Desert Dawg build...what a switch!

[Desert Dawg]

I got my T4R.ORG forum stickers today thanks to [MENTION=165]momo.75[/MENTION].

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gener...rder-your-toyota-4runner-org-decals-here.html





Sorry it's not a pic of my rig crawling off-road yet, but it's the little things too...lol.

 

[bimrunner]

I got my T4R.ORG forum stickers today thanks to [MENTION=165]momo.75[/MENTION].

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gener...rder-your-toyota-4runner-org-decals-here.html


Sorry it's not a pic of my rig crawling off-road yet, but it's the little things too...lol.

Just be careful. Not sure if you know but that sticker does add about 50 HP. Just so you aren't alarmed, I thought I should tell ya.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Just be careful. Not sure if you know but that sticker does add about 50 HP. Just so you aren't alarmed, I thought I should tell ya.

Thanks...I thought as much so really made sure I eased it slowly back into the garage. :biggrin2:

 

[GSPRunner]

Sweet rig Sir. I just purchased a Magnetic Gray Trail Premium last night. Sadly I have to wait until the end of the month for it to land at the dealer but while waiting I can look to builds like yours for ideas/inspiration. I think yours is one of my favorite 2014s yet.

 

[Desert Dawg]

Sweet rig Sir. I just purchased a Magnetic Gray Trail Premium last night. Sadly I have to wait until the end of the month for it to land at the dealer but while waiting I can look to builds like yours for ideas/inspiration. I think yours is one of my favorite 2014s yet.

Thanks GSPRunner!

Congrats on your new 4Runner! I feel your pain in having to wait until end of the month to get your new truck though....waiting drives me nuts...lol!

 

[Desert Dawg]

Finally did my fire extinguisher mount in the rear cargo area:

 

[Desert Dawg]

While I still haven't resolved my spare tire issue (just ordered a Cooper ST MAXX in a 255/80R17 size to fit the spare tire rim), I don't want to be off road and not have the means to repair/deflate/inflate my tires.

My original plan was to find a small but moderately powerful (+2 CFM) air compressor and hard mount it within my engine bay. I am building a daily driver/weekend trail vehicle versus a hardcore crawler or off-roader, and so have no plans for aftermarket lockers, air tools, etc. and therefore no need for a full compressed air tank. But I want to be able to re-air a tire or two within a reasonable time frame without having to wait for cool down periods per tire.

Once I looked into it, I realized that taking hot air from the engine bay is not good for the compressor and will probably contribute to decreased life (although not sure how logical of a thought that is considering how infrequently I will be using it). Also, it occurred to me that I might be better served to have the ability to transfer my air compressor between vehicles rather than having one hard mounted in just mine (although the idea is still appealing).

So I purchased a tire repair kit and picked up a VIAIR 400P portable air compressor that delivers 2.54 CFM and good up to 150 PSI max. pressure with 40 mins. of continuous use. The unit is mounted on an anti-vibration tray and includes direct heavy-duty dual battery clamps with 40-amp inline fuse.



The system also comes with quick disconnect air hose and tire gun with 200 PSI gauge, and assorted accessories, all contained in a nice storage bag with additional pockets.



I thought I was going to with an ARB compressor but the smaller units actually had less CFM and were more suited for use with air tanks and lockers. You can get units that deliver higher CFM and/or increased duty cycles, but they are also notably larger and much heavier than I cared for. In doing my research, I found that VIAIR had a lot of highly rated reviews which helped in my decision to go with another brand. So this unit suites me for my needs and provides reasonably fast tire inflation (inflate 35-inch tires in under 5 mins. which is just fine for my 33-inch tires).

 

[harkco]

So how are you liking the curved light bar? I was curious about the light output. Also curious as to how you had it wired up in the dash.

 

[Desert Dawg]

So how are you liking the curved light bar? I was curious about the light output. Also curious as to how you had it wired up in the dash.

I don't have any input on the light bar yet as I have not gotten very far with my decision on how I want to run my wiring. I definitely don't want to go through the roof, so I am going to have to run the wires through the roof rack to the rear and then somehow through the hatch and down into the floor, or figure out a way to enter through the front and down along the A-pillar.

I have read a few threads on the forum on how others have done theirs so getting some good tips there. I did purchase a higher quality KC 40 amp relay to replace the one that came with the wiring harness, and I purchased another Daystar rocker switch to replace the crappy one that came with the harness. But I am making an effort to have the wiring done by the end of the week so hopefully can contribute some review and pics then.

 

[Ducmonsta]

So I purchased a tire repair kit and picked up a VIAIR 400P portable air compressor that delivers 2.54 CFM and good up to 150 PSI max. pressure with 40 mins. of continuous use. The unit is mounted on an anti-vibration tray and includes direct heavy-duty dual battery clamps with 40-amp inline fuse.

