- Thread starter
- #701
New 225W spotlights.
They bright.
They bright.
Meet "Fat Amy" my Amazon Green 200 Series
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- Thread starter
- #703
I love em. These are 9"; is that what you went with too?
Big headlights, huh? .....Bodean in 3...2...1
Bodean
Hot Damn
Don't pay too much attention to the 200 stuff since I'll never have one. Big lights... Ok whatever.
- Thread starter
- #707
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- Thread starter
- #708
Living in the city, this was the darkest place I could find within about a mile from my house. The woodline is about 150-175 yards away.
Without any lights:
With my LED driving lights:
With my LED high beams:
With the new LED Spotlights:
They are very bright. Now, that being said, they are still LED and will not have as much throw as some high-power halogens.
And just for fun, this is what it looks like from about 25 yards away. My neighbor texted me and asked me if a UFO had landed in my garage. Haha.
Without any lights:
With my LED driving lights:
With my LED high beams:
With the new LED Spotlights:
They are very bright. Now, that being said, they are still LED and will not have as much throw as some high-power halogens.
And just for fun, this is what it looks like from about 25 yards away. My neighbor texted me and asked me if a UFO had landed in my garage. Haha.
- Thread starter
- #710
Thanks, I think so too. I got a friend that has the real deal ARBs to take me some close up shots of his, and I s*** you not, they look like they used the exact same moulds. Gotta love the Chinese. That being said, you know I gotta be different. Based on my belief that these ones are the exact same dimensions as the real mccoy, I went ahead and ordered a set of ARB Intensity Amber Polycarbonate Lens Covers from LowRangeOffroad. Should look cool.
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- Thread starter
- #712
With the installation of my new 225W spotlights, I began to consider installing an auxiliary fuse box to handle the new load, and to also allow for the installation of future accessories (lockers, floodlight, compressor, etc.). In just a few minutes of researching, I, like so many before me settled on the Blue Sea brand of hardware. Blue sea makes components for boat electronics, so they are more than adequate for installing in a 200 series.
I got a list of needed components from @Willy beamin , who was also kind enough to text me a few pictures at random times of the day; it was extremely helpful, and I am basing my simple system from his setup. I also used the write up written by @pdxlc200 to ensure I was using the proper wire gauge size. And I think all of this is really thanks to @sleeoffroad who has a write up on their webpage, and a host of other write-ups on MUD.
From Amazon.com, I bought:
Blue Sea 187 Series 150amp Circuit Breaker
Blue Sea ST Blade Fuse Block (6 fuse version)
Cal-Hawk 120 piece assorted fuses (I only needed 1 30 amp fuse for this project)
From my local parts store, I bought:
A few feet of 4 AWG Type II cable, in both red and black
Six 4ga copper terminals
From Harbor Freight:
Marine Grade Heat Shrink (it has a special adhesive on the inside)
Eye-type wire conectors (I bought a set of 250 fittings)
Hydraulic Wire Crimper
I mocked everything up and made measurements for my wiring. After all was found to be good, I used black RTV to glue the components to the OE fuse box cover. I have been using Black RTV for years, with very good success. This stuff rules. It is shock/oil/cold/heat resistant.
I also bought myself a new Hydraulic Wire Crimper
It make great crimps!
I then coated the wire connections in the marine grade heat shrink.
Here is the finished product
Now, the reason I installed this system in the first place, was to properly power my new lights.
I had a pice of 6 strand 18 ga coated wire laying around, and figured I could install it now, and it would save me the hassle of running wire in the future when I added more accessories. Just so you know, each interior switch has 3 wires you need to worry about; a 12V ground and 12V power for the small LED inside the switch itself, and the 12V power to the relay. This means that with a 6 strand coated cable, I can effectively run 6 aftermarket accessories before I run out of wire. I began by cutting the end off the rubber nipple in the firewall grommet (Toyota intentionally places these nipples just for these type of projects), and ran the wire from my switch panel to the engine bay. I then put a dab of RTV on the grommet to make it water tight.
I tapped into the 6-wire strand from the firewall (to my switch) and ran that to a relay. I mounted the relay into an existing hole in the engine bay. I then ran my 12V power and ground from my lights to the ground and 12V 30 amp fuse in my fuse block. You can see the two wires going into the fuse block 2 pictures above this one. As I install more accessories, and gain more relays, I will come up with a new relay mounting solution. But for now, this will do.
And then a bit of split-tube, electrical tape, and zip ties:
After everything was tightened down, I started up the truck, and switched my lights on. Lo and Behold, they worked just fine!
I will keep an eye on the RTV and make sure it holds. I have been using it for years, and have yet to have any failure of any kind.
I spliced the smaller gauge wire connections with lineman's knots, which were soldered, and encased in marine heat shrink. Most of the wires were then coated in 1/4" split tube, which was then wrapped in electrical tape, to keep with the OE Toyota look.
I got a list of needed components from @Willy beamin , who was also kind enough to text me a few pictures at random times of the day; it was extremely helpful, and I am basing my simple system from his setup. I also used the write up written by @pdxlc200 to ensure I was using the proper wire gauge size. And I think all of this is really thanks to @sleeoffroad who has a write up on their webpage, and a host of other write-ups on MUD.
