RainGoat

I've been stalled out in my rebuild due to a lifter problem but I am planning on using them when I lift this spring. Sorry about that. TowndawgR50, hawairish, you, etc. have me now considering a SFD but I'm still not sure. Actually, the panhard is in KC as I couldn't pack it into my luggage. I spent some quality time with the TSA when I had the lowers in a checked bag & the uppers in my carry-on as I flew out of Salt Lake (my Mom had picked them up from Derrick (MichiganAve) in CO Springs and brought them when we hiked SW Utah in September). As an FYI, I just wanted to say that really I appreciate your shutterfly page. At some point, I intend to mount my MV-50 in the engine compartment like you & stioc have done. I was curious, did you plumb your sliders to be air reservoirs? I know that was an option in aftermarket parts back in 2002ish, of course they called them rock rails in those days (you and I are about the same age). Also, I drove my Brother In Laws 2nd Gen Sequoia (2012) on part of the Mojave Rd & in Owen's Valley this September so I must say Kudos to you on turning your 1st Gen into an offroader-those are pretty good sized trucks, the 2nd Gens in particular. I felt like I was driving a small house but overall was fairly impressed with how it handled itself.

The timing is perfect as I plan to lift after finishing my front bumper (& lifter repair of engine). I've wanted the height of AC springs but the quality ride of OME. I usually load down pretty heavy for trips since we're a family of 4 (+ the dog) & I use the truck to trailer dirt, mulch, rocks, etc. for home projects. This looks like it might be a solution that gives me the best of both worlds. I'm thinking HD OME with spacers up front & LR springs in the rear. A little rake unloaded is the price you pay to be able to load heavy or haul a trailer. Otherwise, if you are level unloaded, you end up with a reverse rake when loaded. The only way around it that I am aware of is level unloaded with rear Airlifts to compensate when loaded. That definitely stiffens up the ride when the Airlits are inflated & I think it likely decreases articulation. (Plus it's a pain to keep the minimum pressure in them-I've ruined 2 sets). This looks like a great solution & I'm glad it came along when it did! Keep us updated!

I know you are deep into the bumper bracket right now, and I really want to see that come to fruition, but it seems to me you might want to consider offering the plans for this interior cargo rack as well. You know, Hawairish Fabrication Co. It really is an unusual / unique product (admittedly niche). I genuinely appreciate all the thought & consideration you have put into the project and it totally hits all the right checkboxes for me (see above) and then some. I would definitely consider paying you for the plans. If I still lived around AZ, I would totally be pestering you to make one for me - quite honestly, that's still not out of the question as my Mom could possibly strap it to the roof of her 4Runner (another build project under my care) on one of her trips out here. (I don't want to think about what that would cost in additional gas due to significantly increased wind resistance). Seriously, maybe break it down to all the horizontal surfaces, to have finished vertical welding done at the shipped to destination. All of these are just thoughts (& encouragement). I've been perusing drawers & sleeping systems for 5th Gen 4Runners for my Mom (as well as GX470s until we nixed that avenue) and R50 systems for me for 6+ mo & yours is the best system I've seen by far. My main points are securing cargo, maximizing usability (i.e.not stacking so you have to unload to get to a bottom item), integration of a table slot, preservation of access to the under floor storage & finally, ease of removability to use truck as a hardware store hauler. Yours does all that & more - love the foldout workspace. I want to see that bumper bracket done, so do that, but keep this in the back of your mind for later-maybe late 2018 or even 2019. I intend to keep my rig another decade and so it would see plenty of usage.

hawairish this looks great! Alternatives are sparse and not that well done (or somewhat dated, heavy & expensive like the Sahara Bar). I'm glad to hear you and TowndawgR50 have been conversing. He is unhappy with his modified XJ bumper and plans on making a new one. We were discussing it in October and he has a lot of really solid ideas based on both his professional knowledge and real world use and failures of his XJ bumper.

Thanks for posting. I saw your pics on Face Book and wondered if you were on NPORA. Looks great!!

I have the swingate itself, the tire adapter, the metal hinge arms & the guide. I'm missing the other two latch brackets, the release mechanism & the hinge covers. (I'm trying to post a picture but haven't done it before so it may take me a bit to figure it out). I would REALLY appreciate it if you run across the missing parts as I definitely want to do it and TowndawgR50 has the expertise and has offered to help!! Thanks hawairish !!!

When I bought my truck in '02 I purchased the OEM hitch at a discount elsewhere & mounted it myself. Just took it off for a bit in October and I was amazed to find no real rust anywhere (and it's been in the Pac NW for 12 years. I really like & trust the OEM design but I will mention that you can't mount a Wilco hitch gate in there due to the back plating. GSpeed151 managed to do it but his solution was imperfect. I'm planning on retrofitting a OEM swingate so it shouldn't matter. Yours looks good!

Kyle (ferrariowner123) kindly gave me his swingate but I need the latch mounts below the liftgate in the center. If anybody sees these in a pick and pull, junkyard, etc. I would GREATLY appreciate if you could grab them for me. TowndawgR50 has offered to help me mount mine but I just need those last parts. Thanks!!

Curious as to why? Maybe something I can learn here as I plan to lift this spring.

I see your rig is up & running again. I should be getting my repaired this month. Looking forward to seeing yours!!

I'll be interested to see how that pans out for you. If it settles to a half inch or less, that sounds pretty good. I'll bet it does & then it will likely be 2" when towing or under heavy load. Keep us posted.

