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Thread: Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build - Big Nambe

  1. #21

    Re: Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build - Big Nambe

    Quote Originally Posted by Obi..
    Quote Originally Posted by corax
    Nice tool kit! If you don't want to give an actual price you paid for it, can I ask what the "range" was that it fell in?
    ** SNIP ** the new one was IIRC $800.

    About this...Woot Woot

    Regards,

    BWJ
    &quot;In premodern times, the courage of a leader often had to be physical. In the last 500 years it is more often moral. Moral courage is the ability to do what&#39;s right even when it is deeply unpopular, even dangerous. Courage is only found where there is the genuine possibility of loss -- loss of friends, reputation, status, power, possessions or, at the extremes, freedom or life.&quot;<br /><br />~ Mark Joseph

  2. #22

    Re: Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build - Big Nambe

    All,

    Here is the 'PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN' post. I just got back from Atomic Fabworks to start the bumper project. I only have the front bumper for now. The rear will be here soon ~ currently it is being 'tweaked' at EXO. Bumper is exceptional in every aspect - very clean and welds are bomber.










    Plan was to measure 2 Fyrlyts and the Dually D2s to see if we need to make adjustments. Holes are perfect and can accomodate a 3rd light if necessary. Fyrlyts are 150W 12v Osram bulbs ~ Will Kuhns at Sierra Expeditions carry these exclusively. He says that these new lights will throw plenty of light. He assured me that I am going to see the output and my words will be 'Holy Shiiiaaat'.


    Also putting a Rigid industries 40" E series LED light bar on the Bajarack. Atomic is now working on fabricating tabs for the LED light bar / Bajarack and spacer mounts for the Dually D2s / EXO bumper...I will post a complete review of the lights at a later time complete with photos and video ~ stay tuned.


    Going to powdercoat next week...Woot woot!

    Regards,

    BWJ
    &quot;In premodern times, the courage of a leader often had to be physical. In the last 500 years it is more often moral. Moral courage is the ability to do what&#39;s right even when it is deeply unpopular, even dangerous. Courage is only found where there is the genuine possibility of loss -- loss of friends, reputation, status, power, possessions or, at the extremes, freedom or life.&quot;<br /><br />~ Mark Joseph

  3. #23

    Expedition One (EXO) bumper is on...

    All,

    I just got my truck back from Atomic Fabworks. They installed the Expedition One front bumper with all the goods that go with it. Got the bumper back from RML powdercoating 2 weeks ago. Here is the 'pile' of goodies that needed to be installed. The guys at Atomic were great to work with, and they dove right in...


    I chose to go with powdercoating this time as opposed to Ameraguard lining. I think that this powdercoating is more robust as opposed to the PC that I got from my previous Armorology bumper. I'll see how it lasts...Anyways, onto the install...The disassembly of my OEM bumper was quite an eye opener to me - IT IS A TIN CAN. All it seemed to be was a few 10mm bolts (4x) and a bunch of plastic clips...not good. I was able to sell the OEM bumpers / mirrors / grille to an auto parts salvage yard with one phone call. The proceeds of which almost covered the cost of the rear EXO bumper...woot woot!


    The Expedition One (EXO) bumper is very stout. The frame mounting bracket and re-inforcements are well engineered. We were all impressed as to how beefy this unit truly is. Compared to the OEM bumper, there is no comparison. If I were to hit a deer with my rig, I have no doubt that I will remain a few links above said deer, literally, on the food chain. Here is the solenoid pack mounted and ready to go.


    Dream almost realized...




    Overall, Atomic was excellent in the install and wiring. I am grateful to have such a fully functional installer / fabricator in close proximity. More pics later.

    Regards,

    BWJ
    &quot;In premodern times, the courage of a leader often had to be physical. In the last 500 years it is more often moral. Moral courage is the ability to do what&#39;s right even when it is deeply unpopular, even dangerous. Courage is only found where there is the genuine possibility of loss -- loss of friends, reputation, status, power, possessions or, at the extremes, freedom or life.&quot;<br /><br />~ Mark Joseph

  4. #24

    2" shackles are on...

    All,

    Along with getting the EXO front bumper put on, I also had 2" shackles put on as well. Originally, I upgraded to Deaver-add-a-leaf springs instead of 1" blocks due to my cargo needs. After all was said and done, I sat level driving daily and 'sagged' when I towed the Sherpa II.


