Builds mcgaskins' 2013 build thread - Palladium (1 Viewer)

[mcgaskins]

This is slightly out of order, but I wanted to get to some fun stuff instead of boring garage and parking lot pics.

My wife and I did shakedown run and hit a milestone on our wonderfully memorable and relaxing trip to southern and southwestern Colorado. I kept reminding myself to snap a pic right when we rolled 100k, but I was too caught up in the stunning beauty of Wolf Creek Pass to notice the odo hitting 6 digits. The memories of us breathing in the scenery with the windows down/sunroof open, dogs tongue sticking out in the side view mirror, and Gregory Alan Isakov serenading us will serve us better in the long run, but I did still get a pic of 100,007! I think close enough counts here

 

[Dixon Santana]

How are the tires and gearing working? Assuming you are on the 3.90 gearing still. I'm planning on moving up to this tire size soon. I can't decide if 4.88's would be overkill or even 4.30's
Great Build! Definitely taking notes here

 

[Romer]

Nice Thread Matt. I hope you keep this one. I do enjoy wheeling and hanging out with you at events

 

[mcgaskins]

Nice Thread Matt. I hope you keep this one. I do enjoy wheeling and hanging out with you at events

Thank you Ken! Always love spending time with you and your family - we just don't do it enough!

 

[mcgaskins]

My wife and I had not really left the house except for groceries or the occasional hike since mid March, so we needed to get out and (safely) see some family and friends. My brother in law who owns the awesome 1st gen red Tacoma in a bunch of my photos is lucky enough to live at the base of the Crestones in an amazing house that feels part of the mountains and earth itself. It's a regenerative and restorative environment, and the star gazing and patio sitting is second to none. There are some dynamic high desert trails nearby with deep sand, ancient trees, and occasional rocky sections, and the views of the San Luis Valley are incredible from just about everywhere. As he describes it, the feeling is almost like you're on an airplane looking down the way the valley disappears below you, and the sunsets last forever with a stunningly diverse palette of colors. It's an area of Colorado most do not visit, and I find that to be a large part of its charm. We enjoyed being together and sharing a picnic on the tailgate watching the colors dance.

 

[mcgaskins]

The trails were mostly deep sugary sand, and it had an interesting effect on the wheels...

Unbeatable picnic spot

Neither we nor the sunset wanted to say goodnight

 

[grinchy]

I used the Asfir 4x4 1/4” Aluminum transfer case skid to solve the Issue with most of the tranny skids (including stock) being weight bearing. Is uses an Aluminum cross member and I found it an easy fit with the front skid, though I have TC not ARB. Cost competitive even with the shipping from Israel.

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

The trails were mostly deep sugary sand, and it had an interesting effect on the wheels...

Unbeatable picnic spot

Neither we nor the sunset wanted to say goodnight

Beautiful country!

 

[mcgaskins]

After we spent a couple days enjoying the change of scenery, we headed towards Durango to visit some dear friends who were supposed to be having a wedding reception, but covid dramatically altered their celebration. Instead of a large number of guests, it was just the 4 of us and their parents, and although I know it sounds selfish, we had a truly amazing time in such an intimate setting. We didn't have a set agenda for activities, but as luck turned out, my wife's friend's dad just bought a shiny new Wrangler Rubicon and wanted to go test it out on the trail. Fortunately for us, Silverton is not only just an hour away, but the drive is breathtaking in and of itself on US 550 also known as the "million dollar highway".

Last year at LCDC, I had intended to lead a Black Bear Pass group, but with the closure of the trail (didn't open until a couple weeks after LCDC) we ended up taking Stony Pass to Kite Lake and back. Everyone in our group had a great time, and it's one of the most convenient trails from Silverton. I figured it would be a fun and scenic day, and it did not disappoint! We are fortunate to live in a place with this kind of beauty, and I think everyone had a memorable experience.

I think the JLUR had about 600 miles on it at this point - half of which were from picking it up and getting to this trail. He drove extremely well and was very happy with his purchase! Every time I looked in the mirror or hopped out to take pics, there were plenty of smiles

Always thinking about my buddy @Markuson and how he loves a good muddy tire shot

 

[mcgaskins]

This region of the country is truly stunning. I always wish we had more time here.

 

[mcgaskins]

If you've seen virtually any of my wheeling pics in the past, you may notice our pup was missing from the Silverton area photos. Due to the travel schedule, we left him with his uncle for a summer camp experience and picked him up again on the way back to Denver. Of course we used the opportunity to wheel a little bit more because...why not?

