Me and the 80 have joined a storm chasing team this year (2 Viewers)

[mason]

Yes, this group is probably the most professional there is. Full NSF and NOAA funding means accountability for results as well as safety.

I don't believe my rig will be deploying pods, more like carrying all the extra gear those pod rigs can't. But, I'm pretty confident I'm gonna get beat up by hail, so a windshield is probably in my future. I'll check on the film protection. The roofrack is one of my big goals, along with the winch bumper and a small lift, just to keep from sagging.

I don't have the funds for an SC or TC. Wish I did. And no lockers, either. Just stock with 285 BFG AT KOs, but she runs like a top.

My first contact with Dr. Wurman was March 8. He needed my resume and references, then our first phone contact was April 6. I got my final confirmation two days ago. So, I don't have much time. As far as radio comm, they're gonna take care of that. I'll be rooming with one of his crew.

I'm not sure about advertising in exchange for gear, as they seem to blur out that stuff, but it's definitely worth investigating, both with Discovery and ARB. Christo just emailed me, I'll talk to him, too.

I think the limb risers and lights are a really good idea, as it seems many roads become cluttered with branches and debris, and egress is always a priority. Luckily, I'm retired and have the next three weeks solid to get this together, but I have to get on it now.

 

[mason]

And thanks so much for your suggestions! I may not address each one in reply, but they are all considered and appreciated! Took me two full months to get the go ahead for my involvement in Vortex2, so for those of you who want to go, be thinking of next year! My term on this one if only for the second half, for 3 weeks of chasing. They just began heading for Norman, OK, to meet with other collaborating teams. Next year I'm in for the entire 6 1/2 weeks. In case you're interested, here's the links: www.vortex2.org and www.cswr.org.

 

[MDarius]

What if you hooked up a steel plate on hinges to the front of your roof rack? It would have a screen/grate in the middle of it. Swing it down in big hail to protect the windshield, latching it to your sliders with some kind of extension, or other bracket at the cowl? I've seen the rigs on discovery, they are like tanks!

Sounds like a lot of fun!

 

[retrofive]

I think some of us have seen the episode where the hail was baseball size and literaly busted out side windows an windsheilds, even with a cage screening things. yikes.

 

[Lka1988]

There was a thread a while back about a Stormchaser build. I'll see if I can find it.

Here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/252046-building-80-storm-chasing.html

I also had one in the 100 section: https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/252049-building-100-storm-chasing.html

 

[thisilldefend]

Wow that sounds like fun.
Instead of limb risers you need what we have over here.
WIRE MITIGATION SYSTEM....(PVC pipe)
I always see downed electrical wires in those videos. With this system you can scoot right under them.
After we killed all their power in 2003 they strung up low wires all over iraq to get power from any source available. With are vehicals getting bigger and bigger gunners got electricuted. I witnessed one where his heart stopped twice. He was OK by the end of the day. You could easily rig this up to an ARB and and roof rack. Ill send pics if you are intrested.
I realize a vehical is supposed to be grounded but this lets you slide under the wires and not catch them.

 

[retrofive]

Wow that sounds like fun.
Instead of limb risers you need what we have over here.
WIRE MITIGATION SYSTEM....(PVC pipe)
I always see downed electrical wires in those videos. With this system you can scoot right under them.
After we killed all their power in 2003 they strung up low wires all over iraq to get power from any source available. With are vehicals getting bigger and bigger gunners got electricuted. I witnessed one where his heart stopped twice. He was OK by the end of the day. You could easily rig this up to an ARB and and roof rack. Ill send pics if you are intrested.
I realize a vehical is supposed to be grounded but this lets you slide under the wires and not catch them.

I'd like to see pics of that setup

 

[Blue Phoenix]

Every time I have watched that show I have insisted to my wife, who rolls her eyes now when I mention it, that they need an 80. That Tahoe the Okies drive is way too posh for something as manly as Tornado chasing.

 

[Flank]

You could easily rig this up to an ARB and and roof rack. Ill send pics if you are intrested.

Post pics if you have them - For the good of the order.

Once again, thanks for your service and please stay safe.

 

[cruiserdan]

All I can ad is good luck.

No way in hell would I ever get close to big hail. I HATE hail.

 

[Taildragon]

I think you might want to lower your deductible!!!!! and up your life insurance!!

 

[LC80Ducati996]

I can add that tellico 4x4 online had a great price on a ARB winch bumper and that a mile marker hydro with a fiber rope has the most power to weight ratio of any winch. No alternator upgrade or 2nd battery needed either. You are'nt winching in 4x4 time trials. The hydro may be slow but it is hella powerfull, cool/long running and reliable.

