1993 Splash in SC

[Roert42]

I've had good luck with copper nickle lines. Bend them by hand and don't rust.

 

[ericbphoto]

It's finished. Got it wired and bled the brakes. Just tested it in my driveway (sloped) and on the street beside my house. This is going to be handy.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

What one did you go with?

I looked at them a little awhile ago and beat a hasty retreat until I had time to actually research them for reals.

 

[ericbphoto]

It's from Summit. I think it's their brand. Stainless steel body and supposedly rebuildable. I've already had it apart to remove a burr I saw in one of the ports.

 

[ericbphoto]

The Fall Overland Challenge has been canceled. But I already had the vacation time reserved. So I just made reservations for a trip to Windrock in Tennessee. If anyone cares to meet up, I'll be at Windrock Gap campground, in the tent section from Nov 4-7.

That is the weekend of ;
PRO ROCK RACING HILLCLIMB FINALS.

So the park may be busy. My tentative plan is to spend Friday exploring stuff nearby, like "Nemo's Tunnel". Then I will be in the park Saturday for some wheeling and a some time being a spectator for the hillclimb finals.

 

[sgtsandman]

I always found the flare work the be the trickiest part of making new lines. The bending, while a bit tedious, hasn’t been difficult.

 

[ericbphoto]

Began installing rock lights today. I had 2 KC Light brand lights that I had bought a few years ago. Mounted them behind the bumper aimed down at the front wheels. I will soon order some other lights from DCS lighting. My buddy at work represents them and has a discount code for people he encounters. The code is JLJ20 and gets you 10% off. Anyway. Wanted to see the result. Plus, I hadn't checked out my fog lights at night yet.

Rock lights

Fog lights

Everything lit up on the front.

 

[RobbieD]

"Hey Bud, gotta light?"

Looking good. I like how you're "zoning" the lighting.

 

[ericbphoto]

"Hey Bud, gotta light?"

Looking good. I like how you're "zoning" the lighting.

The other rock lights will get added to the same rock light circuit once I get them. Most of the work is done now. The power supply, relay and switch wiring are done except for drilling a hole to mount the switch. The rest is easy - make brackets, mount lights, tie in to existing circuit.

 

[ericbphoto]

Interesting morning. 4WheelParts just opened a store here. Today was the grand opening. So I went to see if I could enter drawings, pick up freebies, etc. Snagged a 9500lb Smittybuilt winch for $250. Not my preferred brand. But seemed like a great price to get my first winch. Also met a buddy's dad. Had a nice talk with him and got to see one of their early Broncos. They have small fleet of these things.

 

[ericbphoto]

So, new project in the works. Instead of saving up $1,000 for a new bumper, I'm going to modify what I have. I have a 1/4" plate big enough to span between the bumper frame mounts. The winch will fit between them with 1/16" to spare on each side. I'll cut out one of the bumper tubes and notch down into the other one. Then I'll cut into the plastic piece running horizontally below the grill insert. That should give me the clearance to tuck the winch back in far enough that little or nothing will extend past the front of the bumper except the fairlead. Going to work nicely.

On another note, I should probably look into upgrading my front coils. I know there's a bunch of info around here about that. I think there are some F150 springs or a different pair from Skyjacker that are supposed to do what I need to maintain height with the extra weight I'm going to have.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Synthetic rope is really supposed to help with weight too.

I have been winch shopping but unless I want something for a boat, atv or tow truck I am not finding much.

I would really like to find a old Warn M6000/8000 that needs tlc for cheap... a Smittybilt is my backup plan.

 

[ericbphoto]

Synthetic rope is really supposed to help with weight too.

I have been winch shopping but unless I want something for a boat, atv or tow truck I am not finding much.

I would really like to find a old Warn M6000/8000 that needs tlc for cheap... a Smittybilt is my backup plan.

I'll convert to synthetic some day...








Some day.

 

[Roert42]

So, new project in the works. Instead of saving up $1,000 for a new bumper, I'm going to modify what I have. I have a 1/4" plate big enough to span between the bumper frame mounts. The winch will fit between them with 1/16" to spare on each side. I'll cut out one of the bumper tubes and notch down into the other one. Then I'll cut into the plastic piece running horizontally below the grill insert. That should give me the clearance to tuck the winch back in far enough that little or nothing will extend past the front of the bumper except the fairlead. Going to work nicely.

On another note, I should probably look into upgrading my front coils. I know there's a bunch of info around here about that. I think there are some F150 springs or a different pair from Skyjacker that are supposed to do what I need to maintain height with the extra weight I'm going to have.

AffordableOffRoad sells winch bumpers unpainted for under $600. They have sales sometimes too, could probably get one for around $500 on sale.

 

[ericbphoto]

AffordableOffRoad sells winch bumpers unpainted for under $600. They have sales sometimes too, could probably get one for around $500 on sale.

Theirs is what I want. But priced out with the options I want plus tax and shipping, it gets close to $1k. It's not off the table. Just on a back burner since I can make my current bumper work with little to no money out of pocket immediately because I have the steel, welding wire and mig gas on-hand.