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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/12/2018 in all areas

  1. Yup, that's my video. Never followed up with further thoughts, kinda just left my experience hanging. Basically it can be taken as evidence that unibody flex really should be taken into account when making modifications that span the length of these vehicles. Although, skidplates and rock sliders could have potentially stiffened the vehicle enough to make this a non-issue. Even so, conduit clamps seem to be the way to go. Yes, that's more or less what happened. My rack was actually bolted to a very stiff piece of rubber (cheap-o/sketchy coil spring spacers from AutoZone like these https://www.autozone.com/suspension-system-coil-springs-and-lift-lowering/coil-spring-booster/superior-automotive-coil-spring-booster/541731_0_0) which was then bolted to the rack, however that piece of rubber was SUPER stiff; the rack may as well have been bolted directly to the roof (which it would have been if not for the fact that my Curt roofrack was too narrow by an inch or so, could probably bend conduit clamps enough to make them work though). Couple that stiffness with an 80+lb tire strapped up top and beating the crap out of my rig at a challenging offroad park within a week of this modification, and it's no surprise that multiple bolts sheared. Initially this made me skeptical of any method that bolted the roofrack to the roof rails (rather than clamping onto the crossbars), and I may have vocalized this skepticism; I don't remember. In any case, I have now seen enough examples of the conduit clamp method to be convinced it is the best way to do it, unless you want the convenience of easy-on/off, in which case the stock mounting solution to the crossbars is best in my opinion.
    3 points
  2. Alright second post. For the rack I used a Rola Rack with extension as the length almost fits perfectly on the roof of the pathy. For the hardware that I used were electrical conduit clamps that I picked up from Home Depot (they come in a pack of 5), lock washer, locking nut, bolt that threads into the stock sliders in the rails and a washer. Most of the hardware I had were Cerakoted black as I didn’t want a galvanized beacon on top of the truck which wouldn’t look so sharp. I chose Cerakote because it is extremely durable as it is a ceramic coating and they can withstand the abuse of the elements and tree branches. Cerakote also is flexible so when you clamp the conduits to the rack it doesn’t chip off. Cerakote application is a little involved as you have to get the materials for it and bake it but I have a certified Cerakote applicator at my work and he gave me a really good deal so I did that route. I used 10 clamps total and it holds the rack very securely, I can rock the whole vehicle by grabbing onto the rack and it doesn’t move or creak at all. I’ve driven up to 90 mph with it and had about 60 pounds of cargo up there and had no issues with it. I can flex the vehicle just fine without the unibody flexing the mounts off or ripping them out of the rail. The rack sits very low to the roof which could be a plus or minus. I can still open the sunroof but the glass touches the bar ever so slightly. After a couple of deadlifts of bending the bar upwards the glass still touches it. The rubber mouldings along the roof sit maybe a ¼ inch or less between the rack. I’m going to fix this issue by probably getting thicker washers and slightly longer bolts to help sit the rack a little bit higher so I can fit straps underneath the lower bar and the stock roof rack rails. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
    2 points
  3. Well the perk for you is the galvanized conduits match your paint so it works out good imo. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
    2 points
  4. Yup. Conduit clamps have worked great. Enough give to handle the flex and stress of wheeling and strong enough to hold tons of weight at highway speeds. I left mine galvanized but the cerakoting would be nice. Great work! @02_Pathy
    2 points
  5. @TowndawgR50 also used conduit clamps with his generic rack. The cerakoting is an innovative approach to painting. My understanding is that they were sandblasted to remove the galvanized surface. I’ll attach some photos of what happens if you just try to paint them with self etching primer without scraping up the surface first. It didn’t really work on the stainless screw heads either.
    2 points
  6. Ha! His old front ARB locker, which is now in my truck. I bought it off a different guy years ago who hadn’t installed it in his truck.
    2 points
  7. Hmmm, I have a very similar set of lights sitting on a shelf in the garage that I've been planning to use as rear facing, just couldn't decide where to mount them...
