Fog Lights

The fog getting too thick for you to see through?

Your rig too high for your Fog Lights to do much good?
Well here's something that will help brighten up those dark foggy nights.

Somewhere I heard that fog lights are useless on a 4x4. Well it's is somewhat true that fog lights work better when they are close to the road. I've run fog lights up to about 28" off the ground and at higher level they do help a little, but are much more efficient low to the road. Now one of the things mentioned about fog lights being bad on a 4x4 is that if you do mount them low then there's a good chance in breaking them in deep snow or when wheeling.

Well I love the snow and Rock Crawling and do have to drive through some heavy fog at times in the winter months. I've always thought about mounting my lights lower, but never got the motivation up to do it. Besides they were doing ok where they were, but after hearing that they were useless on a 4x4…. it was time to make them better.

I started by looking at the front of my truck and thinking about were to mount them at. I came to the conclusion that the axle/spring u-bolt plate looked like the best place for this application. So this is what I came up with.

HOW IT’S DONE:

Take some 1/16" sheet metal and make two 2 3/4" x 3" (3" was the width of the light mounts) extension plates. Clamp them together with a pair of vice grips and round off the lower corners to about a 1/2" radius (you could also do the top corners for a better look if they will be visible). Then drilled two 1/4" holes at 2 1/2" apart and a 1/2" from the bottom of the plates. Check where the nuts are at on the u-bolts. Some aftermarket u-bolts use a larger size nut so you may need to make the hole a little closer. You want to make sure that when it comes to drilling the holes in the u-bolt plate you don't drill into the nuts. You also want to have enough clearance to fit a small mounting nut on the back if needed (I'll explain this later). Also depending on if you have the stock 1/2" diameter or went to a 9/16" diameter u-bolt will make a difference.

Next drill two more 1/4" holes for mounting the light mounts to the extension plates. Put the light mount flush to the top of the extension plate and marked the center of the adjustment slots on the light mount and drill the holes. Separate the plates and clean up all the edges.

Now it's time to drill the holes in the u-bolt plate. I used all 1/4" bolts for mounting, but I drilled these holes at 15/64" and tapped them for the thread size of my bolts. The way to mark these is to hold the plate centered on the u-bolt plate and use a can of spray paint or marker to mark the holes, then drill. Or you could securely clamp the plate onto the center of the u-bolt plate and drill. After the holes were all drilled I painted the extension plates gloss black to match the mounts that came with the lights and the axle. Remember three or four thin coats is always better then one thick coat.

NOTE: I tapped the holes so I don't have to deal with the nuts. You could just drill 1/4" holes and use nuts instead. The nuts could be loose or tack welded. Could even drill the holes big enough for the nut to fit into them and tack weld them in the holes so they’re flush with the front of the u-bolt plate.

Next was putting the mounts together. Bolt the new extension plates onto the u-bolt plate first then the light mounts to them. Lightly tightened so they can sill move a little for adjusting. Measure to the bottom of each side of each light mount and adjusted them to the same height. Remember since the u-bolt mounts are not at the same height the adjustment for the mounts will also be at different levels. I also had to flip one of the light mounts to achieve the same mounting height. And since the ground can some times have its little ups and downs, even on a fairly level area, I also checked the mounts with a level. To do this I used a 3' level on the ground parallel to axle for reference and a small torpedo level on top of the mounts. A longer (4') level across to each mount would be better, but my 3' level was too short and my 6' wouldn't fit between the tire. When adjusted to your likings tighten them up.

Now all that's left is to run the wire and mount and adjust the lights (see the instructions that came with your lights).

Here's a picture of if it all done (almost - read on)

THE WIRING:
Now to keep from having to unplug each wire at each light (total of 4) and then having to tie the wiring up somewhere out of harms way. I got a two-way connecter (red arrow) and spliced it in the middle of the two wires going down to the lights. One simple connection and already out of the way with no wire to tie up. The blue arrow just shows the location of the relay for the lights.

I also shorten the wiring between the lights so I didn't have extra wiring in the way that also needing to be tied up to the axle. I also place the wire in a small diameter wire loom along the axle for added protection. As you can see in the picture the wire is taped to the axle. This was just a quick attachment to test this setup.

then added three quick wire wraps that I welded to the top of the axle. I put one next to the drive side light, one at the bottom of the arch of the pumpkin (pictured), and one on the top of the pumpkin toward to passenger side to hold the wires going to the passenger side light. Just make sure the wire wraps you use are long enough to go all the way around the wire loom.

HOW DOES THIS MAKE IT GOOD FOR WHEELIN’?
Well it doesn’t really, but with this setup it takes less then a minute to remove the lights when you plan to go wheeling. And about a minute to put them back on.

Note: It took me 51 seconds to remove them and a minute and 5 seconds to put them back on without rushing it.

