Little things - Creative DIY modifications

[Gordo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gordo]

Mick - love the idea. Is it possible to see how you mounted the horizontal (top) cage to the side of the car.

It all seems like a very neat job - well done.

Gordon

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Here's an earlier picture before I made some minor modifications. I have since cut the cage back a little for better access to the space on the LHS of it. ( You can see this if you compare it to the first pic).
I have been asked to help make another for someone so I will do a bit of a step by step guide in the future.



Mick

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

That's a really sweet job Mick. Great idea to trim the left hand side back a little too.

Cheers
Chippy

[MTpockets Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MTpockets]

My contribution to this thread.....
I have actually installed my UHF in the console with velcro but never took pics. Maybe I will on the weekend. Its for those who dont like holes left behind when trading.

[Strahan Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Strahan]

Everyone might know this one, when offroading angle your outside rear view mirrors down at your back tyres. You can then see at a glance if you are about to clean something up and you place you back wheels where you want them.

[dirttracker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dirttracker]

I thought i would put a few things up re this thread. some of my gear has been seen on other prados but hey!

Full set up for the trip down the Strz and Birdsville as posted on trips thread.

Mudflaps for the trailer to stop stones flying up and for the car to stop them getting back there.

The car flap is made from gate post gal, very cheap at Bunnings with modified L brackets, same source, welded on. All bolted to the concealed nuts under the exhaust tip and the recovery/tiedown points. Thye are mirrored on each side. I needed to buy longer bolts to go through the tiedown bracket and the new bracket.

Radio position. Works very well. Tidy and able to be used by the driver while on the move and while leaning the arm on the centre console.

Remote speaker position and Dual battery controller.

Brake controller position. Had an interesting event where the pendulum changed postion without my knowledge and locked up the trailer in the middle of a town. Very spectacular but easily remedied.

Rear vision screen. It is also a mirror and is a boon to reversing now that the car is lifted. Should be standard on all models.

Rear Camera. Combined infra red. Not the bst vision when it is in the sun and it is hot. Man do they get dirty!

Shovel bracket on the spare.

Inside mounted air compressor with lines running to both sides but as I don't have a manual Y gate, I need to manually change the two hoses.

The good old bash plate.

Homemade pipe roof rack on Rhino bars. Deflector at the front lights on the rear for camper set up. Light are not working out and heat up the cigarette lighter fitting to a worrying degree.

Fire extinguisher. Great position thats to a previous post.

Power outlets and guage for the second battery.

False floor in the back to handle all the bits you need to tie down when on the tracks. Air comp behind the fridge, a 50 L. bins for recovery gear and car parts. When we do the Simpson this will be reorganised and perhaps some shelves created for the bins and other items.

Driving lights- Night Stalkers

That will do for now!
Regards
Dirttracker


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[Grandeman Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Grandeman]

Hey Chippy

I just saw your handywork with the checkerplate rubber - you're a veritable artisan, mate!

I took the lazy way out and coated every exposed inch of the interior in Sandgrabbas and Michelle's Sacs seat covers. It probably would have been cheaper for me to just have the entire interior fully retrimmed once a year for the next ten years!!!

BTW, have you inserted some eyelets under the plastic trim to support the luggage net in the tailgate section?

Howdja do it, if you don't mind me askin'? :wink:

[Chippy Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chippy]

Howdja do it, if you don't mind me askin'? :wink:

No worries. Those El Cheapo nets have got a plastic hook on each corner. The bottom two hooks are clipped onto the sheet metal panel work, in behind the plastic trip, as far into the corner as I could get. Then all of the plastic trim is clipped back in place and the kickplate that runs across the back door is screwed back over the top.

The top hooks clip onto a pair of wire loops. These wire loops are a very fine, but strong, wire twisted into a figure eight. When the side trim is lifted away there is a clip near the seam, about half way up each side. One end of the figure eight is hooked over the clip and the rest of the wire loop passes through the seam - so that the netting hook has a loop to hang onto.

