Builds One World, One LX Build Thread

[TLC2013]

Looks great! Adding lights to my Dissent bumper is somewhere on my to do list, would like to get it done before camping season. It looks like the lx570 bumper skin protrudes out further then on the Land cruiser's so it obstructs the "slot" in the bumper where I think you can install lights between the recovery points. Nice Fab work, the bracket set up looks clean.

 

[1world1love]

Looks great! Adding lights to my Dissent bumper is somewhere on my to do list, would like to get it done before camping season. It looks like the lx570 bumper skin protrudes out further then on the Land cruiser's so it obstructs the "slot" in the bumper where I think you can lights between the recovery points.

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Yeah, exactly. My first thought was the slots but that was a no go. There is a tiny bit not covered by the grill but there was no way to make it work because I would have had to make a mounting plate similar to what I did but the lights would have had to sit further out to clear the grill and there would be nothing underneath them to help support them. I was worried about stability. At least now they are sitting on the recovery pillar and they aren’t going anywhere at this point.

 

[TLC2013]

Yeah, exactly. My first thought was the slots but that was a no go. There is a tiny bit not covered by the grill but there was no way to make it work because I would have had to make a mounting plate similar to what I did but the lights would have had to sit further out to clear the grill and there would be nothing underneath them to help support them. I was worried about stability. At least now they are sitting on the recovery pillar and they aren’t going anywhere at this point.

Thats a great job you did with the custom brackets. Looks factory. If you ever upgrade to the ARB solis let me know. Id love to take those rigid lights off your hands if you decide to sell them or are interested in a trade for ARB skid plates

 

[1world1love]

Thats a great job you did with the custom brackets. Looks factory. If you ever upgrade to the ARB solis let me know. Id love to take those rigid lights off your hands if you decide to sell them or are interested in a trade for ARB skid plates

Thanks and will do. I rarely drive at night, but occasionally end up rolling into camp late, so who knows how much they will get used. One thing I like about the Solis is that they are dimmable. I have a call in to Garmin to see if the Powerswitch can support the dimming function. That may dictate my decision making.

 

[TLC2013]

Thanks and will do. I rarely drive at night, but occasionally end up rolling into camp late, so who knows how much they will get used. One thing I like about the Solis is that they are dimmable. I have a call in to Garmin to see if the Powerswitch can support the dimming function. That may dictate my decision making.

Cool! That dimmable function of The Solis caught my eye too, sweet feature to have. Definitely unique.

 

[1world1love]

We normally go camping every year on Mother’s Day but we had to move it back a week this year due to some work obligations. We wanted to do some kayaking and also made plans to meet up with TLC2013 and indycole to run some trails up in Tahoe National Forest near Eagle Lakes. Although we wanted to camp, my daughter is in the middle of finals and needed to work on some projects. We found a cabin on Airbnb that is located in Soda Springs where there is a cluster of alpine lakes, around which there is a neighborhood of cabins and summer homes. There are two connected lakes called Serene Lakes and the cabin we rented sat right at the edge of the larger of the two lakes. It was perfect for kayaking and was surrounded by amazing trails and forest service roads in every direction. Additionally, it was only 15 minutes to the Eagle Lakes/Fordyce Creek trailhead.

The view from the back deck

 

[1world1love]

We spent the first morning paddling around and doing a little fishing. The weather was amazing and it was nice to float around and soak up some sun and fresh Sierra air. We also took the opportunity to test out an inflatable kayak that we got awhile back. For a cheap inflatable kayak from Amazon, it turned out to be really nice. I was pretty surprised at the quality of it and the ease of inflating it and getting it in the water.

My wife and son taking it for a test drive:

After a morning of kayaking, I wanted to check out a backcountry lake that is supposed to be a good fishing spot. The trailhead was not far away and the hike in was only a mile or so. Unfortunately, there was still a lot of snow and eventually the trail became impassable. It seems like it would be a nice high country drive though, so I’ll definitely check It out at a later date.

 

[1world1love]

Seeing as how it wasn’t even lunch yet, I decided to go explore some trails in the area. Probably the most well known road is Soda Springs Road, which starts at the back of the neighborhood and decends down into the Royal Gorge and after many miles through the heart of the Sierras, will connect you with French Meadows and eventually even Foresthill Road some 25 or so miles to the south. Soda Springs Road can be, at times, like a good quality improved road, and at other times, can loosen your fillings. But the real fun are all of the side trails and offshoots. There is just so much to explore back there.

I found a side trail that went up for a couple of miles and ended at a granite clearing at the top of a ridge with great views

 

[1world1love]

The next day we kayaked around a bit early in the morning and then loaded up and headed down the mountain a few miles to meet the gang. The plan was to meet up at a staging area near Indian Springs Campground. The staging area is the trailhead for a massive trail system that includes Signal Peak, Eagle Lakes, Grouse Ridge, Pierce Creek, and the famous Fordyce Creek trail. This area is very popular because not only is it full of stunning, classic Sierra scenery and world class off-road trails, it is also less than 2 miles off of Interstate 80.

