Build Thread The Lobster, DaneJa's overlanding build

[TCMColorado]

I installed the drivers side handle, use it every time I enter or exit the vehicle, and would not be happy without it. But I have somewhat short legs which made getting in using the steering wheel a bit awkward. I don't notice the small view obstruction at all, after a few drives it just disappears from vision. Conversely my Jeep Wrangler LJ does not have a drivers side handle and I move in and out of the rig using the steering wheel with ease. The handle is definitely a personal choice for each owner.

 

[CRH]

I have had occasions where it's a bit tough to get in with the vehicle far off camber, as was the case in the first picture in my last post, but I'm usually having to hold the door open with my left hand in those cases. A handle on the side of the passenger seat would be more useful.

Does your rockslider provide a step? I hold the door and grab the steering wheel to steady me whilst I stand on my step with both feet, but they are the 'steps' and not rock sliders, to get in and out as I have some mobility issues and it works. I'm currently having a serious downturn and struggling to walk with 2 sticks 50 yards and still find this method works. I haven't tried this at extreme angles though.

 

[DaneJa]

Does your rockslider provide a step? I hold the door and grab the steering wheel to steady me whilst I stand on my step with both feet, but they are the 'steps' and not rock sliders, to get in and out as I have some mobility issues and it works. I'm currently having a serious downturn and struggling to walk with 2 sticks 50 yards and still find this method works. I haven't tried this at extreme angles though.

It does have a small step, but it's pretty much the same level as the door sill. When the truck is 20+ degrees off camber that's somewhere around waist or stomach level for me (I'm 6'5" or 196 cm).

 

[CRH]

It does have a small step, but it's pretty much the same level as the door sill. When the truck is 20+ degrees off camber that's somewhere around waist or stomach level for me (I'm 6'5" or 196 cm).

I'd be stuffed with or without an additional grab handle, 5'7" cripple

 

[DaneJa]

It's been a while since I checked in but I'm still loving this truck. So far I've had the truck in to the dealer for initial alignment in the early days, the first engine and diff oil change, the software update, a parking proximity sensor replacement, and leaking safari windows. A couple days ago I found my high temp coolant reservoir is weeping at the seam, so I'll have to get that fixed along with the service interval bug fix.

I'm making a major reinvestment into the truck that I'm thinking of as phase 2 of the build. In the next month or so I will have the LRA aux fuel tank installed. In a few months I will be having the Alu-Cab Silenus roof conversion done along with installation of a Redarc BCDC Apha 50 DC-to-DC charger and Apha 150 battery with 240w solar on the roof. With that done I will also change the interior build-out to GP Factor's system that maintains the rear seats. The current setup works nicely but I would like to have the truck closer to ready to go at all times with bedding and other gear onboard. I also want the interior space for when the weather is bad. I will be most sad to lose the amazing roof rack as Benchmark really nailed it with that thing but am otherwise pretty pumped for the next phase.

I still need to determine what to do about a winch and snorkel. Dissent Offroad has "parked" their front bumper project and either don't know or won't tell me what the future holds for that, so I'm not going to keep waiting around. For the snorkel I will likely go for GrenX's 4.5" Stainless Steel Tube Rear Facing Teardrop design that plumbs into the fender next to the air box.

Meanwhile, since I last checked in I have made a few small additions.


Votex M12 X 1.5MM Quick Easy Valve Oil Drain:
I had the dealer perform the first oil change and I did the second. When I did the oil change I also installed the Votex valved drain plug which should help prevent oil from getting on the skid plate. The oil change is easy with the skid on and it mostly drains into the collector, but there was a small amount of oil in the skid afterward. The Votex valved plug works, but barely. There is a lip around the drain plug on the oil pan which the Votex only just clears. The result is you only get about half or less engagement with a socket on the valve. It worked at the required torque setting, but some day down the road it may be tough to get it out without stripping the faces off the bit of the nut the socket engages. I didn't take any pictures with the Votex installed, but here you can see the plug access with the skid installed and the lip I'm talking about.

Fox ATS 2.0 Steering Stabilizer:
I replaced the steering damper. I wouldn't say it's a night-and-day difference, but it is a very noticeable improvement in steering feel. Even after several thousand miles, the steering with the OEM damper didn't feel predictable when making small corrections at highway speeds. The feedback felt non-linear or something that caused small corrections to lead to multiple inputs; in aviation we would call it pilot induced oscillation. This wasn't apparent and it didn't really bother me much until after installing the new damper. The steering immediately became more predictable at high speed. I started at a setting somewhere around 8 and am now at 4 or 5. I like the lighter feel, even on trails where rocks tend move the steering wheel much more.

Steering stop adjustment:
I turned the mechanical steering stops to the bottom with the nut also bottomed out. Power assist steering still gets to 32 deg each side. I didn't check the non-assisted limits before but I now get 37 deg left and off scale right, which is in excess of 40 degrees.