It's a cheat, but I wasn't prepared to drill the trim or body.

Cheers
Chippy

[dirttracker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dirttracker]

Matt,
I will do a product review for you in the future as it is put away for now.

The gauge is off the wiring that has been brought through from the second battery and second outlet is piggybacked off that. I did have some problems with a drop in voltage and knowing if I had enough juice in the second battery, so I installed the gauge. I also have run a 30 amp from the primary battery to the air compressor with a heavy duty plug. As I have said elsewhere, I am not happy with the cigarette lighter style plugs. It is ok for the fridge as far as I am aware but not for high draw appliances such as the air pump for my boat tender or the rear lights. I may put another style of plug in as an alternative to one of the plugs.
Martin[/quote][/code]

[MTpockets Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MTpockets]

Martin,
Have you thought about anderson plugs? I reckon they are the best 12 volt plug out there.
cheers

[dirttracker Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dirttracker]

MT,
I have used a similar system for the air compressor, but ones that can be ganged together in row. One is Black and one is Red and they clip together. bought at Jaycar. I would like something that I can plug into and then it is out of the way when not in use. That is the beauty of a cigarette lighter style. for those who know, mine are Sutar rather than kmart brand. Bought from Bar and Racks in Hornsby, Syd. Are there are others that people have had experience with that can be sunken into the panel?

[Gordo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gordo]

Ive got myself an Engel 40 Ltr fridge and did not like the Engel slide out tray, so I bought the oppositions - Waeco. They work really well together and is so easy to use.

[plucker Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close plucker]

I have used anderson plugs in the boat for the electric motor for years. The only hang up I have with them is the corrosion that eventually creates problem connections. Admittedly they get bathed in salt water regularly which would be a totally different environment to the back of the Prado. However they are the best connector that I have found.

They are rated at 50 Amps which should power the biggest of fridges.

[MattWhite Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MattWhite]

I too use anderson plugs on my fridges but have considered a change.

I like them because they will never not power a fridge and they are not male female. I can charge my camper with the plug on the back of the car and then when we set-up to stop people climbing in and out of the car I can use that same plug to run a fridge or two through a double adaptor I made. Same with the other connector on the draw bar. I also have an outback battery charger and have thought about putting one on the end of that so I can plug in to the batteries at the back of the car there instead of alligator clips on the battery.

I dont like them because they are not as tidy in the car. Mine are tucked in with the jack and I just pull them out when I need them. Also I set all this up before I knew of the "Hella style" plug which our camper came with. I also didnt know you could pull the red part off the waeco ciggie plug and put it in a hella plug till today! :roll:

I am thinking of putting more hella plugs in the trailer and two in the car and just tidy it up a bit. I hate clutter!

[Gordo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gordo]

Two CBs - One Microphone

Ive been taking note of all the very good ideas this forum has to offer, so I thought I owe it too the forum to add my two bits worth for all to share.

I remembered one mod I did a few years ago on my previous 4WD (Pajero). I had both a UHF and standard HF CB radios mounted under the seats. One thing that I didn't like was two microphones dangling around the cabin.

What I did was have each CB microphone lead attached directly to one male microphone socket that was mounted in the dash. To this I connected one standard CB microphone. Next to this connection was a switch that each CB was powered through (both individually fused of course). The only issue was that the switch connected power to only one CB at a time. Toggling the power switch changed the CB radio.

Both CBs were mounted out of site, but generally sat on the one channel, so there was no issues with channel selection.

Unfortunately I have no photos or schematics, but I know that when the Prado turns up, this is one of the mods that I will be doing. The next step is to power the CBs individually, but rather than toggling the power between the two, I will be toggling the connectivity of the microphone between instead. Another future upgrade to this mod is have two LEDs side by side for each CB for channel selection and a dial residing next to each LED that changes each CB channel when needed. This may require a little effort as it will reside quite some distance to the actual CB.

Has anyone else done this sort of mod in the past, or intending on doing this in the future?

When the Prado turns up (Feb 2008), then I will take a few photos and post to the forum.