Builds mcgaskins' 2013 build thread - Palladium (5 Viewers)

[mcgaskins]

SLIDERS AND SUSPENSION

The next two items were big ones - sliders and suspension. I've had nothing but excellent experiences with the @sleeoffroad standard slider, so that was an easy choice. I prefer the slimmer design compared with the LX version, but I've seen those up close and they are a beautiful design. For suspension, I had considered the standard OME kit like I had on the 2014 or the BP51 setup I had on Ruby. What I'm going to say may surprise some - I didn't love the BP51s as much as I thought I would. My biggest issue was the inconvenience of adjusting, and it took me a few tries of different dampening to get it to where I liked it. Once it was dialed (which took several months of trial and error), it was absolutely fantastic.

The surprising part however is just how good the basic OME kit is relatively speaking. Right after I had the BP51s installed, I felt like I had made a mistake because I liked it much less than the basic kit which was less than half as much. I chose the basic kit this time for a back to back to back comparison, and I honestly love the way this one rides. It's firmer that how I had my BP51s set up, but it's incredibly smooth with near perfect dampening and body control. Since the lift was installed, we drove it from Denver to all over southern Colorado on highways, biways, trails, and gorgeous scenery everywhere. My wife and our pup thought it was very comfortable and quiet even with the new bumper on the front, and I could not have been happier with the performance.

The specs for the suspension are: ARB2702 front springs with N91005-S front shocks and ARB2722 rear springs with N61029-S rear shocks. I went with SPC adjustable UCAs which are the 4th set I've had with zero issues. Here are pics of the stance right after the lift which I think looks very proportional and far less like a Highlander ("Less like a Highlander" should have been my build thread name).

And a couple comparison shots from stock - well sorta. The prior owner actually installed the OEM front spacer, so it was slightly taller than stock up front. Incidentally as I briefly mentioned in my first post, this upgrade cost the prior owner big unfortunately. The tech couldn't get the KDSS valves open or cam tabs loose, so they ended up replacing the KDSS pump, lower control arms, and about a dozen other random associated parts to get the spacer on. I received the benefit of getting the newer style screws which are tiny hex bolts instead of the allen head bolts.

 

[jamgolf]

Is there a winch hidden behind that bumper? Or is that one of the next steps in the build?

 

[reddog90]

Damnit man. I just want spacers and 285/65s but your rig just looks so good.

 

[Gorilla]

Loving the detail in the thread, and the great pics. It makes a build thread that biut more enjoyable! I couldnt find it in your "novels" haha but I believe you are now running a 2" Lift? Judging by those part numbers

 

[Rigger]

Looks great! Thanks for all the detailed posts.

 

[grinchy]

PACKING

I recently had a friend get into wheeling, and we were discussing the items I usually pack for a trip. I hadn't been wheeling since September last year, and my gear was scattered around the garage and buried in various places in the Sprinter (old 2002 T1N - not a fancy one). I decided to aggregate and organize the gear in the garage to figure out what I had before throwing it into the 200. I was planning to take pics and write up a list of what I pack, but then I realized it would be a lot easier to just do a quick video. It ended up not being a quick video because I apparently talk too much, but I figured this might be helpful to some who aren't sure what to bring. Keep in mind I didn't talk about tools, parts, camping gear, etc., but I may add that later.

Thanks for the vid. Picked up a set of valve stem replacements to go in the oh s*** bag in my drawer.

 

[radman]

Not sure if it's been asked, but are you keeping the old BBS wheels or selling them off?

 

[JohnJB]

Not sure if it's been asked, but are you keeping the old BBS wheels or selling them off?

From an earlier post

The BBS wheels have a lot of value in the secondary market, so I was able to swap the combo over for essentially no financial impact. They live on another member's 200 here in Denver, and I think we are both happy with the deal we got.

 

[mcgaskins]

Is there a winch hidden behind that bumper? Or is that one of the next steps in the build?