    2 points
  8. An aftermarket or custom bumper can distribute load across both recovery point areas somewhat. To be more effective, though, they also need to increase the number of attachment points and the overall contact area. I don't recall if I had a good picture of the nut-strip I'm using for my bumper brackets, but it slips into the chassis tube and sandwiches the tube wall using 1/2" bolts. The problem with putting a bolt all the way through the tube, even with a sleeve, is that it greatly increases pressure at the attachment point and under-utilizes part of your bracket; it's not distributing pressure enough. Your pipe sleeve would have to be a fat round spacer to the exact width of the tube to be the most effective (but a difficult task since the tube opening is smaller and not uniform). Two analogies to hammer the point: Imagine two magnets on a piece of steel. One is 1" diameter, and the other 3" diameter. Which is easier to slide around? The 3" magnet has about 9x more surface area, and consequently harder to move. This scenario represents area distribution. Imagine holding a piece of paper flat between your palms and someone trying to pull the paper out. You can hold it pretty tight. Instead of palms, try just between all 5 fingertips fanned out (er, 4-6 fingers for some folks out there); still a decent grip, but you've eliminated contact area from the palms. Now do a palm and just one finger. The paper flops over and can be pulled from your grip very easily. Your palm adds very little to clamping strength, literally reduced to the contact area of your fingertip, and basically the equivalent of holding it with just two finger tips. This scenario represents a bolt-through scenario. Notably, many of the surfaces on the truck are irregular as you expand across multiple attachment points, so you can only gain so much actual contact area. I'd guesstimate my brackets have added about 1/2 sq ft in contact area, and are currently using 9 attachment points per bracket (I can increase these further if I were to weld my brackets to the OE recovery hooks).
    2 points
  9. Hopefully these load Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
    2 points
  10. Sadly don’t have before pictures I seem to have lost them. But if anyone is trying to find out what a 2.5 inch strut lift will look like on their pathy, I hope this helps. Also to note if you do use 2.5 inch strut spacers, you’re going to have to use camber bolts. Something I haven’t don’t yet but will get around to. Hope this helps!
    1 point
  11. Alright so first real post here. So after skimming the internet I came across a pathy with frenched in backup lights in the rear bumper and I thought that was pretty slick. (I saw it on expedition portal and I believe his name was Allof75). He sparked the idea for me to do this mod so I went for it. I bought the Hella ValueFit 6 led floodlights off amazon and the wiring harness for a decent price as they were the size and shape I wanted. These lights almost fit perfectly in the rear bumper where the stock reflectors are. So what I did first was remove the plastic cover off the rear bumper to expose the steel bumper underneath. Where the reflectors are, there's already a open spot in the steel bumper where you could mount the lights in and there's a piece of sheet metal in that space where I mounted the lights to. Then the next step I "carefully" dremeled out the outline of the reflectors in the plastic bumper so it would contour to the lights. Then it was a matter of putting the plastic bumper back on and off to readjust the lights and to trim a little bit of the plastic to fit well. After everything was set I moved on to wiring. I ran the wires through the rubber grommet where the stock tow package wiring harness goes into the cab of the truck then I routed the wires behind the interior panels all the way to the front and out the firewall where there's a hole for the clutch for the manual's I assume. Instead of splicing the back up lights to the stock back up lights I opted for a on/off switch as I don't want to compromise the stock wiring and cause a short or something. Also I did this because I could turn it on when I want for lighting up work areas, campsites, tailgaters and what ever I need it for. I don't necessarily need them all the time so the switch works out perfect for me. This "mod" was pretty straight forward the most tedious job was trimming a hole in the rear bumper and mounting the lights to the steel rear bumper. Again first post here so I might've forgotten something along the way on this install but feel free to ask questions and I'll try my best to respond to them! Also I'm having issues uploading pictures here so standby for those.
    1 point
  12. @hawairish I agree on all accounts regarding fuel, water & storage. As per my routine, I'll happily defer to the solutions spawned by you &[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention]. More storage is always better. Any fuel doesn't really need easy accessabilty for me. I'd like it as insurance, but I don't expect to ever need it. As for water - well, more is always better. As you particulary know, being a desert dweller, water is life. Uses: drinking, refilling other travelers supply, radiator refill, fire extinguishing, dishes, rinsing gear, showers. The dream would be 10-15g with a heat exchanger or water heater for onboard hot water. I've never regretted having water & I've wished I had more many times. Over the years, water is the thing I have repeatedly given to others on the trail.
    1 point
  13. Heck yeah! Who needs to run the vehicle in a closed garage when you can just remove the rear window and gas yourself out on your commute!
