.45 JHP's Mild Expo Build- 2015 T4R TRDP

.45 JHP

Observer
THE BUILD

I started this build with the idea that it'd be just a mild expedition setup. I don't plan on doing any heavy wheeling, but most of the mods are planned around being as capable as possible while still being mild mannered. With that in mind, don't expect anything crazy here :)


CURRENT MODS


Engine
TRD Cold Air Intake

Interior
Flashlight Mod- Surefire P3X Fury Tactical
5K LED Interior Lighting
Husky Weatherbeaters
Canvasback Cargo Liners
Customized RAM Mount w/ Proclip Vent Clip for iPhone
Hard-wired Dash Cam

Exterior
Eezi-Awn K9 2.2M Rack w/ 40mm legs
Low profile XM antenna mod ARB 2000mm Awning
ARB Awning Room
BAMF Bolt-on Rock Sliders
Maggiolina Airlander RTT

Electrical/Lighting
40" Single Row LED light bar on K9 Rack
Xenon Depot HID kit w/ Philips 4300k bulb upgrade
Adventure Trailers Solar Plug mounted in hood cowl trim
Renogy 100W folding solar panel
Odyssey PC3150 Group 31M Deep Cycle Battery
National Luna Single Battery Monitor
Truck Fridge/Indel-B TF51 w/ Wagon Gear hinge flip kit
Tacomapros Bussman Relay Box
OTTRATTW Switches in center console

Suspension/Wheels
Front TRD suspension swapped for Bilstein 6112, set at 2.5" front lift
Rear TRD 5160 stock shocks w/ Toytec Superflex 2" lift springs
BF Goodrich KO2 34x10.5x17
Spidertrax 1.25" Wheel Spacers
No-Loss Valve stem caps

Comms
Full Size CB (Bearcat 980SSB) in center console
Firestik 2' CB Antenna
Diamond K400 3/8C on hatch
Hustler CB Quick Release


PLACES WE'VE BEEN

Joshua Tree National Park (CA)- 03/2016

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Crater Lake National Park (OR)- 01/2016

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Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park (CA)- 08/2015

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Vancouver and Victoria, BC (Canada)- 08/2015
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Portland/Seattle from San Diego (CA/OR/WA)- 08/2015

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.45 JHP

Observer
A friend and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip to hopefully see some Aurora Borealis from that solar storm. Sadly we didn't see anything but we did freeze our asses off catching an awesome view of Crater Lake at sunrise. Also got a chance to explore some forest roads.

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.45 JHP

Observer
Electrical/Solar Setup

I've been lagging pretty bad on updating this with some recent additions on account of getting this all ready quickly between work and a big camping trip that we took. I just finished up a big electrical project to keep up with my solar setup, fridge, and just to keep things clean for upcoming electrical mods.

First, I purchased a new Odyssey Group 31M to replace my regular starting battery. I opted to go with a single battery setup vs. a dual battery setup specifically to keep things simple. I also plan on supplementing this with a solar panel to keep juice flowing to the Indel-B fridge I just picked up.


Odyssey Group 31 Battery Install (in factory tray)

I started out by disconnecting the factory battery cables and removing the OEM battery

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Since the new Odyssey is a bit larger, I needed to trim a portion from the OEM battery tray

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Muscle the new Odyssey in- looks a little like this

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Needed to purchase some Mil-Spec terminals and mated them to the factory terminals. Buttoned everything up.

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DISCLAIMER:
When performing this mod, it is important to note that the OEM alternator is not rated high enough to charge the Odyssey to 100% charge. Battery lifespan may suffer if you do not fully charge the Odyssey on a Battery Tender or something similar every so often.
 

.45 JHP

Observer
Electrical/Solar Setup (continued)

Bussman Fuse Box install

I opted to go with a Bussman Fuse Box setup instead of a Blue Sea fusebox because of the weather sealing and the additional relays. I ordered a pre-made kit from Tacomapros, complete with a Bussman 90A relay, switchbacks (to make wiring in the OTRATTW switches a little easier), and an aluminum plate to hold it all down.

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Mounting it all up and drilling holes

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Running the cabin harness (which contains the switchback harness to the OTRATTW switches) through the main harness firewall pass-through

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Back side of the main harness pass-through- this is where it exits into the interior

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Tie it all back into the mil-spec battery terminals on the Odyssey and you're done!

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Plugged into the OTRATTW switches

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.45 JHP

Observer
Electrical/Solar Setup (continued)

National Luna Battery Monitor

Since I have everything running off a single battery, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't left stranded should my battery drop below starting voltage. Even though the Indel-B fridges come with a settable low voltage cutoff, this was just some added insurance to prevent coming back to a dead battery. The National Luna Single Battery Monitor comes with a low voltage alarm and a voltmeter that shows battery charge.

I decided to mount this in the panel next to the factory jack in the trunk.

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Adventure Trailers Solar Plug

Also, in preparation for my solar setup, I sourced a solar plug from Adventure Trailers to tie in to the Odyssey battery. Since the panel I'm running has a solar charge controller mounted directly to the panel itself, I can plug it straight into the AT Solar Plug. Also, since it has SAE connectors, I can use it to plug a Battery Tender directly to the battery. I mounted this in the plastic trim on the drivers side windshield.

Started by drilling a hole in the panel

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Squeezed some marine sealant on it for added waterproofing

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Stainless self tapping hardware

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Mounted

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When needed, I can simply plug in the solar panel to the AT Solar Plug

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.45 JHP

Observer
Electrical/Solar Setup (continued)

Renogy 100W Solar Setup

So I wanted to add that I'm running a Renogy 100W solar suitcase to power my single battery setup, which in turn runs my Indel-B fridge and charges other small electronics (i.e my iPad, camera batteries, etc.). I'm getting about 6+ amps per charge in direct sunlight, which equates to about 60-70 watts. I tested this setup over the weekend on my recent Joshua Tree trip, and my battery never dipped below 12.5V the entire weekend.

Here's a link to the panel I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watts-Monocrystalline-Foldable-Suitcase/dp/B00HR8YNK6/

The nice thing about the Renogy Solar Suitcase is that it packs down nicely into a soft protective cover which makes packing it easy. Also since the charge controller is already mounted inside the solar panel, it negates the need for additional controller. You could run a MPPT solar charge controller for better charging, but the included one works just fine for me.

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Solar panel in action

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.45 JHP

Observer
Headed down to Socal to meet up with some folks on a camping trip in Southern California. We ended up getting a nice primitive site about 30-45 minutes from the gates, and avoided most of the crowds that were there over the weekend.

Leaving San Jose.

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Ran across this sweet Unimog that had literally been all over the globe. Spotted at the local Walmart.

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Set up camp. I had a couple friends with me who used the ARB awning + room as their sleeping quarters, which ended up being pretty useful. Got to use the solar setup.

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Night shots

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Linked up with the rest of the group the next morning.
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.45 JHP

Observer
Did a few trail runs

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Went shooting on some BLM land and found some cool classic cars to shoot at.
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Some shots of Alex's cool expo Tacoma build.
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Group photo of the crew
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