mynameistory's not-a-build thread

No Gobi is doing them a huge favor they sell them a product....

 

how are you getting a range of 382 miles?

 

When it has a full tank it reads 425, however I'm pretty sure the range drops faster than the actual miles I drive. For example, I could drive 18 miles on a full tank and it will drop to 400.

I believe the truck projects the range based on your driving habits (this memory will reset when the battery is disconnected). I leave 5 minutes early everywhere and drive like a grandpa, which is safer, less stressful, and cheaper on gas. Someone who jabs at the pedals like Keith Moon might have a lower projected range than me.

 

damn mine has only ever read like 305 at the highest haha. i dont do a ton of highway driving, so im guessing thats why.

 

A few months ago I got it into my head that my truck simply didn't have enough overlanding points, and that the slot on the front of my roof rack looked a little empty. Let's get some lights!

There are a TON of options out there, everything from cheap eBay junk to setups that cost thousands of dollars from Baja Designs or KC HiLites. Like almost everyone, I wanted to select parts that worked for my needs (ok, nobody needs a light bar, so make that wants) and a good value for my dollar. So I ended up somewhere in the middle.



I started by figuring out what I could fit. The slot on the V2 Ecotechne racks is about 3" thick by 42" wide, and about a half inch deep. Right away, most of the big dollar bars were out. As cool as the S6 and Gravity bars are, they're simply too big and bulky to fit up there (they're also expensive and pretty overkill for my purpose). I wanted to find something that fit neatly into the slot and didn't stick out a mile. I started to look at "mid range" light bars.

I'd seen a few people run bars from ExtremeLED, and the smaller 38" bar would fit neatly. So, I ordered one to give it a shot. Shipping was fast and packaging was protective. It fit where I wanted.







However, when I did a test fit using the provided harness, I quickly realized that this wouldn't be a great solution for a roof bar. Here's my review that I left for it after returning the bar. By the way, they have an excellent support staff that processed my return quickly and were very helpful.

I bought this light with the intention of installing it on my roof rack. I know that mounting lights on the roofline comes with the risk of producing too much glare on the hood, but I decided to try due to its description as a spot pattern. However, the optics on this bar seem way too scattered to be a true narrow-angle spot. They are simply LED chips with shallow reflector cones mounted over them. I had to aim the light way too high in order to reduce hood glare to an acceptable level, making this bar less useful than I hoped. The amber end lights also didn't seem to contribute much brightness, even when used by themselves- they don't produce much "fill light" like I hoped that they would. When the center section is on, you can hardly see the ambers at all. Finally, the faceplate covers seem to be made of a phenolic style plastic, which is fine but they appear to distort a lot during assembly when looking at the bar from the side. They may be sturdy but it gives the light a cheap look.

At least the lights in the center section are bright, but I would call the overall beam pattern disorganized. While it has a lot of output, I'm not sure it's very usable for anything other than a vague flood of light. And the BRIGHT white glare on the hood meant that my eyes were being dazzled unnecessarily, reducing the utility of the light where I wanted.

Overall, the X6S bar appears to be a stout, compact, and inexpensive light bar option; but it would not work for my application. I care much more about how the lights will work than how they'll look on instagram.

So it was back to the drawing board. Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures of the light working and the hood glare, as I only did preliminary testing with no permanent bracket installation.

While I was processing the return, I spent some time emailing Diode Dynamics about their bars. They advertise that their lights are the few (or only) that use Total Internal Reflection (TIR) optics for their LED chips that results in usable driving patterns and keeps wasted/spilled light to a minimum. A lot of companies advertise whatever technology or techniques they're using, but I believe only a few companies that sell quality products know their stuff inside and out; and can back it up. There's a YouTube video with a presentation from their development engineering team. It doesn't have flashy graphics or any marketing, but it does have a lot of detail about how they're using the TIR optics in their bars. If you're not a lighting engineer (I'm not) it will probably bore the pants off of you.

YouTube

Whether or not their claims were legitimate or pure marketing, I was willing to give it a shot as it was a bar that met my size and budget requirements. I spoke with a rep and had all my questions addressed (thanks Matthew). Since they do not sell a 36" (6 section) bar, I was trying to figure out what to do with an "odd size". The 42" bar would be a challenge to mount, as it would take up the whole rack and leave no room for brackets (at least without getting really creative).

