Meet my '23 Sport S.

[JohnWick]

Basically too busy to be posting like mad but I got a few other things done.

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[JohnWick]

Recovery straps/shackles and snatch block. All of it sits in a duffel in my bed, never to be removed.

 

[JohnWick]

Went ahead and did full body PPF... 100% of the truck is covered now except for the hood hinges, which oddly there was no pattern to plot them.

 

[JohnWick]

We don't really have much offroading in WI, so you do what you can. This fall I was able to take a trip to the Tigerton OHV Park in northern-ish WI. It was their last day before they closed for the winter, and I was the only one there.

Poors air down/up. The ARB core puller gauge worked quite well actually.

 

[JohnWick]

Few pics from that day.

 

[JohnWick]

Reason for the gear in the bed.

Didn't anticipate needing to winch myself out of a hole on my very first offroad excursion, but I did. Man I'm glad I had the means to do that, or I might still be sitting there.

 

[JohnWick]

Only other mod I can think of. Metalcloak diff skids. I'd like to get a set of their underbody skids as well.

 

[JohnWick]

Don't get onto the forums a whole lot, but I've added a few more items.

Ditch light mounts from Amazon. I mainly chose these because they are small and unobtrusive. Not a fan of overly gaudy bolt-ons.

Baja Designs Squadron Sport Spot/Flood combo, for a $230 pair of lights they are incredibly bright, and I am super happy with the purchase.

 

[JohnWick]

Added load bars and a tent.

KB VooDoo Fabrication VRS bed rail system with 1.5" tent risers. OVS TMBK tent. It was on sale and cheap, and does the job while not being too big and heavy. I also added some tool mounts and quick fists to the bed rails.

 

[JohnWick]

Aaaaaand a trash bag. Does that count as a mod?

 

[21Mojave24XR]

Looking good, yeah the recovery gear is always a must because you just never know

 

[v0mitus]

This is a really good build. Nice job!

 

[JohnWick]

Thanks guys. Nothing to buy on the radar yet, but pretty likely will get a Clayton Overland Plus lift by this time next year.

I also need to make a decision on the tonneau cover. It's nice to have, keeps things dry and somewhat secure in back, but it's also tough to use with the rail system. It is "tonneau compatible as claimed as in they can both exist in the same space, but you're not getting the tonneau rolled up especially not with the load bars and tent installed. Even with the bars off, it's hard to roll up and roll out because the fitment to the rails is so tight.

Because of all that, bed access is a little limited.

Additionally because the tonneau frame now sits on top of the side rails, it is spaced off the bed the thickness of the metal rails. Which means at the front and the back, there's an air gap. It stays dry in the rain mostly, but if I take it through a car wash, water gets in there. I've tried weatherstrip, it just doesn't stay put.

The other* thing I am seriously considering is a refrigerator which will very likely be on a slide out.. which will probably be too tall to fit under the tonneau anyways - and I don't think removing my back seats and installing a deck there is an option.

So, the cover may go bye-bye.

This "drop in" was a temporary thing for my UP trip a month ago. It holds a dry box and my cooler on the left quite snugly, I can run a strap over the top of both. Worked great for that trip which was only 4 days. But, it blocks access to the rest of the bed, or at least makes it a pain to get up there. I did have my chain saw and folding chair up there and had to pull my dry box out and play squirmy worm to get up there.

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