Nighthawk: 80 guy builds a 100 (1 Viewer)

[Blue Phoenix]

So I've been tackling a bunch of small projects since the last post but today I guess I crossed the threshold into the real build.

Pic from today, weather sucks so I apologize for the bad quality, but I got a set of Toyo Open Country MT put on today, 285/70R18

 

[Blue Phoenix]

Of note in previous pic, I have been learning/ reading on here about the AHC system since my 80 obviously didn't have it. I can appreciate the purpose and convenience of it, but bottom line is it's 14 years old and will be removed. For now the truck is sitting in Neutral position, measuring 21" hub-fender and about an inch or so higher in high.

A couple of questions were answered for me regarding the tires as well. I don't need to elaborate on the sheer number of posts regarding lifts and no lifts and tires and such, basically I took the same approach as I did with the 80 - don't add one thing just to make another worse. Having said that I thought I'd be banging on pinch welds and carving my bumper but not so, it appears not by a long shot.

Toyo website measures the tires at 34.1", my measurement on the truck is a hair over 33.5" which i was nervous about since my last set of Toyo's were true-to-size.
I have plenty of clearance for the UCA, and no rubbing anywhere when I exercised the suspension today.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

I forgot to take pics of it today but another thing that had me going back and forth about tire size was whether or not the spare would fit under the truck, and I can reference several threads that made me think it wouldn't, but THE SPARE FITS. HA.

Having said that it WILL NOT fit with my hitch receiver, which I had to remove. It JUST clears the rear sway bar by about an inch.

I'll get more pics tomorrow.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

So here's some pics of the clearance. Hopefully someone can get something useful out of them. As much as I search it seems there's always 100 ways to skin a cat with you people so I guess the more the merrier.

You're looking at the new spare, again 285/70/18 with hitch receiver removed, spare tire modification which move the entire assembly up only about an inch honestly because of the placement of what I guess is the charcoal canister.

As you can see, it clears everything but it's tight. Only about 3/4" clearance from the sway bar.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

More pics...

So now I'm trying to figure out my next course of action since I went against my previous post about not creating more work for myself. In this case I figured it was inevitable.

I've been looking at this, which I have seen posted on here, but from what I gather I'll have to take a cutting wheel to the rear cross member. The only issue I have with that is I don't want it to be janky, meaning the tolerances for my own sake would have to be pretty tight. Has anyone done this recently that could offer up some wisdom?

 

[Blue Phoenix]

I honestly don't mind having the tire under the truck, have never run into a situation where it's truly unbearable having the tire there, and I think it's a much worse alternative than throwing it up on top which makes me chuckle every time I see someone driving around like that. I assume they haven't had to retrieve the tire very often.

In any case, I am not going to throw out $3K in my near future on a swing out bumper as slick as they are, but I see that Wilco sells what looks like a pretty decent alternative. Still $1200, but that's savings for elsewhere. Anybody running one of these that can comment on daily experience?

I have a hitch mounted bike rack that I like using as again, getting things off the roof is a pain, but I wonder how easy it is to steal one of these Wilco carriers.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

Navigation:

The Navigation on the Land Cruiser this day in age is honestly comical, my son even asks why mine can't be more like mommies (2016 Subaru Outback). So again, off to the interwebs and mud and the always dependable @REZARF shared this lovely piece which allowed me to commandeer my wifes old iPAD and use my GAIA GPS account to turn it into an Overland oriented GPS.

I've been using this RAM mount for my phone since I'm not allowed to even touch it while driving in GA. I'll be adding the iPAD RAM mount in the future, and although not perfect it should suit its needed purpose and allow my wife to feel more at ease with my backcountry navigating skills (or lack thereof).

 

[Blue Phoenix]

BOOMBOX:

Pretty much right after I took ownership of the truck I blew the R front speaker. Seems weird to me but I blew the exact same speaker in my 80. Anyone have any idea if it's related? I'm no audiophile by any means, but I like my music loud (I can't hear because of all the RPG's).

Anyway, as a reasonable recommendation through research I purchased a set of Alpine S-S65 coaxial speakers for the back and S-S65c components for the front.

Install was pretty easy, I'm not an electrical guy or sound guy by any means, and although it wasn't completely plug and play, it's not hard to splice wires.

I read about the factory 2 ohms that the stock speakers run, these are 4 ohm, which in practical purposes people will tell you the new ones will sound quieter. This I found out to be true. Normally "loud" to me was bumping the volume into the 30's while with the new speakers, loud was now above 50.

Pics for reference. First pic is obviously the rears.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

2 weeks after install, I noticed the frequency of the tweeters was TERRIBLE, lots of interference or whatever you call it.

INSTALL YOUR CROSSOVERS. Lesson learned, slap on the hand, won't forget again. I say again because I already blew, guess it, the R front speaker. I'm honestly sure it's a coincidence (and no my speakers aren't set biased to the right), but now I'll be replacing that speaker again.

