Boogielander Build

[boogielander]

Congrats

thanks bud!

 

[Accessory.Parts]

thanks bud
my set just arrived at the shop lol now i just need my damn truck

haha all good, just was throwing out the offer! If you ever need anything else, feel free to hit me up. I know you are likely already getting a good price but sometimes it's worth just a double check if you can save any money!

-Andrew

 

[boogielander]

haha all good, just was throwing out the offer! If you ever need anything else, feel free to hit me up. I know you are likely already getting a good price but sometimes it's worth just a double check if you can save any money!

-Andrew

for sure bro!
it really doesn't hurt to compare!

 

[boogielander]

Good news today!
Checked my email as I sat down in the office as usual and guess what I found?
AN EMAIL FROM ART FROM MD!

Talking financing right now and hopefully I'll either have a truck pick it up and get it to me or I find a reasonably priced flight to go get it back soon!

 

[boogielander]

so finalized everything today and MD told me there's a space on the transpo leaving for my area tomorrow. One last spot.
After I did some thinking, I decided to let them ship it over instead of going there to pick it up, even though flying in makes more sense financially.

Reason being doesn't matter if I have it shipped or if I fly in, I won't be able to see it till next week anyways. Plus, getting it shipped in I can start installing stuff right away after work, instead of having my parts taking up space at the shop for another week before I can install.

This is gonna be a long 7 days!

 

[boogielander]

Truck was delivered yesterday afternoon. I was expecting Tuesday delivery but I guess the trucking company rushed it.
Funny story: 3 out of 4 trucks inbound for Los Angeles belong to people my friend (aka owner of the shop i work at) know, and the delivery after my stop was actually at the shop! What are the odds!

 

[Lew]

I love your ideas. I am totally new to four wheeling and just got a Rebel myself. I think my build goal is somewhat similar. I’m not thinking go fast just yet, but a desert outback camping rig for sure.

Enjoy taking possession!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Biggiehorn]

Congrats. That is a good looking truck. Just something about that hydro blue. Let the modifications commence!

 

[boogielander]

I love your ideas. I am totally new to four wheeling and just got a Rebel myself. I think my build goal is somewhat similar. I’m not thinking go fast just yet, but a desert outback camping rig for sure.

Enjoy taking possession!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

oh trust me when you go out to the desert the first time and you see all the dust trail behind you and the suspension going up and down like you're in a trophy truck (you're not, btw, unless you add over $10k in suspension kits) you'll get addicted to go fast

 

[boogielander]

Congrats. That is a good looking truck. Just something about that hydro blue. Let the modifications commence!

thanks bud!
the parts are already piling in the garage and at the shop! This week will be Decked drawer (takes too much space at the shop) and bed rack over the weekend. (just so I can clear that box from the garage)
Electrical stuff gonna wait since I'm trying to see if SDHQ and Dark Dunes will do a BF sale this year for mounts. Alternatively, I may be making my own mounts since there's nothing that's up to my exact need for Ram platform right now.

 

[boogielander]

First 24 hours passed since the truck was delivered to me. Here is a quick review and some points that I'd like to address that I didn't know about before. Bear with me here, since I ordered the truck without any test drive or anything.

1. LED Headlights: Night time performance of these OE headlights are not that great. I've read about them on the forum before, but I'd never expect it to be this bad. Perhaps it was my eyes messing with me (too much call of duty recently and staring at screens all day) but I am disappointed to say that the output are not as great as my 09 M3 or even my 4Runner with aftermarket HID kit. I'm not sure if there's any way I can fix this but for now, no night runs until I get my LP6s.
2. Interior Halogen bulbs: these are dim. Way too dim for me to see anything. This time I'm sure it's not my eyes messing with me. I've had decent experiences with Auxito before in the 4R but I don't mind getting different (US) brand to try.
3. This thing is massive. I mean it's wide. I barely made it through the gate and I've tried many times. Every time the parking sensors beep like crazy. Also I have to fold my mirrors when going pass the gate or else they'd be only an inch away from touching the gatepost. Only way for me to fix this is to do a new gate which im not down to. I'll have to learn to live with it.

Overall the driving experience is awesome. Still learning the settings for cluster and UConnect 5 12", and trying to find that optimal seating and mirror position. Driving the M around for daily was fun but it got old quick, especially with the crappy california roads that we are overpaying for (with no results). Aside from the 3 minor issues, I'm loving the truck!

