Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Thanks Yeti! I'll have to keep an eye for your truck when I'm driving around town.
Adventures of Megaweapon!
- Thread starter Ray Dunakin
- Start date
Thanks Yeti! I'll have to keep an eye for your truck when I'm driving around town.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Thanks! My annual Nevada/Mojave ghost town trip is coming up at the beginning of August -- really looking forward to that.
Ron4RNevada
New member
That railroad Line
That abandoned rail line was on the Science Channel today. They filmed the tunnels and the big tresle. They mentioned that it was possible that the line might be rebuilt and reopened.
That abandoned rail line was on the Science Channel today. They filmed the tunnels and the big tresle. They mentioned that it was possible that the line might be rebuilt and reopened.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Yeah, there's a Mexican company that wants to reopen it, and has bought the rights to do so. They still have a lot of obstacles though.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
A few months ago I bought some LED light bars -- one long one to go on the front of the roof rack, and two short ones, one for each side of the rack. Then things got very busy around here and I never got around to having them installed -- until today!
I think they look pretty good, and will definitely be a huge help when I'm off-road. Really looking forward to using them during my upcoming Nevada/Mojave ghost town trip. However, I have a few small concerns...
1. The forward light bar mounts onto the brackets that support the fairing. To make it fit though, they had to reposition the brackets slightly, which straightened the fairing. This created a gap under each end of the fairing. I have a couple ideas about how I may be able to fix this myself.
2. On the passenger side, where they ran the wiring under the trim, is kind of shoddy looking IMHO. The end of the trim doesn't stay down, and looks like it could catch on branches when driving through overgrown trails. I also don't like the way that tube looks, just sitting there on the roof with the wires hanging out of it. But for all I know, this whole set up here may be par for the course. What do you guys think? For now, I'm just going to use a piece of tape to hold the end of the trim down, until I can get a better solution sorted out after my trip.
3. The end of the trim is loose on the driver's side too, though not as noticeable. Another concern here is that the tech ran the wire up over the top bar of the roof rack. That's not good, because if I haul lumber or something up there it could damage the wire. So after my trip, I'll take it back and have them reroute it under the top bar, and secure it to the lower bar instead.
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I think they look pretty good, and will definitely be a huge help when I'm off-road. Really looking forward to using them during my upcoming Nevada/Mojave ghost town trip. However, I have a few small concerns...
1. The forward light bar mounts onto the brackets that support the fairing. To make it fit though, they had to reposition the brackets slightly, which straightened the fairing. This created a gap under each end of the fairing. I have a couple ideas about how I may be able to fix this myself.
2. On the passenger side, where they ran the wiring under the trim, is kind of shoddy looking IMHO. The end of the trim doesn't stay down, and looks like it could catch on branches when driving through overgrown trails. I also don't like the way that tube looks, just sitting there on the roof with the wires hanging out of it. But for all I know, this whole set up here may be par for the course. What do you guys think? For now, I'm just going to use a piece of tape to hold the end of the trim down, until I can get a better solution sorted out after my trip.
3. The end of the trim is loose on the driver's side too, though not as noticeable. Another concern here is that the tech ran the wire up over the top bar of the roof rack. That's not good, because if I haul lumber or something up there it could damage the wire. So after my trip, I'll take it back and have them reroute it under the top bar, and secure it to the lower bar instead.
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Friggin Idiot
Senior Member
Those ought to help light things up nicely, although I'd be wary of hood glare with the high mounted bar. You're right on with the concerns, and just bare wires shouldn't be left in the open like that. I'd at the very least have them use heat shrink to transition from the wire loom until the point where the wires are completely hidden. It will improve the look of the install, and should have been done to start with. It will also help keep water out of the loom. The driver's side looks like it starts under the trim close to the Gobi mount instead of halfway between, probably why it doesn't stick up as much. And absolutely re-route the main bar wire, at least to the underside of the top bar.
YetiX
New member
The loom they're using is waaaay too big for that application, and you're right that it looks shoddy. I won't ask you to name the shop, but I don't know that I'd take my business there.
