Builds Cayman Islands FZJ80 DIY build-up

[mmajsw]

I had a decision to make regarding the OBA. Go with a high pressure switch 120psi on/150psi off or use a lower pressure 85psi on/105psi off.
With the 85/105 - I can just run lines. The future ARB lockers will run at 85/105 whereas the 120/150 will require the use of a regulator to drop the pressure.
With a regulator, I would have to run at least two lines the length of the truck - compressor to tank (with regulator placed somewhere along that line), then regulator to both front and back of the truck to the couplers.
Without the regulator, one line runs from the compressor to the front coupler, to the tank and from the tank to the rear coupler. Sounds easier to me. Hmmmm......anyone want to buy a spare regulator?
In the end, I decided with 4 or 8 gallons of air in the tank, a compressor that is capable of producing 4 cfm @90 psi, I should be fine for airing up tires and using air tools. Plus, it simplifies the system.
I will end up using a very small in-line regulator for the air horns but that will be an easy matter to be addressed later.
The other problem I faced is that there are no NPT bulkhead fittings to be found on this island. And none of the stores knew what I was talking about. It looks like its time to get creative in the coupler mounting!
The other issue was where to mount the air/oil separator? And was it necessary since I did the oil modification to the compressor (blocking the small oil passage under the pulley with a 10/32 setscrew. My only option at the moment is to run the system without the filter as most sites I visit say that the oil passage screw solves the oil problem. Again, simplicity wins for me. I will look for a potential location for the oil separator and make it easy to add it if needed.
Today's job was to mount the couplers to the body and come up with a DIY bulkhead fitting.

First was to locate a 1/4 to 3/8 adapter and a 1/4 pipe to 3/8 hose 90° adapter. I could not get this to work with a straight through pipe/hose fitting so decided to put the 90° to work. I also happened to have a 1/4 pipe tap that came in useful.

Cut the hex portion off the adapter and file the cut end flat. Use the tap to enlarge the diameter until it can freely screw unto the 1/4 male pipe and you end up with this.

I tightened the threaded portion into the body of the pipe/hose adapter to get a good hold and obtain the gap I needed.

The next thing was to create a mount which was readily done from a piece of 1/8 x 1.5" flat steel. Bent, holes drilled and do a test fit. Looking good!

Finally, drill mounting holes and test fit to the front bumper. Looks good to me. The 90° adapter allows me to run the air hose without having to create sharp bends.

One down, time to build another for the rear. Then it is file and round the corners, paint and position everything. I will need to find some caps tomorrow to seal dust and water out of the coupling. Progress is slow but promising. More OBA adventures to come.

 

[mmajsw]

After finishing up the front bracket, it was time for final assembly. And the end product looks like this at the front bumper ...

...and like this on the rear swing away.

Both units are on the passenger side and very accessible.

I got thinking about how many items I would like to have use the OBA and decided to create a distribution manifold. The end count was 7 ports (although I could have combined a few of the small volume items into one port if needed - the on/off switch, air horn, pressure gauge and air lockers. I came up with this using locally available parts. The nice thing is that it is expandable if needed. Could not believe the potential uses that are there once you start thinking.

Still playing with mounting places.

 

[mmajsw]

Some of you might feel that I jump around between projects, not really finishing one before moving to another. The biggest problem in this island is finding the parts to finish one project before starting another. It is a little ridiculous when you have to stop because a longer bolt in a specific thread is not available. So I might get so far with one job when I need to get a specific part that is only available overseas. Hence, the job gets stopped for a month or two, until that part can arrive on island. Then the job will continue until I run into another part issue then stop again. So, progress is usually jerky and delayed.

A couple little things were quickly completed.
I had ordered Weathertech mats for the front and mid row seats. They arrived and while they fit perfectly and gave great coverage as advertised, I thought they would have been thicker. But I learned long ago that with plastic, thickness does not always mean better. Now I should be able to control any sand that gets into the vehicle after trips to the beach.

