The Getaway...Crom's build and adventures

I have the RCI fuel tank skid mainly because I was getting other skids from RCI on the group buy. The PB one looks quite nice though I don't particularly see the need for frame mounting. Both will prevent punctures to the fuel tank equally well I suspect. That said there is no reason to get all your skids from the same manufacturer beyond perhaps small savings in shipping if ordering multiple things. So if the PB is your preference I'd say get that, looks like a nice functional product to me.

 

Thanks guys.
I'm going with PelfreyBilt. Will wait for a GB or a sale. No rush for me.

 

Thoughts? : http://m.costco.com/Sony-a6000-Mirr...CB4sv1CfCBaz xI0e4uPgJEzOWeAXny+8ESkv5BAB6/c=

 

The build must go on.

Lots of work occurred over the weekend. I am simultaneously sound deadening and working on the On Board Air (OBA) Project.

The back wall was all the remained on my list, that is until, I saw the "C" pillar. So of course I had to fix that up. It was harder than it looked.

I don't know if it's ever been done before, but here it is... A fully sound proofed "C" pillar. Treatment was standard: damper, foam, and 1/8" MLV sound barrier. Two interior trim pieces conceal it and it DOES NOT interfere with the passenger seat belt.



I also finally finished 1/2 the back wall.

I ran out of the black butyl foil damper, so I resupplied with 18 sq feet that came in 9 sheets of silver. Exact same stuff as the black.


Then a layer of foam


Cut MLV sound barrier, DONE!!!

 

Back in October, my daughter and I started a cardboard template for the ARB compressor to mount to. Picking this project back up, we grabbed the cardboard and finished it.



1/8" aluminum plate.


Transferred hole pattern


I also transferred over the hole pattern for the ARB mounting bracket.


Test fit good.

 

I needed to pass the air line through the cab. I bought a couple bulkhead fittings, but in the end I decided to adapt to the holes already in the truck.

I found a hole. Remove rubber grommet and go to work.


I used 1/2" stainless washers with EPDM material I cut to fit for a makeshift gasket and to protect the sheet metal.



Basic configuration I settled on, minus washers.


I simply fed the 18" Viair leader hose though the hole with my washer attached.




Here is the backside of the cab.


The air hose will be ran along frame and come to the rear of the truck. This is just a proof-of-concept test in the picture, not final install.

 

Looking good Nick! It's always nice to use the existing holes in the cab. The less invasive the better

 

Looks good Nick!
Once you cut the MLV for the backwall will you be covering it with anything or will that be the final finish besides your mounting plate for your compressor?

I need to do some sound deadening on my backwall myself. You're write ups will definitely come in handy for that.
I plan on covering my entire back wall after the sound deadening with some 1/2" or 5/8" painted black plywood to keep my options open for mounting things.

 

Thanks!!!

My only regret with the sound proofing project, was not doing it years ago. It's a mod that pays you back whenever your rig is rolling.

I like your idea with a wood surface to mount stuff to. It would be neat to be able to use the 6" x25" top space to mount a rifle or something. I'll need to mod the pass side plastic bin and I'm sure I can make a 30" AR fit back there. I also thought about mounting a fuse block there for aux power, since I'm bringing in 4 AWG service.

My biggest issue with this backspace, is every time I want to get back there I have remove and reinstall my kids car seat. The driver side kids car seat is not a major pain, it's a inconvenience... The major pain is on the other side of the truck. That car seat is bigger, bulkier, is of an older design and I dislike it greatly. lol

Finished the MLV barriers last night. I'll add some foam on the horizontal bar before I mount up the ARB on plate within a few days. For now it's done!

 

I think I saw someone's thread where they simply drilled a hole towards the center support rib on the passenger side panel for their barrel to slide through and used a quick fist or something on the buffer tube. This kept the rifle "easily accessible" in a horizontal position on the upper part of the plastic bin and the quickfist kept it from rattling or otherwise announcing it's presence. Although "easily accessible" is a relative term as you would have to exit your vehicle, go around to the passenger's side, open the door and fold the seat down to access it (you'd better hope you don't have anything on the seat that prevents you from folding it down).. Not sure where I saw that- either someone's build thread or the firearm BS thread. Was a long time ago, but I took a mental note of it.

I like the way Docloco mounted his with an electronic lock on a timer and hidden switch:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/docs-taco-build.401846/#post-11835367
Pictures of the mount are on post#10 on the same page.

 

I'm amazed at how much room there is back there without the plastic bins. I've seen a few pictures of guys stuffing Hi-lifts back there and an AR rifle would be sick!

I can see the car seats being a pain to gain access to the rear storage but luckily your kids won't be in car seats forever. I have no kids myself and hopefully none for at least another 5 years. Because of that I'll probably end up removing my back seats entirely, at least for trips. Now that I know it's literally only 4 easy bolts holding the seats in I'm more motivated to remove them and toss them to the side when I don't need them.

 

I pulled the bins

 

Thanks. That's a nice setup he has there.

One of the best most practical mods I've ever seen for pulling seats was @crazy joker 's seat hing pin mod. This has been on my list of mods to do for almost 1.5 years now...

Click picture, to go to his build...



Because of the kids car seat pain issue, and benefit of more room, I only store things back there that I think I'll only need in a dire emergency. Like this 3-gallons of water.



And under the seats I have factory bottle jack, jumper cables, and backup tire patch kit. And I'm going to see if I can stuff my old Viair 90P air compressor back in there.

Very good. It does create a lot of room.

Your pic reminded me that one day last May, I wanted to build something for cheap so I made a primitive shelf for my ARB fridge for like $10. Only used it for one trip... worked great!

 

I've got 28 bucks in this one

 

Since I pulled the rear "seats" out of my Access Cab, I am not going to re-install them. I will be making a panel to cover the back panel of the cab out of plywood, on which I plan to mount fire extinguisher, flashlight, etc. I am also thinking about a vertical rifle mount.

My auxiliary fuse block went in the storage caddy under the left rear seat.

 

Moved my OBA project forward a tad yesterday. Soldered and crimped one lug!

I found some made in the U.S.A. quality 4-AWG welding cable for about $1.08 per foot. It weighed 3.71 lbs. Very happy with the quality.



Copper #4 x 1/4" ring terminals / lugs.


This is a cheap effective way to solder the lugs. What I do is cut up some solder and put in the lug, and put the lug in the bench vice. Heat the lug for about 10 seconds with propane torch, to melt solder. Insert stripped wire. Once cooled, I crimp the end of the lug with a punch. Lug then gets a 15-20 lb. pull test to make sure it's secure. Never had one fail this way.



Finally, a 1" bit of marine grade heat shrink makes it all waterproof. I have red and black heat shrink and use the colors to identify polarity.

 

Good trick on the soldering of the battery cables. Another one I use when soldering in tight spaces where you can't have things on the workbench is to wrap the wire or joint with a small piece of solder. As you heat the wire it will flow into place and you don't have to be an octopus to finish your project.

 

I was wondering why you were using such large wire then I looked up the stats on the ARB Twin Compressor and it draws 56 amps at maximum airflow. What a pig!!

 

That's a good trick with the soldering!

The plumber part of me wants you to heat the wire too before putting it in the end so the solder will properly bond to the wire and not just solidify around it.

Probably not critical though