Mauka2Makai - Our Quest Begins...An 80 Series Adventure
- Thread starter Mauka2Makai
- Start date
Driver-Navigator
Explorer
Nice quality installs. I'm starting to think I should have gone for the larger BlueSea fuse block since mine is nearly full now. At least an upgrade should be simple if needed.
thetanningman
Observer
Nice Work, was just eying those batts at Sears Friday night. Could ya update us all on how those Coopers are treatin' ya.
Thanks,
Pete
Thanks,
Pete
concretejungle
Adventurer
nice job! I am wishing i would have gotten the larger blue sea fuse block. Mine is already almost full and i still have a few more items to add!
Mauka2Makai
Explorer
Thanks for the compliments guys.
As with most outdoor families... Countless adventures and trails await, it's just a matter of aligning free time and money to get you there. This summer we'll be fortunate enough to be able to go cross country and will be seeking advice on planning our most stupendous adventure yet. Stay tuned for that. I'll be honest that there were a couple of times I've contemplated selling the LC, but it's grown to become an extension of our family...of who we are. As we move to Florida knowing full well that there will be no Death Valley or Mojave Road... an adventure will always be what we make of it.
Having one 12 volt outlet in the LC was always a challenge in trying to keep our phones, tablets, computer, cameras, gps, cb, etc. charged and operating... it was a shuffle and pita on our longer drives. Installing the fuse block will be the save in grace for keeping all things charged and keeping everyone happy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be getting a fridge soon for the cargo 12 volt outlet. Need something to plug in there right? Our last 5 day road trip to Monterey did not fair well with our cooler.
DroverRover, The rear ladder was sourced from E-Bay from JDM Imports. Do a search for 80 series rear ladders. The ladder is left side specific and comes unfinished and non painted. I replaced all hardware, rounded all sharp edges on the baseplate, and adhered a rubber spacer to prevent metal to metal contact of the ladder to vehicle. I'm very pleased with the ladder... it's light weight, very solid and strong, and most of all provides easy access to the roof rack. As much as I'd like a new rear bumper... with the recovery points I've added to the stock, the ladder, storing fuel on the Hannibal, and relocating my spare back to its original position... I just can't justify the added weight and cost of a new bumper at this time... needs are met.
Pete, I've accumulated around 12k miles or so on the ST Maxx and couldn't be more pleased. They have more that exceeded my expectations in all terrains... sand, snow, ice, rocks, dirt roads, and daily commuting to include evasive maneuvers on the 405 and hard braking. I have yet to experience them in thick or soupy mud, but can only speculate that they would perform well. The noise levels are a whole lot more friendly than the BFG or Toyos I previously owned... wife is happy about that. Tires are wearing evenly, they are tracking straight and firmly planted at freeway speeds, and no signs of chunking or sidewall cracking. When needed I'll air down to 18-22 psi and have always had positive results. Personally, I love there looks... aggressive yet refined. They are a bit on the heavy side so that is a downfall. I highly recommend these tires and will buy them again in the future.
Mauka2Makai
Explorer
Donaldson 10" Prefilter
Let's be honest... I'm sure that less than 5% of the my LC's mileage is gained while out on the trail and less than 5% of that time it's seeing some serious dust clouds. For all the times that I have driven in those windy, sandy, dusty, brown out trails though... the OEM Toyota air filter was working overtime in trying to provide clean air for the engine. Installing a Donaldson Pre Filter to the Safari Snorkel seemed only natural in an on going effort to help maximize engine reliability, performance, and engine lifespan. I opted for the 10" model to allow for maximum air intake. The use of the 10" model also required use of a 4" to 3" reducer to connect to the snorkel and also acts as a vibration dampener. The Donaldson pre filter works by creating a cyclonic effect on incoming air while capturing and preventing up to 75% of dust from reaching your vehicles air filter.
Here's a video on Donaldson Air Cleaner Accessories.
Installation was straight forward. I did fab up an aluminum brace connecting the pre filter to roof rack and replaced the nylon wing nut that secured the pre filter cover with a nyloc stainless steel nut for added support at high speeds/vibrations and theft prevention. Personally, I wouldn't suggest installing the pre filter to a snorkel that wasn't installed with the use of rivnuts at the pillar due to the increase in wind resistance and load placed on the snorkel. I feel that the supplied nylon attachments would be insufficient in keeping the snorkel body secure and may lead to an unwanted failure.