I hope you were not misled by a salesman. The duty cycle of your 400 is 33%. Which translates to about a 3 minute run time with 7 minute cool down. Translate that to an hour of use and now you can run the compressor for 19 mins with about 40 mins of rest. Granted, for your purposes it will suit you fine. But I wouldn't run the compressor for extended periods of time or you'll shorten the lifespan of the motor.

 

[bimrunner]

I hope you were not misled by a salesman. The duty cycle of your 400 is 33%. Which translates to about a 3 minute run time with 7 minute cool down. Translate that to an hour of use and now you can run the compressor for 19 mins with about 40 mins of rest. Granted, for your purposes it will suit you fine. But I wouldn't run the compressor for extended periods of time or you'll shorten the lifespan of the motor.

This. The 450P is 100% duty cycle and is the one I have as backup and the one I keep in my 80 since it doesn't have onboard air. [MENTION=107769]Desert Dawg[/MENTION], can you return it for the 450P? It's a great compressor.

 

[Desert Dawg]

I hope you were not misled by a salesman. The duty cycle of your 400 is 33%. Which translates to about a 3 minute run time with 7 minute cool down. Translate that to an hour of use and now you can run the compressor for 19 mins with about 40 mins of rest. Granted, for your purposes it will suit you fine. But I wouldn't run the compressor for extended periods of time or you'll shorten the lifespan of the motor.

This. The 450P is 100% duty cycle and is the one I have as backup and the one I keep in my 80 since it doesn't have onboard air. [MENTION=107769]Desert Dawg[/MENTION], can you return it for the 450P? It's a great compressor.

Thanks guys; you're right, I inadvertently left out the duty cycle on this model. No, I was not misled and I actually struggled a bit on this because they had the 450P as well. But I thought it was the tradeoff between how I would use it against carrying the additional weight and larger size. What surprised me was how much heavier and larger each step up in capacity became. I also didn't want to be stupid and rely on a Pep Boys plastic compressor...lol....so thought this was a good compromise. Maybe I didn't make such a good decision and should go back and exchange?

Edit; [MENTION=89562]bimrunner[/MENTION] - I called Desert Rat and they said no problem with an exchange, and they still have the 450P, so I am going to go back and pick that one up instead. Funny, that was what they showed me first but then I had to go over analyze everything...lol.

Thanks to [MENTION=68685]Ducmonsta[/MENTION] and [MENTION=89562]bimrunner[/MENTION] for the additional input; you guys are really helpful!

 

[harkco]

I don't have any input on the light bar yet as I have not gotten very far with my decision on how I want to run my wiring. I definitely don't want to go through the roof, so I am going to have to run the wires through the roof rack to the rear and then somehow through the hatch and down into the floor, or figure out a way to enter through the front and down along the A-pillar.

I have read a few threads on the forum on how others have done theirs so getting some good tips there. I did purchase a higher quality KC 40 amp relay to replace the one that came with the wiring harness, and I purchased another Daystar rocker switch to replace the crappy one that came with the harness. But I am making an effort to have the wiring done by the end of the week so hopefully can contribute some review and pics then.

I will be interested to see how you run your wiring, considering how clean and well thought out your build has been so far. If you want some other options as far as switches and relays go these are what I plan on using - both of which I found thanks to the awesome community on this forum....

For switches I bought these from a site called Air On Board. They fit in the existing holes in your dash and even match the illumination. The site must have problems keeping them in stock, however, because they seem to run out quite often.

I also found a really nice Fused Relay terminal that several members on here have used. The guy that builds them does an awesome job.

Anyway, just my 2 cents. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

[Jeremy556]

I don't have any input on the light bar yet as I have not gotten very far with my decision on how I want to run my wiring. I definitely don't want to go through the roof, so I am going to have to run the wires through the roof rack to the rear and then somehow through the hatch and down into the floor, or figure out a way to enter through the front and down along the A-pillar.

I ran mine along the windshield weather stripping, power on one side, ground on the other.

 

[Desert Dawg]

I will be interested to see how you run your wiring, considering how clean and well thought out your build has been so far. If you want some other options as far as switches and relays go these are what I plan on using - both of which I found thanks to the awesome community on this forum....

For switches I bought these from a site called Air On Board. They fit in the existing holes in your dash and even match the illumination. The site must have problems keeping them in stock, however, because they seem to run out quite often.

I also found a really nice Fused Relay terminal that several members on here have used. The guy that builds them does an awesome job.

Anyway, just my 2 cents. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

Thanks [MENTION=101352]harkco[/MENTION]! I checked out the Air On Board site and your're right in that those switches are not in stock. I guess I could order the "zombie" lights for my roof LED light bar but kind of hokey...although I do love to watch "The Walking Dead"...lol.

I will have to look into that fused relay terminal; really slick setup as I might add some rear lights as well. Thanks again!

