Oh ok, at first I though he was just test fitting it. I saw another pic and I guess that's how it's supposed to look.
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Oh ok, at first I though he was just test fitting it. I saw another pic and I guess that's how it's supposed to look.
It's funny I was looking at that recently and would actually love to clean it up. Let me know what you got as far as a solution and ill give it a shot.
SouthernSS
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will do
Any update?
SouthernSS
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Just finished test fitting the slip covers for the oem fender. I like the way it cleans it up. All slip covers will be painted flat black. We'll be sending these out to all customers who ordered the gx470 front bumper this year, free of charge. Previous customers can expect delivery in the next couple of weeks to the address listed in our database.
Heres a preview:
Heres a preview:
SouthernSS
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Ok ,so I'm not dead, just very busy.
We built some things:
went some places:
had a daughter:
traded this:
for this:
and have been generally swamped. We ended up becoming a vendor at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona this past May and did two customer installs out there in the field. It was a grueling experience but well worth it.
One of the guys drove down from Washington State and got his GX470 outfitted with our bumpers and a turtle back trailer at the Expo and just roamed the Arizona deserts for a while with his family in tow. Great family!
We will start building for the 2014 4runner next and I'm really excited about that. Also finally have a full length roof rack coming into fruition for the GX470, so be on the lookout for that as well. Anyway, thats all for now. I hope it isnt another 6 months before I post again.
See ya'll round!
We built some things:
went some places:
had a daughter:
traded this:
for this:
and have been generally swamped. We ended up becoming a vendor at the Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona this past May and did two customer installs out there in the field. It was a grueling experience but well worth it.
One of the guys drove down from Washington State and got his GX470 outfitted with our bumpers and a turtle back trailer at the Expo and just roamed the Arizona deserts for a while with his family in tow. Great family!
We will start building for the 2014 4runner next and I'm really excited about that. Also finally have a full length roof rack coming into fruition for the GX470, so be on the lookout for that as well. Anyway, thats all for now. I hope it isnt another 6 months before I post again.
See ya'll round!
I'm the one with the Turtleback Trailer in the pictures above.
Just wanted to complement Kevin and his crew on how great they are! The install at the Expo was great- they had people turning their backs at the $500k Unimogs to watch the install. They were certainly the only ones that had the balls to do anything close to this in front of everyone at the Expo like that. The bumpers are a great fit and perfect for what I need/want.
If anyone is on the fence on getting their bumpers, go for it!
Just wanted to complement Kevin and his crew on how great they are! The install at the Expo was great- they had people turning their backs at the $500k Unimogs to watch the install. They were certainly the only ones that had the balls to do anything close to this in front of everyone at the Expo like that. The bumpers are a great fit and perfect for what I need/want.
If anyone is on the fence on getting their bumpers, go for it!
sledge916
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We too had our bumpers installed at the Expo, we just completed a 2700 mile Expedition down through Baja Mexico. The bumpers performed great and we fully recommend Southern SS.
Seth
Seth
We too had our bumpers installed at the Expo, we just completed a 2700 mile Expedition down through Baja Mexico. The bumpers performed great and we fully recommend Southern SS.
Seth
what brand tires size and what brand and size those wheels are .thank you
MScruiser
obsessive-compulsive oppositional-defiant wise-ass
Its a shame Baton Rouge is not closer to Jackson, MS. I'd love a custom bumper made for my 200 series.
SouthernSS
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It's not that terribly far away...
HungryMedic
That doesn't look too hard... What could go wrong?
Let me know if you guys come up with anything for the 4th gen 4Runner.
sledge916
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Check out a short Video we had put together for our Baja trip.
Seth
Seth
HungryMedic
That doesn't look too hard... What could go wrong?
Kevin, let me know when you want to borrow the 80 for mock up ;D I need some sliders and swing outs!
sledge916
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Giving our bumpers a work out
Seth
Seth
SouthernSS
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Wow, its been a long time since I've updated this thread but better late than never, I guess.
So a lot has happened since our last update. The GX got an overhaul to be showcased at the 2015 FJ Summit. It was a blast but also a ton of work to get the truck ready. We developed some pretty good relationships with both Radflo and Total Chaos to make it happen and cant thank them enough. Great companies all around.
Anyway, on to the LONG TRAVEL BUILD!
First things first, the parts list. It was extensive and very costly even with dealer discounts and favors called in.
