BogusBlake
2006 Expedition Trophy Champion
Desertdude said:
You mean like Numchuck skillz? Spearfishing skillz? Computer hacking skillz?
:hehe:
Multi-purpose Taco build
- Thread starter BogusBlake
- Start date
You mean like Numchuck skillz? Spearfishing skillz? Computer hacking skillz?
:hehe:
BogusBlake
2006 Expedition Trophy Champion
After a little debate, I decided that even the possibility of a little increased gas milage was worth it so I did the deck plate mod to my airbox.
I picked up a 4" deck plate, a tube of sensor safe slicone, and some fasteners and went to work. I know the hole you cut in the airbox doesn't have to be clean and round, but I'm kind of a perfectionist so I used a trammel cutter. A quick swipe with a deburring tool and I was left with a perfectly circular 4.375 diameter hole.
I mocked up the deckplate in the hole and rotated it a couple degrees so none of the 6 screw holes would have to punch through one of the internal ribs of the airbox. I centerpunched the screw holes then drilled a hole for a #8 screw.
I siliconed the face of the deckplate and installed it. I'm a sucker for clean bolted joints, so I used stainless steel button head cap screws and nyloc nuts.
I installed the airbox back in the truck and let it sit for a little bit so the silicone would cure. Then I went for a test drive. While it's not the rocket-boost acceleration increase I was subconsiously hoping for, I think I can feel a little bit more power. Ill have to wait until I fill the tank to know about the gas milage. I didn't notice any increased noise inside or outside the truck.
Total install time was less than one hour from when I pulled the truck in the garage.
I picked up a 4" deck plate, a tube of sensor safe slicone, and some fasteners and went to work. I know the hole you cut in the airbox doesn't have to be clean and round, but I'm kind of a perfectionist so I used a trammel cutter. A quick swipe with a deburring tool and I was left with a perfectly circular 4.375 diameter hole.
I mocked up the deckplate in the hole and rotated it a couple degrees so none of the 6 screw holes would have to punch through one of the internal ribs of the airbox. I centerpunched the screw holes then drilled a hole for a #8 screw.
I siliconed the face of the deckplate and installed it. I'm a sucker for clean bolted joints, so I used stainless steel button head cap screws and nyloc nuts.
I installed the airbox back in the truck and let it sit for a little bit so the silicone would cure. Then I went for a test drive. While it's not the rocket-boost acceleration increase I was subconsiously hoping for, I think I can feel a little bit more power. Ill have to wait until I fill the tank to know about the gas milage. I didn't notice any increased noise inside or outside the truck.
Total install time was less than one hour from when I pulled the truck in the garage.
Ridgewalker
Adventurer
BogusBlake I'd like to hear your interpretation of whether or not the "deckplate mod" improves anything under a load such as your buggy (i.e. mileage or power). There seems to be a lot of differences of opinion on it.
Thanks for this excellent build thread!:bowdown:
Thanks for this excellent build thread!:bowdown:
Last edited:
Ridgewalker
Adventurer
pskhaat said:
Pskhaat, yes it is a hole cut in the front of the air filter box in which you add a marine deckplate. This deckplate has a removable center which when removed allows more opening for air to inter the filter. The theory is if you get more air into the filter it will increase the power.
Hope this makes sense?
BogusBlake
2006 Expedition Trophy Champion
pskhaat said:
It allows more airflow into the airbox. The only inlet in the stock configuration is about a 2.5 inch hole in the side of the box. Adding the deck plate lets you open up the box for better flow but still have it sealed as well as stock for those times when you need that.
Ill be towing the buggy on a known route in a few weeks so Ill be able to report back on loaded power and milage then.
j_nigrelli
Adventurer
ok, i'll bite....
once it's taken out for better/ increased flow, why would said flow ever want to be DEcreased...?
once it's taken out for better/ increased flow, why would said flow ever want to be DEcreased...?
BogusBlake
2006 Expedition Trophy Champion
j_nigrelli said:
Deep water crossings, extreme dust conditions, etc.
It's not that you would WANT to decrease the flow, but that's what happens when you seal up the airbox back to factory configuration.
Ridgewalker
Adventurer
BogusBlake said:
Great. I'll be watching for your results.
