Builds indycole's 2016 200 Series Build and Retrospective

[indycole]

This is an amazing helpful thread. Thank you SO much! Just purchased a new LC and was debating on getting the BP51 or just standard OME setup, but after reading your comments, I’m gonna go BP51.

Has your opinion changed about the BP51 setup? I know about the clunking issue in cold weather.

Let me know if you have a chance!

Thanks for the kind words. Just trying to do my part to give back to the community.

While I do still prefer the BP-51s, the basic OME setup will take you a long way and is an excellent value. I will say that I'm not a suspension expert and am still dialing in the BPs to compensate for recent changes to the truck. I may even be moving up to 2725 rear springs. I'd start your own build thread to get some feedback from others as well.

 

[Roy Park]

Thanks for the kind words. Just trying to do my part to give back to the community.

While I do still prefer the BP-51s, the basic OME setup will take you a long way and is an excellent value. I will say that I'm not a suspension expert and am still dialing in the BPs to compensate for recent changes to the truck. I may even be moving up to 2725 rear springs. I'd starting your own build thread to get some feedback from others as well.

I was gonna ask you what rear springs you run since I’ll have the same drawers and bumpers. Do you feel the 2724’s don’t carry the weight well?

 

[indycole]

My take after Baja is that the 2724s are good up until 8000lbs but the 2725s are a better fit above that weight. My truck is around 7500lbs during normal operation up to day trips but I always end up 8200-8500 for a longer trip. At that point the 2725s would be nice.

 

[SWUtah]

How many yards do you get per gallon of gasoline at that weight.

 

[DRCocaCola]

Those @TrekboxX drawers sure look nice. I’m headed north in a week to get mine installed. I can’t wait!

 

[indycole]

How many yards do you get per gallon of gasoline at that weight.

Oddly enough, I’ve noticed more effect on fuel economy from 34s and the RTT/rack than crazy weights.

Worst I’ve gotten is 9mpg when we were fully loaded, doing 85mph, with a headwind in Baja. Generally, I see 11-14 on the highway (not adjusted for tire size) and 10 off-road in pretty any situation.

 

[TrekboxX]

Cole, it was great to see you again. Great guy, nice rig!

My wife saw your 200. You're going to cost me some $$$

 

[TonyP]

Interested in seeing the final tally on weight increase with that "stuff" Get it on Cat scale.

 

[indycole]

Interested in seeing the final tally on weight increase with that "stuff" Get it on Cat scale.

Me too. I predict a new unloaded weight of 7600.

Side note, have you noticed much fuel economy loss going from stock to steel bumper? Not sure if you ever had the chance to isolate that from tire or other load changes?

 

[TonyP]

Hmm, I'd guess more

The front? I didn't notice a big dip in MPGs, no. I'm sure there was one but ignorance is bliss. I generally get 275 to zero, add whatever is in reserve to that so maybe 300 miles to a tank on the highway.

 

[Blasst]

@indycole....amazing writeup and record of your trials, tribulations, and journeys. Learned a lot. Gotta get those solar window covers!!

I'll comment on my mpg experience so far on my 2014 LC that is not weighed down except with some temporary Arb drawers, guns and tools.

As for mpg........I just re-geared, Did the 4.88's thing and Arb lockers.
Still have my stock plactic in front and back. Jason is doing a V2 set of bumpers for me also now that @TonyP has beat the mortal crap out of V1 and been our test pilot.

So, With 4.88's and still running stock 31" tires for a few more weeks, and no appreciable weight load in my truck , I am driving back and forth 3 hours to San Antonio a lot checking a small subdivision I am building. Doing approx 80-85 mph, (the speed limit is 80 on that stretch) and kinda high RPM's till I get taller tires, I am getting 14-15 here in flatland Texas and 11-12 around town. I will be watching to see what the bumper and winch change does to my mpg as I increase drag and weight. I am also adding a 40 gal fuel tank, Tundra long travel front end, & 35 inch tires so I can get my RPM's down to 2000 at 70 mph. I'll be watching to see what each change does to my mpg and basic drivability.

One of my goals with my build is keeping my rig as light as possible. 2nd row seats are removed to use for storage space as you and Tony have done & Aluminum Budbuilt skids under. I am about to use a set of Arb drawers temporarily but consider the construction old tech and unnecessarily heavy.

I have subcontractors I use sometimes that work with various metals and high tech plastics. They are telling me they can duplicate the Arb drawers at half the weight and stronger with no squeaks using plastic that fuses together or aluminum. Since they also do metallurgical testing and various things for Nasa and have access to some unusual materials I am keeping my fingers crossed. )

Thought I'd comment on the MPG's since my vehicle is evolving now every couple of weeks.
I should add that I have broken my aerodynamics a bit with 2" lift from a BP-51 kit.
cheers,
Jim

 

[indycole]

@indycole....amazing writeup and record of your trials, tribulations, and journeys. Learned a lot. Gotta get those solar window covers!!

I'll comment on my mpg experience so far on my 2014 LC that is not weighed down except with some temporary Arb drawers, guns and tools.

