The Wanderers build

[superbuickguy]

Solar powered Air conditioning

People talk like it's hard :elkgrin:
It's interesting to see the reactions of people to the entire concept. I'm pretty certain that most think this is a 24/7 plan to run a/c... no. Of course, most of the harshest critics don't read past the first period so they're blissfully unaware of what happened next. So let's recap
I have a Renogy 200 watt pair of solar panels on the roof. The a/c (as I'll demonstrate in a moment) draws 1400 watts. There is NO chance you can run a/c off this small of a solar system.... except. I don't need a/c 24/7. Let's recap. My wife does K9 Search and Rescue with two terrorists.... errr.. bloodhounds (the term is interchangeable). She leaves to go to a mission in the dead of night for missions in Western Washington. Traveling to and from the mission - the truck has awesome a/c so rooftop a/c isn't needed. When it is needed is that 3-6 pm time frame when it gets hot. Before and after fans are more then adequate (and the fan draws 160 watts on high). We have solar blankets (reflects the sun), 3 sided awning, and the dogs can handle some heat.... okay... with me so far? good. I also use the rig for non-mission SAR work - think of it as someone people call for help. The a/c is only needed for short bursts and during camping trips just enough to cool the inside of the rig so that I can sleep in it. I don't do indoors if I go outdoors.

So the requirements are solar for 3 hours that are mitigated by solar and run off 2 - 200 amp-hour batteries. 12*200 = 2400 watts per battery per hour. Between the 2 batteries and 30% draw down, I have 3-4 hours of battery power and maybe another hour if the sun is optimal at full song. Which brings me to the other part. This a/c could easily bring the temp inside down to keep Popsicles cold. So it shouldn't need to run at full song for an hour, further testing will reveal but my bestimate is 5-6 hours of actual run time. This is success because it exceeds what I need it to do. As an aside - the heater was a bad idea, I need a larger inverter to pull that off... don't care, when I go skiing, I can plug in.

so pictures
for those who want a Mach 8 with a heater, this is how it goes in - their instructions are abysmal. This picture is look from the front of the unit towards that back

another view

yes, I ran an extension cord from the unit.... as you cannot clearly see, it's drawing 1400 watts

so to recap, we have battery-powered a/c, water, refrigeration, propane, and soon a stove.... and you wondered why I nodded to the Wanderers....

 

[chet6.7]

Cool.

 

[superbuickguy]

Insulated the area around the water tank

all the while running the a/c - I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was too cold inside to work... ran for 2 hours, used 27% of the battery (and had little, direct sun)
reinstalled the support

I am going to have to do something about the inverter. I was unwilling to pay for a new inverter (this one I had used in another vehicle for a couple years) on this experiment. The issue is occasionally it thinks it got overloaded (it's a 2500 watt, the max observed has been 1440 watts) so I have to hit the reset switch... problem is I can have that when dogs are being cooled... ah well, I'm far more willing to get a better, more efficient inverter now.... for those counting - it costs about as much as the RT AC ... ugh. I have Corvettes to build.

 

[superbuickguy]

Working on my Suburban and found a Buick

realized I didn't do a global view

still not sure what the ceiling finish product is going to be. I could cut up the ceiling panel - but there are issues (like dogs would eat it) that I don't need...
in the protective level.... dog gate

on the front will be another gate and a divider to haul two dogs that will be removeable for camping (which is why there is carpet on one side and solid wood on the other side of those floor panels)
can't have enough power strips

all that is left is shelving and ways to tie down what is stowed

more power

and a way of seeing what the dogs are doing

and a outside shot.... still lots to do, but I finally feel it's useable (but the propane is next, which is frills)

 

[superbuickguy]

WANDERERS #27

IN SEARCH OF ELVIS

By Rick Sieman





We join them now as they head Southwest on Natchez Trace Parkway, toward the great state of Mississippi. The Suburban purred quietly along at exactly two miles an hour over the speed limit, and both Carl and Emma enjoyed the scenery as they passed through Lewis State Forest in Tennessee.

