Patrolers Touring Rig - 05 GU

[Patroler]

Hi Guys,
Well i thought some might be interested, and some may be able to help me. I have a list of things that i have to do to the patrol before quiting work in October and having a year or so off travelling Aust. I have had the car since October last year. We are also towing a home made camper trailer, but thankfully that is 95% complete.
Following is a list of things i have to do before going (no particular order) :- Whew, finally getting there ..

1) Install Fire Extinguisher at drivers feet
2) Shovel holder on Roof Racks. DONE
3) Diff Breathers
4) Front Spotties on Roof Rack DONE
5) Brackets for spacecase on Roof Rack
6) 140 amp Circuit breaker in car
7) 100 amp fuse for inverter
8) Trailer leg winder on trailer door
9) Bigger Solar Panel on Roof Rack
10) Change the regulators between the car and Trailer
11) Slotted disks on the front DONE
12) Install car alarm HALF DONE
13) Poly airs in the back DONE
14) 200mm pipe somewhere for clothsline (clothsline goes inside it)
15) Put compressor + tank in car somewhere (inside bull bar now, and it is shit) Aint gonna happen, I will waterproof the relay though.
16) Install winch or front diff lock Aint gonna happen
17) 2nd CB in roof console Aint gonna happen either (that's an easy way to do jobs - say "F*** It" lol
18) Make a new bracket for the IPOD
19) Make a Bracket for EPIRB

20) REST !!!!!!
Shitload of other stuff as i think of it.
8 weeks to get all this done (This includes all the kids stuff and missuses plans that i have to do also)........I'm screwed

[Rogue Patrol]

Geez mate ur almost finished...... Looks good too.
Have you had a look for a GPS holder that mounts to the windscreen?

[Patroler]

The duel batteries are now set up, i have used a 115a/h Trojan battery for the second battery managed by a TJM DBS separator.
The compressor is also in place in behind the winch bar (where the winch would sit if i had the funds). The compressor is a Vi-air comp running to a 4.5L air tank. The sales guy assured me that it would be big enough to re-seat a bead on a tyre (doubt it), we will see. Now i have to run the wiring and run the air line somewhere in the front grill so that i can just click the air hose into it when required. In the next couple of days i should have the drop-down table of the butcher door done. I have made it 500mm wide and 350mm deep and covered it in marine carpet. Now i have to put hinges on it and fix it to the door.
Pic 1 - Second Battery
Pic 2 - Air Comp. behind bullbar

[Patroler]

I have mounted the Compressor and air tank behind the bull bar, onto the bash plate (no custom brackets, just stainless bolts). I know that this probably isn't the ideal place for the compressor but i try not to go through water unless i have to and it is supposed to be splash resistant. If i do have to go through deep water i will drown it in WD40, That should do the trick.
I mounted an ARB aluminium distribution block (part of the air locker kit) after the air tank and there is a pressure switch screwed into that. It seems to work alright as i had this set up in my ute, i have used a 4.5 ltr tank
I didn't have many other places to put the compressor because i didn't want it in the engine bay (it's starting to get crowded in there) and i certainly didn't want it in the car with me.

[Patroler]

At it again, The shelf in the rear door is done - 1 item of the list is done. Now the missus will have no excuses not to make my lunch and cuppa - and if she reads this she will hit me with the billy and tell me where to stick my lunch.
One thing i have noticed is that alot of people complain about the price of timber ie. plywood sheeting. I work in a Roof Truss and wall frame plant and whenever we buy plywood (bracing or flooring) it has ply sheets of the same size on the outside to stop it being damaged. Just go to a timber yard and ask if they have any plywood packing pieces, they will most likely give it to you just to get rid of the stuff. I have been in this industry for 13 years and have never paid for a piece of plywood.
Just a thought....
Well tomorrow i may start on the cargo barrier, i am aiming to have that in and the snorkel done by the end of the weekend, then i have to do something about this drawer system - it will be nice to use autocad for my own use instead of bloody work.
Greg.
Pic 1+2 - Shelf / Table on rear door

[Patroler]

This afternoon i thought i would come home and scan some articles on travel destinations (for when we go around Aus i have been scanning travel articles from numerous 4wd, camping and caravan mags for about 18 months , so we know what is at certain places) anyway i was walking through the garage, saw the cargo barrier sitting there and thought i might as well bolt it in. You see i was assuming it would be easy and use all existing holes in the truck!!!
Well i probably shouldn't have assumed, because it was an absolute bitch of a job, highly recomend getting someone else to do it. Anyway 3 hrs later and what seemed like a million bolts it is now in. Now this was just the start of my new problem. When looking at the barrier from outside the truck it is not plumb, and leaning away from the back seat, and yes i'm sure it is done correct, so i am going to get some steel and extend the arms about 1.5 to 2 inches i know it doesn't sound like much, but every bit of room counts.
NEW Job 23) Extend arms on cargo barrier (voiding all warranties in the process).
At least the barrier is in, so i can start measuring the minimal left over room and start designing a drawer system to put in the back.
Greg

[Patroler]

