Builds 2008 LX Live Camera Car and Overlanding Build. (2 Viewers)

[SharpeCat]

Hello Mudders! I’d like to borrow those big brains for a second, much appreciated.

I am now accepting ideas on how to extend the air conditioned area to my awning room! This could provide a place to keep us cool, or warm!, While cooking/working outside.

My office could extend into the awning room! Then I’d have like... a “normal“-sized office!

Pic for reference of how the “door” looks in the awning room.

Im thinking leave rear drivers window down and cut the “door” on awning around the window, then add zippers and reinstall the “awning window”, maybe sew it back?

In addition, maybe add magnetic oR Velcro strips around the window to make sure no air escapes through the gap?

What about when I want to open the door? Hmmmm..... Would it be easier to just seal the entire area around the door, so I can open the door freely without reattaching strips, and then just roll down window freely for passing AC?

Thanks in advance!

 

[SharpeCat]

Sorry boys, I smoked one too many joints At my friends last night and ended up getting ahead of myself and writing a ridiculously long and unnecessary post. Sorry to anyone that read that and Thanks for deleting that for me.

Anyways, I returned my friends Honda 2200i last night, and my mom is buying me a generator today!

this guy?

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/champion-power-equipment-2000w-ultralight-portable-inverter-generator-1312443?cm_mmc=organic_feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1312443

 

[SharpeCat]

Just a few kinks left to work out on the remote control camera truck. I went ahead and sent Hollyland An email, so they can tell me why the receiver or transmitter is struggling (after the clip/brief car inspection). I think it had to do with the heat.

I don’t think I’ll be able to make LCDC this year, as I have too many projects I need to work on before I’m ready. Really don’t want to show up on street tires and get carried/be a burden on everyone.

Setting my goal for next year, and if anyone needs a spot for LCDC, Mine is free to anyone who wants it. I just want the t shirt as a reminder for next year. @codyaustin5 if you know of anyone who needs a spot please just give them mine. Thank you for everything you’ve done and I will be watching from a distance this year. Hopefully the people that do make it takes lots of videos and pictures!

 

[SharpeCat]

A couple small updates:

Found a use for one of the handlebar mounts that came in my cheap accessories kit, it’s the perfect webcam mount!

Also, the generator did amazing. It’s quiet, and had no problem keeping ac on full blast for 8 hours plus with no refill. I was surprised when I woke up and it was 1 pm! Went to bed at 3 am/started generator around then. I also realize now that I hadn’t been running the Honda in eco throttle mode, which skewed my perception of how long a gallon lasts. Glad I figured that out with this one!

I also decided to use the second monitor as a way to see the feed when laptop is closed/when driving.

Also added a 4G/LTE router so I have WiFi for all my devices everywhere I go, and with only 1 visible plan for 40 bucks a month (unlimited hotspot) powering everything. It’s stable and fast enough to sustain the stream even at 1080p. This made things feel much more like home!

Also added a second suction cup mount so I can have 2 things (phone/cam, or webcam/action dash cam).

 

[CharlieS]

It might be a good idea to find a place outside the rig for fuel.

 

[SharpeCat]

It might be a good idea to find a place outside the rig for fuel.

That’s a great idea, and with the bike being out of the picture I am trying to decide between roof rack mounted, or do a cargo carrier to replace the bike carrier. Alternatively, I can strap the gas cans, window ac, mount, and generator to the bike carrier; by removing the curved portion.

Thank you for the reminder that I need to consider safety first! Will do it today.

 

[SharpeCat]

Had a productive 2 hours thanks to @CharlieS for the little push, was all I needed!

I did give everything a little shakedown, and considering that I’m not camping too far from here tonight, I didn’t feel the need for a third strap in other direction on the AC unit.

 

[SharpeCat]

Tried magnetic tape and it was too weak, at least the ones from michaels and Lowe’s. Was hoping that would work so I didn’t have to stick strips of Velcro on outside of car.

Before I do I am going to look online for stronger magnetic tape, and wanted to check with you guys again for ideas.

Picture again for reference, and I am trying to seal the area around the 2nd row drivers side door, so that when I open the door from within awning rooM, that all the air conditioned air won’t escape through the gap in between the door and the awning room wall.

 

[radman]

Could you just use some strong neodium magnets on top of the awning fabric onto the rig body?

Strong Neodymium Bar Magnets with Double-Sided Adhesive, Rare-Earth Metal Neodymium Magnet - 60 x 10 x 5 mm, Pack of 12 Amazon product ASIN B07QWMHGHZ

 

[D21FJ60]

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you should name your truck princess

 

[SharpeCat]

you should name your truck princess

Not a bad idea!

