Peakbagger
New member
Thanks
Thank you for your service. Let me know if you're ever out in Cali. We'll hit some trails.
Thank you for your service. Let me know if you're ever out in Cali. We'll hit some trails.
T4R Trey's build thread.
- Thread starter T4R Trey
- Start date
Progress at last!!!
Kira finally made some progress! I received my wheels from FN Wheels and my Gobi rack from Trail Duty within two days of each other. Go time!
I decided to go ahead and install the rack myself because, well, I was bored. A few hours of wrenching in the driveway and it was done. I will say that while removing the factory roof rack be VERY careful. The instructions I found said to lay a rag between your pry tool (flathead screwdriver) and the body of the truck to protect it. This is NOT enough. I put small dents in my roof line at all of the bolt/cover locations. I'm super annoyed by this and sadly they're so small I didn't notice right away to prevent denting the others after I did the first one. I'd say use a magazine or piece of cardboard instead. Anyways, aside from that and my hands hurting from wrenching in the 35 degree weather, the install was pretty easy to do. The only time I needed help was carrying the new rack over the top of the vehicle to rest it on the mounts.
Another thing worth noting is that when I ordered the rack from Trail Duty I simply ordered the Rigid 40" curved RDS LED bar. what I received instead was the "Midnight Edition" of the aforementioned LED bar. I'm SUPER excited about that fact. It's not what I asked for, it's better IMO. That being said, electricity scares me so I have NO intention of installing it myself.
I decided that despite my lack of experience with installing suspension, I valued the idea of familiarizing myself with my truck enough to take a crack at it myself. I then loaded Kira up with the ICON suspension, new wheels and tires, and a plethora of tools and made the 100 mile drive back to my hometown to my big brother's house in order to install the suspension with him and our dad.
We followed the instructions found on this forum for installing lifts on KDSS equipped runners posted in 2013 by [MENTION=85512]eddiebx[/MENTION]. His thread combined with the other one he links to were both really helpful. One major thing that stumped me was a step where he disconnected a steering stabilizer. I had a lot of trouble finding it on my truck since it doesn't exist on mine! :doh: Another issue we had was that his thread makes no mention of replacing upper control arms, so we had to wing it with the provided instructions from ICON which were barely a grade above useless IMO. We got it done...in about 8 hours...
The lift installation was an ABSOLUTE S.O.B. on the front end. The rear end was a breeze. Once it was finished, the alignment was off pretty badly. Not too surprising. The wheels appeared to have a noticeable positive camber and were also toed in.
Now, Kira is going to the shop in the morning to have the alignment sorted out and to get my light bar installed by someone who isn't me. This time tomorrow She'll be totally finished...until I undoubtedly decide to do something else.
Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Photos.
Kira finally made some progress! I received my wheels from FN Wheels and my Gobi rack from Trail Duty within two days of each other. Go time!
I decided to go ahead and install the rack myself because, well, I was bored. A few hours of wrenching in the driveway and it was done. I will say that while removing the factory roof rack be VERY careful. The instructions I found said to lay a rag between your pry tool (flathead screwdriver) and the body of the truck to protect it. This is NOT enough. I put small dents in my roof line at all of the bolt/cover locations. I'm super annoyed by this and sadly they're so small I didn't notice right away to prevent denting the others after I did the first one. I'd say use a magazine or piece of cardboard instead. Anyways, aside from that and my hands hurting from wrenching in the 35 degree weather, the install was pretty easy to do. The only time I needed help was carrying the new rack over the top of the vehicle to rest it on the mounts.
Another thing worth noting is that when I ordered the rack from Trail Duty I simply ordered the Rigid 40" curved RDS LED bar. what I received instead was the "Midnight Edition" of the aforementioned LED bar. I'm SUPER excited about that fact. It's not what I asked for, it's better IMO. That being said, electricity scares me so I have NO intention of installing it myself.
I decided that despite my lack of experience with installing suspension, I valued the idea of familiarizing myself with my truck enough to take a crack at it myself. I then loaded Kira up with the ICON suspension, new wheels and tires, and a plethora of tools and made the 100 mile drive back to my hometown to my big brother's house in order to install the suspension with him and our dad.
We followed the instructions found on this forum for installing lifts on KDSS equipped runners posted in 2013 by [MENTION=85512]eddiebx[/MENTION]. His thread combined with the other one he links to were both really helpful. One major thing that stumped me was a step where he disconnected a steering stabilizer. I had a lot of trouble finding it on my truck since it doesn't exist on mine! :doh: Another issue we had was that his thread makes no mention of replacing upper control arms, so we had to wing it with the provided instructions from ICON which were barely a grade above useless IMO. We got it done...in about 8 hours...
The lift installation was an ABSOLUTE S.O.B. on the front end. The rear end was a breeze. Once it was finished, the alignment was off pretty badly. Not too surprising. The wheels appeared to have a noticeable positive camber and were also toed in.
Now, Kira is going to the shop in the morning to have the alignment sorted out and to get my light bar installed by someone who isn't me. This time tomorrow She'll be totally finished...until I undoubtedly decide to do something else.
Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. Photos.
Attachments
DesertFish
New member
Nice truck, nice Danes.
Thanks! I'll post some photos tomorrow night or the next day after I get her back and she's all done with the light bar and everything. Probably a wash too! :cheers:
I went with black after all. Chickened out on the bronze.
As for what's next, I'm not sure...
I need some waterproof storage boxes that will work well with the rack for camping/adventures but I haven't found anything I like yet., nor have I extensively researched it. I don't like the look of the aerodynamic style ones. I also need some decent tie downs. Haven't bought those yet either.
I also like the idea of tinting the windows, low-pro winch bumpers, and the Console Vault.
Vinsil
New member
Darn. I can't help with the storage..I know rotopack offers a flat storage bin but it's super small...good for a med kit?
VolksDragon
New member
VERY nice!
Love the wheel / tire combo and the general direction you're heading, looking good.
I'm on the job in CO, let me know if you're ever out this way and I'll make sure you have a place to stay and some wheeling to do! Stay safe, good sir.
Love the wheel / tire combo and the general direction you're heading, looking good.
I'm on the job in CO, let me know if you're ever out this way and I'll make sure you have a place to stay and some wheeling to do! Stay safe, good sir.
I'll actually be there next week, although sadly, not with my rig. I'll be running around with a couple buddies for a few days.
I appreciate the offer though! Stay safe.
Here is a photo of Kira now that she's all done. I'm dealing with some tire rub issues. Removal of the mud flaps made the proper clearance for when I'm going forward. However, I'm rubbing on the actual bumper when going in reverse. By that I mean the actual gloss black finished portion of the bumper, not just the fender liner. The only solution that's obvious to me is to cut a portion of the lower inside portion of the bumper away with a Dremel tool? I took some photos to gather opinions from you guys before I perform impromptu surgery on her. Also, will my clearance be good when the suspension is flexing or will I require more modifications to the fender area before being able to play off road with her? For some reason despite trying several times I can't seem to get these photos to not being turned sideways. I hope y'all don't mind. Thanks in advance for any wisdom.
