Lipstick on a Pig: The 10 Don'ts of Vehicle Modifications

[swampjeep]

On the roof. Or the hood. Or the front bumper. Or the rear bumper. Or under the chassis.

Fact is, if your spare tire can't go inside the vehicle for any number of perfectly valid reasons, it's going to have to go someplace that is not optimal for any number of other reasons. The blanket statements being thrown around in this thread are not conducive to anything. Everything is a compromise.

I just don't see where any of this is any different then using a swing out tire carrier, they all have their issues.

 

[southpier]

so if i'm not confused enough already ....

cb or no?

farm jack or no?

thread off track or no?

 

[vanderpooch]

I'm curious why the Hi-Lift gets no love....

Lol, me too! I had no idea

 

[Paladin]

I just don't see where any of this is any different then using a swing out tire carrier, they all have their issues.

That was precisely my point. I wasn't saying any of those is better than a swing out. I have a swing out.

Soon as you have more than 2 people in the vehicle, all these romantic notions about packing everything in the vehicle, nothing hanging off outside, and the heavy items located low over the CG (ie: backseat) go out the window.

Unless you use a quad cab pickup. Or an Excursion or Suburban maybe. But then you get reduced breakover angle compared to an SUV, etc. etc. etc.

Nothing is black and white. Shades of grey.

 

[CB3]

Bumpers and other "armor" as it is now called. Many times less is more. Huge bumpers look the part but most of the time they end up getting caught up on something a smaller bumper or stock bumper would not, especially on the rear.

Agreed. Also, huge bumpers add a lot of weight at the end of the vehicle, which messes up handling on and off road, IMO. Plus the extra weight and wind drag hurt fuel economy and acceleration.

 

[GeoTracker90]

But Scott, do you really want all those folks that use a cb to switch and broadcast over a HAM ??

TV and radio stations broadcast, which is a one way transmission. HAM radio operators transmit with the expectation to receive a response.

Broadcasting with a HAM radio is specifically against the FCC regulations so I presume that Scott would not advocate anyone in his group with a HAM radio to use it to broadcast.

Mike

 

[GeoTracker90]

... but for inter-vehicle communications, CB and FRS/GMRS work just fine, don't require a license, are waaaaay cheaper and most people have (or can get) them.

Just to make sure that misinformation is not passed along and taken for gospel I'll offer up the following:

When you buy a FRS/GMRS radio you should break out you owners manual that came with your FRS/GMRS radios. You will find that to transmit on the GMRS frequencies you are required by law to purchase a license from the FCC. This is a family license and comes with a call sign. I believe that the cost is about $80 for a 5 year license and it covers everyone in your immediate family from the youngest to the oldest. There is no test to take for this.

Also you would also note that FRS/GMRS radios are also specifically banned from being used for conducting business. These are the current laws as I know them; it doesn't mean that anyone follows them. I've also never heard of anyone being prosecuted for breaking them, but I'm sure there have been a few examples made.

Mike

 

[rusty_tlc]

Yes, Really. You can buy a working CB for under $50. I'd call that way cheaper than $150.

I paid about $80 for the Midland unit that I have, but that's because I wanted the all-in-mic setup and the WX radio. If I didn't need those two things I doubt I'd have paid $50.

FRS radios are even cheaper. You can buy a pair that will work for vehicle-to-vehicle communication for around $35 if you watch for sales.



That is as true as it is irrelevant - it's like saying most people can learn Swahili if they try hard enough. So what? Most people can pass the test, but they won't because the 2m is only useful for a tiny percentage of their time.

If you always wheel with the same group of people, and if you can convince those people to get their tech licenses, and buy the radios, then 2m or 440 might make sense.

But those are a couple of big "ifs" and they don't apply to everybody.

OTOH, almost anybody who goes off road either has a CB or can get one. Hell, if you don't have one you can pick one up at the truck stop on the way to the trail! Ditto for GMRS/FRS, in fact, those radios are cheap enough that you can throw a pair of them into your gear bag and hand one out to a buddy when you get to the trailhead.