Sorry for the slow updates! I gave the hidden winch a lot of thought because I love the stealthy look, but I was able to score a certain bumper I like even more. Update on that coming in my next post actually!

Damnit man. I just want spacers and 285/65s but your rig just looks so good.

I personally think that setup is good enough for about 90% of all uses, and the cost is minimal. Unless you truly see yourself wheeling many times a year, I'd try the spacers and tires first - you can always upgrade later!

Loving the detail in the thread, and the great pics. It makes a build thread that biut more enjoyable! I couldnt find it in your "novels" haha but I believe you are now running a 2" Lift? Judging by those part numbers

It's generally speaking a 2" lift, but I will elaborate that a bit more in a separate post. It's "broken in" now with a decent number of wheeling miles, and I like to measure after it's been used a bit.

Thanks for the vid. Picked up a set of valve stem replacements to go in the oh s*** bag in my drawer.

You got it! It's one of those items you hope to never need and likely won't ever use...as long as you have it in your kit

Not sure if it's been asked, but are you keeping the old BBS wheels or selling them off?

Looks like @JohnJB has you covered - they were sold at the same time when I had the Icons installed.

 

[mcgaskins]

FRONT BUMPER

I had debated to keep the stock front bumper and install a hidden winch because I like the stealth look, and I also considered the usual suspects like ARB, TJM, Dissent, and my personal favorite, Rhino. I had my first front ARB bumper on an XJ over 20 years ago, and since then I've had ARB bumpers on several trucks and am a huge fan. ARB to me means quality, consistency, dealer support, airbag compliance, and good looks. On the flip side however, the ARB bumpers for the 200 are also expensive, heavy, bulky, and don't have great clearance, and in my opinion, look a little dated. I then considered TJM which I think is the value play in the 200 market, and I really liked the TJM T3 I had on my 100. The TJM is also good quality and airbag compliant, but the T13 for the 200 is even heavier than the ARB. It is a little less bulky, but it's still a huge bumper with far less dealer support than ARB. I *think* TJM has better availability than they did a few years ago, but it's nowhere near as ubiquitous as ARB in the US.

I also considered Dissent because Ben has some great designs that look excellent on the 200, and they are lighter, less bulky, and have better clearance. The two main factors that swayed me away from Dissent were airbag compliance and availability. I think much of the discussion around airbag compliance is overblown, but for me it was just enough combined with the fact I'd have to wait a while to get one of his bumpers to make me pass this time. I love Ben's new design however, and I would strongly consider it next time if my time horizon allowed for it.

That left me with my personal 200 series favorite - the Rhino 4x4 Evolution front bumper. I started this thread almost 2 years ago (Rhino 4x4 Front Bumper) when my buddy Greg and I were considering them for our trucks, and to the best of our knowledge we brought in the first pair to the US. We were willing to give it a try because it looked to be good quality, OEM appearance, airbag compliance, lightweight, high clearance, and decently priced. I also like the fact they are rare in the US since the 200 is already a pretty rare vehicle.

ARB:

+ quality
+ dealer support
+ airbag compliant
- expensive
- heavy
- bulky

TJM:

+ quality
+ airbag compliant
+ good value
- very heavy
- relatively bulky
- dealer support

Dissent:

+ quality
+ aesthetics
+ great clearance
+ US based small biz
- availability/timing
- no airbag compliance

Rhino 4x4:

+ quality
+ airbag compliant
+ most OEM in apperance
+ great clearance
+ rare
- hard to get
- needs to be painted to look right
- pre 16 bumper doesn't fit as well as 16+


Knowing how covid has negatively affected inventories and supply chain, I was confident it was going to be a pain to bring in a single Rhino bumper on my own, and I had missed the recent group buy since I didn't have a truck yet when it occurred. I posted here (Rhino 4x4 bumper group buy is happening) and @KCSIII happened to have an extra one he didn't need. I offered to buy it, and it was an awesome experience all the way around. @KCSIII is a great guy to work with, and he went through a bunch of hoops to get not only the bumper routed to me but also tracked down a missing skidplate. I really appreciate it!