 

[Eicca]

You could make like a street racer and get a carbon-fiber hood installed. If fact, see if there's other parts of your car that can be replaced with carbon fiber. It's expensive, but it's light and really strong.

Talk to MonteBurns about engine rebuilding. It takes a while, but his '94 is a surprisingly zippy little beast, and he doesn't even have a turbo/supercharger.

Extra fuel tank, a must...

Lockers, already mentioned...

Good luck dude! I'm excited for you! I'll keep a watch out for your 80!

 

[89s rule]

sounds like fun please keep safe and keep us posted with some pictures!

My advice is dont get crazy with the build, keep it simple, yet effective. Sounds like you have a great platform to work from. I think the ARB or similar protection styled bumper, roofrack and milford barrier would be tops on my list. Followed by a winch and 2nd battery setup.

 

[fj803fe]

3 weeks, likely not enough time to be fabbing up any creative ideas on the parts you do not have yet.

1. Steely bumpers f&r F winch.
2. OME heavies 2-2.5 should be more than enough
3. Rear drawer system-to keep the emergency recovery gear away from the other loaded items
4. Roof rack-cable/PVC line/tree limb risers & stretched steel bottom over the sunny.
5. Lighting-caged
5. Inverter, radio equip.
6. Dual batteries
7. I like the 3M window film idea, you will be nearby to areas where a window replacement is possible and the 3M should keep the window "there" until you can replace.
9. Sliders.
10. If you're locked it may very well not be too much. The county routes in that part of the county are like driving on an ice rink when it rains. I remember burying my 40 over the hood after barely letting my front passenger tire veer towards the borrow--long night, 8-wheel 4WD tractor, and the farmer even found my shovel some time later and returned it to me!

My 2 cents.

They'll all be driving 80s soon enough...Wonder if they could retrofit the doppler

 

[mason]

First things first. I'd like to change the title of this thread. I really don't want to ruin my welcome with this group. Could a mod PM me? Or could someone get me the name of one who could?

Well, I haven't posted in a while. Been getting the Cruiser and all my gear ready. I didn't do any building. Just making sure it would be bullet-proof for all the driving. And I did put the damage multiplier back on, after years of sitting in the garage. I figured the bars protecting the headlights would save them from flying debris, if nothing less.

I changed the oil a few days ago from 5w-30 blend to Mobile 1 10w-40. Immediately I saw my pressure go up, and she seemed to run better!

Anyway, I had to call the project organizer the night of the 27th, to get my destination. I headed out yesterday morning from Carlsbad, NM, for Topeka, KS. Made the 850 mile trip in under 14 hours. Not one single hiccup!

I arrived at the motel last night, to a parking lot packed with radar trucks, pod cars, and gear haulers. We're likely to head to Iowa this morning, but the next few days are supposed to be quiet, anyway. I'm rooming with Herb Stein, the guy who drives the DOW truck (if you've seen the series), and he said they usually put on 14,000 to 19,000 miles in a season (6 weeks). Really nice guy.

I think I might be good for now, as I've taken tools, and my FSM, but if I have a mechnical, hopefully there will be a cruiserhead nearby who can help me get her going. The only thing wrong with her is the front rotors. Warped again. All Toyota, too. I took her in, and the alignment guy said she's tracking perfectly, everything looks great, but the rotors need resurfacing. This, after replacing one a new one a few months ago. He said they typically have to be surfaced new, anyways.

If we get some for sure solid days down, I might pull them and have them done, but I don't want to be stranded in case there's not enough tolerance left.

I'll try and keep maintenance issues posted here.

 

[Fly Rod]

Best of luck to you.

You may want to rebuild or replace your front calipers when you have it apart. Mine warped 5,000 miles after surfacing and new pads. I suspect a sticky caliper is the culprit. either that or you and I received rotors from the same batch...

Be safe!

 

[Grench]

First things first. I'd like to change the title of this thread. I really don't want to ruin my welcome with this group. Could a mod PM me? Or could someone get me the name of one who could?

By, 'this group,' do you mean the Discovery group or IH8MUD? We're a pretty easy going bunch I think.

Well, I haven't posted in a while. Been getting the Cruiser and all my gear ready. I didn't do any building. Just making sure it would be bullet-proof for all the driving.

That's probably for the best. No reason to complicate matters. You'll probably be mostly on-road anyway.

And I did put the damage multiplier back on, after years of sitting in the garage. I figured the bars protecting the headlights would save them from flying debris, if nothing less.

IMHO you're more likely to hit a deer on the way between events than to get hit by flying debris during one. If you're close enough to a wedge to get hit by debris large enough to take out a headlight, you'd best be finding a ditch to dive into.

I changed the oil a few days ago from 5w-30 blend to Mobile 1 10w-40. Immediately I saw my pressure go up, and she seemed to run better!

I've found mine like 5w-30 and 10w-30 mixed to 7.5w-30. 4 quarts of each, same brand so they mix. Its been discussed in several other threads that the 5w-30 may be a bit thin in the long run.

Anyway, I had to call the project organizer the night of the 27th, to get my destination. I headed out yesterday morning from Carlsbad, NM, for Topeka, KS. Made the 850 mile trip in under 14 hours. Not one single hiccup!

Welcome to the midwest!

I arrived at the motel last night, to a parking lot packed with radar trucks, pod cars, and gear haulers. We're likely to head to Iowa this morning, but the next few days are supposed to be quiet, anyway. I'm rooming with Herb Stein, the guy who drives the DOW truck (if you've seen the series), and he said they usually put on 14,000 to 19,000 miles in a season (6 weeks). Really nice guy.

You'll want to monitor your mileage and keep up with your oil changes. That is a lot of miles.

I think I might be good for now, as I've taken tools, and my FSM, but if I have a mechnical, hopefully there will be a cruiserhead nearby who can help me get her going. The only thing wrong with her is the front rotors. Warped again. All Toyota, too. I took her in, and the alignment guy said she's tracking perfectly, everything looks great, but the rotors need resurfacing. This, after replacing one a new one a few months ago. He said they typically have to be surfaced new, anyways.

I've seen this happen on new rotors when the brakes were not properly seated. Unfortunately, once the rotors are warped they can not usually be fixed short of resurfacing. If you do resurface, look up brake seating. It is a process of uniformly heating the rotors way beyond normal temps and allowing them to cool gradually.

He said they typically have to be surfaced new, anyways.

Sorry. Have to call BS on that one. New OEM Toyota 80 series rotors are usually dead on. What usually happens is the shop will skip the brake seating steps in the FSM because it is time consuming and has an almost witchcraft feel to it. Without this step though, you can be almost guaranteed that the rotors will warp.

If we get some for sure solid days down, I might pull them and have them done, but I don't want to be stranded in case there's not enough tolerance left.

The rotors have to be removed to resurface them. Unfortunately this means doing 1/2 of a birf repack job and can be pretty expensive to have done. Rotors are not cheap, but you may consider buying new ones and swapping them out. Consider the extra $120 in parts to be a preventative from having to do the $500 - $800 labor over again in half the time that you otherwise would.

I'll try and keep maintenance issues posted here.

I'm sure I'm not alone in looking forward to your reports. A few pictures of your adventure would be very cool as well. One of the motel parking lot full of trucks would be cool.

Stay safe. All of the tech above is IMHO and YMMV. I'm not a mechanic.

 

[Flank]

The rotors have to be removed to resurface them. Unfortunately this means doing 1/2 of a birf repack job and can be pretty expensive to have done. Rotors are not cheap, but you may consider buying new ones and swapping them out. Consider the extra $120 in parts to be a preventative from having to do the $500 - $800 labor over again in half the time that you otherwise would.

Not necessarily true. They Toyota dealership near me, a new one, can turn the rotors on the truck and not have to do a bearing repack, they tell me. Cost is roughly $250 with new pads.

Even when they do pull the rotors, it is not a birf job, just wheel bearings. Usually (with brake replacement) a $400-500 job. I found an independent Toyota / Lexus shop near me that did it for about $295 with Toyota OEM parts.

 

[mason]

We didn't head for Iowa. Headed instead for Lincoln, Nebraska, but got detoured to Grand Island, NE. Before we got to town, we diverted toward the northwest, to chase a developing storm. What was supposed to be a 260 mile day ended up being a 600 mile day.

We had complete maintenance yesterday, on everything. The Cruiser needed only the rotors done, but I was helping with the DOW trucks instead.

The radio comm was a huge issue. I didn't bring any gear, as I thought I would be supplied it, but they were short themselves. The director was having some overnighted from Colorado, so my first chase was completely in the dark. I just followed and tried not to get lost.

Today I have comm. Everything is done VHF.

On what I've done, I've figured that a relatively low vehicle, like a stock cruiser, with stock LTX 275s would have been perfect. We are really making tracks on the interstates and backroads, with little offroading so far. So a road vehicle is a must. The NOAA SSL uses nothing but minivans.