FishOn's PNW Adventure Build - 2019 Big Horn

[FishOn]

This site has been the source of tons of info and inspiration, so I thought I'd pay it forward. Let me know if I can help anyone that's looking into the same mods...

The opportunity to build the dream truck I've wanted since my childhood when my dad lifted his brand new 1980 Toyota 4x4 is here, albeit on a bittersweet note. With a kid in college, a mortgage, COVID, the wife's Duramax 4x4, etc., the idea of getting a sick new truck alone was pretty far fetched, much less being able to convince the wife I needed to dump another $10 or 15k into it... I was pretty sure I'd be rolling the Camry for another 5 years before she "gave" me the Chevy 2500 and she got the new Tahoe she wants now.
The bitter part of the situation: My dad's health took a turn south and he passed away in August. (Love ya, Pop!)
The sweet part of the situation: He left me his 2019 5.7 4x4 Big Horn with 3500 miles and just enough cash to get it dialed in the way I've always wanted. (Party On, Pop!)

The List: Audio, Bumpers/Drop Steps, Suspension, Brakes, Tuner, Intake/Exhaust, Re-gear, and de-badge/black out/remove as much chrome as possible. Goodies have been trickling in for the last few weeks, the major fun and games will begin this coming weekend. Here are the highlights:

Blackhorse Offroad RA-19 Front and Rear Bumpers, bull bar, skid plate with Hella and Westin LEDs
Westin HDX Bed access nerf bars
BDS 6" adjustable coil over lift w/ BDS control arms and Fox shocks
Powerstop Z36 kit
Hostile Venom on Falken Wildpeak 37x12.5x20
Edge Pulsar
K&N 63 series
Airaid TBS
Magnaflow D Fit, re-pipe straight out from there
Rebel style grill, blacked out
Spyder Black bezel headlight replacements

Audio: I have the 8.4" screen that will stay but everything else will get some love, thanks to Crutchfield and a few others. If you're new to car audio and need guidance, Crutchfield is freaking amazing...
Fosgate 750x5 amp
Fosgate DSR-1
Front/Rear doors - Infinity REF 9633 - 3 way 6x9
Dash - Infinity REF 3032 - 3.5"
Fosgate Punch 10" in Ground Shaker 60% box

I'll start taking pics as soon as the "surgery" begins.

 

[PorBoy]

Sorry for your loss, but know that his memory will live on in all that you are doing..

 

[MannymanX]

Sorry for your loss brother!

 

[moparleo51]

sorry for your loss , as i`m sure your dad would be looking down and approve of your choices to upgrade the ram.

 

[FishOn]

Much love, fellas.
Parts are piling up, now I need the time... Couldn't resist at least bolting up the Edge Pulsar the other night. DAAAANG. What a difference 3 bolts, 2 plugs, and $500 makes. The wife was not amused.

 

[z0n3]

Welcome from a fellow PNW bighorn owner. Enjoy the truck!!

 

[Bcryan]

Sorry for your loss... luck to still have both my parents who are pushing 80 now... awesome it was your dads truck and it sounds like your treating it right

 

[FishOn]

Somehow I forgot how much of a nightmare sound deadening can be... What a terrible project to tackle 3 weeks after double carpal tunnel surgery. I should have my head checked.
But it's done, finally.

 

[FishOn]

Checkin' boxes left and right... K&N CAI, Airaid TBS, and MagnaFlow D-Fit all made it in this weekend. (Been waiting over 4 weeks for the BDS kit...) Pops had a muffler delete, straight pipe that was a little too much for me... The MagnaFlow has a nice growl when you've got your foot in it and it's pretty mellow when you're cruising. I'm a little too old to be "that guy" rolling into the neighborhood on a daily... (We'll save the obnoxious exhaust and pissed off neighbors for the El Camino) Between the K&N, the TBS, and the muffler, she sounds pretty legit when you drop the Pulsar into Performance mode and let her rip. 2500-5000 RPMs is a whole new world. And I REALLY like living in that world!

 

[PorBoy]

^^^. Nice, what’s the delay with getting your BDS kit ?

 

[FishOn]

BDS was 4 weeks out when I ordered it on 9/16... I'm just getting anxious. The wheels and tires are here, which makes it worse.

 

[PorBoy]

Lol yes the waiting is the hardest part.

 

[FishOn]

Dad's Hillbilly Deluxe (he was a BIG fan of chrome and stickers) becoming the PNW Dragon. Only things done in these pics are the Z36 brakes and some of the stickers/chrome/badges have been removed. Under the hood has the Edge Pulsar, K&N CAI, Airaid TBS, and MagnaFlow D Fit complete. Come one, BDS... Where's my lift?

 

[PorBoy]

Nice, will you be doing the headlight swap also ?

 

[FishOn]

Yeah, but couldn't wrap my head around the $$ for the Morimoto, so I have the blacked out Spyders that are essentially the same as the stock halogens but all black. Waiting on the rebel style grill to arrive before I disassemble the whole front end... Hoping for 1 shot/1 kill on the grill/lights/bumper/aux lights/etc.

 

[z0n3]

looks like the north bend area. nice truck!

 

[FishOn]

One step closer... Got the audio complete (the DSR1 gave me some heartache, but after figuring out to use the CH3 harness and the CH2 install guide, it all works. YOU NEED TO CONNECT TO THE CANBUS BLOCK!) Everything works works awesome but I'm not happy with the amp/cap rack so I'll be making a new one. The Ground Shaker box isn't bad for the money ($230) but needed a few small mods to fit the way I liked it. You also loose access to one of the Ram bins in the floor but overall, it hits pretty clean. Fabbed up some brackets out of aluminum stock, they'll get painted when we're done.

 

[FishOn]

While I had the dash apart, I added the switches for the light bars and ambient floor lighting to the dash. Came out pretty clean after a little work behind the plate with a dremel.

 

[FishOn]

Please disregard all the Corgi hair!

 

[FishOn]

Puttsin' along on the transformation while we wait "patiently" for the freaking BDS lift...
Buh-bye chrome bull bar. As much as Pops liked it, I really didn't like the look... But my gardener is STOKED!