tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2255427758585448882024-03-14T05:24:24.594-05:00Overlanding JourneyThis material contains the relevant details of modifying a 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser platform for international overlanding with the family and then the journeys themselves thereafter.Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-1657974759660335552016-02-12T23:15:00.000-06:002016-02-13T20:02:33.744-06:00CanAlaska Overlanding Expedition 2015 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-GaYn9Mngjnjv4KLnJr52Q0Coo1MmU0WN5uWsl66Xzl1pcAgiWTzWTsS784h7XCtbwEguyRrXAfa-lUtpxrgAlgFtLNixadgCwxR82KtLW7NcIbJsGY9JBovi-0WHJxH4r2U7kkNlQs/s1600/overland_64.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl-GaYn9Mngjnjv4KLnJr52Q0Coo1MmU0WN5uWsl66Xzl1pcAgiWTzWTsS784h7XCtbwEguyRrXAfa-lUtpxrgAlgFtLNixadgCwxR82KtLW7NcIbJsGY9JBovi-0WHJxH4r2U7kkNlQs/s640/overland_64.jpg" /></a>
<p>
Five humanoids. One 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser kitted for self-sufficient overlanding. One and a half years of planning the trip and modifying the platform. 10,308 miles. 50 linear calendar days. 42 camp setups and tear-downs. Set up camp, cook and clean kitchen kit in the rain. Tear down camp in the rain. Go to bed sweating. Wake up sweating. Go to bed freezing. Wake up with condensation dripping off the four season tent fly. Coughing and sordid sickness along the way. Smoke from forest fires. Fog from elevation. 23 hours of light. Staring at the sun at 2330h. Tar, gravel and Grade B mud roads. Alaska Highway, Dempster Highway, Klondike Highway, Taylor Highway, Top of the World Highway, Dalton Highway, Elliot Highway, Stikine River, Whitehorse, Chicken, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Coldfoot, Deadhorse Camp, Prudhoe Bay, Arctic Circle, Arctic Ocean, Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, Tombstone Territorial Park, Denali National Park, Brooks Range, Yellowstone National Park, Lolo National Forest, Bighorn National Forest, and Black Hills National Forest.
</p>
<p>
Cooking water. Drinking water. 20F sleeping bags. 0F air mattresses. Four season tent. Compression sacks and minimal changes of clothes. Dehydrated food. Refrigerated food. Minimal cookware. Solutions to cook over fire or gas or not at all. Spare parts for everything you think might happen and for things that are less likely, but in the spare parts box anyway. Tools. Maybe too many. Solutions for breakdowns, flats, fires, critters and predators, water leaks, getting stuck, being tracked, being found, charging things, calling people, calling for help, fishing, hiking, running out of petrol and being towed. Showers sometimes. One bottle of soap used for everything. Audio books. Music. Maps, electronic and digital.
</p>
<p>
Fatigue from making mileage against the clock. Happiness over being farther and farther north with family. Wanting to eat. Wanting to see what's around the turn or over the hill. Sadness over getting home and the journey is over. Overall, happiness. An adventure was had. Memories were made.
</p>
<p>
And the platform? Flawless. Planning matters. Choosing the right platform matters.
</p>
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/></a>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com1Prudhoe Bay, AK, USA70.2556453 -148.3384293000000369.5712873 -150.92021630000002 70.9400033 -145.75664230000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-54761088453890766552015-07-10T23:38:00.001-05:002015-07-10T23:38:45.276-05:00Platform Testing<html>
<body>
<p>
A couple of buddies and I took the truck out to test a number of things on the platform. A day of learning if you will. The goals included seeing how the:
</p>
<ul>
<li>vehicle handled in fresh, wet, messy mud</li>
<li>tires cleared debris, maintained traction and enabled control;</li>
<li>vehicle responded with no air lockers, rear only, front and rear;</li>
<li>winch, cable, remote, tree strap and clevis worked in combination pull a dead vehicle up a gradual slope; and</li>
<li>land anchor works, pros, cons and general usefulness.
</ul>
<p>
We ran out of day and did not get to the land anchor. It was still a great day. We learned.
</p>
<ul>
<li>The tires clear out well, grip well and overall provided great control uphill, downhill, through ditches, on ATV trails in the forest and on slippery, muddy roads.</li>
<li>The air lockers rock. The truck works well in standard 4x4, with rear air locker and with both engaged.</li>
<li>The 12k lb winch wasn't tapped. One of my buddies pushed the brake to stress the winch a bit more. We didn't tap the potential. Did what it should.</li>
<li>Same goes for straps, clevis, etc. All worked as expected. No issues. I feel good about them.</li>
<li>We ran out of day and didn't get to the land anchor. Bummer. </li>
</ul>
<p>
Now, part of the reason we ran out of day was due to losing engine power. We checked the vehicle computer and it told us the platform was having trouble on cylinder eight. So, we replaced the coil and BAM! it picked back up and partied. All of this occurring across about three hours, a visit to two auto parts stores, the garage of one of my buddy's father, as well as, some general wrenching. Still learned. Still had a great time. Friends make the journey enjoyable.
</p>
<p>
Incidentally, another important lesson: Under-carriage armor is great for protecting the machine. It also collects mud. Even with a power washer, cleaning was measured in multiple hours, across multiple days. We very thoroughly found amazing places to gather mud.
</p>
<p>
Oh, and did I say we had fun?
</p>
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href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6m6yl3n8G0g0ftSmyRSP2FPBvZ_gBg6WzXw4cetmbWcBfxHb1BDepzoQ1L6pvpxxS4Hr_HKcG4Z9QS29VIl_-RjmC_tDv8NCarBQlEzH4QJzPG4ArsZkt5fe3jF8VwVkBz4rHsOUSK_w/s1600/20150613_153038_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6m6yl3n8G0g0ftSmyRSP2FPBvZ_gBg6WzXw4cetmbWcBfxHb1BDepzoQ1L6pvpxxS4Hr_HKcG4Z9QS29VIl_-RjmC_tDv8NCarBQlEzH4QJzPG4ArsZkt5fe3jF8VwVkBz4rHsOUSK_w/s200/20150613_153038_a.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwvNrsOvplOLa6Ou4vNnXOogFCn7o1OhCrD0edAuXn-Uj4yN5ndT-t2w7-cj8Udx4kQLTfWZG6ckilY6JJu-QwwihH_3dsfzr5zlDtqWB_qAR9EAdDalLPVRL4WCZeA4NYSSxtrgREUg/s1600/20150613_153056_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGwvNrsOvplOLa6Ou4vNnXOogFCn7o1OhCrD0edAuXn-Uj4yN5ndT-t2w7-cj8Udx4kQLTfWZG6ckilY6JJu-QwwihH_3dsfzr5zlDtqWB_qAR9EAdDalLPVRL4WCZeA4NYSSxtrgREUg/s200/20150613_153056_a.jpg" /></a>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0Southern Iowa40.583538179024657 -94.10529665000001434.532552679024654 -104.43244515 46.63452367902466 -83.778148150000021tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-10846220895030094002015-06-14T17:29:00.003-05:002015-06-14T17:29:53.203-05:00Fridge and Water Filtration Mounts<html>
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<p>
After much research on the pros and cons of on-platform refrigerator/freezer solutions, hardiness, power consumption, ease of use and general satisfaction, I settled upon the <a href="http://store.arbusa.com/Fridges-C11.aspx">ARB product line</a>. While I favored the Engel hardiness and reputation, I was most interested in power consumption and the ARB products appeared to have been designed with this in mind. Because of the amount of time we plan to spend overlanding, I went with the 82 quart solution. It fits nicely onto my Slee installed internal drawer/slider system and uses the secondary battery wiring harness they ran from the engine bay back to rear of the truck. My buddy and I purchased some 1200lb max load tie-downs from Menards, measured and mounted in short order. I had ordered the proper ARB tie-down harness off Amazon it simply didn't show up in a timely manner. So we went with ratchet straps instead. Works. Happy. Moving onto the next project.
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<p>
At the same time, based upon prior experiences overseas, I anticipate various scenarios including potable, non-potable and no access to water. So after much research on water filtration solutions including <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pritchard_invents_a_water_filter">TED Talks</a>, Non-Governmental Organization solutions, trips to sporting/hiking stores and the like, I ended up spending a bit more to get a water filtration jerry can from <a href="http://www.lifesaversystems.com/">LifeSaver</a>. You can do your own research of course. However, the conversation for me came down to alignment to international and auditable filtered water standards, flowrate, number of uses between filter replacement and particularly, filtration type and efficiency. While I'm not in the situation, and do not have the need, to test the filtration system as the inventor does in the Ted Talk, I'm comfortable taking a chance on this company and technology based upon the research, comparisons and technological approach used by this company.
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<p>
I knew I didn't want this jerry can mounted outside the platform in the event of theft or damage, and given the side panels of the Slee installed drawer system come up and off for side storage compartments and securely lock into place when done, we were able to mount the jerry can to one of the side panels without any drilling. We did customize a ratchet strap a wee bit as you can see, but overall, fits like a glove. Will have to see how the can itself, as well as, the strapping solution, holds up under road wear. Am pleased. Simple. Clean. Done.
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcuzs_4D0p8X6pFVC60yVolIUH8-bKAtNCHIGOGuuO7QVe8KwMhLSX-jBMGqp_zg874j50zkIPQbAmudCl58Wxl_lCfdsA0EljcFOnpeLjR8vyCDrPs0w-_LT2pC0OZDTskhVD_pD2jE/s1600/20150613_142649_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRcuzs_4D0p8X6pFVC60yVolIUH8-bKAtNCHIGOGuuO7QVe8KwMhLSX-jBMGqp_zg874j50zkIPQbAmudCl58Wxl_lCfdsA0EljcFOnpeLjR8vyCDrPs0w-_LT2pC0OZDTskhVD_pD2jE/s200/20150613_142649_2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGOT3EXnwQC_M91vMBTkAOalx3m91eUCG34jQllq5FXOMl_ZD_b381Z4rEo70e-CA59asZn-NLe4f1G78CcMBjTOys5i7g8A_uqUxgRZaHi2222nfLqRsV9LO2afNryNmzXZAZ5DpfTs/s1600/20150613_145357_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGOT3EXnwQC_M91vMBTkAOalx3m91eUCG34jQllq5FXOMl_ZD_b381Z4rEo70e-CA59asZn-NLe4f1G78CcMBjTOys5i7g8A_uqUxgRZaHi2222nfLqRsV9LO2afNryNmzXZAZ5DpfTs/s200/20150613_145357_2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrO_PzBJ-Iea4608AD1U1S0y1yb6Oo-WWtAkceAi5EY8dJhf4U2krsyL8N1N8UrsCEimfVxA68fjRkp_XY_ArMEHKz6ZyLp4EraZkHQCbAjRb0Om7pU7a79SXzNbD6QBeiItKS3Z7Ga4/s1600/20150613_150216_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHrO_PzBJ-Iea4608AD1U1S0y1yb6Oo-WWtAkceAi5EY8dJhf4U2krsyL8N1N8UrsCEimfVxA68fjRkp_XY_ArMEHKz6ZyLp4EraZkHQCbAjRb0Om7pU7a79SXzNbD6QBeiItKS3Z7Ga4/s200/20150613_150216_2.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjVEeF6UejEnrth9Uu0f5FuCbgzlyrJVvg64PC9ejyS_5ptp3gx1p7e8v6g7HnhVxKXHvgfqQjvvm8tOkNZ9LwO8qOswJ9aB3YXJjwZaQMI0GjN4i3-Z5yLaJx7apfpi1GHf3HlsVIuo/s1600/20150613_143729_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrjVEeF6UejEnrth9Uu0f5FuCbgzlyrJVvg64PC9ejyS_5ptp3gx1p7e8v6g7HnhVxKXHvgfqQjvvm8tOkNZ9LwO8qOswJ9aB3YXJjwZaQMI0GjN4i3-Z5yLaJx7apfpi1GHf3HlsVIuo/s200/20150613_143729_2.jpg" /></a>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0Minnesota, USA46.729553 -94.68589980000001641.126363500000004 -105.01304830000001 52.3327425 -84.358751300000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-80324177087412839992015-06-14T16:54:00.002-05:002015-06-14T16:54:46.676-05:00Brush and Tree Guards<html>
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<p>
I decided to put some brush cables on the truck in order to save the windscreen from angry trees and branches. I originally purchased the brush cable package from <a href="http://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/protection-equipment/all-protection-equipment/front-runner-branch-deflectors.html#.VX33i7zxODA">Front Runner</a> given it was pre-made and would theoretically be simple to install. As it is in life, plans and reality often look different.