Another item that came in today was Tacoma tow hooks. Thanks to a thread started by fishinfortuna called "Hunting for HD recovery points", along with the link to eBay, I was able to buy 2 sets of these really nice tow hooks.
To my surprise, I found that they were not a direct bolt-in. The holes in the Tacoma hooks were closer together than the factory 80 hooks by about 1/2 of a hole diameter. Either I have slightly different hooks than everyone else or a non-US truck has different bolt hole patterns. Leaning towards different hooks. I placed the new hooks in the milling machine and a couple minutes later, the bolt holes were now matching. Sorry for the blurry shot as both items were hand held in the dying sunlight. The factory 80 hook in on top.

EDIT - Arkansas80 confirmed that he had to drill out the holes in his hooks in the message below

And here they are installed in the front drivers side

... and passenger side

Tomorrow, I will work on installing the rear hooks.

I have been working on an all aluminum roof rack. I am using 1.5" x 1/4" angle aluminum for the perimeter with 1" square x 1/8" thick crosspieces. The first thing was to get the base frame welded together. This is the result.

The overall dimension is 48" wide x 84" long. Corners are 6" x 6" on each straight side with the diagonals being 8.5".
The next step is to mount it on the 1/4" aluminum plate legs that were bent a few weeks ago in post 116. Once that is correctly position, I will continue with building the floor and sides. The little bit of aluminum mesh that is visible in the top right corner is part of a 4'x8' sheet that will be used as the flooring between the crosspieces. More to come.

 

[Arkansas80]

Dang man, your build is awesome. The holes on the Tundra tow hooks are different than the OEM ones. I didn't mention that in my post but I had to drill mine out too. Good job dude, I will definitely be following your build!

 

[mmajsw]

Hi Arkansas80. Thanks for the clarification and the nice comment. The hole spacing issue was not a problem to fix but it was not expected - especially when you are under the truck in the dying daylight trying to figure out what is going on. I have to find a couple pieces of 3/8 plate to drop the rear hooks down a bit as others have done - or heat the big loop up and bend it a bit more. But they are definitely much stronger than the factory 80 hooks and offer more hooking options with the two different loops.

 

[mmajsw]

Worked on the roof rack this weekend. The only thing accomplished was to get the 8 roof drip rack legs measured and installed.
It was a very long case (for the four corners) of measure, cut, fit. Repeat until you get everything position correctly and the angle aluminum outer support to be the same height at the corners as well as centered on the roof. Needless to say, the easiest pieces were the two centers on each side which were essentially straight cuts for the roof drip edge. The 4 corner legs has to compensate for the sloping drip rail yet be flat for the aluminum. But in the end, it all worked out. There is about 6" clearance between the front glass lip and the rear door and the rack in case I decide to add driving lights for the front and flood lights for the rear. I already have side lights that will be added

I started out by placing a couple 1x2's on the roof so that the rack could sit on it and be moved around without scratching the roof up.

Once roughly positioned, it was the tedious fitting process for the legs. Here the two front ones are measured, fitted in and clamped.

And repeat, repeat, repeat until all 8 legs are installed. This is the drivers side but passenger is the same. I decided on 4 legs each side to compensate for using weaker aluminum but I think it might still be overkill. But better than too weak!

When all the positioning and fitting was completed, I drilled two 1/4" diameter holes into each joint to clamp the legs to the angle aluminum.
For now, the bolts will suffice in the short term but I am considering getting the leg joints welded into place. I am using stainless steel bolts for now but do not want to have galvanic corrosion between the two metals down the road. Keeping it all aluminum would be best in my books.
When I create the roof drip clamps and bolt them to the legs, I am planning to drill the holes larger than needed and run nylon bushings and washers between the stainless steel bolts and aluminum plates to reduce the corrosion factor. Apply enough lithium grease and/or LPS 3 corrosion inhibitor and I should be good for a long time. Hope you can understand my Paint sketch.

The next step will be the cross braces for the rack floor. I already have rough cut some 1x1x1/8 square aluminum for it. Currently looking at an 8-10" spacing between the floor with a center support welded between each crosspiece. I also have to come up with some king of design for the front risers that places them on a slant for aerodynamics and a possible future fairing if the noise gets too much. But one step at a time and the floor is next.

