Found a Sweet Grand!!

[Azlugz]

Finally got both the radios and antennas mounted. Only have pics of the radios tho.

Due to space restrictions, I had to get creative. I do not normally use the sunroof but did not want to render it completely inoperative but the ceiling was the only area I could work with to mount them. So the mount need to be lite weight, smooth on top so the sun roof cover could slide but still be strong enough to hold the radios.....and the two meter radio is HEAVY!!!!! I had some aluminum strip but needed to use two strips with something in between to hook radio mounts to. I found some decorative wire netting I had used to stop the dogs from running into the screens and used that. The screws going thru the strips and holding the radio mounts, are ground flush and the sun roof still opens. The strips are then screwed to the ceiling under the sun roof opening trim to keep the whole system from moving around. Its not the perfect setup by any means, but it works! Still need to pull it back out and paint it. The dust and dirt on radios and ceiling was from the trail ride!

The CB wiring goes from the radio thru a sleeve and into the front upper console. The two meter antenna is also mounted but I have not wired it or power to the radio yet....had to finish for a Crown King run the following day. I will wire that one in soon but it has a lot heavier wires and will take a bit more work!.

We took the jeep on a "difficult" rated run the next day, Crown King as stated above, and except for having the mast come out of the CB antenna mount (set screw not tight enough), it did really good and held up to the ceiling with no problems. I will say tho, that i took alot of the bypasses on the obstacles to get around and take pics!

 

[Azlugz]

Doc finished the tow-bar for my Jeep!!! It is made heavy as I expect this to get a lot of use (hopefully!!) and it may be used offroad. The Jeep will be hauled behind the 5th wheel when we are traveling out to explore new areas.

Anyway, Doc did the base build and I am doing all the finish work including the grinding. I am partly done with the grinding and then will buff it down and put a couple coats of paint on. the pain on it now is just to cover the bare metal. Thanks Doc..... Again!!!!

The Jeep and the Jumping Jack!!!

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[Azlugz]

More done on the towbar. Painted the correct color and added a winch loop that removes to use as my rear recovery loop. Started playing with the side wires to keep small branches off the windshield. Not sure I am going to keep these, but the scrub brush slapping the windshiedl bugs me. The antenna is another issue. Need to replace it with something else, cut it shorter or angle it back, not sure yet.
Ideas are always welcome.

No, the tow-bar will not be on the jeep all the time, but when we tow it out somewhere, if you are going to use it a short time, the towbar will stay on, if we will be there a while, I can take it off and stow it under the 5th wheel. Normal daily use, the towbar will be stored at home.

 

[Azlugz]

More work done on the wires.

I started with a 2"x1"x14" "L" bracket that I had laying around:

I cut a piece off each end 5 1/2" long and use a flap wheel to shape them:

The notch in the center of the angle is for a rib on the fender. A 3/8" hole is in the upper curve for the turnbuckle. And three mount holes, one for the fender mount screw and then 2 for 10-24 machine screws the go into crimp nuts I put into the fender, one down and one sideways:

Both mounts are made and installed now. I took two 7' lengths of 3/32" 230lb galvanized steel cable and a 7/32" x 6 1/4" turnbuckle. I cut the cable to the right length and added the swedges I still need to pull the brackets back out and paint them to match:

I still need to deal with the antenna. I have looked at a short rubber whip that can be set at an angle. I have also considered a windshild or a roof mount and blocking off the fender hole.


After the wires were done, I mount the quickfist clamps and the shovel and then remounted the Hi-lift:

Still a lot to do. The big painting jobs are wainting till it cools off some and I can devote an entire day to pull both bumpers and tape off the passenger side. Need to finish buffing out all the rust on the wheels so I can get them painted too.

 

[Azlugz]

Decided it was time to finish the front bumper. Wanted to move the control box and run the wire for the in cab control. Took the bumper and winch off and removed the control box, then took the box apart. Drilled two mount holes in the frame mount of the bumper and secured the solenoid in place:

Next I drilled a hole in the top surface of the bumper to mount the remote plug and started modifying the cover to fit over the solenoid:

Took a break from that and finished the oil change and then painted the inner front frame work black to hide it a little.

Cut the remote wire and tapped in a pigtail for the in cab setup and found the connectors on the remote plug were not very good so I soldered them then pluged it all back together.

Built a cable to hook into the pigtail and run into the cab. Used an extension cord that had been cut. Works good as it is three wires and encased in a weather proof shield:

Cut and modified the original bracket and mounted it to the frame rail to hold the cover:

Then remounted the winch:

 

[Azlugz]

Then mounted the bumper back on the Jeep and ran the power and ground to the battery. The grill is just sitting in place as I am doing some work on that, but thats another update later!
Done for now:

 

[Azlugz]

This was posted in the homebrew section but wanted to keep the build all together also...

Well, I finally got around to taking some (slightly) better pics and showing how I made it and the basic cost.

The sun here is a killer in the summer so having the awning to sit under is a major benefit!! Trouble is, awnings are expensive and most are too long for my Jeep. I needed something that could fold and store but not cost $300-$500. Little bit of time and effort and I turned a plastic tarp into an awning that, albiet doesn't look the prettiest, but works great and does not take too long to set up.

Rolled up, the basic tarp and frame is just over 4' long and fits crosswise in the back of the jeep:

I started with an 8'x10' tarp that is sun reflective on one side, and 8' piece of 1" "C" channel aluminum and a bunch of #8 screws and deco washers.
I cut the channel in half so I had 2 4' pieces and screwed them to an 8' edge of the tarp. I put the screws into the back of the "C" channel about every 1", prolly overkill but it worked out ok and it keeps the screw points up in the channel.

