RainGoat

Ahhh, no one to warn about Power Valves-what a relief!

You non-U.S. guys & your diesels! You make us sick!!! (with envy that is)

FYI@ferrariowner123

To be fair, I knew it would be a great shot because I saw@zakzackzachary photo of the same spot.

Well,[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] had me take it just for you! BTW, I did run into one aftermarket which did have the spacer grafted on but I can’t remember which.

Just a couple points to consider. @ferrariowner installed my steering wheel controls with minimal difficulty using a ~$45 interface(Metra Axxess ASWC-1 Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface). I almost never used my steering wheel controls with the OEM radio. My “new” Pioneer AVH-X391BHS has the controls down the left/driver side, which is invaluable, nevertheless, these new radios have wimpy/mushy buttons & touchscreen “soft” buttons - all very difficult to use while driving. I found I immediately started using my steering controls all the time. We almost didn’t install mine & that would have been a total mistake.

Just note that@colinnwn &@TowndawgR50 both have ‘01s with 3.5 VQ Engines - a very different experience from the 3.3.

OEM struts have the spacer as part of the top hat. Most aftermarket strut sets have it as a separate spacer.

As a former Phoenician, get an AZ DeLorme Gazetteer (https://www.amazon.com/DeLorme%C2%AE-Arizona-Atlas-Gazetteer-Delorme/dp/1946494143). AZ is completely full of great places to go - just remember, LOTS of Water & probably some Emergency Communication gear. The Sonoran can kill you quick in the summer if you get stranded somewhere remote (& there’s lots of that in AZ). This is also a great book (https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Arizona-Backroads-4-Wheel-Drive-Trails/dp/1934838195) Also Northern AZ, SW CO & Southern UT are right next door. You couldn’t be in a better place to explore.

@ferrariowner123

We got a little dusty!

More electrical hijinks as I played with the idea of getting these awesome T4R cabin lights to work in our dome lights (with expert consultation with[mention=32880]ferrariowner123[/mention]). Not sure it’s going to work. I’ve used incandescent red, LED red & even IR controlled RGB LEDs but nothing comes close to these lights - a nice bright white & manually switchable to a red that is also bright. Part of my never-ending quest to repurpose Toyota & Jeep aftermarket parts. (BTW, I used the “small” pic posting - I don’t know why they’re so huge).

Interesting to know - I have been a little surprised I haven’t seen it. I personally saw it on a few Jeeps back in the early 2000s.

It worked okay in the early 2000s so I can’t imagine it isn’t better now. I would like “universal” wiring as I expect it might occasionally get taken out - though not particularly likely given my deliberate driving (especially as I’m usually solo).

By underneath, I mean back by the rear diff or even hitch, actually underneath the truck.

Toyota has cameras that mount within the front emblem.

I may do an undercarriage camera that points forward underneath. I’ve seen it done over a decade ago. It can help you with tricky tire placement or obstacle avoidance. A trick for those who go out remote & solo. You can even use it at night with proper rock light placement. I haven’t seen it recently, which seems kind of weird given the proliferation of cheap lights & cameras, but it was a thing back in the day.

Yeah, I still have to select my cameras. Wasn’t sure about the rear since I don’t have my swingate in yet. I sure would have liked it while up in the Cascades last week though. Also the undercarriage since my spotter is often 7 years old. I don’t think the side curtain airbags came until ‘03. You can see in my A-pillar shot that there’s nothing there but the tweeter. We put the dash cam wiring in but I had grabbed the wiring harness for my other dash cam I haven’t installed & it was a mini USB plug whereas the Pathy’s Cam needs a micro - Argh! Also, my roof console now rattles at 55-70mph so I’ll need to look at tightening it all up again & see if I can make it go away.

The beginnings of an extensive electrical project under the tutelage of Mr. Electric (@ferrariowner123). First step, “new” Pioneer AVH-X391BHS radio with USB port, line in, microphone, BlueTooth, and 2 camera ports (ultimately reverse & undercarriage cameras). We also addressed dash cam wiring, LED turn signal relay & removal of my old CB, it’s cable, and my old front auxiliary light wiring, as well as making room for a rear power panel. Special thanks to@ferrariowner123 without whom this would have been infinitely more difficult & who went the extra step of taking the new radio wiring & crafting a custom harness! Also, to my annoyance - as of March 2019, WAZE withdrew App support from Pioneer - REALLY annoying.

It’s a minor but nice touch - where did you find those? On another R50?

I don’t think the time of year is conducive to the NW & especially not ID or MT as that’s even more true there. Our mountains will still be snow bound. CO the same. UT can still be wet & cold that time of year - though not a dealbreaker (@02_Pathy was there about that time of year this year). Frankly, AZ is perfect that time of year as it’s when the Sonoran desert blooms. CA/TX would also be good but Big Bend is far away even if you live in TX.

Wow, what an update! For what it’s worth-to other forum members, the strut simply is more complicated than it looks at the outset. I had the incalculable benefit of immediate advice from@hawairish &@TowndawgR50 (who also did the whole project with me). Also, BTW, that spring compressor in the photos was advised by@hawairish, relayed to me via@TowndawgR50. I think there are now 4 of us who have used one with LR & ARB OME HD springs & everybody loves them. Even a novice like me can use it safely. Another important point is to line up the notches on the struts - the ARB OME struts don’t have the notches so it helps to have an OEM to compare to while doing it (shops have definitely been known to screw this up). Here’s a posting I cut & pasted from the forum: The notches on the bottom spring seat and the top spring seat must be aligned as shown. Note that the side of the strut shown in the photo is the inboard (engine-facing) side. When reinstalling the struts, orient the "L" or "R" on the strut insulator (aka "top hat") so that the "L" lines up with the notches for the left strut, and the "R" lines up with the notches for the right strut. (I can’t recall who posted this so if you let me know, I’ll edit in the credit) Compressors - You can get them for as low as $84 without the plastic spring protectors but for $10 I figured why not. eBay gave me a 2wk expected delivery but it actually showed up 4 business days later. https://www.ebay.com/itm/MacPherson-Interchangable-Fork-Strut-Coil-Spring-Compressor-Extractor-Tool-Set-/273518130882

[mention=37543]TowndawgR50[/mention] found these links on YouTube which seem to confirm[mention=41155]R50JR[/mention] hypothesis that’s it’s the trailer hitch. So I may look into adding a resistor to the brake light line & see if that does it.