Uncommon Mods you can't live without...

[TacoDell]

Originally Posted by SafetyDang

No just the rear of the seat.

just say... "it's on the backside of the seats back rest"

if he don't get that... yer screw'd

[D-Rock]

Especially on a long trip, I tend to lean my leg up against the door and that handle hits me right in the knee. So, when I pulled my door panels off, I reversed the position of the handles about 180 degrees. That way, with the windows all the way up, or down, the handle is up and away from your leg.

[yotaneck13]

Originally Posted by D-Rock

Especially on a long trip, I tend to lean my leg up against the door and that handle hits me right in the knee. So, when I pulled my door panels off, I reversed the position of the handles about 180 degrees. That way, with the windows all the way up, or down, the handle is up and away from your leg.

did this in my 90 reg cab i used to get marks on my leg from the fawkin handel rubbin it

[awsumpants]

Originally Posted by YotaStyle283

Havent read all of the posts yet...but my lil cousin mounted W/S wiper spray nozzles in the grill of his 4Runner. For those prick 8th grade kids that take thier sweet ass time walking through the crosswalk. Now you can just cool thier jets with a lil blast of water!

i did this when i was in high school. almost started a few fights when i sprayed the wrong people lol

[cztheman64]

^^
thats a funny idea!

[hostile]

Originally Posted by Jones

I have a handy little hole in my firewall above the pedals where I run all my cables for all the electronics I've collected in my dash. Problem was, the wires were always jiggling themselves loose from wherever I'd stuffed them, and would fall down around my gas pedal:


I finally got around to solving it today:


Just drilled a little hole into a plastic flange of part of the hvac, zip-tied a little caribeaner to it, and now I can clip wires in and out as I need them, and they stay out of the way when I don't.

FAIL!

(speaker wire running along side power wires. I bet that gives you a nice natural sounding hum when you listen to your music.)

[Jones]

it's for the overhead speaker for my cb, and I don't get any electrical noise out of it. Thanks though.

[hostile]

Originally Posted by Jones

it's for the overhead speaker for my cb, and I don't get any electrical noise out of it. Thanks though.

A CB i guess isn't so important to get good sound quality, but also just because you don't notice something now doesn't mean you won't have an issue later on. Speaker wire especially can be quite temperamental with age. If you start to experience a lot of static down the road when you think you shouldn't be getting any, i'd move that wire away from the power cable.

[taco driver]

Originally Posted by hostile

A CB i guess isn't so important to get good sound quality, but also just because you don't notice something now doesn't mean you won't have an issue later on. Speaker wire especially can be quite temperamental with age. If you start to experience a lot of static down the road when you think you shouldn't be getting any, i'd move that wire away from the power cable.

Many things can happen with age, but speaker wire doesn't get less shielded with age, considering it was never shielded in the first place.

[Jones]

I'll keep it in mind if I start getting noise through the speaker. Once the second battery goes in, all that stuff is getting rerouted anyway

[hostile]

Originally Posted by taco driver

Many things can happen with age, but speaker wire doesn't get less shielded with age, considering it was never shielded in the first place.

In a perfect world. Unfortunately this is the real world and when we bend wire, fold it over, move it around, etc.. the shielding gets stretched/compressed and creates small gaps in the shielding. Even a brand new speaker wire can have some weird interference issues when you run it alongside a power cable. Why do you think stereo shops go through so much effort to avoid putting these 2 cables next to each other?

Ever have a pair of headphones that you have to hold the wire a certain way to get sound through both headphones? Those use normal speaker wire, usually a much smaller gauge but still speaker wire none-the-less. Same concept happens to car speaker wire but if you combine this with interference from a nearby power cable, you can be sure it will amplify poor sound quality long before you're losing a left or right channel.

[taco driver]

Originally Posted by hostile

In a perfect world. Unfortunately this is the real world and when we bend wire, fold it over, move it around, etc.. the shielding gets stretched/compressed and creates small gaps in the shielding. Even a brand new speaker wire can have some weird interference issues when you run it alongside a power cable. Why do you think stereo shops go through so much effort to avoid putting these 2 cables next to each other?

Ever have a pair of headphones that you have to hold the wire a certain way to get sound through both headphones? Those use normal speaker wire, usually a much smaller gauge but still speaker wire none-the-less. Same concept happens to car speaker wire but if you combine this with interference from a nearby power cable, you can be sure it will amplify poor sound quality long before you're losing a left or right channel.

