[SOcalTRAIL]

Miscellaneous stuff:

Waterjet cutting my FireStick Mounting plate for the rack




The original top hat coil spring spacers I machined for the rear - since replaced with 2" lift Icon springs


Gobi Stealth Rack unboxing!


TRT rescue Hatched mounted in the rear with QuickFists


Some little brackets I fabricated for the rear 6" Rigid lights


Welding


As she sits today, freshly returned from a nice 4x4 trip, brush scratches and all!

[Bourbonator]

Are you looking for an apprentice?




No seriously, I'll send you my resume



Your truck is a work of art, I applaud you.

[Hbryanlopez]

nicely done, so professional.

[hugo2go]

Super clean and detailed build...... just in awe.

[SOcalTRAIL]

Thank you! Its a fun project.... even better when you get it out on the trails and it performs how it looks!

[deejayshag]

Originally Posted by SOcalTRAIL

V-Leds Strip lights used for "rock" lights

AHA! So, that's where you ran the LED strips!

I thought about installing mine there, but was afraid that I'd lose too much light, since they wouldn't be facing straight down. After seeing your spaceship lighting pics, I don't need to worry about light loss from that location.

Thank you for the inspiration.

Awesome ride, btw.

[SOcalTRAIL]

Originally Posted by deejayshag

AHA! So, that's where you ran the LED strips!

I thought about installing mine there, but was afraid that I'd lose too much light, since they wouldn't be facing straight down. After seeing your spaceship lighting pics, I don't need to worry about light loss from that location.

Thank you for the inspiration.

Awesome ride, btw.

Yup, thats where they go. Nice and safe spot for em. I've had quite a few questions about em through PM's. Here are some answers:

Do they get dirty?
Sure, but never too dirty to obstruct the light. run it through the car wash and they clean off. The pic taken shows how dirty they get after not washing my truck for a month and two decent 4x4 trips.

Where did you get the strip LEDS?
Got em from V-Leds.com

Wont the tape come loose?
Naw, I doubt it, its high quality 3M tape on the back of the strip, I cleaned the surface with acetone and they are on there pretty good.

How bright are they?
VERY VERY BRIGHT.... IE. SPACESHIP

How long are they?
Can't give an exact dimension now, I ordered 6' sections, you can cut them to any length you want.

How much current do they draw?
Havn't calculated it out, but very little.

Hope that helps out!

[SOcalTRAIL]

Note to self - stop driving truck through bushes....

Took almost 8 hours this weekend to wet sand and buff out the brush scratches. On the bright side, the paint looks absolutely beautiful now!!!!



HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!!!!!

[HappyTrails]

Amazing work on your rig, everything looks so clean. I love all the LED's!

I am going to be doing some similar mods soon, thanks for the inspiration

Nice job on that paint, can't even tell you had scratches there

[SOcalTRAIL]

Originally Posted by HappyTrails

Amazing work on your rig, everything looks so clean. I love all the LED's!

I am going to be doing some similar mods soon, thanks for the inspiration

Nice job on that paint, can't even tell you had scratches there

Thank you sir. Good luck on your build, feel free to PM me with any questions!

[bQ!]

I hate you right now! Your TE is everything (and some) that I want mine to be. Any plans for the bumper?

[SOcalTRAIL]

Originally Posted by bQ!

I hate you right now! Your TE is everything (and some) that I want mine to be. Any plans for the bumper?

Thanks!

I was planning on building my own bumper but after seeing MeBe4Running's HeftyFab rear bumper, I'm dammmm tempted to order one up. If I build one, it will use their design heavily as inspiration.

For front bumpers, there isnt much out there the tickles my twinky... I will probably end up building my own but go a more "baja" / "pre-run" style.

[mtbnole]

holy crap! you are my new hero. What is it that you do that you have access to a waterjet??!

oh, and how did you get the stratches out of the plastic fender flares?

[FatDave]

You have mad fabrication skills dude. Consider me subscribed.

[SOcalTRAIL]

Originally Posted by mtbnole

holy crap! you are my new hero. What is it that you do that you have access to a waterjet??!

oh, and how did you get the stratches out of the plastic fender flares?

Precision sheet metal fab, aerospace stuff. That water jet is our best friend. One of those machines is like having a half dozen highly skilled guys who can sit there and work for 10 hours a day straight through. That said, there is a fair bit of maintenance that comes with it but all in all, its a great machine and for doing little projects like building brackets, tabs, mounts, etc. for the truck... its a godsend.


For the scratches on the flares.... well.... I tried out Mother's Back to Black which worked out well and more or less masks the scratches. But I have found that just regular Mother's Protectant works great to hide em. After you coat them, wipe the excess off and from 5 feet away you can't really see the scratches anymore. I figure once I get em scratched up enough I will Line-X them.