 

[boogielander]

2022/11/12
I was able to finally wash the truck after a busy week of work. MD didn't have time to wash it before loading up to the trailer last Friday (that was my own fault; I told them to ship it last minute right before they close on Thursday and truck left MD first thing in the morning) so this was the first wash. Man, the truck was filthy; covered in grime, dirt, and all the other things from SHAP to MD to SoCal. Usually, high pressure wash and foam cannon take care of 99% of the wash I do on my own vehicles, but this time I had to break out the buckets and the wash mitt.

Then, I went to my local favorite spot for a photoshoot.




Also an update about mods:
My Decked System got lost in the distributor warehouse AFTER they took money, and that distributor is going out of business at the end of year (just learned that recently). So will be getting one from a new distributor and hopefully it will arrive by Thanksgiving.
Also ordered switch-pro mount. Went with NH Overland instead of SDHQ on this one since NH's design incorporates a busbar, which is my preferred way of installing electrical accessories. I am still on the fence about the ARB compressor mounting. NH has a munt for engine bay while SDHQ has a mount for the floor storage. Downside of SDHQ is I'll need to do some serious waterproofing as theirs require drilling to run the power, while NH's design puts it in the engine bay and is open to all kinds of elements (dirt, mud, and stuff).

Finally, I tried to film a walkaround video today, but I realized I need a stabilizer of some sort. Should got that taken care of pretty soon though. Does anyone have a recommended software that's free of charge or costs the least? Still unsure if I should be filming with my phone or with my GoPro from 6 years ago, or with my Canon 6DII.

 

[boogielander]

My Decked System was delivered on Monday 11/14. I paid a bit over what it initially costed me from the old distributor but it is what it is. Still a good deal.

Then it sat at the shop till Thursday when my friend asked me if I wanna put it on an hour before closing. I was going to load it up to the bed and bring it home to make install video, but then I found out the box was stapled to the pallet. And I don't wanna mess with pallets after what had happened a couple month ago, so we ended up installing it.



Today (11/19), my friend gave me his gimble that he doesn't use anymore, so I filmed a quick walk around video. It's not the best video out there and I sounded like I don't know what I'm talking about, but I'll pat myself on my back and said it was a job well done since I haven't done any kind of presentations in almost 10 years. Also ended up paying for Premiere Pro just to make my life editing videos easier.

I'll post the link to video once it's up. I will have both English and Chinese subs for now because I want to touch people in Taiwan too, since camping is gaining popularity again over there.

Tomorrow (11/20) I will be attempting to put together my Chassis Unlimited bed rack and film the install video, and hopefully I can finish it in one afternoon by myself.

 

[boogielander]

Hope everyone is having a festive Thanksgiving and not blowing too much money on Black Friday sales (like I did)
Here's some updates (part 1):
I ordered SDHQ A-Pillar mounts and Terminal blocks, White Knuckle Sliders, Viofo Dash Cam, and Mountain Hatch this week to take advantage of all the discounted prices.

I also ordered a floor console trim piece and bed rails from a local dealer that my shop has account with. Massive savings that no online retailer can match and overnight shipping.
Nothing is wrong with my trim piece, but I like to get one so when I mount my Switch-Pro control panel I have a spare laying around in case I want to change it. Switch-Pro control panel will go to the trim piece where the phone mount rubber backing is, and it has to be drilled through. I decided to go with MOPAR bed rails because I'm mounting at least 1 Plano/ Pelican case there to run another power distribution panel in the bed for ARB compressor. Once everything is installed in the case I will make it waterproof and weather proof. I thought about putting it on my bed rack, but I rather it sits on top of the Decked System to eliminate any vibration and take some load off the bed rack.

Since I have no family here and I was given Wednesday off, this has been a very productive long weekend for me.
Day before Thanksgiving, I put together my Chassis Unlimited Thorax Bed Rack by myself. That plan was fine until I finished bolting everything on the ground and need to put it on the bed; I overestimated my strength and underestimated the weight of the assembled rack. I thought I was able to lift it myself just because that's how I moved it from the shop back home a few months ago, but I guess the assembled rack's weight is more spread out so it's literally impossible without scratching the truck's paint. Ended up sending SOS to my friend who was nearby and him and I put it on the bed in 30 seconds.