    I considered airbags, however, shackles seemed to be a solution with fewer headaches (moving parts) down the road. Anyway, I was able to acquire these from Coachbuilder1. He is out of Utah, and these are beefy to say the least. Here is a pictorial chronology of my rear suspension dilemma / solution...

    Stock


    Toytec Ultimate 3/1 ~ used a Deaver-add-a-leaf instead of 1" block...


    Coach's 2" shackles installed


    More eye candy...






    Ride is noticeably better than before. I have a rake now when I drive, and level / slightly raked when I tow. I may change the springs when they sag over time, however, it seems to work for right now...

    Regards,

    BWJ
    &quot;In premodern times, the courage of a leader often had to be physical. In the last 500 years it is more often moral. Moral courage is the ability to do what&#39;s right even when it is deeply unpopular, even dangerous. Courage is only found where there is the genuine possibility of loss -- loss of friends, reputation, status, power, possessions or, at the extremes, freedom or life.&quot;<br /><br />~ Mark Joseph

  5. #25

    Re: Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build - Big Nambe

    How is the throw of the large light bar being mounted so far back?

    The truck looks good.

  6. #26

    Re: Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build - Big Nambe

    Quote Originally Posted by 4x4mike
    How is the throw of the large light bar being mounted so far back?

    The truck looks good.
    The throw is better than I had anticipated. The angulation of the light coming off the CREE LED source is 10 degrees. One thing is for sure, I don't have any reflection of the hood. The reflection is behind me over the cab. The shadow caused by the bar is eliminated by the FYRLYTs and Dually D2s...

    I'll post up some night pics as soon as I can...

    Regards,

    BWJ
    &quot;In premodern times, the courage of a leader often had to be physical. In the last 500 years it is more often moral. Moral courage is the ability to do what&#39;s right even when it is deeply unpopular, even dangerous. Courage is only found where there is the genuine possibility of loss -- loss of friends, reputation, status, power, possessions or, at the extremes, freedom or life.&quot;<br /><br />~ Mark Joseph

  7. #27

    Re: Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build - Big Nambe

    All,

    Well it's been about 1 week since I had my EXO front bumper on. I am glad the front is on. Again, Atomic Fabworks did an INCREDIBLE job installing / wiring / and fabricating to make this dream a realization. EXO is currently developing a rear tire carrier for the Tundra. I may go with this as an option...

    Initially, I purchased an IBS dual battery system from Sierra Expeditions. This system is elegant in its design, and It's has been bullet proof so far. As you know, I decided to mount the auxillary battery in the bed cabinet system. I also purchased a Blue Sea systems 12 fuse block and 100 amp resetable circuit breaker.

    Note: Atomic Fabworks did the electrical wiring and I am going to meet with Steve to go over the wiring schematics / specifics soon. I am not familiar with electrical wiring, so please don't ask me questions about the ins and outs of the wiring...




    The LED lights are all wired to the auxillary while the winch and FRYLYTS are wired to the main. My lighting 'grouppo' consists of 2 FYRLYTs / 2 Rigid industries Dually D2s as fogs / a 40" Rigid LED light bar overhead on the Bajarack / and a Dually D2 diffused lens as a back up light. The light output on these lights are INSANE, however, they are different - Halogen vs. LED. I will post a comparison / night shot post soon...












    I decided to go with switches from OTRATTW. They laser cut all of their switches and they are crisp and clean. I had them mounted to a removable plate that fit into the console. The switch turns on when the interior lights are on, and the small LED indicating bar lights up when the switch is activated. I'm still working on the passenger eject button as to what to do when activated...




    There is also a Warn VR 10,000 winch with 3/8" MasterPull Superline Winchline and a Winch Stop Thimble. In case you are wondering, this is a hockey puck that I bored out. Cheap mod = $ 1.60...




    For security, I decided to use several different nuts and bolts. It's a shame that we have to spend anytime with this, however, it is a cruel, fallen world that we live in...I went with two different sized pin-in-torx screws and two different kinds of tamper resistant nuts. McMaster Carr sells these at a reasonable price. Cheaper that other retailers...






    It is a combination of these nuts and bolts that will hopefully slow the thieves down and require too much time and effort. Overall, I am pleased with how the EXO front bumper with accessories turned out. I am currently waiting for Expedition One to put the finishing touches on my rear bumper with tire carrier...

