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Old 06-01-2011, 03:26 PM   #21
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

now i thought of screwing some aluminum angle onto the roof, so the right angle covers the hole, and then I could screw the vertical wood trim onto that.

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Old 06-02-2011, 10:19 PM   #22
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

Yeah, I glued my toe kick, but it's not the same. Read about brad nails ripping through the thin wood like that. Got out of my league real quick!
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Old 06-02-2011, 11:48 PM   #23
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

i think the aluminum angle will work. i got some and i'm going to try it out.

i have also modified a futon to be 4' wide. i'm working on the layout with the futon. the hinges sit below the bottom of the bed so storage under it may prove to be a little bit tricky.
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Old 06-16-2011, 12:31 PM   #24
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

well lately i've neglected making the interior pretty and have been focusing on the function. i finished the bed, which is a futon that i elevated height wise to 20" and shortened width wise to 48". i've also put on latches for the pop top. i am very pleased with the latches. the jeep hood latches by themselves dont seem to be quite enough. the nice thing about where i positioned the front roof cross member is that it is directly below the VW factory latch mount. so i modified the latch mount just a bit and was able to bolt the factory latch to the cross member. the VW latch has a backup safety hook. so now i have two jeep hood latches on the outside (i'm calling them "saftey latches"), and the factory latch rigged up inside. I'll try to get some pictures of this but the camera on my phone hasn't been cooperating lately.

now for the camping
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Old 08-24-2011, 12:07 PM   #25
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

i have some photos to share, hope you like them.


here is how i made the floor flat using just 1/4" ply. i didn't want the weight of 3/4. it took a lot more time to cut all those stupid runners out and get them drilled for the seat bolt holes but it was worth it to me. i also have 1/2" more head room this way than if i'd used 3/4" ply flooring.



i went with vinyl tile, it's a fake rock pattern. i wasn't very pleased with the selection they had at home depot. i actually bought pergo flooring, got it home, and took it back because i realized it couldn't really be glued down with success. this is just vinyl stick on tiles. i used some vinyl floor glue to help hold it down. i wanted to something cooler than fake rock, but they didnt' have much in self adhering tile.


this shot shows the side cabinet i'm making. it's not finished. you can also see the air chambers from the select comfort mattress on top the futon i've modified. just a quick shot of that cabinet is what i was going for.


i also have started on a kitchen cabinet. it's not quite done yet either. here is a shot of the kitchen. i am using a stainless bowl from target, a 1 1/4" drain into a 2.5 gallon jug. i haven't set up a water pump or faucet yet. i bought a two burner primus stove from rei for the cooking. excuse the mess, had just gotten home from a camping trip.


here's what the counter looks like on the kitchen.


i couldn't stand that horrible teal color on the poptop. it never looked good, even in 1995 when it came out the factory. so i got some digi snow camo vinyl film to make it look hottttt




and a glamour shot with the top up. it was quite messy in there after a camping trip, but my friends were requesting photos of the progress.
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Old 08-24-2011, 12:18 PM   #26
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

I also have put in a tuning chip from DP Tuner. I went with three tunes: 60 HP Econ, 80 HP Econ, 40 HP Tow, and a fast idle (1100 RPM).

I've driven about 165 miles on half tank with the chip sitting mostly in 60 HP econ mode. I'm guessing this is a 20% improvement or so. I'll have to wait till I fill up to really know how it's improved.
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Old 09-03-2011, 11:37 PM   #27
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

If you dont mind post your findings on your chip. I've been thinking about buying one.
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Old 09-05-2011, 04:34 PM   #28
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

i got about 14.5 mpg in mixed town/highway (65mph) driving.

i got 15.5 mpg on the way to/from burning man 50-65 mph. that trip was 258 miles and 17.3 gallons, but it also included about 5-6 hours of idling and plenty of passing. so i'm still not sure what it gets on the open road, but i'd guess around 16-17, where before i was 14ish.

the chip adds a lot of power, but my cooling fans come on a lot more when it's hot out. it dumps a lot of smoke when you step on it, which is pretty fun.
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Old 09-05-2011, 10:23 PM   #29
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

Cool thanks! Looks like you are having some fun with your build keep posting!!
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Old 11-02-2011, 06:37 PM   #30
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Re: 4x4 15 pass. stormchaser

Well, I suppose it's time for an update. I reupholstered the headliner with grey crushed velvet.
For the audio I installed 4 infinity 6" component speakers, 2 pioneer 5 1/2" component speakers, a pioneer 12" sub (in the pink box under the bed) and an insignia 12" sub, which is hidden behind the green water jug. The deck is a kenwood with bluetooth. The audio is all on the auxiliary batteries, which are charged via solar panels and an engine backup circuit.

I also installed a swivel seat on the passenger side, which i think is going to be very nice to have.

I am almost finished with what I want to do, my list of things to finish seems to be getting smaller instead of bigger for a change - which is really nice. One thing I need to do is instal some more of the LED lights, they work great and don't use a lot of power. A small solar system like I have installed will easily provide enough power for them. I did find a nasty short in my auxiliary battery charging wires from the alternator. I found it when I replaced the starting batteries cuz she was having a hard time starting - barely turned over and then lots of nasty smoke.

If I was going to do this again I would never cover my cabinets and interior panels in vinyl fabric. It is a complete pain to work with and it's really hard to get it to look decent on the drawers, etc. I would just use some wood stain.

Here's a couple of pictures showing the interior.



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