RSB
Adventurer
Last edited:
RSB's Radiant Red Tacoma build
- Thread starter RSB
- Start date
RSB
Adventurer
Interesting...
Last edited:
RSB
Adventurer
I have to agree.
Last edited:
RSB
Adventurer
Looks great! I don't see the difference in the shine I was expecting to see, though. Do you have more photos of what the premium looks like?
Last edited:
It's difficult for a camera to capture a "shine". What happens in a picture is that the sun reflection ends up being the color white in a photo.
Here's Premium:
Here's Premium again, look at that reflection off of the toolbox.
LINE-X Xtra on the left, Premium on the right.
Here's Premium:
Here's Premium again, look at that reflection off of the toolbox.
LINE-X Xtra on the left, Premium on the right.
tacoma_AL
Adventurer
What you still care about getting scratches :Wow1::sombrero: lol the first scratch was always the hardest to handle. Gotta agree about the OD or a dark earth color, would look nice
How much total weight do you think that added to the truck?
RSB awesome truck to, you've got a cool build going and gave me a few ideas I was stuck on!
About 60 pounds.
Since we're in the Toyota section, I thought you might like to see this:
Last edited:
RSB
Adventurer
I understand. Dang, wish I had the premium option at the time! Looks really good.
Thanks for sharing.
Last edited:
RSB
Adventurer
Thank-you!
Last edited:
RSB
Adventurer
Shortly after installing the greasable shackles for my rear leaf springs, I noticed my UCAs began squeaking. To correct this problem, I purchased a basic grease gun with Lubrathane, a teflon & silicon-based lubricant.
I could never get the gun to prime. So, I picked-up another at my local hardware store and had the same problem.
I've had enough. :littlefriend: I did it right this time and purchased a pneumatic grease gun instead...
I haven't had any problems since.
There's no doubt now whether or not I have enough grease pumped into my fittings!
I could never get the gun to prime.
So, I picked-up another at my local hardware store and had the same problem. I've had enough. :littlefriend: I did it right this time and purchased a pneumatic grease gun instead...
I haven't had any problems since.
There's no doubt now whether or not I have enough grease pumped into my fittings!
Last edited:
RSB
Adventurer
The custom crossmember is finally complete! :wings:
Here's how it turned-out...
The brackets were made with a plasma cutter designed 2.5in shorter than the original brackets. This moved the tank and battery closer to the bottom of the bed of the truck for more clearance.
A skidplate was added and secured with SS carriage bolts to help minimize impact on the trail.
A sealed battery box was added using the internal brace. The exterior version was eliminated.
The only problem I ran into was with the box making contact w/the stock rear crossmember. I forgot that by making the brackets shorter, the tray would shift back too. Thankfully though, removing one of the tabs that originally held the brackets to the stock location of the spare tire, was enough to make it fit. You can see the point of contact in this photo:
The tank has a 150 PSI blow-off valve, solenoid, drain valve, chuck valve, and return air line that goes to the front bumper.
I ran the power lines through the rear of the box. Since I couldn't find a good way to secure the circuit breakers inside or outside the box, I opted to allow them to hang freely on the lines.
Evaluating the design, I wanted to be sure the crossmember could be removed and reinstalled if needed. Retaining this ability with a smooth skidplate proved to be a challenge. :ar15:
Originally, I planned to have the brackets sandwiched between the tray and skidplate. Problem with this design, however, was that it wouldn't allow the crossmember to be dropped from the tray. Instead, the brackets would need to be removed from the frame of the truck.
Although feasible, it would make it difficult to line-up the crossmember during the reinstall. Therefore, I opted to install the tray and skid below the bracket. If the battery and tank need to be accessed, I figured it'd be easier to drop/reinstall the tray rather than the entire crossmember.
Either way, a bottle jack (or two) would be needed to lift the crossmember into position. I couldn't come-up with a design that allowed a way for the crossmember to provide these two things at the same time:
1) Attach to the brackets before placing the battery and air tank on top
2) A smooth skidplate installed underneath
Therefore, removal/installation isn't ideal on the field. However, in the event of battery failure, I figure I could temporarily run a jumper wire on the solenoid to connect the starter connection to the auxillary battery until I could drop the crossmember in a more suitable location.
Here's how it turned-out...
The brackets were made with a plasma cutter designed 2.5in shorter than the original brackets. This moved the tank and battery closer to the bottom of the bed of the truck for more clearance.
A skidplate was added and secured with SS carriage bolts to help minimize impact on the trail.
A sealed battery box was added using the internal brace. The exterior version was eliminated.
The only problem I ran into was with the box making contact w/the stock rear crossmember. I forgot that by making the brackets shorter, the tray would shift back too.
Thankfully though, removing one of the tabs that originally held the brackets to the stock location of the spare tire, was enough to make it fit. You can see the point of contact in this photo:
The tank has a 150 PSI blow-off valve, solenoid, drain valve, chuck valve, and return air line that goes to the front bumper.
I ran the power lines through the rear of the box. Since I couldn't find a good way to secure the circuit breakers inside or outside the box, I opted to allow them to hang freely on the lines.
