Toyotie: Ongoing & Updating

After all the work done with the roof rack, lights, batteries, snorkel and such, you’d think I’d be done with that sort of thing, at least for a while. Well, excuse me while I break out in haughty laughter until I pass out from a lack of oxygen.

Just as with the Jeep, there always seems to be more to do. Like when my father-in-law contacted me out of the blue, offering a nice Kenwood dual-band, APRS-enabled ham radio that he no longer needed, complete with a Garmin GPS puck. That sounded perfect, so I thanked him and said “yes please” and suddenly there was more work to be done.

When it arrived, I spent some time checking it out. It had a remote head unit, with an interesting mount that allowed for some interesting installation possibilities. The GPS had a nice long cable, which was helpful as well. I determined that I would install the radio body under the driver seat. The head unit could mount in the center column between the shifter section and the cubby box with no drilling or other modification. It was a great location and it also meant I could reclaim the spot where I’d installed my Yaesu in the dash.

The first step was to completely uninstall the Yaesu mobile radio. That included the radio, handset, power cables, etc. I also needed to pull back the antenna cable and undo the cable ties and such. This turned out to be a fair amount of work.

Getting the new radio body mounted under the seat was the most difficult part though, because the space there is very cramped and awkward. I used cable ties to firmly attach the body to the underside of the seat. It took quite a lot of time to get it done right, and both my hands were pretty scraped-up when it was finally done. Routing and attaching cables to complete the installation after that was straightforward and painless.

The radio takes a bit of getting used to since it’s effectively two radios in one, plus it has the built-in APRS TNC and such. Despite that, I got APRS up and running pretty quickly and was able to confirm that I could be tracked online. This will be a useful addition to using the SPOT Connect.

While I had the center shifter cover up to install the radio’s head unit, I also replaced the bulb for the shifter illumination. The light hadn’t worked since I bought Toyotie but it does now. Naturally, I also discovered that there is – somewhat inexplicably – a similar light for the ashtray. Yes, an ashtray light. Like the shifter light, the bulb on this one had given up the ghost who knows how long ago, so at some point I will have to take the ash apart for the Nth time to replace it.

I also obtained a replacement passenger-side sunvisor to replace the existing one, which hung down about an inch or two. The new one stays fully up as it is supposed to. At the same time I got a replacement for the right/rear mud flap which is in bad shape. I’ll have the exhaust pipe lengthened and routed around it before I replace the existing flap.

Then there’s the odd driver-side carpet clip that is missing; the center diff switch I want to put in; finishing the steering wheel wrap lacing; doing something about the tear in the driver’s seat leather; fixing the leaky engine seal; and surely a never-ending string of other things. And add an awning, a freezer/fridge, yada yada yada.

On the plus side, when I have the time I don’t mind a wrenching project. Good thing, too.