noJeepshere
Adventurer
Subbed for this epic adventure.
sent from a slablet
sent from a slablet
2002 Suburban 4x4 z71 G80 Adeventuremobile/home/photostudio
- Thread starter kins18q
- Start date
Lift and Shocks
I've been having trouble uploading pics from Baja... I can select them in the basic uploader, but when I hit upload, they never show up on the post... Frustrating. Also, the images I am able to upload are rotated sideways or upside down sometimes. Help anyone?
Anyways, spent 15 hours getting the torsion keys, coil spacers and Bilstein 5100s in this past weekend. A whole lot longer than anticipated. My buddy's jack was not meant for vehicles with this much clearance and droop, so a dangerous jerry-rig was implemented. Also we used rope torque technique to compress the coil springs....Not recommended.
There is the spacer under the spring and the new shock. Why is this sideways?! I even resaved the picture rotated to see if I could anticipate the way the uploader would rotate it...No luck.
Solar, fridge, sleeping platform, curtains, bike racks and more sideways pictures to come.
I've been having trouble uploading pics from Baja... I can select them in the basic uploader, but when I hit upload, they never show up on the post... Frustrating. Also, the images I am able to upload are rotated sideways or upside down sometimes. Help anyone?
Anyways, spent 15 hours getting the torsion keys, coil spacers and Bilstein 5100s in this past weekend. A whole lot longer than anticipated. My buddy's jack was not meant for vehicles with this much clearance and droop, so a dangerous jerry-rig was implemented. Also we used rope torque technique to compress the coil springs....Not recommended.
There is the spacer under the spring and the new shock. Why is this sideways?! I even resaved the picture rotated to see if I could anticipate the way the uploader would rotate it...No luck.
Solar, fridge, sleeping platform, curtains, bike racks and more sideways pictures to come.
unabashedpraise
Adventurer
Are the spacers supposed to go on the bottom? On jeeps they go on top.
Might think about another spare tire (with or without a wheel) if you are going to be far from civilization on your journey. Or at least a good compressor and tools to reseat a bead.
Someone mentioned a tire patch kit. A word of caution. Many tire companies/shops will not repair the tire if you use the old style cable plugs first. Some places will even void your warranty. I know first hand... I still carry them, but only use them if I can't get close to a tire shop.
Love what you have so far. Looking forward to reading about the trip.
Might think about another spare tire (with or without a wheel) if you are going to be far from civilization on your journey. Or at least a good compressor and tools to reseat a bead.
Someone mentioned a tire patch kit. A word of caution. Many tire companies/shops will not repair the tire if you use the old style cable plugs first. Some places will even void your warranty. I know first hand... I still carry them, but only use them if I can't get close to a tire shop.
Love what you have so far. Looking forward to reading about the trip.
HAhahah, I don't know. I assumed it went on the bottom. After examining above and below the spring, the spacer clearly fit better underneath...I imagine it will stay put better down there too. Hope I got that right. Just got it aligned and the guys said the work looked good...So I'm going with it.
We have the plug kit and likely wont have anywhere to put the extra spare. We will have bikes, a cargo box and solar on the roof! Unless we move the solar or tire to the hood... Unlikely but a possibility. We will always have the spare, the plugs and then the bikes to get out of sticky situations if we really need to get out.
rayra
Expedition Leader
I just recently did the trailer connection relocation that I mentioned in this topic back in December -
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...MT800-Suburban-in-the-name-of-departure-angle
I'm also shopping tow hooks and looking at the bolt spacings on the trailer hitch mountings, looking to remove the hitch altogether when I don't need it and bolt up a pair of tow hooks to it's mounting locations when it is out. I'll post more info on that later as I find it. Just thinking to put the basic hook setup on the frame ends, up under.
Would also considering drilling another hole in the frame rails to accomodate the longer 3-hole hook design. If the two hole or 3 hole designs don't match the spacing of the existing hitch mount bolt locations.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...MT800-Suburban-in-the-name-of-departure-angle
I'm also shopping tow hooks and looking at the bolt spacings on the trailer hitch mountings, looking to remove the hitch altogether when I don't need it and bolt up a pair of tow hooks to it's mounting locations when it is out. I'll post more info on that later as I find it. Just thinking to put the basic hook setup on the frame ends, up under.
Would also considering drilling another hole in the frame rails to accomodate the longer 3-hole hook design. If the two hole or 3 hole designs don't match the spacing of the existing hitch mount bolt locations.
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unabashedpraise
Adventurer
I would rather leave the rear hitch, or raise it with a different brand. It's such a strong pulling point. If you get stuck you will only be able to pull from one hook, on one frame rail versus the hitch that pulls from both rails. It also acts as a "rear ground detector".:wings: The clearance you'll save by removing it is minimal in comparison to the protection and strength you have with it on.