As for mpg........I just re-geared, Did the 4.88's thing and Arb lockers.
Still have my stock plactic in front and back. Jason is doing a V2 set of bumpers for me also now that @TonyP has beat the mortal crap out of V1 and been our test pilot.

So, With 4.88's and still running stock 31" tires for a few more weeks, and no appreciable weight load in my truck , I am driving back and forth 3 hours to San Antonio a lot checking a small subdivision I am building. Doing approx 80-85 mph, (the speed limit is 80 on that stretch) and kinda high RPM's till I get taller tires, I am getting 14-15 here in flatland Texas and 11-12 around town. I will be watching to see what the bumper and winch change does to my mpg as I increase drag and weight. I am also adding a 40 gal fuel tank, Tundra long travel front end, & 35 inch tires so I can get my RPM's down to 2000 at 70 mph. I'll be watching to see what each change does to my mpg and basic drivability.

One of my goals with my build is keeping my rig as light as possible. 2nd row seats are removed to use for storage space as you and Tony have done & Aluminum Budbuilt skids under. I am about to use a set of Arb drawers temporarily but consider the construction old tech and unnecessarily heavy.

I have subcontractors I use sometimes that work with various metals and high tech plastics. They are telling me they can duplicate the Arb drawers at half the weight and stronger with no squeaks using plastic that fuses together or aluminum. Since they also do metallurgical testing and various things for Nasa and have access to some unusual materials I am keeping my fingers crossed. )

Thought I'd comment on the MPG's since my vehicle is evolving now every couple of weeks.
I should add that I have broken my aerodynamics a bit with 2" lift from a BP-51 kit.
cheers,
Jim

If your experience mirrors mine then I imagine you'll see the biggest fuel economy hit from the 35s. Weight-wise, one thing to consider with regard to storage is some kind of plate system with cargo barriers/nets/shelves instead of drawers. I'm just throwing that out there as it's something I strongly considered before deciding on the Trekboxx. Goose Gear makes an interesting product but I would have probably done a DYI version out of thick plywood that utilized multiple mounting points complete with heavy duty spacers, etc. For storage, I was planning on semi-hard mounting Aluboxes throughout the cargo row and second row.

 

[indycole]

Decisions, Decisions

200 series R&D seems to be going well at the Trail Tailor HQ as Jason is on the tail end of wrapping up the hidden winch mount, 16+ bumper, and probably some other goodies. While I've been dead set on a hidden winch mount all along, the pictures of the prototype bumper on my truck has piqued my interest. Perhaps it also has something to do with TT bumpers achieving unobtainium status going forward?

In the meantime, I have a roof rack puzzle to solve. While I'm a huge fan of the Gamiviti roof rack, it simply isn't a great fit for the Eezi-Awn Stealth tent. There are a few problems:

1.) The mounting rails on the tent overlap with the mounting plates on the rack which means I need to mount the tent annoying off-center and even rotated a smidgeon because of where the grid intersects in the rear.
2.) I've looked into using Gamiviti's add-on load bars to mount the tent a bit higher, but then I'd be dangerously close to the height of our security gate when entering our place.
3.) There's not enough room to mount both awnings (regular awning and privacy/shower/toilet awning) securely.​

To be clear, I'm not flagging any of these problems as deficiencies of the rack. I'm the bonehead putting a 200+ lb tent on the roof plus multiple awnings.

So, I'm exploring other roof rack options. I had hoped to actually remove the rack all together and just utilize Eezi-Awn load bars. However, it's not clear that I can solve my awning problems with the load bars alone. I'm still running the gamut on this option. Otherwise, I'll likely end up with a ginormous 2200mm x 1500mm Eezi Awn rack which seems to theoretically solve the mounting problems. On a related note, let me know if you're interested in a Gamiviti system in the Bay Area or in Salt Lake City.

Lastly, I'm finalizing my thoughts on part 2 of the Trekboxx storage install. I posted pictures a page back with a first glance at the rear storage system, but I'm also planning on a middle row unit to replace my DIY solution. As a side note, I set up some Trekpak (unrelated to Trekboxx but certainly a complementary product) for the two Trekboxx drawers.

I'm planning on a short platform for the middle row that is completely independent from the rear storage system. Ideally, it will be something that sets up and breaks down quickly, is strong enough to tie down to, and safe for my dog, Judy. I purposefully want it to be a bit lower than the rear system as sleeping inside the truck is not a use case for me. Here are a few photos of a recent 4runner job that is close to what I'm looking for.

The one change I may explore pending feasibility is separating the platform 40/60 so that I can use part of the platform either the 40 or 60 rear seat installed. Another alternative I've considered is a platform on the 60 side but just a floor plate on the 40 side assuming there's enough room to hard-mount a 23x15 Alu-box on the 40 plate (I doubt there's enough room, to be honest).

We're hoping to spend some time breaking in this new gear in 2-3 weeks in Mendocino NF or perhaps the Lost Coast.

 

[Blasst]

In some of the expensive homes I do we incorporate drawers that are refrigerated. 8" or 10" deep as If I recall correctly. This is something I plan to do.