 

[mmajsw]

Just before I closed the garage last night, I placed a piece of 1/8" aluminum under the rood drip to see what effect it was having on the door closing and the door seal. Needless to say, there was what I consider major rubbing on the rubber door seal - especially looking at rubber wear over time.
So this afternoon after work, I decided to stop and see what I could find in steel sheet metal that was thinner than the aluminum but strong enough to hold the rack down. I saw some 6" x 24" x 1/16' regular steel and took a couple sheets thinking I would be able to cut some kind of bracket. On the way to the nuts and bolts section, I passed the Simpson construction bracket row and started looking for something that might have been more suitable. After a bit of searching, I found this - a Simpson ICFVL-W ledger connector. It might do the job so I bought a couple to experiment with.

It was a bit wider and longer than I was looking for (7" wide at the base and about 7.25" high) but that was acceptable. The key points for me was it was galvanized (minimal rusting) , mostly pre-bent to a useful shape (saves me doing the bending) and was made from 16 gauge steel (about 1/16" thick - comparable in strength to 1/8 aluminum).

I took it home and measured 1-1/8" from the end and trimmed the short bend off. It was a bit too long but i can trim it again once I have figured everything out. Easier than trying to weld steel on.
The end result was this...

A test fit under the drip rail resulted in much less resistance than the 1/8 aluminum. It needs a bit of precise bending to fit the contours of the drip rail and rack legs but it will work. It is just hanging by friction in the image below. Once the rack goes back on, I will ensure that there is a better fit overall.

Tomorrow, I will go and buy 6 more to create the other mounts. I also need to find some silicone baking sheets to use as spacers between the metals and also between the rack legs and the drip rails. Probably will be found in the cooking section in one of the stores - I hope!

I did some tested to find out what spacing of the square tubing along the bottom of the rack was best for use with the 3/4" x 1/8 aluminum expanded metal mesh that I have. While I do not intend to overload the rack, I do want it to be reasonably strong. My testing showed that a 6.75" tube spacing would allow the mesh to support about 20 lbs. weight with a little more than 1/16" deflection. So, I will need 11 cross members. I know this is extreme but I just might need to go on the roof of the truck for some photography and wanted to plan for that eventuality.

The mesh pattern. Unfortunately, that is all that is available here!

I am also starting to think about what to cover the rack with. I can leave it as plain aluminum or try an aluminum primer and bed liner covering. Still undecided but open to suggestions.

The final bit of info today is that when I went to drive home, I noticed that leaves were entering the reversed hood scoop. We are starting dry season and some trees lose their leaves just before they begin producing fruit. Needless to say, the one I park under is one of those. It was never been an issue before because the leaves that fell on the truck would just blow off when I started to drive off. So, I'll need to get some kind of mesh cut and installed over the opening. Maybe some of the left over aluminum rack mesh could be used?

 

[mmajsw]

Having a bit of time during the week, I decided to concentrate on the front piece of the rack. I wanted to have a 30 degree slope to reduce noise and have a bit of streamlining. It took a bit of 1:1 drawing but finally I was able to come up with a design that allows me to use the 1x1x1/8 tubing on top. After visiting the metal shop, I had to adapt it to 1-1/8 tubing as that was all that was available. The tubing will produce a lot less noise that the 1x1x1/8 angle that was originally planned

The first test piece looks like this

Two test pieces installed on the rack with with the top rail looks like this. I eventually ended up making 4 for the front to allow for a fairing later on if needed.

Unfortunately. this portion has to be welded into place so it all comes apart until then.

I then turned attention to the rack flooring. My calculations called for 9 crosspieces (not counting the first and last piece against the front and rear rails) at a 7.25 spacing. I assembled everything together, trimming and fitting each piece. The end result looks like is this sitting over the expanded metal for the flooring.

The crosspieces are only riveted in for now. I will be paying a trip to my favorite welder this weekend to weld this portion together. Then I will work on the top rail and it's supports. I will also make some light tabs from 2"x 1/4" flat bar. Thinking about 4 in the front, 2 on each side and two in the rear.

