RADO's Off Road Rig- Build Thread

[VXorado]

what are the advantages of independent front suspension again? i thought for off roading everyone wants solid front axles? i was under the assumption that IFS was just for better on road handling and a smoother ride...

You have it right. A dedicated trail rig for rock crawling will always have a solid front axle because it's stronger (or can be equipped stronger) and offers better articulation. Some obnoxious Jeepers will tell you that anything without a solid front axle is garbage for off road and that comment usually comes from the guy with street queen chromed out Rubicon. The stock jeep setups don't offer much benefit over IFS because they're still built for the masses and sacrifice articulation for comfort & safety. Of course, they have lots of aftermarket options to make them incredible off road.

The super flexy IFS we're talking about links the torsion bars & creates better articulation on the trail. The travel of the IFS is still limited but the suspension will balance out the VX more and provide increased traction when you're driving on uneven terrain. I usually draw a picture to explain it but essentially you give some of the solid axle trail benefits to IFS while keeping the IFS for improved road handling & ride.

[VXorado]

I'm back in the modding mood!!! I haven't worked on much since last April but now I have a fresh new list to start working on. Mostly small/moderate projects now but I have some BIG plans for 2014.

After having the 30" LED bar sit in the garage for months, I decided I wanted to use it without the cargo basket. Slightly permanently, I bolted the mounts directly on the VX roof to give the most low profile look. Wiring was a real pain... I ended up wiring through the door weather stripping & through the roof rails. The switch is mounted on my bezel from OTRATTW and is appropriately named, "LED LIGHT BAR."

[bartmanS4]

Nice! Let's go light up some trails, literally.
Your new house looks awesome

[vt_maverick]

x2 on the house, makes me think more and more about CO...

[VXorado]

Those pictures were taken at my parent's house in Black Forest, CO. 419 homes burned down earlier this summer and THANKFULLY, the fire stopped two blocks away from my childhood home.

[Frankenstein]

I like your rig VXorado. I have to read the build thread. Those big tires tuck up into the body nice!

[nfpgasmask]

How was the install? Just two wires, right? Looks good. I am thinking of getting a 50" lightbar for my Trooper.

Bart

[VXorado]

I like your rig VXorado. I have to read the build thread. Those big tires tuck up into the body nice!

Thanks Frankie!!!

How was the install? Just two wires, right? Looks good. I am thinking of getting a 50" lightbar for my Trooper.

Bart

Yeah Bart, just make sure your LED bar comes with a wiring kit. Since it's low wattage, you don't need a ballast but the wiring kit makes for a clean install with a switch relay.

[VXorado]

I had the last week off from work and was hoping to finish a few projects on the VX. Unfortunately, it's been in the single digit temps here and there's no way I can do the work in the garage that I was planning. I did manage to finish a couple small interior projects.

Steering Wheel

I did a trade with Mikemol that included my red/blk seats for a JDM steering wheel. The install was simple but required some wiring for the airbag which I was able to do without too much trouble. The JDM steering wheel was made by MOMO and is a bit smaller than the US steering wheel. Additionally, the horn is built into the steering wheel side grips instead of the airbag.









Gauges
I really wanted the reverse glow gauges that Kenny & Littlebeast installed but I believe they are discontinued for Isuzu models. After hours of research, I found similar gauges from a 90s Honda that looked to be the same size. Luckily, the gauges just required a little trimming to make them work. I still have a bit of work to do in the future to change the other gauges to blue.

While I had the gauges out of the VX, I removed the annoying ABS light and adjusted my speedo needle to correct MPH with bigger tires. I checked the speedo to my GPS yesterday and they read the exact same at 65 MPH.















Seats & Doors
In August, I got a set of grey/blk seats from a wreaked VX. I just needed to paint the door cards satin blk/gloss blk to match the new interior.



Installed pics of Gauges & Steering Wheel




The interior is coming together.

[vt_maverick]

Steering Wheel

I did a trade with Mikemol that included my red/blk seats for a JDM steering wheel. The install was simple but required some wiring for the airbag which I was able to do without too much trouble.

Bit of a hijack here but your PM box is full... can you post how you got the wiring to work? I may be picking up a JDM wheel in the near future but want to understand the level of difficulty involved in fixing the wiring.

Thanks and congrats on a great rig!

[VXorado]

Bit of a hijack here but your PM box is full... can you post how you got the wiring to work? I may be picking up a JDM wheel in the near future but want to understand the level of difficulty involved in fixing the wiring.

Thanks and congrats on a great rig!

There's a different connector on the JDM airbag and you will need to swap to the US connector. This can be done by splicing the US connector onto the JDM airbag. That's it!

I cannot confirm the airbag will actually work, but there is no airbag light on the dash.

[ZEUS]

Nice work! Now you just need to make it right-hand drive! :P

[bartmanS4]

Looking good Jon!

[LittleBeast]

Awesome! Great job!!!!!

[Mile High VX]

Your rig just continues to get better and better...