Have a 2024 LC/LC Trail Dust, we lost our 4x4 MB Sprinter van RV after 2 hurricanes hit us so we went with the LC and an off-road trailer. Just getting around to consolidating everything done so far to a build page. The goal is for this rig is to travel mostly off grid with our trailer and overlanding across the southeast and some trips out west. No plans for hard core rock crawling but some BDR, FS trails and Florida Adventure Trail (FAT) is where we’ll mostly be.
Plenty of mods planned but here’s our progress so far:
Skid Plates
Toyota OEM Front Skid Plate – easy install, prefer it was not supported by radiator bracket but not planning to run Baja 1000…should keep me protected from most impacts.
RCI Transfer Case Skid Plate – Ordered, install soon. Was in stock in steel powder coat and shipped out same day as order, they have been excellent to work with so far.
RCI Rear Shock Mount Skids – Installed for added protection. Good quality and stout. Requires wheel removal. Planning for upgraded shocks soon…hopefully they are compatible with whatever we end up with.
Tire Upgrade
Nitto Ridge Grappler G3 275/70-18 on factory rims. Very happy with this choice with ~6,000 miles so far. It’s a good balance between off-road capable and good road manners, and still fits in the spare carrier. Liked that they had a three-peak winter rating and handle well in snow, sand, and off-road. SL rating keeps weight down; minor MPG drop (~2-3 MPG) but worth it. Purchased from Discount Tire, lifetime balance and rotation and great experience. No plans to change out wheels now, rather focus on suspension upgrades first.
Sherpa Atlas Roof Rack
Chose for its low profile, load rating, quality build, and minimal wind noise/MPG impact. Note: install
Involves a lot of fasteners, make sure to check all after installation and then a few days after. I lost a few bolts and had to reorder some spare parts. Ordered rack on Cyber Monday from Offroad Tents (same discount as Sherpa, w/free shipping). Added Pelican box storage , WeBoost and MaxTrax brackets to rack.
Rear Badge Swap
Replaced chrome i-FORCE MAX badge with blacked-out StickerFab version—much cleaner look. Not hard to remove the original with dental floss and a heat gun.
Garmin PowerSwitch
Primary accessory hub—works with Apple CarPlay and phone app so nice to have on the big screen or can control from outside via phone app. Currently running ditch lights with plans for additional front/rear lighting. Trigger wire tapped into the panel fuse for auto power on/off with dashboard illumination at night for backlighting lights.
Ditch Lights and Brackets
Diode Dynamics SSC2 combo ditch lights on CATuned Offroad brackets—low-profile and solid. Backlighting wired to dashboard lights.
Heads-up: CATuned light brackets conflict with hydraulic hood struts, but keeping them for now—no regrets!
WeBoost Install
Amp mounted under rear seat; added 12V socket near bottle jack for flexible power options. Did not power with Garmin PowerSwitch due to grounding issue with the WeBoost power cord; instead installed an inline fuse, relay, and 12V receptacle. Tapped USB fuse under glovebox for relay trigger (only powers on with vehicle). Left 12V plug wire with switch with excess cord so it can be disconnected from 12V receptacle and run to Jackery for extended camping where it won’t drain car battery. Antenna mounted on Sherpa rack, wire routed through rear hatch via a rubber boot chase, sealed with marine-grade black caulk. Secured with a nylon strap when in down position—stays put.
Compressor Anderson Connector Setup
Mounted behind the bottle jack tray. Wired from rear battery terminal with with positive 6ga wire through 120A circuit breaker, as recommended by others on the forum, then Negative 6ga cable wired direct to battery terminal, then pigtail with anderson plug stored behind the bottle jack door with Velcro for quick access. Works well with EZFlate portable compressor to air up all four tires quickly on LC and still also use with trailer/off-road tires. Also kept attachment with alligator clips that can plug back in to compressor to use for other vehicles if needed.
50A Anderson Plug for Trailer Battery Charging
Installed Anderson pigtail near the hitch to connect to the trailer and charge batteries while driving via existing trailer DC/DC charger. Used a fuel pump wiring harness off Amazon 30A circuit breaker and 40 Amp relay connected rear battery. Routed positive connected to battery, under and around rear tailgate trim and down through frame through factory hole and modified rubber grommet plug in the frame, exited below vehicle near the exhaust hanger. Ran ground to a bolt on the frame under vehicle near the trailer hitch. Relay trigger tapped into USB fuse at passenger side fuse panel (powers only with vehicle). Gives me about 200 watts/15 amps of additional charging power while underway if solar panels are not enough to fully charge our trailer on cloudy days.