Another weekend gone and a bit more done to the truck.
I must say that i am not that impressed with the cargo barrier. It has been designed allowing for the reclining seats in the ST, small problem there is that i have a DX. We don't have reclining seats in the povo pack. I extended the arms of the barrier 35mm at the bottom and 60mm at the top, now it is sitting where i would have thought it was supposed to go. Oh well, that job is done now. On Sunday i put in the pillar pod. You can get these from 4x4store.com $120.00, though it seems to be an incredibly unorganised place. It worked fairly well, though i did have to cut an inch x 1/2 inch long piece of the bottom, and round off one of the top corners. Besides this it is a very good fit and i am quite happy with it. I ended up running three volt guages, 2 for the car and another for the battery in the camper. I didn't want the guages for a perfect reading on the batteries, mainly to keep an eye on the charging system and to make sure that it is working properly, because while we are away we will be relying on battery power, it is important to me to know that the darn things are charging.
Thisafternoon i marked out the base piece for the drawers onto a piece of cardboard. I will cut this out and attempt to make it a perfect fit over the next couple of days. The snorkel will hopefully be put on this weekend - If i stop avoiding it, I have done one before so it shouldn't be that much different.

[Patroler]

Pic 1 + 2 - Pillar Pod Guages

[Patroler]

Hi guys, back again - i have started on the rear drawer system over the last couple of days, i have the base piece fitting correctly now, tomorrow i have to try and locate the tie-down holes so that i can drill them and get them ready for fixing. This should be a fun one cause i only get one chance at it, before it gets loose and sloppy.
I am definately putting the snorkel on this weekend, it is giving me the shits walking past it all the time. The overhead console should be here this week also (lucky, cause i was running short on things to do ).
Talking to the missus tonight and i have decided to get the 30mm coil spacers and castor corrrection bushes for the suspension. Two inches was never going to be enough, was it????
Greg

[Patroler]

I spent Wednesday and Thursday afternoon adjusting the bottom piece for my drawers, i figure that if i get this piece right then the rest of it will be easy (or at least give me a chance). Now that i am happy with it, next is to bolt in the fridge slide, and start marking out some more timber for the vertical sides, because i have to screw them in from underneath.
I put the snorkel on yesterday. On the instructions it said 2.5 hours, well with my incredible speed, and mechenical ability it took me about 7 hours, oh well it is done now and i don't have to keep walking past the box feeling guilty for avoiding it.
I called and enquired about my 30mm spacers on Friday, and it is no problem i just have to swap over the shocks that i got and change them for long travel ones, so i might raise it in the next couple of weeks, although i am enjoying the drawers in the back at the moment, it is time consuming but easy job.

[Patroler]

The fridge slide is temporarilly in place. I am trying to be careful and remember how the drawers are going together, because they will have to come out again so that i can cover them in marine carpet. I also have a couple of the verticals in place, but i think that i will have to cut them down a little (length ways) because the fridge slide doesn't come all of the way out, and if i leave them where they are the fridge will not open properly...
Today i went to buy a roof rack, i have been looking at one from East Coast Bullbars (alloy), but they are $1,200.00 a little bit more than i really wanted to spend, so with one last look on e-bay i found an ECB one going for $350.00 with 5 minutes to go, and no other bidders and that is a price i like better. I picked it up this evening and i am pretty happy with it. A bit of a clean up and it will be fine
Pic 1- Fridge slide in.
Pic 2 - Roof rack sitting on top of the camper, yes, that is how i had to pick it up.
Greg.

[Patroler]

Got a bit more done over the weekend, well a lot more really, it is just hard to notice what!! The base for the rear drawers is now in permanently, after taking it out and puting it in 4 times over the weekend trying to make the bloody thing fit properly. I also have one of the drawers made, and another marked out. I put a bit of marine carpet on a couple of bits just to make it feel like i am making some progress (i am trying to trick myself that i am getting somewhere).
Steering damper didn't get done again - ohh well it is not like its going anywhere. lol mabee next weekend, no probably not, i want to get these bloody drawers done now.

[Patroler]

Well a bit of an update id due i spose. Yeah i'm still going on the drawers - a long way to go, but i think that they are coming along nicely. I will put some more pics on tomorrow night, as i will spend a fair bit of time on them tomorrow.
Both drawers are made, though not finished properly yet, and today i made both of the top pieces, in the pics they are just balancing there, i will most likely fix them in tomorrow. This marine carpet is nice and easy to work with though.
Greg

[Patroler]

Well i spent the whole day on the drawers today, and i am really happy with how they are going. They should be really close to being finished by next weekend sometime (Not counting the power that i have to run the fridge of yet). I even tried to fit the fridge in, and amazingly i measured it properly and it fits....
I'll try and post some pics tomorrow night, i have about had a gut-ful of looking at the truck today.

[Patroler]

I am just using timber for the slides, and ones above it to control how far the drawer drops. You do have to put candle wax on the bottoms of the drawers and on the top of the timber pieces. Once you wax them up, you had better have a way to stop them from sliding when you don't want them to.
I know that mabee i should have used slides, but they are just to dear, and if anything goes wrong with this, or some of the timber wears out, it is bloody easy to replace.
So far the cost is about $120.00 and that included the litre of paint i bought yesterday for $30.00.