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<p>
The Front Runner solution came and ended up being about two feet two short to extend from the top of the luggage rack, as they recommend, down to the bull bar. I wasn't willing to drill holes in the truck itself or the bull bars for this effort. Solution fail.
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<p>
After spending a bunch of time considering options, I ended up purchasing some existing mounts from <a href="http://www.fourtreks.com/">Fourtreks</a> because I like the clean look and the practical application. Since they didn't seem to have anything that immediately screamed, "these are designed for that", I purchased their <a href="http://fourtreks.com/modular_cb_antenna_mounting_kit.html">CB antennae mount</a> which I used a wee bit different than they designed or perhaps intended. Of course time will tell if my own design is good at version 1.0 or needs to be evolved. For now, thanks to the help of my ex-race car racing buddy, we fashioned a solution that will serve as the baseline until such time as we need to uprev the design.
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<p>
Components included:
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<ul>
<li>One (1) roll of 50' 3/16" diameter stainless steel cable that we cut down to 8' sections</li>
<li>Two (2) turn-buckles</li>
<li>Two (2) brass clips</li>
<li>Eight (8) wire rope clips</li>
<li>Four (4) thimbles</li>
</ul>
<p>
I also purchased crimping sleeves, but ended up not using them for now. Didn't seem to make sense. I may change my mind later. I'm still thinking on that one.
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<p>
I cut up an inner-tube and placed it on the bull-bar prior to mounting the Fourtreks mounts. We attached both ends, hand-tightened the turn-buckles taut and took it for a drive. Worked fine. I'll only put them on when going off-road onto various trail types. They seem to work well, look good and I'm happy. Was a good problem to think through and I had fun building them out with my buddy.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmNWuuX5b7aJjLhp0rxJe7Yk8TC0mNENvDXA446b_TA3TOCXuX5rh_4PmddDB6D-nCGSreDwBZ571xLZmSfZHqsGPUNbwkgxHkEie9oD3Vwbqvw2DW6_5XpRAsGeYw60aja2tJTT9asU/s1600/20150613_153006_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmNWuuX5b7aJjLhp0rxJe7Yk8TC0mNENvDXA446b_TA3TOCXuX5rh_4PmddDB6D-nCGSreDwBZ571xLZmSfZHqsGPUNbwkgxHkEie9oD3Vwbqvw2DW6_5XpRAsGeYw60aja2tJTT9asU/s200/20150613_153006_2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkVEC95NpJDH-cqYfCnmL-yhEO2XIJ61RLzQpU2RmnG4k056MHPtefiJzqEulBQMylrs3tuyGV6e7QcmdXwt055eRi_BJUU_QSsoe9BGyaz84f1oIzF-bTJbdR_6vP9dip4cDSxW1DX0/s1600/20150613_153018_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkVEC95NpJDH-cqYfCnmL-yhEO2XIJ61RLzQpU2RmnG4k056MHPtefiJzqEulBQMylrs3tuyGV6e7QcmdXwt055eRi_BJUU_QSsoe9BGyaz84f1oIzF-bTJbdR_6vP9dip4cDSxW1DX0/s200/20150613_153018_2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNPBrnjtagPQkchKmvWvtIVxwM_pnQbf0Nia-69m4dAfcYFcXMJhi4c6z0hvgviZL6oeoitVZJEMjMlLt78dGrbkWHbAtNecC2M33xW-lvlArqgQ3T51FWquAIzNJ8WZ11ias9waETc4/s1600/20150613_153029_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFNPBrnjtagPQkchKmvWvtIVxwM_pnQbf0Nia-69m4dAfcYFcXMJhi4c6z0hvgviZL6oeoitVZJEMjMlLt78dGrbkWHbAtNecC2M33xW-lvlArqgQ3T51FWquAIzNJ8WZ11ias9waETc4/s200/20150613_153029_2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf081g02BQPaX3QqOdaHZUTQaJu4EtMj7eYQ3iQAvT1ELncyqyPtzxgPog2OdGUdr7DV1tW4Db62X5yM8dSuCpzhIJF0O04B1_jg1tTFfOxJDonYB683JuVadFLkOBVCgrcQVH1f9rHM/s1600/20150613_153038_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSf081g02BQPaX3QqOdaHZUTQaJu4EtMj7eYQ3iQAvT1ELncyqyPtzxgPog2OdGUdr7DV1tW4Db62X5yM8dSuCpzhIJF0O04B1_jg1tTFfOxJDonYB683JuVadFLkOBVCgrcQVH1f9rHM/s200/20150613_153038_2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BQRoQ23_HJHCMs5pFz6ENDYSZgms-X9HNOE72AQxD7uK8EnMbcRAnTw4VtDEN_wmHVKYi4izjIV5iOjEa2HSJo_Hptr7Eb6lopMxxsfHFzk9O_50avOVvS_dtcYeNglv4LzgkHkWZ_M/s1600/20150613_153056_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BQRoQ23_HJHCMs5pFz6ENDYSZgms-X9HNOE72AQxD7uK8EnMbcRAnTw4VtDEN_wmHVKYi4izjIV5iOjEa2HSJo_Hptr7Eb6lopMxxsfHFzk9O_50avOVvS_dtcYeNglv4LzgkHkWZ_M/s200/20150613_153056_2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Oqdg3EHoZzJ8H1y4_4k1_UgtrnIVjMPTRIq-8Vc2hZbk_G8R2yslz8pVtsWXux5m3GcE1MjU6l0mfIwgtgMv7PudKiZ1mWJUu-u5v2DMqZJk8VT5jB4no4vaKxn_TWXLyEwWhfAUUEo/s1600/20150613_153130_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Oqdg3EHoZzJ8H1y4_4k1_UgtrnIVjMPTRIq-8Vc2hZbk_G8R2yslz8pVtsWXux5m3GcE1MjU6l0mfIwgtgMv7PudKiZ1mWJUu-u5v2DMqZJk8VT5jB4no4vaKxn_TWXLyEwWhfAUUEo/s200/20150613_153130_2.jpg" /></a>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0Iowa, USA43.173391062248577 -95.99809262500002740.22589056224858 -101.16166662500002 46.120891562248573 -90.83451862500003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-48919005025973049082015-06-14T16:11:00.002-05:002015-06-14T16:11:46.370-05:00NITTO Tires Rock<html>
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<p>
I'm using NITTO Trail Grappler M/T 285/75R16 on this platform. I recently took it out onto Grade B / farm class roads composed of mud/clay mixes with 2-4 inches of sludge on top, onto an unkempt forest trail composed of logs, grasses, mud and ruts at incline, as well as, an ATV trail that was pretty much narrow ruts, deep puddles and mud between trees. Many times I could run without straight 4x4 behavior without the need for air lockers. Occasionally, I run the rear locker and sometimes both front and rear. These tires are so far magnificent.
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<p>
The tires always kept moving, the platform continued to move up the inclines and through the slog without every giving ground. In fact, given the short-wheel base of this platform, coupled with 4x4 and locker ability and these tires, I am duly impressed. These tires are likely the best purchase I've made to the platform to date. Of course the other bells and whistles are nice. However, these tires seemed to clean themselves out well and I could dependably trust that they are a solid, dependable aspect of this platform.
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<p>
They have been fine on pavement, dry and wet. They are great on gravel so far. However, grass, ruts, inclines and mud? Worth every penny.
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0Missouri, USA37.9642529 -91.831833431.5895279 -102.15898189999999 44.338977899999996 -81.5046849tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-66096693882571696582015-03-18T21:07:00.001-05:002015-03-18T21:07:36.405-05:00Mounting the Lower Control Arms<html>
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<p>
While I'm not purposefully planning to rock climb or get into situations where I have to tax the Land Cruiser platform, I have been planning for potential situations that may or might occur and looking for options, individually or in combination, that will enable safe passage from point A to point B. One of these things happens to be ground clearance.
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<p>
I've previously installed an Old Man Emu 2.5" lift kit that included torsion bars, springs and shocks, as well as, changed tire sizes from stock to NITTO 285/75R16 and added Slee Off-road underbelly armor for some protection even with the modest lift change. Couple this with the higher ARB bullbar winch bumper on the front and Slee Off-Road bumper on the back and the attack vectors are improved to see rubber before it sees metal. However, I still had something bugging me which was the fact that my lower control arms would theoretically hit an object before the tire had a chance to sort it out. So, after a bunch of research I ended up purchasing a set of <a href="https://www.wildwestoffroad.com/catalog/Suspension/80-100-Series-Heavy-Duty-High-Clearance-Lower-Control-Arms/prod_22.html">80 & 100 Series Heavy-Duty High Clearance Lower Control Arms</a> from <a href="https://www.wildwestoffroad.com">Wild West Off-Road</a> and installed them shortly thereafter with the help of another friend who rebuilds cars from the chassis up.
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<p>
We went to a local DIY shop that is a proper rejiggered garage complete with lifts and such. I don't mind being on a crawler underneath the truck. It was a pleasure to stand up under the truck and work on things, however. With the right tools and setting, things go more quickly. Friends help.
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<p>
The old 100-series bolts came out pretty easily, as did the original lower control arms. I took a few pictures of the comparative old and new bolts and control arms. The stock stuff was, and has historically been, pretty sturdy. However, the new arms and bolts are actually designed for an 80-series, are thicker, change the attack angle and have thicker, beefier bolts. I was curious if there would be enough metal at the mount points to handle the new bolts and arms. After bring under there, I think we're pretty solid. Were I going to purposefully rock climb and get crazy I may consider beefing up the body mounts.
</p>
<p>
Old bolts and arms were taken out first. Then we had to drill out the holes to take the bigger bolts from 3/8" to 5/8". It may actually have been metric come to think of it, but we used English anyway since that was what we had in our hands at the time. We alternated contextually between a step drill and straight heavy duty drill bit. No problem on the drill-outs. We dry-mounted to see if it all fit and we were good to go. I greased the bolts and bushing sleeves, we put the accompanying washers on either side of the rear bushings as instructed, mounted the front points and then rear points without much effort. We did use a persuasive rubber hammer a few times, but nothing out of the ordinary. After all was said and done, we gunned them tight, made sure the rear wheels were tight as well, dropped the lift and put it out on the parking lot to check for anything silly. After that I S-curved a bit to re-adjust the suspension and help it settle and went back to work. Overall, due to have an air compression issue with the lift that first had to be reconciled, we were in and out in sub-two hours.
</p>
<p>
There are a number of comparative pictures below showing new and old arms, new and old bolts, mounts points before drill-out and after everything is mounted on the rack and on the ground. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with a) the new lower control arms themselves and b) the ease of the swap-out.
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQybMUJMw93eQD-gaJRGzB4Tg4wynCrx3nuWbpwIXNZ_K57bttxNTKx30Vr9EIVWEb2vrqiDJ9v0EOuRUBTP9RWTj3CRltgAi9siD555MxRR-cjdZ9UJSi0SwdeNAZZXTRiPj1ay7zDY/s1600/20150318_120249.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQybMUJMw93eQD-gaJRGzB4Tg4wynCrx3nuWbpwIXNZ_K57bttxNTKx30Vr9EIVWEb2vrqiDJ9v0EOuRUBTP9RWTj3CRltgAi9siD555MxRR-cjdZ9UJSi0SwdeNAZZXTRiPj1ay7zDY/s200/20150318_120249.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdN7RAgMiLuH44_4kYxupEL9msXud-jpzqY83MF-bzPZphJkefw_hY6kAtsqsUQlKizIGZJHs5QlC3qnOAoqZNmHLmAJ4yo5-pPg3KfOKsBk0Jmp7nZhS3LKe-09OorWSvivgtrCCCRQ/s1600/20150318_120254.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdN7RAgMiLuH44_4kYxupEL9msXud-jpzqY83MF-bzPZphJkefw_hY6kAtsqsUQlKizIGZJHs5QlC3qnOAoqZNmHLmAJ4yo5-pPg3KfOKsBk0Jmp7nZhS3LKe-09OorWSvivgtrCCCRQ/s200/20150318_120254.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5IxF4g-hoes5i-84zrQOq7V8q-blF3ULcDVGIt9RXzl2k_NnyABzW-a4FGDR4RHiQ6b6FPYFYbe-0v2rYJdjOVDUxlwMvlAXb5_eFKge1Qh3gLz6AZ9mj2SGqOUqrktHEuNinPQWo8U/s1600/20150318_120300.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5IxF4g-hoes5i-84zrQOq7V8q-blF3ULcDVGIt9RXzl2k_NnyABzW-a4FGDR4RHiQ6b6FPYFYbe-0v2rYJdjOVDUxlwMvlAXb5_eFKge1Qh3gLz6AZ9mj2SGqOUqrktHEuNinPQWo8U/s200/20150318_120300.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzngqdu7WhX-fkZmqG9Jxg6eVdRIfUI2-05Y-mifxsnVg03tj8jN3tX58rtWF6-PTHB-8UeS4RUXCxBuRiG1dE6mpXD3JnHutnneIxAGPmAgAHASTUi6Y2TGf93YAzts-I5rDtQYwjqs/s1600/20150318_120305.jpg" imageanchor="1" 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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.712891000000013-36.4181565 99.052733999999987 90 69.521483999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-46562175734964031922015-03-05T18:28:00.002-06:002015-03-05T18:28:54.077-06:00Installing the CB<html>
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<p>Knowing that I plan to be in situations where various methods of communication will change with context, I decided to research, purchase and install a CB solution. I grew up around CBs while hunting, trapping and farming with family and so had a head start, but needed to refresh myself on options. Turns out, as usual, there are more options out there than anticipated and I actually had to do some research.</p>
<p>
For an antennae, I looked at long and short, fiberglass and steel/aluminum, singles and duals, installation on front, rear or sides of the vehicle, as well as, mounts and wiring choices. With a whip, it will take a beating I hear. With fiberglass, it will have better reception/transmission ability. With longs, more range; shorts, obviously shorter range. Candidly, since all of my CB experience was vicariously through family when I was younger, I eventually decided on something that seemed logical until I can prove or disprove it as logical. I chose the 5ft <a href="http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/firestik-cb-antennas/products/firestik-kw-cb-antenna">Firestick</a> with a <a href="http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/cb-springs-studs-disconnects/products/firestik-heavy-duty-cb-antenna-spring">heavy-duty spring</a> and <a href="http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/cb-springs-studs-disconnects/products/firestik-cb-antenna-quick-disconnect">quick-disconnect</a> to stow when not in use and sourced it from <a href="http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/firestik-cb-antennas">Right Channel Radios</a>.
</p>
<p>
I read that length gives distance and fiberglass gives better communication quality. I'll know if that's true or not through time, assuming my implementation of the idea is pure and correct and thereby not giving a false positive. I also knew that I'd likely be travelling alone more than with others, so went with a 5ft. However, after some thought, given then quick-disconnect option, I could also get a shorty for when I'm traveling with others when distance isn't as important.
</p>
<p>
As for the CB, there were options. However, the requirements I had included:
</p>
<ul>
<li>being simple as I don't need (or think I need) bells, whistles, turnstyles and roundabouts</li>
<li>being reliable with a good reputation through years of experience</li>
<li>being stowable (I want it when I want it, and don't when I don't)</li>
</ul>
<p>
I ended up choosing a <a href="http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/handheld-cb-radios/products/cobra-75-wx-st-compact-cb-radio">Cobra 75 WX ST SoundTracker</a>, an <a href="http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/cb-swr-meter/products/swr-meter-with-jumper-cable">SWR meter</a> (for tuning it) and some <a href="http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/cb-coax-cable/products/firestik-firering-cb-coax-with-fme">coax cable with a firestick mount ring</a> for the job. All also sourced from Right Channel Radios.
</p>
<p>
I installed the antennae on the back spare time mount the first time. It rubbed the paint off the spare-tire holder and started wearing into the antennae insulation. Stupid user trick I suppose. So I moved the antennae to the front bumper. And now my family feels it in the way of their forward field of view. So, after I have more of the kit together and I see how things are coming together, I'll let the new location reveal itself to me along the way (knowing that this will mean I either move the coax or install another line).
</p>
<p>
The first time I ran the coax through a fresh drill-hole in the back of the truck, up the side of the truck, under the floor/door rails and to the front dashboard. This is really because I didn't yet have an opinion about where I wanted things. The second time, I ran the coax through the engine box through an existing firewall hole on the passenger side, underneath the dash, up the center console and into the main compartment. This then is where the handset is located. Stowed when not in use, accessible when needed.
</p>
<p>
After tuning it, it seems to work just fine. Other than explicitly following the directions to tune the antennae to the CB to the implementation itself, I don't have enough experience to understand the signal-to-noise ratio coupled with the enjoyment of squelching, listening and talking. Things are logical until they aren't. Academically I've done that which I believe I'm to do. Experientially, it may be an excellent kit choice and implementation, or I may shoot it off the truck like a clay pigeon. Unknown. I now feel and believe that running wire is a pain in the arse and I know that wasn't even a comparatively difficult or complex wiring run.
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYrWNwkqba4LNwTpw8by8dlz1zaNjqKEwpaQ_Cnpsne50PYkmfCMtmVOT5Uhqi8MwQz4zmGHqMX-Stb5xBzNLignVxrPYoGwHzwoUEcTJJtxUJT4hr6WFziCWU4EsOHnFZ4IU4VN8SXk/s1600/IMG_2609.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYrWNwkqba4LNwTpw8by8dlz1zaNjqKEwpaQ_Cnpsne50PYkmfCMtmVOT5Uhqi8MwQz4zmGHqMX-Stb5xBzNLignVxrPYoGwHzwoUEcTJJtxUJT4hr6WFziCWU4EsOHnFZ4IU4VN8SXk/s200/IMG_2609.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j27zLT_G4F5XrdKPANEGJX96_CwRII37pCnIh9AwGnxS37yH4DGugQFZi1dlhqM5JNHGUAOuRqM3oG2fYLkDMyCP3oDB6cuCOHYKb_d3EIVKzD1KE8X06l6IjkBwzoh_ZfZo8CRhXHM/s1600/IMG_2612.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j27zLT_G4F5XrdKPANEGJX96_CwRII37pCnIh9AwGnxS37yH4DGugQFZi1dlhqM5JNHGUAOuRqM3oG2fYLkDMyCP3oDB6cuCOHYKb_d3EIVKzD1KE8X06l6IjkBwzoh_ZfZo8CRhXHM/s200/IMG_2612.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYesoZgR8oYpuSXLZnGW9PZ8Xgm52txgTljeq8mZovb0Ter2H0VRyBaEI0gq5sKbqzLzl_J8itWJgdpLUN4pK7mQLg0BPyYtiDJaw9JbIvdmyPOqEVEl7SoIdFVDyaBZ8NbCgTpyP-5w/s1600/IMG_20140711_120138.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYesoZgR8oYpuSXLZnGW9PZ8Xgm52txgTljeq8mZovb0Ter2H0VRyBaEI0gq5sKbqzLzl_J8itWJgdpLUN4pK7mQLg0BPyYtiDJaw9JbIvdmyPOqEVEl7SoIdFVDyaBZ8NbCgTpyP-5w/s200/IMG_20140711_120138.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLDA2BHtXdSGacaCknOrI-bjyg_yVFn1ZdK8rQP9sJ1qW3Qsd5ZLhc4P4RXatiCvPF88rim0JuSpx7P56nrfcMkIvKeH8Cppq4XwHeowwp5q6dzv82LUZKoZdqUOgLIKIaLqwkvUdwug/s1600/IMG_20140711_132615.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLDA2BHtXdSGacaCknOrI-bjyg_yVFn1ZdK8rQP9sJ1qW3Qsd5ZLhc4P4RXatiCvPF88rim0JuSpx7P56nrfcMkIvKeH8Cppq4XwHeowwp5q6dzv82LUZKoZdqUOgLIKIaLqwkvUdwug/s200/IMG_20140711_132615.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpwpXRxAJ9SQ__UVY0T8V97f50g8zxn0UcNEcPIDNcjP_8T07Q1jTWUFBGmnfUX3TyOEO0HucD7FiKKZ7C-yh1T3Zw7GdgpF3XalHjbhQ0t5bC6ogus55CceeMxhM6AvJWgYhQaT0S1A/s1600/IMG_20140711_133249.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpwpXRxAJ9SQ__UVY0T8V97f50g8zxn0UcNEcPIDNcjP_8T07Q1jTWUFBGmnfUX3TyOEO0HucD7FiKKZ7C-yh1T3Zw7GdgpF3XalHjbhQ0t5bC6ogus55CceeMxhM6AvJWgYhQaT0S1A/s200/IMG_20140711_133249.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhmodBh5nuOHsgZ4Vc7mAjStjaoO6Ky7mEmum6O4oGHHpEnRp8quXMWy5NYJFznGpkX1qeZLWVCb_3z2uMk8Gf7ufTLqI67rBWkfHqmagLYZka56peAdZt8DjlX00I1LzG9bpx8Xh_E0/s1600/IMG_20140711_192051.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhmodBh5nuOHsgZ4Vc7mAjStjaoO6Ky7mEmum6O4oGHHpEnRp8quXMWy5NYJFznGpkX1qeZLWVCb_3z2uMk8Gf7ufTLqI67rBWkfHqmagLYZka56peAdZt8DjlX00I1LzG9bpx8Xh_E0/s200/IMG_20140711_192051.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEgwM4TlG73qKBu0ODnYqvsICgxn9J9LBkeExr53aSRt243FgFup9GvjqKpv4AU2OATjWpeLhATbO1xEH78zJ-nhhtoBHQLjX0fYpZv7q2O3eJlqVUexEedOT5BEXHotdVpjo5rZuuVk/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLEgwM4TlG73qKBu0ODnYqvsICgxn9J9LBkeExr53aSRt243FgFup9GvjqKpv4AU2OATjWpeLhATbO1xEH78zJ-nhhtoBHQLjX0fYpZv7q2O3eJlqVUexEedOT5BEXHotdVpjo5rZuuVk/s200/IMG_2611.JPG" /></a>
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Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.712891000000013-36.4181565 99.052733999999987 90 69.521483999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-74963384997300931552015-02-27T07:37:00.001-06:002015-03-01T12:18:22.245-06:00Useful Research Material<html>
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<p>
Turns out, every single bolt, part and piece on this 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser is an interesting conversation all by itself or in combination with other parts and pieces contextual to the problem at hand. The longer I study and contemplate, the more details I seem to want.
</p>
<ul>
<li>What problem do I want to solve? Or What goal do I want to achieve?</li>
<li>What are the possible interpretations of my problem, question or goal?</li>
<li>What are the possible solutions?</li>
<li>Which possible solutions are applicable or useful?</li>
<li>What do I want to know thereafter?</li>
</ul>
<p>
In the beginning I didn't know what I don't know. So I jumped into everything and anything I could find. Through time there are some things that have become more interesting to me than others. This could possibly mean I have no interest in some subjects; it could also mean I don't understand them well enough to know why I do or do not care. So I continue grabbing everything that I find in order to learn. And I've noticed some patterns useful to me.
</p>
<ul>
<li>There are user group portals where people collectively share their knowledge, experience, kit and journey complete with pictures, experiential anecdotes and biases (of course)</li>
<li>There are media portals that seem to transcend the industry/hobby and provide pointers for people to dig deeper on one subject or another through time</li>
<li>There are media portals and clubs that seem to be associated to regions/like interests</li>
<li>There are vendors and service providers who provide plenty of reviews, comparisons, details, tests, videos and kit/hobby builds</li>
</ul>
<p>
What I've found is there are some "go to places" to which I always seem to gravitate. I'll read anything and most everything I can find on these matters to begin refining what I think is a problem statement. Then, as I research the particular problem statement I tend to spend a lot of time comparing and contrasting vendor/service provider suppositions discern what seems to matter and what seems person-to-person preferential. Then, when I hone in on a solution path, I begin reading about implementations of said solution paths, results, experiences, etc. that did not come from the vendor itself. All in all, all things being equal, I spend weeks, sometimes months, soaking in and soaking on a the pros, cons, variabilities and such of a particular solution before I make a change/purchase. Sometimes it seems faster, but I'm still soaking on some things that I started researching over a year ago. There is no need to solve a problem until it needs to be solved. I proved this to myself when I purchased the wrong winch, had to return it and then do research on what I should actually have purchased (for me, Warn M12000). Solving a problem before I need to solve it increases the probability that I solve the wrong problem. So I tend to wait until the real problem reveals itself, followed by the seemingly most sensible solutions revealing themselves thereafter.
</p>
<p>
These aren't even close to the sheer number of options out on the interwebz and I'm not sponsored by anyone. I'm only sharing stuff that has been useful to me so far on this build.
</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.overlandjournal.com/">Overland Journal magazine</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ih8mud.com/">IH8MUD</a> user group portal</li>
<li><a href="http://toyotatrails.com/">Toyota Land Cruiser Association</a> user group portal</li>
<li><a href="http://www.fourwheeler.com/4wheel-off-road-magazine/">Four-Wheeler</a> magazine/portal</li>
<li><a href="http://www.off-road.com/">Off-Road</a> magazine/portal</li>
<li><a href="http://www.sleeoffroad.com/">Slee Off-Road</a> vendor/service provider/kit builder</li>
</ul>
<p>
These have so far turned out to be my "go to" sites when looking for information about nearly anything. However, the reality is I've been trolling twenty or thirty sites more regularly looking at options, reading articles, hearing personal user stories and even watching overlanding and how-to videos off YouTube, Vimeo, Vine and vendor sites. Learning is out there and I'm enjoying the journey.
</p>
<p>
At the end of the day when I've exhausted as many options as I can find to learn, compare, ponder and decide, I talk to a buddy or two who have experience stripping and building vehicles from the sandblasted chassis on up to the drag racer, off-roader or WWII military jeep. Research is great. Experience is immeasurable. Besides, websites and books only tell you what to do, what worked and didn't work for them; true friends tell you when you're being stupid.
</p>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.712891000000013-36.4181565 99.052733999999987 90 69.521483999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-49265774934046291342015-02-26T14:57:00.000-06:002015-02-26T14:57:32.825-06:00Installing a Dual Battery System<html>
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<p>
Similar journey, different subject.
</p>
<ul>
<li>What problem do I need or want to solve?</li>
<li>Who has solved this problem before me?</li>
<li>What did their solutions look like and what were the pros, cons and contexts?</li>
</ul>
<p>
As with a bunch of this, I was already familiar with a bunch of this stuff due to my time in Africa. The ability to self-solve in the bush is a way of living for many people and I benefited greatly from the wisdom and experience of others. What happens when you have a working vehicle platform capable of taking you into the bush and bringing you back again fail due to a single issue like the battery? Your amazing vehicle is proverbially dead in the water. The winch, the lights, the CB, the seat covers, the dual fuel cells, the lift-kit, tires, etc. Nothing. No battery, no start, no mobility. You're looking at the biggest paperweight you didn't imagine buying.
</p>
<p>
In addition to paying attention to the type of battery you purchase, cranking amps, load capacity and comparing consumption velocity of the platform to recharging capacity of the alternator, we have to understand things like "Plan B". Plan B, in this case is, what if the primary battery doesn't start, what do we do? The answer is a secondary battery system. However, the implementation of the idea is a little more cool than just taking a second battery in the truck just in case. I was interested in a system that had the allowed me to start the platform from battery B if necessary, allowed me to run lights, phones, computers and refridgerators while the truck was off without risk of burning the primary battery, as well as, having the ability to link both batters to bear the distributed load of a winch if and when necessary. A number of companies have solutions in place for this. I settled on the <a href="http://ibs-tech.ch/en/products/dual-battery-system.html">IBS dual battery solution</a> sourced and installed by <a href="http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/products_battery.htm">Slee Off-Road</a> in Golden, Colorado. Their implementation of the solution included running a large gauge wire from the engine box to the back of the truck with an additional fuse block, USB and 12v cigarette lighters so I could charge and run things from the front, as well as, the back of the truck in a self-serviceable manner thereafter.
</p>
<p>
The primary and secondary batters are both Die Hard, the dual battery system itself is IBS and wanting the interior of the truck to continue to look stock, the battery monitor and remote control are wired to, and mounted within, the center console. Available when needed, out of the way when not.
</p>
<p>
Next up? Road-use. Hopefully, I don't ever need to rely on the presence of a second battery due to primary battery failure. Hopefully I never have to rely upon the ability to use two batteries to bear winch load. More likely is charging a cell phone or laptop or running a spotlight off the back of the truck. Nonetheless, planning ahead is a lot of fun. My goal is to not put myself in a position where I need these things; but if I end up there, I have options.
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR8nbL45cJ3B0jwb2n1dB5IWPOiV5EbP23nVIkADMSrv46KKRcwz-XcPVXwXW3fGyAi2I2tnGzUvElfQvYy8vqDoGVojrEKt6dfNd9IQ4c8HSda13wyCMhMAhf1K0jXFcq2law2QesBg/s1600/20150214_113148.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR8nbL45cJ3B0jwb2n1dB5IWPOiV5EbP23nVIkADMSrv46KKRcwz-XcPVXwXW3fGyAi2I2tnGzUvElfQvYy8vqDoGVojrEKt6dfNd9IQ4c8HSda13wyCMhMAhf1K0jXFcq2law2QesBg/s200/20150214_113148.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1l_W-U_HU4y57A8k-1MVMpWKR5hZ0h4n0c99RDYSyY7iuVAtTpCFX8HVw9QsEJ0lTvzeN2i_9wmGBdbr8yT4MIT6beoHDcPcdXhlbeevpQETj2XCtJ5UfLWFCk6qqhv-2fHu6w_vEYRQ/s1600/20150214_114839.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1l_W-U_HU4y57A8k-1MVMpWKR5hZ0h4n0c99RDYSyY7iuVAtTpCFX8HVw9QsEJ0lTvzeN2i_9wmGBdbr8yT4MIT6beoHDcPcdXhlbeevpQETj2XCtJ5UfLWFCk6qqhv-2fHu6w_vEYRQ/s200/20150214_114839.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhUwpOYkG851S3gW5cx8ECvTD1Q63EjP1vFxxGbHSXRBcgq1GyLfof2fMdEy6EopILaumkFlCY-hMnNRuNzEg6Tx6KsKu9O45kym-3gCJ3QTJQI5PSxNdAYkpN7LrDREbTmwiOAGt_qk/s1600/20150214_115833.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhUwpOYkG851S3gW5cx8ECvTD1Q63EjP1vFxxGbHSXRBcgq1GyLfof2fMdEy6EopILaumkFlCY-hMnNRuNzEg6Tx6KsKu9O45kym-3gCJ3QTJQI5PSxNdAYkpN7LrDREbTmwiOAGt_qk/s200/20150214_115833.jpg" /></a>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.712891000000013-36.4181565 99.052733999999987 90 69.521483999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-27603504654275802062015-02-26T14:48:00.001-06:002015-02-26T14:48:19.820-06:00To and From Slee Off-Road<html>
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<p>
I recently took the Cruiser out to Slee Off-Road in Golden, Colorado to a) have them inspect the platform integrity and progress in order to make recommendations to me for further platform evolution, as well as, b) to have them perform some work that is important enough to me that I wanted an experienced expert at the helm for this part of the build. I had them:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Install ARB air lockers in the front and rear</li>
<li>Install ARB air compressor</li>
<li>Install the IBS dual battery system</li>
<li>Install the ARB Intensity driving lights/modify the wiring harness and lights on the ARB bumper itself</li>
<li>Install the Front Runner roof rack platform</li>
<li>Install undercarriage armor</li>
<li>Install the Outback drawer system in the rear of the truck</li>
</ul>
<p>
The trip out through Kansas to Colorado looked like this:
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xpjVKKQp4yYlsdg98AxJzhUiuhZl8HxjZgla00Vfev9_k4miIST5BYDNrVRlOLU6jVc_Yyx2Sao9XiPZ3zkzvoRecf2cN4dQUzpu2sQpOev8zLyyk7J0MCpRKCEsrkQ3RsLdyaJHXu4/s1600/download_20150226_135644.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xpjVKKQp4yYlsdg98AxJzhUiuhZl8HxjZgla00Vfev9_k4miIST5BYDNrVRlOLU6jVc_Yyx2Sao9XiPZ3zkzvoRecf2cN4dQUzpu2sQpOev8zLyyk7J0MCpRKCEsrkQ3RsLdyaJHXu4/s200/download_20150226_135644.jpeg" /></a></div>
<p>
The trip back through Colorado and Wyoming looked like this:
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjK2zi0e2tMYQ86ibWtPdueIiI04fdZW36ffHxLM646NbVn6PoYhTjBaqsqQDGYUjAplk-UkCY2h0qZXzORBmqQkOIHqf8YvZBlQ69Uffu3lsdrs8eiRDFVPo2ZyX1kJ1MN3R1h9i3Js/s1600/20150206_170527.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtjK2zi0e2tMYQ86ibWtPdueIiI04fdZW36ffHxLM646NbVn6PoYhTjBaqsqQDGYUjAplk-UkCY2h0qZXzORBmqQkOIHqf8YvZBlQ69Uffu3lsdrs8eiRDFVPo2ZyX1kJ1MN3R1h9i3Js/s200/20150206_170527.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFVMrzB1AkfRhftTuQG4e8dwP89cqNt9kUpl5uUPvYBgZ6FAeVAJo6dty5mQ3tOC6fbdRvZG6KLMUHEjO_SfGLynJj1yBilDtrAm3nA3bdTNY9wN4bSnM_V7kCyDePW2QRpvrQFosouk/s1600/20150207_100607.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXFVMrzB1AkfRhftTuQG4e8dwP89cqNt9kUpl5uUPvYBgZ6FAeVAJo6dty5mQ3tOC6fbdRvZG6KLMUHEjO_SfGLynJj1yBilDtrAm3nA3bdTNY9wN4bSnM_V7kCyDePW2QRpvrQFosouk/s200/20150207_100607.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtfCKSUC9_tlfw7GdiA3foUhxvp8_GXSLl1oLDFrYgId-Uu5a6iN52apiPGSyeliWtvBIgrpMPOu1AMORtE5GkAQNwdavJPGhZlARe5b2kU8UvkuUe35J27sv-GE6XFcYI_qCB5IAHc8/s1600/20150207_100748.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDtfCKSUC9_tlfw7GdiA3foUhxvp8_GXSLl1oLDFrYgId-Uu5a6iN52apiPGSyeliWtvBIgrpMPOu1AMORtE5GkAQNwdavJPGhZlARe5b2kU8UvkuUe35J27sv-GE6XFcYI_qCB5IAHc8/s200/20150207_100748.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UubNQd68F-72YMeHN3wXSDV5MXNetQ64Y7pUp-b4KHYfeaF9pVDS2ItED4PDX9HHAxc0nIXeED286M399LreRLiqqjT5CSY7EVe1c-42_zgrWxm_ToKKFdAxOUW-71h8TuhTSMEy5SQ/s1600/20150207_101405.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UubNQd68F-72YMeHN3wXSDV5MXNetQ64Y7pUp-b4KHYfeaF9pVDS2ItED4PDX9HHAxc0nIXeED286M399LreRLiqqjT5CSY7EVe1c-42_zgrWxm_ToKKFdAxOUW-71h8TuhTSMEy5SQ/s200/20150207_101405.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTXFdTDNO1N7EugtIurhDqN_3fwA64CnBcdzwbkrCtZIb2IuDUR0Kys8CqBzrxQIDf1jOyGO7qKhz_nA2kQTqG7orzRzNh3bfxzBSDkSa9iU7TBXZUmWr8jt7Klr94P_Ll2rEpvvq0yY/s1600/20150207_104708.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrTXFdTDNO1N7EugtIurhDqN_3fwA64CnBcdzwbkrCtZIb2IuDUR0Kys8CqBzrxQIDf1jOyGO7qKhz_nA2kQTqG7orzRzNh3bfxzBSDkSa9iU7TBXZUmWr8jt7Klr94P_Ll2rEpvvq0yY/s200/20150207_104708.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWdI6ZOC64nlb0Fu8C6RzQp83PbVCxfH6dknA2xknGuIW2-agD0qT1RVk7lub3pEmVq2tVBCqSbyWOqj6paeVU2IpV5nE5fLLA3xYgtv221NSogGqXrkEWa9DDDx54YcswkSkUg0Npew/s1600/download_20150226_133251.jpeg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWdI6ZOC64nlb0Fu8C6RzQp83PbVCxfH6dknA2xknGuIW2-agD0qT1RVk7lub3pEmVq2tVBCqSbyWOqj6paeVU2IpV5nE5fLLA3xYgtv221NSogGqXrkEWa9DDDx54YcswkSkUg0Npew/s200/download_20150226_133251.jpeg" /></a>
<p>
The work that Slee Off-Road did, coupled with their outstanding education/teaching attitude and customer service, is outstanding. I knew I was asking softball questions sometimes and they fielded them courteously and professionally, very thoroughly each and every time. Reading teaches. Experience teaches. Getting schooled by a group of people who do this everyday helped increase the velocity of learning. I would have paid additional money for some of the education I received while there and then paid more money for more education. Nonetheless, my opinion of Christo Slee and Slee Off-Road staff is very high as a result of my experiences with them to date and they've help put me multiple steps closer to my overlanding goals.
</p>
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</body>
</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.71289100000001337.09024 -95.712891000000013 37.09024 -95.712891000000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-60910855690480186632015-02-21T18:25:00.001-06:002015-03-01T12:21:40.983-06:00Completed Modification List<p>This is the master list of changes made to the 1999 Toyota Landcruiser platform:</p>
<ol>
<li>ARB winch bullbar sourced from Just Differentials</li>
<li>ARB winch bullbar fog lights and LED parking/turn signals sourced from Slee Off-Road</li>
<li>ARB Intensity LED Lights, stock Toyota switch, switched for bright usage only</li>
<li>Warn M12000 Self-Recovery Winch with Fairlead</li>
<li>Factor 55 Pro Link, 16k lbs load rating</li>
<li>Slee Off-Road rear bumper with spare tire and ladder swing arms and digital license plate light</li>
<li>K&N Air Filter</li>
<li>Slee Off-Road primary battery tray replacement</li>
<li>Slee Off-Road secondary battery tray</li>
<li>Safari Snorkel</li>
<li>ARB 12v High Performance Compressor with ARB pump up kit</li>
<li>IBS 12v/200A second battery management system</li>
<li>DieHard Platinum 31M battery with military connectors</li>
<li>DieHard 34/78DT battery with military connectors</li>
<li>Fusebox run to back of truck for additional USB and 12v receptacles</li>
<li>Old Man Emu 2.5" Heavy Load Kit (coil springs, front/rear shocks, torsion bars, slee diff drop kit, upper control arms)</li>
<li>ARB front and rear airlockers, stock Toyota switch</li>
<li>Powerstop rotors, front and back</li>
<li>Toyota brake pads</li>
<li>Slee Off-Road braided stainless steel brake lines, front and back</li>
<li>Piranha Diff Breather Kit</li>
<li>Front Runner Branch Deflector Wires</li>
<li>Front Runner Spare Tire Mount Braai Grate</li>
<li>Wild West Off-Road heavy-duty high clearance lower control arms</li>
<li>Slee Off-Road skid plate system</li>
<li>Slee Off-Road tube sliders</li>
<li>NIITO Trail Grabber M/T 285/75R16 tires</li>
<li>Front Runner roof rack platform</li>
<li>Front Runner Ratcheting Spade/Shovel Mount Bracket</li>
<li>Front Runner Roof Rack Mounted Axe Bracket</li>
<li>WeatherTech Tub Floor mats</li>
<li>Escape Gear front and rear grey seat covers</li>
<li>Outback drawer system, two drawers, one slider top</li>
<li>Cobra SoundTracker CB and Firestick Antennae with quick-disconnect and heavy duty spring sourced from Right Channel Radios</li>
<li>Hi-Lift Extreme jack</li>
<li>Slee Off-Road Hi-Lift Jac-Kof Tool kit with wheel and axle strap</li>
<li>Napa all-weather windshield wipers</li>
<li>Napa high-pressure bonnet lifts</li>
<li>ARB 15k lb snatch block</li>
<li>(2) Crosby S-281 Sling Saver Screw-Pin Shackle 7/8" Pin WLL 4.5 Ton sourced from Quadratech</li>
<li>(6) Crosby G-209 Galvanized Screw-Pin Shackle 3/4" Pin WLL 4.75 Ton sourced from Quadratech</li>
<li>(2) ARB 3/4" D-Ring shackles </li>
<li>ARB recovery damper</li>
</ol>
Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-14896055074085353462014-08-09T22:03:00.001-05:002014-08-09T22:03:13.528-05:00Installing the Lift Kit<html>
<body>
<p>
After reading all kinds of things on IH8MUD forums, various vendor websites and overlanding journeys of others, it finally came down to...what do I want to try? Noteably, I read multiple forums suggesting that lift kits greater than 1.75" will create maintenance and wear issues for the vehicle that ordinarily wouldn't occur. I went with a 2.5" heavy duty lift kit from Slee Offroad. Considering the heavier ARB front bumper, Slee back bumper, the planned rooftop tent, single axle off-road trailer and secondary fuel tank, with the help of Christo Slee, I planned for no-road, logging road, creek and small river terrain, outback in the middle of nowhere camping with the family.
</p>
<p>
I initially ended up with the following parts list by considering the following questions:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Will the vehicle be a daily driver? Or overlanding/off-road only?</li>
<li>Will the off-road experience be paved, gravel, dirt, logging, mud, no-road, etc?</li>
<li>Water? No water?</li>
<li>OEM curb weight? Modifications that will add or remove weight?</li>
<li>Towing? No towing? If towing, what?</li>
<li>Where do you plan to travel? Domestic US? International? If international, what kind of travel?</li>
<li>How many people will be transported in the vehicle?</li>
</ul>
<p>
Out of this I chose the 2.5" lift, heavy duty believing that at some point I'll get a different daily driver and save this mighty giant for overlanding/outbacking alone. In all fairness, from my time in Zimbabwe and South Africa, I was already familiar with Old Man Emu suspension systems and knew they had a great reputation for dependability out in the bush. Yes, it influenced my choices. Resultantly, my parts list looked like the following:
</p>
<ul>
<li>OME 2864 Old Man Emu rear coil springs - 80 Series LC</li>
<li>OME 6000 Old Man Emu Sport Shock - 100 Series Front Comfort Shock</li>
<li>OME 6002 Old Man Emu Sport Shock - 100 Series Rear Comfort Shock</li>
<li>303001 Torsion Bar Set - 100 Series LC</li>
<li>SOF - Diff Drop Kit for UZJ100, with fit kit</li>
<li>SPC Adjustable Upper Control Arms - 100 Series LC</li>
</ul>
<p>
Because I personally have neither the tools, nor the experience, to install springs, and particularly the torsion bars, I decided to go with a local shop who told me they have experience doing multiple lift kits on off-road vehicles. Two days of work and BAM! I now have a bit of a jump to get into the vehicle.
</p>
<p>
Overall, I'm pleased with the work. Having no experience here, I've driven been driving, testing, listening and learning to understand how a lift kit changes the vehicle's harmony to original OEM design. I hear noises here and there, look for leaks (finding none so far), have noticed a different behaviour when making tight turns and so forth. It handles differently for sure given the center of gravity is higher. I have more learning to do. No argument. And basically don't know what I don't know about lift kits and OEM performance evolution. However, I'm having a great time and look forward to more experimentation and learning.
</p>
<p>
Two things of note: a) if I have an issue with bottoming out after attaching a loaded off-road trailer, I'll likely change the bump-stops in the rear springs; and b) I was particularly impressed with the solid upper A-arms. They were a seemingly huge and valuable upgrade from the OEM arms. I like the work Slee Off-Road is doing to compose solutions, not just parts. <strike></strike>
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt81_iM0XcZc8_FDxhtdbLPZo6b_O7WIlTrnohUOTGZy9Wf3rmxuJP8e9U2SmxYinWSFuQCp4XKfTDhrxE_k1KyXNavgJuRTkzyHID2pnMepfyM1psKvj6dWLkK1d_yAZ2ir7MB6ll8IM/s1600/IMG_2604_a.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt81_iM0XcZc8_FDxhtdbLPZo6b_O7WIlTrnohUOTGZy9Wf3rmxuJP8e9U2SmxYinWSFuQCp4XKfTDhrxE_k1KyXNavgJuRTkzyHID2pnMepfyM1psKvj6dWLkK1d_yAZ2ir7MB6ll8IM/s200/IMG_2604_a.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIklQS_QeCBEHaZZhTwnwLpOJcQDt-yvNlDjPl65nPwsnZ9Y7P_3HVg6yxP2ZNTiw14nCB3MDsIH7677DHYMZGGleemQ4Qu3E0iByeTrjyYxbQpuzp6zzWfAtXkuCAf5Dk6Ha3uSxKUpA/s1600/IMG_2605_a.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIklQS_QeCBEHaZZhTwnwLpOJcQDt-yvNlDjPl65nPwsnZ9Y7P_3HVg6yxP2ZNTiw14nCB3MDsIH7677DHYMZGGleemQ4Qu3E0iByeTrjyYxbQpuzp6zzWfAtXkuCAf5Dk6Ha3uSxKUpA/s200/IMG_2605_a.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6J4n5qcTyGF7LdjExqWRGvMvdJsMmnFKgeJdY-36tPOmElHTuwqOfX3bq4ZrVg-Ms_ds7rsCcTEj1lIPR3GBA5vSV_hXfyHu7V0K_S1O4CbNN4HJh-IqxfszdWkYpyiEOzcC5thjsok/s1600/IMG_2606_a.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6J4n5qcTyGF7LdjExqWRGvMvdJsMmnFKgeJdY-36tPOmElHTuwqOfX3bq4ZrVg-Ms_ds7rsCcTEj1lIPR3GBA5vSV_hXfyHu7V0K_S1O4CbNN4HJh-IqxfszdWkYpyiEOzcC5thjsok/s200/IMG_2606_a.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_0sSXfPLBH2XRgNSOEd8xXV4xMQNYumoCKROqQ3PI2R-Gi1vO18zgV05ynsfm90pgKwjeMDxL4_a7wulNdwdW9JHU9RgCBfLWidKITOavVjtagTamZqaVpiyoZnMh7J24CJRjYd2Iz8/s1600/IMG_2607_a.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4_0sSXfPLBH2XRgNSOEd8xXV4xMQNYumoCKROqQ3PI2R-Gi1vO18zgV05ynsfm90pgKwjeMDxL4_a7wulNdwdW9JHU9RgCBfLWidKITOavVjtagTamZqaVpiyoZnMh7J24CJRjYd2Iz8/s200/IMG_2607_a.JPG" /></a>
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</body>
</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-58962034811017180052014-06-22T09:46:00.000-05:002014-06-22T09:46:31.759-05:00Mounting the Front Bumper<html>
<body>
<p>After some comparisons between manufacturers, as well as, bumpers within each manufacturer, I settled upon and ordered the <a href="http://store.arbusa.com/Bull-Bars-Bumpers-Tire-Carriers-C8.aspx">ARB Deluxe Bar Winch Bumper</a> from <a href="http://www.justdifferentials.com/ARB-3413190-p/arb3413190.htm">Just Differentials</a>.
<p>Two things stood out as the proverbial pain in the side on this install:</p>
<ul>
<li>ARB's mounting instructions were from 2008 (as dated on the instructions themselves). The instructions try and cover multiple different possible installation routes in the same document (including multiple winch types) and the pictures included in the instructions are inconsistent (pictures in the same installation sequence show different pieces of hardware) making it hard to figure out if you're looking at the same effort/work sequence; and</li>
<li>old frozen chassis bolts connecting to welded nut plates inside the chassis itself</li>
</ul>
<p>Neither were a deal breaker. Both were a pain in the side. More accurately, the old, rusted, chassis bolt journey became a pain in my back for a couple of days. I hereby declare I dislike, with extreme emotion, welded nut plates.
</p>
<p>
The shipment came in unscathed on a palette. It was interesting to see the ARB front-bumper packing philosophy as compared to the Slee Off-Road rear-bumper. ARB wrapped it in a spongy material and plastic wrap in thick cardboard; Slee, spray foam and thick cardboard. Both were quite different. Both worked even with the bumpers being multiple hundreds of pounds. No box damage. No bumper damage.
</p>
<p>
First, we were to grind/hacksaw off the lower wings of the chassis face plates. Choosing an angle grinder, done in no time.
</p>
<p>
Second, we were to remove the tie-downs and tow hooks on both the left and right sides of the chassis. Should have been easy.
</p>
<ul>
<li>Step 1: Remove driver's perspective 15 year-old RH bolts without CenPeCo Penetrator because I'm an idiot</li>
<li>Step 2: Break off the nut and nut plate inside the chassis, thereby precluding rear (of two) bolt removal</li>
<li>Step 3: Cuss
<li>Step 4: Remove front bolt successfully</li>
<li>Step 5: Spray CenPeCo Penetrator all the freak over the nuts and bolts on the driver's left side chassis</li>
<li>Step 6: Successfully remove both bolts without issue and without bothering the nut plate</li>
<li>Step 7: Cuss because of the broken nut plate and my stupidity</li>
<li>Step 8: Sit, ponder, discuss, cuss, ponder and consider how to fix the brand new, we just started and ended this project in twenty minutes, problem</li>
</ul>
<p>
Basically, the reason you work with people who have more experience and IQ than yourself is to learn and benefit from their experience. Because the guy I'm working with is particularly mule-headed when it comes to fixing unfixable problems, saving you the commentary of elapsed time, multiple failed solution attempts and more cussing, he removed the bolt holding the body to the chassis (spaced with a ratchet head) and somehow got his fingers and such into a hole that didn't seem possible on the side of the chassis. New bolt and nut installed thereafter. Problem one solved.
</p>
<p>
According to the instructions, the bumper mounts just slide right onto the chassis and bolt right like magic. The right side of the truck (when sitting in the driver seat) slid on with some wiggling, grunting and verbal persuasion. The driver's LH side didn't fit at all. After some assessment, it seemed the LH faceplate was fatter than the bumper mount could take and it looked fattest on the bottom. So with a grinder I notched out a fat part to prove the theory. Progress, but not enough. After considering additional possibilities, we brought out the persuasion stick, aka a sledgehammer. Lo and behold, the front plate reformed itself and the bumper mount slid on without issue. Negotiation wins again. We installed the newly painted tie-downs and tow hook, tightened up and moved on. Problem two solved.
</p>
<p>
In retrospect, even though the vehicle was primarily a single owner for all of its life and a second owner (whom I know) for less than a year, we suspect the truck was at some point in a front-end bumper flattening the plates OR the plates themselves weren't formed and fitted correctly at the factory. Either way, it wouldn't fit as illustrated in the directions and required a sledge to remold the plates before the bumper mounts slid on like butter.
</p>
<p>
Mounting the bumper to the chassis mounts was the easiest part of the effort. An important pro-tip, dry fit the bumper. Put spacers between the bumper wings and quarter panels, set the bolts and tighten. This will ensure equal spacing all along the front, as well as, between both wings and quarters. Tightened. Gapped as desired. Done.
</p>
<p>
Summary: If you have an older vehicle, spray CenPeCo Penetrator on everything first. Dry mount everything using spacers where necessary. Tighten only after the dry-mount and start the party.
</p>
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Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-77928442143778343422014-05-10T14:37:00.002-05:002014-05-10T14:37:55.133-05:00Installing Safety Equipment<html>
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<p>
To prepare for any possible event is an interest challenge. Reflecting on what was required of us in Zimbabwe caused me to consider the requirements of other countries and quite simply, what makes sense whether it is a law or not. After doing some research on what other overlanders have installed, our experience in Zimbabwe and South Africa and complimenting it with what seems to make sense to me at the moment, I decided to purposefully address safety needs. I installed or otherwise packed in the truck somewhere the following items:
</p>
<ul>
<li>One Badger fire extinguisher rated for trash, wood, paper (A), liquids (B) and electrical equipment (C) in the left rear of the vehicle. It isn't rated for cooking. I'll have to consider that more as we go along.</li>
<li>Two Life Hammers used for breaking windows and cutting seat belts. One on the right side of the front console for both people in the front seat, as well as, one in the back for people in the rear of the vehicle.</li>
<li>Three seat belt cutters, one in front, two in back.</li>
<li>Three weighted base, reflective triangles from AAA in the event of a breakdown stowed in rear cubbies.</li>
<li>Also in the rear cubbies are three magnetic strobes from Wagan capable of multiple types of flashing red light patterns including SOS. These things cleverly mount anywhere on the vehicle due to their magnetic personality.</li>
<li>One ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2009 general first aid kit. It isn't huge and definitely doesn't cover all the details necessary for extreme bush first aid/medical needs. However, I'll use it as a baseline implementation.</li>
<li>One yellow fluorescent utility vest under the driver seat (in Zimbabwe, these were often kept on the back of seats so the police visibly knew you had them).</li>
</ul>
<p>
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsHAWFyu_Pge-OO3yJLFbiy5sc8YJfUZG0DUwNUL4WYfY5dpoORTnqjlVJlqYuG3t3ZBaUYUVIVpm3MYh5pHog3VTpiQOEyBSxFEIuBJl-GcGqGEg6ItKS9bs3MRL8U759IHzWbx_OBk/s1600/all.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsHAWFyu_Pge-OO3yJLFbiy5sc8YJfUZG0DUwNUL4WYfY5dpoORTnqjlVJlqYuG3t3ZBaUYUVIVpm3MYh5pHog3VTpiQOEyBSxFEIuBJl-GcGqGEg6ItKS9bs3MRL8U759IHzWbx_OBk/s200/all.JPG" /></a></div>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-31474165394229239302014-05-08T07:10:00.001-05:002015-02-26T09:02:21.074-06:00Planned Modifications List<html>
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<p>
As with anything, ideas abound. I have a list of things I believe to be on my 'to do' list and will continue researching their perceived value until I choose to or not to execute accordingly. Context I have to date is considering overland requirements of terrain I'd like to visit in South America, Central America, different parts of the US, particularly Alaska, as well as, Canada. Presumably off-road, mostly graded off-road though not necessarily, and definitely some paved experiences. I'm not particularly fond of, nor looking to go it with only one machine in the convoy, rock crawling and deep water, higher risk, fjording. Although I really like the word, "fjord". Of course I'm doing more exhaustive research on parts and pieces, routes, gas mileage, way points, weather, terrain and the like. For now, the baseline is outlined below as (what is it, where did I get it/plan to get it, date installed, approximate cost to purchase and approximate time to install for me):
</p>
<table style="width:600px" align=center>
<tr>
<td>Install Snorkel</td>
<td>Fix rust, apply Line-X</td>
<td>Replace rear bumper</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Replace front bumper</td>
<td>Modify suspension</td>
<td>Install diff breather kit</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Install roof rack</td>
<td>Install rooftop tent</td>
<td>Install awning</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Install tent extension</td>
<td>Install mossy netting</td>
<td>Install front winch</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Install redundant battery system</td>
<td>Install air lockers</td>
<td>Install two-stage fuel filters</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Install flood lights</td>
<td>Install rock sliders</td>
<td>Install side rails</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Install CB</td>
<td>Install safety equipment</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p>
The date I publish this list is of course the baseline plan. However, as I finish planned work and/or modify the plan I'll continue updating this page associatively. As of this date, I have no idea what I'm talking about, but am excited to learn. I look forward to seeing what actually happens compared to what I think will happen (which is the definition of a journey I believe).
</p>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-82575984640187228322014-05-05T21:40:00.002-05:002014-06-04T10:52:51.046-05:00Mounting the Rear Bumper
<p>
As with everything else, after a bunch of research I settled upon the <a href="http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/100_rear_bumper_dual.htm">Slee Off-Road</a> bumper with optional spare tire and ladder mounts.
</p>
<p>The package arrived as a freight truck drop-off, was a large, heavy package (~259lbs) on a palette, and basically in the shape it left the factory. Slee Off-Road took a picture of the delivery prior to leaving the warehouse. I took a picture upon arrival. The pictures matched. I was impressed at how the components were shipped. Had I my wits about me, I would have taken a picture of the actual packing. Everything was individually wrapped and taped. The bumper in first, then expanding blow-foam blown around the perimeter to lock it in place and protect it from external blows. Impressed. Then the internal pieces were set on top and around the bumper using very thick pieces of some sort of padding with adhesive. Once these big padding pieces were in place, I doubt anything moved the entire trip. And then the box itself was closed up and itself wrapped in plastic and strapped shut thereby affixing it to the palette as one big unit. The boys that delivered it moved it up the driveway on a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=957&q=palette+jack&oq=palette+jack&gs_l=img.3..0i10l10.525.11138.0.11345.12.12.0.0.0.0.169.1104.11j1.12.0....0...1ac.1.42.img..1.11.925.aKFDnp2NIoA">palette jack</a>.</p>
<p>There were five things that needed to be removed from the rear bumper assembly prior to attempting the new bumper mount. After removing these things, the new bumper simply slid into place like a well-worn glove without much effort or coordination.</p>
<ul>
<li>Two sub-assembly brackets on either side of the bumper assembly which originally held the factory bumper. Given they were original, they were also frozen. Since we didn't need to re-use these holes, I cut the head off the final, most stingy bolt and knocked it off with a hammer. All the others eventually came off with some love. This was no place for WD-40, but rather some CenPeCo Penetrator introduced to me by a friend who has decades more experience than I doing this sort of work. When I say things like, "It's frozen and won't move", he only smiles and teaches me another trick of the trade.</li>
<li>One tow hook</li>
<li>Two recovery point rings</li>
</ul>
<p>
Not knowing how difficult this bumper would be to hold in place, we set two jack stands (with a fat towel for scratch-control) underneath either wing and a floor jack (again, with a fat towel) underneath the rear centerpoint as a matter of safety. Frankly, because of the good design of the bumper itself, after we slid it onto the rear bumper frame assembly, it just sat there making our floor jack and jack stands safety elements only. They really supported no weight. Picking the bumper up and moving it around was a two-man job given the weight and awkward size/design. Otherwise, no issues.
</p>
<p>
If you have a new vehicle, I suspect the bumper mounting will go free, clear and smooth. If you have an older vehicle like I do, there is some prep-work that I should have done, but didn't think to do. It would have saved time.
</p>
<ul>
<li>Find out where you need to put new bolts into the frame and make sure the bolt holes are clean, accessible and will take the bolts easily when needed. I didn't do this. As a result, during the installation we spent extra time cleaning and otherwise getting old holes to work for us. Find which ones you need, clean them in advance. It will save time.</li>
<li>There are two bolts on each side of the bumper, closest to the bumper itself (and closest to you when viewing the pictures, bolts 1 and 2), that attach the bumper to the frame. For me, since the old bolts came out of these holes, new ones went in without issue.</li>
<li>Farther in from the back of the truck (in alignment with the bolts closest to the bumper, bolts 3 and 4) an additional two bolts need to go on both sides and is likely where an after-market tow bar would mount. These bolts hold the wing-braces to the frame which then connect out to the wing of the bumper itself for leveling, strength and stability. These holes had never been used for the life of the truck. The in-frame bolt plates (or welded nuts, I'm not completely sure) on the inside of the frame were not aligned to the holes and were full of rust, dirt and whatever else gets up in there from greater than decade of weather exposure. We had to hammer the frame, use an air compressor, some more rust remover, holler and complain for an unfortunate amount of time to make it work. We even greased the bolt shafts to aid in the effort. In the end, one of the bolts broke the plate free (or welded nut) and it spun freely. All other bolts went on correctly, though the ones in the unused holes required use of a commercial air gun else it would never have happened. I'll address the bolt that broke free by spot welding that portion of the plate to the frame and there will therefore be no concern. How I address the hanging bolt is yet to be determined.</li>
<li>There are two bolts that go straight into the rear bumper frame to the 11 and 1 o'clock positions of the receiver. We had to loosen the bumper to get the holes aligned correctly. Furthermore, to keep the bolts in the socket head as we passed it through the bumper itself to the frame, we greased up the head of the bolt to stick it in the socket head without falling. We had to mess with the bumper a bit to align the holes, pulling a dropped bolt or flat washer out with a magnet a couple of times, but it eventually worked.</li>
</ul>
<p>
Basically, pre-clean all the holes making sure bolts will go where they are supposed to go in advance of mounting the bumper. After that, fit all of the bolts before tightening any of them. It was artful science. I suppose, the older the vehicle, the more art.
</p>
<p>
Adding the ladder and tire mount were "as-is" simple. Particularly impressive to a friend of mine helping me were the high-end bearings Slee Off-Road uses in both pivots points for ladder and spare time mount. They seem to be high quality which bodes well for aging, weight and extensive use. Just follow the directions and this all makes sense and works as specified.
</p>
<p>
Out of everything, the license plate light kit seemed to be made of a brittle plastic that, if over-torqued, would likely just snap off. I was careful to not do such and it mounts cleanly. There is ample wiring length and, though I've not yet done it, I expect wiring it in will be a simple as well.
</p>
<p>
I'm pleased with this $2600 purchase (all in). This is solid, well-engineered, bumper solution with details on it that can only come from people who have first-hand experience.
</p>
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Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-61244591806321978272014-05-05T15:00:00.000-05:002014-05-05T21:01:54.194-05:00Addressing Rust <html>
<body>
<p>
Since I purchased the vehicle in December 2013, I hadn't had the opportunity to really study the vehicle out in the sun without being beaten by the winter winds, snow, etc. Whatever I would find wouldn't bother me because I knew this was the vehicle I wanted to have, build upon, evolve and use for overlanding. In the first nice days of Spring 2014 I took off the front mud flaps and sidesteps. And after giving the truck a thorough review, I found rust in a number of places that simply couldn't be ignored if I wanted to build upon this frame (actually, it could be ignored, but I'd be thinking about it every night whilst laying in bed staring at the ceiling).
</p>
<ul>
<li>Across the top of the windscreen where the glass ends and the roof starts</li>
<li>Underneath the rear bumper wings (behind rear tires), particularly the driver's side, was pretty much crumbly decay waiting to fall off (you couldn't tell by looking at it with bumper on)</li>
<li>On the bottom lip of the truck body, from front tire to back tire, the side steps had been contributing to and hiding rusty, crumbly decay</li>
</ul>
<p>
One of the other things I wanted to address was, in order to mount the snorkel I had to remove the radio antennae which then left a partially exposed hole. As well, in order to mount the snorkel I obviously made many new holes in the body that needed to be cleaned, primed and managed to prevent rust.
</p>
<p>
So, off to the body shop we went. Things I had done at the shop included:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Both bumpers removed</li>
<li>Lower metal area behind driver-side rear wheel cut out and completely replaced</li>
<li>All rust cleaned down to the metal around the lower perimeter of the truck and above the windscreen (window removed for this effort)</li>
<li>All paint removed down to metal where the snorkel mounts to the truck</li>
<li>Line-X applied across front of roof where windshield meets roof</li>
<li>Line-X applied down both sides of truck, front to back, from bottom lip up to bumper strips mid-body</li>
<li>Line-X applied to area just larger than snorkel (radio antennae hole welded up to disappear)</li>
<li>Line-X applied up both sides of the windshield largely motivated by the rust, secondarily by the snorkel mount</li>
</ul>
<p>
In order to fix the rust above the windscreen, the body shop guys told me there was a possibility the windscreen could break on extraction. So we included the cost of a new windscreen in the estimate. They were able to extract and fix it without a problem. Much to the chagrin of the body shop team, they cracked the windscreen when putting it back in. A pure accident. They were apologetic. I wasn't upset. Let's get real. Modifying anything other than a new vehicle comes with challenges and you have to know this before you start spending money. We scheduled to have the windscreen replaced in the coming week since I wanted to take the vehicle and get the rear bumper installed over the weekend.
</p>
<p>
By request, these guys mixed up a batch of touch-up paint for me so I could touch up here and there on things that could potentially be rust incubators. I expect the truck to get scratched up and so forth; no reason to be neglectful on glaring risks and deficiencies to the body along the journey.