During installation of the support brace, I removed the cover and bowl for cleaning and was surprised to find at least a full thimbles amount of fine sand and dirt accumulated in the bowl after a couple thousand miles and months of on road use. I can only speculate on it's effectiveness while out on the trail... I'll bet the OEM Toyota air filter will be breathing a bit easier.
Let's be honest... I'm sure that less than 5% of the my LC's mileage is gained while out on the trail and less than 5% of that time it's seeing some serious dust clouds. For all the times that I have driven in those windy, sandy, dusty, brown out trails though... the OEM Toyota air filter was working overtime in trying to provide clean air for the engine. Installing a Donaldson Pre Filter to the Safari Snorkel seemed only natural in an on going effort to help maximize engine reliability, performance, and engine lifespan. I opted for the 10" model to allow for maximum air intake. The use of the 10" model also required use of a 4" to 3" reducer to connect to the snorkel and also acts as a vibration dampener. The Donaldson pre filter works by creating a cyclonic effect on incoming air while capturing and preventing up to 75% of dust from reaching your vehicles air filter.
Here's a video on Donaldson Air Cleaner Accessories.
Installation was straight forward. I did fab up an aluminum brace connecting the pre filter to roof rack and replaced the nylon wing nut that secured the pre filter cover with a nyloc stainless steel nut for added support at high speeds/vibrations and theft prevention. Personally, I wouldn't suggest installing the pre filter to a snorkel that wasn't installed with the use of rivnuts at the pillar due to the increase in wind resistance and load placed on the snorkel. I feel that the supplied nylon attachments would be insufficient in keeping the snorkel body secure and may lead to an unwanted failure.
During installation of the support brace, I removed the cover and bowl for cleaning and was surprised to find at least a full thimbles amount of fine sand and dirt accumulated in the bowl after a couple thousand miles and months of on road use. I can only speculate on it's effectiveness while out on the trail... I'll bet the OEM Toyota air filter will be breathing a bit easier.
NM-Frontier
Explorer
Your Cruiser continues to impress! I love the style you got going on, a very refined build. I think your thought process with the ladder is spot on, I do love my swing out for the convenience and added protection but boy is it sure heavy. Good luck on the move.:sombrero:
Mauka2Makai
Explorer
Thanks Bud. Were looking at around 3 weeks on the road... we'll take all the luck and sanity thats offered. :elkgrin:
Mauka2Makai
Explorer
Uniden PRO 520 XL + Blue Sea 12 volt and USB outlet
Now that I have the Blue Sea fuse block installed, I'm able to concentrate on the installation of the accessories that I had waiting. I purchased the Uniden Pro 520 XL from Right Channel Radios at least two years ago. This radio is compact in size, reliable, and for the most part has everything you need minus weather band. It was a combination of waiting to get the fuse block installed and figuring out the best location to install for me. I considered installing in the ashtray, on the dash, passenger side center counsel, and lower center cubby driver side at cup holder. Some times it just takes sitting down and visualizing each spot on whether it will work for you in that particular location. All spots would have worked well, but I decided on mounting the Uniden at the lower center cubby driver side just forward of the cup holder. At this location I am comfortably able to adjust all controls and have the speaker faced towards me so not requiring an external speaker or overly blasting my wife in her direction.
Perfect location with ease of use. The dimensions of the Uniden allowed it to be installed without contacting the parking brake and best of all I didn't have to remove the drink holder. The Unidens mounting bracket was attached to the center counsel with two blind rivets. The bracket is solid and secure.
I did have trouble tuning my 5' Firestik antenna due to improper placement of the stainless washer. I mistakenly placed it on the bottom side of the bumpers tab rather than on top of the teflon washer. FYI pay attention to antenna hardware stackup as it will affect your ground plane and prevent you from tuning your antenna.
After performing a ton of resistance checks and using Firestiks and Right Channel Radios trouble shooting guides, I was just not able to get my SWR reading below 3 until I notice a picture on Everything a CB'er should know The pic showing PL-259 to K-4A stud assembly is what saved me. I now have 1.1:1 reading on channels 1,19,and 40.
