Money Pit Mojave Build

[ORACLElights]

Awesome build write-up!

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[BourbonRunner]

Thanks. There's more to come but for now it's catching up on maintenance and future proofing.

Once I'm done the cooling system the next major fluid dump is the transmission. Not looking forward to it but it needs to get done. I've just scratched the surface on some of the aftermarket trans pans but I'm on the fence.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Cleared the tree recovery crap out and snapped a pic of how it sits yesterday.

I need to get a cap so I can get some of this crap up and out of the bed.

I happened to be at the same spot as the other pic last night so I snagged a quick one.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Someone talk me out of an Alibaba aluminum cap. Because these guys sent me down a rabbit hole.

The guy these PA folks (most likely) bought this from is about 20 minutes from me. I messaged him on FB and he has a warehouse with tons of covers for JTs and many others on hand. Based on what I see in the video I am pretty impressed.... but I really didn't want windows on the sides. I planned on getting a full length box to get my recovery crap up and out of the bed. Should I just suck it up?

Or should I pursue getting one from Alibaba that is exactly what I want? I threw the manufacturer of this guy's cap an RFQ for the hell of it. Looks like I could have it by end of September that way.


Ideal:

Anyone have an Ali-cap with an opinion?

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

I’ve enjoyed having my OVS cap. No windows on the side. I’d be very cautious buying from a supplier like this. Sometimes these “fly by nighters” don’t have the best after purchase support. I very much prefer a company that is established and will most likely be there in 6 months when I need follow on parts for something. Bonus points for a company that makes them is they can trouble shoot with you if you end up having an issue.

 

[BourbonRunner]

So... there's a very good possibility we will be getting another small designer mutt (mini labradoodle) next week. With our impending week at Emerald Isle, NC on the horizon, this means the fridge can't live on the platform I built and have enough room for two dogs.

I also snagged a used Softopper to put on until my Chinesium cap arrives later this year. I'll be putting the Softopper up for sale once the metal cap comes in. Also, it looks like it's going to be a royal PITA to take the tonneau off permanently- it's mounted behind the trail rails... so are the molle panels. Which means I'm likely going to have to take them off and everything on them. Lovely.

Anyway, I did some reworking of my sub panel and power distribution.

Again, the goal was to get 12v to the bed so I can move the fridge and power station back there. Eventually I'll wire in a similar sub panel setup into the cap's compartment, that will have the ability to run some LED lights as well as supply a RTT. When that happens I'll rework this again well but that's for another day.

Here's the wiring diagram.

I wanted 12 and ground to come back to the panel. Why? Because I could avoid drilling a hole in the frame or searching for a chassis ground somewhere that could corrode.

Overall I followed it exactly except for the ground bus bar.

When the bus bars arrived they were substantially larger than I expected. After looking at the Blue Sea panel, I saw there was a second channel for another ground so that's where it went. This ground goes to a post under the dash/kick panel. Corrosion on the ground is no longer an issue.

It is definitely a little more crowded there and the angle I shot it from throws things off. I didn't want to remove the seat so the angle is also off making it look worse than it is..

The bed ground is wrapped with TESA tape, top middle coming in from behind. I will eventually rework the panel and tidy it up but I ran out of time, daylight and steam.

The bus bar jumps to two 30a breakers. One feeds the panel, the other the bed power line. I put high temp electrical tape over the top to prevent anything from falling in and potentially arc'ing.

The next problem to solve was where to run the cables. I am using 8 gauge amp cables for power and ground, stuffed inside 1/2" plastic wire loom. This will require close to a 3/4" hole regardless of location.

Getting out of the cab, there's a plastic plug on the passenger side under the carpet. I peeled back the sealing tape (I'll be looking for something similar tomorrow) and used a step bit to bore out the plastic plug.

The wire comes up through that, under the carpet and out a slit I made next to my platform's riser. I then snaked it under the seat and up and behind the trim panel to the electrical center.

This is the plug from under the cab.

This sealing tape over it on the inside is super sticky. I tried to peel it back whole but it didn't cooperate.

I transitioned the loom to TESA tape to make it easier to pull through the cab. BTW, I hate plastic loom but it serves a purpose. I typically will wrap it with electrical tape every 6-10" to keep it clean and together.

Top of the pic is where the taped wire bundle pokes through the carpet. Black TESA tape almost blends in with the carpeting.

The loomed wire was then run along the frame rail to the bed. Front of the bed are two gaskets. I have a sprayed in bed liner that covered them entirely. Using the step bit I bored it out to fit a 3/4" rubber grommet and the wire. The other loom is a drain from the tonneau cover.

Since this is only a temporary solution, I wanted to have a ton of extra wire to play with as well as but had to tuck the wiring away so nothing would happen to it. I've got Motobilt molle panels on all three sides and this project required me taking the cab side one off. I fished the wire back behind the passenger side panel and popped it out by the OEM 110V plug.

The 8 gauge wire won't fit into a PP45 that my fridge and power station connect to the truck on the back seat, but it will into an SB50, and Bezosmart sells SB50 > PP45 pigtails. I can plug my power station and/or fridge direct in and not miss a beat.

For the time being the wire is tucked up behind my Hi Lift jack until it's time to use it.

I took my time doing this, and spent a few hours fiddling with it but overall I'm ok with how it turned out. Like I said, I want to rework my mounting panel but that will be a Future Steve problem.

 

[Stan H]

"small designer mutt"....lol I dont know why that cracked me up.

 

[BourbonRunner]

"small designer mutt"....lol I dont know why that cracked me up.

That's what our dogs are- designer mutts called "labradoodles" but don't tell them I said that.

 

[Stan H]

That's what our dogs are- designer mutts called "labradoodles" but don't tell them I said that.

Oh this is such a relief ‍ I thought my dogs were the only ones that talked and understood English.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Oh this is such a relief ‍ I thought my dogs were the only ones that talked and understood English.

Granted, though their command of the King's English is minimal, the words they know elicit an undeniable, echoing reaction known throughout the neighborhood.

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