2020 T4R Offroad Premium w/KDSS, My First TOY!

So far the built is coming along quite nicely and pretty happy with the near stock look and finish of the Blue Sea power install to the rear. Only 1 very small tab broke during this install. Next project will be the fabrication of the rear deck plate used to mount the rear drawer system.

Of note, the rear cargo trays above the wheel wells are snapped in but also have 2 small screws holding the trays in and can not be removed unless by force. TIP: If you're doing an install like this go ahead and remove those 2 screws from under the inside of the tray so you have complete access with all the paneling/carpet back in. Now all I have to do is snap those panels out and I have access to any future wiring.

As always, any comments/suggestions as I move forward are greatly appreciated to minimize unforeseen mistakes that have already been made.

 

So as of now I'm on stand still until Thursday to start building the base plate to house the cabinet. I'm left to make cardboard mock-ups of the craziness going on in my head. My thoughts are doing a base plate over the rear deck that will bold directly to the T4R's underside and also inserting T-nuts in the underside of the base plate to bolt the cabinets to. Making them basically modular to take in and out. The plan is to also Rhino Line the 1/2" plywood base plate to make it durable once all the T-nuts are in place.

 

Welcome from FL.

 

Florida Boy myself. Thanks for the welcome!

 

Looking forward to the drawer set up!

 

You and me both! I need to satisfy the itch and looking forward to another build challenge.

 

I like the idea of the larger AWG wire going to back to power the fuse block and then a panel for inputs. I have an open Anderson connect there, but that's much cleaner. Do you have a video or a reference you followed to pull out the rear wheel well? I'd like to have access to that for some other stuff.

 

When you removed the cargo carpet+the hard foam, what is it you put down in its place? Also, I'm a little weary of that conduit+box that runs/stops basically in the center. Did you do anything to help protect it, given the hard foam had cutout for it?

 

I put down Dynamat sound mat on the bare metal and I'm still using the styrofoam piece along with the original carpet. (See pics right before the cardboard box mock-up) I found that the styrofoam fills in the voids and already has the cut out without having to build spacers on the bottom of my platform. The carpet is just to add another layer of sound deadening.
My platform will bolt into the existing bolt holes for the cargo hooks (no longer installed) behind the rear seats and I drilled two other holes by the rear hatch. I had to remove the spare tire and make sure the bolts didn't interfere with the tire mounted underneath. Still waiting on the Dometic fridge slide to mark the mounting holes and finish the remaining drill holes where I'll insert T-nuts through the bottom of the platform to attach the cabinets.
Hopefully my fridge slide gets in soon so I can move forward with the cabinet build.

 

I didn't video it at all and I guess I should have. It's all pop fasteners except the seat belt harnesses and a few 10mm screws here and there. If you pull on it and it doesn't pop, look for a bolt you missed! Buy one of the cheap plastic panel remover sets on Amazon, LIFESAVER! Or plastic saver. Go slow; it took me the majority of the weekend just so I could be meticulous on removing the panels carefully.
TIP: The rear seat belt panels where the belt bolts into the frame, it's a plastic pop out but also has a 10mm bolt in there and it doesn't pop outward, it pops inward toward the center of the truck. I ended up breaking one of the tabs off.
TIP2: Once you have the panel off, remove the 2 small silver set screws underneath holding the rear quarter panel trays on; they're inside the panel. I did it to both sides while everything was out. Now I can just pop those wheel well trays out and access the wiring or add additional wiring without having to remove the entire panel. Those trays just pop out/in with clips now that the 2 screws are removed. Why Toyota put screws inside the plastic wheel wells to keep those panels from being removed is a mystery.
Hope this helps.

 

Ah, gotcha. My plan was to discard the white styrofoam piece to gain another 1" or so of space below the "leveling platform" which would allow me to store just a bit more down there, since I don't plan to permanently mount items on top of it, like a fridge

 

You could but it sure has helped with actually leveling the cargo area since it already has every edge/curve already molded into it. Maybe I'm just lazy but that's the way I'm starting; you'll know soon enough if that just doesn't work. I really don't think you're going to "get a bit more" after it's all said and done; maybe a bit more frustrated in having to figure out all those spacers just to get it level. I used the pre-existing cargo mounts behind the seat as my platform mounts so that's why it made since to keep the stock thickness.
You never plan for anything, it's all made with the notion to expand on it, should you want to. At least in my case. Either way, keep the styrofoam, you never know if it might come in handy if you're hard thought out plans go awry!

