My 1988 Trooper- Azul Tortuga

[Bizmarkie]

When I first got the Trooper about a year ago I got a set of louvers. I painted them and installed them. They were only for looks.
So I decided to make them functional.




So out came the cut off wheel.




Then I spilled some bedliner all over it. luckily I had taped off some areas first... wheww narrowly averted a disaster. lol



scuffed up and painted the louvers with bedliner...



watching paint dry...........................................................



Stainless hardware installed and she is done.




Thanks for looking!

[bradzuzu]

That's a sweet mod !! Where did you find the louvre panels ??

[Dingbat]

Brad my guess is he got the louvres from http://www.hoodlouvers.com/ or a reseller that is the same thing.
I am not aware of anyone else that mass produces them.

I wonder what/where he got the stainless hardware, it looks really nice.

[Bizmarkie]

Dingbat- Nice guess!
Brad- I got them from an outfit called Rod Louvers. www.rodlouvers.com

The stainless harware came from Fastenal. https://www.fastenal.com

-Biz

[imamonstertruck]

Dude, those look awesome!

cheers
-Ian

[shaggydoink]

Dude, those look awesome!

x2! Great work as always Biz!

Shaggy

[Bizmarkie]

I decided a few months ago that the expanded metal floor of the roof rack was just too noisy. So I thought I'd bed line it and re-install it.


Once I got it down I removed the expanded metal and gave the floor 3 good coats of bed liner and a couple for the mounting rails and contacts for further sound dampening and rust protection.

I wanted to add some lighting to the rack as well.

Sorry for the crappy photo. I mounted 4 LED pencil beam pods on the front, one flood to each side and one to the rear. These are the middle of the road quality lights from a supplier here in the US. I have plans later on to upgrade the drivers and LEDs to a better quality and output. I was really going for the housings when I bought these. The upgrade is WAY cheaper than the cost of some from say Rigid or the like. I can go from about 2000 lumen (exaggerated manufacturer claim I am sure, probably about 1200 realistically) to about 3500 each pod for less than $20.00 when I get ready to do it. Anyway, I wired them up and stuck the rack back up.




Tortuga has no rear wiper, but had a rear wiper reservoir bracket. This became the lighting relay bracket.


I ran a 2 gauge wire from the engine compartment to the back to supply power to the lights an auxiliary power port and inverter (later install).


To get power from the relays to the roof rack I thought long and hard about it. I didn't want wires crimped in door jambs and didnt want a hole in the roof with a glob of silicone around it. I also wanted the ability to unplug it if I wanted the roof rack off. So I wired it with a 6 pin trailer wire plug. This part was a real tough one. This is one of those things you dont get a second chance on. You don't come back well from a screw up with a hole in the roof line. So with reckless abandon, I cut the hole.




You can see in the last photo the pigtail and receiver. Hopefully it is compact enough to not grab stray branches and get snagged. It sits well above the drip rail so it shouldn't have water pooling around it. I also treated the cut metal with Rust Bullet and then used silicone to seal it from any water entry. I has a bit of extra wire on the pigtail side to allow me to move the rack forward if I want, but I kinda like it where it is. Also the hole cutting was not without a surprise or two. The rear roof structure has three layers. The outer skin, a curved support piece and the inside skin. So anyone thinking of doing this you have a heads up. I was kind of blind going in. It isnt a big fat hairy deal but it is something to consider. I had originally intended to run the wires through the back pillar post, but that is a no go. It is not hollow or have a hole from the pillar to the roof. So I ran the wires neatly along the inside of the interior, outside the pillar to the panel on the back where the wires will feed into the cavity.

I then turned to the job of setting up the switches. I added the door mounted cup holders awhile back and decided the console was the ideal spot for the switches.

The switches are aligned according to the light it activates.


Power to the switches is supplied through a dedicated ignition source power wire. This power also feeds my front and rear console power ports.

So there it is. I hope to do a short video, or pics at least of the lights in action soon.

Thanks for looking!

[ShaneWhitlock]

Great job on the rack and lights. I like the idea of using the trailer plug for the disconnect ... Great job!!!

[bradzuzu]

Wow great work and sweet customization dude !! You rocked that setup !! The plug in the back is a good idea , nice and clean ..

[Bizmarkie]

Thanks guys. I really put a lot of thought into that trailer pigtail. Maybe more than was necessary but I only wanted to do it once and do it right.
The wiring is a bit overkill considering they lights only run about 18 watts and are powered by 14 and 12 gauge wires. I have plans for a alternator upgrade from the pathetic Hitachi 55 amp to a whopping 165 amp bug zapper. I need to fab up a battery box and get the isolator for the dual battery set-up first.

Great fun!

[btw1549]

Nice job on the Rack and the lights. It looks great!

[leftarmtan]

Great install.Glad I read this because I was going to drill holes for nutserts in my A pillar to mount a led light bar, but I may just spot weld it now.

[Bizmarkie]

Leftarm- Not sure about the A-pillar construction. I did mine in the back about the large rear door. I have not cut into one of the pillars to see how it is constructed.

[leftarmtan]

Leftarm- Not sure about the A-pillar construction. I did mine in the back about the large rear door. I have not cut into one of the pillars to see how it is constructed.

Ya I'm thinking if the roof back there has a reinforcement the A pillar probably does too.I hate drilling into the body,but sometimes it is the best way.

[mustanger999]

The trailer socket reminded me of the big--- plug they stuck in the back of their heads on the Matrix movies. It doesn't look bad. It's pretty ingenious. That just popped into my head for some reason.

[shaggydoink]

Wow, x3 or 4 on what other people have said - you did a fantastic job, and the trailer socket idea is brilliant!

Shaggy

[Bizmarkie]

Added some new gauges.
All 2" gauges
Autometer Mechanical Oil Pressure gauge
Autometer Mechanical Temperature gauge
Autometer Fuel gauge




I still need to install the sending unit for the fuel gauge and wire it up. It is nice to see the temp in real time. I can see the thermostat open and the electric fan kick on.
Oil Pressure is the same. Real time. I'm digging it.

I will do a detailed write up soon. I got photos and part numbers to make it easier for anyone who would like to do it. Just need to write it up.

[bradzuzu]

That's a sweet upgrade !! So fuel gauge ?? Will it work off the factory sender ??

[Bizmarkie]

I'm not sure. lol The tank is full and it pegs to full. I need to see it when the fuel is a little lower. I have a Autometer sender to put in it but with a full tank I'd get wet changing it now. Wasn't thinking ahead. I had read on the planet that the Isuzu sender would not work. Time will tell.

Got the leds working. Its back to glowing blue!

[bradzuzu]

I was going to ask if they where indeglow

Great stuff for my future build !!

[Bizmarkie]

It isn't the built in LEDs. I just swapped the bulbs.

[bradzuzu]

But they're as bright as the previous setup right ?? That looked good.. So what's behind the gauges , is there a board ??

[btw1549]

I'm not sure. lol The tank is full and it pegs to full. I need to see it when the fuel is a little lower. I have a Autometer sender to put in it but with a full tank I'd get wet changing it now. Wasn't thinking ahead. I had read on the planet that the Isuzu sender would not work. Time will tell.

It depends on the fuel gauge you purchased. If you bought one for a GM product then no it won't work but if you bought one for a Toyota I believe it will almost function correctly, may be off slightly.

[Bizmarkie]

Brad, the gauges I bought are pretty simple. The lighting is accomplished by a 1/4 turn lock bulb body like you would see in old school cars. The bulb is the standard T10 or 194 style.

[isuzutrooper1989]

Looks good mate love the roof rack