Unrolled:

Screws:

In the center I used 2 18" sections of 3/4" angle aluminum screwed to each side of ONE of the pieces of "C" channel and left it to overhang the other side by about 8". This left an overlap that the other side could fit into but still allowed me to fold the whole setup in half. In the open end of the angles and the other end of "C" channel, I drilled two pin holes so when it was laid out straight, the other end could be pinned in place.

Angles:

Putting it together:

One pin in:

From there, I lift the aluminum frame up and set it on the top edge of the roof rack and use 2 (or more) hand clamps to hold it to the rack.

The next part, extendable tent fly poles, I bought at Wal-Mart in the camping section for $8.00. Then some tent stakes and a spool of nylon rope and 2 small "L" brackets. The brackets allow you to adjust the tension on the rope to hold the poles.
Pin on top of the pole goes thru the hole in the corner of the tarp, the loop of the rope when you slide the bracket out goes over the pin to hold the top of the pole and the stke gets pounded iin the ground. Just like setting an old school tent up. Sliding the bracket up or down the rope adjusts the tension to hold the pole upright.

Loop made with bracket:

Do the same in the other corner and you now have an 8'x10' awning for around $50.

Another couple shots of the clamps:

As you can see in these shots, if you use 2 clamps in the middle, the aluminum tends to "pull" a bit at the ends, normally when I am setting up, I use 3 or 4 clamps and the outside 2 I put as close to the end of the rack as possible to keep the "bow" out.

 

[Azlugz]

Beating around the ideas for the next part.



The next phase will be to build in the back and mount the compressor and 2nd battery. Doesn't sound like much but thats where it gets expensive.

I already have a Blue top that I paid $80 for BRAND NEW!!!!! They were not going to carry the line anymore and the leftovers had to go. To install it tho, I need wire, isolator, connectors and.......

I plan on using a dual sense voltage sensitive relay (VSR) isolator that is rated for 125A and 150A intermittent. The VSR allows it to charge the main battery first with the 2nd battery isolated untill the main reaches 13.7 volts, then the second battery is kicked in and allowed to charge also. If the main drops below 12.8 volts, the VSR disconnects the 2nd and works on charging the main only. This system also keeps them seperated when the vehicle is off. These two modes of operation ensure the main batter won't be drained by the aux equipment running off the 2nd battery. The Dual Sense part of the VSR will allow me to put a solar panel on the roof of the car to maintain the power in the 2nd battery and if the charge reaches 13.7 volts, it will again open but this time allow the solar for the 2nd battery to chage the main. Price wise, about $88, it is also compareable to a good quality standard isolator.
See it at West Marine Supply http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/62761...ermittent-continuous-2-75-h-x-2-75-w-2-d.html

Wire from front to rear is the second part. I have decided to go with 4 gauge multi-strand but have yet to find a good source that is reasonable price wise. I have an old set of jumper cables that are fine except the clamps are getting buggered up and are a pain to use. I am considering using the wire from these. One, it is the right size, two, it is color coded and mated together (um attached in the middle) so it will be easier to run, three, I would like a new set of jumpers that have the mating plug mounted in the bumper to just plug them in so this would be an excuse to get some!!!.

Feedthru terminals for the battery cables. I do not want to drill a hole and put the wire thru a rubber grommet to get it inside the back of the vehicle. I want and insulated terminal that screws thru the body. These however are a bit pricey at $20 each, tho I prolly don't need the negative side as I can just bolt thru the body, its all grounded anyway. Here are the terminals... http://www.westmarine.com/1/1/27481--feed-through-terminals-3-8-250a-rating-2-x-1-base-black.html

Then comes the various connectors to tie it all together. 4 gauge terminal lugs seem to run about $2 a pair. There are also various smaller terminals and hookup wires.

Along with the battery, there will be two inverters hardmounted. A 1000w for running recovery tools like a sawzall, grinder, cutting wheel, impact and such and then a small 200w or so unit to charge phones, camera batteries or power the laptop. The small unit is all that is usually needed and will not waste as much as using the 1000w all the time. I have to big unit but will have to purchase the small one and will have to purchase the the items needed to hook them up. The big one can likely use some of the 4 gauge wire that I have left over from the battery hookup.

Next is my Puma compressor. This will cost a bit because the pressure switch went out on mine so I will need a new one. I will also need the plumbing to hook it up to the tanks on the roof. I have made contact with an individual that is a dealer and will help me with the stainless tube and connectors but I need to sit down with him and get an estimate on the price. The compressor will be inside and will have to go thru the roof with a QD connection to the roof rack so the roof rack can be removed.

There are work lights on all sides of the roof rack, these will be powered from the 2nd battery. This will protect the main if I leave them on too long. I need relays for each light pair and switches. I already have the necessary wire, shrink tube, loom and connectors for this part. I also need some sort of plug to go thru the roof and be able to plug in the roof rack, again, to keep it removeable.

All the electrical items need circuit breakers. The lights and small inverter will need low current breakers that run around $4 each but the big inverter and compressor will need hi-amp breakers and these run about $35-40 each.
Small CB's http://www.electricalhub.com/circuit-breakers/push-button/quick-connect-terminal
Hi-Amp CB's http://www.electricalhub.com/circuit-breakers/thermal-circuit-breakers/series-185-circuit-breaker

 

[Azlugz]

Electrical for the rear build of the ZJ and to power the radio gear and the roof lighting. Yes, it will all power off the spare battery.

Played around with the wiring diagram a bit to get eveything planned out, get an idea of parts and for wire sizing. Hope this is readable on here, it is drawn to fit on a single sheet of paper for each drawing.

Opinions are welcome.

One thing that may look strange is I am running a constant hot to the relays for the roof lights and am switching the ground side. It effectively works out the same but it saves having as many powered wires running thru the ceiling. There will only be one main hot wire going up there now that will power the switch LEDS and both radios.