Craig’s G500

craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Picked up a mostly stock 2006 G500 3/2019.

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craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Added Viking Offroad Thor springs, Fox shocks, and Cooper Discoverer ST Max All Terrains 295/70-R18

Plenty of sidewall for airing down. Super smooth on-road performance. Kevlar sidewalls for in the basalt we have here in the PNW. Love em.
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craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Added a removable rear cargo shelf that’s held in place by the four cargo area tie downs.

ARB/Engel fridge/slide as well as the Power Tank bracket/Fire extinguisher are held in place with 1/4-20 T nuts and bolts.

Pelican is strapped down to Mack Tie Downs.

Front Runner Cub boxes fit underneath on one side with a pair of Kermit chairs/table on the other.

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Guess I need to wash the power tank cover. It and the fridge have been on a Defender, Discovery 2, and a 200TDI Range Rover Classic. Everything need ed to be wire brushed, rust treated, and re-sprayed before being installed.
 
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craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Installed a G-Wagen Accessories locking spare tire storage kit.

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craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Added Front Runner load bars for the RTT on it’s way. I like that they are only 17 lbs and close to the roofline. These rigs are tall enough already. I like to keep the weight up top as low and as light as possible... you never know when a sidehill will surprise you.

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craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Thanks!

I wanna see the tent on there too! Couple more days and it’ll be ready for adventure. Can’t wait!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

otiswesty

Regular guy
Consider 3 bars for the RTT if you are going to use it offroad.

The spare tire storage is an awesome bit of kit. I love it. Your mods are really nice and the 2006 is a great model year. 2005-2008 are some of the best CanBus (2002+) G500s.

How many 4 tire fills do you get out of the tank with 33" tires and 14->34 PSI?

Cheers, Eric
 

craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Consider 3 bars for the RTT if you are going to use it offroad.

The spare tire storage is an awesome bit of kit. I love it. Your mods are really nice and the 2006 is a great model year. 2005-2008 are some of the best CanBus (2002+) G500s.

How many 4 tire fills do you get out of the tank with 33" tires and 14->34 PSI?

Cheers, Eric

Thanks Eric!

Solid suggestion. Great minds must think alike. I have another pair of the load bars sitting here because I was thinking the same thing. If anyone wants the leftover one, let me know.

Good to get confirmation that this was a good year to buy. I did quite a bit of research, but I’m coming over from the Land Rover community and have a ton to learn about these vehicles.

I’m not sure how many fills I’ll get with these tires. I got 20-30 tire fills with my 235/85-R16s, so I’m guessing 15-20 with these tires.

Cheers!
Craig
 

craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Are the attachment points on the front/back rated for recovery or are they transportation tie downs?

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craig

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Good looking rig, Craig.

Those are transport tie downs. It is possible to mount a 2" receiver hitch and recovery shackle on the rear. The fiberglass rear bumper is typically the first thing damaged on a G, start budgeting for one of the steel replacements. The front bumper can be swapped out for a tow pin version as well.
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Matt

Thanks Matt. Very helpful! I thought they might be. Any other frame mounted recovery options that don’t require the bumper to be replaced (for now)?
 

otiswesty

Regular guy
Those steel loops at the rear are very stout and welded to the frame with continuous double sided welds. They should be good recovery points. The trailer hitch bracket on the frame is the other good place for a 2" receiver hitch or a tow strap bracket. The MB tow hitch is rated to 7K, the Curt hitch to 5K.

The 2018 tow hitch works fine on a 2006, or get the older style which has lateral braces. There is also the Euro style 50mm tow ball which is great for hooking a strap over.

The German army wolf had a steel recovery loop welded to a thick plate that bolts into the rear frame cross member where the hitch goes. I have one that is refinished if you want one.
 

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