[Pkniland]

Originally Posted by jicko

Rigid lights installed, they look AWESOME!
/20150812_194337_mod-vi.jpg[/IMG]

So i guess its time for the TRD Pro Grille Group Buy?

[SKP-4R]

I think it's time for a visit to ICON

[jicko]

Originally Posted by SKP-4R

I think it's time for a visit to ICON

Its about time.....

Originally Posted by Pkniland

So i guess its time for the TRD Pro Grille Group Buy?

Tried that, no love...... none of the Toyota dealers are interested/willing to do group buys......

I was thinking these will make good GB items:
- TRD wheels
- TRD grille
- TRD skid plate

But.... answer was no.... they think that they can move the parts at full price.... no motivations on GB....

[SKP-4R]

I don't blame them. People will buy anything for retail if it has the holy words "TRD" written on it. the TRD Oil caps are proof of that.

[jicko]

I had looked into various battery strategies (single, dual), and considering my use case, I have decided to start with a single large capacity, deep cycle battery. As it is much simpler, easier, and lower cost to implement than a full-on dual batteries with isolator setup is.

My use case:
- weekend and short(few days) offroading trips
- driving around during the days, and camping during the nights
- maximum "offline" (car's engine not ON) time will be no longer than 36hours
- powering (offline) ARB 50QT fridge
- powering (offline) HAM mobile radio
- powering (offline) some low power LED light strips

Like many others on this forum, I have decided to use a 31M-PC2150 marine grade, deep cycle battery, from Odyssey (some claimed that Sear's Diehard Platinum 31M is the same thing).
Amazon.com: Odyssey 31M-PC2150ST-M TROLLING Thunder Marine Dual Purpose Battery: Automotive

SPECIFICATIONS
Pulse (5-second) Hot Cranking Amps (PHCA): 2150
Cold Cranking Amps (CCA): 1150
20Hr Nominal Capacity (Ah): 100
Reserve Capacity Minutes: 205
Dimensions L x W x H (in): 13.00 X 6.80 X 9.41
Weight (lbs): 77.8

Some useful info about this particular battery (voltage vs % of charge):


This battery comes with brass SAE posts, 3/8 inch positive and 5/16 inch negative thread SS stud terminals. And in order to it to hook up to the "factory" clamps without ANY modifications, ordering some Remy Battery "Stud to Post" converter is THE WAY TO GO! (Be sure to order 1 of each size) Stud to Post Conversion Adapters - Remy Battery

Also, while you are ordering from Remy, I found that their group 31 battery to be the lowest cost solution ($8.44!!!) to house the battery (a $100 battery cage is NOT needed!!): Steel Battery Tray (13") - Remy Battery

Post converters screwed in (and extra converters) and the battery tray:


Size comparison between the Odyssey 31M vs the stock Panasonic:


Once you removed the factory battery and the whimpy plastic tray, the new steel tray fits right in, and you can get a "M6 bolt/screw" (maybe 15mm long) and a washer to screw into a threaded hole as you can see in the picture below. Together with an aligned "hook", this tray is not going anywhere!



Unfortunately, with the added battery try, the factory "J-hooks" are not long enough to hold-down the battery, you would need some 10in hooks. You can get them from Amazon cheaply (with prime too): http://amzn.to/1PHfrFm

I am not a big fan of the "wing nut", hence, I dropped into home depot and picked up some 1/4" (IIRC) nut/washer/lock-washer for the "J-hooks". And 1 last final touch (not really necessary), is to use a bolt-cutter and trim off the extra length of the J-hook that is closer to the fuse box).

Here it is, all mounted!


SOLID and economical!!

[LawnDart]

How long did the swap take?

[jicko]

Originally Posted by LawnDart

How long did the swap take?

If you acquire all those little things listed in my post before your start the swap, the swap itself will take you like..... 15min? Everything is plug and play, fits perfectly, no wire re-routing or metal bending needed. And extra pair of hands to help lift the 75lb battery and set that in place will help tho.

Double check the nut/washer/locking-washer size by bringing the J-hook to home depot will help too.

[SKP-4R]

75lb?? Wow, thats like having an entire Chinese gymnast team under the hood.

[LawnDart]

Originally Posted by jicko

If you acquire all those little things listed in my post before your start the swap, the swap itself will take you like..... 15min? Everything is plug and play, fits perfectly, no wire re-routing or metal bending needed. And extra pair of hands to help lift the 75lb battery and set that in place will help tho.

Double check the nut/washer/locking-washer size by bringing the J-hook to home depot will help too.

Excellent. I was thinking of doing the same swap.

[RiDE]

Looks great. I'm going to go with the same setup. Thanks for the all the info. Was Amazon the cheapest you were able to find the battery?

[jicko]

Originally Posted by RiDE

Looks great. I'm going to go with the same setup. Thanks for the all the info. Was Amazon the cheapest you were able to find the battery?

Not really, but if there is any issue, Amazon will help you mitigate it, and they will pay for return shipping too. As this is an HEAVY item, I think it is worth it to go thru Amazon.

[jicko]

I want RCI's skids to protect my underbody, but I love my TRD front skid too much...... what can I do?



Thanks to Josh & RCI Metalworks, here is their solution for us!
14+ Toyota 4-Runner TRD Integration (Filler) Skid Plate

This piece of art is SUPER well made, with 1/4" aluminum (same thickness of aluminum as the TRD front skid), protecting the low hanging front differential and oil pan. (They do have a 3/16" steel version, but I chose the 1/4" aluminum for its weight benefit)










The factory front differential & oil pan skid is a joke. Yet I guess, if you have the regular factory front skid, you would damage that (and you probably would have stopped) before you hit this piece. But, if you do have the TRD Pro/TRD front skid, a rock can easily slide off the TRD skid and land on this thin, whimpy sheet metal and cause a big issue.






One of the nicest thing about the aluminum version is that it is not much heavier that that whimpy factory skid! The factory one weighted in ~7lb, while the ultra strong RCI's AL version weighted in only ~9lb!!








Some other worthy to note features:
- welded bolt protection rings for bolt protection
- access port for the oil pan (adding a Fumoto valve maybe good)
- the front plate edge sits about 1/8" lower than the TRD skid, so there is no bad edge to catch
- aluminum will not rust, no painting/rustoleum needed
- the whole installation took me like 15minutes only, everything just plug and play; I didn't even have to jack up the car
- seamless integration with other RCI skids; their transmission skid will slide underneath and behind this and bolt to the same 2 bolts, and their transfer-case skid will follows too.


IMO, if you have a TRD Pro or have a TRD Front Skid, you'd WANT this TRD Integration (Filler) Skid Plate!


** RCI GB upcoming.... LOL **
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/group-...ll-2015-a.html

[Sarethx]

Awesome stuff you have done.

Any chance we can get a shot of those DRL Leds in daylight? I also didn't see if you followed up about the regular DRLs having to remain on or not when active. I would assume not since these have their own button.
I am debating on new fogs and these were the ones I been eyeballing but haven't really seen any good shots of them on peoples vehicles.

Thanks!

[hamburglar210]

This is a great thread, thanks for all the detail. I'm sad to say that work now blocks the pictures after your June 27th update so I'll have to actually get stuff done and browse at home now haha

[Arttieboy]

Originally Posted by jicko

Actually, I found it quite distracting....... too many colors.... and especially the bright green (cannot be dimmed down) "ECO" light....

Eco light can be turned off in the settings menu