Speaker wire isn't shielded cable, and I know you think you know what you're talking about, but you don't. He says he's not getting noise, and he shouldn't be getting noise, it's a CB speaker not an amp input. Besides, how much DC current do you think you'd have to run through that power cable to induce a hum in that speaker? And you surely don't think there's enough power running to the speaker to induce an AC component to the power wire.
Connect a speaker straight to a battery sometime and see if it hums. Hum in a stereo isn't caused by what you seem to think it's caused by. I do appreciate the effort to educate me on the complexities of a piece of wire.

[hostile]

maybe you should look up the definition of wire shielding because that's a fairly broad term so next time be more specific on what type of shielding you're referring to and what kind of wire you're using so I can be more exact with terms of what I'm describing for those that can't read between the lines and fill in the blanks with common sense. I can promise you the monster wire i use in my sound systems are shielded.

Besides, that's also why i said it's probably not so important for a CB speaker (because there's not a lot of power output and who gives a shit about CB quality, it's going to suck regardless). I also said that "just in case" you notice some static or hum down the road you'll know the cause, and you seem to think things don't deteriorate with age or if things sound good now they will forever sound good?

It's cool though. I understand that most the country people on 4x4 forums aren't as much of a perfectionist as I am. It shows by the stupid clip he's using being held on by a zip tie. How about eliminate the whole clip idea and just use the zip tie? You can always cut the damn zip tie off and replace it if you need to separate wires later on but I'm sure that clip sounded like a great idea after a 30 pack though.

Quit being such an indecisive woman about your wires and you won't have to take into consideration how often you move them around when you're trying to secure them into place.

^this falls back into the DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME category.

[taco driver]

Originally Posted by hostile

maybe you should look up the definition of wire shielding because that's a fairly broad term so next time be more specific on what type of shielding you're referring to and what kind of wire you're using so I can be more exact with terms of what I'm describing for those that can't read between the lines and fill in the blanks with common sense. I can promise you the monster wire i use in my sound systems are shielded.

Besides, that's also why i said it's probably not so important for a CB speaker (because there's not a lot of power output and who gives a shit about CB quality, it's going to suck regardless). I also said that "just in case" you notice some static or hum down the road you'll know the cause, and you seem to think things don't deteriorate with age or if things sound good now they will forever sound good?

It's cool though. I understand that most the country people on 4x4 forums aren't as much of a perfectionist as I am. It shows by the stupid clip he's using being held on by a zip tie. How about eliminate the whole clip idea and just use the zip tie? You can always cut the damn zip tie off and replace it if you need to separate wires later on but I'm sure that clip sounded like a great idea after a 30 pack though.

Quit being such an indecisive woman about your wires and you won't have to take into consideration how often you move them around when you're trying to secure them into place.

^this falls back into the DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME category.

Well us country bumpkins don't feel the need to use monster shielded speaker cable on a CB speaker, if you were such an expert you wouldn't either. Shielding isn't really that vague of a term, I know what you'd use on a premium sound system you intended to sound awesome and be super loud, but you need to use that common sense you speak of and realize this isn't one of those examples. I have built radios, and I've serviced radios that cost more than your nicest car. I can promise you I know what shielded cable is, without the use of Google. We're talking about a CB speaker in an off road rig, so go back to Best Buy and talk shop with your buddies.

[Jones]

I didn't think my clip idea was all that stupid...

[hostile]

Originally Posted by taco driver

Well us country bumpkins don't feel the need to use monster shielded speaker cable on a CB speaker, if you were such an expert you wouldn't either. Shielding isn't really that vague of a term, I know what you'd use on a premium sound system you intended to sound awesome and be super loud, but you need to use that common sense you speak of and realize this isn't one of those examples. I have built radios, and I've serviced radios that cost more than my nicest car. I can promise you I know what shielded cable is, without the use of Google. We're talking about a CB speaker in an off road rig, so go back to Best Buy and talk shop with your buddies.

corrected.
best buy? lol, ok. thanks.

[taco driver]

Originally Posted by hostile

corrected.
best buy? lol, ok. thanks.

That remains a true statement. We are finally in agreement.

[TacoDell]

Originally Posted by Jones

I didn't think my clip idea was all that stupid...

does what it's intended to do... investment was cheap

so I'd say 'dat it fills 'da bill while looking a bit ruffled

^ I'm not sure if that = stupid or not ?

