Battleship Jones: 2015 Tacoma DCLB Build Thread
- Thread starter Adventurous
- Start date
Adventurous
Explorer
Thanks!
and I don't have a dent on the hood, I have several! See that nice big pine tree in my neighbors yard? It shed some good sized sticks during a windy night about 2 months after I bought the truck. The ding on the door is legit too, as is one on the bed side. All courtesy of others, all of which mean that I don't have to worry about being the first one to ding it off roading.
Thanks!
Nice rack!
If I didn't know better I'd think you were coming onto me...
It gets my vote of approval if you ever find yourself in the market.
Adventurous
Explorer
I made the opportunity over this past weekend to finally take the truck out. Between fixing my heater, unclogging overflowing drains, doing a bathroom renovation, and ripping out walls to stem the inflow of water into my finished basement, I have been very busy with the house.
Anyway, the lady friend and I decided last minute to make the 4 hour drive to western CO and run the first portion of the Kokopelli trail. It was a whirlwind kind of trip with preparations beginning on Thursday night with the expectation that I would finish the sleeping platform in the bed before we left Saturday morning. I was able to do so and will share some more details in a subsequent post on what I did and some dimensions if anyone wants to replicate it. The same goes for some additional mods I have done since I last updated this post. I apologize for the slacking.
We started the 4x4 journey near Mack, CO and the Rabbit Valley entrance. It is really the first put in for the 142 mile (Fruita to Moab) journey as the first segment is singletrack only. I aired down in anticipation of what lay before us.
20150523-DSC_9866 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
Route finding proved to be a little bit challenging at times as the various offshoots were not always well marked. Even when they were marked, the only differentiation between trails was a small label across the top of the sign post in size 12 font that gave the name of the trail. That in addition to the fact that the map was not entirely comprehensive made for a little bit of difficulty in a few sections where we got lost. The GF and dogs were having a great time as we crawled in relative peace through the cliffs and rock formations. The only mishap we had along the way was coming down a little ledge when one of the rocks stacked on the other side shifted as I landed on it and I came down on the cross member. Relatively speaking it wasn't so bad as it just nicked the back side. It completely and totally justified my recent purchase of skid plates and I wished terribly that I had them on this trip (more on that later). After taking some side trails that were clearly not for trucks, we managed to turn things around and ended up on the bluffs above the Colorado River just in time to see some ominous looking clouds rolling in.
20150523-DSC_9872 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
As a novice offroader, the potential for slick rocks and flooded washes was a bit intimidating and for anyone who knows the Kokopelli trail, I had the shelf road section ahead of me. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures through this section as it was quite trying at spots for my inexperienced self. The track was barely wider than the vehicle, had a decent sized drop off one side, and had boulders sticking out at points along the uphill side that just wanted to reach out and grab some sheet metal. Some careful spotting got us through that section just as the rain rolled in. The trail was slightly easier after this point with the exception of a short, steep, downhill that required careful tire placement to get down without dragging something. After that it was relatively tame again with the trickiest sections being a few soft washes and some healthy sized mud holes courtesy of the recent rains. We slogged through those and finally made it out to the road after 6 hours on the trail. Exhausted, we pulled over into the first dispersed camping site we found and set up shop.
20150523-DSC_9886 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
Now I'll be perfectly honest. This trip was dual purpose. In addition to wanting to get out camping, exploring, and break in the truck, I had also been intending to do the engagement mod for a while. I waited until the sun was setting over a nice vista before setting up the DSLR on a tripod and recording a video under the guise of taking a picture of us both. Romantically enough, this hill top must be used to graze cattle as it was covered in poop. Never the less, I got down on one knee and she said yes! :smiley_drive:
After that we just sat around for a little while talking and watching the sun set before heading to bed. It was comfy back there and all once you got over the lack of space, having a high topper would be ideal for this type of arrangement.
20150524-DSC_9909 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
I had mentioned to my GF..er, fiance, on several occasions how much I wanted to do the Top of the World trail. Given that we were only 45 minutes away, she suggested that we head down there and give it a shot. Not wanting to pass up a good opportunity, I pointed the truck in the direction of Moab and soon enough we were at the entrance.
