'99 Dakota BOV; *Update 9/9/2012*

[Tperkins]

Harbor freight or Cummins tools sells a cheapie farm jack that is a decent poor man's hi lift. I bought mine for $35, and I've used it to jack up my old Mazda, a Ram 2500 and a building. It's no Hi-lift, but it works.

I might look up the Cummins one; I'm iffy about buying a jack from HF, but thats just me. I think I'll just save up a little longer. I can get a 60" HiLift for like $70, which isnt bad concerning the versatility, and a Bottle jack for probably $50. Just need some other stuff before that (fix cat converter rattle). Thanks though man, might try to find some old carpet for matting too.

[Tater Raider]

Between you, Oneswunk's Bumble, and Razor's CJ I have a lot of inspiration for Dusty Rose. I wanted you to know that and thank you for it.

[Tperkins]

Between you, Oneswunk's Bumble, and Razor's CJ I have a lot of inspiration for Dusty Rose. I wanted you to know that and thank you for it.

Thanks, I really do appreciate it. Especially being mentioned alongside the epic bumble build. Not many mechanical mods being done here sadly, but there might be a rear locker in the works this winter or spring, along with new shocks. No lifting sadly :/

Thanks though man.

[0122358]

Very nice rig...gives me ideas for my K5 when i get around to finding a good one...have you thought about putting on a throttle body spacer? i know they get mixed reviews but my buddies S10 pick up gained a 4 mile a gallon increase so from what ive seen, they work...man i love what youve done with your bed..very hawt!

[AParrette]

I'd rock a tb spacer!
For nitrous tho


---
I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=29.788138,-81.320564
- Sent from my Motorola Razr V3xx using Tapatalk

[Tperkins]

TB spacers are a waste of money unless your looking for a small gain when racing or something. I see no way possible that you could get a 4 mpg increase from a TB spacer alone, unless his truck was a fluke. Next project is, other than replacing the catalytic converter (boxes from Summit Racing are in garage now) are auxiliary lighting. Starting to put more money away for the dual battery setup that I plan to install before I move to Wyoming next year. Thanks for the comment on the bed though, I love how it turned out, lots of good feedback from everyone. Some of the fellow emergency service guys I work with really like it.

[0122358]

TB spacers are a waste of money unless your looking for a small gain when racing or something. I see no way possible that you could get a 4 mpg increase from a TB spacer alone, unless his truck was a fluke. Next project is, other than replacing the catalytic converter (boxes from Summit Racing are in garage now) are auxiliary lighting. Starting to put more money away for the dual battery setup that I plan to install before I move to Wyoming next year. Thanks for the comment on the bed though, I love how it turned out, lots of good feedback from everyone. Some of the fellow emergency service guys I work with really like it.

to each his own i guess...but still love your truck man...

[Tperkins]

Update: Finally, after half a year of waiting, another large update with lots of pictures and information.

1) Auxilliary Lighting

Upon much research, I chose to go with Rigid Industries LED lighting for my light needs. While they are expensive, anything else cannot compare to them. High-End HID lights can compare somewhat to their smaller lights, but LED's have numerous advantages over HID's. LED's need no warm up, have no filament to break, are vastly more efficent, and much more durable. They are, however, expensive. My setup as it stands (lights only, excluding supplies) cost around $475, and thats including the 15% discount I got for a black friday sale on them. A pair of KC lights (approx $100) would come nowhere close to 1/5th of the value/brightness of these lights, but they are better than nothing, and I wish to not develop an elitist attitude. The supplier I bought mine from does have a Rigid Dually kit for $180 IIRC, which is maybe twice as bright as KC's, that I highly reccomend. They're what I have for my reverse/area lights in a flood pattern configuration. I have Rigid D2's in the front for front flood/driving in a flood pattern as well, I have them angled outwards at about a 30* angle, and will shortly have a 6" E-Series Rigid to put between them in a spot pattern. For those looking for specifications, I will list them below.

Rigid Dually ~15* Flood (D1) - 2600 Lumes per Pair w/ 250 meter beam distance & 15,000cd Peak Intensity
Rigid Dually ~30* Flood (D2) - 5200 Lumens per Pair w/ 250 meter beam distance & 18,000cd Peak Intensity
Rigid 6" E-Series Spot - 2400 Lumens (for one) w/ 600 meter beam distance & 52,000cd Peak Intensity

Okay, so back to the things you came here for; pictures and stuffs.