 

[mmajsw]

The greater part of today was for cutting the uprights, ensuring all were the same height from the bottom of the radius cut. A lot of cutting. fitting, trimming, etc.

After I was satisfied, it was a a trip to my welder. But at the end of the day, it was worth it. Every joint on that could be found was welded. The result is a very stiff structure.The end is in sight! It is just an optical illusion that the crossbar matches the front uprights.

The next decision is whether I do the top rail in a series of tight curves or if I cut it to mirror the bottom with angles. Hmmmm!

 

[mmajsw]

It has been a few weeks since the last update so here goes.
Been busy with work and life for a while but I finally got to spend some time continuing the work that was previously started.

The check valve for the OBA is in my hand so that can go ahead. Luckily for me. a thread had been started about OBA and I will be re-positioning the air tank from the spare tire location to somewhere along the frame rails closer to the front - if I can find a place for it to fit. Good hints can be found at the "Wits' End York On-Board-Air Schematic and Discussion" thread.

The roof rack was on hold due to material issues but that has be resolved so it is ready to go. I also have a Monstaliner 1 gallon kit in white to use on the roof before installing the rack. It will serve two purposes - reflect heat and protect the roof as I would not be removing the rack for bi-monthly waxing.

I also developed the dreaded metal on metal vibration from idle to about 1200 rpm. Worn engine mounts. I ordered new engine as well as transmission mounts to install in the very near future - probably next weekend.

While waiting on the above, I decided to begin installation of a Tuffy center console that I had managed to pick up in Canada on one of my visits. It was used but in good condition and was the model I wanted (013 Deluxe II) - with the extra space for a radio - for under US$100. The only thing missing was the rear support legs and that was something I could easily fabricate. I was not going to complain.
After perusing the various installations on ih8mud, I decided to follow the path the IronYuppy took. Flush fit front cup holder and slightly reduced protrusion into the rear passenger foot space. I was not too concerned with the ability to fold and tumble the rear seats all the way to the back of the front seats as the rear box limits the longest available length as running over the folded rear seats.

The first thing was to create a 1" spacer 7.25" long for the front mounting point using some of my left over aluminum stock from the roof rack build. Some measuring, a bit of work on the milling machine and you get this -

I made the third cut out for the center bolt when I went to do the final install.
The first thing was a test fit. All looked well.

Homes were measured and drilled for the 3 short 8mm bolts with lock washers.

The next thing was to fit the cup holder and and trim the shifter console using a Dremel and a small blade. I took my time and snuck up on a good fit. The end result was crude but it works.
I then placed the cup holder reversed as recommended by Iron Puppy and drilled two holes in the bottom of the cup holder to secure it to the spacer. I am currently using sheet metal screws but will probably upgrade to rivinuts and the appropriate screw/bolt once I have completed the setting up portion.
The first part is finished and lookslike this. There is still deburring of the plastic and aesthetic things to do but mechanically all is well.
A bit of rubber mat on the bottom keeps small cups and bottles from sliding and raises the flooring above the screw heads. I will be adding some rubber/plastic to the sheet metal at the top of the cup holder too.

I then turned my attention to the console itself.

I still want to run my old dependable Yaesu 9130 2m radio and was hoping it would fit into the radio space on the console but no luck. Too wide, too deep and too long - I lost in all 3 ways. My option was mount it on the outside - on the sloping front or the driver's side behind the parking brake. As there were existing holes in both locations, I decided to mount it on the front sloping front. In that position, I could still operate the radio readily when driving. The quick release was still in my parts box so out it came. It allows the radio to slide up and down to position as needed.
I first checked to see if there was enough space underneath for me to access the connectors and there was. The connectors for the radio - power, antenna and external speaker would be hidden under the cup holder and the radio could be quickly removed and stored elsewhere when not in use.
A couple new holes in the radio mount, some fender washers, nuts and bolts and it was in position. With the radio in place, the cup holders cannot be used. The radio would mainly be used on odd occasions and/or emergencies so this was not a big problem for me.

