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sparr2015/08/10 dashcam, tire compression
Today my dashcam/backupcam arrived. I've temporarily powered it from my only power outlet, and tucked the cable to the rear camera into the ceiling. Eventually I'd like for it to be powered from somewhere closer to the dash, and to have a power switch separate from the master module power, maybe even separate from the battery cutoff. It seems to work reasonably well for the price ($60). The cameras aren't HD, more like VGA, so I might not be able to read license plates, but it should suffice for insurance evidence, etc.
I'm testing out compressing a tire, to see if I can get a spare to fit in the undercarriage. There are three voids all about 4" narrower than the diameter of the tire, which is frustratingly close to viable. I compressed a tire 2-3" with a ratchet strap and I'm leaving it that way overnight to see what happens. If this plan works, I'll need a much stronger ratchet to get it down to 4", and a wider band to avoid damaging the tire.
2015/08/11 shopping, crafty stuff, power outlets
I went shopping for a lot of home-improvement supplies. Upholstery, padding, wood stain, screws, wire, etc.
I made a plan to mount a spare tire (sans rim) on the back door along with my spare-tire-bike-rack. Usually, the spare tire mount vertically supports the rim and the rack, and the tire supports the rack laterally. In this idea, the rack is mounted (almost) directly to the back of the vehicle, with minimal support for the tire, and the rack squeezes the tire against the back door so the tire and rack are supporting each other. It's not perfect, but it's going to work. Test drives with one bike turned out well, and I've got a strap tied to an interior handle in case it all fails; I'd rather drag it for a short while than lose it all.
I built a small power outlet panel and it was a success. I used some scrap plywood and put in 3 12V outlets and 2 USB outlets, along with a terminal block to wire it all. Being able to plug in 3-5 things at once will be a great boon for the trip. I couldn't come up with a quick and removable way to mount it that I liked, so I just hung it from a hook. Eventually it will get replaced with a nicer more functional panel, and be demoted to the far rear of the vehicle.
I cut all the wooden pieces for the bin pads that I plan to make. I learned how to make a rounded corner jig for the band saw, which will come in handy in the future.
2015/08/12 kitchen stuff
With power available, I mounted the cooler today, so it won't go sliding around when it's full of food. I just added a couple of angle brackets, screwed right into the exterior material of the cooler. I also mounted the water jug next to it. I used a bungee and some hooks, so it's stable either upright (so it can't spill even if something breaks the spigot off) or on its side (so water can come out the spigot), and can switch orientations without unhooking the strap.
2015/08/13 maintenance woes
Today, things took some turns for the worse, with a happy ending.
I tightened the mirror mounts, so the side mirrors would stop needing adjustment every time the doors get slammed. Or, at least, I tried to. One tightened, and the other snapped the head off its bolt. I wasn't able to remove the remaining bit of bolt, so I simply attached it with a bunch of tape (a blob and some straps). Some searching online determined that finding a replacement part will be time consuming and/or expensive.
Later, and much worse, I suffered the first mechanical failure of the vehicle. Although I didn't know what was happening at the time, I eventually learned that the starter solenoid got stuck "on" and things went downhill from there. It started as a mechanical noise (from the starter running over-time), leading to noise with the vehicle off (power was still going to the starter, but the other ignition systems weren't active), and finally the loss of some magic smoke (the starter burning out). AAA took about 90 minutes to find someone willing to tow me. The ambulance went to the mechanic I'd used previously (B&G Truck and Auto Repair / Auto Therapists) and my guy there (Tom) told me ahead of time that he probably knew the problem and would order parts ahead of time. They got it repaired in a few hours and I went back to get it. Tom even fixed the mirror for free, by torching the arm (after confirming I didn't care about discoloration) to extract the threaded stud that I had snapped the end off of. All told the ambulance ended the day better than it started.
2015/08/14 Sleeping, organizing, swamp cooler
Sleeping in the ambulance last night went fine. It was weird, but fun. I was afraid that running the cooler and fan would drain the batteries, so I left just one battery engaged. By morning, it had dipped noticeably towards 12V (from the 12.7 it seems to prefer, although I think there's an 0.7V drop from a diode before that reading), but everything was still running strong.
Today was mostly organizational. I got a lot more things sorted into bins and cabinets. I hung up more cuphooks for bags and packs and things with straps. The clear wall where the gun racks used to be is now almost solid with hanging containers.
I also did most of the remaining work to get the swamp cooler working. I drilled the intake holes (36 1" holes). I cut the screen to size, to stop water from leaking out the intake holes. I drilled holes in the new smaller tubing, to match the smaller pump I'm using. I attached the fan to the lid, and cut a hole for it. I used some rtv silicone to attach the float switch to the pump, and to plug the end of the new tubing. I added a little foam at the bottom of the bucket to get the main pieces closer to the lid. By the time I'm back from my moving excursion, it will be time for final assembly, which should just involve some wiring, more silicone, and some zip ties.
Also, the starter solenoid stuck again today. I recognized the problem and cut power before it damaged
2015/08/15 Final touches
I slept in the ambulance again. This time, I laid out the wood and foam pieces to simulate the pads I plan to make for the tops of my bins. This almost completely elimianated the bumpiness of the mattress, and leveled it out considerably. I discovered that the vehicle rocks very much when a large vehicle passes by at speed, so I might want to look for lower traffic areas for parking overnight in the future.
That's all before I run off to move my storage belongings to Boston. In a few days, I'll be back in Chicago and starting the road trip. Future improvements and updates will be done/written on the road!
