1997 K2500 Sub- Expedition Build

[Yroundrdn]

Made the extension for the bed... will post photo later. Came out nice and it will fold up and out of the way as needed.

Today, good ol' Amazon brought all the parts for the electrical project this week. Came out to around $350 for everything. I got some great ideas from this forum as I planned the system out. It will be one battery for now but easy to expand as needed. The refrig runs at 65 watts so that was the main concern. I went with the 100 watt panel which should be enough. I will be testing it at home for a month anyway but from what I figured, the solar should keep the battery charged up just fine.

 

[Ashton]

Will be curious to see if your PV system meets your current demands and how much the 12v/100wt panel system will handle before needing an upgrade. Do you plan to run vent fans/lights/electronics aside from a fridge, or just the fridge and a 12v plug in the back?

 

[chilliwak]

Getting close! Just a few more things then time to load it up and get out for that first trip

Show us some pics when you get the time...

 

[Yroundrdn]

Second battery

The second battery project went well. I still need to install the solar panel but am waiting to build a roof rack, which is behind painting the roof...

I learned a lot from others on the forum and a few things from my experience. I purchased the 2AWG welding cable and 5/16" copper ring terminals. That worked for the batter but all the other connections were 3/8" so I recommend buying both. I also bought a Cable lug crimper tool with the ratchet crimp. This was the BEST purchase for this project and for $27 I highly recommend it. One last thing, I ran out of the heat shrink so order a lot of that stuff. I makes the connections look much cleaner.


I decided to go with a battery box to house the battery to make it easier to secure in the vehicle and to keep it sealed from other stuff that could fly around when off road. Since I'm going with solar, I mounted the charge controller directly to the box.


I looked at several different locations and came up with the old spare tire spot. I had to trim away some of the plastic to make it fit. There are two 5/16" bolts used to secure the base of the tire mount which were perfect for mounting the battery box. I ran the the ground through the floor and tapped it into the frame. I was then able to run the positive cable, (#2AWG), all the way to the firewall and the only spot you see it is going into the plastic in this photo. It came through the firewall and attached to the computer wiring to the box you see in the photo below.


I then went into the empty box in the engine compartment that I guess is used for spare tools etc.


So this was how I wired it all up. I ran a lead from the battery to the box and ran it directly into a 200 AMP breaker. I chose to go with the breakers over fuses simply because I wanted to easily shut off a circuit as needed and didn't want to run out of fuses while fixing a problem should I encounter one. From there I went into the 200 amp islolator and then through another breaker. That breaker goes back to the "house" battery. You will note one extra breaker that is powered from the vehicle battery off the isolator. That is for my winch so I can leave power off it until needed.


The last little item I highly recommend is the rockford battery post extender. They did a great job with this and it really works well.

I also purchased some gauges and a fuse box but that will be for the next day set aside to work on this. Eventually I will be able to monitor both batteries from the front and the rear battery from the back of the vehicle.

 

[Yroundrdn]

I finished the electrical today and the system works perfect. The solar is a temp mount until I get the roof rack done but even then it will be removable so I can keep it in the sun and the vehicle in the shade when possible. To do this I mounted a water tight receptacle to the panel and a male plug attached to the charge controller. An extension cord allows me to move it to where ever needed, as needed.

I'm testing the battery tonight but don't think I will be able to leave the cooler on all night without draining the battery too far down. I guess it may be a 2 battery system to keep the cooler on all night but that may not be necessary. During the day the 100 watt panel keeps up with it just fine and the battery stays fully charged.



Next weekend I will test the 4x4 system at a local off road park. I have no idea what this beast can do off road, I'm sure not what the ol' XJ was able to do but best to learn near than far.

 

[Yroundrdn]

So the 12V cooler runs at 65 watts and I was thinking a 100 watt solar panel would keep up with the draw. I left it on last night and at 4:30 AM I was still at 11 volts on the battery. However, just before the sun hit the panel around 8 this morning, (fog was in), the battery had dropped to 8.4 volts. This afternoon it had come back up to 11.6 volts before the sun left the panel so no, in the long run it will not keep up with the draw of the cooler. Maybe if the sun was out earlier it would have but that's a realistic plan.

I will probably run the vehicle every other day to catch the battery up or just unplug late night. It was at 30 degrees this morning so I'm sure it would do well unplugged for a few hours each night. If you are planning a system with anything more than a 12V cooler which burns 65 watts, I recommend 2 panels and 2 batteries. For me, I don't want to take up all the room so I'll start the vehicle from time to time if needed.

 

[Yroundrdn]

FIRST TEST RUN- WOW!

So we loaded it up for a test run last night. We took this and my son's 95 OJ Bronco out to check the 4X4 systems, its capabilities and identify potential problems before our big trip next month. We drove out to east San Diego County to an off road park that required a lot of freeway hills to get there. The park has some advanced trails that I've had the old Jeep on in the past so it would allow for a fair comparison.


On the drive out the hills were no problem, all the temps were fine and the old motor ran perfect. Given I purchased this for $300 not running and with no history, I was a bit apprehensive. Fortunately all was just fine.