20150524-DSC_9910 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
I didn't really know what to expect out of this trail other than what I could find on TrailDamage. The first 2.5 miles were pretty straightforward and didn't require any spotting to get through. After that things turned a bit more technical, honestly, a lot more technical than I expected and was comfortable with. As hard as it was to bow out at that point, my lack of body armor, experience, and desire to be able to drive home influenced my decision to throw in the towel on driving the rest. We found a place to pull over off the trail and just happened to be in the right place at the right time to hitch a ride to the top in some friendly stranger's 4 seater RZR. The rest of the journey to the top reinforced my decision to stop where we did as there were some serious ledges and rocks that would have eaten my underbelly alive.
On the way up!
20150524-DSC_9918 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
This trail is an absolute must. The views from the top are so breathtaking you must find a way to get up there, whether by foot, two wheels, or 4 wheels. We hung out on the top for a while taking pictures and soaking it all in. What an absolute treat.
20150524-DSC_9930 by Tim Souza, on Flickr
We decided to hike back down which in hindsight wasn't a bad decision. We arrived about the same time as our companions on their RZR and the ATVs up there did. On the way back down I put the lady behind the wheel and walked in front of the truck spotting her down any sections where she was iffy. As we are intending to do the Alpine Loop in a few weeks, I figured it was imperative she know how to pilot the truck through some moderately technical terrain. She did great heading down the rest, though it was funny not only being outside of the vehicle for it all, but out in front looking back to see the lines she chose.
After getting back to the road we trucked it back up to Rabbit Valley where we met up with a few of my buddies who were out there dirt biking. We set up shop overlooking the valley, and relaxed for a night of good food, good booze, and awesome company. Not that you guys will ever see this, but thanks for the toast. We also ran into a bunch of Yotas that were on their way to Rock Therapy in Moab. It was great to meet you Bob and Kayla, hope the event goes off without a hitch!
Things I learned from this trip:
- having the ARB on board air was awesome. The compressor did an admirable job filling my 255/85s up from 20 to 38 PSI and made it through all 4 without having to shut off.
- I very much need some skid plates. That cross member hit let me know that I best be careful in the future as the majority of my truck is exposed.
- My Rotopax gets a meh rating. As I was tossing the full container up on the roof and trying to line up the two handles with the slots it came down while the handles weren't perfectly aligned and bent each of those bolts. I can't say I'm very pleased with that and will be contacting Rotopax to see if those are replaceable.
- I guess it's a right of passage as I now have some pinstriping down the side of my truck
- Does anyone have tips on silencing a Hi-Lift? It sounded like I had an aluminum box of bolts welded to the roof of my truck.
We hoofed it home yesterday morning to give some time to get unpacked, settled, and ready to head back to work. We also had to let our families know of the engagement. It was a bitter sweet announcement as I found out when talking to my parents that my grandmother has terminal cancer. She's lived a good long 98 years and I'm hoping she can hold on long enough to make it to my wedding. She did say at Christmas that she wanted to go to at least one more before she kicked off.
Anyway, the lady friend and I decided last minute to make the 4 hour drive to western CO and run the first portion of the Kokopelli trail. It was a whirlwind kind of trip with preparations beginning on Thursday night with the expectation that I would finish the sleeping platform in the bed before we left Saturday morning. I was able to do so and will share some more details in a subsequent post on what I did and some dimensions if anyone wants to replicate it. The same goes for some additional mods I have done since I last updated this post. I apologize for the slacking.
We started the 4x4 journey near Mack, CO and the Rabbit Valley entrance. It is really the first put in for the 142 mile (Fruita to Moab) journey as the first segment is singletrack only. I aired down in anticipation of what lay before us.
20150523-DSC_9866 by Tim Souza, on FlickrRoute finding proved to be a little bit challenging at times as the various offshoots were not always well marked. Even when they were marked, the only differentiation between trails was a small label across the top of the sign post in size 12 font that gave the name of the trail. That in addition to the fact that the map was not entirely comprehensive made for a little bit of difficulty in a few sections where we got lost. The GF and dogs were having a great time as we crawled in relative peace through the cliffs and rock formations. The only mishap we had along the way was coming down a little ledge when one of the rocks stacked on the other side shifted as I landed on it and I came down on the cross member. Relatively speaking it wasn't so bad as it just nicked the back side. It completely and totally justified my recent purchase of skid plates and I wished terribly that I had them on this trip (more on that later). After taking some side trails that were clearly not for trucks, we managed to turn things around and ended up on the bluffs above the Colorado River just in time to see some ominous looking clouds rolling in.
