Category: redneck repairs

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Planning the Exterior Lights for my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #707) 6/22/2025

I have a plan to light the exterior of the Range Rover Classic. I want to be able to turn on the exterior lights while I lay on my mattress inside. This is mostly to have a tactical advantage if something or someone is on the outside of my vehicle.

I want to be able to turn on a single light or with one switch turn on ALL THE LIGHTS. In order to do this I needed to come up with a circuit drawing for this task. I tried my hand but had little to no confidence that I had done it correctly.

So I consulted my best friend Mike to get a circuit drawn and to get a source for the parts. I drove up last weekend and had lunch with he and Paul and then went back to Mike’s shop. We sat and had a beer in his RV while we talked about lots of stuff and got caught up since we saw each other at my birthday part in October last year.

He scribbled a circuit for me. We talked about where to get the parts and he gave me the details. He buys parts that are for automotive use. He buys from them to build the trailer wiring conversions from military to civilian / civilian to military. He sells them on XM381.com if that is something you are looking for.

xm381.com image of a cable conversion.

I took the graphic and re-drew it. Then from the parts I ordered after we met I cobbled together a loose circuit and tested it. Using the battery from the Range Rover Classic and some wires and two lights from my stock of lights I’ve salvaged from breaker’s yards.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Next thing I need to do is order some switches and 16 gauge wire and decide on the lights I want to install. I have some picked out, I’ll need to make a decision one way or another.

I took my time and puzzled this out and I’m so happy I got it to work. My drawing was “close” but would not have worked. Mike was so gracious to help me with this.

Thanks for reading, like and subscribe, and Happy Rovering.

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Too Cold to Paint, Planning What’s Next on my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #698) 4/7/2025

Third Winter hit this weekend.

It was too cold to paint. Temps in the forties in my shop. I didn’t feel like getting bundled up to lay on my back getting paint all over me.

Call me lazy, that’s fine, but not super fun for me. So I’m going to tackle the sealing of the seams with paint, seam sealer, and truck bed liner next weekend. I’ll get it as “protected” as I can.

In this video I also talk about what is coming next. Call it a little planning. I have a lot of wiring to run. Lights for the interior and exterior and wiring for a battery management system. I need to plan for a DC to DC converter and all the magic electronics that make everything work well together.

I also allude to some fun history in the story of Tuck’s Ferry across the Red River (RedRiverHistorian.com).

I also mention some of my current storage solution in the U.S. G.I. Aluminum Medical Transport Chests. If you’ve followed for any time, you’ve seen me talk about the.

This is going to be a lot of coin to drop. So getting the wires run will require some planning. I’m certain I’ll screw this up and have to re-run some of this. But that’s part of the fun, right?

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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Welds Failed on my Floor Panel for my Range Rover Classic (Post #693) 3/2/2025

Today was a punch in the gut. My welds will.not.stick. I have no idea what is going on. I’ve tried several thing and I can’t get these welds to stick.

My goal this weekend was to get the bed installed and to move on to something else. Unfortunately this is a big set back.

I will have to investigate what is going on. Sort out what I’m doing wrong and hopefully get some welds to work.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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Fitting the Floor Pan on my Range Rover Classic (Post #692) 2/23/2025

In this post I fit my floor panel in the Range Rover. Yes, I know, it’s about time!

I finished up bolting on the support beams and got the panel test fitted in the Big White Bus. This required me to go to the hardware store and buy a bunch of stainless steel hardware. Fortunately for me I bought a box of 100 bolts. Unfortunately for me the bolts had a 37.5% failure rate when fastening them with nyloc nuts.

Why? I have no idea. It’s not like I was torquing the hell out of them. I hadn’t even bottomed the nuts out and the bolts were binding up. Pretty disappointing. I’ll be sourcing a different brand of hardware in the future. These really let me down. I’ve had problems before but thought it was me being rambunctious with the impact driver. Turns out it wasn’t that after all. You might be quick to say “made in China” I’m not surprised. But these were made in Taiwan. Normally an acceptable substitute, and if that helps them stick it to the CCP I’m all for it. Not sure where I’ll find another brand but I’ll be looking.

The panel fit was “tight” to say the least. It required a bit of persuasion (with a hammer) but it fits. The next step is to get the damn thing welded into place. I probably have 100+ plug welds to do. This is going to be a challenge.

I can see the end of this part of the project in sight so I’m excited to get after it. That’s all for this week. Like and subscribe if you enjoy the content and appreciate all the free content.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

https://youtu.be/2Svh-SdwGOE
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Floor Support Beams on my Range Rover Classic (Post #691) 2/17/2025

In this post I pose a question, “Why not bolt those supports on?!?”

I have the holes for bolts. I either have to weld those holes up or use them to mount the supports. It’s only a few bolts to get the beams attached. Bolted or welded I have the same result.

So I decided to bolt them on. I went through my stash of stainless bolts. You KNOW those bolts would have to stainless as do the nyloc nuts and the fender washers. So I needed a run to the hardware store. I had a coupon for 20% off on $50(US) so…let’s go nuts…I mean nuts and bolts.

I am now ready to mount those beams. I managed to get the shop up to 57 degrees Fahrenheit so I sprayed some primer on the bare metal. I then decided I needed to move the beams and the floor pan into the sunroom in the house. It is climate controlled and the paint will cure more effectively if the temp is above 60F.

I also sprayed bedliner on the floor pan too. This rubberized material will help form a water tight water resistant mount once I get this all bolted up. I’m feeling pretty pump about it actually.

The next episode will have the beams installed and mounted in the Range Rover to assure the fit is right and then to weld the pan in place.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering. Like and subscribe. I really appreciate it.

https://youtu.be/8bUl7TqlNJk
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Welding up the Floor Supports on my Range Rover Classic (Post #690) 2/9/2025

In this update I begin attaching the supports to the floor pan. Also in this update I tried to get carbon monoxide poison and avoided getting bit by a fiddleback spider.

I started on the supports and the first one was the strap across the back portion of the floor bed. When I removed the strap during my tear down I drilled out the welds. I did a decent job and only punched through on one weld. This allowed me to plug weld the strap back into place.

This was fortuitous. The other support beams are drilled through. That’s gonna make reattaching …difficult.

Since it was a bit chilly in the shoppe, I fired up the kerosene heater. I done this several times in the past. Before I closed the overhead door a little exhaust from the Big White Bus managed to get in. The heater must have added to a substantial amount of carbon monoxide. This set off the sensor. So I opened up the door to let the monoxides out.

I also moved the alarm, under the alarm was a damn fiddleback spider. The cold didn’t allow for the damn thing to scurry away. I ended it right there with a tap. When it twitched, I gave it a SMASH. One less brown recluse spider is a good thing.

I now have one of the three supports into place. The other two will not be as fun.

Like and subscribe if you are enjoying the content. It is appreciated.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

https://youtu.be/n2oFRhvDRRs
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