NAS LR3 build with an overseas twist

Ray_G

Explorer
Loving that bumper! Can you post a few hundred more photos of it? Seriously.

Also, with the investments you've made, seriously consider getting the GAP Tool to round out your kit. Could really save your bacon in the hostile climate you are in.

Nathan-
More pics to follow for sure, I think Icon Auto really did well taking a piece of graph paper and running with it to create the bumper.

Regarding the IID tool, I probably should have highlighted it more but on the initial post of the thread it is right below the general specs of the vehicle. Initially I just used a bluetooth code reader but shortly after arrival here I went ahead and hit up L8 to get that since to me it is pretty much mandatory to have onboard given the reliance on computers in this platform. I don't think I harped on it more because I just look past it as a requirement-and it doesn't make for as good a picture as the bumper and other stuff! My super mod version of the IID tool isn't all the sexy other than I have it velcro'd to the underside of the center console lid for quick access!

I'd be remiss if I didn't say that the stuff you've done with your truck and the lesson's learned expressed here by folks like you and Dendy were not both an inspiration and a guide for my choices.
r-
Ray
 

Ray_G

Explorer
Seat Covers: Wet Okle

Today's edition will focus on some smaller odds and ends. Since this is a mild build I'm starting to run out of the dramatic things but there is still a few other aspects worth sharing.

As the temps here started to rise and we started using the truck more for excursions we noticed that the leather was starting to show its age slightly. Concerns about how much damage the sun, sand, and wear and tear could do out here prompted a discussion of seat covers on the way back from Oman. I'd had great experiences with Kexby's canvas covers in my D1 but they are not available for the LR3 line, though other canvas options do exist. Ultimately I put forth a few options to the wife including equipt canvas covers, the OE or britpart-esque nylon covers, as well as the neoprene style from Wet Okle (WO LR3 seat covers).

In a shock to both of us, we both wanted to try the Wet Okles. Seizing the tacit approval, the order was placed and then per everyone's experience with Wet Okle, you wait.

It was worth it; really, really worth it:
Wet Okle seat covers 1.jpgWet Okle seat covers 2.jpg
*Ignore the fuzzy dice, they were a 'gift' during a road trip and I am banned from removing them from the vehicle by the better half.

I got the full piping with black as the primary color and charcoal for the piping. I got map pockets for the back of each seat, as well as the little pockets on the front-those I think are unnecessary because when you tighten down the cover they tend to drift off the placement you'd need to make those useful. They were a pain to get on, as one would expect if you've ever gotten into a wetsuit it is kinda like putting one on your seat...inside the car...and then having to reach under the seat with the motor(s) and such to tighten it all down. Budget a few hours to install. If you are doing it in a parking garage in Abu Dhabi, make sure you drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration.

The covers are very comfortable, adding some cushion to the seat and even when in direct sunlight they don't quite burn your exposed skin the way the leather does. The arm rest covers are a nice touch as they add some cushion to that as well which you notice on drives compared to when they were absent. I'm not sure how I'll feel about them when we go back to a colder climate since I've heard they will reduce the seat heater's effects but we'll cross that bridge when we get there. We shall see how they last, for this application I think they will be perfect. Just like I think the canvas Kexby's in the D1 are appropriate since that vehicle has a harder life and sees harsher treatment. If I were taking a diesel D3 across Australia or throughout South Africa I'd probably go canvas, but if you're looking for something to protect your leather, cushion your bum, that stays with the relative elegance and luxury of the vehicle these are worth the cost.
 

Ray_G

Explorer
Electrical: Blue Sea Systems aux fuse, Hella relay block, flat panel swith

I'm still debating a 2nd battery for this truck. At present it seems unnecessary given how she is used, but there is a possibility that upon return to the US if she turns into a tow rig for either the D1 or an eventual series acquisition the role as base camp truck may necessitate it. Regardless I knew that wiring in the bumper lights, the LED light bar, the fridge, and any other add-on components would make having something in place worthwhile. Before leaving the US we ran power wirer from the engine compartment down along the frame rail and up through a grommet in the back where the jack is stored. I didn't want to deal with the firewall and was primarily interested in getting constant 12v back there on a scale sufficient to power the fridge.