    Nights pics will come shortly...Stay tuned.

    Regards,

    BWJ
    &quot;In premodern times, the courage of a leader often had to be physical. In the last 500 years it is more often moral. Moral courage is the ability to do what&#39;s right even when it is deeply unpopular, even dangerous. Courage is only found where there is the genuine possibility of loss -- loss of friends, reputation, status, power, possessions or, at the extremes, freedom or life.&quot;<br /><br />~ Mark Joseph

  8. #28
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    Apr 2009
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    Re: Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build - Big Nambe

    everything is lookin good on that truck! Turning into a rather nice family expedition rig. You should drive it out for the Pismo Jamboree one of these years!
    - Kevin

    2018 Taco TRD Pro - 2.5" lift, 33" tires, everything else stock.
    2012 Triumph Tiger XC - Stock

  9. #29

    Re: Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build - Big Nambe

    Quote Originally Posted by Crinale
    everything is lookin good on that truck! Turning into a rather nice family expedition rig. You should drive it out for the Pismo Jamboree one of these years!
    Thanks for the kind words...I'm going to drive out to Pismo one of these years...

    Regards,

    BWJ
    &quot;In premodern times, the courage of a leader often had to be physical. In the last 500 years it is more often moral. Moral courage is the ability to do what&#39;s right even when it is deeply unpopular, even dangerous. Courage is only found where there is the genuine possibility of loss -- loss of friends, reputation, status, power, possessions or, at the extremes, freedom or life.&quot;<br /><br />~ Mark Joseph

  10. #30

    Night shots of the lights...

    All,

    Here is my attempt at some night shots for the lights. Please note that these shots are 'dimmer' due to the limitations of my camera at night. I tried to 'standardize' the shots the best that I could. I took these earlier this year. The grass is about knee high in places and the treeline is about 150 yards away...

    Driver



    Overhead



    Driver with headlights only



    Overhead with headlights only



    Driver with headlights + Rigid Industries Dually D2 fogs



    Overhead with headlights + Rigid Industries Dually D2 fogs



    Driver with headlights + Dually D2 fogs + Fyrlyts



    Overhead with headlights + Dually D2 fogs + Fyrlyts



    Driver with headlights + Dually D2 fogs + Fyrlyts + Rigid Industries 40" light bar
    **You might be able to see the reflective nature of the LED light on this shot. We had a campfire close by and the wind blew some of the smoke into the beam of the light bar (1 o'clock position from the tree). I could not see the smoke from the headlights or Fyrlyts...




    Overhead with headlights + Dually D2 fogs + Fyrlyts + Rigid Industries 40" light bar.
    **I have reflection on my roof, however, this is not an issue to me at all. I do lose a little light from the position of the light bar, however, I believe this to be minimal, and I don't have to deal with glare on the hood...




    Outside the driver's door


    My impressions so far...

    1) The combination of halogen (headlight / Fyrlyt) and LED (Dually D2 fogs / 40" light bar) needs some getting used to. The halogen lights seem to 'penetrate' more into the trees and surroundings while the LED light seems to be more diffused as the objects get further away. I believe that either light technology will be suitable, you just have to get used to them...

    2) LED light is more reflective. I believe this to be from the temperature of the light itself. When driving through rain, I could see the drops clearly and the direction that they are coming from. In a downpour, this may hinder visibility. Having said that, this issue can be minimized by the use of the clip on filters that Rigid offers. It is significantly better with the amber filters on. I have not tried the blue filters at this time though.

    3) Fyrlyts are bright as well. I had these set on the 'flood' setting. These lights put out some heat, you can feel the heat standing 8-10 feet away. One issue with the Fyrlyt is that there is a small leak on one of them. Fyrlyt has addressed this issue and is sending me 2 pair of seals from a new manufacturer.

    I am blessed to be able to have both technologies on my rig. I will never be in want for more lighting.

    Regards,

    BWJ
    &quot;In premodern times, the courage of a leader often had to be physical. In the last 500 years it is more often moral. Moral courage is the ability to do what&#39;s right even when it is deeply unpopular, even dangerous. Courage is only found where there is the genuine possibility of loss -- loss of friends, reputation, status, power, possessions or, at the extremes, freedom or life.&quot;<br /><br />~ Mark Joseph

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