My First Build

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Dave Snyder

Rank VI
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer II

4,723
Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Snyder
Member #

30034

Started with tires since I needed them anyway. Went with the General Grabber A/T. They seem like a good tire. Quieter than I thought they would be on pavement. The ARB differential breather kit is on order. Not planning on going swimming with the truck but I figure better safe than sorry.IMG_20210918_104724481_HDR.jpgIMG_20201004_130054857_HDR.jpg
 

Dave Snyder

Rank VI
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer II

4,723
Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Snyder
Member #

30034

Finally got the ARB Differential Breather Kit installed. Naturally because it's a Ram there were issues with the install. The front differential wasn't a problem, the fitting screwed right in. Good thing I decided to replace that pathetic little breather tube that was there. The rear differential was another matter. It had a larger fitting so I had to get creative with a couple of fittings. I mounted the breather itself in the engine compartment below the driver's side hood hinge. IMG_20211229_110559937.jpgIMG_20211111_171609261.jpgIMG_20211111_164938087.jpgIMG_20211111_164914233.jpg
 

Dave Snyder

Rank VI
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer II

4,723
Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Snyder
Member #

30034

So after having to take over a year off from pretty much everything due to shoulder surgery I'm mostly ready to get back at it. Upgraded to a K&N air filter today, I have an AL Offroad tailgate panel on order, and I'm probably ordering an A.R.E. MX series cap for the truck this week. I'm torn between a Decked drawer system and building something myself. I like the amount of storage I'd get with the Decked system but I've seen a couple awesome builds on YouTube lately that would be cool but wouldn't give as much storage. Also considering a Frontrunner rack for the cap if it will fit. Waiting on confirmation from Frontrunner on that. Because the MX series is a mid rise cap it's possible the roof tracks may have a narrower spacing than a cap that's level with the cab roof.
 

Neon Paradise

Rank IV
Member

Enthusiast III

1,116
Suffolk, Virginia, United States
First Name
Justin
Last Name
xxxxxx
Member #

26007

So after almost loosing a taillight to an errant branch I decided to add Taillight guards to the build. Won't offer much protection during a full on rear end collision but they should offer some protection from flying debris. View attachment 235063
Looking very good! To me, they add a bit of safari cred to the rear of the vehicle lol. Mine were an absolute pain to get on. The two rear mounting brackets weren't bent right and I had to bend them to form manually with a mallet like a caveman.

I'm going to have to replace the mounting hardware on the forward mount of my tail light guards. The bolt and washer have rusted very quickly.
 
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Dave Snyder

Rank VI
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer II

4,723
Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Snyder
Member #

30034

So after almost loosing a taillight to an errant branch I decided to add Taillight guards to the build. Won't offer much protection during a full on rear end collision but they should offer some protection from flying debris. View attachment 235063
Looking very good! To me, they add a bit of safari cred to the rear of the vehicle lol. Mine were an absolute pain to get on. The two rear mounting brackets weren't bent right and I had to bend them to form manually with a mallet like a caveman.

I'm going to have to replace the mounting hardware on the forward mount of my tail light guards. The bolt and washer have rusted very quickly.
Thanks! The install wasn't too bad. Had to do a little bending so the tailgate would clear on one side but not much.
 

Dave Snyder

Rank VI
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer II

4,723
Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Snyder
Member #

30034

So funny story. When I got my truck I took the 12 volt receptacle out since I hadn't use it in the last four trucks I had and installed a dual USB port in it's place. Low and behold when I bought My GMRS radio from Midland what does it come with? A 12 volt plug. Rather than risk voiding the warranty by cutting it off I decided to install an auxiliary power panel from Blue Sea that gives me a 12 volt receptacle, two more USB ports, and a voltage monitor. Plus it's switched and has a built in circuit breaker. Got it installed today along with the radio. To mount the radio I got a Ram Tough Wedge mount from Midland that slips between the drivers seat and the center console and has a bladder that you inflate to help keep it in place. So far it seems to be a pretty good option for a micro mobile radio. For now the mic is in one of the cup holders in the center console until I figure out where I want to mount it. IMG_20220719_195639991.jpgIMG_20220719_195720181.jpgIMG_20220719_201249515.jpgIMG_20220719_201345259_HDR.jpg
 

Dave Snyder

Rank VI
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer II

4,723
Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Snyder
Member #

30034

Taking advantage of my surgery being re-scheduled to September and continuing to chip away at the electrical. Found a convenient spot to mount a boot on the firewall and ran the control wire for the VoSwitch into the cab. There was already a hole in the firewall behind the plate. Just had to drill the proper size hole in the plate and mount the boot. Unfortunately I forgot to take before photos. Still need to run a couple more wires before I take the dash apart and hook everything up. Also installed a couple of 67 Designs arms and phone holder. The holder for the InReach Mini is made by JeepUniq. All of the mounts will eventually be 67 Designs.18467.jpegIMG_20220809_154827634_HDR.jpgIMG_20220810_100235980.jpg
 

Dave Snyder

Rank VI
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer II

4,723
Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Snyder
Member #

30034

Finished up with the wiring for now. Installed the keypad for the VoSwitch and Installed the fuse block in a pull out tray I wasn't using for anything else. It's out of sight and easily accessible. Put blank labels on the keypad until I actually hook something up to it. The Front Runner rack for the truck cap came Friday. Still waiting for the cap to show up. IMG_20220816_163325426.jpgIMG_20220816_164812511.jpgIMG_20220816_183847606_HDR.jpg
 

Dave Snyder

Rank VI
Member
Investor

Trail Blazer II

4,723
Greenfield Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
First Name
Dave
Last Name
Snyder
Member #

30034

Added another 67 Designs phone holder on the passenger side and added a Magnetic Mic mic holder. I was going to get more 67 Designs arms to mount a mic holder but I figured it would clutter up the dash once I get a tablet mounted too. That and the mic is more accessible mounted on the console. I also replaced the RAM arm on the radio with a 67 Designs arm. I love the 67 Designs stuff. More adjustability and much cleaner looking.IMG_20220822_162831438.jpg