Builds indycole's 2016 200 Series Build and Retrospective (1 Viewer)

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Cole it was a pleasure and thanks for the use of the rig. Enjoy and let me know if you need anything.

Once I get caught up a little I'll start working on the new aluminum RTT and may have you come back up (if you have time) to look at the 200 dedicated mounting we discussed.

J
 
Oh and just finished up a glass of the JWB and a smoke. Thanks again.

J

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Bumper looks amazing Cole!. Work of art @reevesci :cheers:
 
Thanks! I'd love to see the calculations as I feel like I'm reinventing the wheel every time I do some deeper analysis. For instance, with this most recent upgrade I debated between 1/2 and 3/4 baltic birch and the strength I'd get out of screws going into the end grain of the plywood. I knew there'd be a lot of torque with a fully loaded fridge suspended with the tilting mechanism. That's some significant torque on the top of the cabinet being transferred down into the drawers.

If you haven't seen them, yet, I'd recommend checking out the Trekboxx drawers at least for inspiration. They're expensive, but what I've spent on storage (iteratively, by buying solutions, working through them, selling/discarding, and buying again) is probably approaching that price. I also like the Goose Gear concept that Paul May from Equipt had done to his 200 series. The system runs from the hatch to the front seat though the second row is removable. As practical as my second row storage box is, I'm slightly bothered by the fact that stylistically it doesn't blend in with the rear.


I just saw this. consider using bolts and aluminum sleeves in your ply for strength. I would recommend 3/4 inch douglas fir ply. that's the construction material used for the KC-135 flooring and shoring.

** EDIT ** just read 4 or 5 pages in updates, I see this post really isn't applicable any longer. Regardless, the truck is looking phenomenal!
 
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I made a lot of progress over the weekend getting the truck back in shape for summer travels.

  • Wired ComeUp Winch
    • Jason mounted the winch and got everything queued up but I needed to do the final wiring.
    • Installed control module in front of the radiator. I don't love the fact that it's "blocking" the radiator but I'll pay attention to temperatures with the Scangauge to see what the effect is, if any.
    • I cut a hole in some of the plastic paneling to feed the heavy gauge wire into the engine bay. I lined the plastic with rubber and also placed some rubber trim molding on the interior sheet metal to cut down on wire wear.
    • The winch worked perfectly with both the wired remote and the wireless controller.
    • The winch clutch as well as the module for the wired remote are accessible via a porthole cut in the radiator cover.
  • Reinstalled Front Rock Lights + Added Rock Lights to the Rear
    • Now with the front and rear bumper in place I revisited the rock light install and relocated the front lights and also added rear rock lights for the sake of completion. I followed the aux tank wiring to the rear which basically follows the passenger side frame.
  • Wired Baja Designs Squadron fogs, Baja Designs OnX6 light bar, and rear combination lights.
  • Replaced Trasharoo with Blue Ridge Overland Gear bag.
  • Replaced Blue Sea ACR with Redarc BCDC1225D along with Redarc Isolator for override (for jump start mode).
    • I made an aluminum mounting plate to sit on top of the plastic box near the air intake. This is the same place that the Blue Sea ACR was located. I'm going to prototype a couple times of reinforcement brackets though it seems pretty sturdy and balanced as is.
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Next Up: Swapping out the Gamiviti roof rack for Eezi-Awn load bars and replacing the OME 2724s with heavier springs.
 
How do you like the Nemo Stargazer? I've been thinking about picking one up, but reviews are hit and miss. Looks like a great concept.

It's pretty nice! It's great for lounging though tough to use just as a normal lawn chair as it's a bit too relaxed. I generally swap between the Nemo, a tiny Helinox, and sitting on an Alubox, lol.
 
Hey Cole... Hope you’ll do a bit of musing about the switch from Trasheroo to BRO gear bag. I assume you intend to use it for trash... Interested. Trasheroo works, but it bugs me that they don’t address a few glaring issues that seem easily fixable in a 2.0.

And as always... Nice work!!
 
Took the truck out to Hollister to shake out any loose ends from recent mods and to tighten up the winchline. The truck is obviously heavy and feels that way on the road; however, off-road in 4-Lo the truck still feels awesome. I rolled through a boulder field that required front and rear locker and had no issues.

It’s clear that I need some beefier rear springs... hoping to get that sorted out before Ouray.

I received a nice package from Wits End last week and installed a SB50 in the Trekboxx. Nothing like cutting a hole in your new storage system.

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I’m still planning on taking a bunch of Trekboxx photos and writing something on the pros and cons but so far it’s surprisingly become my new workbench at home. And the NL fridge keeps the beer cold.

Also just snapped a photo of front, side, and rear rock lights on.

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Still some good stuff for sale in my classifieds:

For Sale - Spring Garage Sale: Gamiviti, FrontRunner, Nemo, Blue Ridge Chairworks and More SF Bay Area
 
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Cole, you mention needing stronger springs. I was thinking you already upped them from 2724’s to 25’s.

Are you saying 25’s still not stout enough? Or just that you still haven’t swapped to 25’s yet?
 
I don’t have the 2725s on yet.

The truck is about 7900 lbs without people or consumables such as water, firewood, full fridge but otherwise fully loaded.
 
Who makes the aluminum box in the picture above sitting in your Trexboxx setup? It looks a bit different from the ones that Equip1 sells. There is some embossing on the end ...80x.com, but I can’t make it out due to the strap. I’m looking for a similar one. Thx
 
Who makes the aluminum box in the picture above sitting in your Trexboxx setup? It looks a bit different from the ones that Equip1 sells. There is some embossing on the end ...80x.com, but I can’t make it out due to the strap. I’m looking for a similar one. Thx

That is indeed the Alubox sold by Equipt. They're awesome cases. The one in the photo above is an 81 liter.
 
That is indeed the Alubox sold by Equipt. They're awesome cases. The one in the photo above is an 81 liter.
Thanks much. That as the exact one that I measured up today. Much appreciate the quick response.
 

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