Kirkynut's Jimny (aka Daddy's Tractor) - The Evolution continues...

looks good,think im guna paint my wheels silver again gone off the black might be coz cars black to.

Yeah, I don't like black wheels on a black car much, I like to be able to see the wheels and they don't come out well in photos.

The wheels I really like are the ones Zukenutter has: www.bigjimny.com/index.php/forum/8-my-ji...-30-bfgs-cool-wheels

One day I might get my finger out of my arse and try to find a set in Auz and get them shipped over.

In the meantime my second favourite wheels are the OZ Suzuki alloys - I'm getting a little blingy - I'd quite like a set of them with 235/75/15 BFG MT's on with the writing on the outside!

Kirkynut

I've mentioned before that I wanted the battery out of the boot and under the bonnet and some time ago I bought a Jimny Bits battery tray for that purpose - however, I have a Numax battery for winching and starting and I'm really impressed with it but it wouldn't fit under the bonnet. It's this one: www.tayna.co.uk/Numax-CXV31MF-P3694.html

I was considering spending some money and getting one of these instead: www.devon4x4.com/index.php?page=shop.pro...virtuemart&Itemid=14 but then thought I'd have a go at getting my Numax to fit.

Yesterday and today I got it done and here it is:



The issue was that it was too tall and hit the bonnet stopping it from getting anywhere near shut. I thought it was never going to fit and had given up on my battery fitting, hence looking for others.

To make it fit I got the angle grinder out and cut a section of the support structure out from the bonnet to give more clearance.

This seemed to be nearly there but not quite enough. The solution I came up with came from the Boy Racer Brigade! A bonnet lift! For those not in the know about what the youf of today do to their cars, it involves putting washers between the bonnet and it's hinge so that the rear of the bonnet raises up a bit compared to the front. It's supposed to let some heat out of high powered and hot under the collar turbo cars but chavs do it to Saxos's!

Now I think bonnet lifts look pants but it was a case of needs must. I started with 2 washers but have gone down to 1 so now it just looks like a badly fitting bonnet!




I've cable tied 1/2" thick rubber to the positive terminal, just in case, but having laid electrical tape on it sticky side up and slammed the bonnet, then opened it again, the tape didn't stick to the bonnet - so there's plenty of clearance - well enough and the rubber will prevent any shorting out.

I gave it an oil change yesterday too, a new air filter last week and a wash today - I think the snow foam was wasted on the Jimny but hey - it's fun!




My boot floor is in good nick - not seen the bottom of it for some time!



Now I've just got to think about how I'm going to store the tools, spares and recovery kit I keep in the boot of the Jimny, now I've regained some space!

I also fitted an Off Road Armoury steering damper that I've had in the garage for some time. I bought it when I had death wobble in the vain hope that it would solve my problems - however I have formed the opinion that if you have Death Wobble you should solve it properly and believe that steering dampers hide the problem and do not solve it.

As I don't suffer from anything other than the slightest of movements on the steering wheel at 45MPH - which I don't think you will solve completely with the tyres I am running, I thought I'd put it on to help with the bump steer I occasionally feel with big bumps and pot holes on the road. It does feel a little better and there is no movement in the steering wheel at all now at 45MPH - so all is good!

Kirkynut

Looking good with that tray.

I fitted my battery in the same spot, but using the original mounting bracket, and a couple of new holes in the body, for the "hooks" in the bracket. Or whatever they're called.

What winch have you got?
You really should consider a couple of longer winchmotor bolts from gigglepin, so you can get the solenoid down next to the motor. Much less of a mess with all those cables
gigglepin4x4store.gostorego.com/gp-motor-bolts.html

Cheers - my winch is an old Superwinch EP9500 - so quite old now. It runs a Bowmotor 1 and rarely sees any action these days.

I know what you mean about the wires, but I want my solenoid in the dry! It's a decent one - Albright - but I still don't want the terminals corroding. Also I have a remote control for it so it has the control box for that attached to it and the wiring for it too.

So if I'm gonna have all that wiring going on, it may aswell be in the dry and out of sight under the bonnet! The wiring is all good too with decent connections and I don't fancy going through it all again just to put the solenoid and the connections out in the weather!

I've been at many a winch challenge where a winch has stopped working and all that was the problem was a dirty connection on the solenoid.

The Gigglepin mounts are a good idea to keep things tidy but you do have to be on top of your maintenance though!