Experimented with different MTS settings, 2 then 4 Maxtrax in various ways, and more. This hill is extremely steep and long (photos never do it justice) with bottomless, sugary sand that means tires just spin.

It was an awesome trip, and I think my face says it all right here

 

[mcgaskins]

DRAWERS

The next mod I did is something I personally love regardless of whether you wheel or not. Drawers help keep your stuff organized and keeps you safe if you get into a wreck - instead of all those heavy, sharp items flying around, they're contained in a nice secure space. I like ARB drawers a lot because they (1) work incredibly well and are quiet (2) look nice (3) are relatively affordable (4) have good dealer support (5) and are pretty easy to install. I've had ARB drawers in 4 vehicles now, and I have zero complaints and would recommend them to anyone. The supply chain for ARB goods (and others) is a little screwed up right now because of covid, so I was unable to source 2 drawers and a fit kit. Of course @sleeoffroad came through for me and located a drawer along with the OME suspension, SPC UCAs, Slee sliders and more, so I was able to pick it up locally. If you've followed my posts in the past, you will know I cannot recommend Slee highly enough and have not had less than an excellent experience from them in the decade or so I've worked with them. They are the best Land Cruiser shop in the US, and I cannot imagine there is a better shop elsewhere in the world. They don't pay me or give me discounts to say this, but I truly think they have the best personnel, expertise, products, and support you will find in a shop. The only downside is sometimes it takes a while to get in the bay for work, but that's a byproduct of being the best.

Anyways, the install was very straightforward with the nice kit ARB provides, and I would say from start to finish doing a single drawer only took about an hour to knock out. A single drawer (RDRF1045) is far easier than 2 drawers with a fit kit, so it was a nice change this time around! The CliffsNotes version of the install goes something like this: the drawer comes fully assembled, but you need to remove the drawer itself and the top portion of the box. Line up the frame with the appropriate mounting locations, which for me was a bolt hole left by removing the third row seat on one side and a hole vacated by removing the latch portion of the third row seat on the other side. No drilling or anything is necessary, but it's helpful to make a small cut in the carpet to allow for the bolt to match the threads without interference. After you bolt up the frame to the right holes, reinstall the drawer, and then reinstall the top. I added an aluminum aircraft track with tie down points for Front Runner plastic storage boxes, so that added ~15 minutes. I also added some Quick Fist clamps to some existing side holes on the drawer to mount the Krazy Beaver shovel, but I may move it eventually if it gets in the way of storage on the passenger side. I wanted to keep the driver side open for my recover gear bag and soft stuff, and it's worked out great so far which means this may be the permanent orientation. I can still deploy the passenger side third row seat if I remove the shovel which is nice.

 

[mcgaskins]

I personally prefer using a closed winching system, so I swapped the standard hook from the Warn winch to a Factor 55 Flatlink. I did a quick video of the install and why I went with this setup:

 

[Gorilla]

Love the Factor55 Gear. Good video explaining it

 

[mcgaskins]

How are the tires and gearing working? Assuming you are on the 3.90 gearing still. I'm planning on moving up to this tire size soon. I can't decide if 4.88's would be overkill or even 4.30's
Great Build! Definitely taking notes here

Thanks! The stock gearing is great with this light build and 34s. I think regearing is overkill unless you intend to install lockers at the same time, but even then I'm not sure it's worth it if your truck weighs less than ~7500 pounds or you tow a lot. We've never felt the need for gears on any of the 4 200s we've had (all with 34" tires), and that includes all lots of high elevation driving and wheeling. I've put about 3k miles on this 200, and I've been getting 15-16mpg on each tank. When wheeling is mixed in, the tank average drops down to around 12.5mpg, and when my wife drives it on the street she usually sees 17.5mpg. Nearly all of the on road driving is is on the highway since neither of us are commuting right now, so that helps bring those averages up. I'm very pleased with the fuel mileage overall.

All that said, if gearing and locking was a more affordable option, I might consider it, but it would be more for trail performance not for the street. I don't exactly know exactly how much the bill would be for gears and lockers, but I'm thinking it's north of $5k - parts alone for gears, ARB lockers and their dual compressor is $4k before any labor which is likely another $1-2k. I have nothing against the modification, but I don't think it's offers a great value proposition (aka resale value - more important to those with a short ownership period) on this platform especially with MTS and CRAWL which in the 16+ trucks works nearly as well, maybe sometimes better, than traditional selectable lockers.