 

So......today I got in the Rago compressor tray that "should" fit the ARB single or dual compressors. It's for a 2019, which I knew going into this but they also sent me, via customer service a workaround that a 2020 T4R customer had sent them to modify the relay mount that sits where this compressor tray should bolt to. More to follow as my frustration with incompetent customer service reps don't answer pointed questions that were straight from their installation videos. If I've offended anyone, I apologize......just answer my questions!
= customer service!

 

Rago ARB Compressor plate installed; minor modifications but otherwise fairly painless. I didn't use the mounting holes they had plus they didn't align it to have all 4 bolts mounting the single air compressor, only 3....and that was OK with them. Maybe an afterthought after they had already designed the platform to house a dual compressor then thought, hey maybe there are people that only need or have the budget to run a single compressor. Whoops, forgot...but 3 bolts are just as good. I'm sure ARB would be OK with it too.
Anyway, I kept the original relay box mount there, shaved it down just to the bottom of the circular hole. Almost an inch, but I didn't measure, make small hacks to find just where the relay box could still mount in the original position and have enough room under the new platform. The triangle hole is closer to the top and is (was) used to lock the plastic relay box. Not any more! I also shaved down the sides of the plastic box where the mount slides into the plastic groove to lock it otherwise the box will hit the mounting bracket in the fender side; be sure to not cut through or all the way to the top as the top is what stops the relay box from sliding completely down and pinching the wire harness below.
I also kept the original mount on the fender well but removed the small tab that inserted into the second bolt hole.
The three allen bolts that install from inside the the drivers fender well are an AK! Large hands beware! Those drive upward and into the driver's side fender to mount the lower leg of the platform. You'll still need to use the allen later to hold each bolt and tighten the 10mm lock nuts onto the support leg. 1/4 drive ratchet with 2 extensions and a u-joint worked out to compensate for the odd angle.
Either way, looks good and it's installed sideways vice facing front to back like in Rago's video. This gives more room on the platform too for added whatever, more air circulation and I can still install the Swithch-Pro (if I go that route) near the firewall like the platform is already designed for. All the wiring for the compressor tuck nicely underneath the platform and I added a grommet to the hole for the main battery and ground connector. You have to pull the white and black wires from the white connector beforehand, the connector will not fit through the manufacturer's holes, then run the bare leads up from the bottom then reinsert the wire leads back into the connector. After that just connect the compressor and you're set.
Oh, and I did a dry run last night with the Dometic CFX3-45 on the medium battery setting plugged into the rear Blue Sea. Stayed above 12.6 the entire night and I didn't wake up to either a dead battery or the fridge turned off. SUCCESS! I really thought I'd have an issue, quite impressed.

 

RCI Sliders just came today along with my Air Onboard switches for my SSO bumper light bar (light bar still on back order) and my ARB compressor switch. Compressor switch already installed and operational in the factory dash cutouts; thank you John at AOB for the wiring breakdown to match the ARB harness. Can't wait to check out the lighting at night!

 

Been a while since I posted anything and work on the T4R has been quite slow with COVID and back orders. The rear cabinet is almost done and I'll post the end product soon. Waiting on some sheet metal work along with carpeting on the front drawer faces. Shrockworks dual battery kit with secondary air pump relocation hardware came in; that's the next project for next week. Shrockworks places the accessory battery up front behind the grill just like the stock battery. Already had a tray there, might as well use it. Any suggestions on the electrical set up? Luna National, SDHQ, Blue Sea, etc?

 

So I'm back in business again! Dual battery system is complete with the Blue Sea ML-ACR and Odyssey battery. Rear kitchen cabinet for the most part is complete with an added RV faucet for filtered water (no picture yet). upTOP Overland rack got here this week and the SSO winch bumper should be here today. It's come a long way since the cardboard mock ups with a custom stainless steel prep table and the 2 burner Coleman stove along with plenty of storage in the 12" deep upper drawer.

I've added a 14 gallon water tank under the 4Runner where the spare was with a Shurflo pump and accumulator and ran 2 separate lines, one to a shower attachment and one line into the truck and into the cabinet (both have their own shut off valves for isolation) for cooking/filtered water; the system is monitored by a Kus water level sensor and gauge next to the pump switch. Was fortunate enough to find a metal shop here in SD to fabricate a custom skid plate and brackets to protect the tank and mount it to existing bolt holes already in the frame. Thank you Toyota! Additionally, who know that a hose attachment and shower attachment could be hidden behind the liftgate and still have plenty of room; both have quick connects for easy plug and play! Now I can fill the tank from a regular hose bib.

