Seeing a lot of big ticket build stuff being sold off
How’s the set up coming along/ what’s the plan moving forward?
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10/26/24 — The last retroactive build update and a 6-month review
Hey y’all! Lisse and I are back in the Bay after our jaunt over to the Florida Keys and Newfoundland—but more on that later. Jumping in here to share the final retroactive build update I promised and a few insights after spending April – September traveling with the rig.
Electrical system upgrade
Details on winch install
Drawings from build
Everything I’ve taken off the truck
Electrical system upgrade
I pulled the trigger on swapping out my AGM House Battery for a LiFePO4 unit to power our Starlink dish along with all my existing systems (fridge, lights, 12v charging ports, etc.). This battery swap under the hood would allow me to nix all the Goal Zero branded stuff that has appeared on this thread and open up a bunch of space in the truck bed for the new buildout.
If you’ve been following this build thread since 2020, you might recall I was initially against the idea of running lithium (-anything) under the hood due to the lack of data on the long-term impact of engine bay temperatures on lithium battery health (and the fear of the battery catching fire).
Four years later, thanks to those living on the bleeding edge (e.g. see @takethetruck’s insightful write-up here) there’s now a solid base of real world reporting, and the data is clear: with high-quality components and the right safeguards in place, LiFePO4 under the hood is the future. My own data from running the system for 6-months backs this up.
In addition to the battery’s built in BMS I mounted an external Victron Temperature Sensor and a Ruuvi Tag that would sound audible alarms on my phone if the temperature ever exceed safe operating temps.
After 180 days of data collection, I’ve seen that the engine bay maintains an average temperature range of 65°F to 95°F while driving thanks to the ample airflow. Temperatures do spike when the truck first comes to a stop but will gradually return to ambient air temps. The highest recorded temperature spike was around 130°F—still well below the BMS cutoff of 167°F—when coming to a stop in direct sunlight in the middle of the desert, where the ambient temperature was pushing ~120°F.
I’m really happy with this upgrade. Definition of a set-it-and-forget system and was plug-and-play with my existing REDARC + shore power charging systems. (See comms direct from REDARC + DL below)
DL confirming REDARC is likely compatible.
REDARC giving a deep explanation on their tech specs
With the larger capacity battery in place, I also swapped out my Sunflare Xplor 126W panel for their upgraded 175W panel for a little more juice—all while maintaining a very minimal look w/o any visible wiring.
Before:
After:
Aside: The “battery shield” pictured did nothing to shield the battery from ambient heat in the engine bay (I measured with the sensors) — save your money and skip this thing if you choose to install a lithium battery yourself…
Build drawings
I’ve put together an archive of all the drawings generated during the new buildout for myself and figured I’d share with y’all. Some of these drawings (e.g. drawer measurements) will be more helpful than others (e.g. doing math on the fly)
Winch Install
Last year, I mounted a WARN ZEON 10-S on a SDHQ Hidden Winch Mount and finished it off with Factor 55 Fairlead and FlatLink.
The winch is wired to the starter battery through an easy to reach Blue Sea System kill switch.
I finished off the cut in bumper valence with some generic edge trim from the auto parts store to give it more of a factory finished look.
Everything I’ve taken off / out of the truck and sold
I talk a lot about what I like about this build, but have not done a deep dive on what has gotten the 
after the years of traveling. Recap below:
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All the molle: There is 0 molle left in this build. Removed to save on weight and vibes.
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All the Rig’d supply stuff: It’s super heavy, prices are inflated, and gets annoying to swing away every time you want to access the bed. I’m no longer bullish on this product and would not buy again or recommend to others after years of owning it.
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Aux fuel tanks: Have not once been in a situation where I was out of range of a gas station from the arctic ocean to the sea of cortez. I’ve only used the tank once out of convenience (being impatient one morning and not wanting to wait for a gas station to open in baja since you can’t pump your own gas there)
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ARB recovery point: Winch and winch mount replace need for this
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Aftermarket LED ditch/pod lights : Never use 'em. Annoying to clean, and they kill the minimal vibe. Would not recommend to others.
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External radio antenna: Also never used, simply upgrading the antenna on your baofeng is the move (s/o to the radio pro @DirtTrailsWanted for the recommendation on what to get)
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GFC Beef Bars: My solar panel, fan, and starlink system rendered my beef bars useless. Happy that I got these into the hands of owners who can actually put 'em to use.
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Garmin InReach Mini: Starlink renders this product useless—plus our iPhones can communicate with satellites now as a redundancy in emergency situations.
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VRNCLR Boot Bag & Bed Catch: I love these two products, but they unfortunately no longer fit with the new layout. Stoked that I got these into the hands of a fellow forum member who can put 'em to use. They will last a lifetime!
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All the Goal Zero stuff: the simple (and light) life4po battery under the hood has allowed me to nix all heavy external batteries and panels.
That wraps up this thread I think… The only outstanding project is to flat mount my starlink dish… When I get around to it, I’ll drop an update here. But for now This build is done + dialed. 
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Beautiful work and documentation. And really appreciate those lessons learned/items removed.
I’m working on a new build for myself and am also getting rid of all my goal zero stuff. It’s very convenient, but constantly overheats and has problems. Will follow your lead/learnings on this.
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This build thread is so helpful! On the DL dual battery - are you monitoring charging/discharging parameters also? And if so what’s the highest amp input you’ve seen from your alternator? And have you had the BMS trigger a cutoff from low voltage, high amps etc?
Adding in here as I have the clarifying question that @pnwadventures asked. This DL LiFePO4 battery is replacing your truck house battery (thereby eliminating the need for a dual battery), correct @julian?