SOcalTrail's 2011 Trail Edition Beast Build Thread

Got some more work done this weekend.

I stitched a piece of 1x2 tubing in the front to act as a crossmember and flange for the skid plate. The skid plate ended up being a piece of 5/16" 6061 T6 which will also serve as the platform for the fuel tank. I cut out the aluminum skid as well yesterday and match drilled it to the flange (not pictured). Next step is fiddling with the spindle I bought from Comp4x4.com and fabricating the arm and swing out for the tire carrier.

Stay tuned!

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Vinyl Wrap - Trail Edition Hood

Got tired of working on the bumper so I had my lady help me out with vinyl wrapping my hood. Long story short, it was a lot more work than I thought. I think I'll stick to working with metal! It turned out great thought. I went with 3M 1080 Scotchprint in Dark Matte Grey. It matches Toyota's Mag Grey color almost like it was made this way. A couple things I learned from the experience, that vinyl is tough stuff. No need to treat it delicately. You can pull as hard as you want and get a good stretch out of it. Neat stuff really.

We started off by cleaning the hood with Dawn dish soap, drying it off and giving it a good wipe down with rubbing alcohol. Then the frustration began. Start to finish it took about 2.5 hours. Not too bad really. Next time I could probably do it in an hour and a half or so.

Hood scoop removed, hood prepped.

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The stretch.

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My assistant :cowboy:

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The end result.

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Great assistant, I'll have to talk to mine about changing her uniform when she helps (though right now that's negligible since I haven't started on mine). On a different note. Great to see the similar color match with the hood wrap, gives an idea of what mine could look like if I decide to go matte black wrap on my hood:thanks:. Awesome build definitely inspired a lot of the ideas I have in my head, now just to get the capital built up to execute.
 
I didn't like it at first but I have to say, that looks pretty sharp in the daylight.

Is there a little more gap at the base of the hood scoop now or is that just the angle?
 
Man- Looks Great!

How much of a PITA was the insert to wrap?

Did it turn out perfect like it looks in the pics, or are there corners that you, um, prefer to not take pictures of. :)

I want to do this! Nice job as always.
 
bofa said:
I didn't like it at first but I have to say, that looks pretty sharp in the daylight.

Is there a little more gap at the base of the hood scoop now or is that just the angle?
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Funny you mentioned that gap, I noticed it as well as soon as I posted that pic. I went out and checked it but everything looks normal. Guess it was just the angle and reflection.
 
When you did the wrap did you start from the middle or did you start from the side?

All this vinyl talk is making need to want to redo my wrinkled hood
 
Antman said:
Man- Looks Great!

How much of a PITA was the insert to wrap?

Did it turn out perfect like it looks in the pics, or are there corners that you, um, prefer to not take pictures of. :)

I want to do this! Nice job as always.
Click to expand...

I would recommending having a beer to calm your nerves, get a good helper who is clued into what the objective is, and give it a shot! :biggrin2:

The wrap actually turned out as perfect in person as it looks in the pics. I was pretty impressed with the ability to stretch out the wrinkles and such. I did the final trim and left about 3/8" of an inch extra all around the hood and just went around with my hand and tucked it under. The corners and edges turned out great!!

FactoryRide said:
When you did the wrap did you start from the middle or did you start from the side?

All this vinyl talk is making need to want to redo my wrinkled hood
Click to expand...

I started from the passenger side and had my girl pull up from the opposite side at about a 45 degree angle while I worked it down with a felt tipped squeegee and heat gun. Once I got the hang of it, it went pretty fast actually. I did the hood scoop last and by the time I did it, I had it all figured out so it didn't take that long.


PS - For anyone interested, here is the exact Ebay auction that I purchased the vinyl from. They have a ton of colors! Just make sure that whatever you end up with, you are getting genuine 3M 1080 vinyl.

3M 1080 Scotchprint Matte Dark Gray Vinyl Vehicle Wrap Film Sheet 5ft x 6ft M261 | eBay
 
There's wrap in that picture????....J/K, it really looks good, nice work by the both of you. Truck is looking real nice.
 
Just got the truck all loaded up, 5 days in Death Valley 4 Wheeling!!!! Lots and lots of pics to come.

In the mean time, here are some updated pics on some stuff I've been up to.

Body Mount Chop

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Rear Bumper Updates - All mounted up with the aluminum skid underneath.

And yup, the black paint is just temporary until it gets completely finished and powdercoated.

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Re located the reservoir for the front bypass shock, I had some rubbing in the spot it used to be in when the tire was at full lock.

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Cheers!



More pics to come Monday night when I get back.
 
Bumper is looking nice. My concern would be those bolts holding the skid. I see lots of rocks hitting those and rounding them off.

I hopefully will be getting my truck back on Monday!
 
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