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

I've found the same. Some companies, exact measurements. Others... "an inch or two".

How was the UpTop install? Any tips?

 

Went easier than I thought however during a recent rinse off I found water running down the inside of both rear windows. Going to reseal this weekend and check again. So far great product, company still in its infancy so rack mounts are limited.
Tips though, use as much sealant as you want! And if you have a T4R then you may have to modify your front foot pad bracket; mine didn’t sit center rain channel and rubbed on the edge. I drilled 2 additional holes to move the pad over to center the rubber mount on the rain channel.

 

A couple shots from Anza-Borrego this weekend. Had a great time “breaking” it in! Even got to work the winch and pull a F150 and small trailer that buried themselves in at the head of Fish Creek in Anza-Borrego.

 

Ive been reading up on the install notes... but they don't mention what to do with the rain channel covers for the back 4 mounts. Did you just cut around them?

 

Sorry for the late reply, just haven't been logged on in a bit. I didn't do anything with the rain channel black plastic trim after I removed the front and rear rail feet. I did however, cut the plastic rail guide inserts that are used with the bolts that fasten the original rails to the roof. UpTOP sends a pair of spacers for the front and rear; each a different length. If I remember, I had to cut the front plastic inserts but not the rear; the spacers fit over them fine. In the instructions it says cut them all of level with the roof top but I left the rears on since it didn't interfere with the spacers. However, I did end up having a small leak down both rear windows and my only guess is that I didn't get enough sealant down into the actual roof threaded holes and around the bolts where the roof rack attaches. Use plenty of sealant in the bolt holes!

Hope this helps and if you need additional pictures of what mine look like right now I can post them. So far after resealing the bolts I've had no issues and have washed the truck numerous times since with no evidence of water on the windows or soaked into the head liner.

 

Very nice!

 

Update on the 14 gal water tank. Works like a champ with plenty of available filtered water and enough pressure to where I think I'm going to need a reducer inside the hose if I'm not careful. The LINE-X keeps the tank protected and found out it also helps retain some of the radiant heat from a day of trail along with a bit of the heat from the exhaust nearby. It's safe...I checked! And I get a somewhat warm shower right after a long haul if I can get camp set up in time.

Any ideas on how to integrate one of those 12v RV water tank heater mats? Will they work if they're exposed to the elements since mine would be mounted in-between the water tank and the metal skid plate? Thoughts? Considered one of those external propane water heaters on Amazon but not ready to pull the trigger on the expense yet. In the future maybe.

A couple of followers have asked about the tank so I thought I'd post this real quick. Additionally, I'm including pictures of the broken mount that bolted the custom water tank skid plate brackets to the existing bolt holes under the frame. First picture is the close up where the bracket broke right at the mounting bolt, second is the driver's side for comparison to the third pic to show what the passenger side looked like after the mount broke. This part of the tank also sits the lowest and would take most of the weight of the tank when it's full. Material failure in first design...it's back at the shop for repair welding beefier straps across the tank for heavier loads. It wasn't a hit that it took, I checked the plate thoroughly; the metal definitely broke. 14 gallons is about an extra 150 lbs......I had just over half a tank left so sloshing water along with a good trail might have caused the bracket to lose this match up.

The tank and it's trail/trial runs are still in their infancy stage so I'm sure there will be more learning objectives to figure out. I'll post more for sure as I'm planning a quick trip to Salt Lake early next year to pick up my 23Zero RTT.

 

So while the water tank is getting fixed, I took the rig to the doctor, had the suspension retorqued ⚙️, its CDCV lines adjusted and received a clean bill of health! ✅. Ready again to hit the trails.

 

Current situation....as of today I’m 10 days from a road trip to SLC where I’m having 23Zero install my RTT. The planning has begun.

Water tank status....bracket still broken, fabricator needs to get a fire lit under his A$$ and take some responsibility! My deadline is Wednesday so I have time to check fitment (again), primer and paint then reinstall, hook up all the water lines and run a pressure/leak test.

On another note, I really crushed in my stock gas tank skid plate down the middle up at Big Bear 2 weeks ago. No leaks but apparently I like to bellyflop on large inanimate objects (rocks)! So with that said, a robust (steel) fuel tank skid plate will be the next purchase.

How about that 5lb propane tank mounted on a Power Tank mount attached to an UpTopOverland awning bracket? What you say? An awning bracket? Yeah, I thought so!

 

So here's an update on the 23zero 56" Walkabout RTT I just had installed onto the Bravo rack. Found out that the way the tent has to mount and the limited number of crossbars combined with a limited number of mounting holes for the crossbars affected the position I wanted for the tent. I was looking to maximize the cargo space up top by installing the tent as far back as possible utilizing the second to last crossbar (the one just before the shark fin antenna, see Up Top Overland thread pic #15). That would allow for close to the maximum recommended overhang from last crossbar to the edge of the RTT. However, placing the tent that far back does not allow for the forward mounting points of the RTT to align with any crossbar. Due to the "scallops" along the side rails, there are no other mounting holes to move a crossbar into other locations to make this fitment work. I ended having to move the RTT forward enough to just have enough of the forward crossbar slid as far back in it's mounting position (3rd one back from front in the Up Top Overland thread pic #15) to mount to with little to no overhang; loosing a portion of both cargo space in the front and leaving no available crossbar in the rear to use as a viable mount with the exception of the weBoost antenna already mounted to the rear permanent support crossbar.