This took me half a day to put together, with a few smoke breaks here and there. I also painted the mounting plates one side black with some leftover "bed liner" spray that I used for my 4Runner project almost 5 years ago, and the other side (the side you can't see) blue with leftover paint from all the thin blue line US flag I made during my woodworking days. The bed rack was shipped powdercoated other than the 6 mounting plates. I was told the mounting solution provided is ample for high speed desert run and there's no need to drill to "beef up" the mounting solution, but I do have some reserve about that. I may drill to install some more nuts and bolts to keep it secure but I'll see about that.

This is how it looks post install. I know the driver side mounting panels are not straight but I will adjust that before I wrap up the weekend.

And of course as an overlander Rotopax/ Fuelpaxes are musts. I put it on just so I can line up the mounts, and it comes off and stays in the garage unless I'm going somewhere really far. It's a 5 gallon jug.

 

[boogielander]

Thanksgiving Weekend Update (part 2):
I took Thanksgiving Day off and didn't do any work because I went to our offroading team's HQ to pick up a few more tools that I need for the wiring. I took the drive there because buying the wires, heat shrinks, connectors, and terminals and stuff already ran me $200+ on Amazon. I wouldn't need to buy my own if I did this at the shop, but bossman's out of town for the weekend so...


First up was the NH Overland Switch-Pro Module mount. Putting it together was a breeze, but I spent almost an hour just to extend the Switch-Pro harness that I cut to length when I put it in my 4Runner. I didn't know better when I did it 5 years ago, and now I'm paying for that mistake. This is why every Switch-Pro install I'm paid to do I never cut the harness short, and it hurts my heart when customers decline to use terminal blocks.
*Benefit of using terminal blocks is to make your life a lot easier and to preserve the Switch-Pro harness. Switch-Pro harness contains quality wires that are rigid, and it's not some cheap soft wires that you can find on Amazon. That helps with looming (if there's a need for it) and feeding through tight areas when hiding wires. Another benefit of using terminal blocks is when you want to change accessories, you don't need to cut the Switch-Pro harness wires. You just remove the accessory's power feed from the terminal block and call it a day. No more cutting and installing connectors every time you change accessories. You simply use a new ring terminal on your new accessory to hook it up and you're good to go.
**I also want to add that this is not the best of my work. I had to work with what I had (harness that had to be extended and ring terminal work from 5 years ago, my first time doing this) so it's not as pretty as I'd like it to be. My professional work done on customers' rigs look 100 times better and more organized.


Then, I fed 3 sets of wires through the rubber grommet: two going into the cab and one coming out.
First, I fed a pair of 8 gauge through because I am running a Blue Sea Fuse Block w/ Ground in the cab to power my HAM radio and fridge, and possible other stuff in the future.
Then, I fed the Switch-Pro controller harness through. Getting that harness through without removing the connector was a pain, and no matter how I pushed it just wouldn't budge. I had to resort to loop a steel frame hanging wires (again, leftovers from my woodworking days) around the connector, fed the thin steel line through (that was easy), put on my working gloves, and pull.
**Pro tip: some lubricant like WD-40 will help with getting the harness through, and I was going to try that if the steel line didn't work. Also, don't yank on it but gradually increase your strength. I used my body weight instead of wrestling with it just so it's easier.
Finally, I fed the HAM antenna from inside the cam to engine bay using the same method as the Switch-Pro harness. This one took a bit more because the antenna connector is slightly larger.

I'm not sure if it's RAM specific or just a new vehicle, but getting wires through the grommet was a lot easier on the RAM than on the 4Runner. The rubber felt softer and not as hard as I thought it would be.
*Pro tip: I used a pocket knife to poke the grommet. Before poking I triple checked that the immediate areas to my blade is clear of any factory wiring harness both inside the bay and under the dash. RAM gave us plenty of room to work with here and as long as you stay between the harness and the silver/ white lines you'll be fine.


After I got the wires through the grommet, I had to get the wires to the rear seat where majority of the electrical addons are located. With the scrap from... you guessed it, my woodworking days, I built a frame that wedges itself between the driver rear seat brackets. It is not as sturdy as I'd like it to be, so I'll need to figure out a way to drill holes on the legs so I can run nuts and bolts to fully secure it. For street driving this method is good enough, but I don't think this is boogie rated just yet. The blue paint was from the leftover spray can; same can as the bed rack mounting plate.
For the HAM brain, I used a piece of Velcro and secured it onto the frame. It's not going anywhere. Next to HAM is the Blue Seat Fuse Block with Ground Terminal. I then ran the 8 gauge and the antenna under the factory slush mat, followed the contours of the in-floor storage bin, under front seat, under front slush mat, and hid any extra length wires behind the kickplate panel.
I was going to put the brain of the HAM radio under driver seat, but it wouldn't fit.