THE REASON FOR THE EXTENTION PLATE:
You could just mount the light mount directly to the u-bolt plate, but every time you need to take them off you'll have too remove the light to get to the bolts for the light mounts. Then when you put them back on you'll need to readjust the mount height and the lights themselves (lots of wasted time). This set-up the bolts are below the light and easy to get to. Putting them back on… Well bolt 'em up and go. NO adjusting needed.

Well that’s it…
To remove them you have four bolts, one connecter, and a few quick wire wraps. Then put them somewhere safe and go have fun.

by: Robert Bickford a.k.a. DEADLYPEACE

DISCLAIMER

world-of-tlc.blogspot.com takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information above. world-of-tlc.blogspot.com, it's owners, or Toyota Motor Company deny any liability for actions taken based on the information in this article and will not accept responsibility for damage incurred to any vehicle, parts, or person, based on those actions. As always, world-of-tlc.blogspot.com encourages its visitors to seek the advise of a professional before attempting any modification to any vehicle.

Putting The Light Behind You

This was a fairly simple mod and very useful. To start off with I got a piece of 1/16"X1 1/2"X1 1/2" tube steel that I just had laying around. You could use any size tube steel to fit your application. I cut the tube steel to the length from the out outside to outside of the frame. Then measured and drill the holes in the frame and tube steel (I used 3/8" bolts). This can be done at any desired location depending on where or how close to the end of the bed you would like them to be. I put mine at 1 1/2" from the end of the frame. This put them back so that they weren't to close too the end of the bed where they could get hit easier. At first I thought about putting the bar inside the frame, but decided not to cuz it would be in the way of where I need to mount my rear bumper (if I ever get around the making the mounts for it).

Also since I decide to go with mounting the bar on top of the frame I welded a channel steel to the bottom of the bar for bolting the light mounts to and to get the lights under the bottom of the bed. I cut a 4" (the width of the dust boot on the lights) long piece of 1/16"X1 1/2"X1 1/2"channel steel and welded it to tube steel. Your lights may mount differently depending on light size and how far apart you would like them. I put mine so that I had an inch of clearance between the side of the lights and the frame. I then drilled a hole (size of light mount bolt) in the middle of the channel steel all the way through into the square tubing. Then to keep from the wire be exposed and having to tie them up and I cut a small section an inch long above the area where the lights would be mounted at for easy access to the wire connections and would run the wire through the bar. I then panted it, mounted it to the frame, and then the light to it.

NOTE: If you don't have or plain on having a rear bumper you can still mount the bar on the inside of the frame and not need to worry about the channel steel extensions. Or you could also cut the bar about 3/4" shorter to allow for a 1/4" thick bumper mounting bracket and 1/8" clearance on each side. This will make the bolt holes close to the end of the bar and you will also need longer bolts.

by: Robert Bickford a.k.a. DEADLYPEACE

world-of-tlc.blogspot.com takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information above. world-of-tlc.blogspot.com, it's owners, or Toyota Motor Company deny any liability for actions taken based on the information in this article and will not accept responsibility for damage incurred to any vehicle, parts, or person, based on those actions. As always, world-of-tlc.blogspot.com encourages its visitors to seek the advise of a professional before attempting any modification to any vehicle.

Square Driveline Mod

Does your front driveline keep coming apart cuz of lack of having enough slip?
Don’t feel like spending $120 for a 9” slip joint.

Well here's a trick that will give more then enough slip and a stronger driveline at the same time.

Things needed:

Tools:

1. Set of wrenches (for driveline)
   
2. Metal cutting saw or sawsall (optional)
   
3. Grinder w/ grinding and cut off wheels
   
4. Welder
   

Materials:

1. .25”X2” ID tube steel **
   
2. .25”X1.5” ID tube steel**
   
3. 4 zerk fittings – optional ($5)
   
4. Existing CV and universal joint from front driveline
   

** Use standard hitch and receiver size tubing cuz the seam is not raised. For a single T-case about 12” long ($20), for dual T-case about 18” long ($26). Actual length may vary depending on your preference and amount of suspension lift on your truck.


Reasons for a square driveline:

I decided to make my driveline square for a few good reasons.

1. Slip: With the stock slip joint I had about 2 inches of compression, and 3 inches of extension in the slip joint before the driveline would pull apart. With the square driveline I now have 7 inches of compression and 11 inches of extension.
   
   I do have a dual T-case plus my axle is set 2 inches forward so my driveline is longer. For a single T- case you could get something like 3 inches of compression and 9 inches of extension.
   

2. Strength: The square driveline is very strong and the odds of the tube shearing or the corners being rounded off are very unlikely. The fact that the lower tube extends so far up into the upper tube adds lots of strength to the assembly.
   

3. Cheap: This is a very cheap mod cuz all you need to get is the tubing and some zerk fitting (optional).
   

4. Easy construction:
   

The square driveline is very easy to make and can be done in a few hours.
Ready to go square?

