| Speedrye build | |
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+19FiJiKrawl DamnItsAGlasgow SingleTrack planemechFJ Crazy Hube FJ Derek CarolinaCruiser15 yota15 fjdarrell ncorn38 totald Auto Solutions Snowdogyyz David B Darklight bigdogdewey2 NC FJ Driver Xx_Black-out Speedrye 23 posters |
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bigdogdewey2 ADMINISTRATOR
Posts : 3697 Points : 8441 Join date : 2011-08-30 Age : 55 Location : High Point, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Tue Apr 24, 2012 9:13 pm | |
| lol...i can help you with that...if you need so | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Tue Jul 03, 2012 2:26 pm | |
| It's been a while since I've done much with the truck since work has been so busy, but I'm still looking at skids and beefing things up in general.
For those of you that have seen my LED on my hood: I've finally found a great deal on another one and have it ordered so I can have two, side by side in the hood vent. For anyone wanting some Rigid LEDs, Stage3Motorsports.com has some good prices and service with free shipping and you can search some and find a 5% coupon code as well. Pics will be posted once the light comes in.
As a side note, I'm averaging around 15.5 mpg long term with the 315s. It works out to be around 16mpg around town and 15mpg on the highway at 70+. Not too bad from a lot of what I read, especially with stock gears and a couple hundred pounds of gear in the rear at all times. | |
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Darklight Tail Gunner
Posts : 651 Points : 5269 Join date : 2011-08-31 Location : Charlotte,NC 28278
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Thu Jul 05, 2012 11:48 am | |
| Are you running stock gears with those tires? Thanks for the update on them. 16 doesn't seem awful. I would expect to loose 2-3 mpg with a 33 plus tire size. | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:42 pm | |
| Yeah, I'm keeping the stock gears until I kill them. The manual transmission really helps though since I just drive in a lower gear than I did before. I think my mpg is unusual though compared to most with larger tires. Completely stock, I'd only get 17mpg, so I can't complain considering what I've done to the truck. | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:16 pm | |
| Second LED bar is mounted on the hood next to the first. MUCH LIGHT! I'll post up pics tomorrow or Saturday of the truck and the light output at night. | |
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bigdogdewey2 ADMINISTRATOR
Posts : 3697 Points : 8441 Join date : 2011-08-30 Age : 55 Location : High Point, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Thu Jul 12, 2012 11:44 pm | |
| hey Ryan i got my lights and switches...so ill be ready to wire sometime soon...should be pretty easy...cant wait to see the "sun" on your hood....lol | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Jul 13, 2012 7:55 am | |
| Don't forget your welding helmet! Let me know when you're ready for wiring and we'll meet up.
After driving around for a bit last night, I've come to the conclusion these 10" Specter bars are easily the best value on a dollar per lumen and a lumen per inch basis in the Rigid lineup. Their combined output is somewhere between a 30" and 40" SR bar even though it's only two 10" lights. $550 for both lights is a lot less than you'd pay for the 30" or 40" bars, especially with the good pricing I've found via Stage 3 Motorsports. They now make amber lenses for these as well which I'll order before long. As you'll see in upcoming pictures, the light is so smooth without any hotspots or irregularities. It makes me want more of these for the sides so I can look like a friggin UFO at night. Too bad $$ isn't there and there are other priorities even if it was. | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:36 am | |
| A quick pic I snapped on the way out this morning: | |
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Darklight Tail Gunner
Posts : 651 Points : 5269 Join date : 2011-08-31 Location : Charlotte,NC 28278
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Jul 13, 2012 2:23 pm | |
| Double LED's Looks better side by side. I know who i want behind me on a night run, lol. | |
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David B ADMINISTRATOR
Posts : 2677 Points : 8242 Join date : 2011-05-01 Age : 51 Location : Wake Forest, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Jul 13, 2012 2:25 pm | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Jul 13, 2012 6:34 pm | |
| - Darklight wrote:
- Double LED's
Looks better side by side. I know who i want behind me on a night run, lol. I really don't think you want me behind you unless you're wanting your retinas cooked to a crisp I'm also much happier with the aesthetics now that the grill is mostly filled. Before it was more a matter of function, but it always bothered me that it was too small. Better now. | |
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bigdogdewey2 ADMINISTRATOR
Posts : 3697 Points : 8441 Join date : 2011-08-30 Age : 55 Location : High Point, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Jul 13, 2012 9:54 pm | |
| Ryan are the lights mounted thru the grill or through the hood? ??they look amazing ...also ..you got a link to stage 3 motorsports?? | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:30 pm | |
| Through the grill. I didn't want to drill any permanent holes in the hood. I removed the decorative grill and mounted through the rear. Later, I can remove the lights, put the grill back in and it looks stock again.
