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Canadian h3t Alpha build

RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
I have note updated this thread with the "Finished" roof rack picture, so here it is:
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Put it to use already:
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I say "Finished" because I am already designing v2.0 to implement the improvements I now see after having a physical unit to work off of
 
Last edited:

RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
Next I added some ABS honeycomb mesh and some "Amber Eagle Eye LED's" as raptor style marker lights... I was going to take them off right after getting them on there but they are starting to grow on me.... the last pic is of a little guy that watched me work

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amrg

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,317
Location
Qatar
Looking at this i guess you havent modded the hood latch right?
Nice mod

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RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
Looking at this i guess you havent modded the hood latch right?
Nice mod

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I did modify the hood latch

I just looked up how the companies that make the grill inserts do it and made my own similar setup

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RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
Doesn't look like the hood would close with this tall battery in there... but I got it to find with a 1/4" to spare.

(Don't worry about the ugly tiedown strap, it is not staying around for long but need it in the mean time so I can drive around town safely)
0b2c069126f6dd7c9b6dc68df444ed26.jpg


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JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,400
Location
Way up north, UT
I'd still put some rubber on the hood where the terminals are, at least on the positive side (negative side really doesn't matter). What is the rating of that battery?

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RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
I'd still put some rubber on the hood where the terminals are, at least on the positive side (negative side really doesn't matter). What is the rating of that battery?

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It's a 150ahr AGM

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RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
So now that my fuel delivery issue is fixed I have renewed interest in my T again (just needed a break I guess).

I picked up some Swartzy extended shackles and high clearance leaf spring mounts along with some polyurethane bushings for the chassis side of the shackles to replace the wore and rotten ones that currently occupy the space.

Hopefully I will get the "honey do" list done in time and then I can get to putting these parts on today!
 

RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
I managed to start on the new bed cage, here is the side rails getting painted with a wrinkle coat of "black" (looks dark grey) to match the roof rack I built:
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RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
Got the top half of the bed rack assembled I tried attaching a time lapse of assembly ... but it didn't work so if you want to see is head over to my IG page:
Ministry.of.adventure
 

RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
I built a wood frame after work today out of some scrap wood I had laying around. This is so I could begin to measure and design the mounts that will attach the rack to the bed.

Already I can tell that this new rack is going to be 50% lighter then the exiting rack with the bonus of looking wayyyyy better!!!
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RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
Now that all the parts have come in to finish the install I can finally call this done!

I am happy with the end result even though it sits a bit lower then I was hoping.

This is less then half the weight of the old setup and doesn't look home made (to me at least)


...i guess it's not done because I still have to mount the tent to it!
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RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
Small update:

So the wife and I rented a little log cabin further North of us on the West Coast for Xmas, the trip went well and the truck was smooth and comfy for the 500 mile round trip through several mountain passes almost all driven after sun set.

One thing I really started to notice were the cars that had those nice projector head lights (LED or HID), I would catch up to them or they would catch up to me, either way, it didn't matter if they were in front or behind their lights would over power mine and make me wonder if I even had mine on!

When we got to our cabin I couldn't shake the feeling that I was about to spend up cash upgrading my road lights in the new year.

I started reading the various retrofit threads on this site, started to get familiar with what would be needed to get the job done. Then I went on the hunt for some quality units to use for the retrofit (I didn't want to use some cheapo China/eBay units) and it looked like the retrofit source would have everything that I would need.

Then I added up all the costs:
$160 - projectors
$150 - HID's
$150 - new headlights (I don't have enough downtime in my schedule to do the work on my existing set)
$10 - sealant
$10 - JB weld
$75 - Shipping
$555 approx. total project price

After realizing that this doesn't include my time and the possibility of screwing something up and need to replace the part, plus it looks like this would cost much more then I was expecting, I started to explore other options which if your not aware is to go with the STARR HID setup or like a few here have done a 7" round LED light sold mostly for Jeeps...

So with all of that said I settled on the STARR HID system with the 50W upgrade due to the DOT approval they come with, the ease of installation and finally the price point - $100 bucks more then doing it myself.

Once I get them installed I will post up a review of how I like them
 

MustangGirl666

Well-Known Member
Messages
291
Location
West Hartford CT
I recommend the Starr HIDs had them over a year now no issues went with the 35w and I’m glad I did people keep flashing there hi beams at me , I can’t imagine the 50w. They do sales from time to time I got mine for a little over $400 shipped
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DFW Spartan

Well-Known Member
Messages
125
Location
Dallas, TX
I had read nothing but good reviews about the STARR HIDs. Ended up going with the 55W kit w/ black bezels myself. Replacement lens assemblies are top notch. However, I had issues out of the box with the rest of the kit.

Make sure you test all the components, and that you have a working kit before you proceed with the install. I found out the hard way that my kit had multiple faulty components (2 ballast, 1 wire harness assembly, 1 HID bulb). The guys at HR stood behind the product, and had replacement parts sent ASAP. Just a PITA to pull off the brush guard, front grill and head lamps, multiple times. The fact I had to have an installation shop trouble shoot a brand new plug and play kit was annoying. After approx. 2 months, I had another ballast go out. Going on 4 months now with no issues. Hoping all the bugs have been worked out now.

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Traxx

Well-Known Member
Messages
682
Location
PNW
The stock halogens suck. If I could only have one mod it would be the Starr's. Mine have been on for around 18 months, zero issues. They are mostly plug n play though a little surgery is required to the headlight bucket. Spray the mounting balls with a little wd or tri flow first so they pop off easy and you don't snap one of the mounts off, you can recoup a third of the cost selling your stock lights. Call them up and they will give you a better price if they are not already on sale, I think they would like to move whatever remaining stock of them they have.

I went with the 35w, I may order a ballast upgrade at some point but I don't want to be melting people's retinas.
 

RamRod

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,914
Location
AB, Canada
These STARR HID lights are bright, have a very clear beam cut off and were a cinch to install!

So far very happy with them!

Here they are with the LED pods I replaced the ONE fogs with
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H3slate

Brush raked
Messages
983
Location
Tualatin, Oregon
These STARR HID lights are bright, have a very clear beam cut off and were a cinch to install!

So far very happy with them!

Here they are with the LED pods I replaced the ONE fogs with
da839ca02a6ccf1be82e1c1eed5d931a.jpg


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Looking good! I need to reseal my hids, I miss the light output.

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