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Builds Evolution of a Land Cruiser: My 80's build thread (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter jcardona1
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How well do they work?
- Thread starter
- #2,665
Been kind of a lame summer and have been swamped with work and house projects. But I have taken the LC out a bit. Hope to get a few more in before the season is over.
Nice work on Slick Rock
- Thread starter
- #2,667
I needed a temporary solution to add more 12v outlets in the truck so I added a simple adapter under the radio. Once I figure out the auxiliary power situation I plan to redo this all. This was just to give me a spot to add a phone charger, GPS charger and a few miscellaneous low-power items.
So back in 2013 I said this 12v adapter was a temporary solution until I figured out my auxiliary power situation. Well 6.5 years later I finally made up my mind. I was starting to collect more and more broverlander gadgets inside and needed to get it squared away before it got too messy. I should say I have no need for all this crap as this truck is 95% garage queen 5% weekend wheeler but sometimes you just need all this tech to avoid becoming a dinosaur luddite.
What really got the ball rolling was when I picked a pair of Baofeng UV-82HP radios. I used a Uniden CB all these years but lately it seems like everybody's junky radios stopped working and more people are switching to ham. Despite it being a handheld radio I didn't just want it tossing around the center console. So I looked into different ways to mount the radio, which then led me to buy a 12v power adapter so it's not running on the battery. Next thing I know my center console is torn apart and I have the damn Baofeng hooked up to an external antenna.
Okay well here goes...
After a flurry of online orders I had a bunch of parts no real plan on what I was doing. A bunch of crap started to arrive shortly thereafter. The main mounting solutions were the Wits' End ashtray and cubby inserts. These things are slick! All this wouldn't have been possible without these mounting blocks.
First thing I did was work on the external antenna to improve the range of the little handheld. Antenna is a Browning BR-180 and the mount is from Massive Metal Shop.
More gadgets = more power. I tore my center console out and got to work on the electrical. I knew I needed more 12v aux ports and I didn't wanna burn my truck down so I took the time to do it right.
I used a Blue Sea 100a 5-gang busbar. This is connected to the auxiliary fuse panel under the hood so no need for extra fuses here. Also used a Blue Sea grounding bar to keep the wiring clean. The relay you see here is used to energize all the aux 12v ports. The 'trigger' line is tapped into the factory cigarette lighter.
With the wiring in place I got to work on the Blue Sea outlets. I chose to not go with USB outlets and instead used a few USB inserts to give me more flexibility down the road where needed. Added two on the passenger side and two up on the console. The switch you see here is for my HellRoaring dual battery setup.
Now I could start to put this mess back together. Here is the installed Wits' End ashtray thing, such a neat idea. Gives you room for 3 switches and two 1/4-20 mounting points, perfect for a Ram Mount 1" ball. The switches are for my light bar, light pods, and power steering cooler fans & AC condenser fan. My trusty little Uniden 520 CB used to be near the parking brake but I relocated it under my radio.
Here's the rest of the mounting. Up top is the Wits' End cubby insert which has 2 Ram Mounts; one for my little Garmin GPS and another for the phone. The Baofeng is mounted on the ashtray switch plate. The tablet mount at the foreground is a Panavise 75136-597. To mount the Baofeng, I used this sweet little bracket from eBay: Universal Metal Holster Mounting Bracket for Baofeng UV5R & UV82 Handheld Radio | eBay
And further back from the passenger side. Nice thing about all this is I'm not blocking any AC vents and the passenger still has access to the BH3D cupholder.
And the final money shot of the cockpit. I know this is an absurd level of overkill but it all works well together. And while it looks like everything is blocked, I can still reach any button or control I need to behind all the gadgets. The radio is probably the one most blocked but since I'm usually streaming Bluetooth all the time, I can control what I need from my phone.
Oh yeah - the mic you see here is for the Baofeng. The mic for the CB will be kept in the center console until I need it.
No Galaxy s10 no care
Also get a real VHF radio for hard wiring bro. Yaesu 2980 gives you 80 watts of transmit for feeling like a real player with a platinum football field
Also get a real VHF radio for hard wiring bro. Yaesu 2980 gives you 80 watts of transmit for feeling like a real player with a platinum football field
- Thread starter
- #2,669
The S10 is what I took the picture with! Just picked it up a few days ago. I'm sure I'll end up getting a real head unit eventually. Doing this with the Baofeng was mostly an afterthought. If I do another radio it may have to get mounted up on the dash.
I have the cheap handheld also and fine with it. Most of the time it’s used all within 100ft and rarely it’s used for out of sight. Still haven’t had issues at least hear from the repeaters, unless the other side also has the 80w transmit power or the extra power won’t be much good besides one way broadcast.
surfpig
The Anti-Tech
surfpig
The Anti-Tech
They work fine. I could talk with people at loon lake from rubicon springs, no repeater.
Think about how much better they work with FAR MORE POWER
surfpig
The Anti-Tech
Those look familiar!Been kind of a lame summer and have been swamped with work and house projects. But I have taken the LC out a bit. Hope to get a few more in before the season is over.
- Thread starter
- #2,676
What do you know, summer wheeling season is pretty much over again and I hardly used the truck. Seems like the theme lately. I did get one easy trip in with my buddy who's had his rig down for a while (working on the exo and 9.5" front).
Oh I did go to the lake with my brother in law and his bone stock JK. No hate here, those Rubicons are niceeeee.
