Builds indycole's 2016 200 Series Build and Retrospective

[Climbingnut]

Good to know. Thanks Indycole! I was wondering about the difference between crawl control and being fully locked. My 200 doesn't have crawl control or any of the KDSS features. So lockers it will be, and I'm really hoping that Eaton will have a solution for the 3rd member issue and necessity to re-gear as well.

 

[indycole]

Good to know. Thanks Indycole! I was wondering about the difference between crawl control and being fully locked. My 200 doesn't have crawl control or any of the KDSS features. So lockers it will be, and I'm really hoping that Eaton will have a solution for the 3rd member issue and necessity to re-gear as well.

I believe Just Differentials / Nitro have added the necessary parts to their kit for the facelifted 200s. It's not really a Harrop/Eaton thing to my knowledge. EDIT: see ward's post below for more information.

 

[indycole]

I returned from a great summer road trip late last week. After Breckenridge, we spent some time in the Black Hills, hung out in Teddy Roosevelt National Park, and explored the Glacier/Waterton National Park area. This was all camping/hiking/fishing/photography/relaxing -- our offroading ended in Breckenridge on this trip. I'm hoping to comb through photos soon.

Over the weekend I took the opportunity for a damage assessment. Here's the full inventory after a 3-week, 3500 mile road trip that included trails in Moab (but not the infamous Poison Spider/Golden Spike/Gold Bar Rim day which I kinda regret missing, kinda don't), Ouray, and Breckenridge:

• Very minor scratches on front bumper cover => will leave as-is
• Both front recovery points were ground-down a bit from ledges in Moab => remove, sand-blast, and re-powder coat at some point
• Front passenger LCA took a minor hit => clean up with sandpaper and then hit with some spray paint
• Lots of slider action/scraping from Moab including a scratch on the front-passenger side of the slider => sandpaper + spray paint
• Dent in front skid from not having enough clearance on Birdseye Gulch => do nothing
• An absolute ton of pinstriping along with a couple deeper gouges => work on with the DA polisher and a variety of pads
• KO2 with cut sidewall => replace with tire warranty
• Moderate scrape near drain plug of rear differential => file down and maybe some spray paint
• For some reason my passenger side reveal molding is loose => have dealer repair it
• My rear locker electrical ping coming out of the diff housing are separated from the plug => ask the good people at Valley Hybrids to repair the next time the truck is in their shop... I've tried but need the truck on a lift
• The primary battery hold down was loose => tighten
• Driver side headlight is having issues venting moisture => investigate
• There is dust everywhere => clean, replace/blow-out air and cabin filters
• A few folks mentioned that my truck has a significant passenger-side lean... I'd suspected as much but never investigated => swap rear springs (I actually did this over the weekend and it corrected the problem)
• The rear, driver-side stabilizer linkage was pounding into a metal bracket that routes a wire that seems to be a KDSS/suspension sensor of some kind => ask Toyota but in the meantime re-route the wire a bit and bend the bracket back into place.
• Finally, the most significant damage was related to my rear bumper cover and some of its supporting structure. I re-aggrevated this injury (first noticeable issue was from a Death Valley trip from not noticing a rock when pulling out of a campsite, doh) in both Moab (Hell's Revenge -- not much I could have done) and in Breckenridge (Middle Fork -- took a wrong turn and led half the group down a tricky alternate route where I didn't take an aggressive enough line). The bumper cover itself took a major dent on the passenger side along with significant scratching. The driver's side is fine. The scrapes/dents also broke the side panel molding (the long, skinny plastic piece that the bumper snaps into against the quarter panel), some clips in the mudflap, mangled the plastic protector on the underside of the bumper cover, and actually bent some internal sheet metal (but not the body panel) that the protector clips to. I knew that the side molding was broken in Breck and had already ordered replacement parts
  • Removed the bumper cover and used a heat gun to reshape the dents
  • Replaced the side molding
  • Replaced clips in mud flap
  • Used heat gun to reform the protector
  • Used vise grips to reshape the inner sheet metal
  • Ultimately, this is a short term fix as the the clips that attach the bumper cover to the side molding are broken. That means I'll need to replace the bumper cover even if I get an aftermarket bumper.