And you can't see any of it with the seat folded down.

I had to put it on pause as it was getting dark. The next day will be installing the Blue Sea breaker in the engine bay for that 8 gauge wire, fish the HAM radio display and Switch-Pro control harness through the dash, install the ICS dash mount for HAM display, install my camp lights and chase lights.


On a less tiring note, look at what I got:

One for me, and the other for my bossman. He has a TRX but... it's close enough for me

Also got this for my keyfob. Gotta have some carbon fiber in life, am I right?

 

[Tred's]

Nice write up! I put my Yaesu FTM 400XDR in the center console. Ran the antenna cable from underneath the bed, up into the cab (underneath the backseat carpet) to the center console.


Put the head on a seat mount on the passenger side.

 

[2019Raven]

What antenna are you all using for your HAM radios? I have a Comet UHV 4 band antenna for my Yeasu 8900 but looking for a smaller 2 band antenna.

Great truck and build.

 

[boogielander]

Nice write up! I put my Yaesu FTM 400XDR in the center console. Ran the antenna cable from underneath the bed, up into the cab (underneath the backseat carpet) to the center console.
View attachment 144615

Put the head on a seat mount on the passenger side.
View attachment 144616

what mount is that? i might want to use that for my tablet to make operating it easier lol

 

[boogielander]

What antenna are you all using for your HAM radios? I have a Comet UHV 4 band antenna for my Yeasu 8900 but looking for a smaller 2 band antenna.

Great truck and build.

thanks!
I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01559XYHQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[boogielander]

Thanksgiving weekend update (part 3):
Today was somewhat of an productive day, but not as productive as yesterday.
I woke up late, went to the dealer to pick up my bed racks and dash trim. When I returned to my truck i realized the dash trim was wrong. The part number I got was for trucks with wireless charging pad, but I need the part number for non-wireless charging. I guess I'll return it some day.
When I got home it was around 230PM already and I was running out of day light. But luckily I didn't have a whole lot to do today.

First, I installed the breaker for the cab power distribution and confirmed it's working as it should. I forgot to take a picture for that today, so if I remember tomorrow I'll snap a pic and post here. But basically I used a self-tapping screw to tap into the battery box behind the driver headlight. It comes with the rubber hats to cover the terminal posts, but in my experience they come off too easily. I sent Blue Sea an email to see if they make any covers. I'll wait for their response.
*The purpose for the breaker switch is to act as a kill-switch AND an safety for the whole harness; it would stop the flow of power should there be overload or shortage somewhere in this added power distribution system. When installing breaker switch, it is highly recommended to place it as close to the power source as possible. This way, there will be less cable distance between the power source and the breaker switch, and thus reduce the chance of further damage on the truck since the power is stopped right next to the battery.
**Goes without saying, check the orientation of the breaker switch when you do the install. Blue Sea ones are marked "bat" and "acc" telling you which terminal you should use for battery.


Then, I removed the head unit to install ICS Dash Mount and Ham Radio display. I had to drill the dash mount and the pen holder plastic right next to 12V socket to feed the HAM display cable through, and drilled more holes on the pen holder plastic to utilize the included additional bolts and nuts to make it more sturdy.
*Pro tip: Technically, 2 additional holes toward the front of the vehicle is enough, as there's a support plastic piece under the dash and the included bolts are not long enough to go through them.
**Pro tip: When marking where to drill, cover the dash trim with a piece of blue painter's tape and use sharpie to mark. Then, use a small drill bit to punch a pilot hole, then gradually increase bit size until 1/4 inch. For the HAM radio cable, since it's the ethernet cable type, I used the same method and test fit until the connector bit goes through. I ended up having to go all the way up to 1/2 inch. If you have a step bit it will save you a lot of time.
***Pro tip: When drilling metal, switch over to "high torque" option on your drill and slowly yet firmly press down. Don't go too fast on this because you'll break the bit. Let the tool do its job.