Carl was having a mid-day snack, while Emma munched on some Oreo cookies. A huge stick of pepperoni was laying on the dash of The Whale, and a loaf of French bread about two feet long was propped up against the seat. A big jar of yellow French's mustard was nestled in a cup holder. Carl ate like this: first, he dipped the end of the pepperoni into the mustard, then bit off a chunk. The pepperoni was then parked on the dash while he picked up the loaf of bread and bit off a piece the size of a baseball. The mass was then chewed enthusiastically for a minute or so, then washed down with a swig of Yoo-Hoo Chocolate Soda.
While Carl was making grunting, slobbering, chewing and grinding noises. Emma was daintily twisting the top off an Oreo cookie, then eating the white part first, and only when that was gone, did she nibble at the remaining crunchy discs.
Carl took another huge pair of bites and asked, "Hmmmfruuufffffharr itthhh id thrhhrhuui Mittthhhhitththiiiff i?"
Emma sighed. "Carl, I do wish you would quit talking with your mouth full. Now, swallow that disgusting stuff and try it again, please?"
Carl gulped and swallowed, doing a passable imitation of a boa constrictor downing a bowling ball. "I said how far is it to Mississippi?"
Emma wrestled a Triple A map open and studied it. "We're less than an hour, but first, we sort of cut across a corner of Alabama, then we get in to Mississippi."
"Great! I can hardly wait 'till we get to Tupelo where Elvis was born. I been wantin' to go there for years. You know what kind of an Elvis fan I am."
Emma smiled. "Me too. I'll never forget all those wonderful songs from when I was back in school. Blue Suede Shoes... Heartbreak Hotel... gosh, that was real music!"
"You bet. My favorite was Don't Be Cool and then I like Love My Fender. Say, Emma, why don't you turn on the radio and see if you can pick up some Elvis music? Ya know, he woulda been 56 this year if he'd lived."
Emma shook her head from side to side. "There are rumors that Elvis is still alive, you know. People say that he just wanted to get out of the limelight. They might be right."

Emma fired up the huge radio and started fiddling with the tuner:

"... so stop on by Friendly Fred's Ford and check out the deals on the new trucks and cars. Hell, we're practically giving them away. In fact, we lose thousands of dollars on every car and truck we sell. How do we do it? Easy. Volume! That's the key. So come on down and ..."

…Dial, dial, dial…
"...special limited offer. Yes, you can lose all the weight you want to with the new Fat Blaster Nutri-Pill System. The fat just melts away. And you can eat all you want. That's right... stuff your face like a pig and follow it with these little blue tablets, and you'll ..."

…Dial, dial, dial…
"...fortunes are being made right now in the exciting world of stamp investing. Our typical investor here at the House of Gold, Silver and Other Stuff gets a 40 percent return on his money. Of course, we can't guarantee that everyone will ..."

…Dial, dial, dial…
"...followed by the Bulgarian String Quartet playing favorite themes from the Russian Death March Opera .”

…Dial, dial, dial…
"...and that was P. J. Rap Jammer doing his big hit, Suck My Lips. Next up, L. D. Slam Dude with …”

Carl punched the OFF button. "Boy, there just ain't nuthin' on. What say we stop, gas up, git a bite to eat and see if we can buy some Elvis tapes to slap in the tape deck?"

***

A short time later, they crossed the Mississippi state line, found a cluster of small stores and a gas station, and pulled in.
Emma went for burgers and fries, while Carl ambled over to a convenience store. Fifteen minutes later, he leaped into The Whale, eyes all bugged out, and started babbling excitedly. "Emma! You ain't gonna believe this, but the old lady who works in that store over there told me where Elvis lives. You see, I bought all these here tapes, and asked her if she knew anything about Elvis, and she told me that Elvis lived out in the woods about 20 miles south of Hattiesburg. He works at a small souvenir stand called Little Guys. We gotta go there!"
Emma let out a delighted squeal. "Hit it, you big stud-muffin!"
Moments later, the rear tires of the huge Suburban left a pair of black stripes on the pavement.

***

They spent the night in a Motel 6 outside of Jackson, and headed south early the next morning. Carl got to Hattiesburg and asked for directions to Little Guys souvenir stand. It took a half-dozen stops, but they finally got some directions at a state-operated tourist information facility.

Apparently, Little Guys souvenir was out in the woods close to the end of the Pascagoula River. Carl had to buy a detailed map and a topo map, because the river had recently flooded, and the only way in was roughing it on some un-mapped two-track fire-roads.

