Build Manglers "Flying Egg" Resto-Build

[amitbh234]

@Boston Mangler did you buy and install the Dr. KDSS shorty bracket or the regular one for your suspension job? If the regular one did you use the top hole or bottom hole?

Crawled under the car today to inspect my panhard bar and lca rear ball joints and noticed that with the shorty bracket my pan hard bar isn’t exactly level. Not sure if it has to be exactly level to the ground or if the adjustment with the “shorty” bracket is enough for the lift with my Bilstein standard springs. Would love to get your feedback/see some pictures of your rear setup.

Also turns out one of two bottom bolt heads holding the bracket was missing so when I looked closer there seems to be a broken bolt in there which my shop didn’t tell me about. I’m sure they’ll fix it once I point it out and take it in but goes to show you can’t trust any work but your own these days.

 

[Boston Mangler]

@Boston Mangler did you buy and install the Dr. KDSS shorty bracket or the regular one for your suspension job? If the regular one did you use the top hole or bottom hole?

Crawled under the car today to inspect my panhard bar and lca rear ball joints and noticed that with the shorty bracket my pan hard bar isn’t exactly level. Not sure if it has to be exactly level to the ground or if the adjustment with the “shorty” bracket is enough for the lift with my Bilstein standard springs. Would love to get your feedback/see some pictures of your rear setup.

Also turns out one of two bottom bolt heads holding the bracket was missing so when I looked closer there seems to be a broken bolt in there which my shop didn’t tell me about. I’m sure they’ll fix it once I point it out and take it in but goes to show you can’t trust any work but your own these days.

I used the shorty and it all lines up great.

Stock, it’s not perfectly level regardless so there’s nothing to really compare it against, but rides without issues

As for the broken bolt, that sucks

But if I remember correctly, during install, one of the bolts was a bit too short for my liking, and didn’t get many threads engaged, so I sourced a longer one.

That might be your issue

And yes, it’s dang near impossible to find trusted mechanics that will do a job proper nowadays, hence why I do, or at least try to do everything myself

 

[HighRanch]

Well.. Finally got the wheels back from the powdercoater and couldnt be happier.

Had them coated to match the inner gray of the grill and they nailed it!!

DISCLAIMER: If powdercoating forged wheels, its a special process as to not change the metalurgy of the wheels. Standard process can alter it. I had these done at www.ecppowdercoatinginc.com which does many of the Baja trophy truck forged wheels and never had one break. Good enough for them, good enough for me.

Now to figure out proper center caps.

As of now, the 3rd one (but with the sombrero painted to match the wheels) is my favorite.

Yes, i know she needs a bath

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Any chance you have the code on this color match? Thinking you used Prismatic and would love to see if I can get the same color for my Magnetic Grey LC.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Any chance you have the code on this color match? Thinking you used Prismatic and would love to see if I can get the same color for my Magnetic Grey LC.

Sorry, I do not, wish I had grabbed it, you’re not the first to ask.

Place I go just has a ton of swatch samples on the wall so I just picked what I thought looked best, it’s a matte metallic, if that helps.

Yes, Prismatic powder

 

[Boston Mangler]

delete

 

[Boston Mangler]

Works been crazy so nothing new regarding work on truck or mods, but finally got to hit some dirt on a last minute trip with a good homie to some local trails.

We got a little over our head (haven’t been here in 10+ years) but got through safely. The more I drive this Offroad, and the harder I push it, the more I’m impressed with it’s capabilities in mostly stock form.

Let’s see if the legendary @TeCKis300 knows this spot:

 

[sdnative]

Last two look like VOM but I don't recognize the first. Almost looks like Calcite Mine but those two are quite far apart

 

[Boston Mangler]

Last two look like VOM but I don't recognize the first. Almost looks like Calcite Mine but those two are quite far apart

50% Correct!

Man I haven’t been to VOM in years, it’s gotten much more challenging

 

[Boston Mangler]

All packed up for a quick local 4x4 overnight exploding and camp trip, Milky Way photo session.

First test of sleep platform.

Fits camera gear and fat guy sleep machine perfectly!

Gotta stop being lazy and get the ARB carpet kit installed when I get back

After I took my pic, I placed my large sleep pillows in box before closing it, to keep everything rattle/noise free. Fits like a glove!

 

[TeCKis300]

Have a good trip out there. Post pics!

Missed your post earlier in the month. Caldwells Crunch is very familiar to me. Like @sdnative , I don't recognize the spot in the first two pics and you'll have to show me some time. Spotting wide long rigs through that spot is extra excitement.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Just got home from test run of sleep platform and first camping trip with friends dog.

All and all, success… definitely need to dial in some creature comfort / layout things, but I’m now totally comfortable taking this out solo and camping out of it.

Love my wife and her fam, but camping with them is insanely involved, time consuming, and way over complicated, defeating half the purpose of camping in the first place.

I’m a bare bones type of guy.

No action pics, we were too busy traveling at reckless Mach Jesus speeds, one wrong move away from a barrel roll yardsale

The OME 2721s are a DEFINITE improvement over the Reg Bilstein rear springs and I’m very pleased with its handling Offroad now. May try bumping up to 2722 at some point

But here’s a pic of MY ideal camp setup, barebones, no setup, no cleanup, no prep, as it should be:

Friends pup soaking in the scenery of her first adventure, she did amazing!

 

[dudemancool1904]

Love the simplicity of the drawer sleeping mat setup. If I win the lottery it’s ADGU otherwise I’m keeping my eye out for some lightly used ARB drawers like your setup.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Oh

And someone, I THINK @Markuson commented on a post about handle placement when doing the exit button mod. I thought he was being dramatic and over thinking something

Nope, he was 100% correct

Hit the button with my foot twice trying to move around in bed, and opened the hatch, and was some cirq de soleil action to close it

So yeah, if doing this mod, choose handle placement wisely, I failed on this

 

[prwillard2]

Just got home from test run of sleep platform and first camping trip with friends dog.

All and all, success… definitely need to dial in some creature comfort / layout things, but I’m now totally comfortable taking this out solo and camping out of it.

Love my wife and her fam, but camping with them is insanely involved, time consuming, and way over complicated, defeating half the purpose of camping in the first place.

I’m a bare bones type of guy.

No action pics, we were too busy traveling at reckless Mach Jesus speeds, one wrong move away from a barrel roll yardsale

The OME 2721s are a DEFINITE improvement over the Reg Bilstein rear springs and I’m very pleased with its handling Offroad now. May try bumping up to 2722 at some point

But here’s a pic of MY ideal camp setup, barebones, no setup, no cleanup, no prep, as it should be:

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Friends pup soaking in the scenery of her first adventure, she did amazing!

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I swear by the Peak Refuel dehydrated meals. I had enough mountain house during cold weather training in Bridgeport, CA. The Peak taste less chemical to me. Peakrefuel.com

 

[Boston Mangler]

I swear by the Peak Refuel dehydrated meals. I had enough mountain house during cold weather training in Bridgeport, CA. The Peak taste less chemical to me. Peakrefuel.com

Thanks, I’ll check em out

Yeah, that’s particular mountain house in the pic I found in garage looking for something, manufactured 10-2014. It wasn’t very good

Mountain house’ Beef Stroganoff has always been one of my favs. Dunno why but I LOVE IT!

I’m ok with paying a few bucks more for simple convenience but the cost has gotten a bit silly

 

[gasman4u]

I swear by the Peak Refuel dehydrated meals. I had enough mountain house during cold weather training in Bridgeport, CA. The Peak taste less chemical to me. Peakrefuel.com

Peak seems to be cleaner with its ingredients comparatively to what’s out there. Valley food storage also has solid options for camping dehydrated foods too.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Onward and upward:

For Sale Thread 'ARB 50QT Fridge/Freezer $400/Best Offer in San Diego'

Nov 8, 2025

Hey All

I got a used, OG Arb Classic 1 (blue) fridge/freezer for sale.

*** DOES NOT COOL***

Got this used locally, worked awesome for 3 months, stopped cooling.

Replaced thermocoupler and control board with new brand new ARB parts. No dice.

Everything turns on, and functions, even the compressor, but it does not cool, at all.

Friend gave me a new fridge for helping him with a project, so I’m not putting anymore effort into fixing this.

Has BRAND NEW Transit Bag and updated ARB 12cord, as well as 120v cord.

*** DOES NOT COOL***

Asking $400, or best offer for the whole shebang...

• Boston Mangler

• 

 

[Boston Mangler]

Well..

As per my usual, this escalated quickly…

Chatting with buddy about my ARB fridge crapping out and he offered me a new fridge he had got in exchange for a bunch of work I did on his boat motor. He was going to put it on patio but his wifey nixed that idea.

Anyway, never heard of this brand or model, so didn’t know what to expect.

Bouge RV Rocky 55 Dual Zone (50qt)

On paper looks epic for the money, $429 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRP84272/?tag=ihco-20

For ME, I am hopeful with this, as this is a DIMENSION thing for me. It’s considerably shorter than the ARB, making getting in and out of it much easier.

Reviews are totally a mixed bag 50/50

My first impressions review after unboxing firing it up:

-Aesthetically its badass and very much looks the part
-Build quality is definitely Amazon chinesium. Durability and longevity questionable right from the get go
-12v plug that’s included is trash, luckily fridge end is identical to ARB plug, so I just used that
-Lid is switchable to open from either side, this is awesome
-Lid seal is weak, and when closed, there is still a little play, this is not awesome
-App is easy to use and set parameters
-Dual zone divider is removable, to make one big fridge or freezer, this awesome and never seen this before
-Only the much larger side can be set to freeze, not the smaller side, this is not awesome and don’t make sense
-Main compartment has the big interior step for the compressor, which on my ARB, is on the freezer so, so you can maximize regular food storage and easy to load basket. This is backwards on this one
-ARB tie down kit fits the handles perfectly, so mounting was a breeze
-latch to open fridge is very cheap and I see this breaking within a year
-Cools down FAST on max mode. Got from 75 to 35 in about 30 mins.
-It has a max mode and an eco mode
-When dual zone divider is removed to use as a single unit, the basket have about 1.5” between them and I’m guessing this will make a racket while off-roading, will brainstorm options
-Even in MAX mode, this thing is QUIET!!! Like, I wasn’t even sure if it was on quiet. It uses an LG compressor, which I can’t find much info on regarding reliability, but at first use, impressed

Basic Gist: I dunno, could be good, could a boat anchor. For $429, it the compressor runs, and it cools for awhile, I’ll modify the seal and come up with a better latching system.

But the dimensions are absolutely perfect for my needs, so I’m hoping I can make this work! So much easier to load and unload than the ARB.

Hopes and prayers

 

[TeCKis300]

Well..

As per my usual, this escalated quickly…

Chatting with buddy about my ARB fridge crapping out and he offered me a new fridge he had got in exchange for a bunch of work I did on his boat motor. He was going to put it on patio but his wifey nixed that idea.

Anyway, never heard of this brand or model, so didn’t know what to expect.

Bouge RV Rocky 55 Dual Zone (50qt)

On paper looks epic for the money, $429 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRP84272/?tag=ihco-20

For ME, I am hopeful with this, as this is a DIMENSION thing for me. It’s considerably shorter than the ARB, making getting in and out of it much easier.

Reviews are totally a mixed bag 50/50

My first impressions review after unboxing firing it up:

-Aesthetically its badass and very much looks the part
-Build quality is definitely Amazon chinesium. Durability and longevity questionable right from the get go
-12v plug that’s included is trash, luckily fridge end is identical to ARB plug, so I just used that
-Lid is switchable to open from either side, this is awesome
-Lid seal is weak, and when closed, there is still a little play, this is not awesome
-App is easy to use and set parameters
-Dual zone divider is removable, to make one big fridge or freezer, this awesome and never seen this before
-Only the much larger side can be set to freeze, not the smaller side, this is not awesome and don’t make sense
-Main compartment has the step for the compressor, which on my is on the freezer so, so you can maximize regular food storage and easy to load basket. This is backwards
-ARB tie down kit fits the handles perfectly, so mounting was a breeze
-latch to open fridge is very cheap and I see this breaking within a year
-Cools down FAST on max mode. Got from 75 to 35 in about 30 mins.
-It has a max mode and an eco mode
-When dual zone divider is removed to use as a single unit, the basket have about 1.5” between them and I’m guessing this will make a racket while off-roading, will brainstorm options
-Even in MAX mode, this thing is QUIET!!! Like, I wasn’t even sure if it was on quiet. It uses an LG compressor, which I can’t find much info on regarding reliability, but at first use, impressed

Basic Gist: I dunno, could be good, could a boat anchor. For $429, it the compressor runs, and it cools for awhile, I’ll modify the seal and come up with a better latching system.

But the dimensions are absolutely perfect for my needs, so I’m hoping I can make this work! So much easier to load and unload than the ARB.

Hopes and prayers

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Got a buddy using this same unit in his off-road trailer. He's had it about a year which is not forever, but it's been legit in that time. Have another friend with a smaller Bouge and it's been working fine for him about 2 years. I didn't think much of this brand when they first came out but they're doing their job just like any other brand.

Honestly these things are commodity now. Get the one that has the features and format you want, name brand or not.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Got a buddy using this same unit in his off-road trailer. He's had it about a year which is not forever, but it's been legit in that time. Have another friend with a smaller Bouge and it's been working fine for him about 2 years. I didn't think much of this brand when they first came out but they're doing their job just like any other brand.

Honestly these things are commodity now. Get the one that has the features and format you want, name brand or not.

That’s great to hear! I’m hopeful

For the cost of the newer ARBs or equivalent, I could literally buy THREE of these.

So if it craps out in 2 years, buy another, and still ahead $wise.

Not usually how I do things, but times are changing

Will be putting it to the test next weekend on an adventure to new area, for us. Will report back