Install complete. I may change the position of the RAM Mount once I put the tablet mount in. I use an Android tablet to run Gaia GPS as dedicated offroad navigation. Gaia is great on iphone, but not so great when it's projected on CarPlay. On the other hand, Gaia on Android is acceptable at best, but I ran into problems running both Gaia and Google Map together on a trip to Moab in 2020.
Reason why I chose Android over iPads is because iPad Wifi do not come with GPS sensor built it; it is only available on iPad with data and my 8 years old iPad is wifi only. The Android tablet only cost me ~$100 and I only use it for Gaia and watching YouTube anyways.

Another angle for the dash mount. I'll leave the cable like that for now until I finalize the location and dash mount setup, then I'll zip tie it to the RAM arm.


The third thing I did was remove the floor console to install the Switch-Pros control panel.
There are 2 covers on each side of the floor console, pop those open and remove the 10mm bolts. Then, pop the trim pieces next to the floor console out (below gear knob on the driver side and next to the lower glove box on the passenger side). First time is always hard and tight, but you just gotta do it Remove those 10mm bolts, and you can lift the floor console up and back. Undo the two harness, and pull the Christmas fastener out to disconnect the harness. You'll break the Christmas tree clip, but I wouldn't worry about it. It's only for cable management and you don't really need it, but if you're OCD then you can just get one from the dealer to replace it.
*Pro tip: slide the seats forward to reveal the two covers in the back of the floor console.

To install the panel, you will need to drill more holes. Follow the template provided in the Switch-Pros instruction. I did it using a blue paint marker to mark the locations of the holes and started drilling. It will be messy (as you can see from the picture) since you're drilling through rubber surface. If you have a Dremel with flexible head, this is the time to use it. You will need to make a bigger hole for the harness to go through. If you have the tools to depin the connecter, do it so you don't have to make a big hole. If you don't have the tools to depin or just don't know how to do it, make the hole bigger to fit the connector through. I made mine with 1/2" bit and I had to wiggle the bit around to enlarge the hole. And that's why I wish I had the air Dremel that we use at the shop: I'd be able to make the hole cleaner and to exact size I need.
*Pro tip: Switch-Pros studs are very short. They are too short to fully go through the plastic backing of the phone holder piece, so I recommend make your holes a bit smaller and just push your panel in place.
*Note: My initial testing shows the force of plastic trim biting on the stud is sturdy enough, but I'm not sure how it will hold in offroad situation with lots of vibration. I am looking for longer stud options to correct this issue.
**Pro tip: the available space here is very limited even if you move the cup holders all the way back. If you have a big drill like I do, you will not be able to drill the holes with the bit perfectly perpendicular to the surface. You can try to jam the drill in there, but use blue tape to protect the cup holder tray surface.
**Note: For that big hole to pass the connector, it doesn't have to be perfectly rounded. In face, if you can make a rectangular hole to fit the harness through that'd be perfect. Again, your life will be a lot easier if you have a Dremel to do this.
***Note: it doesn't have to be pretty; your panel will cover the imperfections. Just in case you're OCD about it.

I routed the Switch-Pros controller harness under the dash and followed the factory USB harness. I then bundled the extra length harness and hid it under the blower motor.
Reverse the disassembly steps and you're good!


Everything put back together here. I will need to remove all the old legends and put in new ones when I start putting lights in. I did not use the Switch-Pros' built in dimmer function, as I couldn't find the right fuse to tap into under the dash. I just used the app to dim the display brightness, and given that its current mounting location it's not going to affect me driving at night. Coincidentally, the color I set for the 4Runner matched the USB plug lights of RAM. Maybe I knew I was going to go this route 5 years ago
*Note: I used a piece of e-tape to cover one of the switch while I used it on the 4Runner. That switch was not wired to anything, but set up as a master switch to turn all the frontal lighting on and off. It is helpful at night time since I don't have to toggle each switch individually to turn them on or off. I used e-tape to cover it because there's no suitable legend for it and it'd be too bright if I didn't cover it.
**Installer note: When installing these panels for my customers, I like to cover the blank switches with e-tape for the same reason: too bright when left naked. E-tape is a good alternative because it's easy to peel off and blocks the light.

That's pretty much it for today. Tomorrow, as it is the last day for the long weekend, I am going to clean up the floor console area to get rid of all the shavings. Then, I will crawl under the truck to check if my planned way to route chase light will get in the way of sliders install or not. If not then I'll try to knock that out, if it will affect the slider install then I'll wait till sliders are on to run the wires. Also, I'll try to get the bed rails in as well.