taikowaza

two mods that have been a long time coming...finally in! inclinometer has been kicking around for over a year...thanks to dudebud for epoxying two bolts on the underside (spiked them through the dash and bolted tight), inclinometer is wired up to the headlights, works great! had to dremel it to make it fit as this JDM hilux model is designed to be used in a car with the driver on the right side!
works great, love the way it looks! got it from 'cduffy' great seller.

the inverter is sweet too, only $50 at costco for 1000W inverter with a 2000W starting rating for fridges etc. wired into the optima and boyle hi-output alternator time for summer cold ones in the cooler!
OR...ARB Freezer Fridge! (yeah, I will keep dreaming!)

iamsuperbleeder

that's awesome man; I've been wanting to install an inclinometer.

hey if you don't mind me ask'n, where'd you get those floor mats at? are those a custom direct fit set?

stormin94

Can we get some more details on the inverter. I've got a project in progress that I've reached a stand still.

taikowaza

hey thanks for the comments! those mats are husky liners! They are fantastic, you can get fronts, rears, and cargo area husky liners. I highly recommend them! You can get good deals if you shop around, make sure you get the ones specifically made for your year/model!

The Inverter is an Xpower 1000, it installs through connecting it directly to the battery and a ground. It is very straightforward, however the cables that it comes with are FAR too short so you should buy some high quality wire beforehand.

I love this inverter, it looks fantastic and feels really solid. A classy inverter! I like the Xpower series, (by Xantrex). They make more powerful ones (1500, or even more), but the prices start to get rediculous. The 1000Watt model will power anything you throw at it (within reason).
A Laptop, powertool, light, cellphone, cooler, anything should work. I would hesitate about a microwave, but a coffeemaker, GPS unit, (did I mention laptop>)! should be great!

oh yeah, TV/video should be fine too, any more ideas for what would be OK and what would be stupid to try and run on this inverter appreciated, I have no experience with them



PS from the Xantrex line I also run this, which has saved me several times when I had a dead battery (back in the optima days). It will also power anything in your tent, cabin, for a power shortage, has a built-in radio, light, and can charge off the inverter as you drive, to arrive at the remote location with fully charged power pak. you plug in jumper cables directly into the powerpack and it could jumpstart a dead horse it's got so much juice! it is very heavy (it's basically a car battery with a built-in inverter), but nothing is better than having the peace of mind that you can jump yourself anywhere, and knowing that you can charge your laptop, batteries, lights, on the fly. it's also nice to be able to jump your friend's dead batteries without popping your hood and messing with attaching jumpers to your vehicle, you can just carry the powerpak to their engine bay and plug it in, turn it on, and have the driver crank the engine. always starts on first try

taikowaza

recommended applications for an inverter (from the website)

Household Appliances: compact microwave ovens, bread makers, food processors, small bar refrigerators, small vacuum cleaners, fluorescent and incandescent lights, sewing machines and fans
Power Tools: drills, jigsaws, sanders and buffers
Entertainment Electronics: televisions, VCRs, video games, stereos, musical instruments and satellite equipment
Office Equipment: computers with 17” monitors, printers, facsimile machines

DudeBud

right on.....looks good Tim

taikowaza

Hey thanks Dan! Got that pesky crossmember on too! Thanks for all your help!
let's have a picnic by the river this summer, kids can play while we talk shop (both 4runners and computers!) how are your 4runners doing, got any new projects? thanks for the comments about the inclinometer! love it, great addition to the vehicle! Now if I can only find a way to install that rear cargo cover!

apalmer1

Nice, i also mounted an inverter in my truck, i actually bolted mine right under the passenger seat when i realized there was plently of clearance and it had enough room to cool. I put a roll up extension cord on mine that pops out inbetween the cupholders and can be pulled out. Later this week im gona be putting an outlet in my bed near the tail light. Its really nice to be able to bring my blender out when i have bonfires out in the desert and mix up some drinks that and the whole use it to hook up power tools for work but whatever thats not important hehe.

x-man

Now you need to show the inclinometer maxed out!

