BannerBuilt's Build Thread

BannerBuilt · Apr 5, 2013

Howdy there folks!

I've owned Toyotas ever since I was old enough to drive, and that, coupled with my love of V8's and everything offroad, lead me to purchase a 2006 AWD Limited with 75k a couple months ago. It has the Rear Air Suspension (RAS) and XREAS, which are much more useful than other threads may lead you to believe, depending on your application. These features are extremely useful for maintaining safe handling and braking characteristics when hauling heavy loads on the rear end, as you’ll see below.

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- My first mod was to zip-tie a set of jumper cables into the area behind the right headlight, because I couldn’t find a good place in the rear cargo area, and if I ever needed to use them, I would have to pop the hood anyway.

- Second, I found a place to stuff my hitch when not in use, in the rear driver-side storage compartment, opposite of the OEM subwoofer.

- Third, being within an hour and a half of three/four (Snoqualmie is debatable) awesome skiing areas, I added a Yakima ski rack to the factory crossbars, using four of Yakima’s discontinued MightyMounts, model 10V. The rack sure came in handy, especially with a full car.

- WeatherTech floor mats (awesome for the amount of mud, sand, and snow I seem to drag into my car):

- Now, the exciting stuff: a 40” single row, spot/flood combo LED lightbar from Exploration Outfitters, mounted to the factory roof rack using about $20 worth of angle brackets and security fasteners from Home Depot:

This thing is BRIGHT. I used to have 6 KC Daylighters on my ’94 Pickup, and this thing puts them to shame. The light is much 'whiter' than the halogen bulbs, but it is more than enough to make my high beams seem about as bright as the night sights on my 1911. Without a doubt, this is the coolest accessory I have ever added to one of my vehicles. I am still toying with the idea of adding a Defiant light bar to the front, but I love the stealth look of the 40” up top, and I really don't need any more light output than this thing already provides. Install thread here.

- I like the look of having my tires be as wide as my fenders, so I bought Spidertrax wheel spacers (waiting for a sunny day to install):

- I have a dirt bike and a quad that I use regularly, but I didn’t like the hassle of storing a trailer (at my apartment), paying extra for ferry fees, having to stay out of the carpool lane, etc. An MX Hauler popped up on Craigslist a while back, and let me tell you, this thing is awesome.

A shot of just the rack (The platform moves up and down with the bottle jack, and the foot pegs of your bike get bolted down to the platform with the supplied hardware):

You should see the look on people's faces when I pass them with the Banshee on the back:

And it hauls my dirt bike great too. (On the back of my old 3rd Gen, with 3” Revtek lift and 33’s):

This is where the RAS and XREAS really comes in handy, keeping the truck level, which maintains stock braking and handling characteristics. You can see how badly the 3rd Gen is squatting in the back (a full 3” with a 250lb bike!), which makes made the handling really unstable, and had questionable effects on the brakes and ABS. With the RAS, I completely forget the bike/quad is back there.

- To level out the front end and fit 275/65-18s, a Supreme Suspensions 2” front leveling kit (I'm going to adjust the rear linkages to match as well):

- 6k LED replacement backup bulbs from VLEDS.com.

Stock filament bulb on the left, LED on the right

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In the next couple of months, I’ll be adding 275/65-18 ATs (most likely Goodyears) and a custom subwoofer box. I really like the stock JBL system, but I wanted a little extra thump, so I designed the box to fit two subs and an amp under the rear cargo deck (41”Wx 23”D x 8”). Make sure to keep tabs on this project, I have a surprise use for the storage area behind the subs!

This forum has been a fantastic source of information for me. If you have any questions about my mods, I'd be happy to answer them, or create a separate thread if needed. The 4R has been absolutely perfect for my needs, and I can't wait to share future mods!

Jcat · Apr 5, 2013

nice! There's a v6 limited at a dealership near me that's a twin to your truck but I can't freakin afford it

I like the look of that light bar though. If/when I do end up with a 4th gen that's probably gonna be my first mod. Do you have any pics of it lit up at night?

