Brakkenjan's change from Ordinary to Custom

Bulletjie-3 · Post by **Bulletjie-3** » Tue Nov 06, 2012 5:52 pm

Op[ die foto waar die looms ingetrek is wys die gearlevers en links van hulle is die boksie.

Post by **JohanM** » Tue Nov 06, 2012 6:06 pm

Everdt,

Daai is my power outlets op die floor console maar daai sal ook nog oor gedoen word.

Bulletjie-3 · Post by **Bulletjie-3** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:48 am

Ek het so geraai maar was nie seker nie. Jou wa is behoorlik toegerus ne ? Gerieflik.

Post by **JohanM** » Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:04 am

Bulletjie-3 wrote:Ek het so geraai maar was nie seker nie. Jou wa is behoorlik toegerus ne ? Gerieflik.

Dankie Everdt, maar daar is nog plek vir baie verbetrings!! Ek is amper nou klaar met alles, maar dit gaan nog so rukkie wees voordat als klaar is, dan sal ek sê hy is behoorlik toegerus.

Post by **JohanM** » Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:41 am

Here is a few pictures of the latest changes and progress on my SFA.

The engine bay wiring is done, taped up and routed. Dual battery system is connected. Lights is replaced with new H4 Hella light inserts. The VHF radio wiring is pulled through. Also the NL monitor is routed into the cab. The Aerial is fitted tn the cable is pulled through. Still need to route it into the headlining but that to be done once the rest is done. Also the left side of the dash is completed.

Here is some pictures.

Here is the aerial mounted outside.

VHF.jpg: (37.52 KiB) Downloaded 664 times

Inside where it still needs to go into the roof lining

vhf inside.jpg: (45.31 KiB) Downloaded 664 times

The new look inside the bonnet..

Front Done.jpg: (60.44 KiB) Downloaded 664 times

The Interior so far...

Interior 90.jpg: (46.63 KiB) Downloaded 664 times

The lights. Old Vs new. taken on brights without the spotlights in daylight. Bith lights are running no extra relays, only Osram nightbreakers and decent wiring.

Left side is new, old one is 23 years old.

Old vs new.jpg: (52.79 KiB) Downloaded 664 times

Both lights new lenses on brights.

New Lenses.jpg: (55.59 KiB) Downloaded 664 times

Donkey · Post by **Donkey** » Mon Nov 12, 2012 12:51 pm

So far so good, well done, pity we won't catch up at the GTG

The Legend · Post by **The Legend** » Mon Nov 12, 2012 1:05 pm

Stadig maar seker kom jy klaar-Stuk werk om op trots te wees.Well Done Johan

Post by **JohanM** » Mon Nov 12, 2012 1:08 pm

Baie dankie Dawie, ja dit vat ook al heelwat langer as wat ek aanvanklik beplan het, maar dit kom stadig aan!!!

Thumelo, it won't be ready in time to use and also got some time issues that needs to be dealt with as a priority. We will catch up at a later stage!!!

Post by **JohanM** » Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:03 pm

So I dummy fitted the instrumentation cluster, and connected up all wiring after fitting the alarm system again in place. It started first time without any hassles and everything was working 100% as it should be.

So I started to tidy up the last wiring, and also refitted all the last bits in place. Then made a bracket and mounted the Kenwood VHF radio in the roof.

Also I routed the aerial through the side panel into the headliner and just spread the cable out nicely so that it doesn't overlap.

I fiited to low level cabin/reading/navigation lights to the inside of the cab. I mounted them low down as I dont like the blinding light from the overhead console's that is currently available.

Here is some last pictures of the instalation. Next up will be the door pockets and centre console...

VHF mounted.jpg: (56.08 KiB) Downloaded 630 times

Lowlights.jpg: (58.49 KiB) Downloaded 630 times

Thunder02 · Post by **Thunder02** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:55 am

Johan,she is looking great

Post by **Family_Dog** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:57 am

Nice work, Johan. Have you thought about spraying the TK7160 heatsink black?

-F_D

Post by **JohanM** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:38 pm

Thunder02 wrote:Johan,she is looking great

Niel, thanks a lot, its been a long time working to finish itup to this stage.