</p>
<p>
After I got it home, I had expected the body shop guys to clean up the front and rear bumper mounts, but realized I failed to communicate it. All on me. So I took a Dewalt drill, a rust removing automotive brush from Wal-Mart and removed all the rust from the front and back bumper mounts, top, bottom, sides and edges (down to the bare metal in some cases). Safety glasses were very important here. Then I applied three coats of quick-dry Rustoleum dark gray body primer to them just to clean it up and help secure it for the next twenty or so years of weather exposure and such. It is just plain more work; however, I know from experience in other things that what you ignore today comes back in spades later. I don't like spades.
</p>
<p>
All in all, the body shop guys had the truck from Monday morning at 0830h to the following Saturday at 1130h and the cost was about $1540.00 and some change. We estimated that the Line-X added about 35lbs of body weight to the vehicle, though that is an unscientific guess based upon the other Line-X work these guys had performed for other people on different vehicles.
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44NQ1v-8a6bG0d7MoSRCfd5XV9AAEnDTg5TUrkgTvKxI0kZ6fmDVKzHpn0AyWaE4AFjoZlCraN7EzTmPPY4iytprlVpFj_ds3ayTuKx-Q1-QmHS7zSe2cS-wvTk9kgHUKjSV3znxl1fE/s1600/IMG_2440.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg44NQ1v-8a6bG0d7MoSRCfd5XV9AAEnDTg5TUrkgTvKxI0kZ6fmDVKzHpn0AyWaE4AFjoZlCraN7EzTmPPY4iytprlVpFj_ds3ayTuKx-Q1-QmHS7zSe2cS-wvTk9kgHUKjSV3znxl1fE/s200/IMG_2440.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6TJKWHPj1HgzqnHYE13EoXvkf9_4KKpklkDfQ4mb5krZWluqPFIwFlrtBjz87xo8cKWlpMnoZCMHAuJ_bDN7SV2vP95nxJ5DySXlmsm23ljs1ONjmUaxe2u6Ztj8nT3mg7421P6llTQ/s1600/IMG_2441.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6TJKWHPj1HgzqnHYE13EoXvkf9_4KKpklkDfQ4mb5krZWluqPFIwFlrtBjz87xo8cKWlpMnoZCMHAuJ_bDN7SV2vP95nxJ5DySXlmsm23ljs1ONjmUaxe2u6Ztj8nT3mg7421P6llTQ/s200/IMG_2441.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusN05bLovmT6VCx1G8jP51zVWidPvpBXaqZsTEXHvUy3RWjic0E05GqTSv8CiKggQ-4Nu-WsDD6x-CL-9SE43Lu1Gdq32TQprVr9DhkHj3O8Yk68qo-TbVCkK9a2RFssSnrRGMavPkr8/s1600/IMG_2443.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusN05bLovmT6VCx1G8jP51zVWidPvpBXaqZsTEXHvUy3RWjic0E05GqTSv8CiKggQ-4Nu-WsDD6x-CL-9SE43Lu1Gdq32TQprVr9DhkHj3O8Yk68qo-TbVCkK9a2RFssSnrRGMavPkr8/s200/IMG_2443.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7F7aXyqe_XkwQI8HWGat0yy7WY0E0N5xfTR_0S3gFvPEJhBNxsacOF90sv3VR5dScU8Dgp8TTzwHxjB4uJ7nGVqMzJU6Vd8yDlWOgaZKqHnSLJ-TUGwSfOFvIoPZI3ZreydhOiY7yEM/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7F7aXyqe_XkwQI8HWGat0yy7WY0E0N5xfTR_0S3gFvPEJhBNxsacOF90sv3VR5dScU8Dgp8TTzwHxjB4uJ7nGVqMzJU6Vd8yDlWOgaZKqHnSLJ-TUGwSfOFvIoPZI3ZreydhOiY7yEM/s200/IMG_2444.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWgvvLpnIiQPTFOiCIAXyto-yp3k8Ye3xSSAX7S24BbNvtcMjtK0R19Mn6dob5WmiTWxKK-12ginYC0crrPFi6-WCtN1HaLDwrmr80uqFIE98Cgln5d0-ydZlEPiuo9XVxVe8oRAgoBE/s1600/IMG_2445.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWgvvLpnIiQPTFOiCIAXyto-yp3k8Ye3xSSAX7S24BbNvtcMjtK0R19Mn6dob5WmiTWxKK-12ginYC0crrPFi6-WCtN1HaLDwrmr80uqFIE98Cgln5d0-ydZlEPiuo9XVxVe8oRAgoBE/s200/IMG_2445.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRD3oxjltxp4hh5OSwzAfPGGIy9X98CEAmQ9MrF2NAwnMdgx8OGTU8TQ4ssmohkPvO1Sf_x7dYNjLPG7xhYjgACeKQo62A99iSEJZt_oml_Q-AdSVMocEAqZo2c221TRmo1yTM0vRBx4/s1600/IMG_2446.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRD3oxjltxp4hh5OSwzAfPGGIy9X98CEAmQ9MrF2NAwnMdgx8OGTU8TQ4ssmohkPvO1Sf_x7dYNjLPG7xhYjgACeKQo62A99iSEJZt_oml_Q-AdSVMocEAqZo2c221TRmo1yTM0vRBx4/s200/IMG_2446.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m6fc9zaJ7H64Xxxa3YZXazqDkel0FA7_2BPR1Limc3-IakGQGRZdXscYVAQ3Mnhh8DAkeuaH1VdbYhXXmgDThs7l3fQe6I4mRpOp2UaLUL0Lb0L4B7d3q4jaZO1o3YtM37XGqNgwdNA/s1600/IMG_2447.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m6fc9zaJ7H64Xxxa3YZXazqDkel0FA7_2BPR1Limc3-IakGQGRZdXscYVAQ3Mnhh8DAkeuaH1VdbYhXXmgDThs7l3fQe6I4mRpOp2UaLUL0Lb0L4B7d3q4jaZO1o3YtM37XGqNgwdNA/s200/IMG_2447.JPG" /></a>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-41401123261116113452014-05-05T14:00:00.000-05:002014-05-05T21:01:18.442-05:00Mounting the Snorkel<html>
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<p>After a bunch of research I chose the <a href="http://www.safarisnorkel.com/docs/product.htm">Australian Safari Snorkel</a> product based upon a few considerations important to me.</p>
<ul>
<li>What material is the snorkel made of and how will it wear through time, particularly with sun exposure?</li>
<li>How is the vent opening designed to manage dust, rain and general rubbish?</li>
<li>How does the snorkel mount to the vehicle and does it appear to be designed by abuse versus street appeal?</li>
<li>General perception of popularity among other consumers and contexts in which they were/are used (Australian outback versus San Francisco street shows, etc.)</li>
<li>Cost (though admittedly I'm generally not willing to go cheap now and pay for it again later if and when it breaks at an inopportune time</li>
<li>I generally pay attention to what products are produced for bush terrains like South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Canada, Alaska and Australia. I figure if it works in SA and Australia and is still popular with consumers, that's my baseline for comparison.
</ul>
<p>I found the directions worked exactly as written. A genuine pleasure for sure. No guessing. Follow the instructions, use the enclosed template. Worst case scenario I figured was a trip to the body shop to fix my mistakes and start over. Wasn't necessary. Everything worked.</p>
<p>The instructions required me to cut a 4.5" hole in the quarter panel for the ventilation tube, as well as, smaller holes for the mounts points. Not being an experienced body shop guy, I did a bunch of research on the drill bit necessary to cut through the quarter panel with precision, while minimizing what I speculated was a high probability of "jumping out of my hand" due to the 4.5" cut size.</p>
<p>I ended up purchasing a Lenox from Lowe's for the 4.5" hole cut saw, as well as, an Irwin step drill for the smaller mount holes. I used a Makita Hammer Drill in drill mode for the 4.5" cut and a normal drill for the others. A friend of mine was going to video the large cut, particularly hoping to video the jump so we could both laugh, cry and puke if it happened; however, the blade cut through the quarter panel so fast his camera hadn't even focused for a snapshot. We were both surprised. The step drill however, expectedly, took longer because I was over-cautious about drilling too big a hole and messing up the whole effort in a single mistake. Messing up due to naivete is one thing; messing up because I was careless is another. Experienced body shop people likely do this stuff in their sleep.</p>
<p>
Very important in every one of the hole cuts was drilling in initial pilot hole first. After that the step drill and the mandrel both had a safe place from which to start doing the deed and kept the bits/blades from jumping. Because the front quarter panel changes angles due to the wheel well flare-out, the 4.5" saw didn't mount flush to the truck when I began the cut, so care had to be taken to manage positioning as the entire saw finally dug in and finished the job.
</p>
<p>
Because I knew that the snorkel would come back off later to do body work, I did not put the wheel well cover back in, nor did I waterproof any of the tubing connections as recommended. After the body work, then the waterproofing. In order to mount the new rubber connector from snorkel to air filter box, we simply greased the inside of the rubber "S" connector to make it slip into place easier. So while you're doing the work, make it permanent if you know you're not going to futz with it again later. In this case, I knew this was the dry mount before the bodywork to be followed up again later for more purposed waterproofing.
</p>
<p>
Seriously, on this one, the instructions and template worked. Following the directions made this work without a hitch for me. The purchase price for me was around $450 with free shipping from <a href="http://completeoffroad.com/">Seven Springs Customs Complete Off-Road</a>. The packaging was great with no issues of travel damage. Go to the manufacturer website, <a href="http://www.safarisnorkel.com/docs/snorkel/toyota.htm">choose your make, model and engine type</a> and make the order.
</p>
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</html>Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225542775858544888.post-7093054998358905702014-05-04T12:00:00.000-05:002014-05-05T21:03:26.214-05:00Purpose and Intro<html>
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<p>
In a nutshell, this blog serves no greater purpose than to document the evolution of a 1999 OEM Toyota Land Cruiser to a modified vehicle more equipped for overlanding in different parts of the US, South America, Canada and desirably, Alaska. However, the distance between dream, plan and actually doing it requires a planning, money and time.
</p>
<p>
Furthermore, the details listed in this blog are desirably of useful reference to others in return for the immense value I've gained from reading the journeys of other machine platform evolutionaries, as well as, their overlanding journeys. Basically, we learn from our own experiences and that of others around us. My contribution is at best a drop in the bucket compared to many of which I've read, but a contribution nonetheless that will evolve through time.
</p>
<p>
You could say I developed the bug for being in the bush and overlanding while living and working in Zimbabwe, Africa. Beautiful people, beautiful country and absolutely beautiful exploration opportunities. Driving with the windows down for hours on end through areas of Zimbabwe where, if you weren't prepared to be completely self-reliant, you were toast required more of me than previous in my life. Thinking about possible situations, potential solutions and whether I was prepared to handle them became mind candy. And the machine platform? A gorgeous 1991 80s series Toyota Land Cruiser. Stick shift, right-hand drive, lift kit and general bush-ready (with a concealed front-end winch) and two spare tires to boot, we were naive and just ambitious enough to go and explore that gorgeous country. And the vehicle? Yeah, saved us multiple times because the Toyota Land Cruiser is a stellar bush capable platform.
</p>
<p>
I miss it; so am beginning a next chapter in the journey.
</p>
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Matthew D Edwardshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06824308021838046746noreply@blogger.com0