Big Black

[dcoy]

I am not planning on going the Adventure Trailers drawers route but does anyone know how that system lays on the floor...is it mounted directly to the steel?

My Adventure Trailer drawers are bolted to the substrate through the carpet. Adventure Trailers implanted captured nuts (I don't know the formal name for them) that make it easy to remove the drawers if you need to.

 

[Staggrlee]

Adventure Trailers implanted captured nuts (I don't know the formal name for them)...

Rivnuts or Plusnuts. It is well worth the investment to get a good hand-tool installation part if you're going to be doing a lot of mods. However I bolted my DIY drawer platform directly to the existing 3rd row seat captive nuts and existing fasteners. Save the money on the prefab drawers and build your own. It's insane what an off-the-shelf drawer system costs vs what you can do yourself.

I spent a total of maybe $250 on materials and a day or so of labor on what suits us just fine. Not as pretty as an AT or AO drawer "sy$tem" but really, $250 vs as much as $2500? Wasn't in the cards and those savings get spent pretty quickly elsewhere on the truck where you can't DIY: bumpers, lights etc.

Yes pretty ghetto by comparison, but it has served us well for 3+ years. It's basically some craigslist aluminum restaurant shelving bolted together with salvage network rack parts, aluminum stock, plywood and outdoor carpeting from Costco. Did without the slides and building drawers, and just got some plastic ones under-bed ones from The Container store.

 

[Flagster]

Yes pretty ghetto by comparison, but it has served us well for 3+ years. It's basically some craigslist aluminum restaurant shelving bolted together with salvage network rack parts, aluminum stock, plywood and outdoor carpeting from Costco. Did without the slides and building drawers, and just got some plastic ones under-bed ones from The Container store.

I will definitely be heading in the "ghetto" direction...from what I have seen (not in person)...the manufactured drawers look like glorified IKEA furniture...butt joints with cam bolts...etc...not what I would expect for 700 bucks a drawer...
Any one who can comment on quality and durability would be appreciated...but for that money the guy building some bookshelves/cabinets in my house said he could build copies with mahogony ply...and real joints...
D coy...I would like to see your drawers/60 setup sometime...

 

[dcoy]

I will definitely be heading in the "ghetto" direction...from what I have seen (not in person)...the manufactured drawers look like glorified IKEA furniture...butt joints with cam bolts...etc...not what I would expect for 700 bucks a drawer...
Any one who can comment on quality and durability would be appreciated...but for that money the guy building some bookshelves/cabinets in my house said he could build copies with mahogony ply...and real joints...
D coy...I would like to see your drawers/60 setup sometime...

Feel free to pm me if you'd like to see my AT Drawers in person (I will drop in afew pics when I get a chance). Their quality appears to be excellent so far. The construction, in my opinion, works out to be a plus because it eases breakdown and installation/uninstallation. What I found to be most compelling about their system is the strength and light weight of the material they are built with. My rig is heavy enough with all of the mods I put into it so I felt this was one area where I could get the functionality of storage with as little weight as possible (less filling). True, they do cost, but as I recall not as much as some other systems out there (Slee, ARB, etc). Nevertheless, your system seems perfectly slick and functional.

 

[Flagster]

PHH is a real B****

Used about 30 minutes of the average 2-3 hours today and managed to only remove one upper bolt and a few layers of skin...that lower bolt is a real bear...and I bought the wrong gearwrenches...too short...oh well...back to Sears tomorrow for some longer gear wrenches...
I am definitely doing the PHH delete...that metal hose sucks...

 

[MoGas]

Used about 30 minutes of the average 2-3 hours today and managed to only remove one upper bolt and a few layers of skin...that lower bolt is a real bear...and I bought the wrong gearwrenches...too short...oh well...back to Sears tomorrow for some longer gear wrenches...
I am definitely doing the PHH delete...that metal hose sucks...

Told ya.

 

[Flagster]

I know...thinking it might be easier to really go ghetto and leave in the metal hose...just reroute...dropping in a new engine would be easier than this bolt...

 

[redthies]

Once you have the top bolt out, wiggle the tube back and forth for 5 mins without stopping and the tab will break. Leave bolt in, buy 4' of 5/8" hose and 3' of 1" to sleeve the lower part of the 5/8". Wrap around the brake booster for smooth routing. Done!! All skin intact...:smiley_drive:

 

[Flagster]

Done...

Once you have the top bolt out, wiggle the tube back and forth for 5 mins without stopping and the tab will break. Leave bolt in, buy 4' of 5/8" hose and 3' of 1" to sleeve the lower part of the 5/8". Wrap around the brake booster for smooth routing. Done!! All skin intact...:smiley_drive:

After 100.00 of gear wrenches this is exactly what I ended up doing...fatigue technique...even the small rotational movement of the gear wrenches wasn't enough...
Turned into a 1.5 hour job once that PITA tube is out...
Was the original PHH I am assuming b/c of the cotter pin style clamp...
Dremel sure was the key to removal...

 

[Flagster]

Now for the fun part...

tomorrow...

 

[redthies]

I have all the tools and a fair amount of skills and was sure I could do the phh bypass in a couple of hours. It took 4. That seems to be the average no matter how good you are. It might get mentally easier after a few, but probably not any faster.

 

[Klierslc]

I found that pulling the starter saves a lot of time, but YMMV.

 

[Flagster]

I found that pulling the starter saves a lot of time, but YMMV.

I didn't need to remove the starter and found that after I loosened the tranny dipstick I could easily get my arm where I needed...
I had done a coolant flush about 2 mos ago so only drained what came out from the PHH...about 1 gallon...
Yeah I probably spent 4 hours in total after messing with that metal tube...I spent just as much time trying to get off that 2nd bolt as I did to finish the job once I decided to break the tube...The old PHH came off really easy in about 15 min once I cut the clamps...then just routed the new tubing and topped off the coolant...
Just a long bugger of a job...I am glad to be wiring today...

 

[Flagster]

Rear power...

Thought I would post some pics of the rear power supply...and where I got the materials...
Equipt: National Luna dual battery kit...nothin new...
West Marine: DC electrical panel...
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=10109&subdeptNum=10598&classNum=10601
Delcity: (Viggen recommended this vendor)...they have superb service and fast shipping...I got boxes from MN to AZ in 2-3 days with standard shipping...
Anchor 6awg marine wire, 60 amp maxi fuse, various connectors, crimping tools...
http://www.delcity.net/store/Marine-Grade™-Tinned-Wire/p_365.a_1
http://www.delcity.net/store/Maxi®-Fuse-Holder/p_11183.a_1

 

[Flagster]

Went with DieHard Platinum Marine PM2 Group 34 for my auxillary...will swap my primary battery soon but Sears was out of the battery with the correct terminal location...
National luna kit is easy and supplies plenty of everything needed...
I chose to run a positive and negative 6awg cable to the rear when I replaced my carpet...surrounded by wire loom it was difficult to bury in the passenger side trim pieces but possible...once I set up the dual batteries it was easy to connect the the already run wire to the rear...
Off the aux battery I ran a 60 amp maxi fuse...inline to the West Marine DC panel that was fit in the right rear cargo panel...
This DC panel has 15 amp breakers for 3 connections plus dual 12v outlets...
Now for some storage...and from what I have been reading...a cooling system overhaul...getting hot here