Next up is to tidy up the water lines and begin the roof rack install. Need to have a place for my spare again once I put the Dometic back in once the slide gets here (should be here this Friday, FINALLY!) Cold beer to go, very soon!

 

Wow nice work!

 

That is killer. I wish I had the ability to build mine out, but it is still a daily driver and load carrier for different things. Am not at the point to have it as a dedicated adventure platform.

 

Made the whole cabinet removable; just leaving the Line-Xed base board bolted down for cargo (if needed). Kind of like having truck bed just shorter and covered.

 

Like a truck bed with a camper shell haha
Almost as big as a dcsb taco

 

Make it modular like I did; everything can unbolt from the main platform and leave the cargo area open for business. I got the idea of the platform watching a GooseGear platform install and went from there. Not trying to spend close to $500 when a trip to HD for some wood, hardware and a local Line-X shop will run me about $200 total.

 

Do you have a schematic or build page for how you did it?

 

Unfortunately no. Numerous measurements, cardboard fit tests, hours of YouTube and patience. Wish I had more but it was all just notes on paper and drawings that changed every week as I did fitments and added more to the build.

 

I love the water tank. I've been wrestling with the idea for a while, but I'm worried about maintenance. How do you plan on maintaining it?

 

As far as keeping it clean, I use an RV water filter each time I fill it using the water hose; got the kit off Amazon (

$20 Camco TastePURE RV Water Filter - New & Advanced RV Inline Water Filter with Flexible Hose Protector - GAC & KDF Water Filter - Made in USA - Camping Essentials for Fresh Drinking Water (40043)

Camco 40043 TastePure RV/Marine Water Filter with Flexible Hose Protector). The tank itself and the Shurflo pump & accumulator were flushed with a mild detergent and Clorox (4/1) with water when I first installed it; after that I'll treat it with vinegar and water and drain it occasionally. I also cycle the tank every once in a while and put clean water in it; generally only keep about a 1/4 tank in it daily though. In general though, it's going to be a test and evaluate system to figure the right way to do it and keep it clean. We're actually taking it out this weekend for it's maiden voyage with the whole camp kitchen and water tank/shower set up to run it through it's paces.

 

Ok, need some help here. I've installed the SSO Slimline winch bumper with the Heise 20" LED and am now having issues with my Blue Sea ML-ACR, what I think, is not isolating the accessory battery. I've had no issues with my Dometic fridge staying powered throughout the night but every since installing these, I've been getting the low voltage on the fridge, which has been shutting the fridge off to maintain battery. The winch is wired up to the main stock starting battery and the LED light bar is wired up through the Odyssey accessory battery.

I've already disconnected the entire set up, reconnected both batteries and set up the ACR from scratch following the initial start up function check. Everything worked as advertised. Tonight, I'll probably disconnect the winch and the LED light bar and see what the result is. I've even increased the temp setting on the fridge from 36 degrees to 40 degrees last night to change the draw but still got the low voltage warning. I can always change the protection shut off voltage on the fridge to the LOW setting but wanted to exhaust all other ideas.

Thanks for the help with this; look forward to hearing any suggestions!

 

Sorry, no suggestions, kailuakona04, just wanted to stay great work and cool mods. Enjoying the thread.

 

ICON Stage 7 suspension finally installed. Had to wait until most of the weight was on the truck so it could be dialed in. Opted for the 3" rear coils vice the 2". KO2s on order; I'm sliding out and climbing in even before the bigger tires.
Hmmm....maybe 20 degree sliders weren't the best choice, oh well! ORW says it may take from 500-1000 miles be
fore the suspension "settles"; does this sound right? Out the door it's pretty rigid even on the soft setting.

Still, can't wait to get it back out there on the trails again; tired of these stock Bridgestone Duelers on on off road build.

 

Question..... I have the Bravo UpTop Overland roof rack and was looking at the Prinsu dual crossbar Rotopax mount for my 3gal Rotopax; does anyone know the exact dimensions of the crossbar? The specs say it's 10" long on their website so I contacted the Prinsu sales team and they stated it is "about a foot apart or so." Now we go down the rabbit hole. With a return policy stating I have to pay for the return and a restocking fee if it doesn't fit, I want to know the exact specs. Right? Is that a huge issue with this company? Getting someone in SALES that actually knows their product? WTF!
If ANYONE knows the specs please let me know. Thanks!