    1 point
  14. My MPG was pretty shoddy before the bumpers, and I don't think they've worsened the numbers much. I think the gearing change lowered the numbers some, but part of me thinks it's really boiled down to a clogged PCV valve and O2 sensors, which I've been dragging my feet on the repairs. One got replaced a few months ago, and I've had another O2 code that I've just kept clearing because I swear the code has programmatic instructions to just dump fuel in the cylinders. On the highway stretches to and from the trails last weekend, I ran some fuel system treatment through two tanks and haven't seen the code since. Funny you mention the split fuel/water tank(s) where the undermount spare was. I was just telling TownDawg that's the real direction I'd want to go the other day. I don't need or want that much reserve fuel, just enough (5-10gal) to get out of a pinch. I do want water storage, too. I also want some other storage there (I'd love to make a larger storage tub where the existing one is, if I could reasonably replace the crossmember there). The problem with using that location for fuel, though, is provisions for filling...transferring is probably less of a problem, but a problem nonetheless. The thought of just having an undermount tray/rack for carrying two jerry/Scepter cans on their side has also crossed my mind. In the end, I may just modify my tire carrier a little to hold a can and be done with it.
    1 point
  15. I would flush and fill the tranny fluid, and replace the filter if you haven't recently. Look for milky appearance that might indicate a cooler leak. If that looks good and no change, it is probably a sticking solenoid in the valve body and needs to be cleaned well and rebuilt maybe just the valve body. But if follow the SM troubleshooting first. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
    1 point
  16. Due to most tire manufacturers exaggerating their tire sizes (ie. a "32" is really anywhere from 31.5-31.8 usually), you do have a decent sized tire on there IMO. When I had 32x11.50r15 on my '02 QX4 it would have a bit of a hard time finding that last gear sometimes, especially if it dropped down a gear to climb a long hill; it would take FOREVER to figure itself out on the other side. That being said, how long have you had oversize tires? If it's been a while now, this issue probably isn't coupled to that. Was the vehicle fully warmed up? I know auto trannies sometimes don't shift right if they're cold, especially if you have oversize tires too.
    1 point
  17. Yeah I appreciate the warning. So in that video it looks like he just used bolts through the rack and into the rails of the Q without using conduit clamps. I can see why they came unhinged as the bolts didn't allow any movement so the weakest point had to give. With using the conduit clamps they give some play between the rack and the body flexing.
    1 point
  18. Also when I had a small rack before the rola mounted to the factory LE cross bars I could actually hear the plastic cross bars break a little too when flexing on mine when I had them Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
    1 point
  19. Yeah I have flexed my vehicle to the point where I could here the whole body creak from the articulation and I haven't had an issue with the mounts ripping out of the rails because the conduits themselves and rack flex to a degree. So my theory is the longer the rack, it's easier for it to bend and flex compared to those who run short racks. It's kind of like having a really short pencil and it's really rigid and hard to bend and I can see where short racks like that can be an issue because they dont give enough give to bend and flex. Then on the other hand if you have a really long pencil like a new one it's a lot easier to bend and has some play in it, like the rola rack with extension it's long enough where it could bend and flex especially too when it's in 3 pieces but again too the length allows it to bend just like a long pencil. If that makes sense Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
    1 point
  20. Looks sick bro. I watched a video on youtube by one of the guys on the forum that talks about how bolting your rack directly to the roof can cause the bolts to bend with the unibody when it flexes off road. I know a lot of people do it but just keep that in mind. i keep my yakima load warrior on the 04 LE crossbars.
    1 point
  21. I'd guess a torque converter bolt backed out enough to catch on something. I've heard of loose TC bolts making a racket and making people think they've got a rod knock. Hopefully the bolt didn't chew up whatever stopped the engine, and the engine didn't mind going from idle to a dead stop suddenly.
    1 point
  22. +1 on a clean install! Looks like the same lights I used. Hopefully yours are waterproofed better than mine were. I mounted mine to my '93 in the same place, between the bumper and the hitch. Nice and hidden, both visually and from whatever I might happen to back into. Looks like the QX4 tail lights have reflectors built in. That could be another way to go without highlighting the hitch with tape. That said, the Pathy lights look a lot better IMO. The license plate's reflective, right?
