A little project update on Chug A Lug

 

Hey Mark....PM me your mailing address....I want to send you something to match that horn button....

 

Larry

Over the years I have called automotive engineers every cuss word in every combination I could think for the stupid crap they do. Like putting a simple PVC hose up under the intake manifold on a Ford Focus so that what on any normal car should take 10 min to replace requires 500 cuss words and 6 hours. (cost at the dealership would have been nearly $700)

yet here I am trying to figure out how to mount a pair of Viair 1 gallon air tanks into the back of the Wheelhouses all the while being tired into the Roll bar and Rear Body mounted tire and tool rack. And let me tell you its turning in at least a 100 cuss word challenge.

I sure hope that once in place I don't have to monkey around with them cause to remove them the Tire rack (and everything attached to it) The corner braces (that I made to handle the load instead of the Sheet Metal doing it) and the then I'll have to take part of the Air Tank mount apart so I can wiggle the bare tank out.

At least I end up with the air connection at the bottom of the tank in a very easy position to work on.

If I had thought about the air tanks before making the Corner Bracing I might have done something different.

SO finally I have the 4) mount/pivots for the tire rack fleshed out. Time to start on the actual ladder looking rack. I have to drill two 29/64" holes through the Tail Light Panels and then through the 1/4" x 3" angle iron braces I have put in the corners between the Wheel House Inner walls and the Tail Light panels to support the Tire Rack. Only trouble is I need the Roll Bar. Roll Bar Spacers, Corner Braces and all that tightened up to Torque to make sure the holes are in the correct place!!! WOW PITA.

I got real lucky and my hole layout from one side to the other appears to be spot on.

I keep worrying about how much weight and torque the 4) 7/16 NF G8 Bolts will be able to handle (actually only 2 bolts when the Rack is open) then I remember the WHOLE Rear Axle is held on to the Jeep with 4) 7/16" NF G8 bolts (spring eyes) and my brain calms down for a while.

I have two more braces to make that will go above the Top of the Wheel Houses to support the Top Tire Rack Mount/Pivots wish I had some scrap 1/4" x 4" angle laying around. Going to have to find a scrap piece some where.

OK back to work.

I'm tired I fell asleep in my chair last night and when the wife came blowing out of the house at 4am on her way to work I woke up. SO I made some coffee and toast and went out to the shop.

I'm still deep into my fancy (evidently way over built) tire/gas can/pioneer tool rack. I have managed to get the upper right mount holes all drilled and threaded  and what ever so I thought time for some photos.

Ok first one is the Top Right Mounting block. You can just see two of the 5/16"NF threaded holes the 1/4" plates will mount to to extend the Rack out away from the back of the Jeep about 4" The mount is 3/4" T x 2" tall x 2.75" wide. And yes its pretty close to the tailgate chain anchors but it will all fit.

This photo shows the inside of the Rear of the Wheel House The Black thing is a 1/4" thick piece of 3" angle that has the curved piece welded to the top of it. this will be the backing plate for the back two Roll Bar mounting bolts. I'm using Metric Button Heads in this application and they are equal to our Grade 8 (but std. thread button heads do not for some STUPID reason come in G8) you see those bolts as the two long ones at the top of the photo. The Four holes across the middle of the Corner brace is where the Mount for the Right Air Tank will mount. The 1/4NC stainless bolts you see anchor the Corner Brace to the Tub. I still have the Hole for the Lower Rack mounting Block to drill. And once everything is drilled and the Roll bar mounted I will drill the very bottom hole to attach the Corner brace to the 3/4" x 1 1/2" tubing that is the support for the Bed.

And a slightly different view

And this is the PITA little Top mount brace that backs up the Right Top Mounting Block. It also ties into the Roll Bar mounting bolt (shown as the Button Head) I had to cut out my Micarta Roll Bar spacers to allow for these. I didn't have any material suited to make these so I ran to the Welding shop that did my intake manifold and the Owner son was nice enough to sell me some 3/8" x 3" x 5" angle (heavier then I wanted but hey take what you can get) Lot of cutting and fitting to get them to lay right.

I'll get the Lower Mount done once I have the Rack welded up to make sure it fits should be another PITA. And then on to the Left side LOL.

I have figured out how I am going to run the pivot pins so I can swing the rack to either side and still have it locked up tight and making sure someone with a Pair of "Steal your sh*t Cutters" can't get at the lock (OK some people call them Bolt Cutters)

OH and my new AXE showed up today. I am going with a Fiskar 28" Axe with a composite handle and 2lb head. Should handle any choping I need to do. If I decide later to figure out how to carry the Big Pulaski Tool then I'll figure that out later.

Oh one of the reasons I want to make a 15" box extension is to allow me to carry my rifle boxes. When I go adventuring or Varmint hunting I carry my rifles in a couple of large wood travel boxes. and with them being 52" long the bed in CHUG at 39" long just can't do it.  And to stuff that much more camping gear in the back.