And then the truck looked like this soon:

 

[mcgaskins]

Of course no good thing comes easy or something like that, so the journey began with a box!

With stuff! (that had been clearly been opened and "rearranged" by customs at least once )

That stuff was removed from the box, and put in the back of the 200 within minutes of arrival to go the paint shop!

This is where I will pause. I personally think the Rhino bumper is pretty ugly unless you get it paint matched. When you have that much black bumper on the front of a vehicle with a big face it just looks...chubby. Rhino does not sell bumpers painted in the correct US colors, so if you want a great paint match, you must get that done on your own. I had never had a color matched bumper until Ruby, and I frankly never cared for it until I saw the Rhino. My buddy Greg always "knows a guy" for everything, so we used his auto painter who did a truly phenomenal job on all 3 bumpers he painted for us. Because of that connection, it was easy to get it done, but I imagine some body shops might have an issue with a such a small job? Who knows, but it's something to keep in mind. Also on the bumper I received, the center section was chrome which I was not a fan of, so I had to take it to a media blaster and then get it powdercoated. That added some additional work, time, and expense, but I felt like the end result was well worth it. The quality of the paint and powdercoat is excellent and is very cohesive with the vehicle, and the added cost was right around $350 and took about 5 days.

With the pieces back in my hands, I inventoried everything to get ready and snapped pics of the instructions for someone in another thread, so here is the link to those images: (Rhino 4x4 Front Bumper).

 

[mcgaskins]

INSTALL AND WINCH

Settled into the garage for a few days

It's amazing how much washer fluid comes out. Keep the bucket handy because the headlight washer line will keep leaking somehow until you put it back together.

Dad - call for help you are scaring me

Dad - mom is gonna kill you if you keep piling up Land Cruiser bumpers in the backyard

Dad - I am scared of fireworks

Center section fitted. The large brackets that tie into the frame in 2 places form the basis for the winch cradle, and the design is very strong.

Wing supports and center sections installed, time for the winch. I chose the Warn VR EVO 12-S winch this time because it has very good reviews, is a very current model theoretically taking advantage of newer technologies/materials, has a strong synthetic line, is super easy to operate (clutch is light and clicks in well), comes with a wired/wireless remote, and it's only $850. I bought it from a retailer that discounted the sales tax, so to me that is an absolute value. No pulls on it yet, but I will report back when I do. I need to unspool the line and wind it better under tension, so I will try to do that soon.

And this winch is a VERY tight fit. In fact, you sort of have to rock the base of the winch a certain way around the lip of the winch cradle just to get it to fit. It is so snug against the frame, I doubt the anchor bolts are even necessary

 

[mcgaskins]

INSTALL AND WINCH CONTINUED

Test fit the grill, and oddly enough it seemed it was going to work perfectly as a lower grill support

Started mocking up the wings

Details matter (these take a 10mm wrench and squeeze in on the sides)

See a Hi Lift is a handy tool - keep them nice and shiny like this, nobody likes a scratched Hi Lift

Around here I noticed no matter what I did, I couldn't get the bumper wings to sit nearly as tightly against the body as I did on Ruby which was an updated version of this bumper. If I got the wings aligned perfectly to the center section, it made the wings turn further outward. If I turned the wings inward, it caused at a gap at the center section. This is one of the points in a project where if it goes well, you almost think you did something wrong it was so easy. That's not what happened here. I had issues with many pieces fitting perfectly, and some holes that were drilled to allow for adjustment on the truck were not drilled correctly. On one portion of the bracket the hole would be slotted for vertical adjustment, and the other hole was slotted for horizontal adjustment...meaning there was essentially only one non adjustable location for it to fit. The resulted in either having to work around it or drill a new slot to get it to fit properly. This kit actually does require you to drill 2 holes in the brackets to mount bolts, and I'm 90% confident we didn't have to do that on the 16+ bumpers. Overall I would say either the 08-15 bumper design or manufacturing process is inferior to the 16+ design, or potentially I got a less than perfect set of brackets and potentially other parts. From looking extensively at pics online and chatting with some other owners, it seems the 08-15 design generally does not fit as well as the 16+. I feel I could probably take another stab at re-aligning it with a friend because I did everything solo, and having an extra set of hands and eyes would have likely made the process a lot easier. I installed the 16+ bumper solo as well, and I found it to be easier.