So I decided to get a 30" bar from Diode Dynamics and then flank it with a set of smaller lights that could be aimed independently. I ordered the bar in the combo pattern, meaning that the outer two segments have flood optics while the center three have a spot pattern.I ordered 2 extra spot lenses for $3 each just in case the flood lenses gave me the same glare problem on the hood. I found a great price for S2 Pro lights from BD and decided to use those as ditch lighting on the corners.





It took me a while but I was able to design and cut out some stainless brackets to have as low of a profile as possible. The brackets for the S2 lights basically allow them to be mounted flush, as I welded a 3/8" stud to them instead of having a separate bolt with a head. The main bar brackets are pretty simple 90º designs, but I needed them in custom dimensions in order to fit the cutouts already present in the roof rack fairing. I also made my own bracket for a Blue Seas fuse box.





I also spent some time organizing and purchasing all of the extra junk (wiring, fuse box and mounting bracket, relays, switches, heat shrink tubing, connectors, hardware, etc.). In fact, I spent more on all of these incidentals than on the actual lights themselves! Make sure you leave yourself plenty of budget for this stuff. The DD bar had a Deutsch connector but I decided to change everything to weatherpack to keep it consistent (I also already have a weatherpack crimper for assembling connectors).











For what it's worth, the Diode Dynamics bar is only a little more expensive than the X6S bar from Extreme (for any given size). However, I think the quality is miles ahead. The faceplates are machined aluminum and have O-ring seals. The lenses look and feel more purposeful, and the end plate castings have proper ports (one is used for a waterproof cable outlet for the wiring, and the other side has a vent installed). I'd be interested to check out a Baja Designs bar to see how much more robust it is, I know they have a serious racing pedigree. In any case, I was very impressed with the construction of the Stage Series bar.

After setting it up and aiming the bar to merge with the low beams at a range of about 80-100 feet, I'm extremely happy with the output. The hood does illuminate slightly when the lights are on, but it's a soft illumination without harsh white glare reflecting back into my eyes. The light is thrown far downrange and the flood lenses help diffuse the edges for transition visibility. I'll have to take some night trips to determine if my eyes get fatigued from the hood glow, but it is definitely MUCH better than the previous bar. It is really a usable pattern that can be aimed, instead of a glaring blob of brightness. The S2 lights are also insanely bright for their size, and provide proper ditch lighting that can be seen and used- unlike the other bar where they were integrated and barely noticeable.



1. No lights
2. Morimoto 2stroke 2.0 LED low-beams
3. Low beams + Phillips 12793UNIX2 yellow fog bulbs
4. Xenon Depot Extreme LED hi-beams (with DRL module) and low beams (fog canceled)
5. Lows, fogs, and S2 ditch lights
6. Everything plus the DD bar

I'll detail a parts list, some things I learned, and things that I would do differently in the next post.

 

Here's a rough list of the parts I used and some I wish I didn't. I'll try to list only one-off items that might be unique to my install. GXL wiring, heat-shrink connectors, fuse taps, relays, etc. are all fairly common and you can use just about anything automotive rated.

For the switch wiring through the firewall, I bundled six 18ga GXL wires together and used MCMaster adhesive heat shrink (a huge pain in the ass to get therm all pushed through). After hitting it with the heat gun and passing it through the firewall grommet, I terminated each end with a weatherpack 6-pin connector.

McMaster parts used:
Adhesive, UV stable heat-shrink: 8195K33
Mesh sleeving: 9196K12
Silicone grommets that fit the plugged factory holes: 1061T15
Non-adhesive, UV stable heat-shrink: 8061K95






While I like how the fusebox and bracket turned out, I'm bummed that the relays I ordered will only install upside down on the Rago relay bracket. It looks very untidy, so I'm going to switch gears and build a Bussmann RTMR using a Shrockworks bracket and the Bodenzord guide. Honestly I should have done this from the start, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do the full install in time for my 4th of July trip. Plus it was a fun learning curve building my own.

