Gobi Ladder and Katzkin Leather Installed

[limamike]

Picked-up my truck from the leather installer this afternoon, and I wanted to share the results in case anyone else was considering a leather retrofit to their interior. I went with Car Leather Upholstery | Custom Auto Leather Interiors by Katzkin and found a local installer to do the install. The process was very simple, and a lot cheaper than the MSRP on the Katzkin website (MSRP for what I got is right around $2,300 - I paid $1,200 installed).

A couple of notes:

1. It took about a week for the leather to come in from California and a half day to install.

2. When I was selecting what I wanted from the shop the woman told me I could get pretty much whatever I wanted and it was the same price "because they have to make it anyway". So, whether I wanted inlays, piping, double stitching, etc - it didn't seem to matter on the price.

3. Quality seems very good. I only got the chance to sit on them on the ride home from the shop so far, but everything seems to fit perfectly and they're confortable. Also of note: the creases I had in my cloth seats on the outer wing are no longer there. It'll be interesting to see if they re-appear with the leather or not.

Here are some pictures:

I also installed my Gobi ladder today. My GF ordered the ladder for my birthday which was a week and a half ago. She said she ordered it two weeks before that, so it took them roughly 3.5 weeks to get it to us. I'm not sure what goes on out at Gobi, but Sandra kept telling my GF that it was "shipping today" for about a week before it actually shipped. She also ordered the beefy struts as well, but those weren't shipped for some reason.

Anyway, the ladder installed easily with one person despite the directions' recommendation of two people. It's a lot lighter than I thought it would be, and it seems to be pretty sturdy. I also checked the top plate for rubbing and it doesn't seem to be rubbing (yet).

 

[MeBe4running]

love the ladder, even more so the "Hybrid" badge! Cant wait to hear the comments and look's you get with that one!

 

[limamike]

love the ladder, even more so the "Hybrid" badge! Cant wait to hear the comments and look's you get with that one!

I completely stole the idea from Joneseyyy. I think it'll even be better once I get the lift and 285s on!

 

[limamike]

I installed the beefy struts this afternoon. They are VERY easy to install, and it took less than 5 minutes total from the time I took them out of the box.

A couple of things to note that others may or may not have mentioned:

1. In reality, I only *needed* 1 strut to successfully fix the sag issue. I installed the driver side strut first and it immediately was strong enough to lift the gate all the way. However, the OCD in me kicked-in, and I needed the symmetry, so I installed the second one.

2. Pushing the tailgate up as far as it will go (even hyper extending it) helps significantly during install.

3. The Gobi ladder now makes positive contact with the Bajarack Utility Rack. It hasn't caused any immediate damage yet because it seems to be a good angle for the ladder to shear over the rack with very little friction. But, I imagine it'll scrape powdercoat after a while. Not sure if I'm going to worry about it or just let it go. If I come-up with a clean looking solution to prevent the damage I'll likely fix it. But, putting electrical tape up there will bother me more than the damage. Perhaps I can find a thin adhesive rubber to put over the contact points.

Video of it opening with the new struts and contact with Bajarack Utility Rack: Gobi Rack w/beefy struts on Vimeo

 

[MeBe4running]

Latest news on GOBI ladder plate... CLICK LINK...

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/108828-new-final-gobi-ladder-plate.html

 

[Mick1]

Wow, watching that video it looked like the door / ladder pushed the rack down in the last seconds. Or the ladder moving in some way. It might have been the camera moving though, I could not tell.

Any update? Did the new mount that was linked in the last post get installed? Any difference in fitment?

Where would the standard position for auxiliary backup lights be positioned on the rear of the rack? Would it interfere with where the ladder is intersecting?

The reason I ask is because I have a Baja Flat on order and ordered it with the optional rear light mounts....

I am slightly interested in the ladder, but don't want more headaches than it is worth

 

[Jeremy556]

Nice larue sticker

 

[limamike]

Wow, watching that video it looked like the door / ladder pushed the rack down in the last seconds. Or the ladder moving in some way. It might have been the camera moving though, I could not tell.

Any update? Did the new mount that was linked in the last post get installed? Any difference in fitment?

Where would the standard position for auxiliary backup lights be positioned on the rear of the rack? Would it interfere with where the ladder is intersecting?

The reason I ask is because I have a Baja Flat on order and ordered it with the optional rear light mounts....

I am slightly interested in the ladder, but don't want more headaches than it is worth

The rack does indeed move down when the door is at full extension (goes to show how strong those struts really are). I am *very* happy with the beefy struts. They seem to be overall better quality than the OEM, and they actually close easier than the OEM struts as well.

The plate I received was actually the finalized plate, so I didn't need to install a new one. I have no rubbing issues at all with the ladder other than on my Baja Rack. I put some black rescue tape at one point on the rack where there was visible rubbing. Rescue tape is thick enough that it absorbs all of the ladder, so there is no powdercoat on powdercoat rubbing now.

I'm not 100% certain on where the auxiliary lights mount on the Baja since I did not get the light tabs in the back as an option. However, based on where I assume they would be you will likely have contact between where the lights are supposed to mount and the ladder since the width of the ladder is nearly as wide as the rack where it extends beyond the shark fin. Without lights it's not really an issue.

Good luck with your new rack, I'm sure you'll love it!

 

[JohnnyT]

The leather work looks fantastic. I know time will tell on the quality, but right now it seems very well done.

Does anyone know of any place in New Jersey that does leather upholstery work like this??

 

[ThirdToy]

The new leather seats look awesome! Nicely done with the two tone leather and contradicting stitching. :cheers:

 

[limamike]

The leather work looks fantastic. I know time will tell on the quality, but right now it seems very well done.

Does anyone know of any place in New Jersey that does leather upholstery work like this??

I really like it so far. The best part about it is that I don't get shocked like an idiot every time I get out of the truck now.

I went here: How to Buy | 3 Simple Steps to Buying Katzkin Leather Interiors and clicked on the link on the bottom "not in the market for a new vehicle", filled-in my details, and they got back to me with a local shop in about 24 hours.

 

[Mick1]

I don't see the struts listed on the website.

How much were they. Is there an option to buy just one?

Heck, I don't even see the price for the ladder. How much does it run?

 

[limamike]

I don't see the struts listed on the website.

How much were they. Is there an option to buy just one?

Heck, I don't even see the price for the ladder. How much does it run?

They aren't listed; you have to call Sandra at Gobi (do not bother with email) to order the struts and the ladder. Price on the ladder is ~$219 and price for the struts is $99. Someone on this forum quoted a higher price for the struts, but my girlfriend purchased them for $99. You'll have to ask Gobi if you can buy just one strut. I think there only two or three of us on here that have the beefy struts thus far, and I believe all of us bought the pair.