Start of a new month so what's been done lately?...
Some of these photos are from my phone, while others were taken with a Zenitar 15mm fisheye lens on a DSLR. No AF confirmation, not auto-stop-down, massive distortions: a bit of fun!
Fire extinguisher
I took the extinguisher out, bashed it around with a rubber mallet to dislodge compacted powder inside, and put back in the carrier rotated ~90 degrees. Have occasionally rotated it during the month.
Dash USB leads
Previously I had USB power leads to the iPhone and GPS mounts taped in place as they snaked up from the 12V socket below the stereo, over the top of the steering column below the dash. This was what I used in Roxsie I & II.
Now (with the use of a short USB extension for the phone connection) the cables are taped as they go from the 12V socket around the corner to the base of the console panel near the footwell. From there they proceed behind the panel (held in place with cable ties) along the back of the knee airbag, and above the bonnet release where they then come out and snake up along the channel at the edge of the door. Another piece of tape holds them in place at the base of the A-pillar.
The 12V power is currently split in two: one to the GPS and the other with a dual-socket USB adapter. The 1A port goes to the iPhone, while the 2.1A port is available for the passenger to charge phone/iPad/etc.
I had to tape over part of the USB adapter because the blue LED inside is
really annoying at night. Why on Earth would anyone use blue lights on a car console? (one my pet peeves with every SH I've been in)
UHF CB
At the moment I have a compromise setup: a 2W handheld unit sitting in a cup-holder, with remote speaker/mic attached to the dash with Velcro. I've been experimenting with a secure mount for the radio that's around shoulder height (for hopefully better transmission/reception) but that's low on the priority list for now.
Secondary battery
This is a 100 Ah AGM battery in an ArkPak, sitting behind the passenger seat and held in by a strap between one of the ISOFIX child-seat points and a tie-down loop attached to the foot of the seat. At 30+ kgs I want this weight as close to the middle of the vehicle as possible. I don't really like the red strap here: I'm looking for a subtle black strap that's long enough (2.5-3m).
The battery doesn't live here all the time but it's been here as an experiment checking the recharging/etc with the fridge in the back (more later). The battery is charged from power under the passenger's seat, which is also where a small AC inverter lives so we can charge laptops/etc even when the battery's out of the vehicle. These are both run from the 12V socket in the centre arm-rest.
Fridge
This is a Waeco CF-25 (uses a Danfoss BD-35F compressor). It has a very useful amount of space inside, and hits -18C without too much hassle (keeps Magnums from going soft!
).
The only problem is the height. In the boot it has to sit aft of the privacy-screen beam: thus this awkward position. But the strap seems to do a good job of holding it upright and in place, and the privacy screen covers it neatly so no-one would know it's there. The power is being fed from the ArkPak with the standard Waeco cable. There's room for bags on the far side and between the fridge and the gate, and the right half of the compartment is also fairly free. There's a picnic rug and small tarp hiding in there too.
I've been leaving the fridge running there for a week as I use the car around town. Ambient temps have been up to 30C (but more usually in the mid-20s during the days) and it's been very useful when shopping, etc. I'm not driving the car a lot, but it has been getting a bit of use most days, during which time the battery is being charged. So far the lowest the battery has been is 60% (as displayed by the ArkPak) and it does usually get back close to 100% every 2nd day or so.
I'll be taking the fridge & battery out soon as they'll probably only be used on expeditions, but it's been an interesting (and successful) experiment.
In the above photo you can also see the high-vis tape I've added to the rear gate: it sits at about my eye height!
I'm considering adding an LED lamp to the rear gate (near the wiper motor) as the tiny light at the side of the boot area sheds bugger-all light across the boot when there's gear in the back.
Boot area
With the fridge and netting removed, you can see the air compressor (a RYOBI ONE+) in its bag, and the 800mm TREDs in their bag strapped up at the back of the seats. I do have to release these straps to drop one of the rear seats, but if I pop both seats at once the TREDs go over with them and can be accessed via the rear doors.
There's also an umbrella hiding behind the TREDs. First aid kit, gloves, and a spare tie-down strap are in the pocket on the left.
I re-worked the storage space recently:
With the floor removed you can see the under-floor storage.
In there we have a full-size 225/60R17 rim+tyre with standard toolkit (jack/etc), plus jumper leads, 10 litre fuel container, wheel chocks, wheel brace, set of ring spanners and a shifter, SAE & metric sets of hex keys, 12V extension lead, ropes, puncture repair kit, towball, another picnic rug (the towbar/etc sits in this), knee pads, gloves, floppy hat, spare towel, poncho, hi-vis vest, warning triangle, WalkStool, bog roll, trowel for digging "bog-holes", insect/sun screens for rear windows, and a VicRoads country street directory. During a trip some of this stuff may migrate north of the floor, but when driving around town it's good to have it tucked away. Tyre gauge lives in the glove box. Insect repellent, sunscreen, gaffer tape, etc are in the centre armrest.
Unfortunately if I ever upgraded to 225/65R17 tyres I doubt the wheel would fit in there, even without the rest of my crap.
Now it's time to give her another clean. She's been gathering a lot of dust/grime as well as bee-poo (from our bees, so I can't blame anyone else!).
.
:ebiggrin:
