Finally... my TRR Report
Sorry this has taken so long....
I was fortunate enough to have a Stage 4+ installed at the TRR. Here are some of the pics from the install. Myself, Dizzy Dave, Freddy Fixit, Big Scott, RPG - Cory, Jarret & Rowdy worked till the wee hours of the morning to finish the install. Everyone was great! And my team and I learned a ton installing the kit on my truck with the master minds behind the RPG products. Here are some install pics.
What the truck looked like before the install. It was filthy!
Removing the original rear suspension (wanna buy it??)
Cory coaching us on the proper way to install the rear leaf springs and bump stops. He was great to work with. He kept the whole team pumping by giving very clear and concise instruction as to what needed to happen.
Working on the rear springs
The MASSIVE Torque wrench! Rowdy's new toy
Look at this beautiful set up!!!
Now to the front:
The usual suspects...
Freddie working Rowdy's MASSIVE torque wrench
Here is the truck after the stage 4+ install
So the Monday night after the run, I was going over the truck in close detail. Crawled all over that thing. Noticed the following:
On the front upper control arm where the speed sensor line is attached via 8 mm bolt and rubber bracket, it was rubbing on the inside of the edge of the tire. I removed the bolt, turned the rubber bracket around reinstalled it and now it does not rub on the wheel. There are some close tolerances here. I think when we put that front end back together after the new Fox 3.0 shocks, we didn’t catch which way that particular bracket went? Or with the new shocks & tie rods it sit closer? It was rubbing on both the driver and passenger sides. I think normally it wouldn’t matter, but in this case it did. Also, being rubber and only slightly contacting, there was no difficulty putting the wheel back on and there was no noise to indicate that something was rubbing. I have stock wheels and tires. Has anyone else seen this? Just a heads up.
The driver side tie-rod boot has a huge hole in it (I knew about that before I left TX). Need to figure out why the driver’s side keeps ripping, this is the second one in a weekend. The boot was torn prior to the front Fox 3.0 and tie rod kit install and after RPG installed a new one, it torn again on the next ride on the track. I believe McManus had the same problem, although he doesn't have the 3.0s.
Cory (from RPG) did a great job lining up the front end after the Stage 4+ install.
I did eventually get the front end aligned. I also needed a cam kit. See my post here:
http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f9/your-raptor-its-alignment-539/index11.html#post196977
Please don't take any of this as griped of the Stage 4 or the Fox 3.0 shocks or the RPG tie rods. I love the new RPG Stage 4+ suspension. These are just some few minor issues to straighten out. If you can afford it, go for it. If not, find a wonderful wife to get it for your
birthday!
The air filter needed to be changed; as seen in this post:
http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f7/air-filters-12902/#post190876
The extang trifold solid tonneau cover performed ok. I'm sure it has never really been tested on a track like this. The rubber mounds got hot and slide or came off. Also, it got dented from the shovel in the bed that came loose.
Slid rubber mount
Minor dents
I know this has been long, just hang in there...
Finally, here is my list of lessons learned for next year. Hopefully for the guys that couldn't make it they can learn from everyone's post and be ready for next year's TRR!!
and not get
(some of these I've blended in from other posts)
1. Fire extinguisher worked well under the seat in the cubby hole, look at mounting it to rear passenger door for easier access.
2. Need a better way to mount the shovel in the bed; use BigJ’s mounting idea he used for the Hi-Lift jack
3. Need to seal the bed off better, there is a tone of dust back there.
4. Secure tri-fold tonneau cover tightly so it doesn’t move. Should check the solidfold cover after each run for any misalignment.
5. Don’t step on the roof over the
moon roof glass when climbing out the roof.
6. Use auto track going into a HUGE mud hole
7. Map the course better. Take notes and take time to learn it, I think there are some jumps out there we could have hit harder if we knew the landing was good.
8. Check the spare tire at each break / find a way to add an extra strap to the spare. OR mount spare tire in bed of truck. It let itself down over the course of the runs.
9. Gas can worked well, I like that it didn’t have a vent to leak out of, but it still leaked some. Maybe an O-ring can be added to help with spillage?
10. Ensure the truck had water / gatorade in each door before a run.
11. Get music seat up ahead of time, can’t be changing station on the run… too bouncy.
12. Get a GOPro mounted on the front Dash (not a must, but would be cool)
13. I liked having Freddie’s survival back pack in the back seat (strapped in with tool lanyard), never know what might pop up.
14. Need off-road lights for night run. Stock head lights were too dark to see Buffalo
15. Should make a check list of specific things to check after / before each run. At least until we get into a habit of checking them. There are obvious, “look under the truck” but we can add spare tire, tonneau cover, bump stop skirt, anything else?
16. When temporarily immobilized, who ever “runs” to flag down a truck, take a camera.
17. Bringing the pancake compressor was really nice for airing back up, although it took a bit of room on the drive to and from the ranch.
18. Investigate on-board air compressor; VIAIR 450P-A portable air compressor.
19. Create multiple bed mounting locations with braded cable. See bed set up on FRF forum.
20. Have extra water bottles for washing windows and mirrors
21. Have some tire slime in the truck. If we get a flat it may be something that can’t be patched or just easier to hit it with some slime if we can’t find the leak vs changing the tire. Bring a can of tire slime for an emergency if the hole can’t be found or can’t change the tire in that location.
22. One other issue is that your lug nuts are metric and the entire kit I brought was SAE, you should probably invest in a metric socket for a 1/2 “ drive to have on hand next time too
23. Finding a flat spot to jack the truck up with a bottle jack might prove to be a challenge. A few 2x4’s might not be a bad idea either.
24. Take notes after the TRR for lessons learned for the next year.
25. Lost D-Ring isolator – don’t have attached to Truck during run.
26. Create a pre and post run check list for key items, at least until it becomes habit.
27. Investigate rear exhaust to be cut back and dumped.
28. Install some sort of coffee filter or prefilter to air intake box to help keep mud and dust out. Would need to change before each run.
29. Better coordination with radio communication before the run. Would have been great to talk with the groups
30. Get cool antenna to mount on bed or tail-gate - Thanks Whatrap!
31. Camel-back hydration - works well when driving with a full-face helmet on