http://www.stage3motorsports.com/product/RIG-91061/Rigid-Industries-10-SR-Series-Specter-White-LED-Light-Bar.html
All of their Rigid bars are a lot cheaper than anywhere else and you can find a 5% discount code online if you look. It took a week to get mine which included the 4th of July, so not too bad. | |
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bigdogdewey2 ADMINISTRATOR
Posts : 3697 Points : 8441 Join date : 2011-08-30 Age : 55 Location : High Point, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Jul 13, 2012 10:37 pm | |
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ncorn38 MODERATOR - Trail Scout
Posts : 284 Points : 4992 Join date : 2011-05-09 Location : Kannapolis NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Sat Jul 14, 2012 7:09 pm | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:05 pm | |
| I figured I'd throw in some updates since it's been awhile. I've been working my tail off and haven't had much time to work on the truck at all, but I did find time to install a URD short shifter kit. Having driven it for awhile now, I can't say I notice it at all. The shifts are much shorter, but they now feel right. It's one of those things you modify and don't think about any more since it's the way it should've been done from the factory. The good news is that my shifter no longer hits the console when shifting to second (due to body lift).
On another note: You guys know I love lights, so... I run my IPF fog lights all the time in my ARB bumper. They come on automatically when my parking lights come on and I prefer them that way. They're actually really good, bright fog lights, but I wanted more light on the street at night that wouldn't be blinding people. Enter HID projector lights. I talked for awhile with Nate at The Retrofit Source and we settled on some projector housings, ballasts, bulbs and wiring. Total price was under $200 shipped and they get a LOT better reviews than places like DDM. I'd rather spend a little more to not replace ballasts/bulbs, etc. Once these come in, I'll take some pictures and post a "How to install HID projectors into an ARB bumper". I think the hardest part will be making custom brackets to mount the projectors to the plastic ARB light insert.
I'm hoping the end result will be better, brighter light down low with lots of spread. Having a cutoff line will prevent me from blinding traffic and I'm going to wire the projector to the high beams so that when I turn on my high beams, the projectors lose the cutoff and cast more light everywhere. This way I can use them as a fog light/general driving light and double as a high beam so I get more light all around. I can't use most of my lights on the road without blinding people, so hopefully this will give me more usable light at night when on-road since I usually just run my regular headlights and IPF fogs.
Since I've got a lot of lights on the truck as is, I'm planning on doing some night shots with comparisons of individual lights. What I'm looking at is the following, and please, make suggestions if you want to see other options:
Standard headlights Standard high beams Upgraded headlights (can't remember the brand bulbs I got) Upgraded high beams (can't remember the brand bulbs I got) IPF fog lights for ARB bumpers Hella 700FF driving lights with upgraded 100w bulbs single Rigid SR Specter 10" LED bar double Rigid SR Specter 10" LED bars (as in both on at the same time) upgraded HID projectors at low beam upgraded HID projectors at high beam Rigid Dually LED backup lights And of course, a few pictures with everything on, just because I can...
I might try to get up with Mike during this so we can put his lights in the comparison as well. So, any thoughts or questions or comments? | |
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bigdogdewey2 ADMINISTRATOR
Posts : 3697 Points : 8441 Join date : 2011-08-30 Age : 55 Location : High Point, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Sep 07, 2012 2:52 pm | |
| Ryan be careful when you turn on these lights as you may get an answer from deep space! light is fast...and please do this in another county since i dont want little green men in my back yard!! | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:48 pm | |
| Man, I was thinking your back yard was the perfect place to do this too! Actually, I've been scouting out a few areas for lighting comparisons... | |
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bigdogdewey2 ADMINISTRATOR
Posts : 3697 Points : 8441 Join date : 2011-08-30 Age : 55 Location : High Point, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Fri Sep 07, 2012 6:15 pm | |
| come on over Ryan...anytime..i have zero problem with that...we can also use the field behind me where there are NO lights!
