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

[indycole]

I installed Tow Points and RLCA Skid Plates from @reevesci this week. The quality and service from Trail Tailor is top notch.

Even though these were minor modifications, I came away with some new lessons. First, I learned that my $35 torque wrench is wildly inaccurate after breaking one of the stock screws for the tow point. I had it set to a torque of 79 ft-lbs and it was probably torque-ing closer to 120 ft-lbs. I replaced the stock screws with some M12x1.25 55mm screws with a bit of blue loctite. I also picked up a Precision Instruments 1/2 Drive Split-Beam torque wrench and torqued the new screws to spec. Extracting the broken screw wasn't too bad as there was enough thread left peaking out of the frame that I was able to use some needle-nosed vise-grips to rotate it on out.

I also encountered some challenges with the RLCA skids due to operator error more than anything else. First, I had trouble getting out the RLCA bolt and then realized I was trying to loosen the bolt head instead of the nut. Second, unbeknownst to me my driver side RLCA housing had already taken a pounding and the skid would not fit over the housing. Hammering didn't help but I was able to reform the housing with some large vise-grips. I drilled a couple holes, installed the thread-tapping screws, and the driver side was all done. For reference, I'm going to powder coat these at some point but I wanted to get them fitted for an upcoming trip and the powder coating machine I use at a local shop is out of commission for a couple months.

The process was the same for the passenger side except that the RLCA itself was pulling toward the rear of the vehicle by about 1/4-inch. I tried various means of leveraging it back into place but couldn't provide leverage and install the skid simultaneously. Eventually, I used a gigantic ratchet strap that wrapped around the rear part of the RLCA and attached to the frame around the middle of the truck. I ratchet-ed with one hand and held the skid + slid the bolt back into place with the other. All done.

Finally, since I was in the vicinity, I lathered up the KDSS valves with marine grease.

 

[RobRed]

...

Also, I made a medium-term fix to my bumper after some damage during a recent Death Valley trip. I'll probably end up getting a steel bumper instead of buying and painting a new plastic bumper.

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Sorry bout the damage - I hate it when people scratch stuff on my trips... unless they want to

I know you're not worried about it since it gives you the extra motivation on the steel.

 

[mcgaskins]

I really like your truck. Very functional and straightforward!

 

[indycole]

Sorry bout the damage - I hate it when people scratch stuff on my trips... unless they want to

I know you're not worried about it since it gives you the extra motivation on the steel.

A small price to pay for an amazing trip. Coincidentally, we're thinking of revisiting a couple of the destinations over Memorial Day depending on weather.

And, yes, I'm hoping to snag Slee's bumper when he's ready to ship.

 

[indycole]

I utilized some leftover baltic birch to create a simple, two-sided molle panel. I used two rigid molle panels from Greyman Tactical which worked perfectly. I'll just use a ratchet strap over the top to secure it for offroad travel but there's some heavy duty velcro on the bottom of the panel mount to keep it steady for normal driving.

I guess I didn't snap any photos of the other side... it looks the same but with different stuff mounted

 

[indycole]

I've put about 800 miles on the gears and have zero issues. I love the 4.88s.

As a general maintenance update, I changed the front and rear diffs based on the recent gear change. I also changed the motor oil and installed a Fumoto valve in the oil pan as wells as @bjowett's filter housing. The diff oil was surprisingly easy to change but I learned that the Toyota dealer did not reinstall my skids with all the screws at the last oil change.

We're heading out for a 3-4 night trip to Death Valley and Papoose / Mazourka Peak. For this trip we removed the rear seat and installed some squibs to address the SRS light.

Yeah, we're not light packers.

 

[mark71]

I've put about 800 miles on the gears and have zero issues. I love the 4.88s.

As a general maintenance update, I changed the front and rear diffs based on the recent gear change. I also changed the motor oil and installed a Fumoto valve in the oil pan as wells as @bjowett's filter housing. The diff oil was surprisingly easy to change but I learned that the Toyota dealer did not reinstall my skids with all the screws at the last oil change.

We're heading out for a 3-4 night trip to Death Valley and Papoose / Mazourka Peak. For this trip we removed the rear seat and installed some squibs to address the SRS light.

Yeah, we're not light packers.

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I think you need bigger tie down straps for the boxes in back.

Nice set up.

