Builds SouthTxGX’s question and build thread

[Lenny33]

Okay... I cut out all the stuff I can't comment on, but here's my 2¢ worth, so take it as you with.
First, do you have about $10-15k to put into your rig within a year? Between tires, wheels, suspension, armor, etc. you'll be looking at about that much.
Second, don't let your wife see that first line I just wrote... Or you may not be able do do anything to your rig!

• Now to the meat. Regarding suspension, I believe, and my opinion is just like belly buttons, everyone has one, unless you're going to be real hard on your rig, almost any suspension setup will be fine. Just make sure it's tuned for what kind of weight you'll be adding, e.g. steel bumpers, sliders, winch, roof top tent, trailer, etc.
• Now bumpers, I have a MetalTech with swingout and all the accessories that go with it. I'm running about the largest tire within reason and it is not even close to obstructing my taillight. I really don't think any of them do unless you mount a 40" tire or something stupid big like that. You should be fine. Personally, if I were to do it all again, I'd do aluminum bumpers all around and lighten my rig. NOTE: With a swingout, you will have to relocate your backup camera, license plate (& light).
• As for fridges, you can get them in almost every size needed. We have two. A small one that's only 21 quart (20 liter) Amazon product ASIN B075R1LH8D We LOVE this size! We've (just my wife and I) have gone cross country (So. Cal to Maine) and many other road trips. This is our go-to fridge. We love it! Not too large (about the size of a PlayMate) always ice cold drinks, snacks, whatever. I have dual batteries and added a dedicated USB and 12 VDC power panel that I keep this plugged into. I just leave it on 24/7 and it never draws the battery down as long as I drive my rig within a day or two. Then we have our large 85 quart fridge Amazon product ASIN B002W8GV8S This we use for long family camping (a week or so in the wild) and this too works great! When camping, and not going anywhere, I'll start my rig for a few minutes every day to give a little juice to the batteries, not to draw them down too much.

Again, this is just my 2¢.

Richard - I’m not sure you realize this, but your fridges are not the officially approved and stamped ARB brand for all overlanding!

I am in the process of planning an October trip to Baja with some friends and I cannot get around the idea that a fridge is going to be absolutely necessary for the trip. Most are SO expensive! How have your more affordable brands held up for you and would you recommend them?
(Sorry for the hijack)

 

[r2m]

Richard - I’m not sure you realize this, but your fridges are not the officially approved and stamped ARB brand for all overlanding!

I am in the process of planning an October trip to Baja with some friends and I cannot get around the idea that a fridge is going to be absolutely necessary for the trip. Most are SO expensive! How have your more affordable brands held up for you and would you recommend them?
(Sorry for the hijack)

ARB approval. These fridges have held up great! Albeit, we've only used the large one a couple of times. I may have over done it on size for that one, but it was meant mostly for when my entire family is base camping for a week. Both fridges come with each, 12 VDC (cigarette socket) and 120 VAC power cords that are plenty long.
The small one has been absolutely awesome! We take that everywhere. Day trips, weekend trips, etc. It gets bounced, bumped and packed full and has always worked! We had it on our "lobster hunt" this last March when we drove to Main, Delaware and the rest of the Eastern Sea Board looking for a lobster diner. We've had it in 108°F the year before driving to my Dads during July in Texas. On that trip, the ice teas we had in it were starting to ice up and had to raise the temp a wee bit. We usually keep it at about 4°C (39.2°F). We pull the small one out at least once a month for wherever we go.
I have two complaints, which are very minor (this is only referring to the small fridge):

1. It ONLY does Celsius. To fix this I printed a 1" x 3" strip of paper that has 1°C conversions to F as a quick reference chart (cheat sheet). I have it tapped onto the fridge with wide clear packing tape to protect it.
2. There are no hoops, or anything to tie down the fridge with, without having to use a strap over the entire fridge. Then you have to remove the strap to access anything inside. Solution: I drilled a 1/2" hole in the handle on each side and put a large carabiner through them. Now I can strap it down by the handles. If it's just a day trip with the middle seat let up, I slip the seat belt through the carabiners and it's stays nice and secure.

Hope this helps!