On a related note, the deformed steering boot issue I posted a from Breckenridge magically fixed itself with no intervention. I guess I'll chalk it up to altitude?

Along with working through the issues above I've acquired Cody's old BP-51s and will be throwing those on the truck at some point. Lastly, I finally replaced my ProComp wheels with some new Fuel wheels thanks to 4 Wheel Parts working with me on an issue I had with the ProComps.

Before Photos (rear bumper dent, broken rear bumper side molding)

After photos (new wheels, detail, bumper dent "fixed" -- the wavy line is a reflection)

 

[TexAZ]

chicks dig scars!

truck is looking great Cole.
Thanks again for the GPS routes in Moab, they were a life saver!

 

[Atwalz]

Nice shiny wheels Cole!!! What offset and width are those? My rig at body shop and will get it back in two weeks.

 

[indycole]

chicks dig scars!

truck is looking great Cole.
Thanks again for the GPS routes in Moab, they were a life saver!

No problem! I ended up using the GPS routes in Breck as well and they were certainly helpful given that I was leading trails that I'd never been on before (and still took some wrong turns).

Nice shiny wheels Cole!!! What offset and width are those? My rig at body shop and will get it back in two weeks.

Fuel Beast D56418905657, 18x9, 20mm offset, 5.75" backspacing, 36lbs, 2500lb capacity

 

[Sinister]

Damn those are nice rims.

 

[wardharris]

UPDATE ON ELOCKER INSTALL ISSUES & SUSPENSION

I'm looking at installing front/rear Harrop/Eaton lockers into my 200 GXR later this year. Do you know if those will fit in the current 2016/17 housings? I won't be replacing gears. Additionally, do you have any plans to go to an adjustable shock (BP-51, ICON, Fox, etc) or are you happy with your standard OME setup?

The rear axle housings are different than pre-facelift rigs. Georg at Valley Hybrids has installed in later models. Shoot him a PM at @orangefj45 for details.

Thanks! Ward's right -- Georg is the guy to ask about putting the Harrop lockers in with or without gears for 16/17s (mine is a '16). I do see that Just Differentials has updated their 200 kit to include new pinion spacers and they also require an older housing. I don't know if the housing would be required or not for just doing the lockers. Regarding suspension, I've been happy with the standard OME stuff but will probably evaluate BP-51s or Icons whenever the OMEs start to fail. I have no complaints at all when offroad or on nicely paved roads but the suspension runs a little stiff on some of the poorly paved roads around the Bay Area.

I spent last week in Melbourne. Had meetings with our partners at Terrain Tamer, amongst others including Harrop. I also hit the National Outdoor 4x4 Show which had all the vendors in one venue. It was a fun and productive visit. I also had a chance to try out a new 200 with the Terrain Tamer Pro suspension kit - comparable to the high end adjustibles mentioned above.

The Pro suspension has been in the Aussie market for two years and is a proven hit - very happy users. We have not fit a 200 yet, but have the Pro kits on several other Series and they have been well received.

At Harrop, I spoke at length with Heath Moore, General Manager about the late 200 rear diff and also other new products from Harrop. Georg has done a number of late 200 Harrop installs and has sussed out the issues and solutions. We worked with Harrop to help some other 200 owners as well, since Harrop was unaware of the move to new rear diff for non-OEM locker axles.

The bottom line is that it is not an Harrop issue, but a Toyota issue. If you want to mount an aftermarket locker to a 2016+ 200, you will need an early carrier and misc bits (pinion spacers, different bearings, etc.) whether you are regearing or not. The carriers are around $500 new from Toyota and about half that from a wrecker.

My interest in all this is that I have a 2018 200 Series on order for delivery in early October. Buying it through @murf at Camelback in Phoenix. His crew will install a Terrain Tamer Pro suspension, some Evo Corse wheels (17x8) and some BFG KOIIs. Once we get it dialled in, there will be some other developmental projects, including Terrain Tamer HP brake rotors/pads, a Harrop or two and some engine mods.

All that said, Georg is the go-to for intel on the late 200. He sells a lot of ARBs as well, so don't be shy. Fitting an aftermaket locker to the late 200s not a big deal.