20150523-DSC_9872 by Tim Souza, on FlickrAs a novice offroader, the potential for slick rocks and flooded washes was a bit intimidating and for anyone who knows the Kokopelli trail, I had the shelf road section ahead of me. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures through this section as it was quite trying at spots for my inexperienced self. The track was barely wider than the vehicle, had a decent sized drop off one side, and had boulders sticking out at points along the uphill side that just wanted to reach out and grab some sheet metal. Some careful spotting got us through that section just as the rain rolled in. The trail was slightly easier after this point with the exception of a short, steep, downhill that required careful tire placement to get down without dragging something. After that it was relatively tame again with the trickiest sections being a few soft washes and some healthy sized mud holes courtesy of the recent rains. We slogged through those and finally made it out to the road after 6 hours on the trail. Exhausted, we pulled over into the first dispersed camping site we found and set up shop.
20150523-DSC_9886 by Tim Souza, on FlickrNow I'll be perfectly honest. This trip was dual purpose. In addition to wanting to get out camping, exploring, and break in the truck, I had also been intending to do the engagement mod for a while. I waited until the sun was setting over a nice vista before setting up the DSLR on a tripod and recording a video under the guise of taking a picture of us both. Romantically enough, this hill top must be used to graze cattle as it was covered in poop. Never the less, I got down on one knee and she said yes! :smiley_drive:
After that we just sat around for a little while talking and watching the sun set before heading to bed. It was comfy back there and all once you got over the lack of space, having a high topper would be ideal for this type of arrangement.
20150524-DSC_9909 by Tim Souza, on FlickrI had mentioned to my GF..er, fiance, on several occasions how much I wanted to do the Top of the World trail. Given that we were only 45 minutes away, she suggested that we head down there and give it a shot. Not wanting to pass up a good opportunity, I pointed the truck in the direction of Moab and soon enough we were at the entrance.
20150524-DSC_9910 by Tim Souza, on FlickrI didn't really know what to expect out of this trail other than what I could find on TrailDamage. The first 2.5 miles were pretty straightforward and didn't require any spotting to get through. After that things turned a bit more technical, honestly, a lot more technical than I expected and was comfortable with. As hard as it was to bow out at that point, my lack of body armor, experience, and desire to be able to drive home influenced my decision to throw in the towel on driving the rest. We found a place to pull over off the trail and just happened to be in the right place at the right time to hitch a ride to the top in some friendly stranger's 4 seater RZR. The rest of the journey to the top reinforced my decision to stop where we did as there were some serious ledges and rocks that would have eaten my underbelly alive.
On the way up!
20150524-DSC_9918 by Tim Souza, on FlickrThis trail is an absolute must. The views from the top are so breathtaking you must find a way to get up there, whether by foot, two wheels, or 4 wheels. We hung out on the top for a while taking pictures and soaking it all in. What an absolute treat.
20150524-DSC_9930 by Tim Souza, on FlickrWe decided to hike back down which in hindsight wasn't a bad decision. We arrived about the same time as our companions on their RZR and the ATVs up there did. On the way back down I put the lady behind the wheel and walked in front of the truck spotting her down any sections where she was iffy. As we are intending to do the Alpine Loop in a few weeks, I figured it was imperative she know how to pilot the truck through some moderately technical terrain. She did great heading down the rest, though it was funny not only being outside of the vehicle for it all, but out in front looking back to see the lines she chose.
After getting back to the road we trucked it back up to Rabbit Valley where we met up with a few of my buddies who were out there dirt biking. We set up shop overlooking the valley, and relaxed for a night of good food, good booze, and awesome company. Not that you guys will ever see this, but thanks for the toast. We also ran into a bunch of Yotas that were on their way to Rock Therapy in Moab. It was great to meet you Bob and Kayla, hope the event goes off without a hitch!
Things I learned from this trip:
- having the ARB on board air was awesome. The compressor did an admirable job filling my 255/85s up from 20 to 38 PSI and made it through all 4 without having to shut off.
- I very much need some skid plates. That cross member hit let me know that I best be careful in the future as the majority of my truck is exposed.
- My Rotopax gets a meh rating. As I was tossing the full container up on the roof and trying to line up the two handles with the slots it came down while the handles weren't perfectly aligned and bent each of those bolts. I can't say I'm very pleased with that and will be contacting Rotopax to see if those are replaceable.
- I guess it's a right of passage as I now have some pinstriping down the side of my truck
- Does anyone have tips on silencing a Hi-Lift? It sounded like I had an aluminum box of bolts welded to the roof of my truck.