Family_Dog wrote:Nice work, Johan. Have you thought about spraying the TK7160 heatsink black? -F_D

Eric, No I havent thought about it, but it is sitting so high in the roof that I like the alu finished look. Also nothing else is going to be added up here as all the important things are fitted down at normal dash height.

I still need to pop around to klerkies to bring my truck so you can inspect my arial connection that I made to see if it is correct as I did it according to the info on the forum, but cannot test it as there is no one in my town that is also a member with a vhf radio....

Post by **Family_Dog** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 6:31 pm

Be careful.... I have a habit of keeping things that come to Klerksdorp if i like them. Will post a pic a bit later of what is currently in my yard... ;)

-F_D

Post by **Family_Dog** » Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:19 pm

Here is proof of "what followed me home"...

: P1030515.JPG (176 KiB) Viewed 5222 times

: P1030517.JPG (174.17 KiB) Viewed 5222 times

-F_D

Danman · Post by **Danman** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:25 am

Nee man Oom Eric,
Die mense hier by die werk dink ek het hondsdolheid soos ek sit en kwyl.
As ek vandag in die hospitaal opeindig is dit Oom se skuld.

Post by **Family_Dog** » Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:42 pm

Toe maar Danie, hy's nou weg!

The owner collected it again today. I tried to convince him I still needed it for 6 months to ensure that his radio really worked as we promised him, I even asked him to fill both tanks 'cos I needed to try it in 29MHz AM world, daar onder in die Kaap. But he mumbled something about it being his livelihood (he is a tour operator). Oh well, it was good while it lasted :)

-F_D

Post by **JohanM** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 5:10 pm

Very nice Eric, I hope you enjoyed it while it lasted. Those diesel motors are a treat in their own way to drive.

So today I decided to clean my truck after 3 months of being tresseled up in the air. Then as I went about cleaning it, I decided to see what improvement I got after sorting the charging circuits out. So I started it up, let it idle for 5 minutes to let the national luna solenoid kick in so that both batteries gets charged. The main battery was almost full, and the deepcycle was @ 75% on the monitor. I turned on the radio, switched on all the lights and the spotlights, the aircon was also switched on and the doors were left open....

I got my Fluke meter out, and tested 14.2V on the front & rear battery. No load charge front & back is 14.5V.

I was so happy that I decided to do the front door pockets this afternoon. I set about starting to size up the plywood to be used, when I had a small accident.

: oops.jpg (61.12 KiB) Viewed 5186 times

This was the outcome of it, so now I cannot finish the project until its healed, and also im having to type with 1.5 hands at most, mainly now only one hand.

So till next weekend when I should be hopefully able to finish it the Lux will rest clean in the garage.

The Legend · Post by **The Legend** » Thu Nov 22, 2012 6:47 pm

Eina Johan,Dit kan nie lekker wees nie.Net bly vir jou part dat jy nie n vinger verloor het nie.

Post by **Family_Dog** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:17 am

Ouch Johan, I feel your pain!!

-F_D

Post by **JohanM** » Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:14 pm

Dawie, ja darem net die nael geshatter en die nealbed se weefsel is beskadig, maar dit sal weer mooi herstel volgens die dokter. Eric, yes the pain is not your average type, but then its not really that bad either.

Some of the things that I have bought myself for the Lux and just to make travelling more interesting, is a Lunar Telescope which I can use to view both land, stars and the moon.... Also bought a Celestron digital hikers compass/altimeter which is now mounted to the dash of my Hilux. It gives me barometric pressure, maximum altitude, current altitude, temperature outside, compass reading with digital display and also it has a weather forecast function.

: celestron-trekguide-hiking-gps-orange-48001.jpg (15.8 KiB) Viewed 5158 times

Below is a picture of a similar telescope as the One I bought... Now I need to make a special carrycase with foam padding for it, to be able to transport it in my SFA...

: telesccope.jpg (7.54 KiB) Viewed 5158 times

Im sure this combined with a star gazer map will be able to supply me with hours of night time solitude in the bush while looking up the galaxy.....

