Build Thread LeeroyJ's Overlanding Build

[LeeroyJ]

Hello I'm Tim (aka LeeroyJ and Hawg) and this thread is where I will detail the build-out of my Grenadier. This will be a work in progress so I'll update this thread as I build my IG.

About me: I live near Phoenix Arizona where I recently relocated. I spent most of the past 20 years overseas living in Barbados, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, the UAE, and then Saudi Arabia again. During that time I've done a lot of "overlanding" having owned the following vehicles (in order of when I owned them): 120 Series Prado Land Cruiser, 80 Series Land Cruiser, Defender 110 (2007), 100 Series Land Cruiser, 76 Series Land Cruiser, 200 Series Land Cruiser, Ram Power Wagon, and now my Grenadier Trialmaster with the petrol engine and locking diffs).

I took delivery of my Grenadier last Wednesday January 10, 2024. I only have 1770 miles on it as of this post, which is almost entirely made up of the trip from my dealer (Elliot Bay Ineos) in Seattle, Washington to my house near Phoenix Arizona. (My home in the US when we were overseas was near Olympia, Washington, that's why I ordered from Elliot Bay).

I have the Eibach springs on order (ordered about 3 weeks ago) but they haven't arrived yet.

I also have the Tougher Seat Covers, but haven't installed them yet.

I plan on going with 35" tires if I can make them fit without too much drama, so have also been looking at new wheels. I Googled "sprinter wheels" (since they share the same bolt pattern as the IG) and came across a cool company called Owl Vans which has some great looking wheels and other parts. Since they are local to me in Arizona, I stopped by today to see the wheels in person (will post more about those once my springs arrive and am ready to install the wheels. I am planning to go with the Talon wheels which have a 30 offset that I think will work well with the tires I have planned... more on that later).

The CEO (and I think owner?) of Owl Vans, a nice guy named John Willenborg, was there and he and the whole crew were super excited to see a Grenadier in person. They did a lot of crawling around and underneath and I've agreed to bring it back and leave it with them for a few days so they can do some measurements. They had some really cool ideas. One of them was a very cool rock-slider and step. It would basically be a steel version of what they put on their vans (which is meant as a step, not a slider). See the photos below of John doing some initial concept eye-balling. I'll hold-off on talking about the other ideas they had for now until they have time to do more homework.

Photos at Owl Vans:

 

[LeeroyJ]

Some photos from my drive Seattle to Phoenix, which included a lot of rain, two blizzards, and several closed interstate highways (was not planning on it being a "hard way home" trip):










Comments on the Grenadier in snow, it laughed at it. Did extremely well. I had chains with me but never came close to needing them, the BFG's being fresh had gobs of traction. That being said, when it is windy the sideview mirror gets hard to see. And snow accumulated under the wipers and became a problem (had to stop and clear them several times, because it would prevent the wipers from properly clearing which would make it impossible to change). Granted this was "wet" snow falling extremely heavy. I don't think dry snow or less fast accumulation would be an issue.

 

[anand]

Nice to see John and his crew being open to the idea of Grenadier parts.... They were my go to choice when building our Sprinter about 2 years ago, culminating in a single order from them that far exceeded a shop's buy-in requirement; they make some quality stuff; and at the very least, John's excitement is contagious

 

[Psignore00]

I like the wrist shot and your vintage Submariner in the last picture!

 

[LeeroyJ]

I like the wrist shot and your vintage Submariner in the last picture!

It was supposed to be a photo of the rain runoff making it hard to use the side view mirror, but good catch on the watch and thanks

 

[Regalz]

Some photos from my drive Seattle to Phoenix, which included a lot of rain, two blizzards, and several closed interstate highways (was not planning on it being a "hard way home" trip):










Comments on the Grenadier in snow, it laughed at it. Did extremely well. I had chains with me but never came close to needing them, the BFG's being fresh had gobs of traction. That being said, when it is windy the sideview mirror gets hard to see. And snow accumulated under the wipers and became a problem (had to stop and clear them several times, because it would prevent the wipers from properly clearing which would make it impossible to change). Granted this was "wet" snow falling extremely heavy. I don't think dry snow or less fast accumulation would be an issue.

I like the look of those steps, as the IG gets taller with larger tires and lift kits, steps like these are going to be mandatory for anyone with less than a 34” inseem. keep us updated on your work with Owl Vans! Nice spec on your G, looks familiar

 

[LeeroyJ]

I left my IG with Owl Vans today so they can do some measurements. They sent me some photos showing the wheels I'm going to order and what they will look like once fitted. I really like how they turned out. These are 285/75/17's so they rub right now at full lock. Can't wait for my springs to arrive so I can mount these!



Here is a front profile shot to show the difference in stance you get by going with a 30mm offset.

First photo, stock wheels and tires:


Here with the 30mm offset:

 

[terdrocket]

The increased wheel offset is most likely contributing to the rub as much if not more than the actual tire diameter.

 

[anand]

For what it's worth, the click-baity video they uploaded earlier today is really making a problem of nothing in regards to the raised air intake.

Water doesn't get "sucked in" unless there is a vacuum when it is sitting in a low point; so yes, theoretically, if perhaps you were under heavy acceleration and some how the intake hole at the top became completely blocked, it may end up sucking the water in; but then again, the fact that it isn't completely sealed would allow air to enter from elsewhere.

 

[LeeroyJ]

For what it's worth, the click-baity video they uploaded earlier today is really making a problem of nothing in regards to the raised air intake.

Water doesn't get "sucked in" unless there is a vacuum when it is sitting in a low point; so yes, theoretically, if perhaps you were under heavy acceleration and some how the intake hole at the top became completely blocked, it may end up sucking the water in; but then again, the fact that it isn't completely sealed would allow air to enter from elsewhere.

I drove 1700 miles through two blizzards and a ton of rain, the rain was at highway speeds. That is how it got sucked-in.

 

[LeeroyJ]

The increased wheel offset is most likely contributing to the rub as much if not more than the actual tire diameter.

I'm not exactly sure where it was rubbing, just that it was rubbing at full lock.

 

[anand]

I drove 1700 miles through two blizzards and a ton of rain, the rain was at highway speeds. That is how it got sucked-in.

I'm not doubting that there is water in the bottom of the "box", what I'm referring to is it sucking it into the engine and causing a problem. There is a drain already implemented into the intake tract

 

[roadfever]

Thanks for the good write up. I'll be looking forward to the build! Owl sliders/steps look great. Would definitely be interested in those when they have them worked out.

 

[TNT647]

Hawg, are you using wheel spacers to acheive the 30mm offset?

 

[LeeroyJ]

Hawg, are you using wheel spacers to acheive the 30mm offset?

No, those Owl Mojo Wheels have a +30 offset whereas the factory wheels have 53 to 57 depending on which wheels you have. So that translates into these wheels moving outboard by 23 to 27mm over stock.

 

[LeeroyJ]

I'm not doubting that there is water in the bottom of the "box", what I'm referring to is it sucking it into the engine and causing a problem. There is a drain already implemented into the intake tract

Ok understand you now

 

[ScottnAZ]

Thanks for the write-up, and looking forward to more updates.

Will be interested to hear what the overall height becomes with the taller tires and springs.