Tool Box

Land Rovers are not known for their security. Sliding windows and very simple door locks make them very easy to break into. I will be traveling with a satellite phone, computer, iPad and a pile of tools, all of which are primo targets for thieves. While having a computer stolen is always a bummer, having the computer in which you've stored all you field data stolen is a major issue. I have had a big locking tool chest for a number of years and have used it to store recovery gear and tools. Here's a picture.

The box is a big rectangle which fits nicely between the jack (left side of picture) and the support for my bed (right side of picture).

Land Rovers are essentially a big cube with windows and wheels. However, there is one curve running down the side of the truck at the "waistline" just below the windows where the truck bulges out about 3 inches. Interestingly this bulge is a major distinguishing feature between pre-1959 Land Rovers (Series I Rovers) and 1959 to later Land Rovers (Series II, IIa, III and Defenders). The rectangular box essentially sterilizes this storage space, wasting almost 5 inches of storage space on the wheel well. I'm already worried about fitting all my rocks and gear in Grover so this waste of space is unacceptable. I designed a tool box specifically to fit on top of the wheel well and to take advantage of this space but was quoted over $600 dollars to build it. This was unacceptable so I modified my current tool box to fit. I added a five inch bulge to the back by bending sheet metal to fit. Adding sides and riveting it together approximated what I had designed and cost about $50 dollars. Here's a picture of the back of the box, bulging out to take advantage of the extra space.

As you can see it adds significantly to the interior volume. Here's a shot of the inside.

I bolted the storage box to the wheel well and can fit all my tools, electronics and spares into it and it is just the right height so my hip doesn't rest on it when I lie in bed. Perfect and for less than one tenth the cost of a custom box!

Not Leaving May 25

I had planned to depart May 25 for Neihart, MT. However, I still need to print a bunch of maps and information in case my computer dies and do some final modifications to Grover (my Land Rover) so will delay my departure until May 26.

Cooker

This was a fun project I fit in between the fuel tank and the split charge system. I wanted to have a dual burner, propane stove mounted on the rear door of the truck. I elected to use a standard Primus stove instead of a purpose built vehicle mounted stove due to the vast difference in cost. I purchased the stove at MEC (MEC.ca) for about 70 $CDN. I strengthened the hinge on the lid by replacing it with a full length piano hinge and reattached it using twice as many larger rivets. I then reinforced the lid by riveting aluminum flat stock to the lid, through which the bolts to mount it to the rear door would pass. I then rigged up some steel cable from which the base would hang when the stove is open. I managed to utilize bolts already in the door to hold on the spare tire carrier for mounting the stove so as not to have to drill holes in the door. All told it cost about 100 $CDN, hopefully it will stand up to driving about off road mounted to my door!

Here are the aluminum flat stock mounted to the door and ready to accept the stove.

 

 Here the stove is mounted to the door and stowed.

And finally the stove deployed. The cables support most of the weight when the stove is open.

Auxiliary Gas Tank and Auxiliary Battery

The last two days have seen some major projects finished. As I mentioned in a previous post I have installed a "split charge" system and an auxiliary battery. The "split charge" part refers to a special smart solenoid (a.k.a. a big switch; Cole Hersee part 48530) which isolates the start battery from the auxiliary battery when the voltage drops below a certain level. What this does is allow you to run electrical accessories from your auxiliary battery without depleting the charge on your start battery. This ensures that you always have enough charge to get the car going again, which is important if you are parked for a few days in a very remote area! I also installed the optional override switch allowing me to boost the start battery from the auxiliary battery should the start battery become depleted providing another level of safety in remote areas.

I had to figure out where to put the second battery. I briefly entertained the idea of cutting a hole in the floor of the truck and mounting it below the bed. However, this seemed a bit extreme and time consuming so instead I mounted it into the bed. This takes a bit of space but I tucked it up under the jack, behind the sloping bulkhead so it does not protrude too much into the bed.

I then made an aluminum shield to protect it from my soon to be extensive rock collection.