 

[Lenny33]

ARB approval. These fridges have held up great! Albeit, we've only used the large one a couple of times. I may have over done it on size for that one, but it was meant mostly for when my entire family is base camping for a week. Both fridges come with each, 12 VDC (cigarette socket) and 120 VAC power cords that are plenty long.
The small one has been absolutely awesome! We take that everywhere. Day trips, weekend trips, etc. It gets bounced, bumped and packed full and has always worked! We had it on our "lobster hunt" this last March when we drove to Main, Delaware and the rest of the Eastern Sea Board looking for a lobster diner. We've had it in 108°F the year before driving to my Dads during July in Texas. On that trip, the ice teas we had in it were starting to ice up and had to raise the temp a wee bit. We usually keep it at about 4°C (39.2°F). We pull the small one out at least once a month for wherever we go.
I have two complaints, which are very minor (this is only referring to the small fridge):

1. It ONLY does Celsius. To fix this I printed a 1" x 3" strip of paper that has 1°C conversions to F as a quick reference chart (cheat sheet). I have it tapped onto the fridge with wide clear packing tape to protect it.
2. There are no hoops, or anything to tie down the fridge with, without having to use a strap over the entire fridge. Then you have to remove the strap to access anything inside. Solution: I drilled a 1/2" hole in the handle on each side and put a large carabiner through them. Now I can strap it down by the handles. If it's just a day trip with the middle seat let up, I slip the seat belt through the carabiners and it's stays nice and secure.

Hope this helps!

It DOES help - thanks so much for the first hand review. It is hard for me to shell out the money for an ARB, but I can stomach these prices.

 

[SouthTxGX]

Sliders went on today. I was hesitant about them being flat, but I like them more than I thought I would.

 

[VirginiaCruiser]

I need y’all to talk me out of buying an icon setup. I had a few issues with them before, but they did ride great and with everything going on they’re the easiest to get quickly. I want kings, but don’t want to wait 5 months or more for them. I can get the icons and find a set of heavier springs fairly easy.

That being said, I would probably still switch them out eventually to kings, but I want better performance and the ability to go ahead and add bumpers soon as my current lift won’t hold the weight well.

Have you looked at radflo

Im very impressed at 10k miles, I’m hard on them, I tow, I’m heavy, and get rowdy in the dirt.

2 weeks till my door step, they make really nice stuff comparable to kings, icon, all those. Same relative cost, I run the 2.5 bodies and icon uppers

I’ll say again I’m really happy with them, truck is nimble, and floats

 

[GrizzlyClint]

Sliders went on today. I was hesitant about them being flat, but I like them more than I thought I would. View attachment 2547823

Looks good! Now chop that front and rear bumper to complete!

 

[SouthTxGX]

Have you looked at radflo

Im very impressed at 10k miles, I’m hard on them, I tow, I’m heavy, and get rowdy in the dirt.

2 weeks till my door step, they make really nice stuff comparable to kings, icon, all those. Same relative cost, I run the 2.5 bodies and icon uppers

I’ll say again I’m really happy with them, truck is nimble, and floats

I have. I’ve always heard good things about them, but not many places sell them. I know a lot of the fj guys use radflo on their long travel setups. I did find a place with a pending order for kings that will have less of a wait, but they are going to get back to me on the specifics of what was ordered(spring rate and whether or not they have adjusters) and I’ll decide if I’m going to buy a set.

 

[SouthTxGX]

Looks good! Now chop that front and rear bumper to complete!

That’s the plan for next week. I just need to look at the rear and see how high I can cut it before getting into any brackets.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

That’s the plan for next week. I just need to look at the rear and see how high I can cut it before getting into any brackets.

Sweet. I cannot wait to get to work on both our GX’s so I can forget about the impending doom. I’m hoping I get a sweet bumper swap from a certain member here that already had the cut I want.

Cannot wait to see your progress!

 

[SouthTxGX]

So for those of you with sliders and trimmed steps, did you cut the rear portion off the part behind the front wheels? I had taken the bolts out that everyone rubs on after the lift was installed due to rubbing, but after the sliders were put on those bolts magically reappeared. I had to brake hard while turning and the tire caught the rear bolt on the driver side and ripped it out. I took both back out again and secured them with zip ties to minimize rubbing for now. I’m wondering if I can just cut off the rear portion without it causing the plastic to move around without it.

 

[SouthTxGX]

Sweet. I cannot wait to get to work on both our GX’s so I can forget about the impending doom. I’m hoping I get a sweet bumper swap from a certain member here that already had the cut I want.