BONUS

My wife got some super unflattering pics of me scraping my knuckles

 

[Simpleman]

Rhino 4x4:

- pre 16 bumper doesn't fit as well as 16+

Looking great. Would you please expand on the Rhino bumper fitment issue with the pre-16?

Would also like to hear what hidden winch options you were considering.

Awesome thread and am watching very closely. Just picked up a 2013 silver LC last Friday. Lucked out as it just had new tires, Icon 6-speeds, OME BPs, and Rhino Rack installed last year (pic #380 in the Welcome thread):

Welcome to the 200 Series Forums: Start Here and Read First

Hello! New LC200 owner. It has been one of my dream cars ever since my dad had a 70 series back in Central America. Traded in an FJ for this. I must say, I don’t miss the FJ. The ride is so nice in the LC200, plus, my Saint Bernard has more space now. Already took it out for some beach sand...

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks and keep it up.

 

[Simpleman]

Looking great. Would you please expand on the Rhino bumper fitment issue with the pre-16?

Would also like to hear what hidden winch options you were considering.

Awesome thread and am watching very closely. Just picked up a 2013 silver LC last Friday. Lucked out as it just had new tires, Icon 6-speeds, OME BPs, and Rhino Rack installed last year (pic #380 in the Welcome thread):

Welcome to the 200 Series Forums: Start Here and Read First

Hello! New LC200 owner. It has been one of my dream cars ever since my dad had a 70 series back in Central America. Traded in an FJ for this. I must say, I don’t miss the FJ. The ride is so nice in the LC200, plus, my Saint Bernard has more space now. Already took it out for some beach sand...

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks and keep it up.

Oops, never mind the Rhino fitment question as I saw you covered it in your install section. That part of your posts didn't load on my computer for some reason.

 

[Rigger]

Awesome build! Very nice the way you go into fine detail about things. Keep it up, man!

 

[mcgaskins]

Awesome build! Very nice the way you go into fine detail about things. Keep it up, man!

Thank you! I know this thread is long, but hopefully it answers questions for other people on their journey as well.

 

[TeCKis300]

Enjoying the picture story as always.

Any idea how much net weight this bumper adds after taking off the stock pieces?

May want to keep an eye on where the winch control box meets the grill. With one being attached to the frame, and the other on the body, they'll flex and may contact. Shouldn't be as much displacement as at the fenders, and the grill should flex without issue. Looks great!

 

[Rigger]

Short hijack, but relevant; You commented in the Ruby thread about your preference for the sleeker Rhino vs the bulky, brutish ARB (not your exact words, LOL!). Since then, I have realized that I would prefer a more understated look. My '08 has an ARB front. I am considering buying a 2021; in fact, Eric Sargent has us on the list for possible purchase late 2020 or early 2021. If I do go that direction, I will either do no aftermarket front bumper or maybe Dissent.

An aside, I thought Ruby was a beautiful color and a pretty truck. You led us on Hell's Revenge last year, maybe you remember us? At your suggestion, our two girls rode with Greg for a while because we had a full truck. Fun times!

Anyway, hijack over.

Bottom line: I really like the way you think everything through so thoroughly.

 

[fos373]

going through the Rhino install now, you make it look very easy........