The batteries and the solenoid were all connected with 4 gauge wire with an 8 gauge wire supplying my accessories behind the dash.

As I've mentioned previously Land Rovers generally get very poor fuel economy. The standard fuel tank on an 88" is fitted beneath the passenger seat and contains 45 L of fuel. If you're lucky and you drive slowly with a tailwind you might get 300 km from a tank! This is unacceptable given the distances I will be going on this trip. Therefore I fitted an auxiliary fuel tank to double the amount of fuel I can carry. Many 88" Land Rovers came with an auxiliary tank under the driver's seat. This tank was filled by removing the driver seat and filling it through a screw cap mounted to the top of the tank. I wanted to have the second tank filled from the outside of the vehicle, just like the passenger side tank, so I copied the right side tank setup on the left. This involved having a frame outrigger welded on to hold the front of the new tank. This was done at the local welding shop using a prefabricated outrigger from Rovers North (Roversnorth.com). I then cut holes in the body, wheel wells, seat box and bulkhead to run the filler tubes. The only tricky part was cutting the rubber filler tube and splicing it back together with some muffler pipe so that it bends the right way.

A photo from the inside of the filler setup.

Here the pipes go through the wheel well. I formed a mud gaurd for the pipes in the wheel well just like the factory one for the passenger side. Because the tank was made for the right side the vent is on the wrong side of the filler tube. I had to wrap it around the big pipe to get it to the bottom of the filler. You can see the splice in the filler pipe.

I mounted a marine fuel tank selector switch to the front of the seatbox near the handbrake to switch between the two tanks and plumbed it all with 1/4" rubber fuel lines. I also installed a switch in the dash which allows me to switch between the two fuel senders. This allows me to, with one gauge, check the fuel level in both tanks.

Big day of working on the Land Rover. Started by reinstalling all the drivetrain components and refilling/changing all the fluids. Then started work on the auxilliary gas tank by fitting the filler neck, removing the tool box which used to occupy the space beneath the driver's seat and cutting holes to run the filler pipe and vent. All told I worked from 9 this morning until 9 this evening. Tomorrow The Welding Shop will weld on the frame support for the fuel tank and then I can get started running all the fuel lines and locating the tank selector switch. Hopefully I will take some photos tomorrow so you can see the progress. I have decided to install a second battery and a split charge system. I have been worried about draining the battery with cell phones, satellite phones, iPads, computers etc. while camping. A split charge system alleviates this problem by not allowing the starter battery to become discharged while the auxilliary battery supplies all the accessories with power. Slick but expensive. Also have to find a place for a second battery. I have ordered all the parts which should arrive tomorrow.

Field Plans Approved

Met with the department's field safety coordinator today to review my field plans. She has approved my plans removing the last beaurocratic hurdle before my departure! The only thing left to do is make the final decisions about exactly where to sample, finish my modifications to the truck and then pack up. Yay!

Just out of historical interest, this was the step at which my previous thesis died. They did not approve my travel plans to Kurdistan effectively scuttling the entire idea.

I'm Back

I'm a ball of stress at this point. I just got back Wednesday from being a teaching assistant to a field school in southeast BC and this coming week will need to get the final preparations made for my trip. I've tentatively decided to leave May 25 and will be camping for the long weekend (Friday-Monday). This in mind I effectively have one week to finish my preparations (AAAAHHH!). This week I need to:

• Install the auxilliary fuel tank
• Reinstall my rear differential/half shafts/drive shaft
• Reinstall my overdrive
• Install a split charge system and second battery
• Seal up my roof so that it does not drip on my bed in the rain
• Renew my alpine window seals
• Change all the fluids

Most of these things are not long jobs, with the possible exception of the gas tank. I have a date with the welding shop for Wednesday to install the frame outrigger for the fuel tank. This means I need to have it running by then so I need to get the diff and overdrive back in by Tuesday.

Stay tuned. Interesting times ahead. I will try to stop and take pictures along the way and keep you posted.