X3, if it were around when I put on my ARB, I'd have gone the Baja Rack route also...
Ollie's "BugEater" Build
- Thread starter FJ-Ollie
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #42
It's exactly what I've been looking for and there is a lot of real estate up there. Almost 10 more square feet than most of the other racks available out there. I guess holding out for all these years paid off.
- Thread starter
- #43
One of the things I needed to come up with for this new rack was how to mount the side lights(s) because I don't want to drill holes in the tube frame of the rack. I had them temporarily zip tied on. Well this morning I had an idea pop into my head and I ran over to Home Depot at lunch and picked up some U-bolts. After some shaving of the U-bolt's I.D. and cutting off some excess threads I added a little black paint and whalla. Now my lights are securely mounted to the rack.
After starting to wire up my lights on my rack I had a vision. On my old rack I had one Hella pointing out off of each side of the rack. That provided me with sufficient lighting to the sides...... oh wait a minute.... there is no such thing as sufficient lighting (right Larry?). So I decided to take the Hell's I had on the back of my rack and put those on the side too. Now I'll have one light toward the front and one light toward the rear like so.
I have two lights in my garage to add to the rear so now I just need to find a way to mount those and finish up my wiring and the rack illumination will be complete (for now).
I am now drawing up plans for two modules that can be attacked to the rack that will hole three Jerry cans each. I'm putting plans together to make everything modular for the rack so things can be added or removed based on the trip I go on then strip it clean for day to day stuff since my FJ is my daily driver.
After starting to wire up my lights on my rack I had a vision. On my old rack I had one Hella pointing out off of each side of the rack. That provided me with sufficient lighting to the sides...... oh wait a minute.... there is no such thing as sufficient lighting (right Larry?). So I decided to take the Hell's I had on the back of my rack and put those on the side too. Now I'll have one light toward the front and one light toward the rear like so.
I have two lights in my garage to add to the rear so now I just need to find a way to mount those and finish up my wiring and the rack illumination will be complete (for now).
I am now drawing up plans for two modules that can be attacked to the rack that will hole three Jerry cans each. I'm putting plans together to make everything modular for the rack so things can be added or removed based on the trip I go on then strip it clean for day to day stuff since my FJ is my daily driver.
- Thread starter
- #44
I needed a place to mount my Hi-Lift on my new rack so I found some scrap Super-Strut and Super-Strut clamps and fabricated one.
- Thread starter
- #45
Ever since I got my train horn set(s) I've wanted to get 4 of the seven trumpets onto the roof. I had all kinds of ideas to do it on the old rack but they were all a PITA. Now with the new rack I can finally make it happen. I'll leave three under the rig and put the loudest four on top of the rig. It will make a Very nice surround sound effect with the horns. I made a plate and rigged it so the retractable antenna lays down between the center to trumpets.
- Thread starter
- #46
Finally... Lights are lit.
- Thread starter
- #47
Finally received my storage boxes yesterday and installed them last night. These can be removed when I choose to. I like the idea of the extra storage up top.
- Thread starter
- #48
Some people have been asking how I mounted the cases on my rack. Here's a shot of how I have secured them. There is one clamp at each of the four corners of each box. Then I got my hands on some very high quality padlocks to secure the boxes with. On the inside of the box I used fender washers with an O-Ring under each washer to maintain the water-tight seal.
- Thread starter
- #49
I have been hearing some noises in, what I thought was, my suspension over the lat month or so. I was all set to go the TDS Safari with my family last Saturday but the sound turned into something more severe and I cancelled the trip. Turns out that my rear driveshaft forward U-Joint is shelled out. Thankfully I cancelled the trip and I didn't have it break on me with my wife along. I thought it was going to be a rear diff. I took it to M.I.T. in El Cajon and they found it. While they're dropping the driveshaft I'm having drop both the forward and the rear driveshaft and change all 4 U-Joints along with balancing them both. Hopefully I'll pick it up tomorrow and all will be well. It sucks being without my rig for even one day.
I started developing a squeak in my rear DS last week that turned out to be a bad cap in the u-joint. Changed it out and all is well. The grease joint was only lubricating 3 of the 4 caps because one "arm" was clogged with debris. The cap and pin bearings was dry as a bone. When I extracted it, the pins fell out in a cloud of dust. Glad you got it figured out, sorry you missed your trip though.
- Thread starter
- #51
Here's a link to the video I got of my air horns in the snow. We were trying to shake the snow off the trees. It didn't work though. Turn up the volume on your computer.
YouTube - BugEater Horns in Snow.MP4
YouTube - BugEater Horns in Snow.MP4
- Thread starter
- #52
My rear LED flashers finally bought the farm so I've been looking to replace them with something. A few weeks ago I orderd some white LED light pods to use for rock lights. Opun receiving the lights I discovered that they were flashers instead of lights that stay on. So using four of the six I purchased, I fabricated a new rear lightbar in conjunction with a lip to stop my fuel cans from sliding to the rear. I'm pretty pleased with the final outcome for now.
Ollie, I'm a total train buff (geek) tell me more about those horns, what kind are they, and how and why did you decide to get them?Ever since I got my train horn set(s) I've wanted to get 4 of the seven trumpets onto the roof. I had all kinds of ideas to do it on the old rack but they were all a PITA. Now with the new rack I can finally make it happen. I'll leave three under the rig and put the loudest four on top of the rig. It will make a Very nice surround sound effect with the horns. I made a plate and rigged it so the retractable antenna lays down between the center to trumpets.
- Thread starter
- #54
SR62,
I have a freind with a Rubicon that ordered a train horn set and mounted them on the hardtop of his rig. I thought the sound was fun. Toyota horns are weak. They make people laugh most of the time. So I bought a set of trumpets since I already had an air compressor system. additionally, since I have so much stuff in my rig all the time I wanted to make my alarm system one that if someone were to break into my rig they would crap themselves, have a heart attack, or just run because of the attention they would draw to themselves. Since my alarm just sets my car horn off I just wired the horn wire into the vehicle horn wire with an arming switch in the cabin. Now my regular horn either honks my normal car horn or, if the arming switch is armed, sets off my train horns. So before I leave my rig setting in a parking lot or where-ever I make sure the tanks are fully charged and I arm the horns.
The sound of these horns causes an involuntary physical reaction in your body when outside of my truck. If you are within three feet of the side or back of the truck your pant legs actually vibrate. You feel the sound waves in the core of your body. Video does it no justice. Even when i tell people that they can't imagine how loud it is they are never prepared for it. I won't set it off around anyone with heart problems if I know they have had them. I actually ask people if they do have or have had heart problems before demonstrating the horns. That or I won't fully charge the tanks.
I used to have all 7 trumpets under the back of the truck. I always had the idea of putting one set on the roof but with the factory rack there was too much involved to make that happen. With the new Bajarack Utility rack that isn't the case. I was finally able to get the set moved to the roof.
I purchased the horns on the roof (4 trumpet set) from Hornblasters.com. Here's the link to the set I bought and it has a video featuring a demonstration of the sound.
Hornblasters Air Horn Products Catalog! Find The Perfect Train Air Horn For Your Car Or Truck!
I wanted a more throaty sound than the HB set was giving me alone so I bought another set of three trumpets to give me the all around tone I wanted. They are chrome so I left those mounted underneath the truck. Now the surround sound affect is awesome since there is sound through the air and bouncing off the ground. The are a Wolo "Cannon Ball Express" set. Link below...
http://www.wolo-mfg.com/837-big.jpg