Tinkerbelll the ‘03 Tree Build thread

Littleguy

New member
Hey All,

First off yes, the rigs name is tinkerbell lol, it was the wife’s DD before we got her a new Kia. It’s definitely a work in progress and a budget build but I’m really impressed with what the sequoias can do with even minor mods.

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Here she is stock

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This is with the 2.5” spacer lift, air bags in the rear and with the 4Runner wheels when it was my DD

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And here is how she sits now. Still have the poor mans lift with air bags, added wheel spacers to help the 305/70’s fit.


Mods I’ve done that I will add pictures for down the line...

KC light pods mounted above side mirrors.

Cheapo amazon fog light replacements wired up to the stock fog light switch

Hidden snorkel inside of passenger fender, gets the wading depth to about even with the door handles.

pinch welds cut (and smashed) in front for tire clearance

VSC disable switch

Custom drawer system built in place of third row seats, when the second row is folded down they match heights for a sleeping deck.

1000w inverter placed in the spot where the stock tool bag used to be.

Upcoming Mods...

12k Badlands winch (told you it was a budget build lol). I’m going to do the hidden install behind the stock bumper for this. Ive seen another install done like this that was installed behind the bumper with extensions and all that built in but I think I’m going to cut out a section of the bumper and weld in the plate with as much bolting as possible for added strength. Santa is delivering this soon and I’m quarantined until the new year so this will be installed hopefully before the 4th.

Need to re-gear asap, I’m thinking 4.88’s or higher. I want to do lockers at the same time but that might have to wait depending on cost and time.

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This was our last adventure to the top of Kingston peak.

Thanks for checking it out and please feel free to let me know if you’ve got suggestions or comments!


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Littleguy

New member
Well I’m ahead of schedule on the winch install. Went pretty smoothly except for a punctured A/C condenser ( I slipped with the sawzall ) here’s it measured and mocked up

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I then marked where I wanted to cut to make it fit behind the bumper and cut it

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Took everything apart and the bumper off to bolt and weld it together then painted it and put it back on

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Mounted the winch and moved the control box to the left side so the hood can close. Then wired everything up. And put the bumper cover back on, with some trimming for the fair lead and clutch handle.

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Only weak point I’m concerned about right now is the factory bolts that hold the bumper to the frame rails. I’m going to test it tomorrow and see what happens


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smokeysevin

Re-redoing things the third time
The factory crash structure is suuuuuuper cheesy. I would reconsider that setup. When I did my install, I ended up using 1/4" plates to cap the frame, then welding the plate to the upper portion of the frame with loads of bracing to tie into the stock frame section over a bigger area.


Not saying its the only way or even the 100% right way, just how I did it.

Sean
 

Littleguy

New member
Thanks for the info! I’m definitely concerned about the strength of the factory parts and am looking at ways to beef it up, if all else fails I guess I’ll just have to buy a off-road bumper


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Littleguy

New member
Did a test pull yesterday, slight slope with some break resistance and nothing came flying off so I’ve got that going for me. Before I do any real work with it I think I’m going to find some c-channel that I can modify to bolt into the frames and onto the mount.


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