New Build: T100 SAR and expedition rig

[climber-420]

So I gotta ask, there is on picture of you showing the roof rack, with the back left window of the camper shell open, and it looks to be some kind of grate materical for the screen? Where, and how did you attach, pictures? I need something like this b/c my dog keeps poking his nose thru my screen on the windows of my camper shell. thanks, keep up the great work!

 

[Arclight]

I used 0.030" thick perforated Aluminum mesh. I chose aluminum mostly because there was a bunch of it in the scrap pile at the metal dealer. Stainless would have also worked just fine. I made cardboard cutouts to fit the window outline, removed all of the sheetmetal screws from the frame, then screwed the mesh in place using those same screws. Some of the holes lined up and went in and a few required drilling.

Here is a pic:



You can get this locally or from McMaster-Carr. Search for "perforated metal."

I like this setup because it adds some security and the dog doesn't mess with it.

Arclight

So I gotta ask, there is on picture of you showing the roof rack, with the back left window of the camper shell open, and it looks to be some kind of grate materical for the screen? Where, and how did you attach, pictures? I need something like this b/c my dog keeps poking his nose thru my screen on the windows of my camper shell. thanks, keep up the great work!

 

[Arclight]

This week I also picked up a portable fridge on Craigslist. It's a Norcold MRFT-615 that came out of an RV. I had to figure out the pinout and make a DC cable, but it works great. I'm not sure if I want this in the back seat or back of the truck yet, but here it is:



In case anyone else has to make a cord for one of these, the pinout is kind of strange. There is a 3-pin AC connector (neutral, ground (center) and hot) and then 3 other pins, which are covered by a sliding window when you have the AC cord plugged in. For DC, you slide the cover to the right, and reuse one of the AC pins (neutral) as negative and then positive goes on the pin next to it. The two pins on the far left have to get shorted together for it to start.

I drilled a 1/2" hole in the case and added a 4-pin molex connector for DC, then put an Anderson Power Pole on it. I've talked about these before, but they are the best connector evah for 12VDC stuff. Check out the Powerwerx site for everything you need.


Arclight

 

[climber-420]

Thanks for the response. Great idea. I'm gonna have to do this soon.

 

[SDDiver5]

Awesome build thus far! Any updates?

I want to do something similar with my shell and the lighting and have power options. Problem is I know nothing about how to properly and safely wire somthing.
I can jerry rig stuff to work but its never very safe. Do you have any detailed pics of how you installed the BlueSea fuse box, where you grounded it and how you
powered everything from it?

I'm also going to look into the San Bernadino SAR. Looks awesome!

Thanks

D

 

[Arclight]

I just got back from a 9 day, 1,800 mile trip through the Eastern Sierra and the Mountain areas of Central NV. I'm happy to report that the new motor performed flawlessly. I built out a new camping setup which I finally got to test.



I built a steel rack that is 18" wide and 20" high. It runs along the right side of the shell, and it lets me put two milk crates with all of my truck/recovery gear on the bottom, as well as our cooking box. The top shelf has all of our gear strapped down with bungee cords and ratchet straps. What I like about this setup is that we can keep most of the bed free for sleeping.

It's attached up front with rivnuts into the fiberglass shell, and at both ends with turnbuckles holding it down to the bed. It also doubles as a table when we're camping. I'm going to take it down for powder coating, and I'll get some close-ups then. I made it out of 3/4" square tubing, and it can disassemble and lie flat if I need to haul something big.

I also worked on the tarp setup a bit, and it came in quite handy when it snowed on us:



Before next trip, I'll probably swap out the 1/2" EMT conduit poles for telescoping Aluminum painters poles and make new bumper clamps. But it worked great!


Arclight

 

[ober27]

Nice set up. How did you clamp poles to the bumper?

 

[Arclight]

Nice set up. How did you clamp poles to the bumper?

I welded a 1" long piece of 1/2" diameter steel tubing to a 4" C-clamp. This works great and is removable. The only downside is if you disconnect the poles at the top. It will put a lot of leverage on the clamp and can bend the screw. I'm thinking about redesigning it so it will just pop off.



Arclight

 

[Arclight]

I've started the build-out of the new Flippac. Check it out here:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/128820-Flippac-build-out

Arclight

 

[Josh_G]

Nice rig and build learned some stuff