I just noticed in the picture that the mount was upside down. Will fix that shortly.
The next step is mounting the console in and building the rear legs.

 

[mmajsw]

I screwed the cup holder to the console using three holes in the rear of the holder (formerly the front) and the console. Rivinuts into the console allows simple and easy removal of the cup holder if needed. Everything was screwed together.

The next step was to block the bottom of the radio slot since it would be used for map and book storage for now. A piece of 1/8" Kydex and some 3M body trim tape and that was complete. I also realized that it could be used as storage for my 2m handheld.
Placing the console back into the truck, I leveled it out and measured how high the rear legs would be for it to be level. Got 8-1/2". No problem. Two pieces of 2" x 1/8" angle aluminum and I have legs. A short piece of 1" x 1/8" angle aluminum make a cross brace that can be bolted to the bottom of the console. Add a few nuts and bolts and the rear support is completed.

Then to secure the rear of the console is case of any accident or rollover, it does not become a projectile.
I intend to also install a small 300 watt inverter under the console and investigate the possibility of adding a storage drawer.

 

[mmajsw]

Well, this weekend was engine mount and transmission mount replacement. The idle to 1200 rpm vibrations had become a lot stronger over the past two weeks.
So, bright and early Sunday morning, I got under the truck to survey the work to be done. Looked simple enough - 10 bolts. 4 for each side of the engine to remove the engine bracket and one on each mount where it bolts to the frame. Got out the required sockets, extensions and ratchet to start with the two mount bolts. After a few seconds of straining, I decided that not all maintenance work can I fight and do myself. I packed up the tools and took the truck to the mechanic so that he could do the replacement this morning. Cost a few bucks but it was a whole lot easier.

I then decided to work on a small project that was hanging around and needed a little bit more effort to finish - a 60 series tilt gauge / altitude meter. I had bought it to install and had been slowly shaping the bottom to fit the Cruiser's dash, but it seemed to take forever - fitting .cutting, filing and then repeat for umpteen times. I decided there had to be a better way. This is what I came up with. Sorry for no pick but the method is very straightforward.

I traced the outline of the mangled bottom of the gauge onto some 1/8" Kydex. Leaving an extra 1/8" all around my trace line, I cut the shape out. This was then heated with a paint stripper gun till it was soft and pliable and placed in the position I wanted to mount the gauge on the truck dashboard to harden. One it had cooled off, I took the now formed shape and mounted it to the old gauge. It allowed me to make my trimming and cutting faster and more accurately as I had a shape I could rotate as needed.

Once I had gotten the base / gauge fit as best as I could, I then secured the two together using some automotive Goop adhesive. Additional filing and shaping was needed until I got a fairly good fit.

The view on the worktable was this. Plastic covering was previously painted to match dash color.

And test fit on the dash in its final position

All that is left to do is continue building up the space between the gauge/ base with Goop. Then clean-up the edges with some fine grit sandpaper, paint the bottom to match the dash and then secure using two sided tape. No electrical wires were run to allow use of the internal light but that can be added later if needed.

 

[mmajsw]

My welding guy has gone on a long vacation so I cannot finish the roof rack, But there are other projects to keep one busy.
Over the past month, I have been playing with gauge placement. I have 5 gauges I would like to install - air pressure, oil pressure and temp, trans temp and vacuum. They are all standard 2" gauges from Glowshift. I have tried different locations and was resigned that the most I could place in any one area was three. Tested locations were the cubbyhole below the radio, dropping the radio and placing the gauges above it, on the center shift console, and I even made a test overhead console to see how that would work.
The only problem is that they are not readily visible. After doing some online searching, I ran across dash top consoles. It sounded like a solution to my concerns so I made a foam board strip to see how it would work. Would it block my view out the front?

The result was this after some course measuring and trimming, taken at my eye level. The hood is readily visible and no real obstructions to my field of view. Further trimming ensure that the template was a good fit. Minimum height of the template in the center of the dash is 2.5". The available depth behind the template is between 5 and 6", enough to cover up the back of the gauges. Wiring will run through the driver's A pillar to the various connections.

