mortonm
Expedition Leader
That would be an awesome range. I wouldn't worry too much about price its pay me now or pay me later, but would make a little more difference watching gas prices
WreckDiver1321's 2003 Frontier CC SC
- Thread starter wreckdiver1321
- Start date
That would be an awesome range. I wouldn't worry too much about price its pay me now or pay me later, but would make a little more difference watching gas prices
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks for the heads up!!!
I got on the horn with Outback Proven today. I asked them about the fuel tank. He said he had a customer buy one but it wasn't a straight bolt in job, for the same reason I've had some bumper issues. The rest of the world D22s aren't the same as the US spec ones. He's going to send an email to the guy and ask him about it. If it's a bolt in or only requires a small amount of work, I'll give some serious consideration to running it.
In other news, I'll have the final tent mounting mock up finished tomorrow morning.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
So, I got my RTT mounting system completely mocked up this weekend. It's been a bit of a chore to get it all put together, but I'm very happy with the result.
I had to do a bit of my own fabricating to get to make the system work the way I want. I wanted to use the Front Runner bed rack, which I think is a really cool system. Unfortunately, it mounts via a 90 degree bracket that bolts to the top and the inside lip of the bed rails. This means you can't use a tonneau cover of any sort. I really want to use a tonneau cover to keep all my gear nice and dry, so I had to come up with a better solution.
I can get a cover for the Frontier that mounts to the inside lip of the bed rails, so I just needed to move the rack on top of the rails. To do this, I built some brackets out of 3/16 wall 2" square tubing.
Next, I had to mount these brackets to the bed. The hardest part was actually figuring out where I wanted them mounted. The bed rails on a Frontier aren't weak, but they could be stronger, so I tried to choose the most solidly supported sections of the rails. The rearmost brackets are situated just above the rear bed rail supports, so they are as strong as they can be. The front brackets are as far forward as I can make them as well. Between this and the wider mounting brackets, the rack is now very strong and solid, probably more so than the original design. Next thing to do was get everything bolted up.
Next, we attached the mounting rails to the tent. This is certainly a 2 person job, as it requires you to crawl into the tent while it is half open, shove a bolt through the floor, and have your friend set the rails in place while you tighten the bolts.
Then we hoisted the tent onto the rack and installed the hardware. I had to make special mounting plate because the Front Runner horizontal rails are very wide and the plates that came with the tent weren't long enough.
Luckily, the rack's arms were just far enough apart to fit the mounting plates, so I now know that the tent is perfectly centered
So here's how it looks with the tent all mounted up and in place.
I'm super pleased with this setup! It looks fantastic and is very functional. Having that area under the tent covered and shaded is pretty neat, and I like the fact that I can still see out the back window. After driving it around, I can say the extra weight up high is almost unnoticeable. The rack is very solid even over bumpy terrain. It looks like it's flexing a bunch, bust almost all of that is movement in the bed, not the rack. Like I said, super pleased. Front Runner's products are of great quality and they look very good.
So, just for you guys, despite the biting cold and constant snowfall, I opened the tent up to snap a few pics. Setup is easy. Just unzip the cover, remove the straps, slide the cover off. Pop open the retaining straps and slid the ladder out.
Then use the ladder to lever the tent up and pull it out. Then put the spring bars in place to hold the windows open, and you're done!
As you can see in that first picture, the only problem I have with this setup is that I can't use one of the spring bars to hold the front window open. The cab is in the way. Other than that, I love the setup. The tent creates a huge overhang that provides shade and shelter from the rain/snow, which is a plus.
I climbed up into the tent to test it out and I am even more pleased now. It's so solid and stable, and very comfortable. Getting in and out is easy, and having a view from almost 6 feet up is pretty cool. Even up in the wind, I can notice the inside of the tent is warmer than outside. I'm most certainly a RTT convert now.
I had to do a bit of my own fabricating to get to make the system work the way I want. I wanted to use the Front Runner bed rack, which I think is a really cool system. Unfortunately, it mounts via a 90 degree bracket that bolts to the top and the inside lip of the bed rails. This means you can't use a tonneau cover of any sort. I really want to use a tonneau cover to keep all my gear nice and dry, so I had to come up with a better solution.
I can get a cover for the Frontier that mounts to the inside lip of the bed rails, so I just needed to move the rack on top of the rails. To do this, I built some brackets out of 3/16 wall 2" square tubing.
Next, I had to mount these brackets to the bed. The hardest part was actually figuring out where I wanted them mounted. The bed rails on a Frontier aren't weak, but they could be stronger, so I tried to choose the most solidly supported sections of the rails. The rearmost brackets are situated just above the rear bed rail supports, so they are as strong as they can be. The front brackets are as far forward as I can make them as well. Between this and the wider mounting brackets, the rack is now very strong and solid, probably more so than the original design. Next thing to do was get everything bolted up.