If you're interested, there's a guy on here who does business as Adventure Wired (name is Mitch) who is here in San Diego and does very clean work. If you're interested, shoot me a PM and I'll get you his info.
If you're interested, there's a guy on here who does business as Adventure Wired (name is Mitch) who is here in San Diego and does very clean work. If you're interested, shoot me a PM and I'll get you his info.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Thanks! PM sent.
YetiX
New member
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Nice!
I have an appointment on the 10th for him to come redo my lights.
I have an appointment on the 10th for him to come redo my lights.
BrianSD_42
New member
Great photography as usual. Do you ever head out of CA, say to places like Sedona? Lots of good B&B's there.
Lately I've been going to places like Alabama Hills / Lone Pine, Big Bear, Sedona, Southern Sierra's, Joshua Tree and when it cools down out to Anza.
Lately I've been going to places like Alabama Hills / Lone Pine, Big Bear, Sedona, Southern Sierra's, Joshua Tree and when it cools down out to Anza.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
I go to Nevada every year, but just for camping and exploring. I only go to B&Bs with my wife, and then it has to be pretty close to home. She's a homebody, and doesn't like to travel.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Last week I had my LED light bars installed, but felt that the wiring job was kind of slapdash. So today
I had the wiring redone by Mitch at Adventure Wired, who did a really first-rate, pro job. I'm much happier
with it now.
The original wiring was routed under the weatherstrip on the roof and alongside the windshield, and the tech
left the weatherstrip flapping loose. That's been fixed, and the new wiring is routed through the roof via a
marine-grade seal:
Also, when they first installed the lights, they repositioned the fairing and left it with gaps under each end.
I removed the fairing, stripped off the old reflective tape and Gobi logo, and remounted it correctly:
The blue tape is just temporary, to hold the weatherstrip down until the glue sets.
The light bar whistles at freeway speeds, so I may try to fill the gap between the fairing and the light bar.
.
I had the wiring redone by Mitch at Adventure Wired, who did a really first-rate, pro job. I'm much happier
with it now.
The original wiring was routed under the weatherstrip on the roof and alongside the windshield, and the tech
left the weatherstrip flapping loose. That's been fixed, and the new wiring is routed through the roof via a
marine-grade seal:
Also, when they first installed the lights, they repositioned the fairing and left it with gaps under each end.
I removed the fairing, stripped off the old reflective tape and Gobi logo, and remounted it correctly:
The blue tape is just temporary, to hold the weatherstrip down until the glue sets.
The light bar whistles at freeway speeds, so I may try to fill the gap between the fairing and the light bar.
.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Thanks for the suggestion. The original installers ran the wires under the weatherstrip. That problem was corrected when Mitch redid it.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
I fixed the gap between the fairing and the light bar. I made an extension for the fairing to fit up under the light bar. The extension was cut from a sheet of black, 3mm thick, Sintra PVC board. Getting it cut to the correct angles for a close fit took a lot of trial and error. The extension was sprayed with a coat of Krylon UV-resistant clear for extra protection from the sun:
The extension was mounted using exterior grade double-sided tape. Then I used a black silicone adhesive to create a fillet along the edge, to reduce wind resistance:
There are still some tiny gaps, but I've put an end to the whistling noises.
.
The extension was mounted using exterior grade double-sided tape. Then I used a black silicone adhesive to create a fillet along the edge, to reduce wind resistance:
There are still some tiny gaps, but I've put an end to the whistling noises.
.
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
I got back from my Nevada/Mojave trip Tuesday evening...been busy getting caught up ever since. I'm still sorting and editing the hundreds of photos and videos from the trip. It'll be a while before I can post a full report. In the meantime I'll put up a few random shots from the trip.
Megaweapon in its natural environment:
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Megaweapon in its natural environment:
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Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Due to the fires in California, every sunset in Nevada was spectacular. Ironic that something so destructive and terrible can also produce so much beauty...
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