pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Swamped but thought I would share a few shots from the Mint 400.
Project "Autonomous" F-350
- Thread starter pappawheely
- Start date
Hillbilly Heaven
Explorer
Something about stopping to pickup the missing brake pieces.
rayra
Expedition Leader
Might want to consider trying a bit of field maintenance, if you don't already. We'd often get in that powdery crap on the main surface roads aboard 29 Palms, everything winds up looking like a powdered donut. We'd use the compressed air lines on the 5-tons to blow out filters and ourselves. Maybe blow what you can out of those parts before you make a big drive after a race. Even some canned air would be beneficial if you don't want to unlimber a compressor and air lines. Or with onboard air plumb a handy connector under the hood.
Hillbilly Heaven
Explorer
My two cents and it is not even worth that. I will give you a free cup of coffee or cold beer though. Compressed air and sealed bearings is a bad no no. If the dust has not invaded the bearing, it will after using compressed air to blow off the bearings. Yes compressed air is great for filters and surface dust, but in the area of the bearings it is not advisable. Flush area with dry lube spray should eliminate any bearing worries. I use Break Free CLP (cleaner lubricant protectant) simply because I use it for other purposes than automotive use. It applies wet with a simple spray bottle and when dry leaves a lubricating film. No wet or greasy surface to attract dust and dirt. Becareful not to apply it on drive pulleys as it will cause belt slippage.
I am sure everyone has had or heard the squealing idler pullies. They are squealing because the lubricant, the bearing manufacturer used, has dried. To solve this problem I use a needle oiler or syringe to inject dry lube in the bearing being careful not to damage the seal or dust shield. Spin the idler a few times by hand to distribute the lubricant. No it is not going to last forever but will extend the life of the idler. Till you replace the idler you can just add this step to your oil change regiment.
WD40 or any silicone based lubricants I hate them with a passion. You will not find them in my shop. Dirt attracts to any coated item like a bug to a bug zapper. Yes they do displace water but attract everything else. I have seen it used to dry ignition systems but use too much and the distributor cap will explode. Yes it will seat tires but ether can do the same without a wet film. I often paint miscellaneous parts in my shop. Silicone contaminates wet paint causing surface imperfections.
Ok maybe I need to lay off the coffee for awhile. Sorry I have rambled so long.
I am sure everyone has had or heard the squealing idler pullies. They are squealing because the lubricant, the bearing manufacturer used, has dried. To solve this problem I use a needle oiler or syringe to inject dry lube in the bearing being careful not to damage the seal or dust shield. Spin the idler a few times by hand to distribute the lubricant. No it is not going to last forever but will extend the life of the idler. Till you replace the idler you can just add this step to your oil change regiment.
WD40 or any silicone based lubricants I hate them with a passion. You will not find them in my shop. Dirt attracts to any coated item like a bug to a bug zapper. Yes they do displace water but attract everything else. I have seen it used to dry ignition systems but use too much and the distributor cap will explode. Yes it will seat tires but ether can do the same without a wet film. I often paint miscellaneous parts in my shop. Silicone contaminates wet paint causing surface imperfections.
Ok maybe I need to lay off the coffee for awhile. Sorry I have rambled so long.
rayra
Expedition Leader
Hillbilly, he's talking about dust infiltrating the open architecture of an alternator. Not a place you want to spray anything wet or anything dust will then stick to.
And I'm not talking about jamming a spray nozzle against a bearing seal. Just a couple blasts aimed in the vents of the alternator. Don't know about Ford gear, but the modern GM alternators are really quite open.
If I ever get around to my grill guard / 3" tube bumper, I intend to go old skool and turn it into an air tank. inset ends with schrader valves and air couplings. A small coiled air line and nozzle would make easy work of blowing out air filters etc. Would make a nice solution with a mounted compressor too, hard plumbed.
here's a similar idea for a bumper tank, the idea has been around since at least the middle 80s in off-road magazines.