We hoofed it home yesterday morning to give some time to get unpacked, settled, and ready to head back to work. We also had to let our families know of the engagement. It was a bitter sweet announcement as I found out when talking to my parents that my grandmother has terminal cancer. She's lived a good long 98 years and I'm hoping she can hold on long enough to make it to my wedding. She did say at Christmas that she wanted to go to at least one more before she kicked off.
Last edited:
brianjwilson
Some sort of lost...
Congrats on the engagement! The truck is looking good.
brianjwilson
Some sort of lost...
What do you have for skid plates?
I really want to relocate the exhaust crossover and run a flat skid plate on the cross member, but I don't want to spend the extra money right now either. May just run a decent skid plate with the exhaust cutout but I can't decide yet. Some companies have such a long wait list which may dictate my decision anyway.
I really want to relocate the exhaust crossover and run a flat skid plate on the cross member, but I don't want to spend the extra money right now either. May just run a decent skid plate with the exhaust cutout but I can't decide yet. Some companies have such a long wait list which may dictate my decision anyway.
Adventurous
Explorer
It was! I highly recommend doing some or all of it if you find yourself in the area.
The ARB is mounted behind the passenger headlight. As I have the SR5 some of the room above the passenger wheel is taken up whereas that is free and clear in the Off Road models.
20150116-P1010255 by Tim Souza, on FlickrThanks! To be honest I didn't even notice that until I put them on the computer. Guess all the hard work in the gym has been payin goff.
I actually don't have the skid plates yet and am still running with just the stock sheet metal IFS. I ordered the IFS and mid skid from Pelfreybilt in 3/16" steel; they are supposed to be delivered tomorrow. I waffled back and forth between steel and aluminum and decided that I wanted the security and lack of worry that comes with steel. As far as the transfer case skid goes I'm holding off until I can have the exhaust re-routed as it doesn't make sense in my mind to put a skid plate on there if it's just going to have this dongle dangling down to catch stuff.
Design wise I preferred what Pelfreybilt and Relentless fab offer in terms of the mid skid -> cross member -> transfer case skid. It just tucks up a bit nicer than say the Bud Builts did. I went with Pelfrey in the end because they have a solid reputation as a company and for their products, were in stock, and shipped in less than a week.
Last edited:
marathonracer
Adventurer
To try and silence the hilift try using a handle isolator, wrap the very bottom of the jack with electrical tape to silence the foot. I have seen some people wedge an old credit card between the beam and the actual sliding piece of the jack. Another option is the neoprene cover to muffle the rattles. I use the isolator and the cover and its almost silent.
Congrats on the engagement! Only mod that's better is the kid mod!
Congrats on the engagement! Only mod that's better is the kid mod!
Last edited:
brianjwilson
Some sort of lost...
Gotcha. I've been looking at pelfreybilt and relentless too, though in aluminum due to an already heavy build plan. I jumped the gun on all pro sliders due to the cost and a free shipping sale, so I'm thinking most skids are going to require some modifications.
I use a hi lift handle isolator too and it's pretty quiet. I use to keep it inside the jeep, never heard a sound from it.
I use a hi lift handle isolator too and it's pretty quiet. I use to keep it inside the jeep, never heard a sound from it.
DVexile
Adventurer
Looking at Al from Relentless or Pelfreybilt myself, though likely won't be doing anything until early fall. I'll probably end up going Pelfreybilt simply because I should be able to avoid shipping costs by picking up the skids myself. I think I'll do an exhaust reroute for flatter skid and better clearance as well.
FYI, there was talk of Relentless doing a group buy over on TW later in the summer - he's too busy with other fab at the moment to do a group buy but said he thought he would by the end of the summer.
Adventurous
Explorer
It's funny, right now I have the handle isolator and a few wraps of electrical tape down near the foot of the jack and its STILL loud. I may have to pick up one of the covers and see if that helps things out a bit. Unfortunately I am very tuned in to sounds that the truck should not be making which is why having it rattling around up there is a fantastic nuisance.
Adventurous
Explorer
Anyone ever tried to rebuild a Rotopax handle? As I mentioned, mine bent this previous trip and so far I have radio silence from Rotopax on any potential resolution. It looks like they pin the bolt into the handle; I'm thinking of drilling the pin out, loctite'ing in a bolt, then cutting the head off. Thoughts or experiences?