LawnDart's Build Thread

[TerraCrawler]

Does anyone know how the electrical is ran for the outside lights, I can't see any wires!

 

[gm350reratliff]

I plan to eventually run 2x Rock Monsters on the trailer, but the spare will always be a non-bead lock. I just think the weight is too much for the tailgate design in it's current configuration. I'm talking PURELY about the tailgate, it just sags enough that adding additional weight would be asking for trouble, and then to add a beadlock to the tire carrier would be asking for either the tailgate and/or the tire carrier to fail.

We'll see how this new tire carrier does, this time we're using hex heads and loctite!

You would still possibly run into trouble if you were to have a flat and had to mount the flat tire w/bead locks on the tailgate carrier.

 

[happy4runner]

You would still possibly run into trouble if you were to have a flat and had to mount the flat tire w/bead locks on the tailgate carrier.

Well... With the Rock Monster's he could separate the wheel and tire then toss the tire on the roof rack. Or he could autograph the tire and leave it with gps coordinates for a lucky lawndart fan[emoji137]

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[LawnDart]

You would still possibly run into trouble if you were to have a flat and had to mount the flat tire w/bead locks on the tailgate carrier.

I could ya know...also throw the tire in the back of the utility trailer.

 

[LawnDart]

So we just had NW Overland Rally up in Plain, WA (fierce rival of Boring, OR), and I guess I was the only one ballsy (read: stupid) enough to run the technical course with the XV3. We did it, thanks to having 3 awesome ex-camel trophy spotters, but it shows what a trailer can do if you go slow and think through the terrain:

 

[TerraCrawler]

Does anyone know how the electrical is ran for the outside lights, I can't see any wires!

[MENTION=124732]LawnDart[/MENTION] ? Specifically I know you got the dual mode top light, so my understanding is thats two connectors. Did you use like a splitter and run both amber and white light off a single switch? did you run all wires down a single A-piller or split them? And then the work lights off the back of the 4runner, are they ran to the front and down A-piller to? It just seems like thats a lot of wires, so curious if you drilled or how you did that.

 

[LawnDart]

[MENTION=124732]LawnDart[/MENTION] ? Specifically I know you got the dual mode top light, so my understanding is thats two connectors. Did you use like a splitter and run both amber and white light off a single switch? did you run all wires down a single A-piller or split them? And then the work lights off the back of the 4runner, are they ran to the front and down A-piller to? It just seems like thats a lot of wires, so curious if you drilled or how you did that.

My light up top isn't dual mode. It's single activation. I have two power setups, one for the rear top lights, one for the top main bar.

 

[LawnDart]

Well, had to do two emergency repair work on the truck before I go and run Baja for Trail of Missions, basically one of the lower control arm bushings went bad, likely a combination of being over-greased and the alignment shop basically doing a bad job, which put a shearing force causing the bushing to rip. Easily fixed.

The other one was this horrible knocking/popping that happened off the line or during sharp braking. I double checked the LCA bolts, and the alignment shop always sets them way under the factory 129ft/lbs, but that wasn't the problem. Then I realized the knock was coming from the rear. My first thought was a driveline issue.

What it ended up being was the factory bolts for the upper links are slightly too thin a diameter for the sleeves inside the bushings. So you'd get a lot of forward and back play when starting and stopping. We ended up machining new sleeves, and using better hardware and the issue went away.

Now it's time to put 2400 miles of Baja on the truck!

 

[greatape]

Well, had to do two emergency repair work on the truck before I go and run Baja for Trail of Missions, basically one of the lower control arm bushings went bad, likely a combination of being over-greased and the alignment shop basically doing a bad job, which put a shearing force causing the bushing to rip. Easily fixed.

The other one was this horrible knocking/popping that happened off the line or during sharp braking. I double checked the LCA bolts, and the alignment shop always sets them way under the factory 129ft/lbs, but that wasn't the problem. Then I realized the knock was coming from the rear. My first thought was a driveline issue.

What it ended up being was the factory bolts for the upper links are slightly too thin a diameter for the sleeves inside the bushings. So you'd get a lot of forward and back play when starting and stopping. We ended up machining new sleeves, and using better hardware and the issue went away.

Now it's time to put 2400 miles of Baja on the truck!

Enjoy! Rip the tip while down there...

 

[Cougar House]

Epic looking 4Runner

 

[LawnDart]

Day 1 of Baja is complete. I have broken shit. But the truck is kicking ass. I am absolutely destroying my fender flares with my 35s and broke my rear bumper on the washboards. But as the only Toyota on this trip I am doing my best to keep up with the raptors.

 

[ADK Explorer]

Day 1 of Baja is complete. I have broken shit. But the truck is kicking ass. I am absolutely destroying my fender flares with my 35s and broke my rear bumper on the washboards. But as the only Toyota on this trip I am doing my best to keep up with the raptors.

Video link or it didn't happen. lol

 

[LawnDart]

Video link or it didn't happen. lol

September on ABC sports is when the show airs. Hopefully I don't roll the truck in the next 8 days.

 

[LawnDart]

So very hard to describe the last two days. I did 90mph down the Mexican highway, on tires at 20 psi, bombed through silt that moves like water, and basically bombed towards a mission that's 400 years old on roads going 70mph.

Overland driving is so utterly tame compared to this. I can't wait to show you what we're doing

 

[Tlowe]

So very hard to describe the last two days. I did 90mph down the Mexican highway, on tires at 20 psi, bombed through silt that moves like water, and basically bombed towards a mission that's 400 years old on roads going 70mph.

Overland driving is so utterly tame compared to this. I can't wait to show you what we're doing

The XV3 is still in tow right? How's that holding up to the abuse?


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[LawnDart]

The XV3 is still in tow right? How's that holding up to the abuse?


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Negative. No way I'd want to pull that at the speeds we're tackling terrain at.

 

[J-BlickPhoto]

Have fun in Baja! It's a great trip! Jon and I had a blast last year. It's definitely a ringer for any vehicle. Everyone has to remember that no one drives normal speeds down there...you're on a trip with Baja legends in the race community. Guys that have won the Baja 1000 several times. On most occasions Oren was aired down to 15psi and we were doing 85-90mph on 40's....on pavement, dirt roads, beaches, and silt traps. It was RAD! You're putting that 4runner through hell, but it's all worth it!

 

[Airgazm]

This looks like a blast. So I watched this video, your basically doing the same thing/route but in vehicles? Ending at the same Mission?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWThYCmartI

 

[ECUDrummer]

Have fun in Baja! It's a great trip! Jon and I had a blast last year. It's definitely a ringer for any vehicle. Everyone has to remember that no one drives normal speeds down there...you're on a trip with Baja legends in the race community. Guys that have won the Baja 1000 several times. On most occasions Oren was aired down to 15psi and we were doing 85-90mph on 40's....on pavement, dirt roads, beaches, and silt traps. It was RAD! You're putting that 4runner through hell, but it's all worth it!

Holy good Christ, these pictures.

 

[ADK Explorer]

Uh oh ! I see a Hammers worthy tube crawler in someones future.