Your Expo rig is FULL of gear...but you still need one more thing...

[35inchoverdrive]

Vehicle-dependent outdoor activities can cause all the nooks and crannies in your truck to fill up fast. Let’s just say that every last inch of your truck is packed with expo gear, but you’ve still got three bulky things that you would like to have when you’re off the beaten path. Our customer had some great ideas to tuck a Goalzero power source, ARB dual compressor and air tank into the passenger side quarter panel of his FJ Cruiser.

He had already pulled out some of the factory stereo pieces, and this left a void that was waiting to be filled with helpful gear.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

Here are some step by step shots of the bracket being built.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

There are a lot of items fighting for space in the back of this rig, but the ultimate goal is to get the Goalzero power source in there and still be able to open the fridge.

It’s going to be a tight fit.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

The bracket will have an integrated panel for an air chuck, on/off compressor switch & a 12v outlet.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

This is the finished bracket, before paint.

It still leaves room to open the ARB fridge.

 

[35inchoverdrive]

A little satin black…

With accessories:

 

[35inchoverdrive]

Installed in the truck:

Underhood circuit breaker:

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Nice fab work
If you are trying to maximize space what is your need for air tank?

 

[35inchoverdrive]

Nice fab work
If you are trying to maximize space what is your need for air tank?

Thanks!

All 3 items were things the customer specifically wanted, but that aside, the air tank is a nice add-on with the ARB dual compressor. We've used the dual compressor by itself to zip off lug nuts etc, but the tank's extra capacity is nice for getting a head start on airing up tires or the sustained running of some bigger air tools.

Fitting the tank actually ended up being less of a hassle than fitting the GoalZero.

 

[titanpat57]

Clean install for sure.

Not being a wise ass...but what is the purpose of the Goal Zero?

Does it run the fridge/compressor?

 

[35inchoverdrive]

Clean install for sure.

Not being a wise ass...but what is the purpose of the Goal Zero?

Does it run the fridge/compressor?

The GoalZero doesn't have enough oomph to run the compressor. It's just a portable, smart powersource that charges in the truck and is easily detachable if you need to power something with USB, 12v DC or AC, away from the truck. It's more of a "charge it all day wheeling and then set it in the middle of camp to run whatever".

 

[george_tlc]

Nice fabrication work. Fitting things is always a pain, especially in modern vehicles.

My thoughts:

Dual batteries are much more useful than spending $$$ on something like the goalzero which is an over-packaged low capacity battery.

Air tank, alongside a frame rail, pick a tank that is longer but smaller diameter. I have my air tank along a frame rail on my patrol and tucked under my m12000 on my 80.

Air compressor is under the driver's seat in the patrol (yes, there's actually room under the manually operated seats, got to love old school). For the 80 I made a water proof box and ran airlines in/out and mounted it under the vehicle alongside the transmission.

Oh, and somehow 'fj cruiser with back seats still in place' doesn't seem like a recipe for an 'expo vehicle'

cheers,
george.

 

[lumpy70]

"...For the 80 I made a water proof box..."

Question: what did you make a waterproof box out of? Do you have a link to that info?

 

[george_tlc]

"...For the 80 I made a water proof box..."

Question: what did you make a waterproof box out of? Do you have a link to that info?

Steel. Click on my website link below for pics etc...

cheers,
george.

 

[Itsky]

I want a rack like this for my 4runner for tools and such. Nice fab work.

 

[SeaDrifter]

Beautiful work guys!

 

[ozbogwam]

Nice work. Yes you could do other things with other items but if the client has the items and uses them and wants a neat solution then who are we to argue

 

[esh]

I don't need any of that at all. The aux battery is up front with the main, in the stock 2nd battery spot on the other side of the radiator. The marine quality voltage sensing relay is also in the engine bay, good for 1200amps instantaneous load/300A continuous (who needs that??), with a physical on/off/auto switch built in. All connections to aux are on a separate circuit, fully protected and distributed to all the things the goal zero + inverter module does. The air compressor is (going) under the hood, tank under/inside a slider. You're robbing yourself of potential storage space and adding weight with the tubing, which is not very expo. Actually it is "ExPo" because it is way more expensive than it needs to be. The downfall to the setup above is lack of National Luna products.

 

[Corbet]

Nice work. Personally I'd exchange the GoalZero for an inverter but that's me.

 

[Stumpalama]

Nice work Forge! Seems like a lot of people missed the point of your thread and instead see it as an opportunity to knock the owner's decision to mount the compressor in the rear. It takes up less space than the revered power tank.
Dual bats work great until you go to a camp site (common on the east coast) where it is much more convenient to have a portable power source than batts or inverters stuck in you truck.