TGO - The Overlander Build

[j_marinelli]

Well, the wait is finally over, picked her up this afternoon. Not including tax, I walked away at $363.35 over MSRP because I included 8 years/100,000 miles Premium Care $0 deductible (added 1st day rental, enhanced rental and interior and exterior lighting) + 8/100,000 Service / Maintenance w/7500 mile intervals (it includes all schedule service, plus brake pads, windshield wipers, clutch, etc.) and LoJack. This was using my PP money + my Ford Pass rewards. They matched Granger pricing and discounted the maintenance plan as well as the LoJack. Riata Ford in Manor, TX did an awesome job and this was one of my best car buying experiences (and this is my 48th new car purchase). And it looks like the only things I'll have to pay for the next 8 years are tires, gas, and insurance! And of course mods.

2023 Badlands 2.3l, Lux Package, Tow Package, MT and Roof Rack. 775 days from Reservation to delivery.

That's my '18 Miata Club BBS/Brembo/Recaro package in gunmetal grey and a cherry roof, yes MT. I only had 6500 miles on her. I would of liked to of kept her, but I obviously didn't drive it much so it made the most financial sense as I only lost 8K for what I paid for her back in 2018.

The other vehicle I own is a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison Extended Cab Diesel and a Schutt X-Venture X-V2 trailer.

I'm not going to modify the Bronco to the extent that I have modified my Bison. The Bronco will become my daily driver and used for quick/weekend trips.

I'm starting with protection and convenience items. Here's what I already have waiting to go on my Bronco:

• Go Fast Camper Superlite RTT (80lbs)
• RoofNest LiteWing Awning (30lbs)
• Broaddict extra Cross Bar
• Sasquatch Fender Flares [installed 2/8/23]
• Mabett Center Console organizer
• Mabett Backseat Cover Protectors
• Rigid Industries Dual Pod A-Pillar mount kit. (Haven't purchased lights yet)
• Rigid Industries Roof Rack Mount kit/ Rigid Industries 40" SR-Pro light bar
• Maxina Fit Sunglass Holder
• Mabett Mudflaps, no logo
• Rough Country Spare Tire Reinforcement Bracket (Plan to add my Maxtrax and a Rotopax to the spare tire)
• Klutchtech Woven Paracord Grab Handles
• Cartaoo Crash bar caps
• Havoc Offroad Door Entry Guards
• Ford Everglades rims (this is total vanity on my part, I love these rims) (still waiting to be delivered)
• Badass Moto Gear roll bar Fire Extinguisher mount and Buckeye 2.5lb Fire Extinguisher
• Aeroskin II Black Textured Trail Armor Hood Deflector
• UVS 100 Custom Sunscreen
• Console Vault Rear Underfloor Safe
• Redarc Trailer Brake Control Package. (My Trailer is 1200lb dry and GVM is 3500lb, so the Bronco should tow it well)
• Harbor Freight 8,000lb Hand Winch Puller (I have a ComeUP winch on my Bison).
• Torx Plus Bit set.

Things I plan or I'm think about getting:

• Rubber Hitch Plug
• sPOD touchscreen system, I have this in my Bison and like being able to dim the lights and use my Phone to turn things on and off, it's this or I might try Garmin's as I have a Garmin Overlander and a Garmin TredXL Overland.
• BRONCO 3-DOOR SIDE - LH/RH DOOR, FENDER, ROCKER BODY APPEARANCE KIT (think this will help with rock chips)
• TrailRax Modular Roof Rack w/ Pax Rax
• Lensun Solar 65 watt solar panel for the hood.
• Ditch lights
• Laser spot lights
• Backup lights
• Storage lighting

Items I already own that will be used between the Bison and the Bronco

• ARB Portable Twin Air Compressor w/ Tank
• Indeflate 2 Hose
• All recovery gear (straps, ropes, shackles, maxtrax, etc.)
• All Tools
• First Aid Kits
• Tire Repair Kits
• Garmin TredXL Overlander
• GMS handhelds
• Ecoflow Delta 2 and Extra battery
• Ecoflow gas/propane smart generator
• All Camping equipment
• Portable Solar Panels/Blankets

I've always used Baja Design lights, but I got such a deal on the Rigid Light bar off of Ebay, that was to good to pass up, so we'll see how they compare.

