love the build and choice of rack ! I hope to get mine installed this week.
Are you going to run a wind fairing on the rack ?
Are you going to run a wind fairing on the rack ?
OutdoorX4 Family Overlander Build
- Thread starter txoutdoorx4
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2003
- Threads
- 74
- Messages
- 3,000
- Location
- Broomfield, Colorado
- Website
- www.gamiviti.com
hey Frank, truck is looking sweet man.. I must say the grid is growing on me... 
question on the antenna bracket install- why did you drill a new hole? I just use one of the fender bolts.. was there a look or something you were going for? Or just getting aggro with the bonding?
question on the antenna bracket install- why did you drill a new hole? I just use one of the fender bolts.. was there a look or something you were going for? Or just getting aggro with the bonding?
- Thread starter
- #43
Yes, we actually ordered some ABS plastic (black) that's 4" high x 42" in length and it arrived earlier today. I'm planning to drill holes and mount it to the front of the rack to reduce/eliminate the wind noise as it does get noisy at highway speeds.
- Thread starter
- #44
Regarding the antenna bracket install, the safe answer is we wanted to make sure the antenna is securely bonded. The true answer is, it didn't occur to us to use the fender bolt hole until we had already drilled the hole. Ha!
- Thread starter
- #45
The ARB Sahara Bumper arrived recently and we had been itching to get it installed and mounted. This portion of the build actually started about 1.5 weeks ago but was put on halt as our Editor took a break for four days to attempt an overland journey along the Kokopelli Trail from Fruita to Moab. Unfortunately, that journey was cut short due to terrible weather that resulted in only completing about 40% of the trail before having to turn back.
But alas, back to the build! The first shot is what the front of the 100 Series looked like BEFORE getting started on the bumper. Apologies for the glare in the photo.
Getting the OEM bumper off was super easy and took maybe ten minutes.
Here's a shot of the new ARB Sahara Bumper prior to installation:
But alas, back to the build! The first shot is what the front of the 100 Series looked like BEFORE getting started on the bumper. Apologies for the glare in the photo.
Getting the OEM bumper off was super easy and took maybe ten minutes.
Here's a shot of the new ARB Sahara Bumper prior to installation:
- Thread starter
- #46
The bumper installation wasn't particularly difficult; however, it was very time consuming. With the help of one other person, it still took us the better part of 6-8 hours to get through the entire process. In this photo, we had just gotten the mount assembly installed and bolted to the frame.
- Thread starter
- #47
Once we got the mount assembly in place, we realized we were going to have to go ahead and install the Ramsey Patriot 9500 UT winch w/synthetic line we had sourced from Ramsey Winch. For those who aren't as familiar with Ramsey as you may be with other manufacturers, we chose the Ramsey because of its quiet, semi-automatic clutch, its wireless keyfob capability, and its pulling capability. This is an impressive winch that's also Made in the USA! Details can be found here:
http://www.ramsey.com/en-us/applications/off-road/patriot-9500-ut
http://www.quadratec.com/products/92142_002_07.htm
http://www.ramsey.com/en-us/applications/off-road/patriot-9500-ut
http://www.quadratec.com/products/92142_002_07.htm
- Thread starter
- #48
Now that the winch was in place, the last step was to get the bumper mounted to the mount assembly. If you have an ARB bumper, you know it's heavy and bulky but that's the price to have quality protection when you're on the trail. If you look closely at the close-up photo above of the winch, you'll notice three bolt-in holes on the left and right side of the mount assembly. Those are the holes that align with the inside of the bumper that are used for mounting. Believe me when I say this was probably the hardest part of the install for us. It took FOREVER to get these things bolted and tightened in place.
Once mounted, it was time to get the Factor 55 Hawse Fairlead and Factor 55 Flatlink E installed and in place. The only real complaint I have about the ARB bumper is that it was designed for use with a roller fairlead. Word on the street is a space is/has been developed to fill the recessed space in the bumper to allow for easy installation of a Hawse fairlead which is what you want when running synthetic winch line. In our case, we wound up using two Hawse fairleads to provide enough space in the recessed bumper area to not only allow a more flush appearance for the Factor 55 Flatlink E but also, from a safety perspective, push the Factor 55 Hawse fairlead closer to the front of the bumper so that in the event of needing to winch from the side, the synthetic winch line can't rub against the inside of the bumper, causing it to fray.
Here are a few close-up shots of the Factor 55 Hawse fairlead, then Flatlink E, after getting them installed.
Once mounted, it was time to get the Factor 55 Hawse Fairlead and Factor 55 Flatlink E installed and in place. The only real complaint I have about the ARB bumper is that it was designed for use with a roller fairlead. Word on the street is a space is/has been developed to fill the recessed space in the bumper to allow for easy installation of a Hawse fairlead which is what you want when running synthetic winch line. In our case, we wound up using two Hawse fairleads to provide enough space in the recessed bumper area to not only allow a more flush appearance for the Factor 55 Flatlink E but also, from a safety perspective, push the Factor 55 Hawse fairlead closer to the front of the bumper so that in the event of needing to winch from the side, the synthetic winch line can't rub against the inside of the bumper, causing it to fray.
