Evolution of a Dinosaur

[CrownOffroad]

It always pushes fluid through the cooler. It's not hooked up to a thermostat or anything else. But keep in mind it is just an option to add with the Icon reservoir, not part of the basic kit. Might be overkill for cooler climates, but if you're pushing your truck hard anywhere that sees higher temps I think it's worth it.

 

[Humvee21]

Looking good man. How do you like the DBS radiator protector so far? I like mine. Popped the hood the other day and saw a bug graveyard. Radiator fins are like new!

 

[CrownOffroad]

Made it to TRR and back! I logged 1683 miles, averaging 11.9 MPG with around 225 total miles offroad. I tried to do a ton of mods to the truck in preparation for this epic adventure down in Texas and here is some of my feedback:

- Airaird Intake = This thing works great for cruising the streets and light offroading. Hard offroading will cause the filter element to come off in my experience and thus allow a TON of dirt/dust to be sucked up into the engine. I re-attached my filter 4 times during TRR. Talk to the guys at RPG about their new intake system! Thing looks crazy!

- Icon PSR = Overall, a bit on the pricey side but ZERO issues with the PS. I highly recommend it! A vast improvement over stock with no complaints at all! Easy installation as well.

- JLT Oil Separator = For basically a $100, this thing collected way more dirty, burnt oil than I ever expected. My truck only has 3,000 miles on it so I was a bit suprised at how much crap the engine produces. JLT worked great and seemed to capture all of it. And it took longer to open the box and get it out then it did to install it!

- Icon Suspension = If you're driving a Raptor, that in itself is pretty freakin awesome. If you have the coin to drop on 3.0s, you are one lucky individual! Overall the Icon 3.0s were a night and day difference over the stock units both on road and offroad. I rode in a few trucks equipped with the other brands and was equally impressed. My "assometer" (thanks Icon for proper terminology) says they are all damn good investments and improvements over stock.

- Saints Offroad Chase Rack = Well by the first checkpoint on the very first day, my rack had completely come loose and bounced around the pickup bed. A vast majority of the people at TRR lended a helping hand and/or witnessed the damage. Personally, I'm going to blame myself for not tightening down and triple checking the bed bolts. I installed it, so not sure where else the fault could lie. I also saw the exact same rack out there on someone else's truck and his was perfectly fine all weekend. End result, I'm working with Ron at Saints Offroad for a new and improved rack with a few additional tweaks. Should be here in a few more weeks time. If you're in the market for a chase rack, call Saints! Customer service is simply incredible!

- ADD Bumper = While I was fortunate enough to only scratch my skid in a few places, I saw someone else's bumper take a huge hit and while it bent, it appeared to save what could have been a lot of damage to the truck. These things are SOLID and can take a beating! Pricey? Yes. Well built? Hell yes!

- Lighting = I went the path of Rigid. If you're going to run at night, get lights! It was so nice to have a lot of extra light for the infamous TRR night runs! I think the consensus on the forum is you can never have enough light!

- SDHQ = Having Vendors on site was awesome! When something broke, they're trailer had it. When something needed adjusting, their mechanics were ready! Thanks for all the support and taking care of the truck!

- RPG = The knowledge that these guys have is incredible! I must have bugged Corey a dozen times. It was nice to have simple answers and explanations that even a non-mechanical guy like myself could understand. Stage 3 kit and tie rods are in my near future!

- TRR = Huge thank you to Trey and all those who helped make this event down right unforgettable! It was nice to finally put so many screen names to faces. If you missed it this year, try and make it next year!

 

[NickPic83]

thanks for the multi write up MYD

 

[CrownOffroad]

When I'm not offroading, I really like the truck to be clean. I don't mind pushing it through water or throwing mud all over it. But once I'm done and back onto pavement, I really try hard to keep it looking good. Recently FRF acquired Adam's Premium Car Care products so I figured with Adam's being basically in my backyard I would give them a shot. I might have gone a bit overboard with my first purchase or two, but so far Ironman has said it best, their products are "awesome"! I also picked up the Flex buffer during one of their recent sales.



Like all that attended TRR, I think I brought home an extra 100lbs of dirt and dust on the inside of the truck. I hit it with a leaf blower and that seemed to get a lot of the loose stuff out. However once the dust cloud was being sucked into the blower and pushed back inside the cab, I decided to move on.





From here, I did the complete detail on the truck:

- Wash
- Claybar
- Revive Machine Polish
- Machine Sealant
- Glaze
- Wax

This process, to include doing the engine bay detail and interior, took approximately 7 hours. We finally had some great weather here in Denver and I was dying to try out the new Flex! Overall, Adam's products far exceeded all other products I've used. I even was so pleased with the results I did the full treatment to my Ford Fusion.





I treated the seats to Adams interior cleaner and then the interior conditioner. The seats cleaned up really well as did the rest of the interior panels. If you like a clean truck, this stuff works great!

 

[Mjolnir]

Hey, I have Airaid too, and had the same problem last year. The problem is that they have the install instructions wrong. Take the whole assembly out and build it on the ground. this will allow you to get a complete seal on the filter to the box wall. Then install the whole thing as one piece. I did this and ran over 200 miles this year with no issues. I would also recommend the pre filter for it. Once I fixed this, it worked great


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[CrownOffroad]

Hey, I have Airaid too, and had the same problem last year. The problem is that they have the install instructions wrong. Take the whole assembly out and build it on the ground. this will allow you to get a complete seal on the filter to the box wall. Then install the whole thing as one piece. I did this and ran over 200 miles this year with no issues. I would also recommend the pre filter for it. Once I fixed this, it worked great


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Good to know! Both of the bolts that hold the intake tube to the filter box wall backed all the way out and were lost somewhere on the trails. Airaid is sending me new ones. Once I receive them, I will have to remove and install completely on the ground. I have the pre filter and like you definitely recommend it!

I was also told to clean the tube and the filter (only where it attaches to the intake tube) with brake cleaner, then reinstall the filter. Tried that two or three times, but didn't seem to help.

 

[NickPic83]

nice adams collection. i just stocked up and also bought the flex during the last sale!

 

[Mjolnir]

Yeah it's not the cleaning of it, it's that if you install the filter while in the truck you cannot get it flush against the air box wall at the bottom of the filter, it will always be slightly angled. Building outside allows you to make sure it is totally flush


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[CrownOffroad]

One of the great thing about events like TRR is the raffle! Huge shout out to Dawson at Raptor Retrofit for donating a gift certificate for custom headlights! Here's the picture he sent me this evening. I can't wait to get these installed!