At first, I used the adhesive heat shrink to wrap the 14ga GXL wiring and pushed it into the windshield channels going up to the rack. However, the bundles were just slightly too thick and they kept popping out and flapping on the highway. I switched to the non-adhesive tubing which was a bit smaller after shrinking, and these seem to stay in place much better. They're also UV resistant, so they should resist fading. I may add a small bead of butyl tape in the channel to keep them stuck in a little more securely.

I also tried to organize my wiring under the rack fairing a little more using adhesive zip-tie mounts, but those ended up debonding a few days later (heating/cooling/condensation cycles), so I'm not even bothering to include them in the parts list.

Switches are Air On Board Toyota push style, in blue that matches the dash lighting.



For connecting the switch circuits, I used a triple bus bar all the way from Germany- It was the only terminal block that did what i wanted with a small footprint. One bus has +12V from the fuse tap for the switch circuit power. I used the charging port circuit for the add-a-fuse, so the switches only get power when the key is in the ignition. The middle bus is +12V for the illumination circuit, and the third bus is either for pure ground or illumination ground, I haven't decided yet (the illumination dimming function is variable between 0 and 12V, and is what allows your dash to dim when you scroll the dial). If I hook it to pure ground, the switches will not dim along with the rest of the dash. However, I have some other things that would benefit from having an easily accessible ground bus.I still haven't tapped into illumination yet, so I'll figure that out later.

 

Last few things. First one is so easy and cheap, I can't really call it a mod. There's a dummy plug on the center of the dash that pops out easily. Not sure why, but Toyota must have decided last minute not to install the light sensor that was meant to go there- there's even a wire harness hooked up to it! (Not sure if all models have the harness, but it's easy to check for yourself). Got a cheap photo sensor from eBay thanks to Electro Boy's tip, and plugged it in. Now the dash lighting is a little more intelligent- if I switch on the headlights during the day, the dash will still be at full brightness instead of dimming.



Finally, camera setup by anytimebackupcamera.com

This was a fairly easy install, with the hardest part being the RCA cable routing. RCA cable ends are very bulky, so pushing it through the firewall grommet and dash components was a real pain. Works well though, and I mounted the rocker switch in the old "party mode" blank near the ignition tumbler. Great for parking at the mall and self-spotting alike.

 

Some great mods man! Nice job

 

Tory, I got one of the Amazon knockoffs of the Moki step before I knew this existed. I ended up returning it for a refund, as it hit the rubber coated switch on the door jamb, and wouldn't sit flat. Does the Moki doorstep not do the same? I really like the idea of these, just want to be sure it'll work on the 4R. I think they carry these at the local REI, so I could check there...

 

I had to take some time to check for myself, but no, it does not hit any door button. It's longer than most of the knockoffs so it clears fine. However, keep in mind that the rear doorjambs are diagonal where this rests, so the step isn't completely flat. I've also noticed a few small dimples in the sheetmetal from use. Doesn't bother me but you might want to consider that.

 

That's interesting to note about a few small dimples. I've seen several posts saying that the door sheet metal would be reinforced, and shouldn't do that...of course, those that say that may not have a step...thanks for the feedback. I think I'll go by REI and see if I can try one out for fit. The Amazon knockoff I had wouldn't work because the side with the hook was too short, and IIRC, the foot part was wider. If the hook side had been longer, the foot part would have been lower, and below the door switch.

 

@mynameistory, I picked up a set of Moki doorsteps yesterday @ the local REI. They work great, thanks for the tip.

 

A few upgrades over the past few months, again to the lights on the truck.

First off, I've removed all of the drop-in LED bulbs for the lows, highs, and fogs and returned to halogen lighting. While they made great initial impressions in brightness and color, they're absolute garbage at projecting the light far into the distance where you need it. LED lighting can be fantastic, but only when the housing and optics are designed for it. There's a great thread discussing this on Tacomaworld, and why drop-in LED bulbs are terrible despite their marketing claims:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-hid-vs-led-vs-halogen-h11-projector-headlights.589465/

However, I did at least upgrade the bulbs to H9 (low beams) and 9011 HIR (high beams). Both required the mounting tabs to be trimmed slightly, which was easily done with a small pair of tin snips. This allowed me to nearly double the stock output, while still retaining proper distance projection and focus. Additionally, halogen bulbs produce lots of infrared light as heat, which helps prevent the buildup of ice and snow. Though it looks like I may not be able to visit my favorite ski hills for the near future...

