|
The customer couldn't find one for his Jeep that he liked. So we're making one. It will consist of two parts. There will be the container that can be removed to be stored undert he fifth wheel trailer when not required. And there will be the rack that can be removed if desired.
I'm using .065 galvanized 1 3/8" fence tubing for weight and strength. This will be powdercoated. Unlike paint, powdercoating loves galvanized. And we eliminate the sandblasting step in the preparation.
This project is a time eater. Everything is flying by the seat of my pants.
Here's the rack on for a trial fit.
|
|
|
Here's what it looks like from a different angle.
|
|
|
And since it's a Jeep, there's the required rearview shot
|
|
|
This is the floor section of the container. The side rails are laying against the fence behind the welding table. Everything will be powdercoated a satin black to match the vinyl top on the Jeep. The floor of the container will be .063 diamond plate aluminum
|
|
|
And yes, I'm stick welding it all up, nothing but a thing. Dialarc 250, 5P+-3/32, and as many amps as it takes
|
|
|
Here's a shot of the module in place after tack up.
|
|
|
There is an air noise problem with just the rack in place. So we fab'd up an air dam out of eighth inch aluminum. While we were at Performax Trailers in Wylie we had them shear out our diamond plate aluminum floor for the module.
|
|
|
This is the Unlimited which is fifteen inches longer in wheelbase than the regular Wrangler. So a lot of the choppy ride is smoothed out.
The customers are what some would refer to as "mature" in age. And I doubt very seriously if they'll be exposing the jeep to the rigors of youth.
The material is .065 1 3/8 galvanized tubing American made, not import. The steel is of better quality and is designed for rigidity. Consider that it's original function is to support chainlink fence material across ten foot spans.
I too had some concerns about the strength of the rear verticals. But then if you look at the unit as a whole you see for the rear ones to twist or collapse means the front ones will have to twist and stretch too.
As I was doing our final test fit this afternoon I felt I could climb up and all over the unit without concern for it or my own well being. It is rather stout.
Here's a shot of it before weld cleaning and with the new air dam.
|
|
|
The dam is aluminum and the framework is steel. So I used drive in rivets to make them into a single unit.
Tomorrow I'll bondo the transition on the corners to give it a more finished look. There will probably be a couple of welds that'll get a more professional appearance via bondo enhancement.
The bondo I'm using was specifically designed to withstand the four hundred degree baking process of powder coating.
Everything but the diamond plate aluminum deck of the storage module will be a flat black not unlike the vinyl look of the factory top.
|
|
|
There are matching plates on the fixture and the removable section. In these plates are three eighth's of an inch matching holes. The distance between the plates is one and an eighth of an inch. So welded to the plate of the removable section is a piece of five eighth's eighth inch wall DOM tubing. The tubing prevents the compression of the plates therefore distorting them and eventually the fixtures.
So the removable piece is secured to the permanent piece via four three eighths of an inch stainless flat head bolts one and three quarters of an inch long.
There are a couple of considerations here. One is the Jeep is transportation when they are in a camp ground. Keep in mind the Jeep is vehicle number three. Number one is a 2005 Peterbuilt single axle four door fifth wheel trailer toter. You're looking at four hundred and ten horses (herd maybe?) of Caterpillar power hooked up to a twelve speed Allison.
Number two is an eighteen thousand pound plus thirty nine foot fifth wheel trailer, real wood, real granite, real nice.
Number three is the Jeep.
I suspect the unit will remain on the Jeep all the time. We had it up to seventy plus with the air dam on and there wasn't any problems. And since the Jeep probably won't be used for any really long trips there won't be a reason to remove the container part.
Have you ever noticed on the Discovery shows that the weldor whups up a creation and then the next thing you now it's painted and perfect?
They're skipping a step darn their Hollywood infected hides.
Someone off camera is working their butt off camera doing body work.
How does one get that kind of help.
This picture shows why I like those hammer in rivets.
|
|
|
The special bondo is silver colored. But it's typical bondo. It wants to get everywhere and there's always another pin hole to hide. And since it's going to be powdercoated there's no using a primer to help hide-find flaws.
|
|
|
One of the beauties of doing this stuff is unless you're really familiar with the color and texture of the coating used it's hard to tell just what you can get away with flaw wise. So it's do the best you can with what you got and hope critical people are off their mark on the day they give it the once over.
|
|
|
I delivered it to the powder coater this morning. It's getting a flat black with a wrinkle finish. It's getting two coats.
I'll be able to pick it up by the end of the week. The cost is three hundred dollars.
Powder coating is cost effective when you're doing small items compared to having a body shop shoot the same quality of coverage. And the powder coating is five times harder than paint.
Here's a shot of a gate I made getting coated. It goes on looking like a fuzzy blanket.
|
|
|
But after it is baked and hung........
|
|
|
I did back in 92. If only I'd taken more time, had more talent, and been a little smarter.....
|
|
|
Some interesting points about that gate.
The material is one and a half by quarter inch stock. The bender I made. It was a copy of a Hossfield and it was just for that one job.
One of my handicaps is I can't draw. I've accepted that as a plus instead of a negative. You see drawing is copying. I try not to copy.
So on this gate even though I couldn't draw it out I could destroy a couple hundred feet of bar stock trying to come up with a repetitive pattern. Nature is nothing but repetitive patterns repeated over and again.
Once I discovered the pattern then I could repete it just varying the size.
Now let's say you'd really like to make something similar to this or maybe even as advanced as what Vulcan-Forge creates. But you can't draw.
No excuse. I can't draw and I made the rose without learning how to draw.
But you don't have a bender that'll do that kind of work.
No excuse. You can buy a piece of junk from Harbor Freight that will suffice or you can look at some pictures of a Hossfield and make your own. That's what I did.
If there are not legitimate excuses then what's holding you back?
|
|
|
Oh the pitfalls when mice and men try to achieve.
Yesterday morning while unloading the rack from the truck I did an "oops".
One of those oops that make grown men cry like little boys.
Then it was calling the powdercoater and begging for a quick turn around on a recoat. Followed by much feathering of chipped areas with sand paper. I'm sure anyone overhearing my conversation with myself would walk away trying to figure out whether I was getting religion or getting rid of it.
It all worked out okay except for the bump in the wallet and having to reschedule work to allow for repairing the damage and hauling the part to the coater and then going back last evening to retrieve it.
All's well that ends well they say.
|
|
|
We figure this will make the vehicle cooler on bright sunny days
|
|
|
My son in law thinks this gives view gives it a Hummer look.
|
|
|
The customer was happy. And it was a fun project.
|
|
|
|
|