Made a mounting board from Starboard and mounted circuit breakers and relays for my Anderson plugs, and WeBoost relays.
That’s all for now…on to the next adventure.
Plenty of mods planned but here’s our progress so far:
Skid Plates
Toyota OEM Front Skid Plate – easy install, prefer it was not supported by radiator bracket but not planning to run Baja 1000…should keep me protected from most impacts.
RCI Transfer Case Skid Plate – Ordered, install soon. Was in stock in steel powder coat and shipped out same day as order, they have been excellent to work with so far.
RCI Rear Shock Mount Skids – Installed for added protection. Good quality and stout. Requires wheel removal. Planning for upgraded shocks soon…hopefully they are compatible with whatever we end up with.
Tire Upgrade
Nitto Ridge Grappler G3 275/70-18 on factory rims. Very happy with this choice with ~6,000 miles so far. It’s a good balance between off-road capable and good road manners, and still fits in the spare carrier. Liked that they had a three-peak winter rating and handle well in snow, sand, and off-road. SL rating keeps weight down; minor MPG drop (~2-3 MPG) but worth it. Purchased from Discount Tire, lifetime balance and rotation and great experience. No plans to change out wheels now, rather focus on suspension upgrades first.
Sherpa Atlas Roof Rack
Chose for its low profile, load rating, quality build, and minimal wind noise/MPG impact. Note: install
Involves a lot of fasteners, make sure to check all after installation and then a few days after. I lost a few bolts and had to reorder some spare parts. Ordered rack on Cyber Monday from Offroad Tents (same discount as Sherpa, w/free shipping). Added Pelican box storage , WeBoost and MaxTrax brackets to rack.
Rear Badge Swap
Replaced chrome i-FORCE MAX badge with blacked-out StickerFab version—much cleaner look. Not hard to remove the original with dental floss and a heat gun.
Garmin PowerSwitch
Primary accessory hub—works with Apple CarPlay and phone app so nice to have on the big screen or can control from outside via phone app. Currently running ditch lights with plans for additional front/rear lighting. Trigger wire tapped into the panel fuse for auto power on/off with dashboard illumination at night for backlighting lights.
Ditch Lights and Brackets
Diode Dynamics SSC2 combo ditch lights on CATuned Offroad brackets—low-profile and solid. Backlighting wired to dashboard lights.
WeBoost Install
Amp mounted under rear seat; added 12V socket near bottle jack for flexible power options. Did not power with Garmin PowerSwitch due to grounding issue with the WeBoost power cord; instead installed an inline fuse, relay, and 12V receptacle. Tapped USB fuse under glovebox for relay trigger (only powers on with vehicle). Left 12V plug wire with switch with excess cord so it can be disconnected from 12V receptacle and run to Jackery for extended camping where it won’t drain car battery. Antenna mounted on Sherpa rack, wire routed through rear hatch via a rubber boot chase, sealed with marine-grade black caulk. Secured with a nylon strap when in down position—stays put.
Compressor Anderson Connector Setup
Mounted behind the bottle jack tray. Wired from rear battery terminal with with positive 6ga wire through 120A circuit breaker, as recommended by others on the forum, then Negative 6ga cable wired direct to battery terminal, then pigtail with anderson plug stored behind the bottle jack door with Velcro for quick access. Works well with EZFlate portable compressor to air up all four tires quickly on LC and still also use with trailer/off-road tires. Also kept attachment with alligator clips that can plug back in to compressor to use for other vehicles if needed.
50A Anderson Plug for Trailer Battery Charging
Installed Anderson pigtail near the hitch to connect to the trailer and charge batteries while driving via existing trailer DC/DC charger. Used a fuel pump wiring harness off Amazon 30A circuit breaker and 40 Amp relay connected rear battery. Routed positive connected to battery, under and around rear tailgate trim and down through frame through factory hole and modified rubber grommet plug in the frame, exited below vehicle near the exhaust hanger. Ran ground to a bolt on the frame under vehicle near the trailer hitch. Relay trigger tapped into USB fuse at passenger side fuse panel (powers only with vehicle). Gives me about 200 watts/15 amps of additional charging power while underway if solar panels are not enough to fully charge our trailer on cloudy days.
Made a mounting board from Starboard and mounted circuit breakers and relays for my Anderson plugs, and WeBoost relays.
That’s all for now…on to the next adventure.
