aviator

I gather those tabs on the side are to attach the awnings and what not?

It looks good. What did the toyo corp typs have to say about it?

Too bad the hardware isin't black too. LOL

btw that droid phone takes amazing pics.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Thanks guy's.

Paul, the Droid is an amazing tool.
I use it at work too for safety pics I need to take, and other stuff.
5 megapixel is pretty good.
And those pics I shrunk by 50% the first two.
The rest of the pics were from my main Sony digital camera.

Yes, black hardware that mounts the feet to the roof would have looked better.
I wonder if there are black plastic caps you can slip over the bolt heads?

Be to hard to paint them, and it would just chip off.

Going to try and put the awning on this weekend.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I would like to add one thing here.
I did not intend on anyone thinking that a newer design of the MG (Maggiolina tent style) racks would have an immediate design change to them.
I am sure if that is going to happen the folk's at BajaRacks will let you know.

I will try and get a picture of my modified latch later, and update the thread here with it.

Quite a few at work today have been eyeballing it, people I do not know by name.
They probably noticed the difference today since it is so much lower.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Put the awning on today, just finished up.
First I had to remove the aft bracket, not something easy to do with the tent on already.
Toyota had the aft bracket back one set of bars to far, and this was interfering with the mount being able to come out all the way and clear the side of the fiberglass shell on the tent and match up with the other two awning brackets.

Thought I was going to have to loosen the mount for the tent and jack it up some, but I was able to twist the bracket mount sideways and pop both of them out once I removed the lower part of the brackets.
Once out, I moved them forward one position.
Now the vertical upright on the mount clears the tent much better.

I did not get the awning positioned though as well as I would have liked.
I wanted it centered with the tent, but once the awning track bolts are through the awning brackets, they do not slide at all in the two tracks on the rear of the awning.
To much pressure, even with the bolts loose.
I will live with it for now, and maybe if I have someone to help me in the future, I can get it centered.
I did this by myself, and it is royal PITA to jockey the awning in your arms/hands and get all six bolts through the awning brackets.

Also you can see in the first picture how the tech at Toyota had to cut down the tents clasp so it would clear the horizontal bar there that it was hitting before as seen in a picture in this thread at the beginning.

That spooge you see between the stainless trim and the fiberglass shell of the tent is from the old growth fir tree I park under.
It will come off with brush and soap once I start hand washing the rig before to long.

Now all the hard part is out of the way.
Just need to better organize my gear later with new boxes and get ready for camping season 2010!

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Gas mileage went up some with the new rack and tent lower to the roof.
Lately my MPG has been around 14.5 to 15, and this morning it was 16.5
I have around 28.5K on the odometer, and soon I will be ready for sparkplugs at 30K.
I am sure they are a little fouled by now, so my MPG should go up even more.

My driving consists of around 50/50 city/freeway, and I gas up every Friday morning before work.

16.5 is not bad for a heavy rig with:
3" OME lift
ARB front bumper
Warn XD9000 winch
285x70x17 mud tires and non stock heavier rims
Cargobox full of goods
Roof top tent
Awning
ARB fridge

So my rig is not on the light side
It will be interesting to see what the MPG is later with new plugs, and whatever else might be needed at 30K.

I remember the days when it was stone stock and I got around 21 city/freeway.
Biggest hit was the first set of mud tires at the stock 265x70x17 size on the stock rims.
The MPG went down right away to 19 from 21.
I bet if I was running AT tires instead of MT tires I would gain back even more.

aviator

So switch to ATs...

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Meesa likes the sound of the hum MTs make.

lgrt

Wow... I really like the newer low profile look. I've always been a little jealous our your roof top setup and now I want it even more.