So while my truck was at Outlaw getting the frame and suspension work you saw in the previous post, I had them throw on a few extras that are a necessity while running through the desert!  Here is a shot after all the work was done, which also shows the 4" HID lights that I had installed on the upper portion of the hood:

Not too big, but they produce a tremendous amount of light!  Here is a comparison between just the stock headlights, and then with the HID spot lights also on.

Stock headlights with HID bulb upgrade:

And here is the comparison, stock headlights with the HID spotlights on as well:

This will make running off road at night much safer, and much easier.  I will soon be doing voluntary patrols of the San Bernardino National Forest, so a few add-ons were in order.  Aside from the lighting, I also needed to add a way to communicate with the Forest Service, as well as other members of my off road community.

I decided to install a 50-watt Icom VHF race-radio in the truck.  Your typical handheld walkie-talkie you buy at the store is 0.5-watts of power.  CB radios are 5-watts of power at the most.  This is a 50-watt radio, which allows you to transmit distances of 25-50 miles depending on surrounding terrain.  Most Forest Service channels and a few other public channels are on mountain top repeaters all over Southern California.  With this radio, you will likely always find yourself within reasonable distance of one of the many repeaters.

Lastly, I needed a way to navigate all of the trails in the Southern California area.  The factory GPS simply does not have enough off-highway roads to be useful.  It's surprising how many trails are actually on the Raptor navigation, however this still is not enough for what I will be doing.  At Outlaw's recommendation, I also installed the Lowrance Baja Elite 5M navigation unit.  This unit is a high resolution full color display, and is capable of storing thousands of points.  On top of that, the class that I'm taking will provide a data file with ALL of the southern california trail systems for this navigation!  It will be literally impossible to get lost with the proper setup like I intend to have.

Here is a shot of the navigation unit, and the new radio which Outlaw flush-mounted into the dash above the factory navigation and switches.  Both fit the cab VERY well, and will be used thoroughly during my new "job" as a volunteer employee of the park service.

Stay tuned!  Now that I'm all fitted with everything I need... my first real test of this equipment will be my upcoming 4-day Death Valley Expedition with a friend of mine.  4 days, camping each night, across the entire Death Valley basin area.  Should be a GREAT test of the new toys!

Well, my truck finally went in to Outlaw Raptor for some long awaited work on the rear frame.  My truck suffered from a slightly bent rear frame, after hitting a high speed bump that was about 12" high, at about 55-60MPH.  This is caused by the rear bump stop being impacted at a high velocity, causing the frame to crease in the exact spot the bump stop is mounted.  My truck wasn't too badly affected, although it was noticeable enough visually, and would eventually get worse if not corrected.

Outlaw Raptor has a full reinforcement and supplemental bump stop kit that they have engineered, and my truck is one of the first to receive this new setup.  Before I get to that, here is a picture of the truck's bed and what it looked like after the frame was bent:

You can see that the rear of the bed is slightly angled down, from the frame being bent.   Not terrible, but enough where it was driving me a little crazy seeing it every day.  So the first step for Outlaw was to remove the rear bed to actually straighten the frame before reinforcing it.  Here is what the frame and rear end look like before the fix, with the bed removed:

Not a whole lot back there!  The following picture sets show you the frame reinforcement, as well as the additional supports installed by Outlaw across the rear frame.  Overall, a VERY beefy setup!

New Fox 2.0 hydraulic bump stops were added, to properly absorb rear axle impacts, and installed in a location that will not bend the frame!  This setup has been THOROUGHLY tested by Outlaw Raptor, and has been proven to take some serious abuse without any negative outcomes.

Next was the Deaver rear springs, which are a progressive spring designed to absorb impacts much better, as well as reduce the amount of "bounce" or "donkey kick" as they call it, after hitting a hard impact.  They actually have a rebound spring built in, to help manage the rear end much better:

You can see the amount of rear travel now... should be a very nice ride off road!  I'll be taking it off road very soon to test the new add-ons, and follow up shortly.