🔧 Build Thread ANTMAN'S THREAD

[Antman11]

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the build thread of my 2026 Trailsport Elite Blackout.

First of all, ANTMAN is not a nod to the Marvel guy, nor am I a wierdo ant-lover guy. It's a nickname that dates back to high school and it kinda stuck, so I use it for Forums. T4R.ORG has my last build of my 2011 4Runner and that was a pretty fun build! I love this new Honda so it's inspiring me to do some...stuff.

This is going to be in no particular order, but I can tell you that there will be lots of unique mods, not just bolt-on stuff. I like to tinker with everything, and I hope this thread gives you all some inspiration and ideas!
I have less than 1000 miles so far and I've already:

• Mounted my ARB compressor under the hood
• Wired in a 30A circuit breaker and ran 8 ga wire to a dedicated rear cargo area relay/fuse box
• Installed a 12V outlet in the cargo area (for my old faithful ARB Fridge)
• Installed a USB power hub in the cargo area
• Installed a tilting fridge slide- heavily modified to take up less space and easily removed in about 2 minutes
• Installed switches and indicator lights in preparation for a Baja Designs lightbar and a Victory full length roof rack
• Installed a console cargo organizer/lid storage box
• Installed the ubiquitous orange HVAC knob covers (lol)
• Added some fuzzy stuff in the sunglass holder to keep it from rattling- ANYTHING in there used to rattle...
• Removed the little airdams from the front bumper.

So, the Wifey has not been too happy about the Garage Time!

Now I have to get busy taking pics and documenting stuff. I am known for horrible pictures, HA! Also, if anyone has any ideas or questions I would love to hear it.
I will probably come back and edit this page to be like a Table of Contents, with dedicated links for each MOD, as time goes on, if things go as planned.

-ANTMAN

 

[Antman11]

ARB fridge slide.

I got this slide from Amazon knowing that it was wider than I wanted, but I modified it to fit better. The goal was to still allow access to the storage area and also make it relatively easy to access the spare area. I mounted the rack to some wood and everything is held into place with one ratchet strap. I may just rebuild the platform eventually because it's very thin material but surprisingly it's very sturdy! I filled the fridge completely with water bottles and then did the back road slalom. Solid.
There is a lot more to this install like the fuse box and circuit breaker which I will document later. Also, the cargo mat is from Costco. $18 (needed two though) and it is really thick. I just cut it with a utility knife. I'm happy with the results! Enjoy the pics.

 

[Antman11]

...

 

[Antman11]

ARB Air compressor

This little guy had been through 4 other vehicles. Invaluable for airing down on the trail or keeping my boat and camper tires properly inflated on the road.
With the location under the hood and the inflation connection vertical, I made a "stopper" to keep in the connector when not in use- to keep out dirt and mud.
The airbox silencer still fits there too- I forgot to take that picture.

 

[Antman11]

USB Power ports

Has 2 USB C and 2 USB A outlets along with a digital voltage meter. This will come in handy while running the fridge to keep an eye on low voltage. The outlets only power on when you press the button.

 

[Antman11]

Victory Off-road full length rack. 40" lightbar still to come...

 

[Steve]

USB Power ports

Has 2 USB C and 2 USB A outlets along with a digital voltage meter. This will come in handy while running the fridge to keep an eye on low voltage. The outlets only power on when you press the button.

Crafty!

 

[barnettd]

Where are you taping into for the refrigerator and those USB outlets?

 

[Steve]

You ARE kind of a Marvel guy, actually. I'm admiring the work you've done. Just wondering what you meant by "Removed the little airdams from the front bumper". Wondering what you mean by that and the reason for the change.

 

[barnettd]

You ARE kind of a Marvel guy, actually. I'm admiring the work you've done. Just wondering what you meant by "Removed the little airdams from the front bumper". Wondering what you mean by that and the reason for the change.

I think he means those two add on "air dams" under the front bumper in front of the wheels. Look at his head on picture and compare to a normal passport.

 

[Antman11]

Haha! Thanks guys. Yeah if you look at the front under the bumper there are 2 little air dams, I just took them off because I thought they looked stupid. You can see in my pics they are gone.
For power, I mounted a 30 amp circuit breaker under the hood directly to the battery. Then ran 8 ga wire to the cargo area where I mounted a small Blue Seas fusebox with 4 fuse slots. One is for the usb, the other for the 12v plug. Then I have 2 spare.
Thanks for the interest! I was about to think nobody in this forum cared about mods lol. I just finished my lightbar setup on my rack too. I'll post that soon.

 

[barnettd]

Haha! Thanks guys. Yeah if you look at the front under the bumper there are 2 little air dams, I just took them off because I thought they looked stupid. You can see in my pics they are gone.
For power, I mounted a 30 amp circuit breaker under the hood directly to the battery. Then ran 8 ga wire to the cargo area where I mounted a small Blue Seas fusebox with 4 fuse slots. One is for the usb, the other for the 12v plug. Then I have 2 spare.
Thanks for the interest! I was about to think nobody in this forum cared about mods lol. I just finished my lightbar setup on my rack too. I'll post that soon.

I have an 08 Wrangler I tinker with. My wife wants to do a few things to her Passport. I haven't messed with wiring but I do want to add a 12V and USB setup to the back of the Wrangler. If you have some pics of your install and routing of the 8 ga I am all in.

 

[Antman11]

I have an 08 Wrangler I tinker with. My wife wants to do a few things to her Passport. I haven't messed with wiring but I do want to add a 12V and USB setup to the back of the Wrangler. If you have some pics of your install and routing of the 8 ga I am all in.

Yup I'll try to get some more pics tmrw. I do have the circuit breaker under the hood and the wheel well plug pics.
I entered the cabin through a grommet in the back of the drivers wheel well. If you peel the liner back a bit you can see it. I pulled a few clips and took off the wheel for easy access. I popped the plug out and pushed through with a sharpened piece of metal- electrical taped to the 8 ga and GREASED. Then it pulled through easily and seals up nicely. Take off the drivers kick panel and the sill plates- everything pulls off- and feed it into the cargo area.
The piece between the rear seats and cargo floor pulls right up if you take the entire cargo floor out. There is a TON of room under there- only a subwoofer in the way. Anyway- tell me the pics you would like and I'll get them tmrw sometime.

 

[Antman11]

..

 

[Antman11]

So, I (finally!) received my Baja Designs 40' lightbar. This is the driving/spot combo. It also has a neat amber backlight feature. I wired it so the push button fog light switch controls the amber lights (along with red LED indicator lights I placed on the back of the Victory rack). The actual lightbar is controlled by the little green switch next to the phone charger, and it turns on the white "LED LIGHBAR" Indicator light. I wanted it to have easy/quick access but positive identification that it's on. Everything is wired with relays.

 

[Antman11]

Is it bright? It's honestly dangerous on the street- have to be really responsible with it.
I took my wife and daughter for a night ride to aim it and when I turned it on 2 things happened. My daughter thought it was snowing (in August!) because every bug in Maryland was coming our way, and my wife started with "Really?" That is just ridiculous, yadayada. 10 minjutes of me not listening ensued.
It's so bright you can't read any street signs for like 1/8 of a mile because they just glare back at you, HA! Camping and offroad use ONLY! The amber lights are fun for the street though.

 

[El Chorizo95]

Build is looking great, thank you for updating us!! Loving it!

 

[Freak23]

Looking good.

 

[Antman11]

Well I have been updating and changing a few things.

First I installed some airbags for towing. Had to get a universal airlift kit.

 

[Antman11]

I moved the compressor to the back- it's easier on it away from the engine heat and I can't really reach that cubby with the fridge in there. I can fit some additional airline behind the compressor in the black bag. That way I can reach trailer tires while towing if need be. Everything tucks into the rear cubby neatly.