expedition build up of my 1990 pickup.

[roamingaz]

I finished up the shelf, looks pretty good and it is really stable.

I also put on some door holders.

The shelf holds alot of weight no problem and it fits my Pelican 1550

I will probally only use it for my cookstove. Here is my new Brunton vapor stove, it fits really nice and just the right height.

I mostly did wiring today but I was able to get the rack on and test fit the fridge.

Tomarrow I will finish up most of the wiring , I am still waiting for my fridge temp gauge. As soon as I can get it installed then I can wire loom all the wires and get some good wpics of everything.
I will start putting together all my gear and get it ready to load up for my weekend trip.
What part of this forum should I post details on what I carry in the truck like tools and camping stuff?
I also posted a bunch of stuff in the for sale section here, lots of misc. stuff.

 

[Entaran]

Hate to rain on your parade mate but i've noticed it a lot in the US guys buildups...

Firstly, why did you mount your lights so far out they obscure your headlights? The lights directly infront of the radiator serve to protect the thermo fan/radiator from bugs and mud for the TINIEST bit of obstruction they cause to the airflow. (You won't even notice)

Also... why not a full bullbar? Do you enjoy having to replace bonnets and headlight/grille assemblies? Or are the roads up there just not the same as they are over here?

 

[calfj60]

Where did you find those hinges?? or any spec on them...look really usefull

Thanks

 

[fjatheart]

I'm a bit envious! I like this build and how inventive you've been with your bargain buys.

 

[Johnnybaja]

Dude keep it coming awsome thread screw the nay sayers the black looks sweet. making me wish I had solar, you planning to sleep in the back also??

 

[roamingaz]

The hinges are 8" folding hinges from a RV store, they cost about $15, I mounted them upside down so the shelf higes up rather then down only because I wanted the shelf at a lower level.
Here is a pic of the shelf being used, the Pelican case is my camp kitchen, as soon as I get a couple more items shipped in I will post up pics and details of my complete kitchen. I will put another shelf on the other side, I am thinking of using heavy cutting bord material for that shelf.

I'm still trying to work out all the bugs and decide what works and what needs to be done over. I have decided I will build a different control panel that is flatter and longer. Here is the charge controller showing battery condition with the fridge on.

So far I need to do some more testing with the solar panel to get it to work right. It puts out up to 21 volts, average voltage is 17.1 but the charge controller regulates it to a lower voltage, my batteries hold a charge but the fridge drained them to 10.9 volts in a 24 hour period with no solar charging,so I need to figure out my charge rate during direct sunlight vs. useage and decide if these batteries will work or I need a larger battery bank. I am hoping that this 55 watt panel will maintain my battery bank enough during peak daylight hours that they dont drain overnight. I will post up more info as I figure this out.

 

[askeyey]

definitely keep us posted on the solar system...I'm anxious to put one on my rig.

 

[roamingaz]

I have been working out some bugs in my solar system today, turns out my charge controller was defective, I decided to just use a smaller one I already had. I fully charged both Optima batteries and the Engel fridge is cold and full of drinks, so I will start checking solar output tomarrow at daylight and find my usage and decide if I need a larger battery bank, this is my second solar charging system I have built but my last system I used Trojan batteries that had a higher AmpHr. rating. I am also putting together a isolator so my altanator will maintain the batteries while I am driving.
I will post updates tomarrow.

 

[roamingaz]

I'm taking a break from the truck and figured I would post up some info on the solar panel system. So far it is working perfect, the other charge controller was either defective or too much for my system, it was made for up to 150 watts and 30 amps, the current charge controller will handle 75 watts and 7 amps but it is maintaining my batteries so much better then the other.

I started with my Engel 45 fridge cold using 110v power and both Optima yellow top batteries fully charged. As soon as it got daylight the solar panel started charging and I switched the fridge to 12volt power.
mid afternoon and the solar panel output is great, batteries are still fully charged.


Solar panel output , bright sunlight, mid afternoon

this is the charging voltage

And this is the battery voltage

I have turned the fridge all the way up and when it gets dark I will turn it down. I want to see how much drain on the batteries it will have overnight and if the solar panel will be able to recharge them back fast enough to matain proper operating voltage.



another thing I put on is this nifty table from Thule. I think it will work pretty well.

 

[sls019]

Truck looks great. I really like the frontend after you added that winch bumper. The water system is awesome also.

 

[tan-jeep]

Thanks for the posts, I am getting some great ideas!!

 

[roamingaz]

I really am inpressed with how much light the Procomp HID lights put out, definetly worth the $$ but the problem is they are so exspensive and haveing them simply bolted on to the front bumper makes them a very easy target for thieves. Maybe I am just paranoid because a different truck of mine was broke into twice and I had a lot of stuff stolen, anyways I recieved in the mail today my barinuts, they are security nuts for lights.

 

[1tontoy]

Great idea! I've had the same concerns, when you have a $100+ set of lights. This is a nicer solution than a tack weld.

 

[askeyey]

Bump. This is slipping down the list. Updates?

 

[roamingaz]

I had to sit back for a while and decide how I was going to make the truck and camper suit my needs. I considered removing the camper and just making a custom flat bed like this one.

Although very cool and no nonsense built, it is more for a rockcrawler or trail rig. I started this build with the intention of a multi purpose adventure rig and not a rockcrawler. I consider myself a survivalist and I wanted my truck to be self reliant for my adventures. so I went back to the drawing bord and changed a few things on the camper.
I removed the inside tool box thing to gain back half of my truck bed. I then narrowed the shelf and boxed in my water tank. I mounted my power inverter on top of the water tank, power is turned on by a remote switch. My reason for mounting it there is to keep someone from easily stealing it, I had one stolen before.

I installed the 12 volt ports to the left and kept the water fill and shower on the right, I need to wire everything up clean up the wiring.


I also decided to mount my mt bike inside rather then use the hitch mount so the sun will not destroy the seat and tires and less likly to be stolen if not visable. It fits really nice, good thing I have the raised roof.

All closed up and you cant see anything inside.

I will be at the Overland Expo April 24-26 in Prescott, I have registered for the 3 day event and I will be driving this truck on the offroad course as well as living out of it for several days. I am hoping to get alot more done in the next 2 weeks so I can take it on a trial run before my trip to the expo.
Up next for this truck is a Helton hot water exchanger, ARB awning, custom drop down table and onboard air with a tank.
I am saving my pennies to get a onboard welder and I am trying to decide if my roof rack will hold a roof top tent.

 

[the truck doctor]

Great build! The truck looks nice. I do belive you should do a SAS on it for the overall strenght of the drive train.

 

[askeyey]

How big is that water tank? I don't remember if you said before. After your next test run let us know if you feel it's the right size. I've read of some guys going as small as 5 gallons and others going as large as 15.

 

[roamingaz]

The water tank is 16 gallons, I had a 10 gallon tank in my offroad trailer and for extended trips it just wasn't enough. I used a 2 gallon a minute pump, very nice pressure.

 

[stash12]

looks good, i'm envious!

 

[Mo Rocks]

I just read thru all your build posts. Looks like a nice and affordable setup.

Good luck with the rest of the build.

And above all else, ENJOY !!!!