Here are a few close-up shots of the Factor 55 Hawse fairlead, then Flatlink E, after getting them installed.
- Thread starter
- #49
Once complete, the last few steps to finalize the bumper install was to get our set of ARB 7" Intensity LED lamps installed on the bumper, install the rubber buffers, and then install the hoop.
At first, we had decided NOT to install the hoop but after placing it on top of the bumper and seeing how it compliments the grille, we decided to install it and keep it as it is (rather than Plastidip it black/silver). Also note the wife had a lot of input on this.
The lights were easy to install, requiring about ten minutes to mount each light to its supplied mounting bracket, then bolting it to the bumper. Wiring the lights takes more time (approx. 60-90 minutes) and that portion will be featured separately as part of the dual battery setup we have planned.
Here are a few shots of this portion of the install. The first shot is with the lights mounted to the bumper, the second is of our Editor getting everything all tightened up, and the last shot is the end result. We like how it turned out.
At first, we had decided NOT to install the hoop but after placing it on top of the bumper and seeing how it compliments the grille, we decided to install it and keep it as it is (rather than Plastidip it black/silver). Also note the wife had a lot of input on this.
The lights were easy to install, requiring about ten minutes to mount each light to its supplied mounting bracket, then bolting it to the bumper. Wiring the lights takes more time (approx. 60-90 minutes) and that portion will be featured separately as part of the dual battery setup we have planned.
Here are a few shots of this portion of the install. The first shot is with the lights mounted to the bumper, the second is of our Editor getting everything all tightened up, and the last shot is the end result. We like how it turned out.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #50
- Thread starter
- #51
Looking good! There was a guy on Expo who just detailed how he took the intensity lights apart to paint the obnoxious bright red trim to match his body color. It looks really good, much more subtle than the red ring around the ARBs. But who am I to talk, it's just personal preference. I run around with two giant 9"D white hella covers on the front of my truck
You can compare my photo which has just the Warn fairlead to yours above to see how your solution is nicer. Viking used to make a 350 fairlead which was ridiculously expensive, but nice that it is almost 1.5" thick, and only one piece instead of two pieces like you did. I say used to make because I tried to buy one a few months back but not sure what was going on with VIking at the time? Sierra has them on their site, but you can't click to order? hmmm.... http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=463
You can compare my photo which has just the Warn fairlead to yours above to see how your solution is nicer. Viking used to make a 350 fairlead which was ridiculously expensive, but nice that it is almost 1.5" thick, and only one piece instead of two pieces like you did. I say used to make because I tried to buy one a few months back but not sure what was going on with VIking at the time? Sierra has them on their site, but you can't click to order? hmmm.... http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=463
Looking good! There was a guy on Expo who just detailed how he took the intensity lights apart to paint the obnoxious bright red trim to match his body color. It looks really good, much more subtle than the red ring around the ARBs. But who am I to talk, it's just personal preference. I run around with two giant 9"D white hella covers on the front of my truck
Why not paint the chrome hoop while you're at it...
- Thread starter
- #57
Actually, I just realized I was using the website incorrectlyFound the prices! Looks like I'll be purchasing one on my way through colorado next month.
Definitely talk to Tim Nakari at Gamiviti. He's a super nice guy and I have to say, the quality of his hand-built racks is absolutely top notch. Tell him OutdoorX4 sent you.
- Thread starter
- #58
Why not paint the chrome hoop while you're at it...
I actually did plastidip the chrome hoop but the wife preferred the chrome since it compliments the grille and so it went back to chrome. Ha!
- Thread starter
- #59
Looking good! There was a guy on Expo who just detailed how he took the intensity lights apart to paint the obnoxious bright red trim to match his body color. It looks really good, much more subtle than the red ring around the ARBs. But who am I to talk, it's just personal preference. I run around with two giant 9"D white hella covers on the front of my truck
View attachment 1070147
You can compare my photo which has just the Warn fairlead to yours above to see how your solution is nicer. Viking used to make a 350 fairlead which was ridiculously expensive, but nice that it is almost 1.5" thick, and only one piece instead of two pieces like you did. I say used to make because I tried to buy one a few months back but not sure what was going on with VIking at the time? Sierra has them on their site, but you can't click to order? hmmm.... http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=463
Now THAT is a sweet looking front end...nice! And there's nothing obnoxious about the two giant 9" white hella covers. Ha!
I'm using a Factor 55 Hawse Fairlead and the American-made quality is fantastic! You can check it out here:
http://factor55.com/product/hawse-fairleads/
- Thread starter
- #60
Yesterday, after returning from the 10th Lone Star Toyota Jamboree in Gilmer, Texas (which was a fantastic event BTW and had a chance to finally meet Woody of IH8MUD fame), I installed our Slee Dual Battery Tray and replaced the main battery with an Optima YellowTop. The second battery is an Optima RedTop that will be used to power the Engel MT-45 fridge/freezer, external lighting, and small electronic accessories.
Here are a few pics:
Here are a few pics: