[F6Hawk]

Started out by removing all 4 wheels, cleaning them thoroughly and treating all four inside and out and then the entire vehicle with Meguiar's Hybrid Paint Kit (HPK). Allegedly the kit provides a year's worth of hydrophobic protection. Took almost two days to complete all the paint, trim, windows, lights, all plastic under the hood, etc.

Next came the Peragon tonneau cover that I kept from the 2017 RTL-E. Also treated it with the Meguiar's HPK.

Added SmartLiner floor mats front and back, as well as the back under-seat storage container.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001R50Q1A

Today I added the door sill protectors to keep from scratching the paint getting in and out of the truck.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y7WSQ15/


Also added a five-function, tri-color light strip under the tailgate:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VQRLCSF/



Scheduled soon: red caliper paint, running boards, chrome lettering delete, Bed Rug. More pics to follow.

 

[F6Hawk]

Painted the calipers today, as well as the wheel weights.

Unpainted:

Masked:

Finished rear:

Finished front:

Finitio:

Don't have the pics right now, but since I had the wheels off, I painted the lead weights a gloss black to match the rims. That bare lead was fugly!!

 

[DTHughes]

Looks great! Nice job!

 

[Legeis]

Dang! And I’m still trying to decide on a cell phone holder.

 

[F6Hawk]

Dang! And I’m still trying to decide on a cell phone holder.

I let the wireless charging pad hold my cell usually.

 

[F6Hawk]

Now those lead weights aren't so easy to spot, even just a few inches away.

And from two feet away, practically invisible...

 

[F6Hawk]

Also decided to go with two of these for my trunk lights since they are motion detect:

Amazon.com: LED Closet Lights, Battery Powered LED Lights, Motion Sensor Light Indoor, Battery Operated Lights, Wireless LED Lights, Under Cabinet Lighting, Battery Powered Lights, BLS 6000K Clean White (2 Pack) : Everything Else

Buy LED Closet Lights, Battery Powered LED Lights, Motion Sensor Light Indoor, Battery Operated Lights, Wireless LED Lights, Under Cabinet Lighting, Battery Powered Lights, BLS 6000K Clean White (2 Pack): Everything Else - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

As opposed to these, which are wired into the bed lighting:

Amazon.com: 4PCS Daytime Running Light DRL Car LED Light Strip Waterproof COB Lights Truck Boat Bike Universal 17CM 12V Driving Lighting(White) : Automotive

Buy 4PCS Daytime Running Light DRL Car LED Light Strip Waterproof COB Lights Truck Boat Bike Universal 17CM 12V Driving Lighting(White): Daytime Running Light Modules - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

The added advantage is they can easily be removed from the magnetic mount and used as auxiliary lights as needed.

This is the trunk in full dark, lid opened to the tonneau rails. The cargo lights do not give ANY illumination in there. But with these lights, it's all good!

 

[F6Hawk]

Got the running boards installed today. And as I suspected, one does NOT want to drag one's calf across them while wearing shorts!!

Before:

During:

After:

 

[F6Hawk]

Did the chrome emblem delete today...

And my neighbor was commenting about how much TLC I was putting into my brand new truck, said he never worked on his truck like I do. So while he was away from home I helped raise the value of his work truck by an extra $3000 and increased his gas mileage for him. Hope he appreciates having such a helpful neighbor!!

 

[F6Hawk]

Someone had PM'd me about my SmartLiner floor mats, so I thought I'd post pics of the old Husky mats from my 2017 as well as the newer SmartLiner mats in the 2022 to help others decide.


Husky driver

Husky passenger

SL driver

SL passenger

 

[F6Hawk]

Finished up my trunk dividers today. Since it's a WBE, I felt some red accents were in order...

 

[Lucky Jack]

Very nice!

 

[shadowroper]

Just bookmarked this thread. Plan to implement several of these ideas on my Ridgeline. Thanks.

 

[F6Hawk]

So I did a thing today. Five new speakers as well as the Drone and iDataStart module were installed. Pretty easy mods overall, but if anyone does it, I recommend ignoring the instructions that come with the iDataStart system.

iDataStart: iDatastart CMHCXA0
Wiring harness for RL: iDatastart ADS-THR-HA10 (CMHCXA0 module also required)
Drone XqMAX: Firstech Drone X1-MAX-LTE

ETA (3/23/2022): I was having a few issues with the iDataStart unit above, so I sent it back and installed the Compustar Firstech FT-DC3-LC Remote Start Module FTDC3LC

Amazon.com: Compustar Firstech FT-DC3-LC Remote Start Module FTDC3LC DC2-S Replacenemt DC3S 7200S Bypass Module for High and Low-Current Draw Vehicles. : Automotive

Amazon.com: Compustar Firstech FT-DC3-LC Remote Start Module FTDC3LC DC2-S Replacenemt DC3S 7200S Bypass Module for High and Low-Current Draw Vehicles. : Automotive

www.amazon.com

MS1 connector plugs into M4 port on module.
MS2 connector plugs into M5 port on module.
VS 1 & VS2 as well as VS3 & VS4 plug into the PCU above the glove box (T-harness style).
The Drone grey 4-pin connector plugs into the blue Telematics port on the module.

That's it. No other cables needed unless one wishes to use the Aux port 1 & 2 function of the Drone app.

Very happy with how easy it all was, and very appreciative of @securityguy for being willing to answer when I called. Very plug-and-play, and adds a level of security that I wish ALL vehicles came with. Now I can see where my truck is at all times, as well as monitor the status of the locks. Never again will I have to worry about whether or not I locked my doors before I got on a flight out of the country!!

As for the speakers, there are other install threads here on ROC complete with pics, but I went with the following:

Hertz 24.3 tweeters: Hertz DT 24.3
Hertz 87.3 center speaker: Hertz DCX 87.3
Hertz X165 door woofers: Hertz X 165 (comes with mounting rings and plug-in adapters so no splicing required)

One thing to note is that the mounting rings required for mounting in the doors and paired with Hertz X165 speaks requires you to break off the mounting tabs with pliers so the speakers fit properly in the rings. (Not mentioned in the instructions)

Oh, and the sound improvement was well worth the cost. The first time my wife listened to music after the install, the look on her face as she said, WOOWWWWWW!!!" made it all worth it.

 

[Twolfy]

Painted the calipers today, as well as the wheel weights.

Unpainted:
View attachment 421608

Masked:
View attachment 421609

Finished rear:
View attachment 421610

Finished front:
View attachment 421611

Finitio:
View attachment 421612

Don't have the pics right now, but since I had the wheels off, I painted the lead weights a gloss black to match the rims. That bare lead was fugly!!

Did you brush these?

 

[F6Hawk]

Did you brush these?

Yes. But with the quality of the epoxy paint kit, they look about as good as sprayed. But the end result will vary based on one's ability to paint with a brush, obviously.

 

[Sparkland]

Painted the calipers today, as well as the wheel weights.

Unpainted:
View attachment 421608

Masked:
View attachment 421609

Finished rear:
View attachment 421610

Finished front:
View attachment 421611

Finitio:
View attachment 421612

Don't have the pics right now, but since I had the wheels off, I painted the lead weights a gloss black to match the rims. That bare lead was fugly!!

At first, I was expecting to see "red" wheel weights, but I was wrong. Your truck is looking really sharp, @F6Hawk.