The first thing you need to do is remove your existing driveline and cut the CV and the universal joint off.



(Click either side of the above image to see it larger)

I cut mine so that I had about a 1/2 inch from the weld on the CV side and about 3/4 of an inch from where the slip joint tube goes into the yoke on the other end for where the square tubing is going to slip over.

On the yoke side you could cut the tubing off right where the tubing goes into the yoke and butt the square tubing all the way up to the flange surface of the yoke. This would be a preference thing, either way is good. However you decide to do it you want to give yourself an inch of tube for the square tube to side over.

Now since the yoke and the CV are to big to fit into the square tubing you’ll need to cut and grind them down to fit. This will also make them square so it will make them fit better and also give you more welding area.

To do this I cut a 1/2 inch long scrap piece of the smaller square tubing and centered it on the circular end of the CV and yoke. I use a maker to trace the outside of the square tubing for the CV end and for the yoke end I traced the inside of the square tubing. I then used a cut off wheel (and grinding wheel as needed) to remove the unwanted sections. Remember when cutting, that on the yoke end to leave the line where as on the CV end you want to remove the line. Also try to get a slightly tight fit for more bite between the two pieces. I got mine to fit just tight enough that I needed to lightly tap the tubing on with a hammer.



Notice the notch on the yoke in the area where the square tube will slip over it. This is for the weld on the inside for the tubing to slide in. You could also use a die grinder on the square tubing and just remove the weld as needed. I just found it quicker and easier to make a notch.

After getting them to fit together I then welded them together. If the joints are good and you don’t feel like removing them; what I did was wrapped the joints with a wet towel being careful not to get water in the welding area. Also to help from heating up the joints I welded one side on yoke end then one side of the CV end. Then I welded the opposite side of both ends. I then let them cool down before welding the rest in the same manner.

The next thing is to drill and tread a hole for the zerk fittings on each side of the large tube. The holes should be at about the middle point of the two tube ends of where the tubes will sit at rest on your truck. This can be optional. I still have not yet got around to doing mine yet. The pros and cons of this would be that the zerk fittings would make it easier for re-greasing, yet if you hit your driveline a lot it wouldn’t take much to break them off. Have thought about the idea of after greasing up the driveline removing the zerk fittings and inserting a small (allen wrench) plug to keep dirt out. Just need to make sure the plug doesn’t go in far enough that it hits the inner tube. Also some lock tight might be good to keep them from backing out on the trail.

The last thing to do is to paint it, grease it, install it, and go play.





Miscellaneous notes:

Even though I’ve heard people say that they think that doing a square tube driveline puts to much weight on the joints, I have not had a problem with mine yet in the past five years since doing this mod.

Weight wise my existing driveline was 25 lbs. and the square driveline came to 35 lbs.

The square tubing does have a little slop in it and makes a little noise after a while on trail, but it is nothing to worry about. If you would like to make it tighter then welding a 1/32 inch shim (1 inch by the length of tube over lap) on each side of the smaller tube will work for this. Drill an 1/8-1/4 inch holes in sets of two with the holes near the outer end sides of the shims and about 3-4 inches apart along the length of the shims. Then use the holes to spot-weld the shims to the tube. Then grind any welds down smooth as needed.

The only drawback I see with a square driveline is that if you happen to set it down on something while wheeling it will hop some instead of spin on the shaft. But good wheeling and enough clearance will eliminate this.

As for balancing… Unless you plan on doing some high speed wheeling then I say who cares. There really is no reason for the front driveline to be balanced. I have had mine up to about 45-50 mph with very little vibration coming from it.

Toyota develops world's first rear window curtain shield airbag

Toyota announced today that it has developed the world's first* SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) rear window curtain shield airbag to protect rear passengers' heads in the event of a rear-end collision.

The innovative airbag deploys from the roof lining above the rear window in the form of a curtain-like barrier. Together with the headrests, the airbag minimises impact to the head from a colliding vehicle or parts of the hit vehicle, thus helping to reduce the severity of injuries. Its use in the soon-to-be launched "iQ" ultra-compact four-seater is expected to approximately double the car's rear passenger head protection performance.

Toyota has continued to actively develop and make available its collision safety technologies - resulting in such achievements as the swift market introduction of SRS curtain shield and knee airbags - to enable its vehicles to better respond to a greater range of accidents.

As a part of its efforts to realise sustainable mobility, Toyota intends to strengthen its traffic safety initiatives in the future through: 1) the development of even safer vehicles and technologies; 2) participation in the creation of a safe traffic environment and 3) activities designed to educate people on traffic safety, thereby contributing to the complete elimination of traffic casualties, which can be viewed as the ultimate hope of a society that values mobility.

*According to TMC research, as of September 2008