400 watt, 40" curved LED lightbar with projector lenses on each 5 watt LED chip. I finally mounted it this weekend. I also sold my snowmobile for the same $1500 that I paid for it. The Baja trip fund is looking good.
The radius of the curve matches the fiberglass top really well.
Standby for nighttime pics from the desert.
So remember that I have those HID converted headlights. This is the low beams only.
High Beams
High beams plus the light bar. Notice the whiter light up top. The photo doesn't really show how much better the light is off to the sides. This will be great for illuminating the ditches, looking for camp spots, lighting up animals off to the side of the road.
This shot of the light bar all by itself shows where I have it aimed. I wanted to get a little more distance light, plus the sides lit up a bit better. Mission accomplished.
I ended up adjusting it upwards 2 notches from where it was in the daylight photos.
Very nice, the lenses make all the difference. Let me know how it does in snow/dust up high like that.
In reply to java230:
It could only be terrible in any snow or fog. Like high beams but worse! The HID low beams are great in heavy snow. They throw light farther than halogen and with the Sharp cutoff you're not being blinded by the light reflecting off snow at eye level.
In reply to Petrolburner:
That's what I was thinking.... I am envious of your nifty headlights.
If you put a light bar down in the lower bumper opening and had it aimed pretty much level it could help while driving in the snow. Redoval did that and posted on ExPo.
In reply to Petrolburner:
Mine is on the bumper, and aimed pretty low, it sucks in heavy snow or fog.... But no lenses on it. Sirens are still in the lower bumper opening.
Did I mention I have heat?
And ventilation?
mazdeuce wrote: And ventilation?
Lots of ventilation. I have numerous holes in the floor from the old bench seat mounts that I don't bother to plug. I also have pop out side windows, vent visors on the front power windows, and a roof fan with thermostat.
Buddy heaters are sweet. Lots of moisture tho.
java230 wrote: Buddy heaters are sweet. Lots of moisture tho.
Made worse by an 11 foot long snowmobile melting and dripping water on the floor. 
In reply to Petrolburner:
Sounds like par for the course! I am always dealing with wet ski gear, and lots of condensation from the cold temps outside. It gets old afterwhile. My roof was dripping on me last time I drove away from a ski trip. Like out from between the headliner and windshield crack....
Didn't you sell the sled?
I did. I haven't had moisture issues since then but I'm not sure it ever fully dried out. I do have some flexing in the floor after getting it soaked and then freezing/thawing/freezing...
I'm going to need to tear out the rubber particulate floor, wooden subfloor and whatever else is down there and do a real floor someday. I'm not certain what direction I want to go. Bare metal and bedliner doesn't give you a flat surface or much insulation. I definitely want drain plugs in the low spots. I like the checker board garage floor look.
Yeah I would definitely do something other than the bare floor. Vinyl garage tiles on some marine ply? should be pretty bullet proof.
Bummer on the sled. I miss mine.....
6 days of prep time before Baja departure. 4 of those days I'm at work. In a show of solidarity for Toyman's suffering in the cold, all my van work is being done in the driveway during a little cold snap. It's been really warm for January all week, and now we got a dusting of snow last night and the forecast high is 39*F. I'll be starting in the garage finishing the wiring on my XR650R. I haven't had front blinkers in awhile and I lost one rear blinker in Mexico due to a fastener vibrating out and the blinker departing the bike. Every bolt that goes back on the bike gets Loctite. That's always been the case but I never had a reason to remove the blinker fasteners. I've gone with all LED blinkers so I have an LED specific blinker blinker box.
On the list for the Motovan today is to reassemble the dash, wire up some additional power outlets and a nifty voltmeter readout so I can keep an eye on the battery if the van hasn't been started in awhile and we've been lounging inside listening to music etc. Also, oil and filter change, tire rotation and brake inspection.
My Dad has been in Baja for two nights now.