 

[dcs111]

WHAT MODIFICATIONS?


I've always found the most valuable mods to be tires, sliders, lift, front bumper, winch, ARB drawers, skids, and rear bumper in that order of importance. I know a lot of people prefer to do the rear bumper first, and I actually did it in that order on Ruby. It always looks unbalanced to me with the stock front, so I like the front first for aesthetic reasons (especially with a color matched front bumper - more on that later). I've decided to do everything on that list except the rear bumper. Unless my rear gets pretty dinged up, I'll try to keep it because it's very cohesive looking in its current state.

Speaking of aesthetics, my first modification was to swap the Tundra TRD Pro BBS wheels and 285/65/18 (32.56"x11.50") Cooper AT3s for the new Icon Vector 5 in titanium and go up to a 285/75/17 (33.86"x11.26") Nitto Ridge Grapplers. I have to admit this wheel actually had a decent bit to do with my renewed search for a 200. My buddy @JohnJB had sent me a pic of the Vector on a 200 back in January, and I was blown away with how good it looked. I've never really liked aftermarket wheels on Toyotas, but Icon absolutely nailed it with the Vector. I think this is what an AEV wheel would like if they made one for the 200 if any of you follow them in the Jeep world. The Vector 5 is 17"x8.5" and has a 25mm offset and a load rating of 2750 pounds per wheel, and it fits the hubs with no issues (110.1mm bore). I think this is the perfect set of specs for a 200 wheel, and the offset is nearly identically compared with the stock 16 wheels plus custom 0.75" Bora spacers on Ruby. It drives and steers perfectly with no noticeable impact to turning radius.

The 285/75/17s rubbed a little bit on the front bumper but nowhere else noticeably after removing the flaps up front. It would have been easy to mold the front bumper trim to eliminate the rubbing, but I knew the front bumper would be replaced soon so I didn't attempt to fix it. Speaking of tires, these is my third set of Nitto Ridge Grapplers all with the same basic dimensions, and I absolutely love them. I am a bit of a tire nerd and have tried more tires than I can count, but these have been my all around favorite for the last 2 years. I like them because they're smooth and quiet (barely louder than stock) on the road, incredibly tough, do well in all weather conditions, and they look great. They're expensive tires, but I think they're absolutely worth it. I removed the running boards at the same time, and the combination of that with the wheels and tires transformed the look from sort of a marshmallow into something lean and tough looking. I honestly think this would be a good stopping point for 90% of owners and doesn't really cost that much. Probably the part for me is 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.

As I purchased it - stock other than front strut spacer and Tundra TRD Pro BBS wheels:

Still stock other than front strut spacer and Tundra TRD Pro BBS wheels, but with running boards removed and Maxtrax added:

Still stock other than front strut spacer and Icon wheels/Ridge Grapplers, but with running boards removed and Maxtrax added:

Great looking truck! Hey, I am curious... how did you mount the Maxtraxx? It looks like you have factory crossbars?

 

[g1701gst]

Great looking truck! Hey, I am curious... how did you mount the Maxtraxx? It looks like you have factory crossbars?

see post #30 for details.

Builds - mcgaskins' 2013 build thread - Palladium

@mcgaskins Very entertaining and informative thread at the same time :) Quick question. In this photograph does the vehicle have a lift or on stock suspension? If stock, any rubbing for daily usage?

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[mcgaskins]

Great looking truck! Hey, I am curious... how did you mount the Maxtraxx? It looks like you have factory crossbars?

see post #30 for details.

Builds - mcgaskins' 2013 build thread - Palladium

@mcgaskins Very entertaining and informative thread at the same time :) Quick question. In this photograph does the vehicle have a lift or on stock suspension? If stock, any rubbing for daily usage?

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks @g1701gst - you're exactly right post 30 outlines how I went about it, and I'll add this is the second time I've done this mod the same way and have no complaints. No extra wind noise, barely increased overall height, and best of all - simple and inexpensive. I had to grab them off the roof recently for a deep sand situation, and they were easy to grab and remount as well.

