MOPWR Build

[Comanche Scott]

Hey! This is an awesome update!
Of course it's missing pictures... (toe tapping in background)...
ROFLOL.

Awesome Mitch, looking forward to seeing how this comes out. :beer:

 

[Mitch502]

Haha. I'll have them up before too long. I'll probably take a break here in a bit and post pictures.

 

[Mitch502]

Almost 90 degrees outside! Gets warm quick.

Progress pics!


Nothing big, but painted my hook red...it didn't hold up well. Used the keep to winch/pull a massive tree and it ruined the paint pretty quick.


Smoothed out my CB Antenna mount do it's no longer a deadly weapon...



Screw in my tire...about 4" long, went all the way though...


Got 16.1 MPG on a 2.5 hour trip...I was excited about this...


Prior to moving the a fore mentioned tree, I tried to drive under it...






^^Worst idea I've ever had...just have to keep telling myself that I built it to do this sort of thing...

This is the tree, pictures don't do it justice. It goes for another 20' or so into the trees where you can't see it.




Cracked an unimportant weld on the bumper, probably from winching and having ground the weld too much before i painted it..

 

[Mitch502]

Blew a steering stabilizer also...






This is what you wanna see Scott????

Mocking up/making final cuts...


Pinned together. They don't match as much as I would have liked, but this is what I expected for having less than $30 in fabrics...




Sewn up, but not yet secured to the platform





Before attaching the tent to the platform, I had to get the ladder right. I needed to make sure that it was connected securely to the base, and obviously hinged out to where I can support the cantilevered side. This was my design...

Made a plate for the top rung to help keep the ladder from being damaged from the bolt...




Drilled matching holes in the ladder...I was scared I might hit some of the internal parts, but so far everything seems to be working just fine...


Cut hinges to fit. And yes, those are heavy duty gate hinges as Jeremy pointed out...


Mounted one side to test the hinge/angle/etc


Worked like a charm, so I mounted the second hinge


Ladder and hinges joined...




Bolts are a little long, but I think they will work out fine.


Hinges mounted very securely to the base...


Everything on the topside of the base is carriage bolts, as to not pop an air mattress or poke you in your sleep!


Painted the hinges to make them look better and protect them from the elements a little more. Ignore my terrible looking welds!

 

[Comanche Scott]

Very cool! The tent is coming out great! :beer:

Looks like a pretty epic trip.
You know it's good to find out about welds & stuff, while clearing trail. Good to see it's only an easily repairable crack.
I watched a guy tear the winch right off the front of his vehicle from lack of penetration on the winch plate.
There were a few of us looking at that, looking at each other, then looking at our own rigs... lol
We decided to use two rigs to get him unstuck after that one... :elkgrin:

 

[Mitch502]

Yea, I think I had the winch line at too much of an angle and put stress on that weld. Steering stabilizer blew when I was in a 50degree or so incline and turning alot. Lol. But it held up strong, and I was definitely hard on it.

 

[Mitch502]

Been hard at it for a few more hours. My brother is headed over after work to help me lift it onto the jeep, and then I'll actually get to test it. But here it is! All that is left is to set up the ladder management (has to extend from the bottom up, and right now when you pull it down it extends from the top down.) and bolting it to the crossbars.


Then make a cover for it and go camping!

 

[Mitch502]

Didn't like the black hinges too much, so I painted them silver...



Bought enough velcro to wrap around all the edge, with a little to spare. Stapled the platform side to keep it from pulling off if I ever need to remove the tent, or if I ever put stress on it (or wind etc does)




Here it is folded out, ready to be fitted...


My dad suggest that I round the corner of the plywood base so that it wouldn't rip the tent...a great idea


Thrown over and tucked into place



Stuck to the velcro (it has adhesive back)




I have to wait until it's on the Jeep, but it has 3 rear windows, plus the door is a window. Should make for plenty of air in the warm, and zip up for warmth in the cold. Rainfly will be used also, as soon as I find a way to mount it. I already have the two rainflys from the tents that were used.

 

[profdlp]

Quite an impressive project. You done good!

 

[Mitch502]

Thanks!

Got it mounted on the roof!




3 windows in the rear.



Folded shut

 

[Comanche Scott]

Looking good! More importantly, it looks spacious and comfortable. :beer:

Will you do a cover for it?

 

[Mitch502]

Yea, I was looking for the right kind of material...I'm not sure if I really need it to be all that nice, especially if I might rip it up when wheeling...

 

[Comanche Scott]

Agreed. Something water resistant, and tough would be the criteria I'd go after. Maybe like canvas tarp, with a water proofing spray.
Just for fun, my neighbor and I made oil cloth. Was a fun experiment that worked out pretty well. He uses it on his utility trailer to make a "Conestoga wagon" top when camping.

 

[Mitch502]

Well, my DD has had a dead battery for like a month, and I was too lazy to go buy one...partially because I enjoyed driving the Jeep everyday. When I blew the stabilizer it makes driving the Jeep terrible...so I decided to go get a battery.

I ended up coming home with two batteries somehow.



Rewired the winch to the second battery.


Didn't like the way the fuse block was for the winch because it left a huge metal tab sticking off the battery, ready to be arced somehow. My dad had some large heat shrink, so I put two layers around it. I feel much better about it now.







I'm using this article/thread to set up my dual battery set-up...
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...ke-a-cheap-isolated-dual-battery-setup-for-50


I also thought I should check my air filter. I've had it on the vehicle since probably May or so. Been on there through a combined ~4 days of wheeling. I was shocked...







Gotta get a recharge kit and clean this thing up.

 

[Mitch502]

Well, the Jeep has been slower and slower to start. IT's gotten to the point that I have to prime the fuel lines by turning the key to "on" about 4 times in order for it to (slowly) start. I was about to order a no-name pump-only from Rock Auto since they didn't sell anything name brand (besides a full Bosch unit) for less than $180. I was looking around and the consensus was not to buy anything that wasn't Bosch or OEM.



Caught one post on a forum saying that Amazon sometimes has the best deal. Checked it out, and sure enough they have a "used" Bosch unit for $41. I read the terms of "used" and they claim a damaged box is the cause of the condition. Amazon has a great return policy, so if it smells like gas then I'll make sure to return it. I'll also test it prior to install. Here is the link, there is one more available, and I believe it is the same part for the 4.0L. There is some talk of having to buy new filters as the ones on there are not the proper ones. I'm fine with having to spend ~$60 total for a Bosch unit. I think there is one left...



http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2L77EE7U53NWQ


Also ordered me a Solenoid for my dual battery isolation.
http://www.amazon.com/Cole-Hersee-2...8&qid=1441426910&sr=8-1&keywords=12v+solenoid

They should be here Wed, can't wait!