My Defender 110 build up for South American travels

[ExploringNH]

I'm glad other people like it. :thumbsup: Thanks.

All my suspension bushings are done. When I was under the truck doing them I noticed that the new pitman arm was leaking a little grease out the bottom. It is non-greasable, so I will have to keep an eye on it and I will probably bring a rebuild kit with me just in case.

The passenger side of the truck has been insulated behind the cabinets and just needs a couple of finisher pieces to cover up the gaps. When I was insulating I forgot that I was going to leave the bottom space empty to allow for some breathing room for the fridge. It still has a little room, but I will have to run it and see how it does. If it is a problem, I can pull out the bottom piece of insulation without removing the cabinets. This wasn't by design, I just got lucky. I still have to pull the cabinets on the driver's side and insulate behind those. I am taking a break from that though and doing some other projects today.

The biggest project I started on today is the wiring. I mounted my fuse box, circuit breaker for the inverter and the power inverter itself.

Fuse box mounted:

The circuit breaker is mounted on the outside panel of the battery box, tucked up high. There is limited room in the box when it is filled with two batteries.

The two screws in the bottom of the picture show where the circuit breaker is mounted. I went with a circuit breaker instead of a fuse so that I could turn off power to all the accessories at the battery if I needed to. The circuit breaker is the main feed to the fuse panel. The inverter will also be run directly off of this power and not through the fuse panel.

Both batteries set into place to check fitment.

Inverter mounted. Ignore the random wires running everywhere. It hasn't been wired up yet. The inverter has two 120v plugs and a usb port. I also have three 12v outlets on my dash with another usb port built in. On a roadtrip I always seem to eat up power outlets, especially with two people in the truck. Two cell phones that need charging, a laptop, gps, ipod, fm transmitter, etc, etc.

A further back view of the location of the inverter. I want to cover up the blue sheetmetal with something to make the back look a little more finished, but that is really low on the priority list.

I still have to wire everything and will probably need to run to the store to get a few bits and pieces. I'm hoping that I can get the inverter install finished up today and then finish insulating tomorrow. I have a fair amount of wiring left to do, so that will be my big job for the next several days.

EGT gauge
Tach
Driving lights - front and roof
12v accessory plugs on dash
Inverter

All of the dash stuff should be pretty easy since the main fuse box for the truck is right below it. There are a few unused fuse blocks that I can use.

 

[ExploringNH]

Inverter wiring is done. It turns on and everything works well. I might be able to have the rest of the wiring finished up tomorrow. This is going faster than I had anticipated. Now that the fuse block is in and powered, it should go smoothly. The hardest part will be getting power to the lights on the front of the Defender. I need to find a good way to route it.

No photos of the circuit breaker all wired up, it was too hard to get to. It is wired between the switched side of the master cutoff switch and the hot side of the fuse panel.

Second battery in place, but not hooked up. I need it out of the way to get enough room to work in there. I will need to fabricate a hold-down bar for both batteries, but that won't be much work at all. I am just going to use a piece of flat stock bolted through the floor of the battery box with long bolts.

Mounted and wired the 12v outlets up front. There was a factory ash tray up on the dash. This outlet strip fit perfectly in it's spot. I will probably end up hard-wiring the GPS, so I think 3 plugs will be plenty.

 

[discotdi]

Looking good. Where did you acquire the 12v strip you put in the dash location? Do you remember the brand name, I can Google it.

 

[ExploringNH]

I think I bought it at Walmart. I picked it up in a hurry a year or two ago. It doesn't have any brand name markings.

 

[ExploringNH]

No photos yet, but today I installed the rear ladder to have better access to the roofrack and I also wired up the Rugged Ridge HID driving lights.

For those asking about the lights, I took them out for a quick run tonight. It took me a few tries to get them aimed to where I was happy with them, but once I did, they were great. They throw enough light to make the headlights useless. I haven't tested for flat out distance yet as the roads around here are too hilly and curvy. There isn't a straight stretch of road that is much more than a hundred yards long. So far I am very impressed with them, but I will report back once I have some more road time. They have been mounted on the truck for roughly 1500 miles at this point.

 

[hplp]

No photos yet, but today I installed the rear ladder to have better access to the roofrack and I also wired up the Rugged Ridge HID driving lights.

For those asking about the lights, I took them out for a quick run tonight. It took me a few tries to get them aimed to where I was happy with them, but once I did, they were great. They throw enough light to make the headlights useless. I haven't tested for flat out distance yet as the roads around here are too hilly and curvy. There isn't a straight stretch of road that is much more than a hundred yards long. So far I am very impressed with them, but I will report back once I have some more road time. They have been mounted on the truck for roughly 1500 miles at this point.

Hey thanks for that!

H

 

[ExploringNH]

I haven't done much the past few days but I did get a few things tidied up.