Total Chaos
+2" Long Travel kit - Race Version. Essentially the lower control arm is also the skid and has been internally gusseted to shrug off hard hits. It's also engineered for maximum ground clearance. The kit includes:
- Total Chaos Upper control arms
- Total Choas Race lower control arms with secondary shock mount
- Extended steel braided brake lines
- adjustable limit straps
Also necessary, are two chromoly +2" axle shafts to replace into your stock cv's. I opted to go all out with this build and ordered these optional parts from Total Chaos:
- Secondary Shock hoop
- Tower brace gussets
- cam tab gussets
- spindle gussets
Radflo
- 2.5 Remote Reservoir Long Travel front Coilovers with easy click dampening adjustment
- Double Bypass Secondary shock
- 2.5 Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks with easy click dampening adjustment
Other
- Metaltech offset rear lower control arms
- Metaltech air bag conversion
- Toytec Superflex 3" lift HD rear coils
Wheels/Tires
- Method Roosts in Bronze 18x9 -12 et
- Cooper ST MAXX 295/70-R18 tires coming in just a bit shy of 35" diameter. I choose these for their quiet road manners, good looks and the fact that they arent a full 35" because I knew it would be terribly difficult to get the clearance I would need for this long travel setup.
Lets start here:
This photo shows the beginning of the body work necessary to house this wider stance. Those are 285 khumo's mounted on the truck with the Cooper ST MAXX's for comparison. We basically chopped the fenders off at the body and made a wire mesh/fiberglass extension of about 2 inches on each side.
Here's the first rough draft of the fenders:
Of course with wider fenders means wider bumpers. So we had to build custom versions of our latest generation of bumpers for the GX.
Trying the new wheels and tires on before the suspension goes in
Finished Fender Flares
New Roof Rack
And this is where the whirlwind of work began. We were scheduled to arrive in Colorado by Wednesday which meant we had to start driving by Monday Morning. We werent able to start the suspension install until Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, I didnt have a lot of leisure time for pics but I did snag these pics at least.
Tear Down Complete
New Headlights!!
Rear complete
Comparison of Radflo 2.0 vs Radflo 2.5's long travel and some double bypass shock goodness. 2.0's were already set to 3" of lift and you can see how much longer these were. Currently I'm sitting at about 5 inches of total lift in the front
Front ready to be put back together
CHecking clearance
Latest Generation rear bumper with integrated swingarm into rear door using a heim joint. It makes living with a full size swing arm easy and pleasant
continued....
So a lot has happened since our last update. The GX got an overhaul to be showcased at the 2015 FJ Summit. It was a blast but also a ton of work to get the truck ready. We developed some pretty good relationships with both Radflo and Total Chaos to make it happen and cant thank them enough. Great companies all around.
Anyway, on to the LONG TRAVEL BUILD!
First things first, the parts list. It was extensive and very costly even with dealer discounts and favors called in.
Total Chaos
+2" Long Travel kit - Race Version. Essentially the lower control arm is also the skid and has been internally gusseted to shrug off hard hits. It's also engineered for maximum ground clearance. The kit includes:
- Total Chaos Upper control arms
- Total Choas Race lower control arms with secondary shock mount
- Extended steel braided brake lines
- adjustable limit straps
Also necessary, are two chromoly +2" axle shafts to replace into your stock cv's. I opted to go all out with this build and ordered these optional parts from Total Chaos:
- Secondary Shock hoop
- Tower brace gussets
- cam tab gussets
- spindle gussets
Radflo
- 2.5 Remote Reservoir Long Travel front Coilovers with easy click dampening adjustment
- Double Bypass Secondary shock
- 2.5 Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks with easy click dampening adjustment
Other
- Metaltech offset rear lower control arms
- Metaltech air bag conversion
- Toytec Superflex 3" lift HD rear coils
Wheels/Tires
- Method Roosts in Bronze 18x9 -12 et
- Cooper ST MAXX 295/70-R18 tires coming in just a bit shy of 35" diameter. I choose these for their quiet road manners, good looks and the fact that they arent a full 35" because I knew it would be terribly difficult to get the clearance I would need for this long travel setup.
Lets start here:
This photo shows the beginning of the body work necessary to house this wider stance. Those are 285 khumo's mounted on the truck with the Cooper ST MAXX's for comparison. We basically chopped the fenders off at the body and made a wire mesh/fiberglass extension of about 2 inches on each side.
Here's the first rough draft of the fenders:
Of course with wider fenders means wider bumpers. So we had to build custom versions of our latest generation of bumpers for the GX.
Trying the new wheels and tires on before the suspension goes in
Finished Fender Flares
New Roof Rack
And this is where the whirlwind of work began. We were scheduled to arrive in Colorado by Wednesday which meant we had to start driving by Monday Morning. We werent able to start the suspension install until Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, I didnt have a lot of leisure time for pics but I did snag these pics at least.
Tear Down Complete
New Headlights!!
