violation's 4[theDog]Runner Build and Gear Review Thread

[violation]

Sheephole Valley Wilderness Camping Trip

https://goo.gl/maps/7MWEWJ9Dvhk

Sheephole Valley Wilderness is located along the northern border of Joshua Tree National Park. Motorized vehicles and bicycles are not allowed within the Wilderness (or any other are designated as a "Wilderness"). That means this is some of the most pristine, unspoiled lands out there.

We arrived at southeastern edge of Sheephole Valley Wilderness a few minutes before 4am. I don't recommend this as there are no services open at night and without the jerry cans, I wouldn't have made it back to civilization after camping. We camped one night along the eastern border and one night along the western border of the Wilderness, and spending some time during the day hiking into the wilderness, always being careful not to lose our bearings. Watch out for rattlesnakes - I saw my first in the wild here and only after I was nearly right on top of it already. Those little suckers are seriously camouflaged, but loud when they start rattling.

This area is magnificent. We did not see another soul while camping. Dead quiet, total darkness. Referencing a darkness map, this area is also the darkest area within an easy driving distance from the Los Angeles area, which makes it a great spot for night sky viewing. You're pretty much guaranteed to see shooting stars even without a meteor shower.

The western side will appeal to the rock crawlers a bit more, though the obstacles are still pretty tame. The picture above is from a camp spot in a small canyon on the western side - it was a perfect spot, offering some shade in the day time and you can poop in private by walking around the corner.

Even in April, it was plenty hot during the day, over 90 degrees. Plan on at least 1.5 gallons of water per person/dog.

Smart dog hides under the shade during the hottest time of day. This is a spectacular area for camping and definitely worth another visit.

 

[violation]

Santiago Peak Run with OCO

This was a quick day run up to Santiago Peak. Nothing too special about this trail, but just a nice time to shoot the shit with folk and meet some new people.

OC Overland organized the day run. Was a fun time, the trail is not too difficult but there are some "play" areas off the trail to make thing look gnarly. The best thing about this area is that it is within an easy driving distance from most parts of LA.

At some point in the day though, I noticed a lot of oil/grease on the inside of one of my front tires. It looks like one of my CV axle boots sprung a leak. I was worried at first it was brake fluid, which would have been a much bigger problem. This would only required replacing the boots.

 

[violation]

I haven't been updating this thread as much as I should be but things are still happening...

Working on a new interior set-up.

 

[violation]

I realized that a build thread is more useful as a gear and component review thread rather than an installation/instruction thread, so that's what this thread will be more about from now on.

Here is an update on my Toytec suspension, describing my saga of failures and related stuff going on.

Front:

Rear:

 

[violation]

Baja XL Trip Report thread, where I glossed over a lot of detail but TL; DR: it was massive fun.

 

[violation]

Interior Set-up

Here is what the third iteration of my interior looks like:

The first iteration was simply just folding down the rear seats and throwing a bunch of gear in the back. I removed the seat bottoms for extra space but kept the seat backs so the rear seat area would be a nice flat area for my dog.

The second iteration was a sleeping platform with the rear seats removed. The sleeping platform was ditched in favor of a roof top tent (which I eventually ditched as well).

This third iteration was made specifically with the Baja XL Rally in mind. That black box in the middle sits pretty much where the seat backs once were, and were placed there so there is just enough space in the rear cargo area to fit my fridge and Camp Chef kitchen. Inside the black box were tools, spare parts and various fluids.

The main drawback is that I can no longer sleep in the truck. But at least my dog is comfortable! Plus, this platform allowed me to install d-rings wherever I needed them to tie down various pieces of equipment. I highly recommend tying down everything so nothing becomes a deadly projectile in case of an accident/rollover.

One thing I need to change it to change the piano hinge in front of the black box into a more sturdy door hinge. Some of the screws holding the piano hinge are already popping out. This hinge allows access to the floor jack area.

 

[Jahmiroquai]

Just cruised through your thread & gave you a follow on Insta. Enjoyed your build & your Baja report!

Question on your rear setup v3.0: Does the dog barrier still work with the rear seats removed? I would guess it indexes off of the plywood floor, but then you'd have to remove it every time you want to flip up the front panel?

Give a shout next time you're planning a trip in the SD area.

 

[violation]

Just cruised through your thread & gave you a follow on Insta. Enjoyed your build & your Baja report!

Question on your rear setup v3.0: Does the dog barrier still work with the rear seats removed? I would guess it indexes off of the plywood floor, but then you'd have to remove it every time you want to flip up the front panel?

Give a shout next time you're planning a trip in the SD area.

thanks! it's good to know i'm not spending time on a build thread for nothin'!

the dog barrier was actually anchored to the head rest posts of the driver's and front passenger's seat. the dog would have free reign of the rear passenger area, though he'd climb up onto my fridge and camp kitchen in the rear cargo area on occasion too.

like so:

so really all i need to do is get the dog out of the truck to get to flip up the front area.

and yea man, totally down to do a trip with you!