 

[dcs111]

I just realized we're already on post 30, and the only mod I've shown on Palladium is wheels and tires! See, I told you in the first line of the build thread this would be a long rambling story While this next mod isn't exactly like the other hard parts added, I personally think it's critical for any vehicle (just like excellent tires) and is one of the first things I add to everything I own that goes off road - Maxtrax. If you watched my vehicle packing video, you will know I do NOT mean knockoffs like the $100 ones from certain Amazon sellers, Smittybilt, etc., but I only suggest the real deal "expensive" $300/pair Maxtrax. The reason I put expensive in quotes is that Maxtrax are among my favorite category of goods - they never really lose value, even if they seem expensive at first. If you pay $300 for a pair of Maxtrax and throw them on your roof for 2 years and never use them, you can sell them for $280 to a guy in your local club or most any forum or craigslist. People trust quality names, and the very best products are always in demand and retain their value. Because of supply chain disruptions from covid combined with skyrocketing demand for adventure related travel, the resale value on quality 4x4 goods and vehicles has never been higher. It literally costs you more in the long run to buy inexpensive goods that either don't do the job well or have no resale value later on. The only reason I have been able to own many interesting and sometimes expensive things is that I've been able to purchase high quality goods at a great price that don't lose value or even increase in value over time. My philosophy with basically every vehicle, but especially this one, is to be efficient with my money. That does not mean buying cheap things - often it's just the opposite.

I mounted the 4 Maxtrax on the factory roof rack with the pins they sell by simply drilling into the OEM aluminum cross bars with a quality step bit. Now I realize most people think they need a "real roof rack" to mount stuff like Maxtrax, shovels, hi lifts, etc., but the reality is the factory rack is already incredibly strong, light, and aerodynamic with high quality aluminum cross bars that won't rust. I don't see the point in ditching that setup for something usually significantly heavier, often made of metal which can rust if not well coated, and less aerodynamic for $1k or more. There are a few cases in which a full rack is nice, but other than those rare cases I simply don't see the value. I don't want to offend anyone of course, but I think the majority of expo style roof racks are for aesthetics not for practicality. I have had a few racks over the years, but I had a Front Runner on my 14 LC which drove me absolutely crazy from the day I bought the truck until I sold it. I'm sensitive to noise, and the rack caused whistling at some speeds, strange whooping noises at other speeds, and I could almost always feel the drag from it at highway speeds. The original owner had it mounted upside down for some reason to mount a RTT, so I figured by flipping it around my issues would be solved. Not only did I almost die by accidentally pulling myself up by yanking on the rack up out of habit when it had already been fully unbolted , but I scratched the crap out of the roof in the process. After eventually getting the rack situated in the "proper" position, the noise was just as bad maybe even worse with a crazy warbling pressure with the sunroof open. I was ready to just remove it entirely until I added a large camping table on top, and it somehow solved the issue of the disturbance of the air moving through the rack. But I don't need a table except for about 10 days a year, so I was stuck with a rack I didn't need and a table I needed even less stuck up there all the time for the sake of looking #expoAF. I'm not knocking people who buy them and use them, but I personally see little value in expensive racks or at least the ones I've tried. Not going to lie though, the new ARB Base rack does look pretty sweet and may solve the noise buffeting issues, and I know many people have owned Gamiviti racks with zero complaints too.

See - somehow I turned telling you that I drilled 4 holes into my roof rack to add Maxtrax into a nearly 800 word rant. If you've read this far and you're annoyed, I'm afraid to tell you it's your own fault.

Place masking tape over the rack to help the bit not move around:

Put a piece of wood or something under the cross bar so you don't drill a periscope or antenna hole in your roof:

I like to do the outside front and rear pins, then put the Maxtrax in place and mark with a sharpie for the remaining holes.

One thing I like the factory rack and cross bars is that you are unlikely to find any rack that mounts the Maxtrax lower. As you can see, it's low and tight against the roof, and the cost for this is $50 from your fav retailer.

Why does this matter?

Thanks for the steer! I am looking into these now for a trip to UT in a few weeks... seems like certain trails would warrant this type of insurance!

 

[mcgaskins]

Thanks for the steer! I am looking into these now for a trip to UT in a few weeks... seems like certain trails would warrant this type of insurance!

Maxtrax are one of those "worth their weight in gold" mods, so while expensive, they are absolutely worth it. The other thing I like about them and similar top quality accessories is that they hold their value. If you pay $300 for a pair and don't beat them up, you can sell them later if you don't need or want them for ~$250. As much as I like wheeling in groups, my favorite wheeling is solo in remote places, so things like a good winch, Maxtrax, Inreach, etc. are very important to me. If you will be alone and out in the middle of nowhere, it's some of the cheapest insurance you can buy!