Hodakaguy's Overland Tacoma Builds - FWC Combo

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above.....

The vertical portion of the snorkel attaches to the A pillar with a small bracket and 3 bolts, the instructions tell you to mark it out and drill 3 holes in the A pillar where you will bolt the bracket in place. I don't mind drilling holes in the fender but won't do it in the cab if I don't have to. Instead of using bolts I'll be attaching the bracket to the A pillar with 3M VHB tape, this tape is ultra strong and will hold the Snorkel secure without requiring holes. I've used this tape on past vehicles in similar situations and it's held up very well.

This is where the bracket attaches to the snorkel and to the A pillar.

Bracket with tape applied.

And attached to the truck....rock solid!...and no holes!

Intake tubing connected. Inner fender liner re-installed right after this step.

Air box going back in. I always grease the seal on the filter with a good waterproof grease to ensure no fine dust makes it's way around the filter and into the engine.

The quality and fit of the ARB unit is VERY good!

Playing with ART mode on the camera.

Time to work on my fathers truck and get it caught up to mine. First up install the Hypertech speedo calibrator and TPAM mount.

First the Hypertech unit going in. About a ten minute job.

Installing the TPAM mount. I found it easier on mine to remove the entire radio unit and AC controls.

Tying the USB power on the TPAM into the factory accessory plug. On mine the wire they gave me was about 1" short and I really had a problem making it reach. This time I extended the harness to make sure I had enough play.

Continued Below...

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above...

TPAM installed. Haven't mounted the RAM accessories yet.

Not a lot of pics but we installed the Sliders on my fathers truck today.

Last on the list for today is to install the onboard charger in the camper. I'll be installing the charger in the battery compartment, I know that's not an ideal location but space is limited for these kind of mods in the shell model. The battery compartment has two outside vents and the batteries are sealed. I'll monitor the temperature on the charger unit and if it's getting to warm I'll install a small 12v fan on one of the vents to pull in fresh cool air when charging.

The IOTA 15A onboard charger with IQ AGM Module. This charger will provide proper voltages for the 3 stages of charge on the AGM batts and bring the batts up to 14.7V for a proper bulk charge.

Marking the bolt locations. The charger will be mounted on the roof of the battery compartment with flush mounted SS through bolts.

Flush mounted hardware.

Charger mounted and wired.

Plugged in and charging the batts

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Today's task....Wiring up the Switch-Pro unit.

Getting ready to run the wire from the Switch-Pro unit to the interior switch assy. There is a rubber plug on the drivers side next to the brake booster that allows easy access to the interior through the firewall. The hole is just big enough that you don't need to remove the electrical connector to get the wiring through. I cut a hole the size of the wire in the middle of the plug and re-installed the plug once the wire was through.

Removing the factory switch holder and storage pocket. This will be replaced with a SDHQ Switch-Pro mount.

The factory switch holder on the left and the SDHQ unit on the right....Quality piece!

OEM switches transferred over to the SDHQ holder.

Getting ready to install the switch assy. Using Loctite 243 to anchor the studs into the rear of the assy. Note: Don't assemble the unit out of the dash plastic or you won't be able to get the whole assembly back in the dash in one piece, the unit needs to be assembled in the dash plastic.

The Switch-Pro harness is very long, I coiled the excess up under the dash and secured it hidden and out of the way.

Unit assembled in the dash plastic.

And installed. The quality and fit of the SDHQ holder is awesome, looks factory!

Wiring as it enters the truck through the firewall, it's way up high and out of the way.

Terminating the power wires to the Switch-Pro. Marine grade heat shrink terminals work great, coupled with some marine grade heat shrink tubing it makes for tidy wiring. I think down the road I will make a cover for the unit to protect the positive terminals and keep any moisture off the unit.

Making up a harness for the Baja Designs S8 light bar that's installed in the bumper.

Continued Below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

Light bar wiring terminated and labeled.

Connecting the trigger wiring to the fuse panel. There are three wires that get connected to the fuse panel, one for ignition so that the Switch Pro knows when the truck is running, one for lights (used to auto dim the face and also as a trigger wire if desired and a third wire that is a trigger wire you can connect to your choosing depending on desired application.

The mini add a fuse holder. This is a super clean way of tapping into your factory harness without compromising the factory wiring in any way.

And trigger wires connected. I ran the white wire to the low beam headlights circuit, the light blue ignition wire to the AC circuit and the pink trigger wire to the high beam circuit.

Wiring enters in the corner of the fuse box up from the bottom and heat shrink tubing on the wiring makes a good seal.

Starting to add the labeling on the switch panel, even more factory looking.

Wiring finished.

Now to download the Bluetooth app and program the Switch-Pro unit. This thing is slick!



