The Black Hole

[gmanpaint]

Preventive maintenance, & fuel line repair Mission accomplished.

Getting the Dorman disconnect into the nylon fuel line was a royal PITA, but it's on and works. I used a hose clamp on it for good measure. It is a ton easier to get on/off then the stock disconnect. So it's got that going for it. lol

The new pump is so quiet, I was afraid it wasn't working. I primed it a few times, but never heard it turn on. I was like great, I did something wrong. Cranked the engine, and it fired right up, and stayed running. Got it right the first time? How can this be? That isn't normal for me. lol Man that thing is silent.

I buttoned up the hole in the floor, by using the pc I cut out. I took my time, when cutting it, to keep it in one pc. For a gasket seal, I bought a simple door sweep that has 2' rubber sweep, and removed the rubber strip. Cut it to fit around the perimeter of the cut out, and screwed it on, then used a few flat bars to screw it back in place. Next time I have to get to the pump, remove a few screws, and I have access.

Now some people say going threw the floor to get to the pump is being lazy, and is wrong to cut up your rig. Well, I say phooey to you! I could have dropped the tank after removing the skid, slider, by myself, in my driveway if I wanted too. I have all the tools needed at my disposal,.... at home. Now doing all that on a trail in the middle of the Mojave, or on the side of a 13,000 ft mountain side, miles from nowhere, it's not going to happen easily, or just impossible without help & proper tools. All that downtime, and holding your group up sucks. I now have a trail spare pump, and can change it out anywhere in about 20-30 mins.

Next project is about halfway done already. More details soon!

Oh.....the project after that one, has already started too. Stay tuned!!

 

[CDW6212R]

Excellent, well done. I like a positive news update once in a while. Messing with the plastic fuel lines isn't something you'd want to do again. Once was enough for me, I'll do AN fittings next time.

 

[gmanpaint]

Earning my Username this past week.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

wish the hootus thread was still around lol

 

[RockRanger]

wish the hootus thread was still around lol

It is.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...w-do-i-get-herculiner-off-of-my-hootus.18595/

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes, does that POR 15 come off easily?

BTW, if you don't use the whole can, always seal it up with a plastic layer under the lid. Tear a section off from a plastic bag, and place it over the top before putting the lid back on for storage. That makes it much easier to remove the lid and you often will do a better job of cleaning the lid groove beforehand. Drying material in the groove is what can create an air gap there and dry it out.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

It is.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...w-do-i-get-herculiner-off-of-my-hootus.18595/

and now we wait for part 2

 

[RockRanger]

and now we wait for part 2

I think that will depend on how much he does before he starts.

 

[CDW6212R]

I want to see his fingers at least. I remember the Eastwood rust stuff got hard too, but it came off with brake cleaner as I recall. It was kind of thin too compared to herculiner.

 

[Turdle]

Careful with the lacquer thinner,

 

[gmanpaint]

You guys crack me up! Remember, I am a professional painter by trade. lol Sorry to disappoint, but I had no Hootus like painting mishaps! Haha!

The POR15 chassis paint is a year old, as I bought it last year to paint stuff under the rig for Moab last May. It had plastic under the lid, and stored in the spare fridge all this time. Cold helps the shelf life of it. I wear latex gloves when handling this stuff, and use solvents to clean up with. Acetone for the undercoating & Lacquer thinner for the DTM Topcoat.

The parts I coated with the rust preventive was done early in the week. The rains came and stayed for days, dropping over a foot of precipitation, saturating the ground, and flooding my area badly. I couldn't continue on with the topcoats from the humidity. The undercoat dries to a rock hard nonporous ceramic like surface, and is slick as snot. I had to wait for it to cure out, then scuff with 320, clean, before I could topcoat. The topcoat will continue to cure out and harden for 5-7 days.

I was able to manhandle a large heavy part myself with only one whoops (to the truck) and install it today. More about that later after I finish up some other work today on the rig. Getting it ready for major trips once a year insures this thing gets special treatments, and not only working good, but looking good.