 

[Jeremy556]

Thanks guys; you're right, I inadvertently left out the duty cycle on this model. No, I was not misled and I actually struggled a bit on this because they had the 450P as well. But I thought it was the tradeoff between how I would use it against carrying the additional weight and larger size. What surprised me was how much heavier and larger each step up in capacity became. I also didn't want to be stupid and rely on a Pep Boys plastic compressor...lol....so thought this was a good compromise. Maybe I didn't make such a good decision and should go back and exchange?

Edit; [MENTION=89562]bimrunner[/MENTION] - I called Desert Rat and they said no problem with an exchange, and they still have the 450P, so I am going to go back and pick that one up instead. Funny, that was what they showed me first but then I had to go over analyze everything...lol.

Thanks to [MENTION=68685]Ducmonsta[/MENTION] and [MENTION=89562]bimrunner[/MENTION] for the additional input; you guys are really helpful!

For inflating tires, I think you're better off with the 400 than the 450. While the 450 has a 100% duty cycle, it has lower CFM output. I used the exact same portable 400 kit that you have for about a year, probably refilling my tires a hundred times or more, and it never had a problem. It has a thermal shutdown if you do hit the duty cycle, but mine never did, even when filling my tires and someone else's right after.

I converted mine to an OBA and added an additional 400, both mounted under the hood behind the airbox. As far as drawing warm air from under the hood, the OBA models come with (or you can make your own) remote air inlet, which you can put anywhere you want to run line to. Being in the engine bay makes it more likely to reach thermal shutdown, but I haven't had it happen. With the dual compressors, I go from 12psi to 42psi in 120 seconds per tire (285/70/17).

 

[Desert Dawg]

I ran mine along the windshield weather stripping, power on one side, ground on the other.

Yes, I remember seeing a post of yours on this which got me thinking. I tried to peel back some of weather stripping as you suggested but got nervous about not getting it back in place so I didn't quite figure out how it would work. I think it's a great idea and one that I prefer, so have to see how you did it. Thanks!

 

[Desert Dawg]

For inflating tires, I think you're better off with the 400 than the 450. While the 450 has a 100% duty cycle, it has lower CFM output. I used the exact same portable 400 kit that you have for about a year, probably refilling my tires a hundred times or more, and it never had a problem. It has a thermal shutdown if you do hit the duty cycle, but mine never did, even when filling my tires and someone else's right after.

I converted mine to an OBA and added an additional 400, both mounted under the hood behind the airbox. As far as drawing warm air from under the hood, the OBA models come with (or you can make your own) remote air inlet, which you can put anywhere you want to run line to. Being in the engine bay makes it more likely to reach thermal shutdown, but I haven't had it happen. With the dual compressors, I go from 12psi to 42psi in 120 seconds per tire (285/70/17).

Thanks again [MENTION=78273]Jeremy556[/MENTION]! Now that you mention that, we did discuss this at Desert Rat when comparing the 400P vs. the 450P and the fact the 450P does have a lower CFM output; that also weighed into my decision. Now I am not sure what I am doing as that puts me back into my original thought process...lol. As [MENTION=68685]Ducmonsta[/MENTION] suggested, and you just confirmed, the 400P should be fine for my application.

That is an awesome setup with the dual units. When you converted your portable 400P to an OBA and added another, did you use an equalization tank for both compressors?

 

[Jeremy556]

Yes, I remember seeing a post of yours on this which got me thinking. I tried to peel back some of weather stripping as you suggested but got nervous about not getting it back in place so I didn't quite figure out how it would work. I think it's a great idea and one that I prefer, so have to see how you did it. Thanks!

I broke out the real camera to take some better pics.

The roof weather strip pulls up easily, held by clips and double sided tape at the front.

Here you can see the profile of the vertical weather strip along the windshield.

Here it goes under the plastic cover at the bottom of the windshield and into the engine bay

Please ignore the wiring mess, but this is where it's routed behind the hood strut and into relay. Still need to add loom from the relay up to where it enters the windshield weather stripping.

 

[bimrunner]

For inflating tires, I think you're better off with the 400 than the 450. While the 450 has a 100% duty cycle, it has lower CFM output. I used the exact same portable 400 kit that you have for about a year, probably refilling my tires a hundred times or more, and it never had a problem. It has a thermal shutdown if you do hit the duty cycle, but mine never did, even when filling my tires and someone else's right after.

I converted mine to an OBA and added an additional 400, both mounted under the hood behind the airbox. As far as drawing warm air from under the hood, the OBA models come with (or you can make your own) remote air inlet, which you can put anywhere you want to run line to. Being in the engine bay makes it more likely to reach thermal shutdown, but I haven't had it happen. With the dual compressors, I go from 12psi to 42psi in 120 seconds per tire (285/70/17).

There you go [MENTION=50014]Desert[/MENTION] Dog! Real life experiences cannot be beaten. I've always just been more comfortable using one with more duty cycle, but sounds like the 400P would work fine for what you want!