Next, we attached the mounting rails to the tent. This is certainly a 2 person job, as it requires you to crawl into the tent while it is half open, shove a bolt through the floor, and have your friend set the rails in place while you tighten the bolts.
Then we hoisted the tent onto the rack and installed the hardware. I had to make special mounting plate because the Front Runner horizontal rails are very wide and the plates that came with the tent weren't long enough.
Luckily, the rack's arms were just far enough apart to fit the mounting plates, so I now know that the tent is perfectly centered
So here's how it looks with the tent all mounted up and in place.
I'm super pleased with this setup! It looks fantastic and is very functional. Having that area under the tent covered and shaded is pretty neat, and I like the fact that I can still see out the back window. After driving it around, I can say the extra weight up high is almost unnoticeable. The rack is very solid even over bumpy terrain. It looks like it's flexing a bunch, bust almost all of that is movement in the bed, not the rack. Like I said, super pleased. Front Runner's products are of great quality and they look very good.
So, just for you guys, despite the biting cold and constant snowfall, I opened the tent up to snap a few pics. Setup is easy. Just unzip the cover, remove the straps, slide the cover off. Pop open the retaining straps and slid the ladder out.
Then use the ladder to lever the tent up and pull it out. Then put the spring bars in place to hold the windows open, and you're done!
As you can see in that first picture, the only problem I have with this setup is that I can't use one of the spring bars to hold the front window open. The cab is in the way. Other than that, I love the setup. The tent creates a huge overhang that provides shade and shelter from the rain/snow, which is a plus.
I climbed up into the tent to test it out and I am even more pleased now. It's so solid and stable, and very comfortable. Getting in and out is easy, and having a view from almost 6 feet up is pretty cool. Even up in the wind, I can notice the inside of the tent is warmer than outside. I'm most certainly a RTT convert now.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Just got off the phone with Outback Proven. They haven't heard anything about the fuel tank yet. Also, my refund on the Ironman bumper came through, so I will be making an order to Shrockworks soon.
Oh, and remember the guy with this Frontier?
Gonna be lifting that truck soon as well. Expect to see pics of that truck, and possibly the Hardbody next to it, in a few of my trip pics this summer.
Oh, and remember the guy with this Frontier?
Gonna be lifting that truck soon as well.
Expect to see pics of that truck, and possibly the Hardbody next to it, in a few of my trip pics this summer.
richard310
pew pew
The RTT really changes the look of you truck and it's looking great!
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Haha thanks for the kind words! I really love it, you can't have it! Hahaha mine!
It's turning out to be almost the perfect expo platform for me. Just what I need, and nothing I don't. Except maybe the supercharger. It's nice, but I could live without it.
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks!!
I like it even more now. I remember looking at all kinds of trucks online that I really wanted and made me drool. Now, I own that truck.
It's still a long way off, but it's really coming together now!Awesome work on the tent and bed rack ... I've always liked that look on pickups - of a lower rack, with the top of the tent even with the top of cab (or top of forwards rack). Almost as much as an extended cab (half rear seat) with Can-Back/canvas topper.
With the interference on the open front window, is it just the spring bar that hits the cab, or does the window awning actually interfere? If it's the spring bar, would bowing it in (instead of out, like the rest) give enough additional room to clear?
With the interference on the open front window, is it just the spring bar that hits the cab, or does the window awning actually interfere? If it's the spring bar, would bowing it in (instead of out, like the rest) give enough additional room to clear?
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
Thanks! I really love the way it turned out. I do wish it sat about two or three inches lower, but I'm not complaining. I'm really happy with it. I'm planning on getting a soft topper for the winters. I debated making a canvas topper to go between the tent and the bed, but I'm not sure if that's the route I want to go.
As far as the window, it's just the spring bar. The window awning would clear just fine. I think bowing it in would work, but the design is such that that is impossible to do. The bars insert into the base of the tent at an angle that wouldn't allow the bar to bend in that direction. What I'll do is run a bungee between the grommet on the awning and the roof basket on the truck. Problem solved
Perfect! Love the simple/easy solutions.What I'll do is run a bungee between the grommet on the awning and the roof basket on the truck. Problem solved
wreckdiver1321
Overlander
The only problem I have now is I need to get new Montana Overland stickers made. The tent covers the one on the back window
ripper1600
Adventure Seeker
Great build, I enjoyed reading it an can't wait to see what you do next.
partsflyin
Adventurer
Turning into a super sweet set up bro !