Thunder02 · Post by **Thunder02** » Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:00 am

I like the idea of the telescope permanently in the hilux,hope your finger heals real soon so you can get her back on the road

Post by **JohanM** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 12:41 pm

The end of the road is nearing with all the mods getting done one at a time. The finger is almost completely healed, but the nail will still take time to regrow.

However, I carried on with the mods. I bought a small work lamp from Pieter, and made it my new worklight fitted to the back of my Truck. I still need to wire it onto the reverse light circuit, but that will get done this weekend. Here is pictures, please excuse the quality as it was taken with my phone's camera.

The remaining list of mods is not that long, but it is getting more and more expensive. Custom built long range tank, Custom made towbar with special carriers for the HL jack and things, Winch to be fitted and hopefully a LED light bar or two.

December will be my time to finish all the little projects. So next year I will upload the new pictures of all the adjustments I have made and some more of the full setup in action.

WL2.jpg: (43.62 KiB) Downloaded 486 times

The LED worklight upclose

: WL1.jpg (37.3 KiB) Viewed 5105 times

THe way it looks from behind now.

Post by **CasKru** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 1:02 pm

Jou projek kom nou lekker aan

Post by **JohanM** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 2:42 pm

Dankie Cassie, ja dit is lekker om die vordering sover te kan sien en geniet. Binnekort sal ek weer kan kamp met alles netjies georden op hulle plekke. Maar die organisasie en dinge sal julle eers volgende jaar mag sien.

4x4Maniac · Post by **4x4Maniac** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 6:57 pm

Johan hopenlik gaan ons jou trokkie nou sien met al daai mods met die volgende GTG.

Racer-X · Post by **Racer-X** » Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:07 pm

Any updates?

Post by **JohanM** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 5:52 pm

Racer-X wrote:Any updates?

Indeed yes a lot but then again just havent had the time either. to read a lot or do a lot....

My truck has been modified to have the 81L IFS tank fit instead of the SFA 65L tank. Its a tedious project with lots of things to be changed and fabricated, but now my SFA runs quietly with the pump in the tank. Also I fitted a Corolla fuel filter that had the screw in fittings and a banjo fitting the other side. Now it is a solid fuel line running to the fuel rail and with enough movement to allow full engine tilting without pulling or twisitng the pipe.

Also I redid the complete packing system in the back as the one shown previously was made to be finished for a short trip. This time I strenghtened the frame, made my own sildes for the drawers, partioned them and made everything fit properly and securely. I have converted a old unused picknick back pack to be the new cutlery bag for cups, plates, mugs and the needed things. The drawers now boasts more packing space and also provide some better and faster loading unloading times as things all fit togtether one way only. The battery recieved its own enclosure, with additional storage space in which I pack the shower pump and a small hair dryer for the lady if needed. Also the inverter was mounted and is now used more often. Spare wheel has been moved to a central location as it promotes better access through all the side doors and frees up quite a lot of space in the side and when fully packed everything is just neatly in its place.

Also modified the towbar at the back, shortened the lower side tubes, fitted recovery points to the back, strengthened the mounting brackets, put hi lift jacking points on in the front and rear. Now I can lift the vehicle safely or recover another vehicle.

Next up from here will be to lighten the shower cubicle with alum tubes in stead of brass, make two swing arms for the towbar to fit the gas bottle, spade, hilift jack and a tube holder to hold long pipes within easy reach.

Also a 140/160 watt solar setup is under way to power the fridge all day when parked and to provide for power needed. The fuel tank is in development and will be fitted soon in the back making capacity 200L on board when going far away from tracks.

And last will be a Sat phone mounted in the vehicle as well as a winch as we travel often solo vehicle into very remote locations.

Time for some pictures now...

Post by **JohanM** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 5:56 pm

Pictures of the fuel tank brackets being modified for the ifs tank

bracket2.jpg: (64.68 KiB) Downloaded 156 times

bracketside.jpg: (67.93 KiB) Downloaded 156 times

cutting.jpg: (47.78 KiB) Downloaded 156 times

Fuel filter location and mounting

filterlocation.jpg: (67.56 KiB) Downloaded 156 times

Post by **JohanM** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 6:04 pm

Size matters....