I actually planned on sticking a big PND (princess nail distributor) Logo on there when I start adding sponsor decals. After all, they are my biggest sponsor. They bought me the truck and a lot more, and quite frankly I’m not sure if I’d be alive without them. My hopes is that as I build and grow my stream, that I can bring them exposure every time the camera pans across the outside where all my sponsor decals are. Imagine one of those racing trucks full of decals, but instead of big names like ARB and OME, my sponsors are just mostly people/individuals/small communities/businesses.

Ih8mud is also getting a big sticker, only second in size to the PND logo. @grinchy is getting a “small/individual sponsors” sticker, only second in size to the one that says “My Parents”. Thanks for being the first forum member to take a chance on me and to really go the extra mile in trying to help. A bunch of you guys are getting stickers too, which will be embedded within the big Ih8mud decal. I can’t wait to get to designing It! For now I just need to know if grinchy wants “grinchy” in text, or if he wants something like an image of “The Grinch” (who stole Christmas) as his tribute sticker.

Im going to make sure these decals stay with the car for as long as she still runs, and it’s my little way of reminding my viewers that I had a lot of help from a lot of good people.

@radman I have a bunch of smaller length neodymium magnets that are plenty strong (thousands of them). Those are super strong That you linked and if I go that route, I think I need to sew them into a Strip of fabric, so I can just remove an entire strip at once instead of individually removing tons of magnets when it’s time to pack up. It might be the only route that’s strong enough, while still being Easily “detachable”, so I think your idea will get us halfway there. Thanks bud!

 

[D21FJ60]

Is the car in your parents name? If it is and you have the logo on there then they could maybe write it off...
i'm not a tax expert by any means soooo take that with a grain of salt.

 

[SharpeCat]

Is the car in your parents name? If it is and you have the logo on there then they could maybe write it off...
i'm not a tax expert by any means soooo take that with a grain of salt.

Thanks for the kind advice brother.

She is in my name! And we aren’t worried about any tax write offs or anything like that (my mom is even against me getting food stamps), because we have everything we need and figured that others will need the tax dollars more; I agree 100%. We could not be anymore happy with my car situation, knowing that they left me with the best vehicle for my needs. She’s safe, reliable, roomy, looks great, full of comforts, and capable enough to get me just about anywhere I desire to go; and to them that’s all that matters. We have the mud community, largely, to thank for that.

 

[grinchy]

For now I just need to know if grinchy wants “grinchy” in text, or if he wants something like an image of “The Grinch” (who stole Christmas) as his tribute sticker.

A line art mountain works . . . I definitively have not stolen any Christmas's. But really you're far too flattering and shouldn't worry about this at all.

 

[SharpeCat]

A line art mountain works . . . I definitively have not stolen any Christmas's. But really you're far too flattering and shouldn't worry about this at all.

Noted, and Thank you for the input!

There are things I worry about, and things I look forward to/enjoy doing. Please don’t mix up the two! For example, I worry about how I’m going to pay for my Adobe subscription, but I look forward to, and enjoy, what I can do with it. Even then, I don’t really worry because I know when I Really need it, there will always be a way to get it. I don’t worry too much, but I am human so some days it is easier said than done.

Anyways, I have a vision of where I want the LX to be a year from now, and I very much look forward to all the little details along the way.

I also like to give credit where it’s due, and where better than on the LX itself?

It’s like putting a manufacturer’s stamp on it, and after all that hard work of building and fine tuning is done, trust me that I’ll be more than happy to put the final touches/“manufacturer stamp” on it. When the fridge is iceco, the truck is Lexus, tires are Toyos (Undecided), rims are Toyota, mounts from friends, money from Princess (& family & friends), And the list goes on and on and on... as well as The know-how to put it all together coming from Mud... well at this point the Lexus badge Alone can no longer truly credit all the hands involved.

This is where I will be more than happy to step in and do my own “Mod”, and spell it out for people!

 

[SharpeCat]

Ideal parking so that I can plant the poles firmly on the grass on top of curb, and not lose the ceiling clearance from putting all of the awning on top of curb. I really like these spots where I can look one way and see civilization, and look the other way to see the beauty of nature; basically I like to stay on the edge of civilization.

Also it is angled so no roof top swimming pool this morning, and the awning kept the Generator nice and dry while we slept like a baby in the air conditioned car. Today I will go get the magnets and try to setup AC for the awning room! #campingincomfort

Also stepped up our packing up game by making window AC more secure (longer strap) so less need to dismount and strap it to carrier. Had no issues before but am more confident there won’t be any issues now.

Also, anytime fitness is open again so I can now have access to a shower at several thousand locations! Been waiting since March for this!!