And did another camping trip with the family this past weekend, no wheeling. Was supposed to do Hell Hole this weekend but I think my brake MC is going out, need to get it replaced ASAP.
I also finally jumped on the GoPro bandwagon and made my first movie. You should watch it because it took me a ton of work to create.
Oh I did go to the lake with my brother in law and his bone stock JK. No hate here, those Rubicons are niceeeee.
And did another camping trip with the family this past weekend, no wheeling. Was supposed to do Hell Hole this weekend but I think my brake MC is going out, need to get it replaced ASAP.
I also finally jumped on the GoPro bandwagon and made my first movie. You should watch it because it took me a ton of work to create.
What do you know, summer wheeling season is pretty much over again and I hardly used the truck. Seems like the theme lately. I did get one easy trip in with my buddy who's had his rig down for a while (working on the exo and 9.5" front).
Oh I did go to the lake with my brother in law and his bone stock JK. No hate here, those Rubicons are niceeeee.
And did another camping trip with the family this past weekend, no wheeling. Was supposed to do Hell Hole this weekend but I think my brake MC is going out, need to get it replaced ASAP.
I also finally jumped on the GoPro bandwagon and made my first movie. You should watch it because it took me a ton of work to create.
That movie looks great!
Is the GoPro mounted on a gimbal? When you turn with the truck, it appears to move on a different axis than the truck so it looks more smooth rather than with the sharp turn of the truck, or is that part of the editing process?
Also, I cannot believe how clear that water is there! That's amazing to me! It's been a lot of years since I've been close enough to a lake that I can see more than 3" below the surface.....
- Thread starter
- #2,678
That movie looks great!
Is the GoPro mounted on a gimbal? When you turn with the truck, it appears to move on a different axis than the truck so it looks more smooth rather than with the sharp turn of the truck, or is that part of the editing process?
Also, I cannot believe how clear that water is there! That's amazing to me! It's been a lot of years since I've been close enough to a lake that I can see more than 3" below the surface.....
Thanks! This was actually just mounted straight onto the tubing of my quarter panel armor, no gimbal. The new Hypersmooth stabilization of the Hero 7 Black is really impressive. I saw a few comparison videos of the Hero 7 + Hypersmooth vs Hero 5-6 + gimbal and the results surprising. I would almost say the Hero 7 looks better than older models on a gimbal.
And you know what say...crystal clear water = freezing cold water.
Great pics & vid Jose
- Thread starter
- #2,680
2 weeks ago few of us local guys hit the Rubicon and it was quite the adventure. To keep this tech related, here is a list of the damage sustained:
- A few broken taillights, dents, scratches, etc. To be expected
- Snapped front brake line (3 link suspension)
- Hub studs sheared on rear axle
- Several blown beads
- And worst was a broken sector shaft on the Slabs that left us dead in the water
We would have been royally screwed with the broken steering box had it not been for the Garmin inReach one of our guys had. This nifty little satellite device allows you to send text messages anywhere in the world. We were able to locate a spare box and luckily found a great group of guys that were willing to pick up the box from east Sacramento and wheel it all the way in. Remember folks, always pay it forward on the trails
24 hours later we were back in business but still had a long way to go. Original plan was to start Friday morning and wheel Loon to Buck. Saturday would be Buck to Springs and a lazy day of hanging out. Then Springs to Tahoma on Sunday. However with the breakage we didn't leave Buck until 9pm Saturday night. Going through Big Sluice in the middle of the night was not something I wanted to do and it was hell of a challenge. Made it to the Springs about 1230am Sunday.
The next morning we left the Springs at about 11am. 3 of us left a bit ahead of the big group and made it to Observation Point in record time, just a little over 45 minutes. Last time I was there it took us about 4hrs due to traffic and breakage. The rest of the group that hung back blew another bead and shreared the hub studs on Cadillac Hill. But eventually we all made it out.
All in all it was an awesome trip with a great group of guys
Hope you guys enjoy the video. The GoPro footage looks awesome in 60FPS on 4K displays
Photo dump
- A few broken taillights, dents, scratches, etc. To be expected
- Snapped front brake line (3 link suspension)
- Hub studs sheared on rear axle
- Several blown beads
- And worst was a broken sector shaft on the Slabs that left us dead in the water
We would have been royally screwed with the broken steering box had it not been for the Garmin inReach one of our guys had. This nifty little satellite device allows you to send text messages anywhere in the world. We were able to locate a spare box and luckily found a great group of guys that were willing to pick up the box from east Sacramento and wheel it all the way in. Remember folks, always pay it forward on the trails
24 hours later we were back in business but still had a long way to go. Original plan was to start Friday morning and wheel Loon to Buck. Saturday would be Buck to Springs and a lazy day of hanging out. Then Springs to Tahoma on Sunday. However with the breakage we didn't leave Buck until 9pm Saturday night. Going through Big Sluice in the middle of the night was not something I wanted to do and it was hell of a challenge. Made it to the Springs about 1230am Sunday.
The next morning we left the Springs at about 11am. 3 of us left a bit ahead of the big group and made it to Observation Point in record time, just a little over 45 minutes. Last time I was there it took us about 4hrs due to traffic and breakage. The rest of the group that hung back blew another bead and shreared the hub studs on Cadillac Hill. But eventually we all made it out.
All in all it was an awesome trip with a great group of guys
Hope you guys enjoy the video. The GoPro footage looks awesome in 60FPS on 4K displays
Photo dump
