Build Manglers "Flying Egg" Resto-Build

[Adam from PL]

Well..

As per my usual, this escalated quickly…

Chatting with buddy about my ARB fridge crapping out and he offered me a new fridge he had got in exchange for a bunch of work I did on his boat motor. He was going to put it on patio but his wifey nixed that idea.

Anyway, never heard of this brand or model, so didn’t know what to expect.

Bouge RV Rocky 55 Dual Zone (50qt)

On paper looks epic for the money, $429 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRP84272/?tag=ihco-20

For ME, I am hopeful with this, as this is a DIMENSION thing for me. It’s considerably shorter than the ARB, making getting in and out of it much easier.

Reviews are totally a mixed bag 50/50

My first impressions review after unboxing firing it up:

-Aesthetically its badass and very much looks the part
-Build quality is definitely Amazon chinesium. Durability and longevity questionable right from the get go
-12v plug that’s included is trash, luckily fridge end is identical to ARB plug, so I just used that
-Lid is switchable to open from either side, this is awesome
-Lid seal is weak, and when closed, there is still a little play, this is not awesome
-App is easy to use and set parameters
-Dual zone divider is removable, to make one big fridge or freezer, this awesome and never seen this before
-Only the much larger side can be set to freeze, not the smaller side, this is not awesome and don’t make sense
-Main compartment has the big interior step for the compressor, which on my ARB, is on the freezer so, so you can maximize regular food storage and easy to load basket. This is backwards on this one
-ARB tie down kit fits the handles perfectly, so mounting was a breeze
-latch to open fridge is very cheap and I see this breaking within a year
-Cools down FAST on max mode. Got from 75 to 35 in about 30 mins.
-It has a max mode and an eco mode
-When dual zone divider is removed to use as a single unit, the basket have about 1.5” between them and I’m guessing this will make a racket while off-roading, will brainstorm options
-Even in MAX mode, this thing is QUIET!!! Like, I wasn’t even sure if it was on quiet. It uses an LG compressor, which I can’t find much info on regarding reliability, but at first use, impressed

Basic Gist: I dunno, could be good, could a boat anchor. For $429, it the compressor runs, and it cools for awhile, I’ll modify the seal and come up with a better latching system.

But the dimensions are absolutely perfect for my needs, so I’m hoping I can make this work! So much easier to load and unload than the ARB.

Hopes and prayers

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View attachment 4027192

Hi there!

I've bought my cooler/freezer exactly a year ago. It works great (1 month in Western Africa and 2 weeks in the Balkans - it was on non-stop).

The fridge/freezer combo is impractical as the removable divider does not have the insulation enough to separate compartments with such a big temperature difference When I set the thing to temperatures I use at my home fridge (-18/+7 deg. C) it froze all right, but the temperature in the fridge compartment dropped to 0 deg. C, so to low for drinks or veggies

Hope yours works better though!

 

[Boston Mangler]

Hi there!

I've bought my cooler/freezer exactly a year ago. It works great (1 month in Western Africa and 2 weeks in the Balkans - it was on non-stop).

The fridge/freezer combo is impractical as the removable divider does not have the insulation enough to separate compartments with such a big temperature difference When I set the thing to temperatures I use at my home fridge (-18/+7 deg. C) it froze all right, but the temperature in the fridge compartment dropped to 0 deg. C, so to low for drinks or veggies

Hope yours works better though!

Thanks @Adam from PL appreciate the feedback

I have the opposite issue with this one. I set it to 33F and verified with 2 separate thermometers its actually at 47F after sitting overnight

Amazon and YouTube reviews all share the same opinion the temp settings are close to useless and fluctuate up and down 15-20deg across the boards

If I find the right # that will keep it at a consistent 34deg or so, I’ll be happy. I really have no use for the dual zone feature, so that’s a non issue for me personally

So far, it seems quite a bit more efficient than the ARB, and most definitely A LOT quieter

Time will tell

 

[Boston Mangler]

Back from a great 3 day 2 night trip with the homies

Finally able to say I am happy that this turned out to be exactly what I wanted and needed and suits my needs (minimal) perfectly and performs as expected.

Goal was to build a comfy capable rig that can be camped out of comfortably, quickly, easily, with minimal setup and tear down. #nailedit

Finally got around to weighing it, fully loaded with camping gear, tools, fridge, 5 gallons water, full tank of fuel and 300lbs of chiseled well defined muscle

Was able to keep the weight very reasonable without bolting on all the “Overland Foolishness” and averaged 16.7mpg for the trip and slept like a coma patient

Happy with these numbers, still 400lbs or so under GVWR. Good buffer IMHO.

May add skids later, but I think that’ll be about it weight wise.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Also worth mentioning…

Got my first flat in I dunno how long, 15+ years or so at least.

Was a small jigsaw blade, somehow right through tread in middle of nowheres

Worth noting because, I’ve plugged tons of various tires and the Coopers were much easier to ream and plug than most, too easy honestly.

Usually it’s a little bit of a fight to get the reamer in, ream it and get the plug in. It all went in like butter, so now questioning the durability of the tires altogether….

@dudemancool1904

 

[rlynch356]

Re: The coopers.. I had a set fail after a hard hit on a hidden pothole on the trail while doing 15-20mph or so.. Not exactly fast but it did bottom out the suspension. That was a 285/70-17 which I am assuming you are using given your MPG's.. 285/75 nets in the 12.5-13 range, 35's = 10ish mpg or less.

I did have an issue with my ARB like yours, ARB replaced it (I paid shipping there) that was after after about 2 years of use.. Not sure if that's standard or what but I have always been impressed with calling them and the service I have gotten (that was before I started my company as well)

 

[dudemancool1904]

Damn that blows. But everything else looks great!

 

[mobi-arc]

"300lbs of chiseled well defined muscle"

 

[TeCKis300]

Re: The coopers.. I had a set fail after a hard hit on a hidden pothole on the trail while doing 15-20mph or so.. Not exactly fast but it did bottom out the suspension. That was a 285/70-17 which I am assuming you are using given your MPG's.. 285/75 nets in the 12.5-13 range, 35's = 10ish mpg or less.

I did have an issue with my ARB like yours, ARB replaced it (I paid shipping there) that was after after about 2 years of use.. Not sure if that's standard or what but I have always been impressed with calling them and the service I have gotten (that was before I started my company as well)

View attachment 4062006

That looks like a pinch flat which not many tires will survive gracefully. Need more pressure for the weight and speeds your running. Or run taller profile, wider rubber, and/or R/T tires to better support the loads.

 

[Boston Mangler]

"300lbs of chiseled well defined muscle"

Moderately defined?

 

[gasman4u]

Moderately defined?

Get some HE edition “Land Cruiser” necklace “bling.” You’ll be set!

 

[Boston Mangler]

Get some HE edition “Land Cruiser” necklace “bling.” You’ll be set!

Necklace bling? It’s 2025 Bro

I just ordered this, should arrive in 2-3 weeks

 

[Boston Mangler]

Delete

 

[gasman4u]

Necklace bling? It’s 2025 Bro

I just ordered this, should arrive in 2-3 weeks

View attachment 4062343

report back after your next cars and coffee

 

[Boston Mangler]

report back after your next cars and coffee

Every single day and every single errand, is one big cars and coffee

Anytime I park anywhere, grocery store, taco shop, bank, I tell anyone within a 100ft radius all about my truck and how it’s cooler than all the other ones

Sometimes they enjoy it, sometimes they call the police about a rambling lunatic

Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail

 

[gasman4u]

Every single day and every single errand, is one big cars and coffee

Anytime I park anywhere, grocery store, taco shop, bank, I tell anyone within a 100ft radius all about my truck and how it’s cooler than all the other ones

Sometimes they enjoy it, sometimes they call the police about a rambling lunatic

Some days you’re the hammer, some days you’re the nail

Heavy is the head that wears the 200 series crown.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Finally getting around to carpeting the sleep platform to match the ARB drawers, because… OCD

The carpet isn’t cheap from ARB, so basically only had one shot to get it right. Ooo Eee

Big thanks to homie Mike with WAY more patience than me.

Came out OEM AS FAWKKKK

Gonna add some aluminum corner molding to cover the seams and after that, should outlast the truck!

Note: @dudemancool1904 was a no show and of absolutely zero help with this project

In case you’re wondering, yes I’m serious and yes I really did use actual ARB carpet, took 3 orders of this:

Replacement Carpet Kit 59x26 CKIT

Drawer Carpet Kit

store.arbusa.com

 

[Boston Mangler]

Well…

The literal definition of “That Escalated Quickly” is finally done, 2 months later

What started off as “I’m just gonna make a few trim pieces to keep the carpet from peeling up” snowballed into quite an ordeal, which at this point: is pretty standard in my life, LOL

Fabricate, TIG, sand, don’t like results, cut apart, refabricate, have friend with better TIG skills reweld, sand, fit, tweak, trim, resand, counter sink holes, button it all up. Whammo, matches the ARB drawers pretty dang close!

Will come apart again for a little more trim and sand to smooth some edges I’m not 100% happy with, and a SLIGHT alignment tweak, but here’s “the thing”

Why am I like this?

 

[Boston Mangler]

Another quick desert camp trip with the homie

Yeah, I love this dang truck and setup…