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:36 pm | |
| Okay, I found a bit of free time today and while I'm still waiting on the HID projectors, I figured I'd start removing the IPF fogs and the ARB bumper inserts. I've been needing to replace these plastic bumper inserts for awhile now since you can see how warped and crooked the existing ones are in the picture below. The original installer (not me, I purchased it used) tightened the bolts too much and stripped the heads out. Hence it could move and look like crap as shown. ARB was awesome and replaced it under warranty, even though I didn't purchase it new. Great guys! Pictured: Ugliness and bugginess I first removed the IPF lights and then proceeded to beating the heck out of the old plastic housings until they broke into pieces. Once those were out, I pulled out the parking lights and steel backing plates and was left with large holes. Since the parking lights were already out, I went ahead and removed the amber lenses as well. I'm not sure yet if I'll put these back in or not. I guess it depends on whether or not I find a replacement that I like more. Pictured: Porsche Turbo inspired bumper openings | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:29 pm | |
| Well, this is going to require some custom fab work... Pictured: IPF light on the left with the new HID light on the right. This is not going to be an "insert tab A in to slot B" project! Next, I removed the light bulb and corresponding hardware from the rear of the IPF. Next, bake at 265 degrees for 7 minutes and the glass lens pops right off from the metal body (with the help of a wooden spoon handle pushed through the light bulb hole). Since I worked 14 hours today, that's all I've got... | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Wed Sep 12, 2012 11:04 pm | |
| A 2.75" hole saw makes a big hole in a 4" foglight. Pictured next to a stock IPF light. Now the projector fits into the IPF housing... Next up is to paint the inside of the stock housing and fabricate some brackets so I can actually mount the projector to the housing. As you can tell, I'm only doing one light to start with and then I'll do the second once I figured out the easiest way to do this. The only hard part thus far looks to be coming up with a cover for the exposed projector that will keep the elements out. Stay tuned for more carnage! | |
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fjdarrell Tail Gunner
Posts : 743 Points : 5250 Join date : 2012-01-01 Age : 41 Location : j-ville
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Thu Sep 13, 2012 7:40 am | |
| Good work!!!!!! Those are gonna be bright as Hell
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Thu Sep 13, 2012 11:29 am | |
| They should be very bright, but on a related note, my new lights came in today! I'm replacing the ARB side marker lights with some 55w PIAA Plasma Ion (yellow) fog lights as well. I'll probably end up melting the darn plastic housing in the bumper with all of this light, but I'm a firm believer in having WAY too much light. You never know when you need to mark a location for an alien landing.
Oh yeah, I painted the inside of the IPF reflector this morning so that it's cured by the time I get home tonight. Hopefully I can figure out some mounting brackets to actually mount the HID to the housing this evening. | |
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Speedrye Trail Guide
Posts : 1050 Points : 5797 Join date : 2011-08-30 Location : Stokesdale, NC
| Subject: Re: Speedrye build Sat Sep 15, 2012 2:39 pm | |
| Okay, a little more progress has been made. The inside of the housing got painted satin black and I made a couple of brackets to mount the HID to the IPF housing. Rivets seemed to work best for this, so that's what I did! Once the sheet metal brackets were in, it was a simple matter of drilling and mounting the HID projector to the housing. Before I did this, I plugged in the 12v high beam wires you see to verify that the shutter inside was working properly. Well, I figured now would be a good time to make sure the light worked and see some comparisons in light output. First up is a standard 55w H3 bulb in a rectangular housing (1/40 second shutter speed since my camera won't allow me to adjust this): Next up, I plugged the HID assembly into my workbench 12v power and had this (1/400 shutter speed): Significantly brighter even though the picture doesn't reflect it too well. Also notice the nice cutoff line that's present so that I don't blind traffic. Next up, I engaged the high beam part of the HID which is basically just a shutter than opens inside and eliminates the cutoff line (also 1/400 shutter speed): Now you can see in this picture that the hotspot of the bulb is a little high and was mostly hidden behind the shutter. I'll be doing some adjusting so that the hotspot is a little lower and visible without high beams on. For the most part though, this single light has incredible output with a very wide, strong beam. Next up I need to make a housing to protect the rear part of the light from water, mud, dust and anything else you can think of... | |
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