here is my carry, i have had this truck in inventory for a little while and decided it was time for a few upgrades and to keep it for myself... first and most obvious is the bed liner exterior... it is "hippo" brand and can bought at o'reilly auto... this stuff is awesome for a top coat as it is pretty smooth and hard, it washes real easy and is not to thick to cause issues w/ the door jambs and lights... i picked this truck because it had a/c and rear diff lock, but it also had a EL transmission and with a background in rock crawling, EL wasnt going to cut it... so we swapped a 4LO trans/transfer case in, giving a tighter gear ratio for off roading... a 2" lift and some 25" carlisle mud wolfe tires on stock wheels gave us the right stance and added much needed clearance... so w/ the truck looking good and the drive train sorted out i added a custom skid plate, a tool box and some jump seats... it gets used mostly around our property, my wife drives it down to her chicken coop and my daughter, 9YO, is always ready to drive it to go get something for me... here are some pics, we have a blast w/ this truck...
I like the looks of that green bedliner paint job - goes good with your Georgia red clay accents. Been contemplating some sort of "under belly" protection for my truck. Skid plate/bars look like a good way to go. Nice fit at the front bumper......later, slim
i went w/ a tubular setup so that it didnt get packed w/ mud, and i only lost 1" of ground clearance...
i took out as much rubber, lights, and moldings as possible... sanded the truck w/ 80 grit on a DA sander, cleaned the piss out of it w/ acetone and sprayed it w/ a body shultz gun... all at my shop... about 2 days total...
well, i spent all day yesterday just tinkering... alot of little stuff that i wanted to do, but hasnt NEEDED to be done... first, was a new reciever hitch, i wanted something bolt on, and mainly a solid attachment point on the rear... it also has two clevis mounts, not installed yet... the hitch attaches with a backing plate that sandwiches the leaf spring mount... it is VERY sturdy... i also got my on board air hooked up, mounted in the cargo box under the bed... pressure switch, on/off switch and quick connect air chuck... its a viair 450 and its pumps a ton of air... a few other little things i worked on was just some little stuff like finally getting the correct shifter installed for the transfer case, i modified my "roll bar" to fit around the seats, allowing me to put a rear spot light on that i wired into the reverse switch via a relay... i plan on putting a dash switch to operate it as well... i also ponied up and bought the factory clips to hold the front fascia on... the old ones were broken and the only thing holding it was the interior knobs... $40 was expensive, but im glad i bought them... i mean the options were to not buy them and it falls off and i run it over... it fits like new now...
Lotta nice tinkering there. I really like the on board air setup looks like the box was made for it and keeps it out of the way/protected......looking Good..........later, slim
When you put your rear receiver hitch on, did you remove your spare? I recently installed a rear bumper/hitch that mounted the same, but is a little lower. Could not remove the spare tire with the bumper on, so I removed it and just plan on having my tire repair kit with me on the trail and the spare back at camp. (always out with someone else, like the buddy system in diving)
the spare tire is gone now... i took off the mounting bracket completely... i bulit it to have max clearance and w/o anything in the hitch it doesnt block the tailgate...
i love what you've done with your zuki! I'll be buying one for myself tomorrow and i am really excited to have my hands on it doing a lot of projects. keep those pictures coming!
it is attached at the front where the radius arms attach, there is an 8mm hole there and then it is fastened at 3 spots on both crossmembers w/ 5/16 hardware... the hitch uses 1/2 hardware... if anyone wants a hitch, i made a blueprint so that i can reproduce them... i would take $150 plus shipping...
"if anyone wants a hitch, i made a blueprint so that i can reproduce them... i would take $150 plus shipping..." How much to ship a hitch to Nova Scotia? z
That skid bar setup is inspired. Any chance you could take some closeups of how it's attached? I want to build one this weekend... or at least get a start
Looks great!! My rear bumper is similar. I welded an old handy man jack to it to stiffen it a bit. Added benefit.......I have lots of holes to tie or hook too Hahaha. I like your skid bars. I'm making a front bumper/skid plate/plow mount that attaches behind the front diff/ receiver. This contraption will replace the entire plastic bumper on front and have a winch hidden inside it. I also have on bored air. Best thing ever!! Have used it quite a bit already. Can run die grinder and most any other air tools as well as set a bead in a tire. Glad to see I'm not the only one with air hahaha