From Amazon.com, I bought:
Blue Sea 187 Series 150amp Circuit Breaker
Blue Sea ST Blade Fuse Block (6 fuse version)
Cal-Hawk 120 piece assorted fuses (I only needed 1 30 amp fuse for this project)
From my local parts store, I bought:
A few feet of 4 AWG Type II cable, in both red and black
Six 4ga copper terminals
From Harbor Freight:
Marine Grade Heat Shrink (it has a special adhesive on the inside)
Eye-type wire conectors (I bought a set of 250 fittings)
Hydraulic Wire Crimper
I mocked everything up and made measurements for my wiring. After all was found to be good, I used black RTV to glue the components to the OE fuse box cover. I have been using Black RTV for years, with very good success. This stuff rules. It is shock/oil/cold/heat resistant.
I also bought myself a new Hydraulic Wire Crimper
It make great crimps!
I then coated the wire connections in the marine grade heat shrink.
Here is the finished product
Now, the reason I installed this system in the first place, was to properly power my new lights.
I had a pice of 6 strand 18 ga coated wire laying around, and figured I could install it now, and it would save me the hassle of running wire in the future when I added more accessories. Just so you know, each interior switch has 3 wires you need to worry about; a 12V ground and 12V power for the small LED inside the switch itself, and the 12V power to the relay. This means that with a 6 strand coated cable, I can effectively run 6 aftermarket accessories before I run out of wire. I began by cutting the end off the rubber nipple in the firewall grommet (Toyota intentionally places these nipples just for these type of projects), and ran the wire from my switch panel to the engine bay. I then put a dab of RTV on the grommet to make it water tight.
I tapped into the 6-wire strand from the firewall (to my switch) and ran that to a relay. I mounted the relay into an existing hole in the engine bay. I then ran my 12V power and ground from my lights to the ground and 12V 30 amp fuse in my fuse block. You can see the two wires going into the fuse block 2 pictures above this one. As I install more accessories, and gain more relays, I will come up with a new relay mounting solution. But for now, this will do.
And then a bit of split-tube, electrical tape, and zip ties:
After everything was tightened down, I started up the truck, and switched my lights on. Lo and Behold, they worked just fine!
I will keep an eye on the RTV and make sure it holds. I have been using it for years, and have yet to have any failure of any kind.
I spliced the smaller gauge wire connections with lineman's knots, which were soldered, and encased in marine heat shrink. Most of the wires were then coated in 1/4" split tube, which was then wrapped in electrical tape, to keep with the OE Toyota look.
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I can also appreciate your electrical skills as I suck at it. I am only running in-line fuses for my ARB compressor and LED lights.
I had a blank open for the light switch on the interior fuse panel and also inserted a 2ND fuse there. Glad I had an electrical savy friend to help me as it is nice to do it right the first time.
Your setup looks great!
I had a blank open for the light switch on the interior fuse panel and also inserted a 2ND fuse there. Glad I had an electrical savy friend to help me as it is nice to do it right the first time.
Your setup looks great!
- Thread starter
- #716
I keep having fantasies of 37" tires on this bad girl.
I want to do a very small body lift. ~1.5"-2.0"
I know some of you guys have done them before. Anyone wanna lend me some knowledge? @lenross1 or @wngrog , have y'all done one?
Sounds like it would be too hard, but what the hell do I know. I think there are 10 bolt locations, so I would need 10 pucks.
Can anyone recommend a good supplier of pre-fabricated pucks, preferably aluminum?
I want to do a very small body lift. ~1.5"-2.0"
I know some of you guys have done them before. Anyone wanna lend me some knowledge? @lenross1 or @wngrog , have y'all done one?
Sounds like it would be too hard, but what the hell do I know. I think there are 10 bolt locations, so I would need 10 pucks.
Can anyone recommend a good supplier of pre-fabricated pucks, preferably aluminum?
Call and talk to Roger Brown. He is king of body lifts. Google him he is old school.
www.4crawler.com
www.4crawler.com
The body lift will get you up but you have to deal with a lot of things...mostly shift linkage and cooling fan not being centered.
I would slap some 37's on it like it is and just see if you really need more lift. Most people think they need WAY more lift than they do. Especially for a mall crawler.
I ran 37's with less lift than most run on 35's on my 80. I just bumpstopped the rear and rolled out.
I would slap some 37's on it like it is and just see if you really need more lift. Most people think they need WAY more lift than they do. Especially for a mall crawler.
I ran 37's with less lift than most run on 35's on my 80. I just bumpstopped the rear and rolled out.
- Thread starter
- #719
I have been told by a few that have done it, and they say it is necessary.
Honest non-sarcastic question. Why the need for 37s? Cannot imagine that truck not being able to go anywhere you point it as it sits right now.
I know you are planning on CO in Aug. if that truck gets any bigger those trails are gonna be scary tight
I know you are planning on CO in Aug. if that truck gets any bigger those trails are gonna be scary tight