NAS LR3 build with an overseas twist

[Ray_G]

Emirates National Auto Museum (Liwa/Moreeb Pt 3)

On the way home we'd always intended to check this out since I'd heard it was unique, as we pulled up it all came together that this was the giant Series truck's home. I will try to get an album of all the amazing vehicles but the story of it all is worth just pointing toward:
Emirates National Auto Museum

I bet it still leaks oil:


Looks like a trailer from an Austin Powers movie:


Gotta love the MB monster truck at the entrance:


I'll post a link in a follow on edit when I clean up my photobucket album. These two were what I got stuck on the most, I loved the two door RRC and the wife solidified her demand that the next Rover we get is going to be an S1 even if its a basket case.

 

[timmy!!!!!!!]

If you come across a stash of saudi grilles for a D1 grab me one.

 

[Ray_G]

If you come across a stash of saudi grilles for a D1 grab me one.

I have a small list of parts I'm looking to bring back, those are at the top. Actually looked at one on a truck outside my mechanics yesterday but it had a big crack in the plastic. Before I come home I'm going to try to grab some D1 & Dii versions.

 

[Ray_G]

Targets of opportunity and the way ahead as of June 2015

The bulk of the initial build is done, with predominantly small things left on the list for the moment. One of those was to do a hood blackout. I'd tried plasti-dip with poor results that I just peeled back off and thus while wandering around the industrial area yesterday in search of something else I popped into a 3M tint/vinyl place just to see how much they'd charge.

30 min later...

Crappy iphone picture but I'll get some better ones at some point I'm sure. All told its hard to beat professional installation at the labor rates here and it prevents me from either continuing to flail with paint or frustrate myself vinyl.

With all that said looking forward the list of prospective modifications isn't too long:

• Constant 12v socket/usb/voltmeter installed
• rear cargo LED lights (on the upper tailgate) installed
• rear seat covers
• round out recovery gear
• Install D2 tie downs onto front/rear of roof rack to augment Frontrunner's tie downs
• Onboard H2O/Rotopax in either rear cargo and/or on roof rack
• Tuck sliders closer to truck

At some point after return to the U.S. a few other things:

• VHF installed
• frame out rear cargo/storage shelf concept

That said this morning was a great reminder that the LR3 has a vote of her own too as the suspension fault light comes on and the IID tool says it ties back to low pressure in filling; i.e. either the compressor is on its way out (truck has 90k, not out of the realm of possiblity), or the exhaust for it is clogged which makes for a good time to consider the AMK switch over. That said, and a great way to leave this thread, I can't help but wondering if it wouldn't make as much sense to do the coil swap despite how contentious that is. I think what frustrates me the most isn't the robustness of the air suspension, it is the reality that things like a brake switch, a brake light, or a sensor can drop it just as much as a catastrophic failure. Standing at the point of throwing out the $$$ for a repair either way makes me start to weight the pros/cons of what I get (or need) from the EAS compared to just throwing the OME upgraded coils under it and removing that variable while retaining the TC functions. Decisions, decisions.

 

[jerdog53]

I have wanted some rear cargo lights on the upper door, what are your thoughts?

 

[Ray_G]

I have wanted some rear cargo lights on the upper door, what are your thoughts?

Jerry-
Pardon the absurd pic with the wife and friend eating lunch in it, I don't actually have many shots of the upper tailgate open-this is in fact it. This shows the basic thought I had where the white dots are LEDs put on the upper plastic trim piece:

The plastic trim piece there comes on/off fairly easily and it would be simple to route the wiring for some small LED's over to the passenger side rear cargo area where I intend put the switch for the lights as well as a 12v socket/usb/voltmeter setup. The LED's in question are these:

The 12v socket stuff in the background shows the scale, they are pretty small but put out decent light. My D1 has an LED worklight that is bright...like really bright...and I have been chastised by the better half for just how bright it is so for this application I'm going with a softer amount of light to really just enable unloading or working in the area near the tailgate without being overpowering. The LED's are more/less these: Eagle Eye LEDs
I like the idea of nearly flush mount. I don't think I'll get to this project till after I get back from some time CONUS so it will likely be Aug before I dive into that but have the pieces in place already.
r-
Ray

 

[jerdog53]

Thanks Ray!

I was thinking more at the bottom of the upper door so the light would shine on the end of the tail gate / ground.

 

[Ray_G]

Thanks Ray!

I was thinking more at the bottom of the upper door so the light would shine on the end of the tail gate / ground.

Hmmm, I see myself standing around my truck mulling locations more! I will probably try the initial LED setup since I have them on hand and don't want too much light anyway but your idea would be a cool way to cast more light too. Anyway you slice it I think the idea of putting some lights there had merit since the normal work lamp on the roof rack is blocked. More to follow!

 

[jerdog53]

I have a plan and now that I have a little more time I'll have to make this happen.

 

[zelatore]

Thanks Ray!

I was thinking more at the bottom of the upper door so the light would shine on the end of the tail gate / ground.

Something like this?






The LEDs are just some Amazon stuff, nothing fancy. They're mounted in the plastic panel near the 'bottom' so that they shine down on the tailgate when open. Power comes from the stock dome light circuit (I also replaced the dome lights with LEDs in the stock housings) but there is a switch in the tailgate so they can be turned off if not needed. The power wires are run down through the stock rubber cable boots at the top of the hatch which was a bit finicky but nothing too hard.

 

[Ray_G]

Something like this?

The LEDs are just some Amazon stuff, nothing fancy. They're mounted in the plastic panel near the 'bottom' so that they shine down on the tailgate when open. Power comes from the stock dome light circuit (I also replaced the dome lights with LEDs in the stock housings) but there is a switch in the tailgate so they can be turned off if not needed. The power wires are run down through the stock rubber cable boots at the top of the hatch which was a bit finicky but nothing too hard.

Got daylight pics of the lights/switch setup?

 

[jerdog53]

Something like this?

The LEDs are just some Amazon stuff, nothing fancy. They're mounted in the plastic panel near the 'bottom' so that they shine down on the tailgate when open. Power comes from the stock dome light circuit (I also replaced the dome lights with LEDs in the stock housings) but there is a switch in the tailgate so they can be turned off if not needed. The power wires are run down through the stock rubber cable boots at the top of the hatch which was a bit finicky but nothing too hard.

Exactly like that Don!!

Like Ray said lets see it in the day light!

 

[NickH]

Those seat covers look great!

 

[zelatore]

Sorry, I was out last week running the OR back-country discovery route so no interwebz for me. I'm at work now and won't be home until the weekend but I'll try to get some daylight pics later. Nothing special; the LEDs are some simple things I picked up on amazon. The center one is a larger surface mount 'plate' and I don't really love the look of it since it's so big. I was planning to only use it initially but decided since I had the small round ones I'd put them in the outer locations to. I put a small radio shack switch in the same panel on the driver's side and wired them to the stock dome light power. They come on with the dome lights unless the switch is in the off position. Since the dome lights seem to stay on forever that works for me, of if I decide to make them truly independent I've already got an 6 ga power wire run to the back of the rig to run accessories.

 

[Ray_G]

Taking the plunge

So the truck got dropped off this am for some maintenance and because this was starting to happen:

It almost certainly is just the compressor needing a rebuild, most likely to replace the dryer since the humidity & heat here is a killer. That said I dwelled on it all for a long time and went ahead and set in motion the plan to just reduce the truck's variables by taking EAS out of the equation. So this was in the back today as I talked to my mechanic.

Will probably be several days since there was a fair amount of trucks in the shop and with Ramadan still going it slows down things a bit. Will post up reflections and more discussion when I get her back!