For awhile I toyed with the idea of mounting an aux fuse box to the inside of the panel that accesses the stock jack but in the end I decided I wanted to use the right rear cubby as the hub for both 12v constant fused power as well as relays for the lights:
IMG_1530.JPG
The trim is removable, albeit not necessarily easy. I messed around with a panel popper and a flat head for awhile till I figured out how the various tabs and such integrated with that portion of the rear cargo area trim to make sure I wouldn't break it. Then-having learned my lesson about working in the heat, the bulk of the fitting and small connections was done in the comfort of the kitchen:
IMG_1533.JPGIMG_1531.jpg
The two electrical add-ons are the standard Blue Sea Systems fuse block (Blue Sea Systems Fuse Block) and a Hella 4 way mini relay block (Hella Relay Block) This should provide enough for any additional requirements beyond the fridge, existing lights, and a planned 12v accessory bank & some more cargo area lighting. The fit & finish of both products is what you'd expect, though the Hella doesn't really come with any instructions it is fairly self evident if you are familiar with relays. I would note that I managed to place them too close together, i.e. I have to remove the clear cover on the relays to subsequently remove the fuse panel's cover but that's a small matter.

Here is how it looks 'in nature' where you can see that I use the bin for some spares such as the mandatory extra brake switch, belt(s) (the other one sits on top and was removed for the picture) as well as taillight bulbs, JB weld, etc.
Fuse box, relay block, spares bin.jpg

As the electrical work progressed I also struggle a bit with switching for the Hella 4k's I put on the bumper to replace the LED aux lights Icon installed as well as a switch for the LED light bar on the roof rack. While I like the OE look of the aux switches I wanted the ability to switch independently and really didn't want to tear off the area around the binnacle if I didn't have to. Conversely I was pulling the surround from the stereo a fair amount and knew that I had space back aside the HVAC controls and such to utilize if needed. Not wanting to mess with carling switches nor mount stuff overhead resulted in long hours on the internet trying to find a viable solution. What I went with was a $20 gel panel switch off Amazon that gets mixed reviews but so far seems to be working pretty well (Flat Panel Switch). Pardon the crappy initial instal picture:
Switch_1.jpg
The panel is mounted via velcro vice the provided double-sided tape (which doesn't stick well there anyway). The flat control wire is only about 18" long so it has a short run to the switch unit which resides under the vent basically to the left of the radio controls in the space that is free back there. 12v in is via a tap in the cigar lighter's wiring, 12v out runs out to the relay block to turn on the hella's and the light bar. Two switches are currently un-used. I wasn't happy with the silver/gray apperance so for now I used a little electrical tape and a sharpie to make it stand out a lot less. Not terribly elegant but it fell into the not just good, but good enough category. At $20 I'd happily by another just to be able to play with making its apperance better.
Garmin RAM mount & switches.jpg
The above pic also illustrates the transition from the temporary Garmin 650T setup to the hardmounted/hardwired install with a RAM mount and the rugged AMPS cradle. This is the exact same setup I have in my other truck (the GPS goes with me) and it works well. In retrospect I regret that the vehicle didn't have navigation nor does it have bluetooth in the radio or the ipod hookup but in the end this is a small thing and some follow up posts will illustrate the work-arounds I've used.
 

Ray_G

Explorer
Maxtrax

I've only been wheeling seriously since about 1997 when I got my first truck (Toyota Tacoma, still love those, we still have one in fact) but over that limited time I've come to find certain recovery tools are essential while others are occassional usage items that fit a specific purpose (i.e. the age old winch vs hi-lift arguement).

