Beginnings of Another 80 Expedition Rack

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davegonz said:
Have you thought about pivoting the lights on a bar instead of the light covers? Might help with air flow/noise...just thinking..
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That's a really good idea; when I first looked at the covers I thought they might get bent due to high airflow if the wind caught them just right (wrong). You could also set up the actuator so that the angle was adjustable from the cabin.
 
there is a plastic called mylar that you can use to make the stencils you can print on it but it takes a while to dry, and sometimes dosent come out. then just cut it with a hobby knife
 
Love the fab work... excellent stuff!

Question, how fast does the guard flip up? I can see a big blop of pebble filled mud being pressed into the lens...
 
[FONT=&quot][/FONT] Thanks for all the stencil ideas and other comments.


Originall posted by wussypup
Awesome!

How are you planning on routing the air and power?

-Steve
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Thanks. Actually I already have air and power on my old rack. The existing power comes up through the PS A pillar and also through a hole in the PS rear roof. The wires are fairly large to power the compressor which is in an aluminum box. The compressor runs to two six gallon tanks, also on the rack. The two tanks I plan on replacing with one 9 gallon tank. The old rack had three Hella 4000’s on it, so I might have to increase the wire size for the additional two lights.
As far as the air lines go, I can just run them from the tank to the cylinder control valve. BTW, the default position for the cylinder control valve is to keep the cylinders and covers closed. With regard to that, I drilled, counter bored, and tapped some rubber bump stops into the upright supports. (see picture)

Originally posted by bjowett
Love the fab work... excellent stuff!

Question, how fast does the guard flip up? I can see a big blop of pebble filled mud being pressed into the lens...
Click to expand...

Good point. Right now I have the cylinder speed set to about one second. I have a 2 position, 4 way, 5 port 12v solenoid valve to control cylinder operation. To control cylinder speed for testing, I am temporarily using a flow control valve as seen in one of the pictures. If I would go with air cylinders, I would change that to adjustable control valve mufflers for simplicity.

That’s one of the little drawbacks with electric actuators. The speed would slow down for sure. To get a fairly powerful one or two, it would operate at about 4 tenths inch per second IIRC. With a 4 inch throw, it would take approx. 8 seconds to full open and close. Not that I’m in a hurry.
The reason I considered this mod was I had to climb up on the rack in the slush, mud, snow, and bugs, just to get the covers off to use the lights. Wimping out and trying to keep from having to wash my clothes in some puddle I came up with this idea.




Mot, I bet you have some lights that would look much better up there. :D



Oh, it just occurred to me for those that have never run lights up top. With my old setup I had to make a plastic visor kind of thing on the bottom to keep the lights from shining down and lighting up inside the dash. It was really bothersome because of their position on the rack. Thats why I made the covers flip down and not flip up, to block some of the light.


Bill
Vibration-Dampers.webp
 
Photoman said:
Actually I already have air and power on my old rack. The existing power comes up through the PS A pillar and also through a hole in the PS rear roof. The wires are fairly large to power the compressor which is in an aluminum box. The compressor runs to two six gallon tanks, also on the rack. The two tanks I plan on replacing with one 9 gallon tank. The old rack had three Hella 4000’s on it, so I might have to increase the wire size for the additional two lights.
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Bill, do you have photos or a writeup about how your brought power up to your rack. I need some inspiration for a waterproof, multi-wire connector to come through the roof. I don't want the rack on full time, and want a tidy, waterproof connection for driving lights and work lights.

Thanks, -Steve
 
Originally posted by tucker74
Amazing as usual ... you can get vinyl cut from a jpeg pretty cheaply from any sign shop, just paint the covers black and use white vinyl for the decal ;)

Tucker
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That way I could scale it to the exact size of the covers. Thanks!


Originally posted by wussyPup
Bill, do you have photos or a writeup about how your brought power up to your rack. I need some inspiration for a waterproof, multi-wire connector to come through the roof. I don't want the rack on full time, and want a tidy, waterproof connection for driving lights and work lights.

Thanks, -Steve
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Sorry no writeup. The front was pretty rough. There were several layers of metal in the corner to get through from the inside. I had to do it from the inside since the rack was on which was why it was so difficult. Basically used some wrap on the wires and I think some liquid rubber tape, and ran them through a rubber grommet so fairly crude but it never leaked.
The back I just drilled through, installed a rubber grommet, and used some of that thick calking kind of putty. Sorry I can’t remember the name. We used to call it electrical dum dum, which was the local technical term. I wrapped it on each wire, squeezed them together, and put some around the outside. Not the best looking or the most tidy but again it never leaked.

I guess it would depend on the size of the connector in the front if it would fit. Since I ran fairly heavy wires directly to the compressor I did not want a connector in the circuit. HTH

Bill
Wiring front.webp
Wiring rear.webp
 
Originally posted by Walking Eagle
What kind of valve set up are you going to use to control the cylinder?
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I use a 12 volt solenoid valve. It is the black and gray thing behind the second light in the second picture. When it gets switched on (power) it opens the cylinders. So the only time the solenoid has power is when the covers are open. When it gets switched off or loses power the cylinders and covers close. The speed that the cylinders operate is controlled by adjustable mufflers on the valve. So a simple switch, on=open cylinders, off=close cylinders. A little more info on the valve was in post 26. I can easily wire this through the relay that turns the lights on. That way any time the lights turn on, the solenoid would be powered, and the covers would open. I considered adding a micro switch so that the covers would have to be fully open before the lights turned on, but the covers open so quick it is not necessary and is just something else that could go wrong.

Bill
 
DOY!

Photoman said:
I have a 2 position, 4 way, 5 port 12v solenoid valve to control cylinder operation.
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Guess I should have read that....

There are two solenoids on that valve right? One controls out, one in. Is one solenoid normally open and the other normally closed? What I'm after, is you only have one wire feeding power to both solenoids on the valve right?
 
Originally posted by Walking Eagle
There are two solenoids on that valve right? One controls out, one in. Is one solenoid normally open and the other normally closed? What I'm after, is you only have one wire feeding power to both solenoids on the valve right?
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No, just one solenoid on the valve and only one valve needed. The default with no 12v power (switch off) is air always to the close side of the cylinder. With the solenoid activated with 12v power (switch on), air switches to the open cylinder port (extend cylinder). There only has to be two wires to the solenoid + and – to operate the cylinders. When I say cylinders, both open ports and close ports are teed together so they act as one cylinder.
Another explaination is when the solenoid is powered with 12v, it pushes a spring to allow air to open the cylinder. When power is off the spring returns, so air goes back to the close side of the cylinder.
Generally, on a 2 solenoid valve to open or close the cylinder one of the 2 solenoids must be powered.
Picture to help with parts identifications. HTH

Bill

Solenoid-Valve-Example.webp
 
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Dammit Bill!


Now I want adjustable mufflers.
 
Lol, well then, do you will want me to include the optional adjustable muffler bearings too.

Bill
 
Only if they are greaseable.
 
As usual my terminology is not the best. They are really called speed control exhaust mufflers that work with an adjusting screw. Hmmm.

Bill
 
Thanks Bill. I thought it looked like a double solenoid in the first picture. Singe certainly makes more sense. Makes more sense for what I'm wanting to do too.
 
Wonderful project! How about adding a circle of weatherstripping so when the covers are up, the lamps are protected from dust and dirt?

DougM
 
Don't give him any more ideas Doug. It's going to take him at least a year as it stands to put it all back togther so it can burn gas again.....:D
 
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