Rear complete
Comparison of Radflo 2.0 vs Radflo 2.5's long travel and some double bypass shock goodness. 2.0's were already set to 3" of lift and you can see how much longer these were. Currently I'm sitting at about 5 inches of total lift in the front
Front ready to be put back together
CHecking clearance
Latest Generation rear bumper with integrated swingarm into rear door using a heim joint. It makes living with a full size swing arm easy and pleasant
continued....
SouthernSS
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Fortunately, we were able to make it with the help of many family and friends. It was literally down to the last minute and waiting for paint to dry to put the rear bumper on to load up and leave. 24+ grueling driving hours later we made it to Ouray, Colorado!
We also brought our 2014 4Runner to promote the new line of hybrid front bumpers we make. We'll be expanding that line to the 2012-2015 Tacoma, 2010-2013 4Runner trail, and 2016 Tacoma first quarter this year.
5th Gen 4Runner rear prototype
Last but not least, we have ventured into the area of a partnership with @THeGeNTLeMaN to help create and produce GX specific products under the Woodgrain Warrior product line. We're also restructuring our business with a slightly different name of Southern Style Offroad to really drive home the point of what it is we do here. He'll also be able to field answers about any current SSO designs and has some great products coming down the pipe everyone will be excited about.
We look forward to another crazy year with all of you guys and certainly appreciate your continued support.
Until next time!
Kevin
We also brought our 2014 4Runner to promote the new line of hybrid front bumpers we make. We'll be expanding that line to the 2012-2015 Tacoma, 2010-2013 4Runner trail, and 2016 Tacoma first quarter this year.
5th Gen 4Runner rear prototype
Last but not least, we have ventured into the area of a partnership with @THeGeNTLeMaN to help create and produce GX specific products under the Woodgrain Warrior product line. We're also restructuring our business with a slightly different name of Southern Style Offroad to really drive home the point of what it is we do here. He'll also be able to field answers about any current SSO designs and has some great products coming down the pipe everyone will be excited about.
We look forward to another crazy year with all of you guys and certainly appreciate your continued support.
Until next time!
Kevin
THeGeNTLeMaN
WooD GRaiN WaRRioR
Honored to be apart of SSO ... and look forward to growing the brand with you Kevin ...
Kevin and i have known each other for almost 19yrs now ... never been very close just mid school , HS, and the occasional run in at a gas station
Iv been in metal fabrication , production , and design all my life ... and have always had a passion to build "my own" ... and solve problems and needs with my talents ... and maybe add that one little touch that makes it different than anything else ... Kevin and I both share that quality i think ...
I started producing parts for SSS in 2014 ... the installs he did at the Overland Expo were the first bumper parts i ever made him ... he gave me two months I think to reverse engineer (what he was building by hand on his knees under his carport with scrap metal, 100's of cut off wheels and a cheap welder) ... and turn it into a higher quality product that could be sold ... over 40hrs of 3d modling , and countless revisions (that we still make to fine tune those bumpers) have gone into just the gx alone ...
but the attention and determination We both had on that project has grown a mutual respect for one another and we know how to work well with each other as well as give each other a hard time ...
Kevin has put his blood sweat and tears to get SSS to what will now be SSO ...and I'm honored he and his family would trust me to be apart of it
and as i promised the WGW line of products will happen ...
I know the GX guys are excited about that as the "wood grain warrior" name just started as joke in a thread , then it spread as a definition of who we are as offroaders and I hope to express that in our product designs ...
~We're Gentleman Offroaders, who seek adventure in luxury ~
BIG THING COMING BROTHERS!
Kevin and i have known each other for almost 19yrs now ... never been very close just mid school , HS, and the occasional run in at a gas station
Iv been in metal fabrication , production , and design all my life ... and have always had a passion to build "my own" ... and solve problems and needs with my talents ... and maybe add that one little touch that makes it different than anything else ... Kevin and I both share that quality i think ...
I started producing parts for SSS in 2014 ... the installs he did at the Overland Expo were the first bumper parts i ever made him ... he gave me two months I think to reverse engineer (what he was building by hand on his knees under his carport with scrap metal, 100's of cut off wheels and a cheap welder) ... and turn it into a higher quality product that could be sold ... over 40hrs of 3d modling , and countless revisions (that we still make to fine tune those bumpers) have gone into just the gx alone ...
but the attention and determination We both had on that project has grown a mutual respect for one another and we know how to work well with each other as well as give each other a hard time ...
Kevin has put his blood sweat and tears to get SSS to what will now be SSO ...and I'm honored he and his family would trust me to be apart of it
and as i promised the WGW line of products will happen ...
I know the GX guys are excited about that as the "wood grain warrior" name just started as joke in a thread , then it spread as a definition of who we are as offroaders and I hope to express that in our product designs ...
~We're Gentleman Offroaders, who seek adventure in luxury ~
BIG THING COMING BROTHERS!
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