Next trip is in a little over a week, to a new to me destination with a combination of 4 groups from the central/upper Midwest, south central, and east coast, joining to make one big group. EF is but one of the groups attending. These adventures are my driving force to keep at this rig. Seeing new places, meeting new like minded people, and making friendships new or stronger is more a reason then the actual rig itself, if that makes sense to anybody.

New posts coming soon!

 

[Centaurus5.0]

Doing a little rust-proofing, ay?



Can I watch??

 

[gmanpaint]

I got this rear tube bumper for a few bucks and was only supposed to be temporary. It hung around much longer then I ever wanted.

Problem was I am so darn picky on certain things, and have never seen anything I liked for this rig. I wanted a round tube style to match the front, but I liked the plate style as well. I had an idea last fall, to try to add some diamond plate and extend the sides under the body, and bought the materials. Well, life happened, never got to it, and I just tripped & moved those materials around in the garage over the winter. Fast forward to March. I did a mock up on the tube, and quickly found out I wasn't going to be able to add a swingout, as it was just to tight, and not enough room for the spindle. Scratch that idea.

I was on the dreaded FaceBook one day, and reading some posts on a page called "Off Road Explorers". The gentleman that runs that page does some fabricating of his own, and shared his bumper he made. It was exactly what I was trying to accomplish, but only better than what I would have done. I asked about it, and if he would be interested in making one similar for my rig. He is in NM, and I am over 1000 miles away. We knew that without the rig, we would have to do our best working with each other before, during & after the build. He said, what the heck, let's do it. We brainstormed the build & price, sent him a job deposit, and the work began.

TJ sent me progress pics throughout the build, and asked what I thought, and if I wanted to make any changes along the way. Not too many people would take the time to do that, let alone ask for your input. He does custom work, and wants the owner to be happy in every aspect of the build. I felt comfortable, and he earned my trust. We had several exchanges over the period of the build via emails, & phone conversations. When it was completed, now came the daunting issue of shipping such a bulky odd shaped object over a thousand miles away, and not cost a fortune. TJ did his research, and got quotes from various shippers. Some prices were straight up redonkulous, and would cost as much as the build, others still pretty high, but one company shined as the cheapest, and terms was really good. I paid the build balance, and then sent the funds to cover the shipping. I had it home within a week.

Ok, so the main round tube is 2.5"x1/4" wall. The lower tube is 1.5"x1.4". The diamond plate is 1/8". Mounts and hitch tube is all 1/4". We decided it was best to not drill the bolt holes on the mounts on his end, and I would handle that after I got it placed on the frame rails and marked for drilling. Good thing too, as I discovered that not all frames are alike when they have been used and abused for a couple of decades. They bend, twist, etc.. I didn't want slots, and wanted a tight fit, so this worked out best for me. TJ welded in some 3/8" plate gussets at the 2.5" tube bends, and I can install an axle spindle for the swingout tire carrier when I am ready to do that.

Some grinding was done, but I asked TJ not to bother, as I would handle all that after I had it. I wanted to do the prep & paint. I have a guy in my area that has a bad as mobile sand blaster business. He blasts small items all the way to water towers. He made me a deal I couldn't refuse. If I brought it to him where he was working, he would do it while I wait, and only charge me $35. I gave him a Fitty, and a pat on the back. It was so worth it as he was close at the time, and he stopped what he was doing, took care of me on the spot, and I was on my way back home in less then an hour.

I finished some detailed prep-work on it, and gave it two good coats of POR15. This material dries hard, and feels like ceramic when cured. Well, as luck would have it, heavy precipitation hit my area for weeks on end, and had to wait to continue on. Ok, so POR15 rust preventative coating has zero UV protection. it looks amazing when done, with a high gloss that shines like crazy. But.. Put it in direct sunlight, and it will fade, and look like crap in just a few short days. The bumper stayed hung from the garage rafters until I could paint the POR15 topcoats. This material is a Direct To Metal (DTM), and works well all on it's own, but when used together with the base coats, it should give me years of trouble free use. As with all painting projects, the prep work is key to a successful outcome, and longevity. So don't skimp on this part if you decide to do something similar.