Today my dashcam/backupcam arrived. I've temporarily powered it from my only power outlet, and tucked the cable to the rear camera into the ceiling. Eventually I'd like for it to be powered from somewhere closer to the dash, and to have a power switch separate from the master module power, maybe even separate from the battery cutoff. It seems to work reasonably well for the price ($60). The cameras aren't HD, more like VGA, so I might not be able to read license plates, but it should suffice for insurance evidence, etc.
I'm testing out compressing a tire, to see if I can get a spare to fit in the undercarriage. There are three voids all about 4" narrower than the diameter of the tire, which is frustratingly close to viable. I compressed a tire 2-3" with a ratchet strap and I'm leaving it that way overnight to see what happens. If this plan works, I'll need a much stronger ratchet to get it down to 4", and a wider band to avoid damaging the tire.
2015/08/11 shopping, crafty stuff, power outlets
I went shopping for a lot of home-improvement supplies. Upholstery, padding, wood stain, screws, wire, etc.
I made a plan to mount a spare tire (sans rim) on the back door along with my spare-tire-bike-rack. Usually, the spare tire mount vertically supports the rim and the rack, and the tire supports the rack laterally. In this idea, the rack is mounted (almost) directly to the back of the vehicle, with minimal support for the tire, and the rack squeezes the tire against the back door so the tire and rack are supporting each other. It's not perfect, but it's going to work. Test drives with one bike turned out well, and I've got a strap tied to an interior handle in case it all fails; I'd rather drag it for a short while than lose it all.
I built a small power outlet panel and it was a success. I used some scrap plywood and put in 3 12V outlets and 2 USB outlets, along with a terminal block to wire it all. Being able to plug in 3-5 things at once will be a great boon for the trip. I couldn't come up with a quick and removable way to mount it that I liked, so I just hung it from a hook. Eventually it will get replaced with a nicer more functional panel, and be demoted to the far rear of the vehicle.
I cut all the wooden pieces for the bin pads that I plan to make. I learned how to make a rounded corner jig for the band saw, which will come in handy in the future.
2015/08/12 kitchen stuff
With power available, I mounted the cooler today, so it won't go sliding around when it's full of food. I just added a couple of angle brackets, screwed right into the exterior material of the cooler. I also mounted the water jug next to it. I used a bungee and some hooks, so it's stable either upright (so it can't spill even if something breaks the spigot off) or on its side (so water can come out the spigot), and can switch orientations without unhooking the strap.
2015/08/13 maintenance woes
Today, things took some turns for the worse, with a happy ending.
I tightened the mirror mounts, so the side mirrors would stop needing adjustment every time the doors get slammed. Or, at least, I tried to. One tightened, and the other snapped the head off its bolt. I wasn't able to remove the remaining bit of bolt, so I simply attached it with a bunch of tape (a blob and some straps). Some searching online determined that finding a replacement part will be time consuming and/or expensive.
Later, and much worse, I suffered the first mechanical failure of the vehicle. Although I didn't know what was happening at the time, I eventually learned that the starter solenoid got stuck "on" and things went downhill from there. It started as a mechanical noise (from the starter running over-time), leading to noise with the vehicle off (power was still going to the starter, but the other ignition systems weren't active), and finally the loss of some magic smoke (the starter burning out). AAA took about 90 minutes to find someone willing to tow me. The ambulance went to the mechanic I'd used previously (B&G Truck and Auto Repair / Auto Therapists) and my guy there (Tom) told me ahead of time that he probably knew the problem and would order parts ahead of time. They got it repaired in a few hours and I went back to get it. Tom even fixed the mirror for free, by torching the arm (after confirming I didn't care about discoloration) to extract the threaded stud that I had snapped the end off of. All told the ambulance ended the day better than it started.
2015/08/14 Sleeping, organizing, swamp cooler
Sleeping in the ambulance last night went fine. It was weird, but fun. I was afraid that running the cooler and fan would drain the batteries, so I left just one battery engaged. By morning, it had dipped noticeably towards 12V (from the 12.7 it seems to prefer, although I think there's an 0.7V drop from a diode before that reading), but everything was still running strong.
Today was mostly organizational. I got a lot more things sorted into bins and cabinets. I hung up more cuphooks for bags and packs and things with straps. The clear wall where the gun racks used to be is now almost solid with hanging containers.
I also did most of the remaining work to get the swamp cooler working. I drilled the intake holes (36 1" holes). I cut the screen to size, to stop water from leaking out the intake holes. I drilled holes in the new smaller tubing, to match the smaller pump I'm using. I attached the fan to the lid, and cut a hole for it. I used some rtv silicone to attach the float switch to the pump, and to plug the end of the new tubing. I added a little foam at the bottom of the bucket to get the main pieces closer to the lid. By the time I'm back from my moving excursion, it will be time for final assembly, which should just involve some wiring, more silicone, and some zip ties.
Also, the starter solenoid stuck again today. I recognized the problem and cut power before it damaged
2015/08/15 Final touches
I slept in the ambulance again. This time, I laid out the wood and foam pieces to simulate the pads I plan to make for the tops of my bins. This almost completely elimianated the bumpiness of the mattress, and leveled it out considerably. I discovered that the vehicle rocks very much when a large vehicle passes by at speed, so I might want to look for lower traffic areas for parking overnight in the future.
That's all before I run off to move my storage belongings to Boston. In a few days, I'll be back in Chicago and starting the road trip. Future improvements and updates will be done/written on the road!