BigTuna117

Well, today Pegasus received a new A/C Drier and the line going into the compressor. I had mentioned a leak before, but I pretty much blew the hose right out of the metal fitting a few weeks ago. She's all set for the summer now. It's nice and cool again!

Oh, they were a TON of work. This Jeep hasn't given me this much of a workout since installing the lift. Two busted knuckles, road rash across both my shoulders from sliding in and out underneath the Jeep (I really need a creeper) and a bruise across my left hip, I sure hope they were worth it.

I really wish they'd sell them in the sleeve. To install em, you WILL NEED a ball joint press and a 1.5" wire brush drill attachment. I left the metal sleeves in the axle when I did it, since there wasn't much bushing left, I removed the center piece and got the big chunks of rubber out with a screwdriver. Then I hit it with the wire wheel, got it down to metal, and pressed the bushing in. So far, they ride pretty nice. The old bushings were seriously trashed, so I has some serious steering slop, "Walking" across the lane when driving, and lots of bump steer. Alot of people say that the poly bushings are too firm, but I disagree. So far it drives pretty comfortably. The new axle bushings and upper control arms have eliminated all slop, no more "Walking" or bump steer.

Well, I spent Saturday, Sunday, and part of Monday replacing upper control arms and axle bushings. I went non-stock for the axle bushings, using Ruske Dana 30 Poly Bushings, and Core 4x4 Fabrication adjustable uppers. Installation of the control arms was pretty standard, and we had to get creative with the upper axle bushings, since the poly bushings don't come with the metal outer sleeve, you have to grind the old rubber bushing out and press the poly bushing into the metal outer sleeve. It was a well needed replacement, and probably should have been completed many miles ago. Three of the four bushings looked pretty much like this. Here's and old vs. new of the stock upper and the Core 4x4 Fab one.

Yes, it's a very nice photo indeed! Congrats!

Definately gonna try and make it this year. As long as the Jeep doesn't demand any ridiculous parts, I oughta be able to make it.

I found this time lapse video of me cleaning the old girl before her last run in 2013. No, this isn't doctored, she still has carpet roof, although that will probably get swapped for beadboard or something of the sort in the future. the ceiling carpet it too high maintenance, and has gotten kinda lanky from the heat. And yes, that is the kitchen sink on the couch. We replaced the faucet!It was a PITA. Old style RVs have a different connection/fitting system than modern ones, and different sized lines. Took a while to get the correct adapters and fittings to make it work.

So, I FINALLY got around to the Akebono caliper conversion. Pretty simple, really Pretty surprisingly, my rear rotors were MUCH worse than the front. The Rear pass was scored all the way around pretty deeply, and then there was this on Rear Driver: Pounding off the old rotors on a 100 degree day was truly a PITA. All four rotors were rusted to the axles, and required VERY liberal use of the sledge to finally pop 'em. But the end result was worth it. I ended up getting the akebono calipers from PowerStop, which was MUCH cheaper than buying the Akebono calipers individually, even though the PowerStop calipers are brand new. They also came with all mounting hardware, so that made it that much easier. I took a gamble and replaced the rear brake pads/rotors while waiting on the UPS man to bring me the PowerStop calipers. My gamble paid off, as I was lowering the rear off the jack, the package arrived and I was able to immediately start on the front. Here's the new front brakes with the spacers installed: And with the Passenger side, sporting the tire, too: Oh! And I captured my first near miss on the dash cam today:

Ohh hehe

Cool! What model was it? (240, 270, 320, L'espirit)?

Well, I think I have the wiring figured out for the most part now. I have a few more wires to trace, but for the most part, I have a gameplan. Since it currently uses a solenoid style charging system, we'll keep it like that, except we'll move it over to a smart solenoid (perhaps the same T-MAX I just put in the WJ) so that it can charge both batteries without the engine running. Then, I can drop a battery maintainer in to keep the house/engine batteries charged when we're storing it. As far as the batteries go, it'll be perfectly ok with to standard batteries instead of a deep cycle, since we normally only use the 12 volt systems for the lights while driving, which have been converted to LED anyways. So, one of the things I found is that the far 12volt out from the switch (the side opposite of the battery) runs to the 12 volt fuse box, controlling the lights and fridge, allowing you to switch it all off, as it is supposed to. the other 12 volt out is an "always hot" wire that i've yet to determine where it leads to. From what I've determined, the very thick gauge wire runs to the starter control module on the 440, which also distributes power to the other bits such as speedo regulation, and instrument cluster. The starter control module, with years of road grime and a wire which got replaced shortly after this picture was taken. The 440 is healthy, at around 60k miles, though difficult to take a good picture of.