 

[SQRRRL]

I've put about 800 miles on the gears and have zero issues. I love the 4.88s.

As a general maintenance update, I changed the front and rear diffs based on the recent gear change. I also changed the motor oil and installed a Fumoto valve in the oil pan as wells as @bjowett's filter housing. The diff oil was surprisingly easy to change but I learned that the Toyota dealer did not reinstall my skids with all the screws at the last oil change.

We're heading out for a 3-4 night trip to Death Valley and Papoose / Mazourka Peak. For this trip we removed the rear seat and installed some squibs to address the SRS light.

Yeah, we're not light packers.

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Mazourka peak?! Beautiful . Please post pics when you return. Enjoy brah!

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Serious question, as i've never used metal fuel cans, just metal fuel cells.

Doesn't it smell like fuel in your truck, especially after you refuel?

 

[indycole]

Overall it was a great trip but we slashed a sidewall on the wash heading up to Steel Pass from Warm Springs and decided to omit Papoose/Mazourka on this trip.

@RobRed Thought I saw your 100 in Lone Pine but it turned out to be someone else that you may know -- Paul? He also has a Trekboxx install. Small world.

@Taco2Cruiser It's definitely something we're mindful of. I switch out the gaskets pretty often, wipe the spout area after filling, and occasionally "burp" the cans after major increases in altitude. Maybe 1/10 trips we'll smell some fumes and I'll rank the can out of the truck to vent. Other than that it's not a problem. I'll move the cans outside once I have a bumper.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Overall it was a great trip but we slashed a sidewall on the wash heading up to Steel Pass from Warm Springs and decided to omit Papoose/Mazourka on this trip.

@RobRed Thought I saw your 100 in Lone Pine but it turned out to be someone else that you may know -- Paul? He also has a Trekboxx install. Small world.

@Taco2Cruiser It's definitely something we're mindful of. I switch out the gaskets pretty often, wipe the spout area after filling, and occasionally "burp" the cans after major increases in altitude. Maybe 1/10 trips we'll smell some fumes and I'll rank the can out of the truck to vent. Other than that it's not a problem. I'll move the cans outside once I have a bumper.

Good stuff, thanks for the insight.

 

[RobRed]

Overall it was a great trip but we slashed a sidewall on the wash heading up to Steel Pass from Warm Springs and decided to omit Papoose/Mazourka on this trip.

@RobRed Thought I saw your 100 in Lone Pine but it turned out to be someone else that you may know -- Paul? He also has a Trekboxx install. Small world.

@Taco2Cruiser It's definitely something we're mindful of. I switch out the gaskets pretty often, wipe the spout area after filling, and occasionally "burp" the cans after major increases in altitude. Maybe 1/10 trips we'll smell some fumes and I'll rank the can out of the truck to vent. Other than that it's not a problem. I'll move the cans outside once I have a bumper.

Sounds like @paulbgardner. I helped David install that TB system in my driveway for Paul. Paul is a photog so I hope you had the opportunity to swap info etc.

 

[indycole]

Sounds like @paulbgardner. I helped David install that TB system in my driveway for Paul. Paul is a photog so I hope you had the opportunity to swap info etc.

Yep, that's him. We connected and agreed to follow up on here but I did not catch that he was also into photography. My envy of David's immaculate work is growing as the ARBs are getting squeakier and the stop broke on one of my drawers this trip. I saw you've started working on your '17 -- hit me up if you ever need an extra hand with something.

 

[RobRed]

Yep, that's him. We connected and agreed to follow up on here but I did not catch that he was also into photography. My envy of David's immaculate work is growing as the ARBs are getting squeakier and the stop broke on one of my drawers this trip. I saw you've started working on your '17 -- hit me up if you ever need an extra hand with something.

Thanks for the offer - The bay area fix your land cruiser in Robs driveway meet up will probably happen soon at a pizza and beer establisment near so I'll keep you in the loop.

Yeah planning is going on for the 17 - here is the latest ARB Twin Compressor Install – Part 1

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

It's time for an update.

I'm happy to say that the truck now features front lockers, rear lockers, and 4.88 gears. It took a bit longer than planned, but I have to highlight the pioneering work that Georg (@orangefj45), Dominic, Craig, and team at Valley Hybrids put in to complete the install. Many, many, thanks to that crew for rolling with some surprises during the install and keeping me in the loop all the while.