Cannot wait to see your progress!

I’m thinking about cutting the rear pretty high. The guy I bought my lift from did his recently and I like it. The only thing that worries me is it being cut too high for whatever bumper I end up with.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

I’m thinking about cutting the rear pretty high. The guy I bought my lift from did his recently and I like it. The only thing that worries me is it being cut too high for whatever bumper I end up with. View attachment 2549819

I’m hoping to swap bumpers with Tex. Otherwise I’ll have to get creative because the 2010-2013 rear bumper will look strange with a high cut because of the large vertical lenses. Haha, at least it will look odd to me on my rig.

 

[SouthTxGX]

I’m hoping to swap bumpers with Tex. Otherwise I’ll have to get creative because the 2010-2013 rear bumper will look strange with a high cut because of the large vertical lenses. Haha, at least it will look odd to me on my rig.

View attachment 2549837

A lot of the bumpers I’ve seen incorporate those lense pockets into their designs so that’s a bonus for that style.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

A lot of the bumpers I’ve seen incorporate those lense pockets into their designs so that’s a bonus for that style.

Incorporate? How so? You got me curious.

 

[Tex68w]

So for those of you with sliders and trimmed steps, did you cut the rear portion off the part behind the front wheels? I had taken the bolts out that everyone rubs on after the lift was installed due to rubbing, but after the sliders were put on those bolts magically reappeared. I had to brake hard while turning and the tire caught the rear bolt on the driver side and ripped it out. I took both back out again and secured them with zip ties to minimize rubbing for now. I’m wondering if I can just cut off the rear portion without it causing the plastic to move around without it. View attachment 2549818

I’m thinking about cutting the rear pretty high. The guy I bought my lift from did his recently and I like it. The only thing that worries me is it being cut too high for whatever bumper I end up with. View attachment 2549819

I cut the rear portion of the front inner fender liners. Trimmed it back to expose the pinch weld. It was necessary after the lift even with the BMC and UCA's, not a big deal, just hit the inner brackets with some krylon paint to blend. Yours being dark grey in color might not even be necessary to paint, mine is white and I hated how it stood out.

I cut mine the way I did so that I stayed below the pinch brackets for the lower rear plastic fender and to keep it modest enough in hopes of not encroaching on the cut line that will eventually be needed for a rear bumper. Not knowing which bumper that will ultimately be I didn't want to get too aggressive and wind up cutting too high and screwing myself in the end.

You'll see the brackets I am talking about when you get under there. I do prefer the look of the higher flat cut like pictured above but those were my concerns and reasons for not going that route.

 

[SouthTxGX]

Woke up to a set of king coilovers with adjusters actually being in stock. I think that’s the fastest order I’ve ever placed. Now I just need to hunt down some rear shocks.

 

[r2m]

Woke up to a set of king coilovers with adjusters actually being in stock. I think that’s the fastest order I’ve ever placed. Now I just need to hunt down some rear shocks.

Weekend project!!

 

[SouthTxGX]

Weekend project!!

I wish lol. I don’t really trust myself to install suspension. I can do many things, but I’m smart enough to know that I’m not good at any of them lol. Plus, with only one day off a week currently I just don’t have the time. With my luck it’s gonna take another 6 months to find the rear shocks lol.

 

[GrizzlyClint]

I wish lol. I don’t really trust myself to install suspension. I can do many things, but I’m smart enough to know that I’m not good at any of them lol. Plus, with only one day off a week currently I just don’t have the time. With my luck it’s gonna take another 6 months to find the rear shocks lol.

Free time...any idea where to get some? Having a 23 month old girl and no babysitters our free time is zero. I have to do my projects during down time at work. Haha.

 

[SouthTxGX]

Free time...any idea where to get some? Having a 23 month old girl and no babysitters our free time is zero. I have to do my projects during down time at work. Haha.

I have a 4 year old boy so I completely understand. He’s pretty good at holding a flashlight though lol.
I used to do a lot of my own work when I was into custom trucks. I had a “friend” do all the air suspension and it ended up being a total hack job. That truck is a constant reminder to have stuff done right by a competent person. I definitely learned that quality parts and work come at a higher price. One of these days I need to grab a torch and cut it up and haul it off to the scrapyard.