Nothing exciting, but a few updates.
My Optima Red Top started acting up. Didn't seem to ever fully charge, and would really struggle if the truck sat for a few days, or after several consecutive starts in a short period of time. It was about 8 years old, and I believe it was manufactured after Optima's prime. Nevertheless, served me well.
I've heard good things about the Duralast Platinum, and Sears always has sales and coupons, so that is what I went with.
During disassembly I found a lot of corrosion inside the + terminal clamp. It wasn't visible from the outside. In fact I couldn't even get anything in there to break it loose. I disassembled the clamp and soaked it in baking soda. It looked brand new after that. Reassembled with a bit of dielectric grease. That was likely the problem, but I already had a new battery by this point. Oh well.
Everything always turns into more of a project though. The aftermarket battery box I had was specifically for an Optima battery. The new Duralast did not fit securely in the box. I could've modified it and bent up a new lid etc. But Ballistic makes a box specifically for the Duralast. AND...It has a skull on it!!! :evil: That is at least +50hp right there! Couldn't pass it up.
Ballistic 34/78 Die Hard/Odyssey DT Battery Box
So, what I thought was going to be a 20 min battery swap turned into a long drawn out project of ordering, waiting, uninstalling, painting, installing, etc, etc.
Here is the result:
I also finally got around to replacing the rear body mounts. The factory body mounts have a lot of movement and allows for a lot of frame vs body twist when all flexed out. I realized this from some bumper contact on the body, and also the temporary dynamat I put over my in-cargo coilover mounts was nearly ripped off during my last offroad trip. Evident there is a lot of movement.
Sonoran Steel makes a bolt in polyurethane replacement. I seemed to remember some mixed reviews of these in the past but I went ahead and gave 'em a shot. These:
Rear 4Runner Polyurethane Body Mounts (Pair) - $75.00 : Sonoran Steel, Sonoran Steel Custom Metal Fabrication L.L.C. Custom Toyota Truck Parts
They look a little taller compared to stock, but I think my 15year old 300k factory spacers were shot.
They are kind of a PITA to get out. Like most things on the truck. If you can see it, you can't reach it, and vise versa.
Here are the new ones installed, along with my 1" body lift:
A quick test drive is tough to tell much difference. Maybe a little firmer feel, but nothing magical. The real test will be this weekend at Gulches Offroad Park in SC where the truck will get plenty of opportunity to flex.
I have another update from a disaster camping trip but this post is getting long so I will pinch it off right here.
Thanks!