Evaluating the design, I wanted to be sure the crossmember could be removed and reinstalled if needed. Retaining this ability with a smooth skidplate proved to be a challenge. :ar15:
Originally, I planned to have the brackets sandwiched between the tray and skidplate. Problem with this design, however, was that it wouldn't allow the crossmember to be dropped from the tray. Instead, the brackets would need to be removed from the frame of the truck.
Although feasible, it would make it difficult to line-up the crossmember during the reinstall. Therefore, I opted to install the tray and skid below the bracket. If the battery and tank need to be accessed, I figured it'd be easier to drop/reinstall the tray rather than the entire crossmember.
Either way, a bottle jack (or two) would be needed to lift the crossmember into position. I couldn't come-up with a design that allowed a way for the crossmember to provide these two things at the same time:
1) Attach to the brackets before placing the battery and air tank on top
2) A smooth skidplate installed underneath
Therefore, removal/installation isn't ideal on the field. However, in the event of battery failure, I figure I could temporarily run a jumper wire on the solenoid to connect the starter connection to the auxillary battery until I could drop the crossmember in a more suitable location.
Last edited:
RSB
Adventurer
After 11 months of testing and with the rear crossmember now complete, I can finally divulge more details about the Xantrex LinkPRO battery monitor I have on-board. :sombrero:
After installing my dual battery system, I quickly realized a voltmeter wasn't giving me the answers to the questions I really wanted to know, like, "How long do I have before my battery dies with my _____ and _____ turned-on?"
For example, if voltage was pressure built-up inside an oxygen tank and power was the amount of oxygen inside, a voltmeter could tell me how much pressure I have left remaining in the tank (similar to a fuel gauge). The problem, however, is I can't use it to estimate how much time I have left as the tank is being discharged unless I obtain sample readings and bust-out the calculator every time the rate of discharge changes (unlike the fuel gauge in a vehicle with a fairly constant rate of discharge).
It's not practical. A better solution was needed.
Alas, the Xantrex LinkPRO battery monitor! This little gem is truly amazing. Once programed, here's what it can show...
Main battery voltage:
Auxillary battery voltage:
Main battery amps being drawn with both 2m & CB radios receiving (as an example):
Main battery amps being drawn with 2m radio transmitting and CB radio receiving simultaneously (as another example):
Main battery total amp hours consumed (out of the programmed 60):
Main battery % capacity remaining:
But the coolest thing it can do, is calculate the time remaining on the fly. :wings:
With my two 100w LightForce xenon lights turned-on and the battery close to 60% capacity, the monitor tells me I should have roughly 3 hrs and 13 min left remaining before the battery is completely discharged:
It's awesome. It also has programmable battery alarms for indicating low and high voltage, among other things. The 10 or so variables is asks for helps to keep it as accurate as possible. It took awhile to get these numbers communicating with Xantrex, Odyssey & Optima engineers over the last few months.
Adding the monitor necessitated some changes to the wiring as well. The following are updated wiring diagrams to the dual battery system...
Overall, after testing this product for close to a year now, I consider this addition to the house battery absolutely essential. It removes the guess work in trying to determine what my batteries can really do for me out in the field.
After installing my dual battery system, I quickly realized a voltmeter wasn't giving me the answers to the questions I really wanted to know, like, "How long do I have before my battery dies with my _____ and _____ turned-on?"
For example, if voltage was pressure built-up inside an oxygen tank and power was the amount of oxygen inside, a voltmeter could tell me how much pressure I have left remaining in the tank (similar to a fuel gauge). The problem, however, is I can't use it to estimate how much time I have left as the tank is being discharged unless I obtain sample readings and bust-out the calculator every time the rate of discharge changes (unlike the fuel gauge in a vehicle with a fairly constant rate of discharge).
It's not practical. A better solution was needed.
Alas, the Xantrex LinkPRO battery monitor! This little gem is truly amazing. Once programed, here's what it can show...
Main battery voltage:
Auxillary battery voltage:
Main battery amps being drawn with both 2m & CB radios receiving (as an example):
Main battery amps being drawn with 2m radio transmitting and CB radio receiving simultaneously (as another example):
Main battery total amp hours consumed (out of the programmed 60):
Main battery % capacity remaining:
But the coolest thing it can do, is calculate the time remaining on the fly. :wings:
With my two 100w LightForce xenon lights turned-on and the battery close to 60% capacity, the monitor tells me I should have roughly 3 hrs and 13 min left remaining before the battery is completely discharged:
It's awesome. It also has programmable battery alarms for indicating low and high voltage, among other things. The 10 or so variables is asks for helps to keep it as accurate as possible. It took awhile to get these numbers communicating with Xantrex, Odyssey & Optima engineers over the last few months.
Adding the monitor necessitated some changes to the wiring as well. The following are updated wiring diagrams to the dual battery system...
Overall, after testing this product for close to a year now, I consider this addition to the house battery absolutely essential. It removes the guess work in trying to determine what my batteries can really do for me out in the field.
Last edited:
Dgurley2000
Adventurer
RSB - Thanks for sharing all these details. This has already made my life a lot easier as I'm going through my build!