 

[SharpeCat]

One of the benefits of being in the Nail Supply industry, unlimited Magnets!! Seriously we have tens of thousands of these because we sell and manufacture the “Cat Eye” Gel Polish, which is a thick Magnetic polish. It used to be my job to help customers learn to use the magnets to manipulate the paint/create different designs with magnets.

I bring this up because I have considered for a long time now to paint The car in a Magnetic Paint, as a way to help bring exposure to Magnetic Gel Polish. The color changes depending on the angle you look at it, And has a really beautiful shine to it.

If ever comes a time when it makes sense to let go of the beautiful stock Silver, then you bet I’m going to be replacing it with something like this. They even make Magnetic and mood colors, so not only does it change colors depending on angle, it also changes colors depending on temperature. It draws a lot of attention though, is why I am considering just a portion of the car, like the hood, rather than all of it. Color of hood can tell you if car is on if I do the Mood Magnetic and not just Magnetic.

It’s going to be one of the many things that make this LX unique, that even the paint on it will serve a purpose of helping to promote the family business. I think I know where the PND logo will go now , and what type of paint I’m going to use for it.

Anyways, this will be more than enough magnets to secure the awning wall to the car/seal in the air conditioned air.

 

[SharpeCat]

Oh, you know... just making sure the spare street tires get to see some use before we go up to some bigger MTs.

And this only solidified my decision to get rid of the wheel locks for good. The 19mm I used to get the last wheel lock off is still stuck on the last wheel lock, and that was the difference between me getting back on the road on my own vs having to wait for someone to bring me a 19mm 12-point socket.

Basically, I was a little reckless and ran into a man-hole that was covered by tall grass. Then I backed out on the flat tire, so that I could plant the factory jack on pavement (this was before I knew someone was coming with a floor jack, the same one I donated earlier this year!). That’s my uncle who I donated an impact driver, floor jack and my Noco Booster to, and really glad I did as he really puts them to good use; He’s a mechanic in his off time. Also, I was able to pop the tire back into shape and threw it in spare location, just took a few bounces.

This made me realize that I don’t want to cheap out too much on the tires, because all it takes is one puncture to really regret it. I’m going to go thick on the off-road tires!

Really glad to be learning this while I am still close to home, and while friends and family are nearby; was barely a setback and I was back on the road in no time!

Anyways, time to relax and enjoy some dinner!

 

[grinchy]

Oh, you know... just making sure the spare street tires get to see some use before we go up to some bigger MTs.

And this only solidified my decision to get rid of the wheel locks for good. The 19mm I used to get the last wheel lock off is still stuck on the last wheel lock, and that was the difference between me getting back on the road on my own vs having to wait for someone to bring me a 19mm 12-point socket.

Basically, I was a little reckless and ran into a man-hole that was covered by tall grass. Then I backed out on the flat tire, so that I could plant the factory jack on pavement (this was before I knew someone was coming with a floor jack, the same one I donated earlier this year!). That’s my uncle who I donated an impact driver, floor jack and my Noco Booster to, and really glad I did as he really puts them to good use; He’s a mechanic in his off time. Also, I was able to pop the tire back into shape and threw it in spare location, just took a few bounces.

This made me realize that I don’t want to cheap out too much on the tires, because all it takes is one puncture to really regret it. I’m going to go thick on the off-road tires!

Really glad to be learning this while I am still close to home, and while friends and family are nearby; was barely a setback and I was back on the road in no time!

Anyways, time to relax and enjoy some dinner!

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Glad you got it sorted. I have lug nuts want me to send you four?

Do you have a plug kit?

 

[SharpeCat]

Glad you got it sorted. I have lug nuts want me to send you four?

Do you have a plug kit?

Oh jeez, Grinchy, I didn’t mean to guilt trip you into thinking you have to work harder to deserve your sponsor sticker!

But since you are sending me your old air compressor anyways, I would love 4 lug nuts so I can get rid of the rest of the locking nuts! I also don’t have a plug kit but I will look into one now. I really appreciate it brother.

Basically everything in the LX, including the LX itself, have been donated to me (mostly my parents, for now!). It’s pretty cool to see this Frankenstein project come together, and every time I look at the “Princess”, I am reminded of just how blessed I am. I am Grateful, to say the least!

So I had a busy weekend, and Tofu (The Remote Controlled Rock Crawling Camera Truck) got some upgrades!

I basically took the old Caldera (donated by Larry) that was missing an axle, and I transplanted the brushless motor, ECU, and Steering Servo onto Tofu. Going to build a roll cage soon... and maybe some beefy tires because Tiger thinks it’s a Squeaky Toy.



Just realized that message was from Friday! Not sure how I missed that lol.