I'm also looking at pulling my OEM to replace it with a Pioner AVH-X390 to get Waze, Pandora & 2 Camera inputs (Backup & maybe an undercarriage cam). I have an '02 LE with the Double DIN 6CD Changer so I don't know that a double DIN will work for you. The CD player in my truck hasn't worked well when cold since the day it was made & now it would come with 6 permanent CDs as I don't think I've been able to get them to eject in 7-8 years! I Astrorami's doesn't come through, mine might be availble in a couple months.

Towndawg has convinced me, it's just a matter of time!

Can you swap out a Pathfinder Grill. That would give you 2 more options. I have an LE but have always liked the "mesh" look of the SEs. You could do the SE mesh black & still have gold surrounds (though that involves body color painting which is what has always stopped me in the past-not hard but a pain). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GSpeed151 runs an RTT on his QX4 for about a year. I believe he bolted it to the load bars & has had no problems. You might ask him.

Do you have the "name", number or link to the Dupli Colour?

I just developed the ticking and stopped the truck and had it towed to a local shop (who is generally reliable & fair). They have diagnosed it as a lifter. Can I still drive it without further damaging the engine. If I do have them fix it it will probably involve a new water pump, radiator hoses, thermostats and spark plugs. If I'm going to do all that it seems wise to consider SeaFoaming it first but I don't want to damage the engine further.

I believe this is our light set up. Pathfinder HEADLIGHTS: PIAA H4/9004 Xtreme White (4150K) Headlights High/Low 60/55w= 135/125wXTRA FOG LIGHTS: PIAA H3 Xtreme White (4150K) Fog Lights 55w=85wXTRA AUXILLARY LIGHTS: 4 KC Slimlites Titanium finish c super white 130w Ice Blue Halogen bulbs-2 Fog & 2 Driving Front combination light 21/5w 7443 Rear combination light Turn signal 27w 1156NA Stop/Tail 21/5w 7443 Back-up 18w 921 Pkg 7443 Directional F: 7443 & Rear: 1156A High Mount Stop 5w 168 Sidemarker F: 7443 License 5w 168 x2 Map: 1895 Dome: DE3175 Trunk: DE3175 Interior light 10w Vanity mirror light 1.4w Personal light 8w 4 Vanity Glovebox 2 Map 2 Ctr Backseat 1 Cargo Dome 2 Front Pkg-Turn-Amber 2 License 2 Rear amber Turn-upper 2 Parking/Brake-Ctr 2 Backup-lower This is my red map light DDM Tuning BA9S LED Light Bulbs, 5 x 5050 SMD, Red, 1 Year Warranty (BA9S-5X5050, Red)

This is the theory I have been following. One particular exception is that I use a red LED in the driver map. I have been advised by my friends in the military that green is really the proper hue as it allows you to see color on a map better & still preserves your night vision. I particularly like that I can defeat all the interior lights & keep the truck dark if I want to-I have good night vision & sometimes set up by moonlight. Attached to the interior passenger side of my inside rear hatch is a flood light with a toggle that I can use to light up the rear. I also have lights under my rear bumper, lateral to the hitch frame, that turn on when reversing. I also have a toggle by the fuel door release lever to turn it on at other times. My front auxiliary lights were put on in 2004 so they are currently halogen. When I put on a new bumper I am considering my LED alternatives as they draw much less power, are typically more resistant to vibration & work well as floods. My front passenger headlight mount is cracked from my accident & I'm thinking about HID alternatives but I don't really want to spend more than $200 to do both. My PIAAs have worked great for 15 years. I like the hue (bright but not blue), they are brighter & they have been very resistant to burnout (~40-70K miles-many on rough AZ/UT/CO roads). I like Kyles JDMs but I don't have his electrical expertise & they have required a significant amount of time. Between my parents & other cars, I maintain about 5 vehicles for people & have LED'd the interior of most & some of the exterior of others. My experience has been mixed & has been tempered by their performance over time. Frequently the cheaper ones burn out quickly & some have a low level glow even when off (LEDing a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee was a nightmare). I have used Diode Dynamics with mixed results (not sure they're worth it). DDM Tuning worked well. JDM AStar & iJDMToy have been decent.

Wow, Jake, that run fits the bill perfectly! Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it (promised the kids an IMAX at the Science Center this morning). Sorry that I'll miss seeing everybody. MicahFelker-I essentially live in Kirkland and would be happy to meet up for coffee some morning or a beer some evening/afternoon. I'm in town for the Holiday and we are just having neighbors over. I work Monday & Sunday day 7a-7p but otherwise I'm only on night shifts. Let me know! Have fun on the run!!

What dates are you in the Seattle area? Also, whereabouts are you going to be staying? All four of us are on the Eastside ranging from Redmond/Kirkland to Issaquah/North Bend.

TownDawgR50-Thanks for putting up the post. As you know, my truck's not really good to go but I'm happy to meet up for coffee/beer/whatever. FerrariOwner123-Heard you've surmounted your engine problem. Hip, Hip, Hooray!!! MicahFelker-I know TownDawg & I would be happy to meet up with you but I'm not sure either of our rigs are currently trail ready. I imagine FerrariOwner would be happy to join as well. I would direct you to GSpeed151 for a trail run. He has been running with a group of rigs under the title Prospector Overland on IG. I believe they have a run scheduled for Sunday which I'm sure you would be welcome on but it's pretty extensive-Mountain Loop Highway up by Granite Falls then up and over Rats Trap Pass to Hwy 20. CItron - Are you moving locally or relocating to somewhere else entirely-if so, where?? Keep in touch!

Unfortunately I don't have the pan hard with me quite yet. I could fit the links in my luggage for the flight home but my Mom took the pan hard back to KC & needs to ship it to me (it was too long to fit in the luggage). My suspension upgrade is waiting until I get my front bumper done - 6 months & I still haven't quite cracked that one. If you need measurements I'm sure my Mom could get them.