    1 point
  23. Nice write up dude. I like mounting with the OE rails and electrical conduits for mounting.
    1 point
  24. Ok, thanks for clearing that up, I was about to get a little crazy... ?
    1 point
  25. Notes I collected from reviews. The main complaint was rust but this was primarily before Rola updated the connections with sleeves. I considered welding it but thought I might want it to flex a little to accomodate the rocker of the roof rails & the welding would necessitate sanding & repainting the powdercoating. For what it’s worth, mine has sat unassembled under our kid’s LEGO table & couch in the living room for months (another wife pleaser). I’ve been surprised at how easy the powdercoating has marked up (though not through to the metal). I figure in a few years I’ll take it off & POR-15 Chassis Black it like everything else on the truck. FAIRING *White Flakes OFF of Fairing - Red more Resistant *Rola logo was silk screened onto the fairing as opposed to a sticker which made it more difficult to remove/cover up for a logoless rack *How much wind noise? it will double the amount of road noise in your car at 75 mph. Making a bigger wind screen for the front will not help. do not waste your time. take it from me. I spent 2 weekends building different models and nothing worked better than the stock one. CONNECTIONS: *Silicone or Vegetable Oil on rubber sleeves for ease of assembly *3:1 heatshrink tubing with adheasive for the joints to keep water out of the tube seam joints Silicone Sleeves to keep it from rusting. *Rustoleum-Spray it inside the tubes to coat it which can help prevent rusting from the inside out, which is the main cause of the rust on these baskets. Then use black outdoor silicone caulk (?RTV Silicone), like the type you'd use on home windows, etc... to seal all screw holes (including the wind deflector) and the 4 tube seems. Check all welds for any holes/ openings where water may get in. *I sprayed a generous amount of WD40 inside each piece before I connected them. jb weld on the screws, followed by the rubber sleeves provided by Rola.
    1 point
  26. My cost estimates: COST $192.60 $129.93($118+$11.81t)Used-VeryGood@Amazon $62.67 ($56.97+$5.70)Used-VeryGood@Amazon $145 + $55 ext $147.65+t@HomeDepot $146 & $126+t@Walmart Extension 18 3/4” 59505 $71.28($55.33+$15.95)@https://www.rvautoparts.com
    1 point
  27. Rola V-Tex 59504 (by Draw Tite) RolaV-Tex 59505 Extension 18 3/4” PATH DIMENSIONS 71"Front to Spoiler Up 54.5" Sunroof to Spoiler Up 41" Wide RACK 74” bottom center to bottom center with extension 48”x37.5”x5” OUTSIDE 46-48”x37”x4” INSIDE Bars: Top 1.5”, Bottom 1”, Cross 3/4”(6+5+6) Screws #10-32 Self Tapping (Quantity#12) Ext +15” Weight: 50#(35#Rack +15#Ext) 130# Capacity 5yr Warranty Manufacturer Installation instruction http://www.rolaproducts.com/support/installation/N59504.pdf http://www.rolaproducts.com/support/installation/N59505.pdf
    1 point
  28. My trip to Home Depot returned 3/4” conduit clamps in packs of 3 (instead of 5) and they are slightly larger than 02_Pathy’s. I was fortunate to receive his extras so I’ve compared them side by side as he had about 8 that he gave me, so I need 2-4 more. I use cam straps for everything on the roof. The plastic coated hooks won’t go around the top side bars as they are 1.5” diameter but they will go around the front & back & lower longitudinal bars, which are all 1” diameter. As mounted, 02_Pathy’s rack didn’t quite have enough clearance for the hooks so I plan to use something like spacers or simply small aluminum “towers” to elevate it another cm or so. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
    1 point
  29. It looks really nice in person too! Really, his whole truck looks great. One drawback is that this eliminates reflectors on the rear of the truck. I’ve advocated putting red reflective tape on the vertical surface of the lateral arms of the OEM hitch to compensate.
    1 point
  30. I was going to make a write up about this as I knew people would be asking. It's a rola rack with extension and held on by electrical conduit clamps. Standby for the write up!
    1 point
  31. So this had me thinking about what was there as well. Couldn't remember for the life of me and it wasn't that long ago so I dug through some old photos and found these pics of my rear hooks before I got my tow bar. Now I just need to remember where I put them
    1 point
  32. Ha Ha! Yeah, they can go sometime before replacement. My last one was pre-inspection too. Clearly I’ve outed myself as che...I mean frugal. (My best friend says I’m “value oriented”)
    1 point
  33. Just curious, but what do the rear hook points look like? I don’t think I’ve seen them before. Are they removed when a hitch is installed?
    1 point
  34. I'll throw my hat in the ring, since this is as close to sunset as I could get that evening. Nominating Hawairish.
    1 point
  35. I use full synthetic in my diff and I noticed an mild improvement in off road situations but the LSD on these rigs are pathetic regardless unless you repack the clutch.
    1 point
  36. 4x4parts springs. Never should have sold that, hind sight is 20/20
    0 points
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