Hands down I think a winch is critical for any serious off road venture, ironically what I have found is that time and time again my winch (and snatch block, and tree strap(s), and other rigging hardware) is being used to offset other folks lack of gear. That's fine, and not really a big deal in the grand scheme. Right behind a winch I'm coming to believe the next piece of recovery gear that a serious offroader should look for is maxtrax. Admittedly I'm fairly new to that belief, having seen them more as expo jewelry for awhile until KC spent some time at Twin Mountain Off Road (TMORA) in early 2014 doing a demo with their product and after that I wondered why I'd been carrying around heavy and degrading fiberglass grating for so long for so little utility. I especially regret not having them along for VOT as I have seen them quickly extract vehicles where otherwise we'd be pulling cable and far more bogged down. To be sure there is no single panacea, but these are definitely a product that goes in the win category and thus I have set out to add them to all my trucks. In this particular case they showed up, via USPS, from Twin Mountain shortly after arrival in the UAE and for that I am eternally grateful.
maxtrax1.jpg
In mounting them I knew that I wanted them on the roof rack, and that perpendicular to the orientation of the truck would save space. I'd considered using the superb mounting pins that Maxtrax sells but knowing that the climate and normal usage of the truck wouldn't leave the maxtrax themselves on there I didn't really want to have a little porcupine look when naked so I decided to go with just strapping them down via a ratchet strap.
maxtrax mounted.jpgTie down rings.jpg
Using some Disco 2 tie downs bolted to the wind deflector keeps the mounting unobtrusive. The ratchet strap has carabiners on both ends and to access the maxtrax all you have to do is loosen it enough to pop them up and out of the way. With frontrunner's tie downs placed on one of the crossbars basically the maxtrax nest in the front portion of the rack nearly perfectly. For extra protection, and just barely visible on the initial picture, I used HD zip ties through the carrying handles around the leading edge of the rack. Easily cut while out offroading this gives another bit of insurance when going 80mph down the highway here that nobody is going to see them coming through their windshield.
Maxtrax mounted_2.jpg
Overall I'm pretty happy with how they integrate into the truck, still leaving ample space on the roof rack for future add-ons (rotopax may be next), soft/light gear, etc. I don't leave them on all the time out here mostly because I don't want to see how the sun will fade them or how 120-130 temps over a protracted period will weather/potentially degrade them unnecessarily. The only downside to not having them on all the time is the wife did mention it makes finding the D3 in parking lots a lot easier...
Maxtraax on roof rack.jpg
 

jerdog53

Explorer
I see great minds think a like, I to have used that dash cubby to house my Montana 600.


DSC00587_zps6919c4e5.jpg
 

Ray_G

Explorer
I see great minds think a like, I to have used that dash cubby to house my Montana 600.

Great minds indeed! I have been pretty happy with it thus far; I see you are also like we are in many ways-a smaller GPS complimented by a tablet running maps (we found the navigator used the ipad a lot while the driver was using the Garmin for orientation). How is your tablet mounted?
 

jerdog53

Explorer
Clip mounts holds the iPad in place and we've not experienced any movement on even the roughest trail.

I don't necessarily need to know where to go as much as where I am so moving maps is more useful to me. If I need a route then I use the Montana otherwise hardly look at it, but I do like the transportability of it.
 

nwoods

Expedition Leader
Glad to see the brake switch in there. I was going to mention it. I agree the winch is "for the other guy". I personally prefer the cubby vs the unimpressive factory nav, and hard mounted my GPS to the left of the steering wheel. I think you can add Bluetooth. Try "GROM Audio", or "USA Spec". I install a GROM in all my cars.

Edit: sorry, just checked and neither GROM or USA Spec make a Bluetooth integration kit. However, their is an OEM kit you can buy
 

Ooops

Observer
Nice read Ray, I'm enjoying it :arabia:

I have a couple of thoughts to share with you if I may.

I have to disagree with on the winch issue. In this part of the world you're going to get a lot more practical use out of four maxtraxs. I say that having carried a winch in the early days on a Range Rover classic.

That's not to say that there weren't occasions when I used it but time proved four maxtraxs were an excellent alternative. Taking into account the weight saving alone, for me its the way to go. With four matraxs self recovery is quick an painless.

The other observation that I have relates to shovels. The small folding type necessitate a lot of bending and often require that one be on one's hands and knees, they also offer little in the way of reach when clearing under the vehicle. There is nothing worse than trying to clear a vehicle in sand that's so hot it burns your skin when it touches you and having to kneel or lay in it. You'll have seen the type I mean being used by labourers doing the roads. They have a total length of about 1.6m and are real back savers.

My recovery kit is four maxtraxs, a high lift with a wheel adaptor, a decent rope and a long handled shovel. Works for me .......and apparently the other guy too :sombrero:
 

Ray_G

Explorer
Nice read Ray, I'm enjoying it :arabia:

I have a couple of thoughts to share with you if I may.

I have to disagree with on the winch issue. In this part of the world you're going to get a lot more practical use out of four maxtraxs. I say that having carried a winch in the early days on a Range Rover classic.

That's not to say that there weren't occasions when I used it but time proved four maxtraxs were an excellent alternative. Taking into account the weight saving alone, for me its the way to go. With four matraxs self recovery is quick an painless.

The other observation that I have relates to shovels. The small folding type necessitate a lot of bending and often require that one be on one's hands and knees, they also offer little in the way of reach when clearing under the vehicle. There is nothing worse than trying to clear a vehicle in sand that's so hot it burns your skin when it touches you and having to kneel or lay in it. You'll have seen the type I mean being used by labourers doing the roads. They have a total length of about 1.6m and are real back savers.