Thanks in advance.
BogusBlake
2006 Expedition Trophy Champion
So as everyone has probably read in other threads, the deckplate is not all it's hyped to be. I ran through two tanks of gas back to back on identical routes and conditions and experienced approximately 10% LESS MPG with the plate out. While mid to high RPM power definitely seems to be more with the plate out, that's not where I spend most of my drive.
I had high hopes.
Oh well, no harm done and it's not like I wasted any time.
I still think Ill try towing with the plate out. I like to experience things for myself!
I had high hopes.
Oh well, no harm done and it's not like I wasted any time.I still think Ill try towing with the plate out. I like to experience things for myself!
BogusBlake
2006 Expedition Trophy Champion
An update on the Tundra brakes:
THEY'RE AWESOME!!!
I haven't picked up the TRD pads, and I may not until the factory pads start to wear out. The rotors and pads broke in really well and the braking got even stronger after a few months. I've towed the buggy a bunch, down a couple long hills too, and the brakes make a very noticeable improvement.
Here's a story: my crawling crew and I were heading back up from Sierra Vista. I was flat towing my buggy and the guy behind me has a big Dodge pulling a similar sized buggy on a trailer. We were pretty much matching speed when the stoplight in front of me turned yellow, I stepped on the brakes and stopped pretty darn quick. I looked in the mirror and my buddy's swerving into the shoulder. He pipes up on the radio "Damn, you weren't kidding about those brakes!"
I pretty much only feel fade at the end of a long downhill while towing. Even then, if I coast for a couple seconds without the brakes, they recover to full power.
I don't think there's anything I would do differently, but I am curious to see someone else try it with slotted rotors.
Was the mod worth the money? I'd say it's so far the highest performance gain for the money I've ever done besides the Aussie Lockers in the buggy.
THEY'RE AWESOME!!!
I haven't picked up the TRD pads, and I may not until the factory pads start to wear out. The rotors and pads broke in really well and the braking got even stronger after a few months. I've towed the buggy a bunch, down a couple long hills too, and the brakes make a very noticeable improvement.
Here's a story: my crawling crew and I were heading back up from Sierra Vista. I was flat towing my buggy and the guy behind me has a big Dodge pulling a similar sized buggy on a trailer. We were pretty much matching speed when the stoplight in front of me turned yellow, I stepped on the brakes and stopped pretty darn quick. I looked in the mirror and my buddy's swerving into the shoulder. He pipes up on the radio "Damn, you weren't kidding about those brakes!"
I pretty much only feel fade at the end of a long downhill while towing. Even then, if I coast for a couple seconds without the brakes, they recover to full power.
I don't think there's anything I would do differently, but I am curious to see someone else try it with slotted rotors.
Was the mod worth the money? I'd say it's so far the highest performance gain for the money I've ever done besides the Aussie Lockers in the buggy.
BogusBlake
2006 Expedition Trophy Champion
Since the thread got bumped, I figured I'd post up my latest install. This last weekend, I confirmed that it's still too hot for any sane person to work in the garage all day.
The wife and I are taking our Tech license exams on Thursday, so to prepare, I installed our Yaesu FT-7800R dual band radio and Larsen 2/70 antenna.
Rule one for any gadgets I put in my truck is INCONSPICUOUS. I can't stand the big piles of radios, cords, and crap some people have cluttering the cab. No offense if you're one of those people, I just impose this on myself. That said, I spend a couple weeks (during my commute) thinking about all the places I could put this radio that would offer ease of operation yet be out of the way and unobtrusive. I finally decided a remote mount with the faceplate frenched into headliner with an external speaker mounted through the headliner overhead.
I picked the FT-7800 because of its 2M/70cm transmit capability, it's remote mountable faceplate, and (maybe most of all) its orange lighted buttons that match the Taco's dash lighting.
On to the install! I dropped the headliner down (not a short task). I measured to the center a few inches in front of the dome light and marked the spot for the speaker. I took the case of Cleartone speaker apart and marked the screw holes. I cut a small circle in the center to clear the magnet. I screwed through the headliner into the front of the speaker box. I used hot glue to tack the speaker wire down for strain relief and to keep it from bouncing.