Difference in size between the two tanks.

SFA VS IFS.jpg: (73.12 KiB) Downloaded 156 times

Looking under the chassis its lower but not noticable in normal off road conditions.

tankchassis view.jpg: (86.25 KiB) Downloaded 156 times

Made a permanent mount for the GPS that cannot come loose in dusty or bad corrugated roads. Got tired of the Nuvi heading south after a dusty drive and hitting a slight bump...

DSCN0412.JPG: (204.79 KiB) Downloaded 156 times

DSCN0413.JPG: (138.06 KiB) Downloaded 156 times

Post by **JohanM** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 6:21 pm

Fitted the door pockets and they work really brilliant, should have done it a long time ago.

DSCN0420.JPG: (201.41 KiB) Downloaded 155 times

Pictures of the towbar shortened, also now showing my radio call sign on the front and back.

Front

DSCN04112.jpg: (262.58 KiB) Downloaded 155 times

Rear

DSCN04062.jpg: (249.75 KiB) Downloaded 155 times

Rear recovery points

DSCN0408.JPG: (188.15 KiB) Downloaded 155 times

Jacking points

DSCN0407.JPG: (188.64 KiB) Downloaded 155 times

Post by **JohanM** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 6:30 pm

The packing system:

Kitchen side.

DSCN0415.JPG: (147.58 KiB) Downloaded 142 times

The equipment side

DSCN0414.JPG: (164.96 KiB) Downloaded 142 times

Invertor mounted

DSCN0418.JPG: (156.98 KiB) Downloaded 142 times

Batterybox inside

: DSCN0419.JPG (170.04 KiB) Viewed 4533 times

Post by **JohanM** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 6:38 pm

The last pictures, inside from the sides and closed up

DSCN0416.JPG: (199.71 KiB) Downloaded 142 times

DSCN0417.JPG: (216.15 KiB) Downloaded 142 times

DSCN0409.JPG: (219.95 KiB) Downloaded 142 times

Side view loaded with about 50% capacity.

loaded.jpg: (113.62 KiB) Downloaded 142 times

Bulletjie-3 · Post by **Bulletjie-3** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 7:20 pm

Dis een mooi van daardie !!!

Oetie · Post by **Oetie** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 7:30 pm

Nice rig Johan!!

The Legend · Post by **The Legend** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 8:21 pm

Baie netjies Johan en daar is nog hope pak plek oor.

Post by **Family_Dog** » Sun Aug 04, 2013 9:01 pm

Looking very good, Johan! So when are you moving to Klerksdorp so that we can incorporate some ideas into Bulldog...!! ;)

-F_D

Hangover · Post by **Hangover** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 8:54 am

Johan
Waar het jy daai laaaaang drawer systeem lat maak of gekoop? Ek soek so lang een vir my Xtra cab... Myne moet net van daai plastic ammo kratte vat...

Post by **JohanM** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 9:33 pm

Thank you guys for the positive feedback...

Lollie wrote:Baie netjies Johan en daar is nog hope pak plek oor.

Dawie baie dankie dit was bloed sweet en kleur volle taal ten tyne maar eks baie tevrede. Ek sal eendag bietjie nog alles inpak en fotos neem en dan weer alles uitpak en afneem sodat jy kan sien wat steek ek als weg daar binne.

Family_Dog wrote:Looking very good, Johan! So when are you moving to Klerksdorp so that we can incorporate some ideas into Bulldog...!! ;)

-F_D

Uncle for this to be done we will have to move bulldog here into the workshop where magic sometimes happen!!!

Hangover wrote:Johan
Waar het jy daai laaaaang drawer systeem lat maak of gekoop? Ek soek so lang een vir my Xtra cab... Myne moet net van daai plastic ammo kratte vat...

Ek het hom self gemaak, my laaie is 1150mm lank buite maat. Als daarso is self gemaakte planne. Net die komponente gekoop en self gemaak.

Froll · Post by **Froll** » Mon Aug 05, 2013 9:52 pm

Looks like a very good job done, very neat.