Next up were the fog lights. Late last year, Diode Dynamics released the new SS3 pods with their TIR (total internal reflection) optics. Similar to their light bars, these optics are much more advanced than standard projectors or reflector cones. They're designed to capture all of the light leaving an LED chip and direct it off of a controlled surface, which reduces unneeded glare and increases intensity. One step ahead of even their light bars, the lens is incorporated into the TIR optic itself, reducing inefficiencies of light transferring through different mediums. Again, here's a review on Tacomaworld where they completely trounce any other fog light on the market in terms of intensity and pattern width. Also, they're completely street legal and J583 compliant, unlike other "fog light" offerings from other companies.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...og-light-review.554813/page-137#post-22622437





I also got a set of SS3 pods in their driving pattern, which are J581 compliant and legal to use as auxiliary high-beams. I wanted to mount them in the grill, to keep them a little more discreet. At the same time, auxiliary lighting should be mounted as high as practicality allows, to carry the light as far as possible down the road.

Instead of using a hidden light bar mount to fit behind the lower grill, like a Rago Fab unit- I decided I want to mount them in the upper grill, for the reasons listed above. I started cutting things up and played around with a few prototype brackets that attached to the grill mount crossbar, including some that placed them outside in front. Because of fitment and adjustability issues, I had much better luck bringing them back inside the grill.















Although it took a few tries and a lot of prototyping, I really like how they turned out. My favorite part is that they're really tough to spot unless you're looking for them. They're insanely bright and throw light way down the road like a big set of old-school reflectors, but in a much smaller package. I hooked them up to a relay using a SPDT switch from AnytimeBackupCamera.com. LOW turns them on independently any time I want (off road etc.) while HIGH ties them directly to the high-beam circuit. This way I can control them legally on the road by dipping them as needed using the high-beam stalk. And of course, I can turn them off entirely when the switch is in the middle position.

This wraps up the current round of upgrades to my street-legal lighting setup. I'm looking forward to some long drives up the lonely 395 when this virus decides to take a hike!

 

Great thread, thx for posting.

 

Looks really nice!

 

Nice mod and is it still working for you? … I know this is an old post, but just curious … I wonder if you can still purchase this wiring harness?

 

See if you can contact Old_Red on the other forum for information:

 

Couple updates. First is removing the "Super Bright blah blah LED 921 reverse bulbs" that are covered in random LED emitters. Replaced them with Gy6.35 halogen bulbs as described in this thread here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/gy6-35-hir-921-reverse-light-upgrade-vs-high-power-leds.474996/

I'm finding out more and more that mashing LED blister packs into halogen housings is not the best idea. Halogen upgrade on the left, LED garbage on the right, the results speak for themselves:


Next up is a pet barrier upgrade. The Raingler nets work great if you have laid back dogs, but one of ours is so persistent that she finds a way to wiggle around it every time. I bought the Bullet Proof Fabrication pet barrier (still on sale?) and it works phenomenally. It is also easy to add gear to. I attached a soft first aid kit in the dead space next to the headrest (front of the panel).

 

Nice truck! I already ordered one of those steps, very cool!

 

Need to get one of these for my Labs! … so I just took a gander on there website and they had it connected to there side modular storage panels … How did you install; are those straps? … please share

 

It comes with two sets of brackets. One set attaches to the side panels, and these ones here that attach to the coat hanger hook location.

 

Lately I've been getting ticked off at the soft cargo rooftop bag I've been using for extra storage. It works okay at storing stuff, but is a pain to use when loading and unloading. Opening it and taking stuff out requires you to loosen and release all of the nearby straps, and then put them all back and re-tighten afterward. The zippers, while heavy-duty, can get fussy when you're trying to stuff the bag to capacity. So now I've made the jump to a rooftop cargo box.