First Mod:

Installed the Sasquatch Fenders. I know it doesn't look as good (do think the mudflaps will help here), but my Bison does the same as the Bronco when going through mud, puddles, snow, etc. No one likes to grab the door handle when it's covered in muck, no one wants gravel/rocks flying into the door. So I'm taking function over cool looking.

It rained this morning in Austin, so the streets were drying bringing it home and a lot of puddles, at least I didn't have to clean off mud.

Decently packed:

Pet peeve of mine, QR code for instructions, I'm fine for using less paper, but they do to make more money, it's not like we receive the discount:

The labels are good, tell you where they go RR being rear FR being front and LH and RH:

Was surprised it was dirty under here, perhaps some weatherstripping on the flare will stop water from getting up here?

Does make the tires look smaller:

Washed the dirt of with a waterless wash and wax:

And used 303 Protectant on the new flares:

Tight fit the garage, had to clear about 2 1/2 feet in the front, obviously the Miata was much shorter:

And by the way, when I had this house built, I wanted to do epoxy on the floors, and I'm one of those people that usually do a lot of research and found epoxy has to be redone like every 10 - 15 years, and they have to diamond grind the old epoxy off. With what they were charging for it, I didn't want to have to do that again. I ended up getting Italian color through porcelain tile. The tile was the cheap part, but had the installers lay an uncoupling membrane and the tile on top of that, and expansion joints. The uncoupling stops water and vapor coming up through the concrete, it also stops movement and cracks from transferring up to the tile. The expansion joints will compress and expand on their own, so should there be movement in the concrete below these will take that impact. It ended up costing twice as much as doing the epoxy.

It's so easy to keep clean (thank you Romba vacs and mops) and it's tough. Hi-lift jacks have fallen on it, chemicals have spilled on it (synthetic grout is chemical and heat tolerant), I've dropped tools, etc. It's never chipped and will probably be there longer than the house is. You can actually tell what exactly is dripping from your vehicles. It is an investment, but if you can do it, it's worth it IMO.

Also, going with commercial tile, you can get matching coved baseboard tile and grip lines set in the tile for steps.

Nice build!

On a side note, your house floors and one of your wall colors look almost identical to mine

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[emulous74]

How do you like the Garmin Overlander and Tread? I've been REALLY on the fence about one of those products (leaning towards Overlander because it seems like it's more of the 'pure' Garmin Explore app/device combo). I've fiddled with OnX Off-Road but between my Garmin Fenix 6X and using the Garmin Explore app on my iPad mini, I've been dying to get a users thoughts on the Overlander

If you don't need the Garmin inReach functionality I would say go with the Overlander, unless you want or need a larger screen. What pushed me to get the Tread was I could have more functionality with my full size inReach, which is a pain in the butt to try to type a message, having the large screen (on the Tread0 to do messages was a game changer for me.

The Overlander/Tread are not a necessary IMO as all that functionality is available through other means and usually cheaper, but I like the ideal of limiting items and when it comes to these things, I'm the suspender and belt type of guy. What I've found is I'll run maps/navigation in the IHU as well as the Tread and run them at the same time, the Tread gives more road information and (speed limits, school zones, etc.) and it integrates very well with iOverlander and gas pricing apps, so being able to see all that in your navigation is a very nice luxury. But overall, it's a luxury that I find beneficial of having all that functionality in one device and downloading maps is slow but easy and that's probably the biggest things I found is for me it's easier to figure out than Gaia, I like knowing if I'm on private or public land and it's really easy to find a place to camp, see the reviews and navigate there.

The bad or not so nice, IMO they are way overpriced, the inReach subscriptions have changed majorly and you can no longer get the optional insurance and recovery features, their phone apps are less than desirable and the built in browser will not let you stream netflix or movies even though it's android based. Also the cameras are not interchangeable between the Overlander and Tread, which ended up costing me a lot of extra money.

 

[Kjbeggs]

Garage floor is crazy nice.
Build list is extensive and thought out.
Great work on both.
The rest, just details. Doesn't have any bearing on anything except for those who want to fixate on it and let it be some defining thing.
You do you.
And that Bison setup is sweet.

I can't decide what I'm more impressed by, The Bison or that floor!

 

[George Ellis]

The only complaint about any of this I have is a 2.5lb fire bottle. For a real fire, that is next to useless. There is a 3A:40BC 5# extinguisher (uline has it) that is a bit more realistic.