I took the template back to the bench and laid out all the gauges and switches I think I would need, including the altimeter/tilt meter. Forgive the bad image done in Photoshop but you get the idea.

There is space for 4 switches on the left or an inside/outside temp gauge and two switches. From left to right, the gauges are air pressure, oil pressure and temperature, transmission temperature, vacuum, alt/tilt gauge and 5 switches to control future roof rack lights. Over the next week, I will fix the dash top corners and work on making a template for the rear. I will have to ensure that the window defrost vents are not blocked.

One other minor item was to put some aluminum window screen in opening of the reversed hood scoop. I found that leaves got sucked into the opening when I first started the truck. It is currently just held in by friction but once I check that the air flow is not hampered by the small screen, I will do a more permanent installation. A stiffer bit of screen would allow a smoother screen surface.

 

[mmajsw]

My aluminum welding guy is back on island (or so I've been told), so it is time to make the final preparations for the roof rack. The job is to apply Monstaliner to the roof so I do not have to wax it once the rack is on. I chose white in my case, partially to have a more reflective roof in the tropical heat.
After reading the instructions, it seemed fairly straightforward to do. So, being the guy who has problems painting anything, I began.
The first thing was to unpack the box. And I was impressed. Everything one needs is in there - including drill powered mixer, tape and gloves.

Following instructions, I washed the roof the night before and wiped it down with MEK. This morning, I did the scuffing and followed it with cleaning with air and followed by more wiping down with MEK. So far, so good.
I then mixed everything together and began to paint the roof. I initially thought that something was wrong because I could not get the liner to fully cover the existing paint as I expected on the first pass. But I carried on until I was finished the first coat.
It looked like this and I was concerned that I was doing something wrong.

A detailed view

The liner was sticking but no amount of loading up the roller would get it cover the paint in the first go.
While the first coat was drying, I asked on ih8mud for advice. The responses can be at the "Emergency - Monstaliner application question" in this forum. The majority of the responses was to load the roller with more liner. Well, I only used about 1/4 gallon on the first layer

I went back to see how the liner was drying and found that it was dry enough to accept the second coat after about 40 minutes. I have to say that the second coat went on much thicker than the first and gave me the coverage that I was looking for. It took about 3/5 of the can to do the second coat.
The result is below. It was also dry to the touch in about 45 minutes.

I peeled off the tape and left it to cure. Thankfully, it was a very cloudy day so there was no sunlight to dry thing out prematurely. A little rough in a couple spots but I am happy. The rack will cover most of it and if anyone complains, they can redo it for me.
I did get a fruit fly and a small other type of fly embedded in the liner. They are now covered over and preserved for posterity!

After a couple days, I will clean the edges up. It should be simple with a razor blade as it is on unscuffed, chrome trim surfaces.

 

[mmajsw]

Finally met up with my welder and finished up the roof rack a couple weekends ago. It took longer than expected because no matter how much marking of individual pieces I did with numbering and match marks, things would not go together as well as it did at home. But with the help of a chop saw, some clamps and a grinder, it all came back together.
In the pics, the rack is mounted on my homemade 2'x4'x6' trailer. It looked good on there and got me thinking that when I build an expedition trailer, a similar rack might be useful.

The one thing that he did that I did not expect was to weld the mesh flooring to the cross rails approx. every 6". I made a big difference in how solid it felt.

Of course, there is a lot of grinding to do to dress-up up the welds. But, I am tacking a piece every evening (weather permitting) and things are progressing.

From the welder

A poor pic of the after grinding. I am not going for a super smooth merging and finish. Just something practical.

We discussed powder coating and other finishes but he suggested to just clean it up and use it. He said an aluminum polish when it gets dull and dingy might help but to really just let the natural oxide coating do its thing. It would be very difficult to polish the mesh!
He makes canopy supports for boats and said it is not worth the cost. Plus, power coating this will be about $1K+ in Cayman. That can get me a rear locker or new tires!
The best thing to do is to keep salt water and salt spray off the rack through regular washing when I normally do the truck.