Kirkynut

Yes, it does require a bit more maintenance and cleaning when th e solenoid sits out next to the winch. Before I got my twinmotor -adaptor I also had my solenoid sitting same place at yours. But now they're both bolted to the motors, as you can see on the pic. Also because It saves a lot on cables, and the shorter cables, the better

I have replaced the rubber battery bracket that came with the Jimny Bits battery tray with a strap that I have successfully used on batteries before in my old SJ and when the battery was in the boot of the Jimny.

This strap relieves a problem that I was having with the bonnet stay not being able to be pushed past the rubber bracket too easily. I hadn't been happy with it since fitting it but once it was fitted I had had enough that day, so this morning I had another look at it and went with the strap.

I also had a look at the props to make sure there was enough spline on one end of each prop going into the other half and that they were not going to split under full articulation - which I've seen done before on Zooks. They're fine - otherwise I'd have needed prop spacers. I had not tested it on full articulation since fitting the castor correction arms and did not know how much they would effect it.

This came to mind when someone on the forum asked me asking if they needed prop spacers. I thought I'd tested mine with extreme articulation when I fitted my new springs and castor corrected arms but when I looked at the photos of this test I clearly had standard arms on!

I've not used my Jimny in anger for over a year and certainly not since putting the castor correcting arms on you see, so it's just had a pampered life over the last 18 months or so, with me getting everything just right.

We have a Lake District Greenlaning holiday booked in May 2014, so it will get a workout then! It will be the first time I have done that sort of Greenlaning with the Rocklobster in. The Rocklobster and the new springs, shocks, bushes and castor correction will hopefully make it a much nicer car to drive on the lanes and make it less taxing on the Jimny and it's clutch.

I also have a second hand Jimny Bits plastic snorkel in the post from Yuppybear. Now this is meant to mount to the A pillar, but of course I have my cage there. I shall therefore have to move it forward on the wing an inch or so. The airbox may have to move with it. This may or may not be doable - if not I shall have to sell it on but I am hoping it will be OK as I want a snorkel and one that doesn't look too home made. We shall have to wait and see!

Kirkynut

What size wheel and tyres Is this running in this photo, also do they catch on the inner wing/chassis

Thanks

kirkynut wrote: I also have a second hand Jimny Bits plastic snorkel in the post from Yuppybear. Now this is meant to mount to the A pillar, but of course I have my cage there. I shall therefore have to move it forward on the wing an inch or so. The airbox may have to move with it. This may or may not be doable - if not I shall have to sell it on but I am hoping it will be OK as I want a snorkel and one that doesn't look too home made. We shall have to wait and see!

Kirkynut

Can it not run up the tubing?

helijohn wrote:

kirkynut wrote: I also have a second hand Jimny Bits plastic snorkel in the post from Yuppybear. Now this is meant to mount to the A pillar, but of course I have my cage there. I shall therefore have to move it forward on the wing an inch or so. The airbox may have to move with it. This may or may not be doable - if not I shall have to sell it on but I am hoping it will be OK as I want a snorkel and one that doesn't look too home made. We shall have to wait and see!

Kirkynut

Can it not run up the tubing?

That was going to be the plan but the tosser conned me!

The issue with a standard snorkel is that the tube from the snorkel to the airbox goes through the wing in a certain place, so to use the snorkel it would be forward by a few inches to run down the cage and it would go through the wing in a different place, so the airbox would have to go forward & the inner wing cut.

But its academic now as it doesn't exist!

Kirkynut

I am thinking of getting one of my mates to make a proper stainless steel snorkel a little like the Defender TD5 one, he is the best Tig welder I have ever seen and has made bike exhausts for me in the past. Failing that its the one from Japan me and Stu Stu were looking at.

Decalwizard wrote: I am thinking of getting one of my mates to make a proper stainless steel snorkel a little like the Defender TD5 one, he is the best Tig welder I have ever seen and has made bike exhausts for me in the past. Failing that its the one from Japan me and Stu Stu were looking at.

Great minds... I was thinking of some 70mm id stainless and asking my mate to weld it and bend it. Or at least an elbow to come off the airbox at 90' through the wing. Then flexible pipe up the outside of the wing & up the cage. Or the whole thing in stainless.

We shall see.

That Jap one is on the wrong side as its for the 600cc turbo one.

Kirkynut