IRL - I have dumped 2 5# on a simple engine fire with just not enough to maintain it out until it would be cool enough to break the triangle. I have also dumped 2 20# on a fuel fire in a useless attempt to control a racing fuel fire (5# went on the driver first). That fire took light water from the fire truck.

You just want a little more duration. 2.5 will work for a little electrical fire (until you can get a battery terminal off). But fuel/oil based fire, it is just not enough.

 

[Dusty]

Welcome to the group! Congrats on choosing a 2-door

 

[Rick Astley]

I'm just surprised that I'll be able to have an RTT and Awning on the stock roof rack and still meet the miserable dynamic weight limits.

We'll see how it goes. There are many skeptics about how robust and durable the pressboard roof will turn out to be in the long run.

Personally I'll be treating the roof as if it has 1/2 the capacity it's rated for.

BTW, in reading your OP what surprised me the most was that your bison is white.

Killer color combo on the recently departed Miata, plus the HPR actually looks good on Bronco (It looks terrible on Ranger, so color me wrong when initially saying it would also suck on Bronco). But a dishwasher-white truck.

All your mods and builds seem to have a cohesive and focused strategy rather than just throwing whatever at the wall and seeing what sticks. Excited to see where your "minimal mods" Bronco ends up!

 

[emulous74]

The only complaint about any of this I have is a 2.5lb fire bottle. For a real fire, that is next to useless. There is a 3A:40BC 5# extinguisher (uline has it) that is a bit more realistic.

IRL - I have dumped 2 5# on a simple engine fire with just not enough to maintain it out until it would be cool enough to break the triangle. I have also dumped 2 20# on a fuel fire in a useless attempt to control a racing fuel fire (5# went on the driver first). That fire took light water from the fire truck.

You just want a little more duration. 2.5 will work for a little electrical fire (until you can get a battery terminal off). But fuel/oil based fire, it is just not enough.

I hear ya and thanks for your post. the 2.5lb is actually an upgrade for me and won't be the only extinguisher in my vehicles. I will also have the Element 100's under each front seat and I have a second 2.5lb that I can attach to the other roll bar, I just want to see how much it's going to block vision in the rear. If I don't install the 2nd one, I'll look into a 5lb one.

At the end of the day, I'm not interested in saving the vehicle, just want to be able to get everyone and my dog out safe and keep the surrounding area safe. Unfortunately there is a balance here between weight/storage and safety and know I'll rarely not be able to put out a large fire, so I'm focused on the above for now.

 

[emulous74]

We'll see how it goes. There are many skeptics about how robust and durable the pressboard roof will turn out to be in the long run.

Personally I'll be treating the roof as if it has 1/2 the capacity it's rated for.

BTW, in reading your OP what surprised me the most was that your bison is white.

Killer color combo on the recently departed Miata, plus the HPR actually looks good on Bronco (It looks terrible on Ranger, so color me wrong when initially saying it would also suck on Bronco). But a dishwasher-white truck.

All your mods and builds seem to have a cohesive and focused strategy rather than just throwing whatever at the wall and seeing what sticks. Excited to see where your "minimal mods" Bronco ends up!

Thanks, when I ordered the Bison back in late '18 I worked for GM, the Bison was only offered at that time is White, Black, Grey, and Red. I asked if I could get a special yellow color that they offer fleet customers, but was told no. GM used to offer a deepwood green color on the ZR2, that's what I would of gone with, if they offered it. But I'm happy with the White on the Bison.

 

[AKBronc49]

As a guy married to a guy it's nice to see other people like myself in the car community. I've been on car forums for 20 years and to see how accepting it is to be yourself now is so refreshing.

Nice Bronco, love the color. Can't wait to follow along with the build.

Also the garage floor...drool!

 

[Rick Astley]

Thanks, when I ordered the Bison back in late '18 I worked for GM, the Bison was only offered at that time is White, Black, Grey, and Red. I asked if I could get a special yellow color that they offer fleet customers, but was told no. GM used to offer a deepwood green color on the ZR2, that's what I would of gone with, if they offered it. But I'm happy with the White on the Bison.

Ahhhhhh P-magnet yellow, a classic! Nice job getting an employee deal on the rig, and yea, that's not a great color pallet.