EDIT: Add a Circuit Fuse Holders

The Switch-Pro kit came with one Add a Circuit fuse holder assembly that accepts Mini fuses. I purchased two more identical Add a Circuit fuse holders to use on the remaining two trigger wires (I don't like to cut factory wiring if not needed). When I pulled the OEM fuses I noticed they are using Mini-Low Profile fuses and not the standard Mini fuse that came with the Switch-Pro. The Mini Add a Circuits fit ok but seemed to have a tad looser fit than I like, although I'm sure it would work fine in the long run. I installed what I had and yesterday picked up a few Add a Circuit units that are designed for the Mini Low Profile fuses.

A standard Mini fuse on the left and a Mini Low Profile fuse on the right. Notice the plastic is thicker between the connectors on the Mini low Profile, this makes for a snug fit in the fuse panel.

Here are the Add a Circuit Fuse Holders....again Mini on the left and Low Profile on the right. The bottom fuse is for the factory circuit and you need to match whatever was in the factory location. The top fuse protects the circuit your adding, I'll be running 5 amp fuses on the trigger wires.

I replaced two of the three Add A Circuits with the low profile units. Because of where I chose to connect for my trigger wiring one location wouldn't properly accept a low profile Add a Circuit. At the High Beam fuse location there is a square fuse that sticks up a bit and prevents the low profile unit from fully engaging the fuse panel, the taller standard Mini Add a Circuit fit in this location with the extra clearance it provides. I swapped out the Ignition trigger and the Low beam trigger with the Low Clearance units and kept the Standard mini on the High Beam trigger. Note: I replaced the snap tie attached to the factory wiring bundle in this picture with tape to prevent and future chaffing on the factory wiring.

Hodakaguy

 

[CougarCouple]

Hi Hodakaguy
Been following your, and your pops build, you had me a color coded heat shrink. Must say real nice looking truck camper you got there!
Don't know you could find a shop out there doing that level of work. Wheel it proud.

Russ

 

[craig333]

I gotta get one of those label makers. When I added a new fuse block I labeled it all up on the computer. Sadly that file went bye bye. Don't have to worry about that with the wire labels. First class work all the way!

 

[Hodakaguy]

Hi Hodakaguy
Been following your, and your pops build, you had me a color coded heat shrink. Must say real nice looking truck camper you got there!
Don't know you could find a shop out there doing that level of work. Wheel it proud.

Russ

Time is money to most shops and they just can't affort to take the time to do detailed work that the owner can.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

I gotta get one of those label makers. When I added a new fuse block I labeled it all up on the computer. Sadly that file went bye bye. Don't have to worry about that with the wire labels. First class work all the way!

Those wire label makers are really nice. You can often find used ones on Ebay for decent buys.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Went out this morning to try out the 30" S8 light bar. Pics were taken on the same manual settings for each shot. This baby throws some good usable light!

I love the daylight color spectrum of the Baja Designs lights, no weird blue or purple tint.

Baja Designs 30" S8 Bar in the SSO Hybrid Bumper.

The low and High beams are the stock bulbs .

Low Beams...

High Beams

High Beams and Light Bar

In these shots I zoomed in a ways down the road to better see how far each beam is throwing.

Low Beams

High Beams

High Beams and Light Bar

Hodakaguy

 

[billharr]

Just want to say this is one of the most sanitary builds I have seen. No shortcuts and doing it the right way the first time. You will enjoy your work for many years. As a fellow motorcycle rider, you might know what I mean by "Your work is in the same class as Ron Wood".

 

[Hodakaguy]

Just want to say this is one of the most sanitary builds I have seen. No shortcuts and doing it the right way the first time. You will enjoy your work for many years. As a fellow motorcycle rider, you might know what I mean by "Your work is in the same class as Ron Wood".

Thanks!

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Some camper mods and a review of the cooking gear we carry.

Custom floor mats on the cheap! I picked up a $20 foam backed kitchen mat for the entry of the camper. A little trimming is in order to make it fit perfectly.

Getting ready to trim the mat to size.

I used a socket and a razor blade to round the corners for a factory finished look.

And installed in the camper. The fit is perfect and the foam backing feels great on bare feet. I'll purchase a couple more mats and custom fit the rest of the camper out.

Next up a storage location for our cooking supplies. Storage space in a small camper is at a premium so we need to utilize any available space. This box will go in the open area under the bench seat.

This wood box is light weight, fits the open space perfectly, it's durable and only $17! It also matches the campers interior very nicely.

Adding adhesive backed felt pads to the sides and rear of the box to prevent any wood to wood contact/scratching. Rounded the corners with the socket and razor blade.

Test fitting in the camper....spot on.

Continued below.....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above...

Ultra light weight/compact cooking gear review....Our cooking setup in our SWIFT.

With small campers weight is everything and space is a premium, the lighter the overall weight the more enjoyable the trip. Over years of long distance off road motorcycle travel and camping with our past FWC we have refined our light weight cooking gear set. This entire lot of gear fit's nicely into the small light weight wooden storage box and stows perfectly in the open space under the bench seat.

And unloaded.

JetBoil stove: This stove gets used heavily. It's compact and the whole unit stores inside it's own cook pot. It will boil a pot of water in 2 minutes! We use this every day to make coffee in the morning, for anything that needs hot water and you can also cook soup etc in the Pot. The cook pot has a heat sleeve around it and as soon as the water is boiling you can remove the pot from the stove, snap the plastic lid back onto the metal bottom area (Protects you from the hot pot) and hold the pot comfortably in your hand to eat out of if needed. The fuel canister lasts a surprisingly long time, love this piece of kit.

BioLite Wood Stove: This is a very efficient and compact wood burning stove. It will run on any type of wood that you can stick into the burner, I carry pre-cut chunks of Hickory to cook with and can easily restock on the road with bags of BBQ smoking wood chunks available at most stores . There is a small internal electric fan that creates a swirl chamber inside the burner pot for smoke free operation. Once the stove is up and running the TEG (Thermo Electric Generator) produces electricity from the heat and charges it's own internal battery, runs the fan and will even charge a cell phone from a USB port. There are multiple fan speeds to control heat output. The optional grill attachment is awesome, we cook steaks, chicken, hot dogs etc almost nightly with this unit. You can open the lid on the grill and feed the burner without removing the grill. The setup makes for a VERY compact and efficient BBQ!

The TEG Unit.

And grill attached.

Folding Bucket: This is a super light and compact bucket that folds up into a little square pouch. Once deployed it's very durable and self supporting once filled with water. We use this for washing dishes, fetching water to put out a camp fire etc. Very handy.

Primus Fuel Stove: This is a ultra compact stove that screws onto the same bottles of fuel that the JetBoil uses. We use this with the small folding handle pan and have cooked many meals for the three of us with this setup. It's very stable once set up, weights almost nothing and takes up very little space.

Handheld lighter/torch: This is a small extendable handheld lighter that puts out a nice intense flame. Great for lighting the BioLite stove, camp fires etc. There is a small adapter I carry (Pictured) that allows refilling the lighter from the Jetboil fuel containers.

Cooking gear loaded into the camper.

Hodakaguy

 

[BillTheHiker]

Biolite: smoke free operation.

Seriously? So with adequate fresh air ventilation can it be safely used to cook inside the camper? What about use as a portable heater?

 

[BillTheHiker]

Just read the FAQ on their website:
Can I use my BioLite stove indoors?

No. The stoves are intended for outdoor use only.

they give no further explanation. Maybe just a risk/liability thing.

 

[Hodakaguy]

Just read the FAQ on their website:
Can I use my BioLite stove indoors?

No. The stoves are intended for outdoor use only.
they give no further explanation. Maybe just a risk/liability thing.

Yeah the Biolite is for outdoor cooking only, the Jetboil and Primus can be used inside.

Hodakaguy

 

[Scott81621]

Great job! Where did you get the wood box from?

 

[Hodakaguy]

Great job! Where did you get the wood box from?

Target for $17. Really fits nice.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Time to install the ARB Air compressor and fabricate a folding aluminum step for the camper.

With the Dual Batts and the SwitchPro already mounted under the hood space is becoming harder to find. I looked around a bit and decided the only area that I liked for the Compressor is directly behind the passenger side headlight. The space here is tight but the compressor will fit.

Here's the open area behind the passenger side headlight.

Time to start fabricating the mount. I will utilize the two factory bolts that hold the power steering reservoir to the fender as well as an open hole up high next to the radiator that I will install a bolt through, no drilling on the truck will be needed

Laying out the design and cutting parts.

The upper left hole will be a through bolt that will mount to the body, the remaining three holes will have studs welded into them. All 4 holes will secure the compressor to the bracket.

Fabricating the lower mounts. I love MagSwitches!

The extra brace is bolted onto the unit for easier install.

Setting up the compressor. Installed the Solenoid for the front locker, pressure switch and riser for the air hose fitting. I went with the Single cyl unit for the size, this compressor will air up tires and the air bags as well as running the locker. I'll get a rubber cover for the air fitting.

Mount finished and painted.

And installed in the truck, fits like a glove! Shown here with the washer tank removed for easier install.

And washer tank re-installed. Now to hook up the wiring and locker tubing.

Continued Below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

Next up....Fabricating the hitch step for the camper. Since the camper sticks out past the rear of the truck the step needs to be quite a ways out to be useful, because of this I wanted the assembly to be fold-able so it can be tucked out of the way when traveling.

We will be using a Weathertech BumpStop Step (easy on the shins if you run into it) and 6061-T6 Aluminum for the extension/folding mechanism.

My father at work drilling the holes for the hitch pin.

Using a Jig saw and a steady hand to cut out the pivot plates from a sheet of Aluminum.

Notching the Tubing.

Welding on the pivot plates

Assembled and on the truck. The pivot bolt and pivot lock pin are temporary in these pics as I didn't have the right size on hand, I'll snag some tomorrow. The whole assembly is super light, strong and folds in just a few seconds.

And extended. The step works great with no deflection....seems to be rock solid.

Hodakaguy.