Mytoy4 · Apr 5, 2013

Very nice! Welcome

CrimsonCountry · Apr 5, 2013

Jcat said:
nice! There's a v6 limited at a dealership near me that's a twin to your truck but I can't freakin afford it

I like the look of that light bar though. If/when I do end up with a 4th gen that's probably gonna be my first mod. Do you have any pics of it lit up at night?

x2. I've considered this but wasn't sure exactly how to do it and if it would even look good. The single bar completely blends in from the front and looks almost stock. Any more pictures on exactly how you mounted it?

BannerBuilt · Apr 5, 2013

Thanks guys! I wasn't sure how the bar would look either, so I worked out a deal with Matt at Exploration Outfitters to exchange it if I didn't like the fit. This weekend I'll put together a how-to thread for the stealth light bar. It took me less than an hour to install, although I spent some time farting around with different fasteners.

The light bar is almost invisible from anywhere but the front of the vehicle, and it does not impede sunroof operation at all. I was able to plumb the wires under the windshield trim, and there were plenty of spots to mount the included relay and switch.

Stay tuned, more details later.

Red · Apr 5, 2013

Thats the same thing I was thinking about trying with a light bar but I was looking at getting a crossbar fabbed to fit into my rack system that would hold a light bar really low, close to the roof for that stealth look. I was also thinking of using a double row but that single looks good.

cant wait to see your detailed photos of that setup

CrimsonCountry · Apr 5, 2013

BannerBuilt said:
Thanks guys! I wasn't sure how the bar would look either, so I worked out a deal with Matt at Exploration Outfitters to exchange it if I didn't like the fit. This weekend I'll put together a how-to thread for the stealth light bar. It took me less than an hour to install, although I spent some time farting around with different fasteners.

The light bar is almost invisible from anywhere but the front of the vehicle, and it does not impede sunroof operation at all. I was able to plumb the wires under the windshield trim, and there were plenty of spots to mount the included relay and switch.

Stay tuned, more details later.

Great. I'm looking forward to the pictures and writeup. Its good to know it isn't too high-profile or anything. Do you have it locked in anyway?

Red said:
Thats the same thing I was thinking about trying with a light bar but I was looking at getting a crossbar fabbed to fit into my rack system that would hold a light bar really low, close to the roof for that stealth look. I was also thinking of using a double row but that single looks good.

cant wait to see your detailed photos of that setup

That's a great idea too. In that setup, you could possibly fit a double-row like you said with no more profile than this setup. Did you ever get anything made?

zopperman · Apr 6, 2013

UNDER the rear cargo area for the sub?

COOL! looks great so far man. can;t wait to see that project unfold.

BannerBuilt · Apr 6, 2013

CrimsonCountry said:
Great. I'm looking forward to the pictures and writeup. Its good to know it isn't too high-profile or anything. Do you have it locked in anyway?

That's a great idea too. In that setup, you could possibly fit a double-row like you said with no more profile than this setup. Did you ever get anything made?

I was originally going to weld together a cross brace, but after I drew one up, I realized that it would be overkill, especially since the light housing is strong enough to support itself, being a big chunk of extruded aluminum. The light housing itself is 2" tall, and because of the curvature of the roof, I only had 1.75" of space, so the bar sticks up a quarter inch over the rack. I only had to dig around at Home Depot for a few minutes till I found what I needed for mounting hardware, including the special security fasteners, so some crackhead can't just rip it off with a crescent wrench.

A double row bar is 3" tall, so it would be sticking up a full 1.25" over the stock rack. I considered this option, but a single row bar uses 5W bulbs compared to the double row using 3W bulbs, so I'm only giving up 1W of light per bulb by going with the single row bar.

I'll talk about the Rigid SR series light bar in my install thread, which is probably the best bar on the market for this application, compared to the Chinese Totron bar that I used. It's only 1.5" tall, and I think it has a higher output than even the double row Totron bar.

Cheers

BannerBuilt · Apr 6, 2013

zopperman said:
UNDER the rear cargo area for the sub?

COOL! looks great so far man. can;t wait to see that project unfold.

Haha yep, under the shelf! I want to run the setup in parallel with the OEM sub and use quick release connectors, so that I can easily remove it whenever I need to.

All I need to do now, is figure out a way hold that shelf down with some kind of lock and key...