[OffRoadFiend]

i just read through this whole thread and i just want to say thanks for all the AWSOME mods. Id say my favorites are the spray nozzle out the grill, xtra cab tool cubby sub, and the air intake filter replace.

p.s wtf was that little thread battle at the end

[hostile]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFiend

p.s wtf was that little thread battle at the end

welcome to the internet.

[free]

Originally Posted by WileEToyote

For the destination more than getting there, more than a little silly perhaps, but I can't live without my visor mounted fly-drying patch.

I have a couple of these in the bed on the truck mounted on the inside of the topper. Much better than sticking them all over the carpet lining of the my topper.

[free]

Originally Posted by 4-Banger

Leaving your keys in the truck while it is unattended is not just tempting fate, it's poking it in the eye while taunting it.

LOL. I get pissed when someone doesn't leave the keys in their rig where I live. Never know when you need to move a vehicle or something. You can go to the airport and half the cars in the parking lot probably have the keys in them or in the gas cap or something. My father in law drove someone else's SUV back from the airport to the ranch once because he thought it was his. Oops.

[y2kbaja]

Some pretty good mods on here. Though I have to say for the shovel on the back of the seat and a few pages back there is a hi-lift in front of the camper shell, the last thing I want to do when I'm stuck and need a shovel or jack is have to dig for them. The last thing I want to do when unstuck is put them all back, especially a dirty shovel in the cab area. Most of the time I'll be you just throw them in somwhere. I don't carry a hi-lift but a floor jack and it's right on top where I can get it out and put it back easily. I had it under the spare but changing a flat is not the only time you need a jack.
Location; put things you need most often and quickly where they can be accessed quickly and put away even quicker. Nothing worse than having to 1) wait for the guy to get his tire changed then 2) wait for him to put all his junk away.

[clinster]

So I bought a verrry sweet 86 Turbo 4Runner and while driving it home realized the dash was crack-less. Since I've never had that problem I've never though much about it...but I'm about to head to Walmart to pick up some dark brown shelf-lining material (the bubbly kind) and cut to fit for the bitchenest dash mat ever. First...that stuff is no slip...bitchen #1, and second...its about $3 a roll...bitchen #2. So you can all thank me because even if you don't care about the sun eating your dash, you can have your grand-turd do a mod for less than a happy meal. And yes...I do know there are holes in the material so I may have to double up, especially under the top parts. But this was I can get it to fit 1000% better than some $40 dash mat that shrinks or is cut wrong.

Thoughts?

I am also working on a cheap way to low-jack the car...I'm thinking of a disposable cell phone equipped with a locating application (like for kids or cheating spouses) and wiring it, and the recharger somewhere sneaky. Then, instead of paying monthly phone bills for a phone you aren't using, just make sure you have the SIM Card # stored. If your rig ends up missing, activate the phone, log into the locating software and BAM...there's your rig. Bring guns and go collect your ride. Thoughts? Anyone? Someone on here has to work at a cell-store and knows if this is possible, right? Then again, I'm new and stupid and maybe you guys have a better solution to each of these issues...if so, I'd love to hear them!

Oh, lastly, a hidden starter kill toggle...off means it won't turn over and on means your ready to roll. Let someone try and steal that thing without a tow-truck~!

[NinjasYota]

I might just try that tomorrow.......

[fasterdammit]

Still reading through some of these, but I had to pitch in my two cheap 'creature comforts' since this is my daily driver as well as my wheeler. From the 1st page, I'll +1 the steering wheel cover; I found one that has two different thicknesses to it, like finger-stops - and it doesn't get hot in direct sun - which was key. And just before my rig turned 200k, the stock shift knob blew its stitches, so there was my excuse for a new one. There's lots of nice options out there - but I couldn't see spending $100+ on a knurled stainless steel Momo knob, which I wasn't even sure was going to be comfortable. But for $20, I went back to what I had in my old FJ40 - a nice aluminum Hurst.

In retrospect, I wish I had bought the model with the red 'go' button on it ... I'm sure I could found something entertaining to hook that lead to. But I got the regular one. Feels nice in your hand; a little chilly in the winter though.

[Blitanicle99]

Love the hurst!

[NinjasYota]

I got this altimeter online I cut a hole in the passenger sun visor for it. Now i know how much I climbing up in the mountains! Not a GPS kind a guy.