I figured I'd put up a thread for my parent's motorhome, since I typically end up dealing with the strangest of the shenanigans keeping it running. It is in incredible shape, considering it's age, however these bad boys were built to last. The fiberglass-on-steel design on top of a dodge truck chassis makes it REALLY sturdy. The fiberglass exterior is a unibody too, meaning the outside is pretty much leak proof and UV Resistant. We made the decision to buy this beast, and in April of 2008, the adventure began. Many times, we have run into shenanigans, such as when we had a bolt holding the alternator on sheared off mid drive, and had to patch it back together with a wire coat hanger and zip ties, and drove it 300+ miles home like that. If there ever was a testament to the durability and reliability of the Dodge 440 V8, this rig is it. And over the years, she has served us well, and always gotten us home. It's always been an experience to get her out on the road. But for the last two years, she has sat, receiving minor upgrades and repairs after a tire blowout pulled the freshwater main apart. My dad and I (both being strategically and mechanically minded) have begun a push to get her back to 100% by later this year. We have 3 major overhauls to complete. Repair the freshwater mains, Brakes, and the 12 volt electrical system. After installing the dual battery solenoid on the Jeep, I decided I'd take on the electrical systems. Boy oh boy, I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. Being an older RV, it obviously doesn't have the fancy computer controlled charging systems that modern RVs have. Instead, it has a 6 post charging solenoid, which is supposed to charge the engine battery and house battery while you drive. The old girl has always had issues charging the second battery, and I think I found the issue. The charging system seems to be an over complex crows nest of wires. Tracing the wires to their origin, or as close to their origin as I can get, this is what I've come up with: I find it puzzling that one 12 volt line leads into the switch at the same side of the battery yet the other one (presumably leading to the interior fusebox) leads out on the correct side, also the fact that the alternator leads directly onto the switch instead of into either the solenoid or directly to the primary battery. I need to finish tracing one of the 12 volt leads, but I feel like I could greatly clean up the wiring by moving to the modern standard 4 post solenoid with a control unit. Also, it really irks me that nothing is fused. Regardless of anything else I do, the entire system will be fused when I'm done. I feel like it could be MUCH simpler when I'm done, and MUCH safer with additional fuses.

Sure thing! Another cam I hear good things about is the Mini 0801 and the Mini 0803. Eventually, I'd like to get a unit that allows for a camera in the windshield and one in the rear window, such as the K1S.

Yeah, it compensates surprisingly well for the lower budget dash cams. The real endurance test is gonna be seeing how it holds up in the summer. There are like 5 or 6 different variants of the G1W, mine being the variant which replaces the battery with a capacitor, which gives it about 10 seconds to save and power down once you cut the power.

So, one of the things I forgot to talk about was the Dash Cam install. I bought a cheap (probably counterfeit) G1W-C Dash Cam on Ebay before the Moab trip. I bought it as an insurance fraud protection (the crazy things people do on the road) and with the hope that I could use it to capture some of the cool parts of the trip. It sits on my rearview mirror mount, and turns on and off when the vehicle does. It also "technically" only supports a 32GB MicroSD card, but it will accept a 64GB MicroSD card formatted to FAT32. As far as dash cam setups go, it one is cheap and functional. G1W-C: $45 Accessories (hardwire kit and rear view mirror mount): about $15 64GB Transcend MicroSD card: $29 It's a pretty functional little bugger, too. You also don't really see it unless you are looking for it in the windshield. It has multiple resolutions you can choose from, 1728x1296 (a 4:3 format, uses the whole camera sensor). I've found that "1296p" works well, but can be kind of buggy, whereas 1080p and below all work pretty much flawlessly. (1080p mode) (1296p mode) The fisheye effect looks really strange at 4:3, I think. Another issue which many G1W owners have is the slight blur off to the side. For what I use it for, I don't really mind it. I keep it on 1080p, which has a higher bitrate, it's cleaner, and it works! Here is a night shot, from Golden Spike, as we were making our way off of the trail. And another from Baby Lionsback, which is during the day. There is some glare, but it seems like our shiny black dashboard makes that inevitable.