Red · Apr 6, 2013

BannerBuilt said:
I was originally going to weld together a cross brace, but after I drew one up, I realized that it would be overkill, especially since the light housing is strong enough to support itself, being a big chunk of extruded aluminum. The light housing itself is 2" tall, and because of the curvature of the roof, I only had 1.75" of space, so the bar sticks up a quarter inch over the rack. I only had to dig around at Home Depot for a few minutes till I found what I needed for mounting hardware, including the special security fasteners, so some crackhead can't just rip it off with a crescent wrench.

A double row bar is 3" tall, so it would be sticking up a full 1.25" over the stock rack. I considered this option, but a single row bar uses 5W bulbs compared to the double row using 3W bulbs, so I'm only giving up 1W of light per bulb by going with the single row bar.

I'll talk about the Rigid SR series light bar in my install thread, which is probably the best bar on the market for this application, compared to the Chinese Totron bar that I used. It's only 1.625" tall, and has a higher output than even the double row Totron bar.

Cheers

so 40" is the ideal size for this light bar set up? maybe ill order one of those Hanma ones and try and mount it similar to yours.

having fun · Apr 6, 2013

Pretty ingenious there with your ideas, and putting them into action. I have been dwelling on making a roof rack w/ mounts, I might have to blow that off and incorporate a light myself, who knows maybe both.

Good job there Banner.

BannerBuilt · Apr 6, 2013

Red said:
so 40" is the ideal size for this light bar set up? maybe ill order one of those Hanma ones and try and mount it similar to yours.

If I remember correctly...it was just under 42" between the rails, so the 40" should fit fine. I would double check the dimensions with whoever you are buying from though, I don't trust any of the dimensioned drawings of the Chinese bars that I have seen online, unless I have talked to someone directly. For me, the Totron works great, and the pricing is extremely competitive with Hanma. The Totron from EO also comes with a wiring harness that includes a relay and switch, which is a big bonus.

momo.75 · Apr 6, 2013

Welcome! I had just been talking to a couple of members about mounting a bar like that. Glad to see it works out. Awesome!

One thing I had been curious about was wind noise over the flat face of the light bar?

BannerBuilt · Apr 6, 2013

momo.75 said:
One thing I had been curious about was wind noise over the flat face of the light bar?

Wind noise is pretty minimal...if it gets too loud, I just close the cover under the sun roof and it goes away. If that doesn't help, a little volume on the stereo never fails

.

But seriously though, I don't even notice it, because the light is located just behind the sun roof, so any turbulence is behind the driver. I'm sure the ski rack probably causes just as much, if not more, wind noise.

absolute yota · Apr 6, 2013

I bet I know what the surprise use of the storage area is. I dont want to wreck it for everyone else though.:hunter:

BannerBuilt · Apr 8, 2013

My 6k LED replacement backup bulbs came in the mail yesterday from VLEDS.com.

Stock filament bulb on the left, LED on the right

absolute yota said:
I bet I know what the surprise use of the storage area is. I dont want to wreck it for everyone else though.:hunter:

Rats! You saw right through me.

Working on the LED light bar install thread now.

absolute yota · Apr 8, 2013

The night sights on your 1911 comment gave it away. That and the storage area that screams black rifle stash spot. :AK47:

BannerBuilt · Apr 10, 2013

I walked into Car Toys today to poke around and check out some gear I had been looking at online. I told the salesman that if he could match the prices of the subs and amp I'd been looking at on Amazon, that I'd walk out with them right there. He was happy to oblige.

So now that I'm a proud owner of a 1000W Kenwood amp and two 12" Kenwood subs...does anybody have a hint as to how I can run these in parallel with my stock sub? I tried searching the forum, but I didn't see anything that explicitly walked me through it.

The amp has speaker level inputs...can I just piggy back off of the wires between my OEM amp and sub? Or do I need to piggy back on the preamp side?

Or should I just use a line out converter on the preamp side? Any help is appreciated.

JAYVEN · Apr 10, 2013

Hey BannerBuilt, hows the supreme suspension 2 inch level kit? was it hard to install? i see that you'd have to align the holes at the top and find it with the bolt rather than stick a stud through the hole like the stock top hat of the suspension. how's the ride? sorry to bombard you with all these questions but it seems that hardly anyone uses supreme suspension... Thanks in advance

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