 

[baldilocks]

Finally met up with my welder and finished up the roof rack a couple weekends ago. It took longer than expected because no matter how much marking of individual pieces I did with numbering and match marks, things would not go together as well as it did at home. But with the help of a chop saw, some clamps and a grinder, it all came back together.
In the pics, the rack is mounted on my homemade 2'x4'x6' trailer. It looked good on there and got me thinking that when I build an expedition trailer, a similar rack might be useful.

The one thing that he did that I did not expect was to weld the mesh flooring to the cross rails approx. every 6". I made a big difference in how solid it felt.

View attachment 1285591

Of course, there is a lot of grinding to do to dress-up up the welds. But, I am tacking a piece every evening (weather permitting) and things are progressing.

From the welder

View attachment 1285593

A poor pic of the after grinding. I am not going for a super smooth merging and finish. Just something practical.

View attachment 1285594

We discussed powder coating and other finishes but he suggested to just clean it up and use it. He said an aluminum polish when it gets dull and dingy might help but to really just let the natural oxide coating do its thing. It would be very difficult to polish the mesh!
He makes canopy supports for boats and said it is not worth the cost. Plus, power coating this will be about $1K+ in Cayman. That can get me a rear locker or new tires!
The best thing to is is to keep salt water off the rack through regular washing when I normally do the truck.

Nice write up but I can't view the photos.

 

[mmajsw]

A little side project that I did over the past month was an oil catch can. I got a cheap 0.5 liter model liter from eBay after I read this write-up $20 eBay catch can made better for around $30. The only things I changed in his instructions was to drill more holes in the copper tubing for air flow and use two pieces of aluminum screen as the top retaining screen.
The instructions were well written in step by step fashion.
My end result looks just like his. Just have to find a suitable mounting space with easy access.
Sorry but no pictures as this was built in a very random manner - between other projects.

Edit - July 20/16 - I got a pic of the finished assembly for the record.

 

[mmajsw]

Nice write up but I can't view the photos.

Are they still invisible? I have re-entered them.

 

[baldilocks]

Are they still invisible? I have re-entered them.

Great pics! Your welder does good work. Would have been less welding if he had a tube bender. Looks like good progress nonetheless.

 

[mmajsw]

Well, the final touches were made to the roof rack so that it can be placed on the roof. Once it is up there, I will position the drip rail clamps and drill holes for final assembly..

With all outside and inside welds that could touch items when the rack is in use filed and sanded smooth, I positioned a couple water cans to see how the clamping would work. I then realized that I would need holes in the mesh to access the cross rails for a secure clamping.
This led to cutting 12 diamond shaped holes in the mesh. It did not take long to do the rough cuts but the filing down of the mesh edges took some time with a hand file. But if one perseveres, one will complete the work.

The end result was this. Three holes 12" apart across the width and 4 rows of holes approx 17" apart along the length. The spacing will allow me to clamp at 12" x 17" intervals. Great for Pelican cases, ammo boxes and water cans. This view looks along the width of one row. I thought about getting the welder guy to spot weld the loose edges but since it is not carrying any weight, I will leave it for now. If needed, can be done later.

I then clamped two 20 liter water containers for testing purposes. They are the same size as the Scepter cans. I tried one can hooked to the cross rails and two cans hooked to the mesh. Needless to say, the cross rail latching was sturdier. Might end up building a light 1/4" plywood can holder if needed. I also installed a front fairing from some scrap 1/16" aluminum plate I had. It is riveted to the front vertical supports - for now.

I also attempted to glue some silicone baking sheet strips to the bottom of the legs where they fit into the roof drip rail. I tried two different adhesives- E9000 and 100% silicone caulking. Both stuck to the aluminum but not to the baking sheet strips. No amount of sanding of the strips would make either glue stick to it. With that failure, I went and purchased 4" of 5/16" fuel hose and had them on in about 5 mins. Much easier that the two overnight drying attempts with the baking sheet.

The next step is to find three assistants to help me lift the rack on to the top of the truck. Final positioning and clamping will take place this weekend.