I was just thinking about how easy it looks to relocate the plug to that exact spot. Great job!
I was just thinking about how easy it looks to relocate the plug to that exact spot. Great job!
Scepter/LCI Water Can Nozzle Spigot Thingy
Wanted a nozzle spigot for my Scepter/LCI water can so headed to Home Depot and came up with this.
All you need is teflon tape ($1) and a 1/2 inch male Brass Hose Bib Valve ($10...don't skimp and get the one with the rubber inside {$6} it will leak in no time)
Teflon tape that shiz and use your man (or woman) arms to screw it in
DONE!
Wanted a nozzle spigot for my Scepter/LCI water can so headed to Home Depot and came up with this.
All you need is teflon tape ($1) and a 1/2 inch male Brass Hose Bib Valve ($10...don't skimp and get the one with the rubber inside {$6} it will leak in no time)
Teflon tape that shiz and use your man (or woman) arms to screw it in
DONE!
Side Shelf/Kitchen Counter
So I ordered my solar stuff and the fridge, but can't sit still while I wait. So I am thinking about building a simple chuck box to house the kitchen stuff, but I need to scrounge up some extra wood before I can. In the meantime I remembered that I found this beat up street sign...So I sanded that baby down, drilled some holes in it and hung it from the roof rack for a test. Eventually it will go on the passenger side under the awning and stow away under the rooftop box. Kinda nice that its metal so I don't have to worry about putting it away in the vehicle.
The chuck box will sit behind the passenger seat and offer counter space on top of the box and on the fold out piece. Between the shelf, the top of the chuck box and the fold out on the chuck box I should have more than enough room for some 5 star cooking.
The fridge will hopefully fit in between the front seats to round out the kitchen.
Flattened and sanded
Drilled and fastened
Threw on a piece of gorilla tape so i don't ruin the paint
It's actually sturdier than I thought it would be. Should be fine to use a cutting board on or even perch the stove on.
The roof is getting crowded. From driver to passenger it goes: My bike, Hi-Lift, girlfriend's bike (not pictured), shovel, roof box, awning. The solar panels will go on the top of the roof-box.
So I ordered my solar stuff and the fridge, but can't sit still while I wait. So I am thinking about building a simple chuck box to house the kitchen stuff, but I need to scrounge up some extra wood before I can. In the meantime I remembered that I found this beat up street sign...So I sanded that baby down, drilled some holes in it and hung it from the roof rack for a test. Eventually it will go on the passenger side under the awning and stow away under the rooftop box. Kinda nice that its metal so I don't have to worry about putting it away in the vehicle.
The chuck box will sit behind the passenger seat and offer counter space on top of the box and on the fold out piece. Between the shelf, the top of the chuck box and the fold out on the chuck box I should have more than enough room for some 5 star cooking.
The fridge will hopefully fit in between the front seats to round out the kitchen.
Flattened and sanded
Drilled and fastened
Threw on a piece of gorilla tape so i don't ruin the paint
It's actually sturdier than I thought it would be. Should be fine to use a cutting board on or even perch the stove on.
The roof is getting crowded. From driver to passenger it goes: My bike, Hi-Lift, girlfriend's bike (not pictured), shovel, roof box, awning. The solar panels will go on the top of the roof-box.
Attachments
rayra
Expedition Leader
That's a valid concern, you might do better to mount the panel atop the storage box, with the added benefit that you can tip up the box lid to give you an optimum angle on the panel when you are camped.
I ultimately removed the factory hitch and set it aside for future need. It was only 8 bolts and a few minutes. I salvaged a pair of hooks off the front of my old pickup and refurbished / painted them. There's three bolt locations on each frame rail end for the hitch, I used the middle bolt hole and drilled another hole forward from there, to bolt up the hooks. They tuck up nicely and are scarcely visible from behind the vehicle, but still easy to access.
I ultimately removed the factory hitch and set it aside for future need. It was only 8 bolts and a few minutes. I salvaged a pair of hooks off the front of my old pickup and refurbished / painted them. There's three bolt locations on each frame rail end for the hitch, I used the middle bolt hole and drilled another hole forward from there, to bolt up the hooks. They tuck up nicely and are scarcely visible from behind the vehicle, but still easy to access.
ZION!!!
Went to Zion for the week. Had a few objectives. See Crawford Arch, a rarely visited arch in Zion that requires some climbing/canyoneering to access....
Run rock canyon, a remote canyon requiring a hour of driving through soft sand.
Bike Gooseberry Mesa!
Truck pics are on their way!
Went to Zion for the week. Had a few objectives. See Crawford Arch, a rarely visited arch in Zion that requires some climbing/canyoneering to access....
Run rock canyon, a remote canyon requiring a hour of driving through soft sand.
Bike Gooseberry Mesa!
Truck pics are on their way!