So the "bug" bit me and I took delivery of a new '08 TT SE (Iceberg White) in July of this year. Less than two months later and several thousand dollars, the build is coming along nicely.
Please CLICK HERE to jump right to the photos if you're ADD like me.
Here she is stock:
From the lot to the George Washington National Forest, she did well:
I've been building up 4x4s for many years but this is my first Toyota and FJ. This Forum has greatly accelerated my research and significantly aided me in developing a plan and budget (for all the good that did).
I owe many of you a thank you for the free sharing of information, photos, research, ideas, and inspiration. I'm off to a good start on a vehicle that meets
my needs, driving style, and off road habits.
In an effort to contribute back and share information, I thought I would add my experiences, mods to date, and general satisfaction with mods, dealers, parts, and vendors.
So here we go. Off the lot, my TT was equipped as follows:
FE 50 State Emissions / CQ Convenience Package: Remote Keyless Entry, Cruise Control, Power Outside Mirror with Image Light, Rear Parking Sonar, Privacy Glass, Rear Wiper, Daytime Running Lights / SE, Trail Teams Special Edition: White monotone Exterior Color Blackout front/rear bumper and end caps, front grille surround, exterior mirror housings and exterior door handles, Trail Teams Bilstein Shock Absorbers, Cyclone Air Pre Cleaner, Differential Lock & A-Trac, Multi-information Display, Front/rear Skid Plate, Rock Rails, TRD Exhaust System, Matte Black Finish TRD 16" Alloy Wheels with BFG tires (265/75 16 All Terrain KO), Auxiliary Lights Bumper Mounted, Unique Shift knob, Leather Steering Wheel w/audio controls, White color Keyed door trim & instrument trim, Spare Tire, AM/FM 6CD 9SP (including 1 Rear Subwoofer and 2 in Headliner) w/MP3, 12V 100W & 115V 400W outlets, Rear back door and glove box Trail Teams Badges, All Weather Mats/Cargo Mat (5pc set)
While I won't go into my selection criteria for specific mods, I will tell you what I did and how I rate the products and vendors involved in an effort to help you make informed decisions just as those before me helped me.
Mods to date:
Suspension-
OME 3" &
Total Chaos UCAs just installed by
Iron Pig in Fredericksburg, VA-
5 Stars for OME; TC, and; IPOR!
Lance and Cam are the men to see at IPOR. Those guys live the sport, support the sport. They aren't simply parts-bolt-on monkeys; these guys are the real deal. In fact, they have an entire machine shop on site. If you are within 6 hours drive of these guys, it's worth every cent.
I can't say enough about how the ride and handling of the FJ improved with the OME (medium/medium) and the TC UCAs. The alignment tech said it was the best lift he had seen and the easiest to get back to factory spec (because of the TC UCAs), well worth the extra investment and also helps create more space for larger tires.
I bought the OME and TCs from
Metal Tech. I actually considered driving to Oregon to have them do the install as Mark was such a great guy to deal with. He is a wealth of knowledge, friendly, accommodating, fair, and service oriented. We probably logged 2 hours of chatting in total before I made the purchase.
5 Stars for Metal Tech!
Lifted:
Bumpers- Well, I'm the first to admit I fell into the
Road Armor trap. Yep, $1700 and two months later- no bumper. Lots of BS from Mark and Natalie about tubes, and powder coat, and shop schedules... they haven't blamed crop circles yet but I sense that's coming. Avoid Road Armor at all costs. Take heed (unlike me) and go to FabFours, ARB, Expedition One, anywhere but RA.
-5 Stars, a big boooo to RA.
*UPDATE* It's here. the RA arrived last week, I installed it yesterday. Nearly four months, and I finally have a new bumper and home for my
Warn M8000. UFB. I'm trying not to let my feelings over RA the company effect my affection for the RA bumper. We'll see. Too much money spent to loose more and/or wait any longer so I installed it.
Stripped off the stock parts in about 15m. I can't find the thread just now, but the instructions from this forum were invaluable:
Only one piece to cut, a very minor mod for those squeamish about cutting. Here is where the bracket is cut from:
Here is the bracket removed (there are two, under each headlight):
Install the winch "feet first" into the RA, install two new brackets to the frame and lift the bumper into place:
Ran the winch wires along radiator (not touch directly) and around fender to second battery.