Box of Fun

Starting the Install of the Dually's on the rear bumper; note the all-important Monster Khaos.

Had to trim the step cover to get the light to fit flush, nothing a pair of shears couldnt fix (No they arent in the med kit anymore haha)

First one installed but not yet tightened down; lunchtime; enjoying some Portillos; best italian beef ever.

Both installed; found out at this point I didn't have the spooled wire I thoght I did, and ran out in my dad's 100-Series LC to get some so I could finish making my extended light harness

Close-Up of Install

Side View

Wiring is fun. I stress doing it the right way the first time, use split loom and shrink wrap; it saves you headaches and prevents fires in the long run. Also, BUY A GOOD WIRE STRIPPER/CRIMPER! Don't cheap on one; I highly suggest Klein Tools.

Had to jack the back up some so I could route the harness a little better, couldnt stretch my arm up with it on the floor; if only this was the normal ride height.

SUCCESS!

From Behind

From the Side




As you can see, they're pretty incredible lights. Below I'll post a picture and video of my D2 lights on my front bumper.

Pics:




Standard Headlights

D2's in Flood


Video: http://youtu.be/RMeV8-3kBf4

Edit: Added pictures of D2's on front bumper

[stimpy321972]

Awesome,


Any recommondations for cheaper LED lights for the front. I like those Rigids but can't shell out 500 just for lights. There are some mechanical issues I have to resolve, that have to be budgeted first.

[Tperkins]

Awesome,


Any recommondations for cheaper LED lights for the front. I like those Rigids but can't shell out 500 just for lights. There are some mechanical issues I have to resolve, that have to be budgeted first.

$500 was for everyting. Do you have a range you'd like to stay within? The regular pair of Dually's in a spot config are awesome, and at $180 they're much more reasonable, and that includes the harness, mounts, switch, fuses, ect. I can refer you to the guy I buy from; he's a great fella.

If $180 is still too much, I just suggest saving up a little until you can afford them. With something like this, I would buy the good stuff the first time, as you'll just end up unhappy in the end if you go the other way, IMHO. There are cheap LED lights out there, but I have heard/seen from looking around while researching the Rigid's that the other brands dont last too long and fall apart from vibration/moisture ingress.

[stimpy321972]

Awesome,


Any recommondations for cheaper LED lights for the front. I like those Rigids but can't shell out 500 just for lights. There are some mechanical issues I have to resolve, that have to be budgeted first.

$500 was for everyting. Do you have a range you'd like to stay within? The regular pair of Dually's in a spot config are awesome, and at $180 they're much more reasonable, and that includes the harness, mounts, switch, fuses, ect. I can refer you to the guy I buy from; he's a great fella.

If $180 is still too much, I just suggest saving up a little until you can afford them. With something like this, I would buy the good stuff the first time, as you'll just end up unhappy in the end if you go the other way, IMHO. There are cheap LED lights out there, but I have heard/seen from looking around while researching the Rigid's that the other brands dont last too long and fall apart from vibration/moisture ingress.

yes, 200 is doable.

[Still_Creepin]

Hey man your offf to a great start. Can't wait to see more pix man keep me updated. You should think about a wheel well storage lockers for the bed. They make for some good lockable storage. Extra security. More lights the better with ur new back up lamps I like that lil looking to do something similar with my blazer bov.

[Tperkins]

Hey man your offf to a great start. Can't wait to see more pix man keep me updated. You should think about a wheel well storage lockers for the bed. They make for some good lockable storage. Extra security. More lights the better with ur new back up lamps I like that lil looking to do something similar with my blazer bov.

Sadly I cant fit wheel well lockers on my truck, I'll eventually be getting a locking cable to tether the Pelican Toolbox to my truck, as well as locking mounts for the fuel cans. A lock cable will also do a fair enough job at locking down my shovel/axe/crowbar as well. I'd like to someday get around to fabbing up a locking compartment for my recovery kit, GHB, and the like. I'm thinking a 12"x12"x48" box, with a fold-down hinged end lid. Maybe stick a drawer slider inside. I'd love to get one of the pre-fabbed drawer kits, but they're like $800; and thats too much versus the cost of the gear I would want to secure. Farther down the road, a long ways, I would like to get a TruckVault. It's essentially a bullet-resistant, fire-resistant, near theft-proof safe of a truck drawer storage. One configured to my liking runs around $4500 for a full size truck, and $3700 for something like my Dakota. They are rated to a 2,000lb working payload ON TOP of the drawers themselves, so you can tie down an ATV or other bulky gear. It's probably just a dream for the forseeable next 5 years.

