Found a unicorn

[Snoranger]

I like new water tank... that should hold up much better then the old cardboard one.
Depending on the size of the tank and how warm the water gets, you may need another support under the tank to keep it from sagging in the center.

 

[Shran]

Ha, yeah, far less leaky and it won't get waterlogged.

It's a 15 gallon tank. Funny you mention the support under the tank, I am putting a skid plate on the bottom with some rubber inner tube sections between the tank and metal. I'm also thinking about running a bar across the long sides of the tank too for the same reason. Maybe overkill but I think even a piece of 1-1/2 strap on those sides would help keep the sides from bulging out.

 

[Shran]

The pump arrived and I wracked my brain trying to figure out a way to mount it in a water resistant box - it has a label on it that says "do not submerge." I couldn't find one that was big enough that would fit in one of several ideal places so I decided that I'm just going to mount it behind the water tank and build a splash shield for it. Hopefully that'll be enough. This area seems to be pretty protected, I almost never see mud built up in there. I never drive this in the salt and rarely through deep water so hopefully it'll be OK.

The mount for the tank is finished, I am dropping it off to get sandblasted today. Also have a skid plate built, I added two more bolts to support the middle that didn't make it into the picture.

Would like to be testing this thing this weekend... depends how fast the paint dries I guess!

 

[Shran]

So here's what I ended up with... the water tank is installed and plumbed. I made a little bracket for the filler. Added a spigot on the bumper. Pump is wired into a switch on the dash and runs on demand. I glued strips of inner tubes to the edges and corners of the tank to cushion it.

I used my Zodi camp shower heater to get the water up to temp by recirculating into the tank, then shut the heater off and simply moved the shower head (a kitchen sink sprayer) into my shower tent. It works really well. 20-25 minutes will heat up 15 gallons of water to average shower temp. I've used it three times now and even my fiance says that it is fantastic. Combat showers used about 6-7 gallons of water between the two of us.

Very pleased, we'll see how it performs for daily use in two weeks when we go to Utah.

 

[stsalvage]

I must be the only one that been finding the really hard ones to find. I just found a 1991 Eddie Bourne edition Its a 4x4 5 speed with auto hubs. Its a really nice looking truck I had the manual sunroof for a matter of fact I hate sunroofs. Pay 900 for it but the one thing it had was the American Racing Outlaw rims on it Will be putting them on the 1991 ford explorer that i just had to replace the motor cus it had 2 cracks in the cylinders 2-3 the guy that hot tanked it told me Whoever had it before you GOT THE MOTHER HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. But its almost Brand new inside this 1990-91 ford explorer it had only 111000 miles on it But i got the rims for it and ordered new center caps Loce them old first-gen wheels trying to see if i can get them powder coated a bright silver or just take them in and have them polished and put a clear coat on them But this is my new one

 

[Shran]

I must be the only one that been finding the really hard ones to find. I just found a 1991 Eddie Bourne edition Its a 4x4 5 speed with auto hubs. Its a really nice looking truck I had the manual sunroof for a matter of fact I hate sunroofs. Pay 900 for it but the one thing it had was the American Racing Outlaw rims on it Will be putting them on the 1991 ford explorer that i just had to replace the motor cus it had 2 cracks in the cylinders 2-3 the guy that hot tanked it told me Whoever had it before you GOT THE MOTHER HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. But its almost Brand new inside this 1990-91 ford explorer it had only 111000 miles on it But i got the rims for it and ordered new center caps Loce them old first-gen wheels trying to see if i can get them powder coated a bright silver or just take them in and have them polished and put a clear coat on them But this is my new one

Dang, crank windows, steel wheels, and a frickin sunroof! That's a cool rig.

 

[Shran]

My poor little Explorer spent the last three months on jack stands while I was rebuilding the transmission a second time. Now that I'm done with that hopefully, I had time to install my newest camping equipment.... an ARB awning and "awning room." The awning itself is pretty self explanatory, just a canvas sheet that rolls out and is supported by poles. The tent room, is pretty frickin cool. It slides into the awning track on one side and then zips onto the outside edge of the awning on the other. Several clips on each side hold it to the poles and keep it square, and tent stakes hold it down.

I'm pretty excited about this new addition for several reasons:

1) Privacy while getting dressed and stuff, much easier in a tent than inside a vehicle too
2) Much more weather proof storage for camping gear - we have always just covered our totes and stuff up with a tarp at night to keep the dust and dew/rain/snow off them.
3) Cooking - we have had a lot of windy evenings and an enclosed kitchen will be great.
4) Now we have the ability to sleep in the Explorer OR in the awning room and if the kids are with us, we don't need to carry a dedicated tent for them.
5) It takes literally 5 minutes to set up and tear down. MUCH easier than even the nicest tents I've dealt with.

 

[Shran]

Coolest accessory I've found so far... a brand new set of mud flaps! Found them sitting behind a pile of vacuum cleaner parts at a thrift store.

 

[racsan]

Ive noticed that (in stores) you just dont see mudflaps anymore.

 

[Shran]

Yeah man... not easy to find. I wanted this exact style because I can mount them however I want and hopefully it'll keep road debris from sandblasting my rock sliders. I just can't believe I found brand new ones that were an OEM accessory for my truck.

 

[RobbieD]

Congrats on a great score, and I'm definitely jealous!

 

[Shran]

Latest mod: I bought a dual voltage fridge/freezer. Everyone else I adventure camp with has one... I could have paid for one of these with how much ice I've bought at gas stations over the years. It takes up just a hair more room than my old cooler and has about the same amount of room inside (since it won't have ice in it ever.)

I wanted to put it on either side in the back so I have easy access with the hatch or glass open. This required power - it plugs into the typical cigarette lighter outlet. Rather than running a wire off my secondary fuse panel, I opted to tap into the factory power distribution box and use the power seat circuit since I don't have power seats. I replaced the 60a fuse with a 20a (fridge itself pulls maybe 5 at most) and ran 12ga wire (a repurposed 120v extension cord lol) back to the cargo compartment through the firewall, under the door sill plate, and through the driver's side rear panel. The 12v plug I got also came with a voltage meter, USB C and USB jacks. Handy for checking battery voltage while the fridge is running.

 

[Shran]

Small update to this: I removed the carpet in the back and added four factory cargo tie downs in various locations so that I can strap the fridge in place. I was torn between building a big piece of plywood with a slide on it or adding additional tie downs, but I am very happy with how this turned out. Modified ratchet straps work very well and keep the fridge from moving around at all.

 

[RobbieD]

Ain't nuthin wrong with that. Nice work!

 

[Uncle Gump]

Dude... you have that rig pretty dialed in for in for some road trippin. On or off road...

Totally jealous of the fridge... I've wanted one of those for years. Seems no matter what I do... I end up with hot dog flavored water in the cooler after a couple days. Not sure my current ride will get one... but being a new Bronco or Ranger is on the radar and we want to travel and camp when time allows... I'm gonna have one someday. I do think I will miss pulling a cold drink out of an ice filled cooler though.