I have seen versions similar using marine drawers that are refrigerated. I've always been surprised more people don't do this.
Did you ever see this 80 series that was for sale here on Mud?
4BTZJ - 1995 Diesel 80


Refrigerated drawer, slide out stove and table, he used the quarter panels for storage and for his air compressor.
Cutting board on the tailgate. This 80 was featured in several magazines. I imagine some folks here remember it from last year. During their South America tour they used a hardshell RTT.

The actual height of his platform is too high for me but it is because of the marine fridge. Refrigerated drawers are more common now that are not as deep. I have done several refrigerated drawers that would work well in our 200's. But I travel in a minimalist style. A lot of dry food, rice, photo and video equipment, tools and spare parts, water, and 105# female know it all. ))

 

[ForrestGrump]

Did you ever see this 80 series that was for sale here on Mud?
4BTZJ - 1995 Diesel 80

Good good that was a sweet ride! I was very close to buying it. My wife wanted more airbags however with the kids so we compromised and ended up with a 200. I still think a lot about that 80! You don't see (m)any like that. Especially in my neck of the woods.

 

[Blasst]

Good good that was a sweet ride! I was very close to buying it. My wife wanted more airbags however with the kids so we compromised and ended up with a 200. I still think a lot about that 80! You don't see (m)any like that. Especially in my neck of the woods.

Yeah I closely considered it. But it was very noisy with that cummins. Also if used often in the US I think it would be irritatingly slow. It was a serious expedition vehicle. I would go nuts using it around Houston and our 80 mph traffic.

I later bought a 1012 Nissan Patrol w/turbp diesel and it is a complete expedition build already ...even has front & rear winches....and I have my 200 for the US.

 

[indycole]

Stuff Coming Together

I think we're over the hump on the most recent stage of the build and expect to wrap up all the current projects by the end of June (hopefully with a couple camping trips mixed in).

• Decided to go with @reevesci full front bumper instead of the hidden winch mount including a Baja Designs OnX6 30" bar, Baja Designs Squadrons, and a Comeup Winch. Jason also designed some rear shock mounts that will be going on as well.
• I'll be making a visit to the @TrekboxX HQ for on-the-fly measurements and design of a middle row storage system that will house some of my heavier gear (recovery, bottle jack, tire repair stuff, some tools). The top of the system will serve as basecamp for our dog and an Alubox for pantry items.
• I'm going to put my Gamiviti rack up for sale as I've run out of reasonable ideas for mounting the combination of an awning, shower ensuite, and RTT. It's a great rack but I'll likely be ordering an Eezi-Awn K9 to replace it for modularity. I did consider just using Eezi-Awn load bars but settled on the rack.
• A Redarc BCDC1225D is en route so maybe I'll finally get my second battery charged. I'll need to swap out the Blue Sea ACR with a standard solenoid-based isolator.

I paid a visit to Redding to get a head start on fine-tuning the storage and to complete a handful of minor projects. It was a fun day thanks to some great grilled food and company courtesy of Jason and @dc916cruiser.

I installed Trekpak dividers inside the drawers, attached some footman loops to the drawers (I'm pretty sure I was more careful drilling through the Trekboxx drawers than I was the roof of my truck). I also took measurements to make a large 1000 Denier Cordura bag to sit atop the cage shelf so that stuff doesn't rattle around. The bungee cord is temporary. Side note... I also want compliment @TrekboxX on making some absolutely awesome tie-down straps.

With any luck my next update will feature the new front bumper.

Shameless Classifieds Plug

This round of changes has resulted in lots of stuff popping up for sale in my classifieds thread. There are some 200-specific items (roof rack, weathertech sun shade). I also have one of those ALT-S fuses that convinces the alternator to put out more voltage. It doesn't seem to work on the 2016+.

 

[Blasst]

Cole do you know what material the Trekkboxx stuff is? Guess I should have looked at their site. Looks like textured MDF or something.
Can tell at a glance how well made they are.
The switches and plugs also add to the cool factor.

 

[indycole]

Cole do you know what material the Trekkboxx stuff is? Guess I should have looked at their site. Looks like textured MDF or something.
Can tell at a glance how well made they are.
The switches and plugs also add to the cool factor.

David wrote an excellent description of the design and fabrication process in his Trekboxx for 200s thread — check it out here: Trekboxx Drawer System for 200 series

I plan on sharing my thoughts after I have a few outings under my belt with the system.

 

[indycole]

Just a quick update. I picked up the truck today and once again can’t say enough about @reevesci’s work and service. I’ll have much more to post soon but for now wanted to share photos of the rear shock skids. If you run BPs these are a must have, IMO (maybe even other shocks but I can only speak to the BPs).

Jason also installed a Tough Dog Panhard as my driver side was over 1/2 inch shifted to the left. The axle is basically even now.

Visiting David for the second round of Trekboxx goodness tomorrow morning. Then, I need to hook up the winch, new bumper lights, and swap my Blue Sea for the Redarc. Also, my last attempt to install the shower awning on the Gamiviti failed so I have Eezi Awn load bars en route.