Yeah! We all had such an excellent time, that we have already started planning a trip for sometime next year! The dub impressed everyone. It did golden spike, on 30.1" tires, which is pretty incredible. I think having both sway bars disconnected helped, but hopefully next year I can make it through with no damage. The only damage I took was minor, which was the Westin safari bar. It took one heck of a beating, too. Probably saved my radiator/coolers.

I had the opportunity to take Pegasus to Moab for the first time. I went with my friends at NAU 4x4, had a blast, it was a great time. We ran all sorts of trails (I did em all with the front sway disconnected and the rear removed). The biggest thing I have to say is that she really held her own against much larger, better built rigs. Everyone was really impressed, on each trail we ran. The only warning I have for y'all is that Golden Spike will (and I mean WILL) find the weak point in your rig and it will exploit it. (Popping a coil back in) (Another angle) In my case, it was that I was running with no sway bars, and no coil retainers. I dropped both front coils at different times in the trail, and ended up driving it back to camp on 3 coils that night. we arrived back at camp around 4AM (there were larger rigs who suffered much worse damage, so we had to stop to assess the damage a lot. The only other damages I had were that I ripped out the washer fluid bottle (I think everyone does?) and the westin light bar on the front of the Jeep got MANGLED. removed it and threw it out before we even left moab. I really hindered the approach angle of the dub and it payed the price for it. I guess it's time to start looking at a real bumper now, and some more underbody armor.

I haven't yet done anything to reinforce that support, but I'd like to do something similar myself. As far as other such underarmour, I Have the IRO Tcase/cat skid waiting to go on (need a drill with a bigger chuck, haha), and I'd like to weld on a skid plate to the rear D44a. Eventually, like WAY down the line, if I decide I am going to keep these axles, they'll both get skids and trusses, and the front will get a few other reinforcements too.

Happy Birthday!

Yes indeed! It certainly gives it a much more clean look. I just need new Headlight assemblies and She'll look 10 years younger!

Alright, it's been a few weeks in the works, but I finally have the Dual battery setup functional at last! I decided to go ahead and upgrade some things such as wiring, so it took a little bit longer to install. I looked at many different systems when I was choosing, and went with the Westin/T-Max system for a couple of reasons. First off, it was inexpensive, in fact, it was about the same (before the extras I bought) as the kit Painless sells. Second, the solenoid is controlled by the unit in the cab. You can actually attach a solar panel or charger to the second battery, and the unit will link the two batteries once that one is charged! It comes with the controller module, solenoid, and all lengths of wire to install it. I decided against the dinky "crimp on" fuse for the controller, and the 4 (or was it 8?) gauge wire it came with. Instead, I decided to replace the wire it came with, and the fuse box for the controller with a more sturdy "weatherproof" one, and swapped the battery wiring for some nice 0AWG wire. I also added 250A fuses at each battery, as a failsafe. I decided to use 0AWG in case I decide to migrate the engine battery back to the hide-a-hole too. I still haven't decided if I want to do that yet. (note: for some reason imgur has become impossible for me to use, so I'm gonna be uploading them here) The battery is the same model that I have up front, Since I didn't want to buy something else and make the system act all wonky (from what I understand, you want same amperage across both batteries, which makes sense.) So, as far as routing goes, I ended up just doing the same way most do, down the inside of the uniframe rail on the driver's side. I figured it has worked well for others, so I loomed the wire and ran with it! I mounted the solenoid a bit above where the steering shaft leaves the firewall, on the most open spot in the engine bay. The battery is strapped down in the Hide-a-hole with multiple points. One ratchet strap straps it to a point I bolted in, which keeps it from "walking around" and a "trio" of points bolted in keep it securely in place from any jumping around. This also allows me to still keep some things in there for daily use. My compressor (in it's bag) fits perfectly in the space between the straps, just opposite from the battery.

Yesterday and today I spent giving the Jeep some good TLC. Yesterday I rotated the tires and found some slight surface rust. I started hitting it with the wire wheel, and today I painted all of the exposed areas. Although I cleaned up the surface rust well, I still shot those areas with rust reformer. While I was at it, I applied a fresh coat of paint to the wheel wells. I figured, I had the tires off, I might as well!