Agile Offroad Rear Control Arm Skid Plates:
The control arm mounts were getting beat to hell so I ordered skids for them. I only installed the left side skid since the Owl fuel tank skid is in the way on the right. Since install, Agile sent out, at no cost, some additional bracketry that will more securely capture the bolts on the vehicle side that I have not installed yet.

Buzz Overland Door Steps:
They help getting to the roof from the side a bit easier. Not much to say about them other than one of them has the screen print on the stainless steel from metal stock. I tried isopropyl alcohol to remove it without success so I'll need to figure that bit out.

Grenadier Works Transfer Case Cable Clamp and Map Light Glare Shields:
Not much to say about these either, just some reassurance and quality of life upgrades. Super quick install on both. Couldn't be easier.

Cut battery box cover to access aux panel fuses.
I just did the cut with a box knife. It probably should have come from the factory like this.

 

[DaneJa]

Since Dissent Offroad cannot or will not tell me what their plan is for the bumper and bar they designed I'm done waiting around on them. I spent a long time looking at all the options for a winch mount. I like GP Factor's products but dislike that the winch is custom in their solution. I like that Signature Autosport's mount accommodates a larger winch with easy access but didn't like that I'd have to cut the OEM bumper center section. I also don't like the very rectangular, protruding look shared by LFD Offroad's and the new offering from Red Winches, which, though expensive, otherwise looks very nice with the EU bumper.

I eventually settled on Ramy Automotive's solution which I believe is new and hasn't been mentioned on the forum yet. They have a concealed winch kit that has been discussed here. I ordered on Saturday and it shipped from the UAE on Monday. It may be a bit of a risk being new and with limited info out there yet, but it otherwise ticks the right boxes. I'll be pairing it with Warn's new ZEON XP 14-S, which appears to solve issues that would have prevented me from using the ZEON Plantinum that it replaces.


GP Factor Bull Bar
You won't be pushing any cars with the bull bar, but it's solid enough for anything I'm expecting to come across on the trail. Mostly it just looks quite good. Easy install took about 20 minutes.

I also added some rubber mat to the top of my cargo platform which really helps to keep things from sliding around. They're just stuck on with VHB tape. I picked up some hole punching tools for leather that worked well to cut good-looking accommodations for screw heads.

 

[TheDocAUS]

RAMY has been mentioned before, pretty sure some members have one, especially if based in UAE.

 

[DaneJa]

RAMY has been mentioned before, pretty sure some members have one, especially if based in UAE.

Indeed, but only the hidden winch tray that I could find. I think the open tray is new.

You're right, both options have been mentioned and I missed it.

 

[MileHigh]

Really liking what you are doing. Look forward to seeing the winch- I’m tracking your thought pattern on the options, especially the LFD.

What are your thoughts on front drive shaft options?

Hope to see you at the Red Noland event later this month.

 

[DaneJa]

Really liking what you are doing. Look forward to seeing the winch- I’m tracking your thought pattern on the options, especially the LFD.

What are your thoughts on front drive shaft options?

Hope to see you at the Red Noland event later this month.

I don't think there are any good driveshaft options other than leaving it stock height and OEM equipment and at least getting warranted coverage if it does fail. I'm keeping an eye out for what people come up with and am going to delay suspension mods until something comes along. Meanwhile I'm glad there's plenty of armor on the bottom.

I'll be on call at work during the club event, but if I don't get called I'll head down. I won't know until the day of and will just crash the party if able.

 

[DaneJa]

I received the Ramy winch tray. It's solidly built, weighs about 44 lbs/20 kg, and looks like it includes at least a nod toward crush can features. The welds aren't the prettiest but look solid. The powder coat was likely under-cured and flakes away with a light tap, several sections already having done so during shipping. The finish they selected is glossy and does not match the OEM finish. I have taken the tray to a local shop to strip and re-coat properly with a finish to match more closely the OEM finish. Of course I haven't tried to fit it yet, so yet to be seen how the install will go. No instructions were included nor can I find any on the site, but I don't think it will be terribly complicated anyway.

 

[dcoy]

The BEST build thread of this Forum. Picture at the top. Updated and organized Mod list with links, etc. AND a super cool rig with a uniquely cool color and thoughtful mods.

 

[DaneJa]

I spent yesterday with @ColoradoMike installing the LFD winch tray on his truck and the Ramy full size winch tray along with Agile's Baja Designs grill light kit on mine.

Agile's Baja Designs grill light kit:
This kit is really nicely put together, look great installed, and provides far far more light than the OEM aux lights. For Agile's part, the install is easy. Unfortunately the install is made difficult only because Ineos chose to provide about 4 inches of wire lead in the engine bay (I used EXT 5 which is on the left side). I really wish they had provided a little extra length or just terminated it with a Deutsch connector. It was very difficult to get a crimping tool on the lead.