DudeBud

we are shopping for a 2nd gen to replace our honda, time to get the wife back into something safer. We had two fatalities this past month that were in hondas at the company, plus the payments suck. both my 4runners are great well sorta the black one keeps on running, gets me to work and back, and the gray one sits in the garage waiting patiently. the only project i have going is still that early bronco. you should try to find some pics of that cover installed to see what you are missing.

taikowaza

hey apalmer thanks for the idea of bringing a blender and an extension cord for the inverter!
I can imagine margaritas by the river lazy summer days allright!! I have a long extension cord, this is a great idea!
yeah x-man I need to max out the inclinometer, I think that when I was driving over the cascade mountain range in March it would have been MAXED! this is near Steven's pass in Washington State, there are some places where it gets higher and higher (this was at night) and then when you reach the top it's FAST going down especially with icy rain woah that was quite the drive I would have liked to have the inclin then!! haha

dudebud I imagine you have seen some pretty bad accidents at your new job, you are helping a lot of people out of bad situations, nothing but lots of respect to you for that. it will be good to know that everyone is safe in a toyota! deathcougar has some sweet connections on 4runners and parts, you might be able to get a cheap 2nd gen with a HG issue, find a 3.4 and swap it in 'real fast that would be the coolest.

I will take some shots of that cargo cover and make a thread on it, I am sure that I will get some ideas here.

msh441

Oh, I hadn't thought of that! I have one coming from Japan. I assume it's going to be the same way (RHD). WHat did you have to dremel?

leebee

wondering the same thing and any suggestions as to where to buy gray paint to match as my inc is red.

lee

SpecialScottie

Looks good

hurley842002

Was the inverter some sort of a one time sale, or is that everyday price? I need to invest in one.

just a 22re

yeah going over the rockys on my trip mine was maxed out and yes it was dead on every post we went passed saying the elve it was dead on i love it!!!

taikowaza

here's the writeup on the 2nd gen inverter install
this is courtesy of my good friend Byron who is an electronics GURU in the Seattle area.
The epoxy and prep was done by Dudebud another WIZARD in western Washington state.
hope this helps more 2nd gen owners get an inclinometer in there. mine now lights up very brightly with headlights.

Basically the write-up for the inclinometer is simple:
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To install the inclinometer on the passenger side, the glove box needs to be removed and a rear abs module needs to be unbolted to gain access to the underdash. There are couple mounting options since the inclinometer does not come mountable. You can use velcro (very insecure) or glue studs using an epoxy to the bottom of the inclinometer. Dudebud glued two studs, about 3" on the bottom of the inclinometer which means couple holes need to be drilled. Two for the studs and one for the wires.

Remove 10mm bolt above the passenger kick panel holding in lower dash panel.
Open the glove box and remove the two philips screws in the top corners of the glove box assembly
Remove a philip screw on the lower left of the glove box

The entire glove box assembly and lower dash should come out together.

Unbolt the rear abs module located on the back side of the dash frame tube. There should be 3 10mm bolts holding it in. This will give you more room to work.

Place inclinometer in section of dash you want. Drill the two holes using a 90degree drill or if you have a dremel that will work too. We decided to place it as close and pointing toward the driver. However, the angle of the inclinometer was incorrect (due to the Japanese Right side angle). We had to remove some of the plastic on the side of the inclinometer casing with a file to correct the angle.

Once the inclinometer was installed to our liking, we had to do the wiring. Drill a small hole for the wires in the center of the two mounting holes. An illumination or parking light wire can be found by the radio. There are other locations as well but this is where we decided to connect it.

To remove the radio, the driver side underdash needs to be removed. It is basically a mirror image of the passenger side. 1 10mm bolt and philips screws. The center lower dash has two screws holding it in, one of the passenger side and one on the driver side. The heater control knobs and plate need to be pulled off and two philips screws need to be removed. The entire lower dash around the radio should easily pull out. If it does not, there are screws hiding. Unbolt the radio and pull it out. The illumination wire is green. This should hold true to most toyota vehicles up to 2000 however test the wire before using. It should be +12volts when the lights parking lights are on. Connect one of the wires from the inclinometer to this and the other to any chassis metal. It does not matter which one since the bulbs are incandescent.

Mount the inclinometer with nuts and washers on the under side. If the lights do not light up you may have a blown bulb. (this was my case). once bulbs replaced they shone brightly when headlights turned on
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