So I recently was able to make a trip to Lake Havasu, and used it as an opportunity to test out the new setup. PegasusNAV 2.0 Works near flawlessly. All of the problems the Nexus 7 had have been resolved by this tablet. GPS is much more accurate, and refreshes MUCH quicker, the extra processing power solves the problems that the N7 had with having apps like CoPilot and Google Play Music open at the same time. It also can have the screen on for long periods of time without overheating or even getting remotely warm. Also, it doesn't deplete the battery slowly with the charger plugged in when GPS is on. I also picked up this: T-max Dual battery system. I'll be installing it soon, however since I plan to have one battery up front and one in back, I'm gonna hold off and replace the 8AWG wire it comes with with 0AWG. Other than that, it seems to come with everything, and seems to be pretty well made. We'll see how it ( and the T-Max air compressor I purchased along with it) handle in the coming months. I also ordered LED's for my gauge cluster, as I have a few lights flickering, and it's finally annoying enough to replace. I'll update again when I start installing the Dual Battery System.

Happy New Year! I guess you could say I started the new year off right by switching things around and putting the new tablet setup together. I learned a lot from the old setup, and tried to implement what I learned. First off, I converted over from a stick on/ suction type mount to a bolt in. I went for the Arkon 22" gooseneck mount as I didn't want to risk the suction cup style losing adhesion and dropping my new tab pro onto the shifters screen first (although it's surprisingly lighter than my Nexus 7 was). Secondly, I changed out the cheap 12 volt plug that I had previously installed in the dash for a marine grade one inserted into the center console. I figured this way, ia least if something like the charger breaks, it won't be such a PITA to replace. I also like having a cover attached to the plug. So far, my initial feelings towards the Tab Pro (10.1") are very good. Normally I prefer closer to stock flavors of android, but I'm relieved to say that Samsung has really put a lot of work into TouchWiz since the days my Galaxy S3 was running it. My first thought after receiving this tablet was "CyanogenMod will run great on this," but ultimately, TouchWiz doesn't skip a beat, and runs completely flawlessly on this device. Even better, the Android 5.0 Lollipop update is expected to release in the next few months, and should bring further speed increases! One of the reasons this tablet interested me was it's ability to split screen apps, and it works quite well on apps it supports, but rumor has it Android M (6.0?) will probably have this feature built in.

Well, tomorrow's the last day of 2014! It's been a good year, and I figured I'd give an "end of year report," given some of my original goals for the build have changed slightly, and what I'd like to do next year, as far as the Jeep and such. Well, when I started building the Jeep I didn't realize how much I'd enjoy working on the rig, and how much fun the traveling and wheeling would be. This year has really tested my mechanical mettle (such as installing the lift with 1 jack stand, 2 bottle jacks, and the stock jack) and has really opened my eyes as to the improvements that the Jeep needs, as well as additional tools I need to invest in. I have also learned more about mobile tech and it's place in the cab, with the Nexus 7 mount-up earlier, and moving up to the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1" which will get it's appropriate mount in the coming weeks. And I guess that's where I'll start. The Nexus 7 setup has been decommissioned... Not so much because it will be replaced soon, but because the tablet stopped working. The original 2012 N7 was riddled with technical problems, as I found out. I guess it was a good thing I bought an extended warranty. I think the funds I receive back for that will probably be used to buy a dual battery solenoid, and more tools. Which brings me to the Jeep. In 2015, I'd like to get a few things done for sure. A secondary battery will let me re-route a lot of the accessories I'm running (such as lights, amps, and a power inverter) to a secondary "house battery." I'm hoping this will take a good amount of strain off of having only one battery. Soon, I hope to buy rock rails too. I have an IRO TC/Cat skid sitting in the garage, waiting to be bolted on. Although this will technically finish up "Phase 2" I'm gonna roll right in to "Phase 2.5" Which will include some sort of spare tire solution (I don't much care for it on top of the roof rack), additional lights and LED light conversions, The dual battery solenoid install, and a few other little bits here and there to make the Jeep a little bit more liveable on long trips. After that, we'll roll in to the the third and final "phase" (though of course, that won't be the end of the build, just the final list of planned additions). We'll see how the Jeep performs in the coming months, and decide what to do with it once we know where it's shortcomings are. Well, that's all I can think of for now. Hopefully I'll see y'all on the trails soon!