If your looking for someone to fabricate you something that you didn't have much luck finding someone to take it on, I would give T&R Fabricating in NM a try. He has a FB page, and responds in a reasonable time. Tell him I sent you, and he will let you know if what you want done, is in his wheel house.

Ok enough blabbing & on with the pics.

Getting sand blasted.

Finished paint & install.

 

[gmanpaint]

While I was in the paint, I decided the sliders have been abused pretty good on the last few outings, and it was time to clean them up. Wire wheel on the grinder, and some scraping was done, then the same POR15 treatment done. I didn't go crazy, and didn't bother with the brackets all the way to the frame rails. I figure I will get to them when I get crazy doing the frame some day in the future.

 

[gmanpaint]

The trip coming up in a week is a couple states over, and this thing is going there & back on it's own power. One of them states is a stickler for road laws, and just love to write up off road rigs for anything they can. So as much as I hated to do this, I figured it was worth it in the long run.

I installed Mudflaps!! (puke!!) I did find a decent powder coated set, that has quick disconnects, and are a stout 3/16" wall tube, and mounts. Changes the looks of the rig drastically. I will remove when wheeling, slap em back on for the trip back home.

 

[gmanpaint]

But wait!! That's not all! lol

The dash was cluttered with camera monitors, and the cell phone window mount. I severely wanted these to go away, and the answer was this:

I installed a 2 din Kenwood 7" touchscreen DVD head unit. What a PITA! I had to re-do both front & rear view cameras to hook up to this thing, a mic, and both amps. I had the kind assistance of Vroomzoomboom for the bezel install, and nicefordf100's help, for running the camera power to this thing. Also have to move the ground on it, as it is giving me a nice hum over the speakers when engine is running. I did have to dig my hand back there, and move the sub amp RCA's to the Rear RCA out. Sub amp wouldn't turn on with it hooked up there. Works now after I swapped connections. Dunno whats up with that.

It will take me forever to figure this thing out, and I doubt I ever will figure it all out. HD radio is a new thing to me in a vehicle too! Gawd I'm old. I still need to hook up the reverse cam wire to the reverse light circuit. Wire is ran, just needs connected. This thing was a tight fit. I can't get the trim ring on it.

 

[CDW6212R]

I love it, ... all but the mud flaps. Super job, that's a good strong bumper. I like the big radio too, I'll need to work on that next Winter I think. Do you have an air tank on board, or a CO2 source? I've always wanted a bumper tank if I did an off road truck, but I never got one. I have an air pump under my 99, and need to finish by adding the two tanks and lines etc.

 

[gmanpaint]

I love it, ... all but the mud flaps. Super job, that's a good strong bumper. I like the big radio too, I'll need to work on that next Winter I think. Do you have an air tank on board, or a CO2 source? I've always wanted a bumper tank if I did an off road truck, but I never got one. I have an air pump under my 99, and need to finish by adding the two tanks and lines etc.

Right now, I have on-board air. It's a 30 amp 50% duty unit hard wired in the back cargo area, with 25' of soft air line, with 1/4" NPT connectors. I did use disconnects on the wires, and can connect battery clamp connectors to it. The pump is on a base that also had quick disconnects to remove it from the rig. The 2nd gen has all that Emission crap on top of a rear cross member. It is in the way of me installing a tank right now. If you do yours, please do a write up on it, so I can learn how to add a tank to mine.

 

[CDW6212R]

I bought a Puma 12v unit long ago, and mounted just the pump on the frame. I plan to place the little 1.5 gallon tank along the side of the frame, and a 3-4 gallon tank will fit on the right side of the frame. I've done the wiring and just didn't get to the lines and the tanks. I didn't decide on air lines to mount that would be reliable under the truck, pricing is high depending on what you look at. I was going to run the outlet line in the RR floor board corner, up through the trim next to the window.

 

[gmanpaint]

That is really cool Don, I like it! They come in handy for a variety of things.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't work on an off road rig. Everything has to be tucked up high under the body in between the frame rails. I would also run a 2nd AGM, and have it under there next to the tank, for the pump.