the front bumper area, and one below each door. I decided against any rock lights in the rear because I didn't really have a good reason to put any back there. I eventually found reasonable mounting locations but have not done any wiring yet (though I have the routes mapped out).
For the front lights, I drilled and tapped the aluminum crash bar and mounted with some machine screws and Loctite. The location may look risky but the recovery points are the constraint on the approach angle. I also plan on independently fusing each light just in case.
The four rock lights below the doors are mounted in a few locations. I decided to make some quick brackets out of aluminum angle which allowed me to better control the mounting location. This did add an additional constraint, though, as I had to find locations where I had enough clearance to drill into the frame for mounting.
Here's the rough location of each rock light:
* Driver Front: Just forward of the cross member on the inside of the frame.
* Driver Rear: On the thin panel just forward of the KDSS valves.
* Passenger Front: A bit further forward than the driver side in order to clear some mystery object mounted to the frame.
* Passenger Rear: This one was tougher because of the gas tank. I didn't want to drill into the sliders but decided to go that route for this one.
Who knows when I'll get to the electrical side of this. The SPOD is ready to receive the circuit and I already have it set up to dim the lights. I'll probably run 3 separate lines (front, driver, passenger) and merge them together in my service loop area below the air compressor. I'd like to run the wires through the frame but I haven't done that before so we'll see how that pans out.
The lights are all Baja Designs Rock Lights and they're pretty tiny, in a good way. My goal was to mount two lights in the front bumper area, and one below each door. I decided against any rock lights in the rear because I didn't really have a good reason to put any back there. I eventually found reasonable mounting locations but have not done any wiring yet (though I have the routes mapped out).
For the front lights, I drilled and tapped the aluminum crash bar and mounted with some machine screws and Loctite. The location may look risky but the recovery points are the constraint on the approach angle. I also plan on independently fusing each light just in case.
The four rock lights below the doors are mounted in a few locations. I decided to make some quick brackets out of aluminum angle which allowed me to better control the mounting location. This did add an additional constraint, though, as I had to find locations where I had enough clearance to drill into the frame for mounting.
Here's the rough location of each rock light:
* Driver Front: Just forward of the cross member on the inside of the frame.
* Driver Rear: On the thin panel just forward of the KDSS valves.
* Passenger Front: A bit further forward than the driver side in order to clear some mystery object mounted to the frame.
* Passenger Rear: This one was tougher because of the gas tank. I didn't want to drill into the sliders but decided to go that route for this one.
Who knows when I'll get to the electrical side of this. The SPOD is ready to receive the circuit and I already have it set up to dim the lights. I'll probably run 3 separate lines (front, driver, passenger) and merge them together in my service loop area below the air compressor. I'd like to run the wires through the frame but I haven't done that before so we'll see how that pans out.
I see you employed the RobRed compressor spacer system. I talked to Slee about this issue and of course he hadn't run in to it... but nothing changes. Even after I wrote an article about it.
ARB Twin Compressor Install – Part 1
indycole
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- #279
I knew I'd read about the spacer somewhere... must have been your article! OSH didn't have the spacers I wanted and I was too impatient to wait for a McMaster order. It's possible that Slee has updated the kit since your install as my compressor mount will be a couple years old this spring? I upgraded to the twin from the single and just used the same bracket.
If they do (or have) made changes to it I'd also like just a bit more clearance between the compressor and the two 12mm screws that secure the mount into the fender.
I still need to modify my install like yours and @indycole. I did it about a year ago and just haven't put spacers in yet. Wish they had an out of the box solution for 2016+ models as it's not convenient to pop off the air filter when you need access to the fuse box. Not a huge deal, but I've dropped the filter before as it's a tight space and it's not fun retrieving it!