Here are some of the goodies going on my 200.....eventually.....

 

[murf]

Ward, we are anxiously awaiting to be able to your ride with all these great products!

 

[wardharris]

Ward, we are anxiously awaiting to be able to your ride with all these great products!

Yessir!

I forgot one.....

 

[TexAZ]

Pics Murf.....lots of Pics when it happens!!!

 

[wardharris]

Ward, we are anxiously awaiting to be able to your ride with all these great products!

Hey @murf -
Given timing and distance, it may be a week or so before we can get down to pick up the truck. Would love to have you drive it for a bit and if your local friends/customers want to give it a try, then that would be fine. Maybe get some folks together for a weekend group-demo and some tacos, eh?

 

[murf]

Hey @murf -
Given timing and distance, it may be a week or so before we can get down to pick up the truck. Would love to have you drive it for a bit and if your local friends/customers want to give it a try, then that would be fine. Maybe get some folks together for a weekend group-demo and some tacos, eh?

I shall call it "200's and Taco's"! lol, we will see...

 

[wardharris]

I shall call it "200's and Taco's"! lol, we will see...

 

[wardharris]

More on the Australia visit......

Here I am with an industry legend - Alan Gray of Terrain Tamer. This guys worked on the first Land Cruiser to arrive in Australia. Heck of a guy - we spent hours knocking around the shop, office, test track and Outdoor show.

Lois finally saw a blue 200 at the Outdoor show we attended (TT had a YUGE display area). She fell in love.

Alan and Lois hit it off pretty good.

And then they played Vanna at the display.

And then she fell in love with another LC - a very nice 55. That is an OE Toyota bull bar - very rare.

 

[TonyP]

The vendors have officially taken over Cole's thread.

 

[wardharris]

The vendors have officially taken over Cole's thread.

Yeah, that sucks.

 

[wardharris]

Yeah, that sucks.

Apologies if I have offended anyone with my travelogue but my wife and I had a really good time in Melbourne and wanted to share what we saw/did. As for being a vendor, the goal is to inform, not sell.

Cole is a happy customer of ours and as it is his thread, I would be happy to delete any/all posts that disturb.

 

[indycole]

There's no need to delete any posts... it's all good. The locker/gear install was more complicated than I'd expected so I'm happy to see more information be distributed on the matter. As I've mentioned before, I can't say enough good things about my experience working with Georg and Ward.

Funny story... when I was trying to originally get a hold of Georg I visited the Valley Hybrids Facebook page and he had a video featuring Alan Grey at the top of the page and for a long time I thought Georg = Alan Grey. I finally figured this out after meeting Georg in person the first time after asking him two or three times "so where's Georg?" I had to chalk it up to being overwhelmed by a garage chock-full of cruisers of all ages.

I also buy all my Toyota parts from Camelback, coincidentally. I did not know that they had an unofficial presence on the forum.

 

[wardharris]

There's no need to delete any posts... it's all good. The locker/gear install was more complicated than I'd expected so I'm happy to see more information be distributed on the matter. As I've mentioned before, I can't say enough good things about my experience working with Georg and Ward.

Funny story... when I was trying to originally get a hold of Georg I visited the Valley Hybrids Facebook page and he had a video featuring Alan Grey at the top of the page and for a long time I thought Georg = Alan Grey. I finally figured this out after meeting Georg in person the first time after asking him two or three times "so where's Georg?" I had to chalk it up to being overwhelmed by a garage chock-full of cruisers of all ages.

I also buy all my Toyota parts from Camelback, coincidentally. I did not know that they had an unofficial presence on the forum.

Yeah, you and your rig were the subject of a bunch of conversations last week. Toyota does what Toyota does, when they feel like it, but it would be nice if they let folks know.

One of the great things about MUD and this tribe is the opportunity to share what we learned as owners and as vendors. You did the community a service through your painful install.

Georg @orangefj45 IS the North American Alan Gray. I know them both a bit and the similarities are amazing. In another 40 years, Georg will look a lot more like Alan and I am convinced that Alan will still be around, working on Toyotas. I posted a YouTube vid of Alan and I on the TT test track - worth a look.

And yes, @murf is good people.