Etoimos' 2022 Power Wagon Build

[Etoimos]

It has been a while since I've updated anything on this thread, so I guess I should take the time to share some things.

First up, I had some issues with the ARB Twin Compressor being mounted on the MOLLE panel in the SmartCap side bin. The weight of the compressor and the hard hits on the trail caused the panel to fail in multiple spots.





To fix this I had a new, solid 12 gauge steel panel fab'd up. It was a simple one bend L shaped panel that would rest on the bottom of the side bin. I laid out everything for the air system on this new panel and drilled all the mounting holes and then powder coated it satin black.









Using this thicker panel added a lot more weight and I was concerned that the SmartCap side bin would not be up to the task. So, I also had another panel fab'd up to support the weight from underneath and powder coated it..








It looks like it is not aligned with the bin above it, but it is.

With the fridge, dog crate and this support, a lot of the bed space is taken up. At least this support gives me a good place to attach things if I need to in the future.

 

[Etoimos]

With the new panel and support, I was able to get my air system reinstalled.



The other major update to the truck was a set of new wheels and tires. For the wheels I went with the AEV Katla from CJC Offroad.





For the tires I went with the same ones I run on my OGT trailer and what I had on my Gladiator, General Tires Grabbers ATX in 35x12.5R17.

 

[Great White North Eh]

Lookin good .

 

[Etoimos]

This past Friday I went to @GODZ_MFG and purchased their complete skid plate system. Both Drew and Grant were cool dudes and even installed the skids for me. The quality of the skids are amazing and the powder coating looks really nice. The welds looked super good, but you will see those in the photos.

Transmission skid

 

[Etoimos]

My truck in their shop ready for the install...



The stock 3 bar system is removed. There is not much to the stock system at all once you pull it out...



And pics of the complete system installed...

 

[Etoimos]

 

[UglyViking]

It's nice to see a full steel option on the market, only other one I've seen was the maple (which no longer sells to the us from my understanding) and an aluminum option.

One thing though, that bolt sketches me out.

 

[Soapy]

Skids look great. Did you get a overall weight on them? You should be ready for almost anything.

 

[GODZ_MFG]

It's nice to see a full steel option on the market, only other one I've seen was the maple (which no longer sells to the us from my understanding) and an aluminum option.

One thing though, that bolt sketches me out.
View attachment 71793

We’re sorry it sketches you out

The hole in the frame is not square to the faces of the inside and outside of the frame, which causes some ‘misalignment’. Based on the fact they are on different axis’s, coupled with the fact that our 1/4” steel bracket does not allow any flex, results in a slightly misaligned bolt. But rest assured, a 3/4” grade 8 bolt torqued to 100 ft lbs won’t let you down.

 

[GODZ_MFG]

Total weight for the complete set is 95lbs. The transmission skid with the steel brackets comes in at around 40lbs whereas the 3 bar replacement system that includes two full skids is around 50lbs combined!

 

[Etoimos]

It's nice to see a full steel option on the market, only other one I've seen was the maple (which no longer sells to the us from my understanding) and an aluminum option.

For clarity, the actual plates are aluminum. The brackets and reinforcements are steel.

 

[UglyViking]

For clarity, the actual plates are aluminum. The brackets and reinforcements are steel.

Thanks for the heads up, that's a very odd decision. It should be fine for your intended usage, but it kind of surprises me.

Truck build it looking great man!

 

[Etoimos]

The guys at @GODZ_MFG hooked me up with one of their intercooler/winch skid plates recently. As with their other skids, the quality was top notch.

Stock plastic air dam


GODZ Mfg intercooler/winch skid

 

[Etoimos]

The RSI SmartCap (or any topper for that matter) has one rather big drawback, and that is that you loose the use of your rear view mirror. In my case it was the digital rear view mirror/camera. To solve this issue I ordered an extension cable for the stock camera from Pasternack (White FAKRA Plug to FAKRA Jack cable using RG316 Coax) to the length I needed for move the stock camera to the rear of the SmartCap. I did not want to drill any holes into the SmartCap, so I used a CAD program to design a housing for it that had the same basic shape as the SmartCap. I then had a buddy at work 3D print the housing. I still need to make a few tweaks to the design and printing, but the prototype housing has been working very well.









I used some moldable silicone putty to seal the back of the housing where the cable exited and the hole left in the 3rd break light housing where I pulled the camera from.



It has been real nice being able to see behind the truck again!

 

[UglyViking]

What camera did you use for that?

 

[Metternacht]

Looks like the inter-cooler/skid attaches to the under run safety brackets. So if those are removed to mount a front hitch or other it is incompatible?

 

[GODZ_MFG]

Looks like the inter-cooler/skid attaches to the under run safety brackets. So if those are removed to mount a front hitch or other it is incompatible?

If you have to remove the snow plow mounts for any other sort of accessory, this skid system would be incompatible at that time.

 

[Etoimos]

Speaking of the SmartCap, the side glass must of caught a rock driving home from work one day. The cost of the replacement glass and having a shop install it was going to be below my insurance deductible, so this past weekend I set aside the time to clean that up and replace it my self.

I covered the whole glass with tape and then finished busting out as much of the remaining glass as I could.









The next part of the project was not as easy. Using a utility knife, I cut into the old adhesive between the glass and the door frame. IT was pretty tough to cut though and the bulk of the knife did not help.



AS you can see in the photo below, they used three lines of adhesive on the leading and trailing edge of the glass. These areas were the toughest to remove as getting the knife under the glass with the right angle and force was not easy.






With all the glass removed, I used the knife to try and cut the remaining old adhesive down so that it was a level as possible all the way around.



The only thing left to do was put new adhesive on top of the old adhesive and set the new glass in place. The new adhesive I got from Amazon for $15. It is applied with a normal caulking gun, but is very thick. I put my tube of adhesive into a gallon ziplock bag and submerged it in 100° water for the entire time that I was working on the rest of the project. Even then it was pretty difficult to squeeze it out. If you ever have to replace your own glass, I'd suggest using it as an excuse to buy an electric caulking gun.

I've not taken any pics of the finished project, but it has been on the truck for 4 days now and looks as good as new.

 

[Etoimos]

What camera did you use for that?

I just relocated the stock camera that came on my truck. Here is a pic of it from when I was working on the CAD design for the housing.

 

[Soapy]

If you have the digital rear view mirror your truck should be wired for the optional trailer brake camera. I bought the Mopar trailer camera kit and added it to the RTT I have mounted on my truck. The trailer camera gives you several features like tilt down in reverse and the ability to move the view from right to left and up and down through the rear mirror.