Before mid-day, they peeled of f highway 49 at Wiggins and headed east on highway 26. About 30 miles later, they pulled off the road and carefully followed the topo map down some ugly roads that were still good and muddy from a recent rain. Carl was forced to go to four wheel drive, and had to pay attention to keep from sliding off the trails.
He saw a few dirt bikers and asked them if they knew where Elvis was. They told him that about that about four more miles down the road, they'd find the Little Guys souvenir stand and, yes, for sure, Elvis was there.

Carl could hardly contain his excitement as he drove the last few miles. At last, he'd get to see Elvis!

After what seemed like an eternity, Carl rounded a corner, found a smooth dirt road, and a quarter mile later, a small building popped into view. The sign read: "LITTLE GUYS STAND -HAND MADE SOUVENIRS".
Carl slid to a stop and leaped out. Emma hit the ground a fraction of a second before he did. They went through the door and up to the counter. An elderly man was behind the counter, reading a copy of Hustler and sipping from a pint of Jack Daniels.
"How do there. Can I help you folks?"
"Yes. We'd like to see Elvis, please? If it's not too much trouble, that is."
"Nope. No problem at all. He probably needs a break. Been carving pine ash trays all morning."
Both Carl and Emma look stunned. "Elvis? Carving ash trays?"
"Yup. And there ain't anybody much better at it. Lemme go git 'em for you. You might want to get your camera out. Lots of people want to have their picture taken with him."
Emma was nearly breathless. "I would imagine so!"
Two minutes later, a very short little man walked in. "Hi. I'm one of the elves. You folks wanted to meet me?"
"Uuhhh...we wanted to meet Elvis... that is... I mean...", Carl stammered.
The little man smiled. "Hey, don't be bashful. Lottsa folks make that mistake. My name is Guy, and I was one of the original elves in the movies years ago. Get it? Not Elvis... elves."
Carl let out a low moan, which quickly turned into a groan as Emma hit him in the ribs with a sharp elbow shot. "Bonehead,” she hissed.
With a hurt look on his face, Carl said, “Hey, don't be cruel!”

 

[superbuickguy]

for the life of me I can't figure why they put the wedges on these springs. One direction, the put the pinion angling above the driveshaft, the other way below - but not at the same angle as the t-case output. In either direction it vibrates.... today I fixed it

spacers were easy enough to find...

even creating new pins since the softride ones were junk

fixed

and test drove - the problem is gone (and the wheel is now centered in the wheelwell

 

[NevadaLover]

I have Corvettes to build.

Corvettes? No, You have a gorgeous station wagon that needs love after this burb is done.
Love the mastiff too.

 

[superbuickguy]

I have lots of projects in the closet
1979 Fiat Spider with Mustang 2 suspension, and a 2.8L Cadillac CTS motor with twin turbos and a 6 speed. it got put aside because I was having trouble getting a wiring harness. I have it, but it isn't done yet.

this is my retirement project... in 20 years.... it's a 1950 Buick Sedanet with 4 link, Panther front suspension, 430 ci Buick, twin turbo motor. It'll be chopped and a bunch of other stuff when its done

The Corvette 1976, side pipes, 427, 4 speed power nothing except hp. Estimate of 700 NA hp. I have some suspension tricks I want to try - and that is this one's claim to fame.

for completeness, the accidental 64 Wagon project

of course the Suburban isn't done yet, nor is the FJ40 (though they're both useable)
and the Hummer does need some love as well.

 

[bknudtsen]

Did you offset the centering pin holes in those old overload leafs to re-center the wheel in the wheel well?

 

[superbuickguy]

Did you offset the centering pin holes in those old overload leafs to re-center the wheel in the wheel well?

nope. the wedge itself was what was causing the issue.

 

[NevadaLover]

Now that sedanet and wagon are pure buick porn, the vette and fiat aren't my cup of tea but to each there own! keep saving the classics, Love to see that!

 

[superbuickguy]

and both Buicks will be faster then the Corvette. My Corvette addiction funds my Buick addiction.

 

[superbuickguy]

walked out after lunch, turned the roof a/c on, came out after work and drove home in a pre-cooled car. life is rough.

 

[NevadaLover]

walked out after lunch, turned the roof a/c on, came out after work and drove home in a pre-cooled car. life is rough.

That's awesome! glad to see it work and you get to rub it the noses of the few that said it wouldn't work!

 

[superbuickguy]

I don't get what the site has against the Wanderers, but #28 will have to be seen in other places I post this build... sorry