Take note, the AC line is now visible behind the bumper and it is butt-ugly. Rather than rattle-can it, I covered it in wire loom. Disappears very nicely into the cooling fins after that:
Finally, you need to decide what to do with the fender lining. The instructions call for you to cut it out in a pattern that matches the bumper. I chose to fold the entire piece in and behind the bumper. It's hard to tell from the photos but it really looks much better than a cut, almost stock!:
Find a place for the solenoid pack and your all set. Install time about 2.5 hrs.
Finished product:
Warn rear-
4 Stars (some fit and finish issues not well thought out by Warn like the gap between the bumper and body...) They also do not provide a filler piece to span the larger gap between the bumper and the body just under the rear door. I cut the stock piece down and used some Goop to hold it in place. It's better than nothing:
Communications- I installed a new
Icom 2M/440 dual bander and MFJ through-the-glass antenna. Very happy with it- hitting repeaters more than 40 miles away.
Cobra 75 WX CB and stainless steel whip on a Bandi mount.
3 Stars for the Cobra; 5 Stars for the Icom; 2.8 Stars for the Bandi (too much trouble getting a solid ground = bad SWRs)
Bought the Icom from
Ham Radio Outlet.
3.5 Stars for HRO (expensive but reliable)
Bought the CB from
Walcott. Never again shall I do business with them. They are rude, arrogant, expensive and have the absolute worst return policies in the on-line business period. You won't believe the story... NEVER AGAIN Walcott.
.5 Stars (only because package arrived on time)
CB Mounted:
Ham Face mounted on plate in console, I used some MDF to make the plate level with the console:
Mounting Plate:
Ham Face:
Storage-
MPAC side and rear racks are simply outstanding. Doc is very friendly and responsive. Great value, fabulous product. Installs easily, good instructions.
5 Stars to Springtail Solutions and their MPAC line
MPAC:
Roof rack is OEM, slats removed
WAAG XS basket installed. Clean simple install, gives your 37" x 75" of available space on the roof and a load capacity that far exceeds the roof's capability. Be careful. There are four light tabs on the front and two on the back. Another fine vendor and great value. The XS is half the price of some other vendor’s product and as good or better in terms of quality and craftsmanship. Erma was a pleasure to work with at WAAG. Rack was ready, shipped, and delivered when promised. While two people is preferred, it can be installed with one (yep, I did it, who wants to wait?)
5 Stars for WAAG and their XS basket
WAAG XS:
WAAG XS & Fourtreks:
Dual batteries (blue top as that model is far more tolerant of short-burst drains e.g., winching, stereos, radio xmissions, auxiliary lighting, etc. whereas the yellow tops are deep-cycle and need to be run down, re-charged, repeat to be completely effective. More handy work from Iron Pig.
4 Stars on the parts and labor
PUTCO replacement interior LEDs.
3.9 Stars
Tuffy Security Console. Nice box
. Tough, well made, clean. Looks factory. Nice lock, arm rest, and integrated external shelf on the driver's side. Bolts to existing holes. Bullet proof.
5 Stars
Fourtreks mounting systems. I installed the single shovel mount; dual tool holder, and Hi lift mount w/billet screw-downs. No problem fitting the Fourtreks to the stock roof frame with WAAG installed. Great product, a bit expensive, but you can do so much with these mounts.
4 Stars
I bought a
SPOT satellite tracker. Great investment as a last resort kind of device should things go really, really bad on the trail and you find yourself or your party injured, w/o comms, et al. At $150 and $25/year subscription, it's cheap insurance and piece of mind (it's a cool toy and conversation piece as well). You can find them at
Spot Messenger > Home.
4 Stars (as it doesn't work well from inside a vehicle)
Scangauge II is a nice product, good info, works well.
4 Stars
I hope you found this interesting if not informative. I've gained a lot of experience very fast thanks to this Forum and some great vendors.
The build goes on with so much more to come.
Bud Builts and
aux lights this weekend. I look forward to contributing and keeping you posted. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments on the build.
Thanks-
Linear Mode