Deepwood green is one of the better greens out there. GM has a history of putting out good shades of green.

I'm a bit partial to the single stage metallic greens from the 50's, having one in the garage and all.

BTW, could you please post a few more pics from about 15' with the Squatch fender flares and your standard Badlands 33's?

Im curious how they look at a 3/4 angle.

 

[indio22]

We'll see how it goes. There are many skeptics about how robust and durable the pressboard roof will turn out to be in the long run.

Personally I'll be treating the roof as if it has 1/2 the capacity it's rated for.

BTW, in reading your OP what surprised me the most was that your bison is white.

Killer color combo on the recently departed Miata, plus the HPR actually looks good on Bronco (It looks terrible on Ranger, so color me wrong when initially saying it would also suck on Bronco). But a dishwasher-white truck.

All your mods and builds seem to have a cohesive and focused strategy rather than just throwing whatever at the wall and seeing what sticks. Excited to see where your "minimal mods" Bronco ends up!

I share concern about the hardtop capacity. Over the years I strapped various items on my CJ hardtop without issue - boats, lumber, sheets of plywood. I'll want to put my canoe and kayaks on top of my Bronco (if it ever arrives). But don't feel so comfortable doing that.

Was thinking about welding up a Bronco carrier that fastens to the windshield (like the stock carrier), and in back will have two poles that go up from the back bumper (also will fab up that bumper) to hold items on top. That way, I can put a boat on top, regardless if the hardtop, soft top, or no top is on the Bronco.

 

[GToddC5]

Damn - what a great list of items, planning, documentation and attention to detail! Definitely a thread worth following.

 

[waveform55]

If you don't need the Garmin inReach functionality I would say go with the Overlander, unless you want or need a larger screen. What pushed me to get the Tread was I could have more functionality with my full size inReach, which is a pain in the butt to try to type a message, having the large screen (on the Tread0 to do messages was a game changer for me.

The Overlander/Tread are not a necessary IMO as all that functionality is available through other means and usually cheaper, but I like the ideal of limiting items and when it comes to these things, I'm the suspender and belt type of guy. What I've found is I'll run maps/navigation in the IHU as well as the Tread and run them at the same time, the Tread gives more road information and (speed limits, school zones, etc.) and it integrates very well with iOverlander and gas pricing apps, so being able to see all that in your navigation is a very nice luxury. But overall, it's a luxury that I find beneficial of having all that functionality in one device and downloading maps is slow but easy and that's probably the biggest things I found is for me it's easier to figure out than Gaia, I like knowing if I'm on private or public land and it's really easy to find a place to camp, see the reviews and navigate there.

The bad or not so nice, IMO they are way overpriced, the inReach subscriptions have changed majorly and you can no longer get the optional insurance and recovery features, their phone apps are less than desirable and the built in browser will not let you stream netflix or movies even though it's android based. Also the cameras are not interchangeable between the Overlander and Tread, which ended up costing me a lot of extra money.

Thanks much for the insight hoss! I dug a little bit on the garmin website -- aside from price point, seems Tread ekes out a little more capability than Overlander. I'll have to chew on this more, but thanks again!

 

[RedDawg]

I share concern about the hardtop capacity. Over the years I strapped various items on my CJ hardtop without issue - boats, lumber, sheets of plywood. I'll want to put my canoe and kayaks on top of my Bronco (if it ever arrives). But don't feel so comfortable doing that.

Was thinking about welding up a Bronco carrier that fastens to the windshield (like the stock carrier), and in back will have two poles that go up from the back bumper (also will fab up that bumper) to hold items on top. That way, I can put a boat on top, regardless if the hardtop, soft top, or no top is on the Bronco.

Bronco holds a canoe nicely!

 

[indio22]

Bronco holds a canoe nicely!

Cool that looks like a nice setup. And the canoe is a decent match for the Bronco color!

I don't have the top rack though. What do you think of the area where the rack attaches directly to the hardtop in back, does that seem solid and fine with the weight of the canoe (which probably only weights 40lbs or so) and vibration while driving distances?

Am I correct the front of the rack, does not attach to the hardtop, rather it attaches to the front metal windshield frame? I'm thinking of fabbing a rack that attaches same way in front, but in back will have a couple poles coming up from the rear bumper for support. That way the hardtop will not be used at all to support weight, and I could use the rack without a top, or with a soft top.

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