I alluded to some of the complications in an earlier post, but here's what you need to know if you'd like to install gears on a 2016 or later 200. In short, the gear kit that we all tend to use for the 200 simply does not seem to work as a drop-in replacement. In order to complete the install, we had to replace the third member housing with a pre-2016 housing and custom-machine pinion spacers for both the front and rear. I believe my original third member housing will be sent to the Nitro/JD team for further investigation and research.

So, if gears are on your list, then plan on buying a third member, budget some time/money for custom pinion spacers, and make sure you find a solid shop that knows how to work on diffs (like Valley Hybrids if you're in the CA/NV area). Or, wait to see if Nitro/JD updates their kit with new parts.

I opted for the air-on-board switches. They're wired so that the front locker will not activate unless the rear is active. I'm thinking of installing a locker kill-switch either in the cabin or under the hood for when other folks drive the car. Do folks do this?

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Here's what the truck looks like with gears and lockers Actually, I also got OME 2724 880 lb (400 lbf / in) springs installed which clearly relieved my sagging rear end. There may even be a bit of rake now? I'll have to measure. I was afraid that I went too aggressive with the spring rate, but I've been absolutely pleased with the ride quality so far.
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Got any updates or thoughts on the 2724 springs ride without a rear bumper?
While I don't have drawers, I have a heavy RTT and just a lot of stuff and people, but sometimes I have almost nothing at all.

 

[indycole]

No complaints so far... I'd recommend the 2724 as good choice for anyone with at least 2 of the following types of constant loads:

* heavy interior cargo load (drawers, fridge, gear, lots of people)
* aftermarket rear bumper
* heavy roof load (100+ lb rtt + gear)

I've put over 1500 miles on the springs with around 200 miles offroad including some rock crawling, hours of washboard, sand, and normal dirt double track all with a heavy cargo payload and roof payload. The ride off-road is as good as it's gonna get (for the basic OME setup) and paved road handling is great on both long stretches of highway at high speeds and curvy mountain roads. The most uncomfortable ride is actually around town in San Jose on our ridiculously broken paved streets. I'd rather be on washboard than some of the streets around here.

At the moment my RTT is off the truck and I'm driving around with a medium load in the cargo area (just my drawers stocked with their normal contents and my refrigerator) and the ride is pretty dang stiff.

 

[indycole]

I've been doing some minor preparation in advance of a big trip at the end of the month. The current plan involves 4 days in Moab, 5 in Breckenridge for the LCDC event, 4 days in the Dakotas on the way to Glacier, and finally 5-6 days around Glacier before the long drive back to California.

With the trip approaching I'm holding off on any modifications but am looking forward to a rear bumper in late summer or early fall. I've also temporarily removed the James Baroud tent to eliminate some roof weight for the Moab/Breck trips and made room in the cabin for our canvas tent.

Roof with Shovel, Maxtrax, and Traction Jacks. It's nice having a lighter roof setup as my JB Tent + Roof Stuff before was probably 300 lbs.

My budget Procomp wheels have taken a beating and it was getting hard to keep track of all the scuffs to discern between cosmetic and serious damage. So, I applied Plastidip to all the wheels so now it'll be easier to see new damage. It looks better as well.

I also did a mini-detail this weekend using clay, wax, and some detail spray from Chemical Brothers.

 

[indycole]

With the tent off the roof, I also spent a bit of time adjusting the Gamiviti rack to get the fairing down a bit lower. I believe I still have one side a bit higher than the other, but I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I also installed some weather stripping from Pepboys on the wind fairing.

In other changes, I installed TRD break pads at 20k miles. This seems a little early but my front-passenger side pad was nearly worn out but there's no sign of anything odd with the calipers, rotors, etc.

 

[DomSmith]

Looks good! I'd throw some 3M clear bra down underneath the fairing weatherstripping if you're going to run it all the time. My old 4 runner had a nice strip of clearcoat worn through with that weatherstripping rubbing for a few years.

 

[indycole]

Looks good! I'd throw some 3M clear bra down underneath the fairing weatherstripping if you're going to run it all the time. My old 4 runner had a nice strip of clearcoat worn through with that weatherstripping rubbing for a few years.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll do that.