I think I will eventually go with a Ram 2500 Diesel down the line, as the direction I would like to go with my BOV is hard to do with the Dakota, and as much as I like the actual Dakota style, I dont know if it will win out in the end. Short of doing an SAS, there's no way to lift it, there is super-limited heavy duty parts availiblity, and a myriad of other factors. Plus, I want a diesel for the coming future fuel crisis, however it may arise, diesel has so many advantages over gasoline. This truck will probably end up as my daily driver while I build a truck down the line. While for many it may not be economical, but I've really started to have the idea of a Ram 2500 flatbed BOV/DD grow on me. With the fabrication skills I'm learning, a flatbed building base would provide infinite options.

By the way, aside from the front 6" Rigid light, my next planned upgrade is a Automatic Locker from Loc-Rite (Part of Detroit) for my rear diff. Right now it's an open diff, and that just isnt fun. About $400 for the locker, and with materials and shipping it'll be no more than $450, so a pretty reasonable good upgrade. With most of the upgrades I want done to my truck now finished, I'll have pretty much all my income going towards saving for gear. I have about a grand put away in savings, but that's not for touching. It'll likley go towards new tires in mid summer, right before I move to Wyoming. I've already picked the tire, and it's going to be a Goodyear Duratrac. I was originally going to go with the BFG Mud-Terrain's, but they arent M&S rated for snow, and I'll need that in Wyoming, so I'm sticking with the Duratrac's. They're rated for severe mud and snow, and have some nice side lugs as well. I'd like to find them in a 32"x10.5x15R but I cant, so I'll be sticking with a 31"x10.5x15R. Around $180 per tire, and with 4+1 that ends up pretty high. That's a ways down the road though.

[stimpy321972]

All looks good, I don't see any extra lights on the front of your dakota ?? from the pics I have seen.

Any recommendations for my Ram1500. It only came with normal headlights, even if I put off road lights in, in the round cutouts in the bumpers I still have to run wires as it doesn't look like it was pre-wired when bought new, as my explorer was. I would like to stay with LED's for the reasons you stated in earlier posts.

[Tperkins]

All looks good, I don't see any extra lights on the front of your dakota ?? from the pics I have seen.

Any recommendations for my Ram1500. It only came with normal headlights, even if I put off road lights in, in the round cutouts in the bumpers I still have to run wires as it doesn't look like it was pre-wired when bought new, as my explorer was. I would like to stay with LED's for the reasons you stated in earlier posts.

Oops noticed I posted the pictures of the front light pattern (last two pics and the video in my above post) but none of the front lights.

Before (before FF plates as well)

After


As you can see they're the same size as the Dually's, but the Dually 2's (D2) have 6 LED's as opposed to 4, but has double the light output due to a different LED emitter and reflector assembly.

[Paladin1]

Trucks looking nice! Appreciate the updates.

I'm still in the planning stages with the SuperDuty, so seeing other builds helps. I too am going with LEDs, just not quite sure of the configuration yet.

[Tperkins]

Trucks looking nice! Appreciate the updates.

I'm still in the planning stages with the SuperDuty, so seeing other builds helps. I too am going with LEDs, just not quite sure of the configuration yet.

Thanks. I'll have another update of interior stuff pretty soon as well. Just got a new pelican 1520 for cheap and have a new mounting solution for recovery/safety gear. Update tonight or tomorrow most likely.

[Tperkins]

As Promised, Gear Locations Update:

Communications Gear:

Yaesu FT-7900R

Cobra 19; also hooked up to my siren speaker for PA functions. The Midland speaker behind it is hooked up to my Yaesu Radio.


Mounting Solutions:

In my struggles to find a way to make tie down points, track tie-downs, it finally dawned upon me that I could put some tie-down straps around the frame of the dividers. Works great, the Scepter can is in there just for testing, as I dont always drive with some in there.

Orange Pelican is my recovery kit, black one is my complete toolkit

Daisy-Chained the strap when not in use, and it's tight so it doesnt bang around, but it still easy to access.

Only reason I'm keeping the warn bag in here is that it holds the choker chain and pintle/shackle's nicely. For those that might say it's a waste to buy this Pelican for the gear, it's an older model that I was able to pick up for $35. Just makes it more convienent to get to and secure.

