Building for Alaska/ TransCanada Adventure

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Alright, hopefully this will revive the thread a little because I have another question:


Does anyone have any experience running wires from the roof rack to the engine bay without drilling holes? .



Get a snorkel and run the wires up through the inside of it. Add a weather-pak type plug for a disconnect to the lights. Clean and out of sight.
 
Very good advice. Unfortunately Im not in the market just now for a snorkel. I do like that though. I think at this point Im just going to get a longer wiring loom and run it just inside of the A-pillar on the drivers side and then go in through the dash. There will definitely be some wiring hanging out, but I dont really see any other clean mounting option outside of drilling holes.

Im on my way home right now, so finally Ill be able to see the truck after all the work thats been done. Pretty excited.
 
You should be able to run the wires under the cowl and up under the raingutter trim piece to the roof. I think someone here has done this before, but I can't find the thread.
 
Yeah I thought I had seen the same thing before but I'm having trouble finding it. Either way, I'll have some good one on one time to hash it out since IM BACK.

Drove the NOMAD for the first time since the engine rebuild and I have to say i THINK it was worth every penny. Definitely more grunt at low RPMs and it runs as smooth as butter. Ill get some pics up in the couple of weeks as a lot of work is going to be put into it.

To-Do List:
Front axle rebuild
Lube change in all the diffs
Hella install
Lift install
other doodads

I'll put as many pics up as necessary, especially for the lighting portion as well as some light pattern pics from on top of the roof rack.
 
Long Promised Pictures of the Updated Build

I have been saying I'd post these pictures for too long now. Here they are, just a few poser shots and some close-ups of what has been added since I have been away.
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Another poser with rack and sliders

Before lift with 285's, MetalTech Sliders, Mule Expedition Rack and Baja Tire Mount.
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Mule Expedition Rack

Close-up of the rack with the Baja Tire Rack. I just drilled 4 holes in one of the cross members to mount the screw down for the tire. My first impressions of the rack are mixed.
I have never had experience with another rack, but at first this one seemed loud between 45 and 60 MPH. I hardly notice now.
One problem I do have is the tire teetering back and forth between the cross members when I go across bumps, causing it to bounce a bit back and forth. I thought I had lost the tire the first time this happened it was so loud. Definitely going to save mounting up there for necessity in the future!
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MetalTech Sliders

I love these and I put them to use just last weekend on Metberry Gulch Trail while on the way to fish along the Platte River. They are extremely solid and I love the clean lines. Now I just need more lift so I don't continue to drag myself over everything!
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Tune in next week: The heavies, ARB Compressor, and Hellas go on!
 
Looking good dude, very nice!

Forgive the dumb question but if you're staying with 285s, why the need to mount the tire on the rack? Will this be a second spare tire? Sorry, if this has been covered already.
 
Thanks for the kind words. As for the mounting question, it's lost somewhere in the rhetoric from past posts. I will in fact be taking two spares with me. The tire is already off the rack for now after getting used to how its going to feel on a long-term basis. For the trip I'll have one on top and the other on bottom.
 
I had read some threads about wiring and installation before attempting myself to install the lights. Well, like others I had some difficulty in matching wires to their corresponding attachment points in the vehicle because the Germans don't believe in the power of idiots to not be able to figure something as simple as wiring diagram, so I ended up just having it done at my shop...Tsk Tsk I know.

The first picture is of the two different wiring harnesses you can end up with with the light bucket itself. The separate one I purchased from Sierra Expeditions, and it is much more tidy than the set that comes supplied with the kit. Feel free to PM me if you need more pictures or have questions.
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Hella 4000

Here are some poser pics. Note how close the lights are to the grill. All in all, for just eye-balling it I think it turned out alright.
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Skateboard Tape

I went to a skateboard shop and got some skateboard tape following some advice given on here earlier to increase grip. Not bad for 6 bucks.
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Well my car still gets use back and forth to airports so needs to be easy......ish for people to climb into the car. I want a nice set of tubular sliders but was worried about people slipping ect, brilliant idea so now I have no excuse not to get them.................except I have to save some money!!

regards

Dave
 
Yes but you have one thing I will envy for much time to come...a diesel power plant.

As a side note, while I was at The Cruiser Company polishing up some of my mistakes (wiring), Bobby showed me his new project...FJ40 with a Cummins 4 Cyl. TurboDiesel. I was drooling on myself as he showed me it's ins and outs. My wife has been warned- 200K miles from now comes the new power plant...and it'll be a diesel.
 
By the way, a quick note on the skateboard tape: Although it does grip wonderfully, tried it out in the rain the other day, it is ROUGH. Already scraped my calves multiple times getting in and out. Not a big deal and easily avoidable, but a little gripe nonetheless. Really that's the only negative I have to report on them.

I'll get some pics of the Hellas lighting pattern as soon as I find a dark enough road to do it on. They are BRIGHT.
 
By the way, a quick note on the skateboard tape: Although it does grip wonderfully, tried it out in the rain the other day, it is ROUGH. Already s****ed my calves multiple times getting in and out. Not a big deal and easily avoidable, but a little gripe nonetheless. Really that's the only negative I have to report on them.

I've used industrial stair tread tape. It has the same scraping issue. What you may consider is having it only across the top most part of the curve of the pipe. That way more of the side of the pipe is able to be brushed against without sanding action. I did a bunch of repositioning of anti-slip tapes to at least 1/2" in from the sides of step areas on equipment. I originally had them out to the edges and that caused the shin scraping you found.

What I really like about the industrial stair tread tape is it can be put on moderately sloped surfaces. They then can be used to climb up onto the equipment.
 
I had that in mind whenever I was putting it on because it became immediately obvious it wouldn't take much to take off some meat. I only made it an inch and a half wide and for the most part it is slim enough to miss after some getting used to. Washing the roof on the Nomad today was much safer feeling with the added grip.
 

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