I've got a ~5gal thin-wall tank that I used for hobby airbrushing for many years, been trying to offload it for many years. Would make a good tank but there's no space in my Suburban I want to surrender to it.
And I'm not talking about jamming a spray nozzle against a bearing seal. Just a couple blasts aimed in the vents of the alternator. Don't know about Ford gear, but the modern GM alternators are really quite open.
If I ever get around to my grill guard / 3" tube bumper, I intend to go old skool and turn it into an air tank. inset ends with schrader valves and air couplings. A small coiled air line and nozzle would make easy work of blowing out air filters etc. Would make a nice solution with a mounted compressor too, hard plumbed.
here's a similar idea for a bumper tank, the idea has been around since at least the middle 80s in off-road magazines.
I've got a ~5gal thin-wall tank that I used for hobby airbrushing for many years, been trying to offload it for many years. Would make a good tank but there's no space in my Suburban I want to surrender to it.
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A friend is selling her 4X4 Kodiak flatbed. Very nice low mileage truck! It would make an awesome platform for a custom build. I would love to buy it but no money in the budget for it.
http://www.race-dezert.com/classifieds/index.php?ct=orcar&md=details&id=92087
I know this is a LOOOONG Shot .... after 2yrs, but is this truck still around? I was sent to your build as a reference on a trailer re-roofing project i'm about to start, got hooked on your build thread and came across this truck.
Still looking for info on this:
http://forum.expeditionportal.com/t...Roof-Replacement-Rubber?p=2261444#post2261444
That was my question ....does it have to be bear material..... I have been use POR15 http://www.por15.com/ and getting from amazon. Works great so far on a few small jobs i have done, but it doesnt look as good as that bumper
.
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Yes, They are something I don't think about very often. I have tire issues because the front end is out of alignment but soon I will be pulling the front axle off and tearing it down to replace the seals. When I say soon, that's a relative term. :sombrero:
She still has the truck, I will find out what her plans are as soon as she is back in the states.
Since I painted my bumper as a test, I left some paint on there to see how it adheres. So far, so good, but no paint or coating supplier will ever recommend you go over a different surface. The BEST method is to apply it to bare metal. If you want it to last for many years, it's worth it to do the best prep job possible. I just got back from the Mint 400 where the bumper took bug hits, got sandblasted (60 mph winds) and it still looks great! The added bonus for me is that I love the color.
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Working on the new and improved battery tray. I coated it in Steel-It. I am really liking the Steel-It coating. Starting to paint everything with it. It looks great, it holds up to abuse, and you can weld on it. The perfect thing when you are building in stages like I am. I am going to do the whole frame.
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
This whole build experience has taught me a lot. The systems involved with being self contained each have their own requirements that you have to learn about. I had some type of electrical failure on my solar charging system, all the breakers were tripped and the batteries dead before I noticed it. I am putting together the new and improved system now. I am going with the CTEK 100 amp offroad kit with the battery sense. I am adding two, 100 watt panels to the 120 watt panel I have for 320 watts total. I have the two Odyssey group 31 agm batteries (100 amp hours each) with room in the tray for 2-4 more if I choose. I like having the CTEK Offroad kit with everything I need in one box and designed to work together. If I had the battery sense on the old system, I would have been alerted on my cellphone that my batteries were getting low and would have discovered the problem before the batteries were dead. In the Offroad kit is a battery monitor that my old system did not have. The old system had voltage meters but no information on amp hours available. The CTEK battery monitor shows voltage, and amp hours left. That's critical. It's good to know that you have fuel pressure, but what matters more is how much is left in the tank. I am blown away by the technology that's available with a few clicks of the mouse.
Hillbilly Heaven
Explorer
I wished they had chosen a better less wasteful technology to measure current draw. Their engineers need to look at what the OEMs did to measure SOC.
pappawheely
Autonomous4X4
Just talked to her, she is using the truck now, not for sale.