As with most things, when you buy a $50 radio you get what you pay for. If you want a reasonable quality CB you are going to pay around $125. FSR is okay but using an HT in a truck gets old fast.

Learning the information needed to get a tech license takes a couple of weeks for most people doing it a few hours a day or less, not even close to what it takes to learn a language. So I wouldn't say that was a good comparison.

Just one example but our group started with one guy using ham, then we started doing runs with another group of guys who used HAM. Within a year most of us had our license. Most guys who go on one run with us get their license within a month or two.

There has also been a trend in other local offroad clubs to move to HAM, I'd say about half the people who offroad in this area are operators.

In my experience those "if's" you mention don't seem so big.

 

[Cabrito]

:lurk:

This thread is silly..

 

[Martinjmpr]

As with most things, when you buy a $50 radio you get what you pay for. If you want a reasonable quality CB you are going to pay around $125. FSR is okay but using an HT in a truck gets old fast.

If the $50 CB or the $35 HT does what you need it to do, then isn't that good enough?

Not everybody here is on a trans-Sahara expedition. Some of us just like to go off road in our vehicles.

Saying that people should eschew CBs in favor of more complicated, expensive HAM radios is exactly the kind of expo-snobbery that this article purports to be against.

We don't all need RTTs, ARB bumpers, snorkels or limb risers. The same goes for HAM radios. Sometimes "good enough" is good enough.

Saying a 2m is better than a CB is like saying a screwdriver is better than a hammer. It depends on what you're trying to do.

 

[Pskhaat]

Not everybody here is on a trans-Sahara expedition. Some of us just like to go off road in our vehicles.

Said Ham radios would require additional licensure in many of the Sharan countries just as much as an 11m CB would. Can anyone chim in as to if both Tunisia and Libya would likely confiscate them?

 

[rusty_tlc]

If the $50 CB or the $35 HT does what you need it to do, then isn't that good enough?

Not everybody here is on a trans-Sahara expedition. Some of us just like to go off road in our vehicles.

Saying that people should eschew CBs in favor of more complicated, expensive HAM radios is exactly the kind of expo-snobbery that this article purports to be against.

We don't all need RTTs, ARB bumpers, snorkels or limb risers. The same goes for HAM radios. Sometimes "good enough" is good enough.

You can buy tools at Harbor Freight or at Sears, which will give you more satisfaction over the long run? Cheap stuff is just that cheap stuff.

It's been simply ages since I did a trans Sahara expedition:elkgrin:, mostly I just run around in the hills with my buddies.

I'm not saying everybody needs to use a HAM radio, I just pointed out some flaws in your arguments against them.

Saying a 2m is better than a CB is like saying a screwdriver is better than a hammer. It depends on what you're trying to do.

That is a sound argument. :victory:

 

[southpier]

don't get me started on Sears....

 

[Mike S]

A great deal of what we do to our vehicles depends on what we do WITH our vehicles and where we do it.

I guess that 99% of people here use their vehicle for mobility while traveling the back country and as a mobile camp.

Do I NEED a winch? Never have yet. A shovel and a good jack and come-along with a strap works pretty well for most extractions.

Do I need a bull bar? Yes, I travel in places where there are large animals on the roads any time of the day or night. Otherwise, probably not.

Do I NEED an extended range aux fuel tank? Sometimes, yes.

RTT? Nice to have most of the time I am traveling.

Bottom line is make your decisions based on what YOU need -- the rest is either 'nice to have' or fluff, depending on your POV. And don't be influenced by Equipment Nazis.

 

[Maximus Ram]

TV and radio stations broadcast, which is a one way transmission. HAM radio operators transmit with the expectation to receive a response.

Broadcasting with a HAM radio is specifically against the FCC regulations so I presume that Scott would not advocate anyone in his group with a HAM radio to use it to broadcast.

Mike

ok,thanks for the clarification and correction of my error....