Thread: NAS DII.

i removed my stock washer bottle, and not wanting to lose the ability to clean my windshield (not that it really helps much anyways), my father and i built a new washer bottle out of pvc, and position it beneath the radiator, between the frame rails. the fill-tube goes behind the grille.







since then, i have mostly been at school studying. i did take a few trips, wire in a backup light, mount a pair of hella 4000 cornering beams on the front bumper (to be wired still...), and do some general maintenance.

next i will move onto my "expedition cargo setup." in other words, i'll be replacing the cargo door panel with stainless steel, incorporating a fold-down table, and hopefully remove my jumpseats in order to add a set of drawers/cubbies to store my recovery gear, tools, and miscellaneous items i always keep in my truck. my goal is to make what i can myself, and buy only what i can't.

anyways, i will update this as it progresses. i have some actions shots i'll upload later on today.

spent some time at Beasley knob with good friends and sweet trucks:



had a few hairy moments:




view from the driver seat:

and passenger:

some more trail:



the scenery was beautiful:

and some nice wildlife, although this was all we saw:


also, i realized that this is perfect height for a sleeping platform if the weather is foul, or in a pinch:

overall, it was a wonderful trip, and i'm enjoying this truck immensely. i went out for some night wheeling the other night and got her good and muddy, and then washed, waxed, detailed, and vacuumed the truck for good measure. i'm very satisfied with the cargo area so far. i'll find specific spots for the gear. so far i have two chairs, a four person tent a pillow, sleeping bag, and mat for the left side. hopefully i can fit my stove in there as well. the pots, pans, and non-perishable food with go on either side of the box. flip open covers constructed of the same materials are planned for the side cubbies, as well as a drawer with a 100 LB, heavy duty slides for ease of storage of smaller items.

got my driveshaft rebuild. all spicer parts with new flanges, DC ball, and greaseable joints. 5-134x are the ujoint numbers i think. i didn't get it rebalanced, but it doesn't vibrate at any speed.




it's preeetttyyyy. and beefy on that end. had i known how much the flanges and such would cost with the labor, i would've spent a few more bucks for a tom woods. oh well. it works fine for my application.

here it is all packed for a four day trip. the Coleman Extreme is an excellent cooler. there is still ice in it and water bottles are frozen six days later.


nothing moved around at all once i repacked it like this. anything that was not soft was strapped down with heavy duty straps. i had a bit of rearranging to do after one day on the trail.

i'm going to carpet the left cubby. i decided i don't want a drawer there at all, and i'm goign to add tie-down loops to the actual box and finally secure the box to the floor via the stock tie-downs and jump seat brackets. the box on the left that held all the dry food is too flimsy. i'll be getting a pelican 1610 or 1650 instead when money permits.

superwinch EPi9.0 with 3/8"x100' synthetic line from winchline.com:

sold the roof rack. here's the truck now.

actually we decided for a different cutter. the ebay auction on that one closed. i'll post pictures of it when it comes in.

got some work done today:




these 1" aluminum spacers for the rear really helped the looks of the truck. the rear has been sagging with the weight i carry daily (due to MD springs instead of HD). the brake lines, however, are almost taught at full flex. the OME shocks keep them from being over extended.

with that being said, i'm ordering new brake lines for the rear tomorrow. any input on where to get them from? i know RTE and EE carry them. anywhere else?

over all, the rear spacers and bolts cost me $20, thanks to lowe's and Roving Beetle on Discoweb.

just for fun: