My FleaBay Dorkel install.....

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Awesome I want one for the wing of the ARB. How much cash monies?

I'm actually trying out other materials to see what's best for the curvature of the dorkel's oval, but I'll post up a thread once I get things sorted out

Anyhoo, here are some pix

 

[mickeyt]

This looks amazing. Nice work.

 

[mickeyt]

MUDRAK installed my OEM Snorkel and removed the antenna motor assembly and put it on the other side. He said it's actually meant for either side, he just made a similar bracket to the other side to make it fit properly. After all the posts on MUD about this being an "issue" I am surprised it was so easily remedied. Where are you with making these etched signs in larger quantities?

 

[packetstormin]

Sorry to get off topic but what rear bumper is that?

 

[Black Rhino 13]

Unlimited admiration for your install, pics, concept, execution, etc....

I really wish you'd done this before I installed mine. Some great tips and ideas about how to do it. It's like my 80 is an example of (Novice 1/2 Ass job) and yours is (Expert Professional Job).

I still expect to be high up on the list if you start to sell those Land Cruiser ovals.

 

[nuclearlemon]

pics work fine for me too. they look good. enjoy your dorkel

 

[mickeyt]

He indicated he was going to make them when he had time. His rig looks so damn cool.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Sorry to get off topic but what rear bumper is that?

Hefty Wings

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/382102-hefty-fabworks-rear-bumper-wings.html

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/460321-my-new-beer-cooler-carrier-lots-pix.html


As for the ovals, I'm still looking into other materials

Making them isn't a problem, but conforming them to the curve of the oval on the dorkel is a bit of a challenge using steel plates

The cut of each letter has to be bent individually, then the entire oval has to be rolled into shape, so it's not really a simple stick on deal

I made one out of a plastic cover from a 3 ring binder and it's much more flexible than the steel, making it easy to apply with little effort

However, being so flexible, painting will be an issue

Also, I have yet to find a company that can match this particular plastic by the sheet and I don't want to continue buying up 3 ring binders at Big Lots because the small size takes up too much time on the laser to be cost efficient

If I can get a sheet to do a run of at least 50, it would be worth doing, but that's assuming that they sell

Thing is, I have a feeling most of you guys want them in steel, which wouldn't be a problem to make, but it would be up to the buyer to paint, bend and stick....

Just want to weigh the options and make them as goof proof as possible before churning them out....

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Some pix of the test samples (smoked a couple of them with a torch in an attempt to make them more malleable)

Steel with underline (not very flexible)

Plastic (very flexible)

 

[Itchy Sides]

Nice rig and nice write-up!

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

A little update....


Decided to ditch the 70 series hat for an OEM 80 series bird feeder

Beno was out of stock, so I picked one up from Jeff, who happened to have an extra on hand


https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/717499-factory-snorkel-im-going-have-few-hand-shortly.html

Unfortunately, the OEM topper has a smaller inlet than the FleaBay 70 series topper

In fact, it almost matches the snorkel's inlet diamter

So, a little bit of hacking was in order

Started off with a paper cup to catch any shavings....

Then put my cutting wheel to work and cut 4 slots.....

Started off with short slots, but ended up cutting longer ones to reduce any chance of cracking the inlet.

And photos of the test fit....

I'll be spraying the topper with bed liner to match and sealing off the 4 slots with a piece of glue lined heat shrink

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, after thinking about this for a bit, I may have goofed up royally

The 80 series bird feeder is almost identical to the 7x topper, so what I should have done was drill the rivets and take the bird feeder apart, then swap the bottom of each hat so I wouldn't have to slot the inlet

Needless to say, I'll be doing that tomorrow

Thing is, now that the inlet is slotted, I may have to brace it internally with a steel ring

Either that or cut it down below the slots :whoops:

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, so this is what I should have done before hacking away at my dorkel


Took both toppers apart and as expected, they're practically identical with exception of a smaller tube size, two metal lower radome mounts and an upper metal dust trap sends the dust out the bird feeder hole.

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Removed the metal bracket mounts on the lower section of OEM topper and riveted them onto the knock-off lower section.

After that, everything snapped together like legos

I'll be adding a support ring to the inside my now slotted dorkel, then I'll spray the new topper with bedliner before installing

 

[Timpanogos Slim]

Cool!

I have sort of been eyeing the ebay dorkel. You know, because it's an effective cold air intake.

Do we have actual reports of failure or fading due to extended sunlight exposure or are we just not taking any chances? Lining them sounds like a good idea to me.

 

[Red Oktober]

I've had my ebay cheapo snork for about a year ....no fading yet ...

 

[Sampak]

Just stopped by to say sawweeeet ride man. The Dorkel Snorkel thing looks neat too. And I like how that red toolbox came with a Canon lens cover. ;0 Gotta get me one of those for my T2i...

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

OK, you guys will get a kick out of this one lol

Chopped an inner brace out of a piece of exhaust tubing

Had to level the top of the snorkel tube because it had a bit of an angle, so I taped up a line and fired up my sawzall

As I was marking the tape, the keys in my pocket got bunched up and somehow the button on the keyfob got pressed, triggering the train horns right in my ear

Scared the f@rgin $h!t out of me and I dropped the stupid sharpie down the snorkel tube


F@@@@@@CK!!!!


Took a breather for a few minutes to let my heart rate go down and thought about what I should do

Didn't like the idea of having to pull the whole snorkel off to shake out a magic marker

And the thought of leaving it in there to rattle away on every bump while my engine inhaled the smell of a marker like a druggie looking for a fix didn't sit well with me either








So, I rigged up a little contraption to my shop vac

After a few minutes, SUCCESS!!

Dropped in the inner brace, slid the newly modded topper in place and tightened her up

I'll probably bedline it over the weekend

 

[Timpanogos Slim]

I've had my ebay cheapo snork for about a year ....no fading yet ...

Any loss of pliancy?

I mean one would hope that these are UV resistant plastic, but who knows?

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

Any loss of pliancy?

I mean one would hope that these are UV resistant plastic, but who knows?

Mine is pretty soft with a lot of flex

Notice where I hacked the slots near the top?

I can actually bend each tab to where they're almost touching each other

I wouldn't worry about running one bare, but since everything on my rig is bedlined, I just had to coat mine

Same goes for the knock-off 7x series hat compared to the 80 series birdfeeder.

I honestly don't see any difference in quality from the one that came in a Toyota box

Now, I must say the standard air scoop that comes with the FleaBay dorkels are kinda hokey

Not that I'd worry about them fading or cracking, but the ones I've seen on real Safari snorkels just seem to be better made