Once we hit the trails I chose not to air down the tires so I could see how it would do with the factory lockers and know the traction limitations as it sat.


The Sub did much better than I thought it would and even better than my XJ which was not expected. As you can see below, I was very grateful for the locker on one of the trails. Getting this big rig up a small Jeep trail presented some challenges but she just kept on crawling with no issues.



This last photo was funny. My son made me back up and pose since the wheel was so high off the ground. I think the weight and the lockers really give this thing some amazing capabilities. I will probably never do this kind of wheeling during our trips, but it is good to know I can if I get in a jam. I built it to get away but always nice to have that ability. It's like having and extra 30 rounds in a magazine even though you know the job should only take one or two :ylsmoke:

I still have a punch list to work through but it's all coming together. And the bonus for the day... I found some PERFECT cloth seats on CL for $200 that I installed tonight! I had the old saggy torn leather and hated them so that was a huge bonus.

 

[ASDTANK]

subscribed to keep up on this build, for when i buy my 2500 later this year. great job so far!

 

[chilliwak]

I love the wheeling pics Yround! The `Burb´seems to be very capable on the trail. I also like the wiring you did on your battery set-up. Instead of crimping my battery terminals I soldered them on. You use the same terminal ends but instead of crimping you get then red hot and then fill them up with resin core solder. Works great and they are never coming off. Thanks for posting up. Cheers, Chilli...

 

[Yroundrdn]

Ready for the first Expedition Run

Finished up a few details over the last few weeks. Leaving next week for Colorado. I would have attended the Expo run in AZ but it's the same weekend as Pikes Peak and we already had tickets. I have a trip mapped out from Marble to Buena Vista then over to the 67 with almost no pavement. Some roads will depend on snow if it's still up there but the rest looks to be fairly easy with this rig. The plan is to end up at Pikes Peak trials and practice run on Friday and then the big show that night in CO Springs. The Burb is not completed but then it may never be finished. Because of that I will have a spare tire and the new High Lift behind the seats. This trip will be the first and a great chance to see what needs to be built next.

Recent work:
My seats were torn and a mess so I picked up these great conditioned seats off CL for $200


Next I wanted a privacy tint that was impossible to see in but not too dark once inside. I found they make a carbon tint now instead of the ink type and it really works great. I have 2% tint on all the back windows and 35% on the front doors to keep the sun off as we drive through the deserts. I cannot see inside the back from the outside but from the inside it's not too dark. This with a curtain across the back of the front seats and we will have complete privacy.


Here is how it looks from the inside


Here is the current set up inside. This will all change once the tire and jack are moved outside. But for now, there is still plenty of room and more room left in the drawers


Last weekend I put new shocks up front and replaced a wheel sensor. I also had the AC pump replaced and everything recharged. So with the punch list completed, it's ready to roll.

 

[Yroundrdn]

First Trip

First trip was to Colorado. We were intending to be off road from Marble to Buena Vista and then off to somewhere along the 24 in an effort to get to the Pikes Peak Race. Well... that didn't go as planned. Most trails though beautiful, would not go over the intended pass due to snow and required some pavement. It was so beautiful it really didn't matter.

We ended up having to work through a few problems but nothing that kept us from having a great time. The sleeping arrangements were great but I did have to unload a few items each night. Once I have the roof rack built it wont be an issue


The trails were stunning and all required a good 4x4 with sufficient clearance and traction.


There was one trail however that sucked me in bad :Wow1:


At first I just backed out and tried a second time and that's where it all went bad. But no problem... I have a winch and have gotten out of worse... but then the winch broke internally. Great deals on CL are not always great deals down the road. So there I was digging out with a shovel and a high lift until a ranger came along and pulled us out. Unfortunately, my slide sideways into the hole cause the shaft in the PS pump to snap and I lost power steering and brakes. Needless to say, that was a difficult drive out a very narrow 4x4 road but we made it. A local shop installed a new one and we were back on the road the next day. Things learned, no used winches, only hit the mud when with someone else and the weak link on the steering system is in the pump. All good though, we were stuck overnight in Crested Butte which was a great place to be.

The rest of the trip was filled with amazing views and some great roads. Here are a few shots of the trip.










On the way home the alternator went out as we got into Denver. I guess I was fortunate I was in a major town. A quick trip to Orileys and we were back on the road in 45 minutes. Other than that, the entire system worked great and I was very pleased with the set up. I have a lot to do still but that's have the fun.

 

[Lykos]

Nice!

How did that g80 do?

 

[Yroundrdn]

G80 did great but that mud sucked you in and I was sitting on the frame so no help there. There are several others Spots it did well. I am impressed with it.

 

[dahoyle]

Just picked up a 99 with the 7.4.
Looks almost like yours. Will probably pick your brain about some stuff. First IFS rig I've had.

 

[Yroundrdn]

ya send a PM if you like. Very happy with the burb. Just put a new radiator in getting ready for a trip to ID in the snow. Plan to sand and repaint the roof and hood with Rustolum before we leave. Good ol GM paint looking like junk yard camo these days.