The ladder was installed. I had to drill out the bolts that the ladder bolts to. They attach the rear crossmember to the body and were seized up. There is very little access behind the bolts to get anything in there, so the easiest option was just to drill them out and replace with new stainless hardware.

Then I wired up the HID driving lights. When they are on, I can hardly tell if my headlights are on or off, and the headlights on the Defender aren't bad at all. Being HID, they draw only 35w which is nice for the electrical system on the Defender. I was able to use an un-used fuse in the panel under the dash. This simplified wiring quite a bit.

Today I started on the headliner. I didnt end up using the material I wanted to use. It was too heavy for what I wanted it to do. I went with a lighter weight foam that is used under carpets. It is .5" thick and should do the job just fine. All I am after is something to reduce reflected sound and to dampen any wind noise coming from the roofrack and tent. After it is covered in this foam, I will be putting some sort of fabric over it to make it look nicer. Probably a white color to provide a little reflected light inside the truck.

I really like it when things come together well. The rear panel looks great, even with all the curves and a seam.

All done with foam, now time to choose a fabric.

 

[n_maher]

Just wanted to weigh in and say great work and good luck on your journey.

A fellow NH'er

 

[junkyddog11]

Nice build.
Couple of things to think on.
Those expensive SS fasteners will actually create more electrolysis than regular steel when combined with aluminum. You need to isolate the SS.
Be wary of using open cell foam for insulation as it will wick up condensation like the sponge that it is.

Did you call me about a roll cage last week?

 

[ExploringNH]

Nice build.
Couple of things to think on.
Those expensive SS fasteners will actually create more electrolysis than regular steel when combined with aluminum. You need to isolate the SS.
Be wary of using open cell foam for insulation as it will wick up condensation like the sponge that it is.

Did you call me about a roll cage last week?

Well then. I guess I didn't do my research there. Looks like I have some bolts to replace. I think they are all pretty easy to get to. I think I will be ok leaving everything as-is, but I don't want to risk it. Any hole that was drilled was painted and all the washers have a rubber insulator under them, with the exception of the ladder bolts.

I'll keep an eye on the headliner over the next couple of weeks and replace if necessary. Most factory car headliners use cardboard, open cell foam, or a combo of both, so I wasn't too worried about using it.

It was me that called about the roll cage.

 

[junkyddog11]

Cool. Look forward to seeing you at the shop then. I'm actually laid up right now due to sailing my KTM into the trees and breaking some ribs, so give me a shout before coming down. I live 10 min away from the shop.

You are right about the headliners of most cars........what you used may be fine. Rovers tend to condensate pretty badly which may or may not be an issue. I have a friend who puts carpet padding in his IIA pickup in winter and it helps stop the condensation but eventually succumbs to it.

The stainless fastener thing is a challenge. It's not like I don't use them but taking care that the materials that are *insulating* them don't just hold moisture and create an even bigger issue can be difficult. I get rigs in the shop frequently that have been peppered in SS by the owner..........pretty much have to cut all the bolts out as the nuts are all galled onto the bolts. I've had really good success with using a teflon anti seize paste in the holes and on the threads and under the NYLON washers....wipe off the excess and good to go....and they will come undone again if you'd like. Also get rigs in that have had hardened fasteners replaced with SS which is just stupid (drive shaft bolts !!).

 

[ExploringNH]

Today's update is the start of the finishing of the headliner. I went back and forth on the idea of installing a vapor barrier between the foam and finished material and in the end, I decided against it. I really don't think it is necessary to have.

I started to put up the fabric but I haven't yet come up with a final solution to covering the roof supports. One thought was to sew all the fabric together to make it one semi-seamless piece. Another thought is to use another type of fabric to add some flair to it. The last thought, and the one I am currently leaning towards, is just to leave them bare. It is purely an aesthetic decision. I am laying it out with the supports exposed right now. If I don't like how it looks when finished, I will pull it out and start sewing. Whatever I decide, I will clean up the exposed edges so it looks good. Right now they are just cut ends.

 

[ExploringNH]

Tach is wired. The EGT gauge is wired as well, but I need to drill the exhaust manifold and install the sensor before it will work. I need to find a trim piece somewhere for around the gauges. I am feeling cheap and don't want to pay for a new one.

I probably won't get much more done today. It is too hot to work inside a vehicle. I want to finish my headliner, but it won't happen today.

 

[hplp]

Hey,

Where did you get the EGT gauge from? There really expensive over this side of the water and if possible Id like to find a source of a cheaper one...
H

 

[ExploringNH]

Hey,

Where did you get the EGT gauge from? There really expensive over this side of the water and if possible Id like to find a source of a cheaper one...
H

I bought it from www.egauages.com

1 310-153 2 1/16 250°F-1650°F Pyrometer / EGT Vision Black $124.95 $124.95

Mine has a red needle. There is another part number that has a white needle and the same green backlighting to match stock. I wasn't thinking when I ordered it and I ordered the wrong one. It doesn't bother me enough to change them out.