My recovery kit is four maxtraxs, a high lift with a wheel adaptor, a decent rope and a long handled shovel. Works for me .......and apparently the other guy too :sombrero:

Olly-
Can't broker serious disagreement with your comments, the only thing I'd do is highlight the context of the build/endstate. Sadly my time in the UAE is finite-as is the trucks. We'll be here ~24mos, with the truck here less than that so this thing was always being build with an endstate in mind of its intended purpose. Things like:
-Taking the wife and I from the East Coast of the U.S. to Alaska, and back.
-Towing a series from the East Coast out to the National Rally
-Towing a pair of motorcycles up to where my wife is from in Wisconsin to do a transit around Lake Superior.

I probably should have caveated my winch comment as being a broad statement vice GCC specific. Truth be told if I were going to be here and spend a lot of time exploring the desert in a semi-self reliant manner I think I'd do it in something much lighter and simpler. Probably not a Jeep, almost certainly my other 4x4 love a Toyota. I'd love to kit out a 4dr Hilux from the previous generation but I wouldn't able to sneak it back to the U.S.!

Totally agree on shovels too, hence the self-loathing comment as it relates to digging. The two inside the truck are as much for field sanitation as getting un-stuck, if I get the chance to get out in the desert in earnest when it cools back off I'll probably strap a couple of real shovels to the roof as companions to the maxtrax.
r-
Ray
 

Ooops

Observer
Olly-
Can't broker serious disagreement with your comments, the only thing I'd do is highlight the context of the build/endstate. Sadly my time in the UAE is finite-as is the trucks. We'll be here ~24mos, with the truck here less than that so this thing was always being build with an endstate in mind of its intended purpose. Things like:
-Taking the wife and I from the East Coast of the U.S. to Alaska, and back.
-Towing a series from the East Coast out to the National Rally
-Towing a pair of motorcycles up to where my wife is from in Wisconsin to do a transit around Lake Superior.

I probably should have caveated my winch comment as being a broad statement vice GCC specific. Truth be told if I were going to be here and spend a lot of time exploring the desert in a semi-self reliant manner I think I'd do it in something much lighter and simpler. Probably not a Jeep, almost certainly my other 4x4 love a Toyota. I'd love to kit out a 4dr Hilux from the previous generation but I wouldn't able to sneak it back to the U.S.!

Totally agree on shovels too, hence the self-loathing comment as it relates to digging. The two inside the truck are as much for field sanitation as getting un-stuck, if I get the chance to get out in the desert in earnest when it cools back off I'll probably strap a couple of real shovels to the roof as companions to the maxtrax.
r-
Ray

I did wonder about the NA aspect & of course with that in mind your approach makes complete sense. So I'm off to go and sit in the corner with the naughty boys for a bit. sorry about that.

Love your "Coyote". I had a 300tdi R380 with no more electronics than central locking and electric windows. Did some really cool stuff, in some very arduos conditions with it. An absolutely brilliant truck.

Just read that the twenty five LRs impounded by your Homeland Security have been returned to their owners. Excellent result :victory:

Right I'm back to lurking mode, no more heckling I promise
 

Ray_G

Explorer
I did wonder about the NA aspect & of course with that in mind your approach makes complete sense. So I'm off to go and sit in the corner with the naughty boys for a bit. sorry about that.

Love your "Coyote". I had a 300tdi R380 with no more electronics than central locking and electric windows. Did some really cool stuff, in some very arduos conditions with it. An absolutely brilliant truck.

Just read that the twenty five LRs impounded by your Homeland Security have been returned to their owners. Excellent result :victory:

Right I'm back to lurking mode, no more heckling I promise

Def didn't take the input as heckling! I think if I was doing a purpose built truck for out here the winch would be much further down on the list of mods for sure.
I'm jealous of the 300Tdi, the V8 in Coyote is nice but thirsty to say the least. Not sure I want to try to move 255/85s with a 300Tdi but then again I think the driving style would change a great deal. I still think about taking a MY 94-95 D1 in the US and putting a diesel in it (becomes a little more difficult when they switched to GEMS and OBDII only b/c some municipalities don't like the engine swap for emissions and such. Then again a little more waiting and I could just import a 25yr old Disco..perhaps a 3 door. I'd probably the be the only guy in the US as everyone else now sees the victory against Homeland Security as a chance to continue the onslaught of Defenders.

Hope you are enjoying the return of summer as much as I am...which is to say not so much!
r-
Ray
 

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