The front of the headliner has a bubble right behind the rear view mirror that has enough depth to accommodate the faceplate. I (very carefully) cut an "H" shape and folded back the tabs to form a pocket. I screwed the faceplate mounting bracket into the headliner on the top and back. I hot glued the corners to keep the cuts from propagating. Hopefully that's effective.
I tacked the faceplate cable too, then reinstalled the headliner. I routed the speaker and faceplate cables down inside the drivers C-pillar cover. The last two pictures attached show the speaker and faceplate as installed.
The wife and I are taking our Tech license exams on Thursday, so to prepare, I installed our Yaesu FT-7800R dual band radio and Larsen 2/70 antenna.
Rule one for any gadgets I put in my truck is INCONSPICUOUS. I can't stand the big piles of radios, cords, and crap some people have cluttering the cab. No offense if you're one of those people, I just impose this on myself. That said, I spend a couple weeks (during my commute) thinking about all the places I could put this radio that would offer ease of operation yet be out of the way and unobtrusive. I finally decided a remote mount with the faceplate frenched into headliner with an external speaker mounted through the headliner overhead.
I picked the FT-7800 because of its 2M/70cm transmit capability, it's remote mountable faceplate, and (maybe most of all) its orange lighted buttons that match the Taco's dash lighting.
On to the install! I dropped the headliner down (not a short task). I measured to the center a few inches in front of the dome light and marked the spot for the speaker. I took the case of Cleartone speaker apart and marked the screw holes. I cut a small circle in the center to clear the magnet. I screwed through the headliner into the front of the speaker box. I used hot glue to tack the speaker wire down for strain relief and to keep it from bouncing.
The front of the headliner has a bubble right behind the rear view mirror that has enough depth to accommodate the faceplate. I (very carefully) cut an "H" shape and folded back the tabs to form a pocket. I screwed the faceplate mounting bracket into the headliner on the top and back. I hot glued the corners to keep the cuts from propagating. Hopefully that's effective.
I tacked the faceplate cable too, then reinstalled the headliner. I routed the speaker and faceplate cables down inside the drivers C-pillar cover. The last two pictures attached show the speaker and faceplate as installed.
BogusBlake
2006 Expedition Trophy Champion
The faceplate install looks nice and clean. It tucked up in the headliner pretty well. I mounted the mic hanger up there too, but I'm a little worried about the long-term durability of that attachment.
I mounted the antenna on the drivers side, in nearly the same place as the factory radio antenna. I picked the Larsen 2/70 because of it's dual band capability, NMO mount, and because it's black, not chrome.
I mounted it with a angle bracket mount as far back on the fender as I could get the drill to punch the mounting holes. I carefully matched the orientation of the factory antenna across the hood. I routed the coax through a grommet in the firewall and under the carpet to the rear of the cab where I would mount the transceiver.
I mounted the transceiver to the rear of the cab, behind the rear seats. I used zip-ties to the radio bracket to strain relieve the cables.
I ran 12ga power wires directly to the battery with ring terminals. I have a Blue Sea fuse block that I'll eventually install, but not until I have more than one aux circuit.
I haven't Tx'd yet, but commuting the last couple days I've been doing some scanning and listening. I don't have any alternator noise coming through the radio and everything sounds nice and clean. I can't wait to get my callsign and call CQ!
I mounted the antenna on the drivers side, in nearly the same place as the factory radio antenna. I picked the Larsen 2/70 because of it's dual band capability, NMO mount, and because it's black, not chrome.
I mounted it with a angle bracket mount as far back on the fender as I could get the drill to punch the mounting holes. I carefully matched the orientation of the factory antenna across the hood. I routed the coax through a grommet in the firewall and under the carpet to the rear of the cab where I would mount the transceiver.
I mounted the transceiver to the rear of the cab, behind the rear seats. I used zip-ties to the radio bracket to strain relieve the cables.
I ran 12ga power wires directly to the battery with ring terminals. I have a Blue Sea fuse block that I'll eventually install, but not until I have more than one aux circuit.
I haven't Tx'd yet, but commuting the last couple days I've been doing some scanning and listening. I don't have any alternator noise coming through the radio and everything sounds nice and clean. I can't wait to get my callsign and call CQ!