I made good progress so far today. Light bar is now permanently wired up with the switch acting as a master switch and then the high beams as the toggle. Now if I choose to use the light bar on a road with traffic, I can toggle on and off just by flicking the brights on and off instead of having to hit two switches.
I also put an additional 12 volt outlet in the dash, on the passenger side. One of the factory outlets was berkeleyed so I switched it with an LED volt meter so I can monitor the battery while parked. It's bright. I hope it's not annoying at night. We'll see. I also finished the trimming of the dash for the head unit. However the trim ring that came with the mounting kit pops off when the face tilts out. WTF?
Volt meter is reading 12.3 because I plugged in my seat heater to illustrate the new 12v outlet. The master switch for the light bar is near the ignition switch.
I also cut all the seat belt material off of the rear seat reels to use to make the cargo net for the sleeping loft. Planning to use my friend's mega sewing machine Tuesday night to do this. Any suggestions on how to execute this are welcome. I'm thinking NASCAR style window net with a rod through the top that is easy to hook and unhook while laying in the bed.
I changed the oil and filter last night with some Mobil 1 that I got from an auto parts store's going out of business sale for half price awhile back. I also rotated the tires, inspected the brakes, torqued the lugnuts, and greased all the front suspension zerks (tie rods, ball joints) Damn near 7 quarts of oil in this thing. Somehow during all this my electric sidestep quit working. WTF? I checked it at the breaker in the driver's footwell and there was no voltage. The power tap for it goes into a 6 pin plug into the factory harness and the only wire is the wire for the step. So I'm guessing there is a fuse in the fuse box that is popped. But which fuse? What original system might have been re-purposed for the electric step? I plan to use a small battery to put power to the breaker and see if that allows it work .
I got my new radius arm brackets from WeldTecDesigns. These are experimental. I gave them a quick sandblast and coat of Hammer Finish Rustoleum like I did for the other suspension pieces. This time I was painting the back yard in sub-freezing temps and using a hair dryer in between coats. We'll see how it turns out but so far so good.
Then I went over to my friend's shop to make the cargo net. It was a good sewing project for me. Pretty simple and not much at risk. I'm not an expert but I've made some Sven Saw cases and other little things here and there. I made sure to include some of the original Ford logos. I'm pleased to have found a use for all the seat belts I pulled out of the back instead of just throwing them away.
Ok so the strap that holds the loft from sliding off the ledge has a Fastex buckle for quick removal. The problem is that it vibrates against the bottom side of the plywood and drives me berkeleying nuts! So I made a silencer.
Then I promptly covered it up and probably made it irrelevant with my mounting solution for my TREDs.
Here's a shot of the sleeping net installed.
I had a flaw in my design. The net is floppy, and shorter than intended 
If the net is tight enough that it's floppy, then I can't unclip it. My temporary solution is to use bungee cord instead of rope loops around the roll cage so I can pull the S-biner down and clip into the loops on the net. At some point in the future I will probably sew some elastic into the net to keep tension, much like the sternum strap on a backpack.
I also installed my levels, finally.
I originally printed a 9'6" clearance sticker, but it looked boring.
That sticker is great! I need one now. except its over 11'....
Remind me, what year/style is that dog house cover from? I like it.
java230 wrote: That sticker is great! I need one now. except its over 11'.... Remind me, what year/style is that dog house cover from? I like it.
I don't really know, 2003-2007 I think?
I just used my label maker at work.
Secured the kayak a little better this time around.
Also, the first round of foam stapled to the loft as a squeak and scuff barrier wasn't getting it done. So I added some hot water pipe insulation over the top.
20 hours until departure. I just have to swap radius arm brackets, fix passenger seat airbag wiring, electric step, pack everything, load everything, cook dinner for 7 people and handle everything else that pops up. It helps that my profession is crisis management and prioritization. GRM is a priority.
Niiiice. Very cool fit out on the interior.
Did you detail the HID headlight upgrade earlier in this thread? If so I should go back and read that.
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