 

@kailuakona04 reach out to Drew about adding another crossbar

 

It’s not the additional crossbar really, it’s the fact there’s no additional holes to put one. I’ll have to add my own holes to move the tent farther aft. I’ve emailed UpTop about this issue but haven’t heard back yet. This is my only real bitch I have regarding the rack; I love everything else about it and look forward to seeing additional accessories like an angled side mount for MAXTRAX like Rhino and FR have. HINT....HINT.

 

Man that suspension upgrade looks killer! ... So I see the ICON stickers; which kit did you decide on?

 

Love the ICONS; got the Stage 7 with the adjustable CDCV vales. Can't really tell on the road, the KDSS suspension keeps it rock solid but on the trails you can noticeably feel the difference when hitting huge dips. No more slamming on the brakes when that unexpected dip comes into view and throwing everything rear to front. Also, I liked the fact it's a complete kit; rear links, traction bars and a panhard bar to keep it all in check. I opted for the 3" vice 2" rear springs because of the load I carry in the rear. I bit bouncy when I'm not loaded down with gear so I just lower the valve adjuster to give it a bit more cushion. So far, impressive!

 

A couple new additions to the build. Finally got the 23Zero Walkabout RTT installed up in SLC. Thank you to Justin and the team getting me installed, fitted and on the road. Great team there at 23Zero! Also, I'm loving the ICS center console dash mount with the additional 2 USB charging points and the low profile design. Waiting now on the RAM mounts for the phone install. Still have to figure out the whole tire carrier, MAXTRAX and Rotopax mount thing but first things first! Let's break this tent in!

 

Build update. Just finished the installation of a Rhino Rack Maxtrax mount mounted to a piece of 3” aluminum stock; drilled to match the mounting tracks of my UpTop Bravo rack. First iteration; pretty solid. Sprayed with black Line X to finish it off.

Also mounted a Quad Lock phone mount to a Ram ball and medium length arm to the ICS center console dash mount. $$ well spent if you’re looking for a solid mount. That locking system does not let loose!

 

I am highly considering the uptop bravo. It it just me or is the side rail bent in the one picture? I cant tell if its a illusion but it seems the line of the top of the rack isnt straight near the front. Get the leak sorted out?

 

No bends in the rack; and if there are, I did it from the abuse I put it through!

No leaks; issue resolved. Just didn’t use enough sealant in the bolt holes.

The only issue I’m having is crossbar locations for gear. There needs to be more either bolt holes or side slots for additional mounting points instead of those sharp decorative scallops that are non-functional.

Love the rack itself though; the storage area is great, the added light pods are ideal for camp set up and to be honest, I don’t mind drilling a few extra holes to make my built for for me. What’s the point of a built-it-yourself project if you couldn’t modify it to suite your needs?

 

Really like your 4Runner build! What bumper/winch is on yours?

 

Thanks for the info man. I am leaving no stone unturned with the rack hunt. So far is Uptop, Sherpa, and Westcott. Hard to beat the uptop at $800 shipped.

 

I'm using the SSO Slimline winch bumper with a Smittybilt XR3 Gen 3 9.5k winch with synthetic line. So far no issues at all, love the design in keeping with the aggressive 4Runner look and there's been no interference with the TSS system up front with the bull bar. Winch has been used twice now, both in recovery of other vehicles and I've had ZERO issues.

 

So….this just happened on my last trip to Alabama hills, Inyo and Death Valley.

Nothing that couldn’t be fixed with some zip ties and duct tape to get me back to SD.

All under warranty; let’s get this ball rolling so I can get back to some adventures! The rig’s looking pretty bare right now, no tent, no rack, not even roof rails.

 

Just had to comment because I also have a 2020 ORP w KDSS in magnetic grey. My build thread isn't as exciting as yours, but I really like what you've done with your rig. Hope to see you on the road!

 

Thanks for the mention. Absolutely loving this build platform. If you're ever in the SD area, hit me up!

 

New roof rails are in along with new hardware along with improved mounting feet for the rack itself. Should be building the rack and installing the rack back on the rig this weekend. No questions asked, under warranty, customer service is on point! Pictures to follow once the install is complete.

 

Any way I can get a couple of height measurements? I have the uptop rack on order, just curious how it compares to stock rack height so I can triple check that it will fit in the garage with a few things on top.

 

Do you have a lift or stock? I have the ICON Stage 7 with a 2.5-3 in lift on it so there's no getting into the garage for me.

 

Stock height pro. It fits now, and will fit with the uptop I’m sure. But I need it to fit with a fly rod rack on top of the uptop!

 

I recently installed the KDSS spacers to alleviate the lean, which they did correct it. This past trip on the AZ BDR, I literally squeezed my driver's side sway bar bushing out of the bracket on my lower control arm. Found it, no tears, and did a quick trail fix and I was back on the road. I'm replacing both end bushings this weekend. What I noticed (comparing to another 4R) that my sway bar isn't aligned with the actual bracket/bushing which is causing an uneven twist on the bushing.

Anybody else seen this and possibly may have a few ideas I can try to get this fixed.

Thanks for any and all suggestions!

As soon as I can, I'll get a couple pics posted up online.