Fluids Storage (The black tape you notice is the result of me finding a rusted through section of my fenderwell. I cut the liner back to clean the rust out and spray some metal protectant around it all in hopes to polong the rusting until I can do some sheet metal repair on it. Considering how there is almost no rust anywhere else, it really did upset me


Got myself a Ram Mount X-Mount for my iPhone. I have to say this mount is bad ass, it's everything I've wanted in a mount and more. Tad expensive at about $45 shipped, but totally worth it. Their mounts for anything are quality.

Redneck Switch Panel (Yes this will be getting fixed soon ) Left to Right: Electronic Airhorn Momentary, Front LED Lights, Rear LED Lights.

"Cargo" area. Truck FAK, Hi-Vis 5.11 Response Jacket, AO Maps/Comms/EmResponse Documents, Mini-GHB hidden behind passenger seat, and the all important 2nd fire extinguisher.


Again, I appreciate any feedback as this will be updating pretty slowly from now until summer.

[Tater Raider]

Careful on that iPad mount. If you head to MN or CA it's illegal. Just a heads-up.

[Tperkins]

Careful on that iPad mount. If you head to MN or CA it's illegal. Just a heads-up.

I don't ever plan to be in either of those states, but it is for a iPhone not an iPad I don't know if that matters? The chance of anyone noticing it is slim, but I have to have it there for Internet connectivity for my laptop so oh well. Thanks though.

Also, just found out my dad is buying me a locker for my rear diff for my birthday (yesterday) so that should be going in within a month or so. Jegs and Summit are out of stock with a in-stock date of 2/20 so maybe in the beginning of March for an install.

[Tater Raider]

Careful on that iPad mount. If you head to MN or CA it's illegal. Just a heads-up.

I don't ever plan to be in either of those states, but it is for a iPhone not an iPad I don't know if that matters? The chance of anyone noticing it is slim, but I have to have it there for Internet connectivity for my laptop so oh well.

Cannot have anything mounted to the windshield in either and couldn't tell by where you live, thought MN might be an issue sometimes.

Here's the rules, just to put it out there:

169.71 WINDSHIELD.
Subdivision 1. Prohibitions generally; exceptions. (a) A person shall not drive or operate
any motor vehicle with:
(2) any objects suspended between the driver and the windshield, other than sun visors and
rearview mirrors and electronic toll collection devices; or
(3) any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, sidewings,
or side or rear windows of the vehicle, other than a certificate or other paper required to be so
displayed by law or authorized by the state director of the Division of Emergency Management or
the commissioner of public safety.

26708. (a) (1) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows.

There are exceptions to both, but no grey areas.

While it may not apply to you, Tperk, I hope it's helpful to someone.

[Tperkins]

Careful on that iPad mount. If you head to MN or CA it's illegal. Just a heads-up.

I don't ever plan to be in either of those states, but it is for a iPhone not an iPad I don't know if that matters? The chance of anyone noticing it is slim, but I have to have it there for Internet connectivity for my laptop so oh well.

Cannot have anything mounted to the windshield in either and couldn't tell by where you live, thought MN might be an issue sometimes.

Here's the rules, just to put it out there:

169.71 WINDSHIELD.
Subdivision 1. Prohibitions generally; exceptions. (a) A person shall not drive or operate
any motor vehicle with:
(2) any objects suspended between the driver and the windshield, other than sun visors and
rearview mirrors and electronic toll collection devices; or
(3) any sign, poster, or other nontransparent material upon the front windshield, sidewings,
or side or rear windows of the vehicle, other than a certificate or other paper required to be so
displayed by law or authorized by the state director of the Division of Emergency Management or
the commissioner of public safety.

26708. (a) (1) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied upon the windshield or side or rear windows.

There are exceptions to both, but no grey areas.

While it may not apply to you, Tperk, I hope it's helpful to someone.

Thanks, and yeah I guess I could be In those states someday. Now what about my window mounted dash/ deck lights and arrow stick? Maybe my EMA ID will get me past any scrutiny. But thanks for posting.

[Tater Raider]

Now what about my window mounted dash/ deck lights and arrow stick? Maybe my EMA ID will get me past any scrutiny. But thanks for posting.

Both are excempt.

[Tperkins]

Now what about my window mounted dash/ deck lights and arrow stick? Maybe my EMA ID will get me past any scrutiny. But thanks for posting.

Both are excempt.

Also, in addition to the Locker, I think I'll have enough for my 6" LED bar this Friday. All those 4pm-2am shifts are paying off...