Citizens Band will be my primary form of communications while on the trail and road as I feel its important to always use the least amount of watts for your communication needs.
FYI I will be looking into a Yaesu FT-8900R for long range and emergency communications.
With multiple phones, tablets, a cell phone signal booster, and other various 12 volt items that need charging throughout a day, one 12 volt outlet up front just wasn't keeping up with our electrical needs. Installing the Blue Sea 12 volt and USB outlets on the center counsel has been one of our smartest installs yet. One 12 volt outlet plug is like having one bathroom with four people waiting. Up front we know have the option of charging 6 USB devices at the same time or 2 12v and 2 USB charging together. Can you say Hallelujah.
Two additional USB plugs.
12v plug or 2 USB outlet.
Now that I have the Blue Sea fuse block installed, I'm able to concentrate on the installation of the accessories that I had waiting. I purchased the Uniden Pro 520 XL from Right Channel Radios at least two years ago. This radio is compact in size, reliable, and for the most part has everything you need minus weather band. It was a combination of waiting to get the fuse block installed and figuring out the best location to install for me. I considered installing in the ashtray, on the dash, passenger side center counsel, and lower center cubby driver side at cup holder. Some times it just takes sitting down and visualizing each spot on whether it will work for you in that particular location. All spots would have worked well, but I decided on mounting the Uniden at the lower center cubby driver side just forward of the cup holder. At this location I am comfortably able to adjust all controls and have the speaker faced towards me so not requiring an external speaker or overly blasting my wife in her direction.
Perfect location with ease of use. The dimensions of the Uniden allowed it to be installed without contacting the parking brake and best of all I didn't have to remove the drink holder. The Unidens mounting bracket was attached to the center counsel with two blind rivets. The bracket is solid and secure.
I did have trouble tuning my 5' Firestik antenna due to improper placement of the stainless washer. I mistakenly placed it on the bottom side of the bumpers tab rather than on top of the teflon washer. FYI pay attention to antenna hardware stackup as it will affect your ground plane and prevent you from tuning your antenna.
After performing a ton of resistance checks and using Firestiks and Right Channel Radios trouble shooting guides, I was just not able to get my SWR reading below 3 until I notice a picture on Everything a CB'er should know The pic showing PL-259 to K-4A stud assembly is what saved me. I now have 1.1:1 reading on channels 1,19,and 40.
Citizens Band will be my primary form of communications while on the trail and road as I feel its important to always use the least amount of watts for your communication needs.
FYI I will be looking into a Yaesu FT-8900R for long range and emergency communications.
With multiple phones, tablets, a cell phone signal booster, and other various 12 volt items that need charging throughout a day, one 12 volt outlet up front just wasn't keeping up with our electrical needs. Installing the Blue Sea 12 volt and USB outlets on the center counsel has been one of our smartest installs yet. One 12 volt outlet plug is like having one bathroom with four people waiting. Up front we know have the option of charging 6 USB devices at the same time or 2 12v and 2 USB charging together. Can you say Hallelujah.
Two additional USB plugs.
12v plug or 2 USB outlet.
Last edited:
Driver-Navigator
Explorer
Nice updates. Adding two BlueSea dual USB power ports was one of my better mods too, so now the family doesn't have to negotiate who gets to charge their phone/iPad first. Especially on long highway trips when the mobile devices see heavy use.
The CB looks to be in a good spot. It looks like you could make use of those microphone holders that replace the little console coin holders, like I use for my CB and ham radio mics.
For the new per filter, I really like the roof rack brace. Instead of a nyloc bolt, have you considered using a wing nut with a steel lock washer? Then you could undo it to clean out the prefilter without the need for a wrench.
Good stuff as always. Well thought-out, practical mods and quality work. I think most people never check or adjust SWR, for example, which is often a big mistake... Go you!
The CB looks to be in a good spot. It looks like you could make use of those microphone holders that replace the little console coin holders, like I use for my CB and ham radio mics.
For the new per filter, I really like the roof rack brace. Instead of a nyloc bolt, have you considered using a wing nut with a steel lock washer? Then you could undo it to clean out the prefilter without the need for a wrench.
Good stuff as always. Well thought-out, practical mods and quality work. I think most people never check or adjust SWR, for example, which is often a big mistake... Go you!