The Black Hole

[traveler]

LoL is that the major job you didn't want to give details on til it was done?

 

[gmanpaint]

LoL is that the major job you didn't want to give details on til it was done?

Yup. That's it, the whole shebang.

 

[BKennedy]

Latest Mod.

View attachment 317814

Your not officially an overland equipped rig without one.

OK, you are done. Now I have to figure out where to mount one of those.

 

[410Fortune]

The ebay Ranger bumpers come with a bottle opener cut into the metal. I thought that was pretty neat

 

[gmanpaint]

Funny part about the bottle openers, is nobody brings glass bottles, on camping trips. At least I don't, but just in case someone else does, it's there for them! LOL

 

[BKennedy]

I bring glass, but it usually has scotch whiskey in them. I do bring a few ales out in bottles because I have a friend who is is the facilities manager of a high-end brewery but they usually have corks.

 

[gmanpaint]

Guess we are old enough to glamp, and have some civility while roughing it in the wilderness.

Pretty much what I have been trying to do lately. Still roughing it, but smoothing the edges with some creature comforts. More on that thought coming soon. Stay tuned!

 

[BKennedy]

There is a fine line between roughing it and not. I like to be able to do both. I have the Explorer set up for off road expedition type trips, and a 35' RV that is fully equipped for dry camping for the rest of the time.

 

[gmanpaint]

Anybody following this thread use a rear arb locker?

Thinking about wrapping the air line in split loom, and running it on top of the frame rail to the axle.

My only concern about doing that, is it would make it harder to repair, if it broke on a trail for some reason.

Thoughts?

 

[BKennedy]

The only places they seem to crack of break is at flex points, so keep those as easy to access as possible. I have heard about the air lines failing, but have never seen one fail. I had a ARB on my TTB for ten or so years and it never failed. I had the compressor mounted inside the frame rail, driver side just behind the rear tire and ran the lines in split loom zip tied to the the brake lines.

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks. Pretty much what I was thinking too.

The install manual says to attach to the soft brake line, and makes total sense to keep it out of harm's way there. It will bend/move a lot there, but if it did break there, be easily accessible to patch.

I will follow the axle brake line with it as well. I think there is a 90 degree fitting for the axle tube available too. That will keep the line close to the axle tube, and no bend on it.

 

[CDW6212R]

Are there connections that you can have in the air lines, and are they reliable? If the lines have much length you might want to place a connection on the frame so that part of the line is immovable and secured all the way to the compressor. That would leave the airlines that move shorter and easier to replace if the connection is easy to work on.

 

[gmanpaint]

The line will be one line from compressor to axle tube fitting. Arb has simple push connectors for the hard plastic lines. If a break does happen, they have a dual push in splice connector for a line repair. I imagine one of those would do what your suggesting. But the line will be held solidly in place with zip ties as is.

 

[KurtECV]

You could also run hard line, 1/8 inch or whatever the soft line is. I have a few of they laying around.

Amazon.com : Push-to-Connect Fittings

It would reduce the chance of a line failing due to chaffing. You would be looking at the ones that are threaded on one side and push-connect on the other.

 

[410Fortune]

We have ARB front and rear of my BII and wifes FJ
Two ARB line failures over the years:
one melted on exhaust.......zip tie let loose, line got too close to manifold.
Repaired with a 5mm quick couple dealio (press fittings on both sides)
second the sway bar on the FJ at full droop was actually hitting the line as it comes out of the rear diff....installed a 90 degree turnbuckle on the line, no more issues

Careful routing goes a long way! Check suspension clearances at full stuff and full droop, leave enough slack so you can easily repair line sections as needed.
That blue ARB stuff is pretty tough! Lockers have been working in my BII for almost 20 years....same compressor, same lines, switches, and lockers...I did have the lockers themselves re installed and re sealed a time or two...but that's likely due to poor installation the first time around.

 

[gmanpaint]

Thanks for the link Kurt. I will check them all out.

I understand the exhaust issue!! We had an ARB installed in the FJ, and took it to Moab. We discovered it wasn't working when needed. Compressor came on, built pressure and turned off as it should, but locker wasn't engaging. We found out later that the line fell onto the exhaust, burned it in half, melted the ends perfectly, sealing them up.

Here is a video of us discovering the locker wasn't working, but had no clue as to why yet. This was on the 2013 Explorer Forum meet, and 3 other EF members on this trail day.

 

[410Fortune]

the melted ARB lines was on my wifes FJ cruiser! Funny!!
I re routed the line so even without zip ties its nowhere near the exhaust

Funny it sealed it up!!!!!!!!

 

[BKennedy]

I think everyone might be overthinking this, and this is coming from someone who overthinks everything. Its a ARB air line. More connections means more places for failure. Just run the line from the compressor to the pumpkin along whatever wiring harness or brake lines are convenient while keeping it out of harm's way as much as possible. There should only really be one flex point, which will be between whatever you mount it to on the vehicle and the diff. If you run that along the brake line they will flex together so there is no rub. The only real enemy of ARB lines is hot exhaust.

With my front Elocker, I have the wires, the vent tube and the brake line all zip-tied together up to their respective mounts. Nice and clean.

 

[KurtECV]

No one overthinks things more than me! Ask gman...

 

[gmanpaint]

Heck, I was just asking what you all thought about using split loom for the lines. LMAO