Blue Ribbon 4x4 Build Thread

The wife surprised me with something off my wish list. Now to see if I can squeeze this beast under the hood.

 

So before swapping the new compressor in, I need to wait on a bigger relay. So I decided to modify/experiment with the old one. I made a new filter using a home diy filter, and drilled two 1/2” holes in the intake cap.
It sounds “smoother” is how I would describe it. It’s a little quieter and probably just isn’t working as hard. The air goes into the compressor through tiny slits on the edge of the cap. So the two 1/2” holes are a huge difference. I was going to do four but I was worried about back pressure, any motor needs some back pressure, and I wasn’t working off anything scientifically. I added four layers of the filter material and ran a test.
The test yielded 6 min, 5 seconds to fill four 35” tires from 17psi to 35psi. That’s a full minute faster than my original test of approximately 7 min, which I do once in a while to see if it stays the same. I definitely did not think I would see this much difference in the compressor output, I really thought it would just help with cooling. Guess I should have done this long ago.
So I’ll be modifying the new compressor, once it’s been installed for a while.

 

I did a performance test on the new two-cylinder compressor. I just threw in a 3/8” press fitting and connected the compressor to the battery. Aired down all four tires to 17psi and powered up the new compressor. What I got was 4 minutes, 48 seconds to inflate them all to 40 psi. That’s insanely fast and I attribute it to the 3/8” air hose plumbing throughout the truck. I can’t wait to permanently install it under the hood!!

 

Damn! That's nearly faster than my shop compressor!

 

That’s nuts! I couldn’t believe it when I did it.

 

Removed the Smittybilt compressor to check the fitment on the new AllTop dual cylinder compressor. The custom mount I made sits low enough that it sits straight.

 

The compressor internals are wired up. I just interrupted the switch and will send it to the in-cabin switch. The lead then comes back through the pressure switch and back to the unit.

 

She’s installed!!!!
I installed a 120A circuit breaker on the battery tie down plate, there’s no fuses to this beast. It draws 90A, I figured 120A is good for any spikes on power. I just used leftover 4awg wire to the breaker, then the provided wire after removing the battery clamps.
The main air connection at the compressor uses a quick connect. This makes it convenient if my plumbing system blows (HA!) while in the field, I can connect my separate hose and fill the tires separately. I always keep a separate hose since there’s always someone that needs air, and there’s another quick connect installed on the rear bumper. I’ll run a time test again later today.

 

Time test done!! 4-35” tires from 17psi to 40psi in under 5 minutes. Super happy with the new setup!!

 

Just needs a coat of paint and it "belongs!" Nice work!

 

It’s next on the list!

 

Needed to grab something that will clean up that positive battery terminal.

 

Before and after for the positive battery terminal. Much cleaner, and I was actually unaware of how many leads I had jacked in the original post.

Clockwise from the bottom:
1. Winch circuit breaker/keyed switch
2. Alternator
3. Main OEM fuse box
4. Air compressor circuit breaker
5. Stereo amplifier
6. Battery mounted fuse box



Now to do the negative side.

 

Super involved modification today. Swapped out the white light compressor switch for a blue one.

 

Driver side taillight seriously took on water during a wash yesterday. Pulled the taillight and found this tiny hole in the top. This isn’t where the taillight was split to customize. It’s the shit assembly coming apart on the aftermarket taillights. Siliconed up and sealed for now. Gotta open her up and clean the inside at a later date.

 

Lame....but at least you know what to do and have the skill to fix it well.

 

Thanks Robert! Sucks, yeah. I wish I had a picture of how much water was in the light. Like a shot glass worth! All good, at least nothing shorted out.

 

Finally put together a better platform for the pittie. Now it sits in front of the storage lids instead of on top. I can access everything, and the seats can fold down with it in place if needed. I threw an old dog bed on top so she’s comfy. Now all I gotta do is paint it some unpredictable color.
For some reason, she’s super uncomfortable in the seats themselves, she won’t sit or lay down. She stands the whole time, and is exhausted when we get to our destination. Now she’ll sit, lay down, even sleep back there.

 

The wife won’t be around this week, and as true to our tradition, we gave Valentine’s day gifts early. She raided my wishlist, and it’s time to class up this front bumper.
I’m on the fence for leaving the blue shackles or going black with blue protectors.

 

Parts installed!
I was able to pull the old beat up synthetic line through the fairlead, remove the fairlead and install the new line on the winch drum through the fairlead hole. Then I removed the front crossmember and was able to sneak the old light bar out. Didn’t have to remove the bumper.

 

These UCAs got a refresh today. I’ve been running them without the caps, so moisture doesn’t get trapped inside. I’ve noticed a little corrosion and rust happening inside. I’m in the California desert, and there shouldn’t be rust anywhere. 2K clear for maximum protection.
Also an update on the Por15 brake caliper paint. It looks fantastic still, super easy and relatively inexpensive mod. It was done mid March of last year.

 

Grabbed this today. Gonna do some experimenting and see what happens.

 

Ok. Experiment time! I wanted to get a smooth Raptor liner finish, sprayed with an hvlp gun. I also wanted to get a black liner finish with blue metal flake. I decided to use the dog platform as a test subject.
I ordered some blue flake pigment. Then drilled out my old cheapo hvlp sprayer from harbor freight. Drilled out to 5/64”, this makes it almost a 2mm tip.



I mixed the liner per the instructions for hvlp spray. 3:1:1 for the hardener and reducer. Then I added 2 tsp pigment (this was the experimental part). What came out was barely visible flake throughout the liner.



Then I mixed two teaspoons pigment with clear. This made it basically blue flake paint.



I still wanted just the black with blue flake. So I ordered actual blue metal flake and sprayed the plain Raptor again. This time following up with clear coat mixed with 2 tsp blue flake.



This looks great, but really makes the Raptor liner worthless. It has some texture, but kinda just looks like orange peel paint. I can wet sand it and smooth it out a little, but I may as well have either used black paint as a base, or the Raptor spray gun to get a full texture.
At any rate, the blue flake over black gives me more ideas for future mods. Hopefully coming soon!

 

Gonna go full lighted wobbly dildos on the rear of the truck. Gonna have to make some mounts for them, either on the bed mounts or somewhere inside the bed. I lost my last whip/flag in Mojave, so it was time to upgrade.

 

Blue!!!!

 

Yesss!!

 

Lucky day for the truck. This elm took a shit in the wind yesterday.

 

Starting on the brackets for the whips. I really need to practice my welding.
I want to install the mounts where I can install the flex mount permanently, while being able to close the trifold. I don’t ever swing out the swing cases, so the mount won’t be in the way.
The whips attach to the flex mount with a quick connect. When it’s time to install the whips, I’ll just plug in the quick connect, and connect the harness.
Lastly, this mod is going slowly, I gotta babysit the new pup here and there. His name is Kingsley.

 

I stole the idea from @Vizsla to mount my whip mounts on my bed stiffeners. I know you don’t have them currently, but wanted to throw the idea out there in case you were thinking about them anyway.

 

I'm sure he can fab them to install to his swing case mounts.