Confession?

[Inukshuk]

Yeah the fuse box fit there awesome! Totally stole that idea from you Corbet!
Good info on the OEM tray. I guess we’ll see how long it lasts. I assume the other option would be to fab a tray or are there other ones available ?

Fuse box location pioneered by Christo I believe. I ran my wires in a loom (I had the seat out) and fed over the top. What's with the old-shcool glass fuses?
I'm 10 years in with my group 31 in the stock box. I must not be a "spirited" driver.
Truck looks great.
I bought a bag for a fire extinguisher that attaches to the headrest. I'll get the name later and post up. I suppose it may be an issue with lots of back seat passengers, but its also easy to move around.

 

[rover67]

I also used Safety Restore. I messaged them to see if they could tighten up the springs or if they had any suggestions for me.

 

[Corbet]

Fuse box location pioneered by Christo I believe. I ran my wires in a loom (I had the seat out) and fed over the top. What's with the old-shcool glass fuses?

Location by Christo. That fuse box by me. It fits the spot and uses an existing hole in the rear heater for mounting.

 

[rover67]

Got the tablet mount done but I’m not happy with the RAM x grip. The tablet wobbles a ton. I like the useless cubby dash mount though, it seems to be a great solution. I drew it up in CAD and printed it up, it’s much more rigid than I was thinking it would be.

 

[MDH33]

Cool marco. I have the x grips in both my trucks and I've found that if I angle it all the way down, rather than projecting it out, it eliminates most of the wobble.

 

[rover67]

I'm going to try one of these tablet mounts:

https://shop-hondogarage.com/collec...ing-systems/products/big-squeeze-tablet-mount

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

I'm going to try one of these tablet mounts:

https://shop-hondogarage.com/collec...ing-systems/products/big-squeeze-tablet-mount

I've seen those and thought seriously about pulling the trigger. I think that guy is one of the engineers for GFC. (go fast campers) Really nice stuff! You know it's got to be good if he's put it through the ringer on a dirt bike!

 

[rover67]

I like supporting those kinds of folks. It was not toooo much more than the Ram mounts that I was looking at, and it'll hold any size tablet is I upgrade in the future as well as hold the tablet with whatever case on it.

 

[rover67]

The new mount is the Shiz. Highly recommended.

At least with zero miles on it.... but hey I’m super confident it’s gonna be amazing. It’s really really nice and works on my tablet with the case and also grips my phone easily. Both with zero wobble.

 

[rover67]

No turning back....

Decided to go for optimal Ham antenna placement after weeks of deliberation and measuring then several nights of exploring under the headliner.

 

[rover67]

These bone nippers I got from work are like my all time favorite tool. They’ll snip wires and zip ties and grab anything. Used them to get the insulation all out.

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

These bone nippers I got from work are like my all time favorite tool. They’ll snip wires and zip ties and grab anything. Used them to get the insulation all out.

Nice! I would be doing this as well if it weren't for my headliner. One of the numerous things the early 80's are at a disadvantage with are the lack of a one piece headliner. I have no problem cutting a hole in my roof, I just don't know if I want to wrestle my headliner.

Nice work on yours by the way!

 

[rover67]

And it’s in!

I decided to run a 5/8 wave whip antenna for hwy and desert (no trees) and got a Sti-co flexi whip 1/4 wave antenna for tree work. It’s a neat antenna that’s made of nitinol and seems pretty indestructible. It uses no coil at the. Meade so it’s really low profile... the stock roof rack will protect the base from direct hits from branches. Looks nice up there too.

I routed the coax over to the side of the truck and over the door jambs you the B pillar where it drops to the floor. Radio will be under the drivers seat.

 

[DaveInDenver]

What did ya end up doing about the NMO vs sheet metal thickness concern?

 

[Hulk]

Did you pump some silicon in there? My biggest worry would be leaks.

 

[rover67]

What did ya end up doing about the NMO vs sheet metal thickness concern?

Went to HRO and got another NMO mount made by larsen that fit much better with the sheet metal thickness of the roof (about 1mm).

Matt:
As far as sealing goes, the NMO mount has an o-ring under it. I used some dielectric grease to keep it lubed up and tightened it down. The antennas also seal over the mount, so it's kind of like two seals. The mount is right over the rear dome light so it should be easy to see leaks if they happen (though unlikely). If it leaks i'll cap it and bail on the idea but I really don't think it'll be a problem. Out of all the searching and reading I didn't find any folks complaining about leaks really. It seems to be a pretty solid design/solution with a lot of worry about leaks and drilling holes surrounding it. the stock roof rack looks like it's much leakier honestly.

 

[Corbet]

I’m trying to decide on a new antenna mounting location but can’t do roof with a RTT. Have the gamiviti hood mounts now but the coax gets hammered running through the hood/fender gap. Otherwise I love that location.

 

[rover67]

Get a mount with the thin coax at the end so it sneaks through nicely:

https://www.google.com/search?q=com...1.69i57j0l7.5231j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

If I do a RTT ever I'll cap the antenna mount and use a fender mount with a 1/2 wave antenna. My plan is to put on a fender mount and run coax to it so it's there as an option for either HAM or CB. I'll likely get something like a midland 75-822 or a cobra 75 WX and throw it in the glove box for the two-three times a year I use CB (moab and the volunteer runs). And if I have that external fender mount I'll just wire up to it with a cheap larsen whip.

My only hang up with the CB is spending 100 something bucks for a piece of junk.

 

[Corbet]

I had the thin coax and even still over time it rubs through. Thinking I might move it to the bull bar.

 

[rover67]

I had the thin coax and even still over time it rubs through. Thinking I might move it to the bull bar.

Well dang Corbet