Doing so meant that I needed a way to mount it, as the Ecotechne crossbars wouldn't work with the clamp system that Yakima uses. Originally I had thought of all kinds of different complicated mounts that would replace the box clamps, so I could bolt them to the Ecotechne bars. In the end, simplicity won out and I just made new crossbars out of aluminum tube and angle brackets. This is a Yakima Skybox 16, which fits the roofline without hanging off on either end. I thought about getting an 18 or 21, but I'm glad I didn't because this is about the largest size I'm comfortable with installing and removing by myself. I used security torx bolts on the crossbars for extra theft prevention.







So, am I happy with the decision? Yes and no. It's incredibly simple to use, getting items in and out is a breeze. It's lockable and waterproof, and you can't accidentally close it without locking it, as your keys won't come out until it's closed and latched (it also opens from either side). I'll be able to throw snowboards and all kinds of gear in there come winter, so I can ditch the need for extra ski racks. The only downside that I can figure is that it didn't end up being the limitless storage solution my brain had imagined it to be. You have to be able to pack things neatly inside so that the box will close, and you won't be able to fit everything due to the rigid construction. The soft cargo bag, as much as it sucked; was a lot more flexible at swallowing bulky and awkward gear. Overall, I think I prefer the new box for its quick use and aerodynamics though. It's even faster to take on and off the truck too, though now I need to figure out how to store it in my garage when I'm not using it.

If you're wondering how stupid it is to go through the trouble of installing a full-length roof rack just to end up with a cargo box that would have worked perfectly fine on a stock rack, the answer is: incredibly stupid. Maybe I'll move it to one side so I have more room for something like an awning, and then I'll feel less like an idiot. Until then!

 

Did you weld the alum? Looks good. TIG?

 

Yep. I grew up working in my dad's welding and fabrication shop, and he'll let me use it now and then (provided I buy him lunch). I was able to knock these out in a couple of hours. Having a coldsaw and Bridgeport made it a lot faster than trying to do them at home!

 

You my friend are a genius!!
Do you have links for these lights and brackets and switch? Also can you show a pic of where these brackets attach behind the grill? I realize that maybe difficult to show but shot in the dark. Lastly, in your opinion is it necessary to cut the grill or will the light come through without the cut out? Thank you for taking the time!

 

The fogs and driving lights come from Diode Dynamics, but the grill brackets are custom. So far they work great but they tend to vibrate when driving off road so I may change the design. I'll try to get a picture of what they're attached to. I recommend waiting for a sale before getting some, they are quite a value when they are discounted. I recommend hotshotoffroad.com, the seller is very responsive on Tacomaworld. The rocker switch comes from anytimebackupcamera.com.

The lights will work without the cut outs, just plan on a one for one reduction. If the grill covers about 20% of the light, expect about a 20% loss of brightness.

 

The latest thing I’ve been witnessing lately on a few occasions. The car will pull behind me holding back some distance. And they toggle the lights to blind your mirrors. I thought is was suspension flex but it’s on a smooth road....
“I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can, so I can, keep this sucker on the road”!!!

 

@DCM510 Here's a shot of the brackets. Basically there's 4 pop pins that hold the upper grill assembly to the hood latch cross brace. I pulled the outer 2 and installed the carriage bolts that Diode provides.



Honestly if I could do it again, I'd consider their little brother the SSC2. Since these lights are heavier and the bracket hangs back off their mounting points, they tend to vibrate a bit off road (you can see the lights bounce when moving quickly). Plus, the SSC2 should work and fit without having to design a custom bracket; and they have amber backlights if you need that "raptor look".



However, even with the off-road bounce I'm happy enough leaving them alone. They work great on lonely highways, which was their intended purpose as SAE compliant auxiliary high beams. And I'm happy with the extra power over the half sized pods.

 

Appreciate you taking the time! I was in my grill today trying to device the best plan and did see the 4 pop out “screws”. How ever, what I came up with was an ultra thin bar that runs from the open holes (past the last two pop in screws”. Turns out it’s a distance of 27 inches from hole to hole and the light bar is 26 plus .5 for each bracket. I think I will add pods in the bottom part of the grille because my year year had the TSS.

I’ll see how this works! Again I appreciate you taking the time.