This whole section of Tahoe National Forest is hard to imagine until you experience it in person. It is incredibly rugged and although I-80 runs right through it, there are hardly any paved roads. Highway 49 runs approximately parallel to 80 far to the north through the mountain towns of Downieville and Sierra City. In between 80 and 49 is the historic Henness Pass road. Aside from that, there is nothing but wilderness containing high mountain lakes, endless granite peaks, and lots of trails to explore.

When I arrived at the staging area, it was a typical scene of total chaos with large battalions of overbuilt Jeeps preparing for attack. It would not be a stretch to say that there was around 40-50 jeeps when I got there. There was a minor traffic backup to get into the staging area, but luckily the jeeps were pretty efficient at evacuating the area and after a few minutes, just like that they were all gone except for about a dozen or so. Also, luckily they were going a different direction than us.

Our plan was to go up the Eagle Lakes trail, and then descend and take the Pierce Creek loop back to the main road. There were storms in the forecast, but at this point the weather was perfect. The trail up to Eagle Lakes was pretty rough and washed out and more difficult than I remember, but was a ton of fun. Pierce Creek was also pretty washed out and had some difficult sections. All told, the trails had everything you could ask for. There were nice forested sections, lots and lots of rock gardens, and plenty of water crossings. It was not Fordyce Creek, but there was enough pucker factor to make for an incredible day of fun.

 

[1world1love]

 

[1world1love]

 

[1world1love]

And I would be remiss if I didn’t include a nice wildflower pic. This is the Sarcodes Sanguinea. Otherwise known as the Snow Flower and is a classic Sierra wildflower. They pop up out of the ground like asparagus with a tight cluster of flowers on a single stem. They show up as the snow melts in the spring and are really amazing.

 

[psnyman]

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How was your pucker factor driving through that water without a snorkel?

 

[TLC2013]

Nicely done, great job capturing the trip. Wish we could have stayed longer and camped. Sounds like you and the family had a blast....good times.

I have some good dash cam footage from the trail, ill figure out a way to consolidate it to show the highlights and obstacles. Its Mainly of the 80 and @indycole being that i was behind them most of the time. Following indycole was super helpful, seeing his line and how he manuvered his 200 felt like I was using cheat codes lol.

 

[psnyman]

Wish I was there, thanks for sharing the great photos and trip report!

 

[1world1love]

How was your pucker factor driving through that water without a snorkel?

Well, on the one hand, I was with two trucks with snorkels so there was not much to be gained by letting them go first. On the other hand, we also had a stock 80 with us that was immaculate (at least when we started) so I was sort of the middle child.

There was only one crossing where I was the first through and that was a little nerve racking as it was difficult to gauge the depth and was murky so it was hard to tell if there were underwater hazards. There were lots of logs and branches poking up. But, I had lots of help available if things went pear-shaped so there was that.

I also think that these trucks are made to withstand more than they are rated for. You know how it goes. Everything has some risk, even the seemingly mundane can go south quickly. But this is why we own these things, right? No risk, no reward and it sure as hell beats a mall parking lot.

Having said all that, there did come a point where we had to cross a fairly swollen, fast moving stream. Had I a snorkel, I might have done it, or if I didn't have my kids with me. In reality, we may have made it across, but sometimes its better to know when to test the limits of your equipment, and this didn't seem like the time. I felt a little bit of regret as we backtracked, but after sleeping on it, it was definitely the right decision. Live to fight another day.

As an added bonus, the wife is now primed for the eventual snorkel install

 

[1world1love]

Nicely done, great job capturing the trip. Wish we could have stayed longer and camped. Sounds like you and the family had a blast....good times.

I have some good dash cam footage from the trail, ill figure out a way to consolidate it to show the highlights and obstacles. Its Mainly of the 80 and @indycole being that i was behind them most of the time. Following indycole was super helpful, seeing his line and how he manuvered his 200 felt like I was using cheat codes lol.

Yeah. When we were sitting around the fire, it was tempting to setup the tent and break out the beers

 

[1world1love]

Wish I was there, thanks for sharing the great photos and trip report!

Yeah, we missed you, but we will make it work next time.

 

[1world1love]

I also can't help but post a couple of this beautiful 80 series that joined us. The thing looked like it rolled of the showroom.

 

[1world1love]

So far my AHC has been great. No problems with the additional load and no issues to speak of. But I have known for a while that for the sake of prolonging the life of my truck and also enabling a couple of future mods, that I should think about adding a little extra support. So I did what everybody does these day and I trusted complete strangers on the internet to provide me with unsupported facts. What could go wrong?

In this case, the facts in question are whether I could do a straight swap of uprated springs designed for a 100 series AHC. Specifically these:

The answer as of this point is that yes, this is a simple and straight swap: