D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
that is one sharp looking bumper
Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build...'BIG NAMBE'
- Thread starter bigwapitijohnny
- Start date
bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
Wife just got me the ARB twin air compressor. Going to install OBA and put two 5 gallon aluminum tanks underneath...
Looks great! Clean and tight!
THANKS FOR ALL THE COMPLEMENTS!
Regards,
BWJ
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bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
LED light bar...
I have found this light bar to meet my night time driving needs well. There is so much light available that the inefficiencies from the location really don't matter to me. I do see a shadow of my cab with just these lights on, however, the shadow is gone with the Dually D2s and the 30" LED. Here are some old pics of my original setup with the Fyrlyts...I am standing on my tailgate same location.
The last pic is from the driver's seat ~ note that the hood glare is very faint at best.
As you can see, the roof is lit up like a Christmas tree, but eye strain is minimal and I don't have any glare issues from the hood. I has since tilted my light bar up to further utilize the useable light from the LED reflectors. I find this location to be exceptional for my needs.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
BWJ
I have found this light bar to meet my night time driving needs well. There is so much light available that the inefficiencies from the location really don't matter to me. I do see a shadow of my cab with just these lights on, however, the shadow is gone with the Dually D2s and the 30" LED. Here are some old pics of my original setup with the Fyrlyts...I am standing on my tailgate same location.
The last pic is from the driver's seat ~ note that the hood glare is very faint at best.
As you can see, the roof is lit up like a Christmas tree, but eye strain is minimal and I don't have any glare issues from the hood. I has since tilted my light bar up to further utilize the useable light from the LED reflectors. I find this location to be exceptional for my needs.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
BWJ
Redline
Likes to Drive and Ride
Agreed, a good idea if it works.
Clutch
<---Pass
bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
Zidaro,
Thanks for the words. The tire carrier is easily removable. Just unscrew the lift cap and tease out the top bearing ring, and the whole thing will lift out.
I'm glad I got it. It has met and exceeded my expectations completely. I'll post up pics of the latching system after I get the powdercoating done. The guy that designed this really knew what he was doing. He built it from scratch. Every fabricator that has seen this has remarked at the simplicity/complexity at the same time. Pretty cool...
Regards,
BWJ
bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
MPG numbers...
All,
I just returned from a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I drove 1500+ miles, and the Tundra did GREAT. I was curious to see what my rig was going to do mpgwise with the rear bumper on + spare. *Caveat ~ I've got 33" with 3" of lift + shell + cabinets + ethanol blended gasoline (I could not locate stations that served ethanol-free fuel).
Heading out I averaged 14.6 mpgs...:Wow1: My 4runner averaged about 14.2 on the highway ~ I am beyond thrilled with this performance. I returned home towing a 5'x8' enclosed Uhaul trailer that weighed 3750 lbs + cargo, and I averaged 12.7 mpgs. Knowing that my Sherpa II is 1,800 lbs fully loaded, I suspect that my performance will be better than 12.7. Needless to say, I am very pleased with the performance. Comfort, power, room all in one package...
Next week, Rear bumper goes to the powder coater. OBA gets installed. Foxwing awning gets installed on the Sherpa II. Then camp, camp, camp...:camping:
Regards,
BWJ
All,
I just returned from a trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I drove 1500+ miles, and the Tundra did GREAT. I was curious to see what my rig was going to do mpgwise with the rear bumper on + spare. *Caveat ~ I've got 33" with 3" of lift + shell + cabinets + ethanol blended gasoline (I could not locate stations that served ethanol-free fuel).
Heading out I averaged 14.6 mpgs...:Wow1: My 4runner averaged about 14.2 on the highway ~ I am beyond thrilled with this performance. I returned home towing a 5'x8' enclosed Uhaul trailer that weighed 3750 lbs + cargo, and I averaged 12.7 mpgs. Knowing that my Sherpa II is 1,800 lbs fully loaded, I suspect that my performance will be better than 12.7. Needless to say, I am very pleased with the performance. Comfort, power, room all in one package...
Next week, Rear bumper goes to the powder coater. OBA gets installed. Foxwing awning gets installed on the Sherpa II. Then camp, camp, camp...:camping:
Regards,
BWJ
Redline
Likes to Drive and Ride
Driving moderately, the fuel economy one can squeeze out of such a large, heavy, and modified truck can be impressive. I think the aerodynamics of the body helps, but more importantly the very tall overdrive gearing in 6th lets the engine slide along at speed.
For my use the gearing is too tall, however I'm confident that lowering to 4.88:1 will have little if any negative impact on mpg (and very possibly a positive) because 6th gear will still provide plenty of overdrive for freeway speeds. After gearing, the big question remaining will be a front bumper and the resulting impact on aerodynamics, and more weight.
Nice build BWJ
James
bigwapitijohnny
Adventurer
EXO bumper...
All,
Just got my rig back from Atomic Fabworks on Friday. I had the EXO bumper installed following completion of powder coating at RML powdercoating. During the trial period, my bumper rusted from the freak snow storm + KS salt. I had to hit it with naval jelly and WD-40 Specialist rust inhibitor to prevent the surface rust. I was surprised how fast surface rust builds. It took two days for it the turn a lovely matte burnt orange. In retrospect, I should have sprayed the inhibitor sooner, but live and learn. My next bumper on my next rig will be done differently :ylsmoke:...
RML premier powder coating has this new dustless hydro-blasting process available. It is an alternative to traditional sand blasting. My understanding of this process is that it enables the blaster more control of the media and pitting of the blasted surface is decreased dramatically. It consists of water, tiny glass particles and a rust inhibitor. The glass disintegrates when it hits the surface. The end result is a surface smoother and more accepting fo the powder coat. According to RML, it is far more efficient, and is approved by all major paint manufacturers. My bumper looks like a fine mirrored surface. I recommend this process highly. If you are not local, I recommend you ask your powder coater about it. It is the newest process available, and RML is one of the first in the country to implement it.
I had atomic tweak the EXO bumper before they installed it. Specifically, I had them weld a stop, a catch system (that would allow the tire carrier to be 'locked' in several positions), and a mount for my Dually D2 light stand. I wish I had done this for my Sherpa II trailer, however, I did not have any experience with tire carriers before my trailer build. Anyway, I wanted three positions available: 1) locked so that I could leave the tailgate up to gain access to the back with just the window open 2) 90[SUP].[/SUP] for the tailgate to fold down 3) open all the way without having the spare ding my tail light. The locking pin is a slick setup. It consists of a spring loaded pin welded to an L handle. This pin will pop down into one of the three holes in the locking plate.
I wanted to wait on putting a pic of the latching mechanism of the EXO bumper. As I said before, this is an engineering marvel, and props goes out to EXO for fabbing this up for me. This was a one-off system that the head fabricator (Robert) had thought up and developed. I'm glad that I waited. Knowing what I know now, if you are thinking of buying this bumper with tire carrier, DO IT. To my untrained eye, it looks complicated. Yet to every fabricator/mechanic that has seen this latch remarked at the ingenuity required to do this. I believe the bar has been raised for rear custom bumpers with a spare tire carrier. I will put this latch up against any other fabricator out there doing this ~ period.
OBA: My wife bought me the ARB twin compressor (CKMTA12) for my birthday :wings: I am a blessed man. Jacque at TRDparts4U hooked me up with this setup. I coupled this with two 5 gallon anodized aluminum tanks. These were mounted in the spare compartment under the bed. I decided to go with the stainless steel braided hose for the entire system. After using this yesterday, I am surprised at how hot the hoses get. Anyway, Atomic fabbed up a custom bracket for the mounting and plumbed the whole system. They did a great job as usual.
Snorkel: I am a big fan of snorkels. I had one on my 3 gen 4runner and I found a screaming deal on one for the Tundra. I acquired it from Brian Jowett of Jowett engineering. THANKS BRIAN! This snorkel is made for the 200 series Land Cruiser, but, it can be made to fit the Tundra as well. Since not all Tundras are the same, we had to make a trip to the hardware store for some additional fittings. Finally, we got it to work. I can now participate in the Central Overland trips in Spring ~ High water mark + Yacht club...Many, many props out to Atomic for helping me out with these projects...Class guys that treated my rig like one of their own. Highly recommend them. Here are some eye candy pics of the snorkel and bumper. Enjoy!
Next mod in play ~ OME CS055R leaf springs + Air Lift Loadlifter 5000 kit...
Regards,
BWJ
All,
Just got my rig back from Atomic Fabworks on Friday. I had the EXO bumper installed following completion of powder coating at RML powdercoating. During the trial period, my bumper rusted from the freak snow storm + KS salt. I had to hit it with naval jelly and WD-40 Specialist rust inhibitor to prevent the surface rust. I was surprised how fast surface rust builds. It took two days for it the turn a lovely matte burnt orange. In retrospect, I should have sprayed the inhibitor sooner, but live and learn. My next bumper on my next rig will be done differently :ylsmoke:...
RML premier powder coating has this new dustless hydro-blasting process available. It is an alternative to traditional sand blasting. My understanding of this process is that it enables the blaster more control of the media and pitting of the blasted surface is decreased dramatically. It consists of water, tiny glass particles and a rust inhibitor. The glass disintegrates when it hits the surface. The end result is a surface smoother and more accepting fo the powder coat. According to RML, it is far more efficient, and is approved by all major paint manufacturers. My bumper looks like a fine mirrored surface. I recommend this process highly. If you are not local, I recommend you ask your powder coater about it. It is the newest process available, and RML is one of the first in the country to implement it.
I had atomic tweak the EXO bumper before they installed it. Specifically, I had them weld a stop, a catch system (that would allow the tire carrier to be 'locked' in several positions), and a mount for my Dually D2 light stand. I wish I had done this for my Sherpa II trailer, however, I did not have any experience with tire carriers before my trailer build. Anyway, I wanted three positions available: 1) locked so that I could leave the tailgate up to gain access to the back with just the window open 2) 90[SUP].[/SUP] for the tailgate to fold down 3) open all the way without having the spare ding my tail light. The locking pin is a slick setup. It consists of a spring loaded pin welded to an L handle. This pin will pop down into one of the three holes in the locking plate.
I wanted to wait on putting a pic of the latching mechanism of the EXO bumper. As I said before, this is an engineering marvel, and props goes out to EXO for fabbing this up for me. This was a one-off system that the head fabricator (Robert) had thought up and developed. I'm glad that I waited. Knowing what I know now, if you are thinking of buying this bumper with tire carrier, DO IT. To my untrained eye, it looks complicated. Yet to every fabricator/mechanic that has seen this latch remarked at the ingenuity required to do this. I believe the bar has been raised for rear custom bumpers with a spare tire carrier. I will put this latch up against any other fabricator out there doing this ~ period.
OBA: My wife bought me the ARB twin compressor (CKMTA12) for my birthday :wings: I am a blessed man. Jacque at TRDparts4U hooked me up with this setup. I coupled this with two 5 gallon anodized aluminum tanks. These were mounted in the spare compartment under the bed. I decided to go with the stainless steel braided hose for the entire system. After using this yesterday, I am surprised at how hot the hoses get. Anyway, Atomic fabbed up a custom bracket for the mounting and plumbed the whole system. They did a great job as usual.
Snorkel: I am a big fan of snorkels. I had one on my 3 gen 4runner and I found a screaming deal on one for the Tundra. I acquired it from Brian Jowett of Jowett engineering. THANKS BRIAN! This snorkel is made for the 200 series Land Cruiser, but, it can be made to fit the Tundra as well. Since not all Tundras are the same, we had to make a trip to the hardware store for some additional fittings. Finally, we got it to work. I can now participate in the Central Overland trips in Spring ~ High water mark + Yacht club...Many, many props out to Atomic for helping me out with these projects...Class guys that treated my rig like one of their own. Highly recommend them. Here are some eye candy pics of the snorkel and bumper. Enjoy!
Next mod in play ~ OME CS055R leaf springs + Air Lift Loadlifter 5000 kit...
Regards,
BWJ
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JCMatthews
Tour Guide
I am not a fan of the 2nd gen. Tundras, however sir your looks awesome!
Guri
Explorer
Sir, your truck looks really good! Congrats and thanks for sharing it.
I have a question; did you consider relocating the towing electrical connector? In my Tundra that connector already suffer some off-road damage, but my truck is bone standard, with your lift and tires you may be never find any trouble.
Regards.
I have a question; did you consider relocating the towing electrical connector? In my Tundra that connector already suffer some off-road damage, but my truck is bone standard, with your lift and tires you may be never find any trouble.
Regards.
ReadyForAdventure
Observer
Looks fantastic! Super jealous of your rig, haha.
-RFA
-RFA