The last months I’ve been busy working on all kinds of projects, plans and updates:
- Departure date changed
- CarPc
- Heater controller
- Heater fuel line rerouting
- Solar cell installation
- Electrical rewiring
- Snorkel
- New tires
- Skid plate design
- Oztent
- Jerrycan holder design
- New radiator and gearbox clean
- List of costs
Departure date changed
I changed the departure date. Again. The new date will be around the 15th of February.
Leaving at the start of winter would give me a few cold months to get through. Now I will only have a “tough” time in Europe and before Iran. From there the seasons will change and the rest of the trip will be more comfortable, weatherwise. Also I bumped into a few financial setbacks. With 2 more months of work I can counteract this.
CarPc
This project is a rather nerdy one. I found a forum online with information on how to build a PC into your car: http://engineeringdiy.freeforums.org/. This all seemed like a nice idea to build into Brutus. It has however become a struggle to get it to work. It is based on a Raspberry Pi mini computer, a touch screen, a sound card, and a GPS module. Additionally I built in some fuses and voltage spike security parts. I will write another post about the details of this project once it’s bloody finished

The original sound system of Brutus, with a broken cd changer and crappy take deck. To be used for parts.

This is what I found stuck inside the CD changer

Empty 2-DIN housing of the original radio

Fill it up with some Raspberry Pi stuff

Connect some wires

Simple test version in car. Only media system and audio functionality here. Worked like a charm for about 5000+ km.

Navigation working together with the GPS module.
Heater controller (Heaterputer)
For my previously installed heater I built a small computer that will be able to keep my car at a certain temperature. It will also keep track of the battery and has a remote control.
Heater fuel line rerouting
I previously installed the fuel pump of the diesel heater inside the motor compartment. This was a wrong move because these pumps are not designed to pull fuel, but to push it. therefor I needed to reposition it near the fuel tank, at the bottom of the car. This meant routing an extra fuel line from the tank, through the fuel pump to the motor compartment. Also I needed to extend the electrical wiring from the heater to the pump.
[PICS HERE]
Solar cell installation

Solar energy has arrived!

Test setup

On-switch, charger and monitor installed and working! Charging with 6.4 Amp with an autumn sun.

Checking out different setups for the roof rack.
Electrical rewiring
Because I installed a heater, bought a solar cell and want some more 12v contacts inside the compartment, I decided to make a diagram before pulling some new wires.

Electrical wiring diagram of Brutus additional electrical components
Snorkel
Snorkel installation description in another post.
New tires
Based on suggestions by others, and a German guy, telling me that I would never get anywhere on crappy road tires (even though they were Pirelli Scorpion A/T), I decided to get the best of the best. This is apparently either Cooper, or BF
Goodrich. I found some BF Goodrich all terrein T/A KO2 online for a reasonable price, and decided to buy them.
They look absolutely brutal!

Brutal BF Goodrich tires on my rims.
Installed and ready to go!
Skid plate design
I decided to design my own skid plate, to protect the bottom of Brutus a little better. My friend Jeroen then cut the plate out based on a CAD design and bent it to shape. We installed it in Fürstenau before 2 days of off-roading.

Cardboard version of the skid plate

Cardboard skid plate hanging under the car.

Metal! \m/
Jerrycan holder design
[LATER MEER]
Oztent
I decided to buy an Oztent because the internet told me so. The Oztent RV4 is a 30-second tent that can (in case of emergency) house 4 people. 3 people is reasonably comfortable and I suppose that 1 person should feel like sleeping in a cathedral. the description 30-second tent means that from opening the bag until a standing tent takes about 30 seconds. Of course, depending on the speed that a person can drive pegs into the ground, it takes a bit longer until the whole thing is standing. But it can be done in 2 to 2 minutes.

And it looks pretty great!
New radiator and gearbox clean
Later post.
List of costs
Later post.
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