Ramy mid-size winch tray:
Accurate Powder Coating in Denver did a great job stripping and painting the winch tray and it now matches the OEM bumper pretty well. The main difficulty in the installation is in aligning the layers of material and, especially, the radiator support brackets, in the bumper corner assemblies which is going to be the same challenge on any center section winch tray installation. Between the two trucks we were at it for about 13 hours and mine was second, so I forgot to take pictures except at the end.

Overall I'm happy with the tray as the things I can't fix on my own are well done. I like the basic construction of the tray. It's simple and solid, minimizes forward protrusion, and provides a huge amount of space to mount your winch (as long as it's a symmetric design). It's certainly not perfect though. The powder coating sucks. The geometry of the tray requires removing all the parking sensor harness fasteners to feed it through and because it is only just barely long enough to reach. That was not required on the LFD tray, though I'm okay with this trade-off. The parking sensor mounts are clever but maybe too clever and required a lot of finagling including using a step bit to bore out the holes a bit more. The screws that secure the parking sensor mounts to the tray are only just long enough to catch the threads on the welded-on nuts and one of locations must have been slightly longer so the screw wouldn't bite. Maybe the thing that bothers me most is that the included hardware has a chrome finish so it looks terrible; I will certainly be painting the boltheads black. Hardware was not included for the rear holes to attach the skid plate to the bottom of the tray. I added p-clips to secure the harness there and deal more with wire management when I install the winch.

 

[DaneJa]

Just some small stuff installed to update here. I removed the roof rack and light bar in preparation for the Silenus conversion. They will be missed and the truck looks naked without them, but I'm happy that they have a new home with @HereinDaRockies whose kids are already enjoying climbing on it.

In bigger news, my LRA aux tank finally arrived arrived after 4 or 5 months of delay but without the upgraded fuel transfer pump, so hopefully that will be resolved soon and I can get that installed.

I have also decided to put the truck on portal axles and will likely go with 74Weld's option. That will involve swapping in Dana 44/60 hybrid axles in with a high-pinion front diff. That should solve the front driveshaft angle problem, low steering angles, will rid me of the proprietary tools/parts on these axles, and will provide a good opportunity to bypass the Grenadier's locker protections. All that and of course gaining almost 4 inches of clearance at the axles and maybe 37 inch tires. I don't have any details yet and am awaiting Quinn's response to my inquiry. When I get the axles swapped I will tackle the suspension job with heavier springs and upgraded shocks as the truck should be at its final weight by then.


Ramy mid-size winch tray:
I got some longer screws and had to finish tapping the threads in one hole to finish the parking sensor mounts. The mounts could still use better powder coat, so I may do that later along with the front skid. I also painted the boltheads black in a half-assed way with a rattle can, so they did get a bit marred when screwing them in but it's good enough for the likes of me. Still waiting on my winch to come in.

Bekantogy Center Console Storage Tray (from Amazon):
I expected a crappy 3D print, but this is actually a quality piece that I recommend. Thanks to @C-Mack for posting about it in the BEST UPGRADES FOR UNDER $100 (US) thread. Please ignore that I have the mat backward in the pictures.

Askitus rear seat quick release mounts:
These are some of the 3D printed junk I was talking about. They work by closing over a pin protruding from the support bar, deflecting and ablating the plastic print each time it slides over the top. I don't expect they will last long. A couple of the mounts also half open each time the seat pan is lifted. I saw someone post a picture of some made by Agile Offroad that I'm sure will be better, but I can't find them on the website. When removing the OEM mounts one should expect the threaded inserts to unscrew from the seat pan plastic due to thread lock on the screws. I just screwed them back in before installing the quick release mounts.

Owl Vans Seatback Foam:
I have seat covers, but I wanted additional protection and a bit of padding on the back of the rear seats. When the roof conversion is done and the interior build-out is changed I will probably use the folded down seat backs to sit on, so a bit of padding will be nice. I've never used this Seadeck stuff before, but it's a great product I can see myself using in other applications. Installation is very easy, just clean the seatbacks, align the foam, peel the backing off and stick.

GP Factor Rear License Plate Mount:
I upgraded the rear license plate mount from the OEM plastic to GP Factor's metal one. It was inevitable that the plastic one would break as I stand on that bumper fairly frequently and will likely do so more once the roof conversion is installed. The plate is now held on with nylock nuts.

Transfer case selector release collar silicone ring to retain the spring pin:
I didn't have any issues with the selector release collar's spring pin backing out, but I didn't want to either. At $8 for a pack of 4 on Amazon this is an extremely cheap and easy mitigation to prevent a potential issue on the trail. You just need a large size (I got size 14) silicone ring, typically used in place of a traditional wedding ring to prevent de-gloving or removing one's finger when working around machines, and slip it over the selector knob and onto the release collar.