As far as a review for the Alpines, I'll give them a strong MEH. I've heard that once you replace speakers the subwoofer becomes obsolete, that may be true since I feel like these speakers produce NO base. Reasonably clear sound, but I don't feel any "richness". Look at me, an audiophile after all. In any case, I think I'll stick with the Alpine since the price was reasonable and just try and stay below my new "loud" threshold.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

Bluetooth:

I prefer not to have a bunch of wires dangling all over the center console and dash, so I looked into BT receivers and installed the USA-Spec BT45-TOY referenced on this board.

Easy install, took about 30 minutes I'd say and honestly probs the best "bang-for-the-buck" addition so far. I installed the box under the center stack between the shift levers.

The only complaints I have is that I must be mindful about the stereo when I turn off the car (think "loud" from previous post) because re-entry will definitely get you some glares from your wife. It pairs automatically and starts playing whatever music you have on your phone. In my case AC/DC is a regular offender.

My recommendation would be not to screw with the "din" switches or whatever they're called when you install, just leave them as you found them and it should work fine.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

More to come. Now that I officially crossed the starting line, next up is roof rack shopping as well as a lift.

I think I have all but decided on the Gamiviti rack from @nakman. I followed him in the 80 section for years and his obsession (some would call crazy?) with minimizing weight. I can now appreciate that sentiment after the 80 and I think the rack strikes the perfect balance. As a plus it won't hold everything higher than it needs to be on top of the truck.

Lift is another debacle that I'm trying to sort out.

 

[nakman]

@Blue Phoenix you wouldn't be the first guy to call me crazy... let's do this!

 

[bamabrock]

More pics...

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So now I'm trying to figure out my next course of action since I went against my previous post about not creating more work for myself. In this case I figured it was inevitable.

I've been looking at this, which I have seen posted on here, but from what I gather I'll have to take a cutting wheel to the rear cross member. The only issue I have with that is I don't want it to be janky, meaning the tolerances for my own sake would have to be pretty tight. Has anyone done this recently that could offer up some wisdom?

View attachment 2229709

My LX came with the rear frame cutout and I have one of those. Honestly, I would find a used under the bumper hitch as they provide a level of protection in departure situations and for the spare tire.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

@bamabrock, I have one of those sitting beside my truck now... I had to remove it to get the tire to fit. I agree that it's nice having the bolt-on hitch to bang around on rocks whilst also protecting my exhaust.

The spare wouldn't clear with the bolt on hitch by a fair amount, I don't think even if I deflated the tire it would help.

I'll have to check but I assume I will be left with either taking a cutting wheel to the rear cross member (less than ideal) or just puckering up and buying one of the Wilco racks. At least this way I can retain the hitch receiver and hopefully save about $2k for other things on the truck. I also like the idea of having something I can transfer to other vehicles in the future.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

So in prepping for tire replacement, I had been considering replacing the wheels as I'm honestly not a huge fan of the OEM 18's:
- Tires in the relevant size are very expensive compared with 16's and even 17's
- I like having more sidewall between me and the rocks
- A lot of it is just pure aesthetics as well

After a researching the usual wheel options from aftermarket to OEM I just decided and agreed with the opinions that it's hard to be the quality of an OEM wheel.

All this said, my build is moving more towards a darker monochromatic look, not murdered out by any means, but I didn't like how bright the OEM wheels were.

To tone it down I just rattle-canned the wheels with 1 coat of primer immediately followed by 2 coats of Rustoleum midnight black which is basically black with a metallic fleck in it. Overall I'm satisfied. They'll be easy to touch up when need be. I didn't do a clear because I wanted to keep it more subdued.

Anyways, a lot to say about an inglorious job. This is obviously pre-tire swap.

 

[Blue Phoenix]

While I'm on a roll, also captured this milestone... she's still young.

 

[gregnash]

Damn! I wish mine was that low still. Just about to turn over 195k, purchased at 191,664 and that was less that 3 months ago!

 

[implayaz9]

Very nice build. Following.

 

[changingground]

@bamabrock[/


I'll have to check but I assume I will be left with either taking a cutting wheel to the rear cross member (less than ideal) or just puckering up and buying one of the Wilco racks. At least this way I can retain the hitch receiver and hopefully save about $2k for other things on the truck. I also like the idea of having something I can transfer to other vehicles in the future.
[/QUOTE]

Given the cost of an aftermarket rear bumper, or even the Wilco carrier' you might consider doing what I did (or having a local fabricator do it for you). I purchased a double shear hinge and latch for about $150 and made my own swing out tire carrier. It’s really a pretty simple concept, and alllows you to carry the full sized spare without having it hang below the truck or block your handy tailgate. Obviously, the cost of metal stock must be considered, and finishing materials (I rattle canned mine) but it leaves you with a more flexible option than a $2400 bumper.

 

[mbrazil916]

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View attachment 2231944

That’s brilliant
Is that mounted in the hitch or welded to frame?