This is every last thing I want to do to my car.
Expand all Collapse all [/homepage /leelu]
| Engine |
|
1600cc Engine (stable and reliable - may one day be an alternate fuel) Dual carburetor Carburetor dampeners ($20) Reinforced (to the frame) chrome header with Stinger exhaust High torque 12V starter motor ($200) 12V fuel pump ($50 w/mount) Polished 75 amp 12 Volt Alternator ($300) Complete Chrome Kit |
| Chrome alternator stand ($20) Chrome alternator backing plate ($10) Dual carburetor chrome covers ($30) |
| Waterproofing |
| Distributor waterproofing (bought but not installed yet) Spark plug seals 4” Spark arrester for stinger ($70) Coil cover |
| Cruise Control |
| I've read that back in the day, cruise control meant a little spring that wound so that your pedal would stay in the same place - purely mechanical and relatively foolproof. I'd like this style since I don't trust a computer with my throttle |
| Requirements |
| 26 MPG 0-60 10 sec ¼ Mile 18 sec 90 MPH Top speed 416 mile range (26 mpg x 16 gal tank) |
| Structural |
| Skid and gravel plates |
| Roof rack (with spare tire mount) ($180+mount), with ratcheting webbing Front skid plate ($60) Belly skid plate (bolted - removeable) Gravel guards on 4 fenders ($30x2) |
| Bumpers |
| Custom double-bar bumper in front and back (back is $114) with enough strength to support winch |
| Tubing (roll bars, etc) |
| Side baja bars ($65) Custom Roll bars (~$400) |
| Wheels |
| Spare on top ($120) Dignified mud flaps ($20) |
| Brakes |
| Bus type brake cylinder Disc brakes ($500) |
| Suspension |
| ≥18-inch clearance Approach angle ≥ 75 ° Departure angle ≥ 30 ° |
| Notes on suspension |
|
The point of having off-road suspension is to have two things: clearance and travel.
Clearance is how much distance is between the ground and the body of the car - useful for avoiding all those crazy bumps
when off-roading. Travel is the distance the tires can move up and down - useful for landings. One of my pet peeves is seeing a big ass truck that's been raised but doesn't have any more clearance than when it was stock. The reason that Hummers and Jeeps have such good clearance is because they have very high differential (that block you see in between the back wheels of large trucks). They do this by having wheel axles that are angled towards the ground - just like a Beetle. That's one of many reasons Beetles can make such great off-road vehicles. |
| Seats |
| Corbeau Black Baja SS Seats with 4-point seatbelts (2*$190) Seat heaters ($200) Custom seat covers ($50) Pouches sewn into covers (front and back) |
| Windows & Mirrors |
| Windows |
| Lever-opening quarter windows ($350) Wind deflectors |
| Mirrors |
| Swan-neck type fender-mounted rear mirror ($40) Flip-down (old school) type anti-dazzle rear mirror sun visor ($15) |
| Tinting |
| Dark tinting that fades to light ($400) |
| Wipers |
| Rear windshield wiper (~$30+work) Variable speed windshield wipers ($30) |
| Doors |
| Correct freaking model year |
| The passenger door is actually the wrong model year. ($100) |
| Painted metal paneling, new armrests |
| Aluminum door panel (front)
($84.77) Aluminum door panel (back) ($61.46) These are meant to make for a longer-lasting interior: vinyl gets just as hot but these can be part of the "no upholstery" interior and plus can be fixed down much more securely to accommodate the off-road jittering. They will probably be painted to keep them from being too hot in the sun. |
| Collapsing cup holder, shelf |
| The aluminium can be cut and customised to have compartments that close flush to the door. |
| Trunk |
| Hood shocks (replace springs) ($30) Extra-large gas tank (16 Gal.) ($60) Internally locking trunk, hidden key lock New rubber seal ($5) Locking gas tank Sealed interior - currently leaks air. Small VW logo on trunk |
| Spare parts and tools |
| Crawling sheet (for on-the-road repairs) Mini Floor jack ($40) Fire extinguisher ($20) Snow chains Battery charger ($50) Portable compressor ($30) Ice scraper |
| Heating & Cooling |
| Heating |
| Heater air pump Heater box and pipes ($40?) |
| Cooling |
| Swamp cooler. The exact location is under debate, but it's going to be mostly made of fiberglass, a water pump and tubing. Ideally, I'll have a water fill in the trunk. |
| Lights |
| Exterior (required) |
| LED brake and turn lights Two Hella lights, mounted very wide on the front bumper in fiberglass enclosures Hazard (left and right blinking at the same time) lights and reverse gear lights (white, come on when in reverse) - my car is so old they didn't have either of these when it was made. |
| Exterior (decorative) |
| LED behind door handle Motorized searchlight! Yes! (pointing backwards) Undercarriage LED lights (to see without a flashlight and at night, switch in the cab) |
| Interior |
| LED cluster spot lights (two for each passenger) mounted at corners (next to speakers in front) Indirect LED lights in the interior, including at the feet (on with doors) and in the glove box (see Computer) LED lights in the trunk, around the edges and along the back (switch turns on when opened) |
| Intelligent indirect LED lighting |
| One universal power bus to power and switch lighting (est. total draw is <1.5 amps for 100+ lights) |
| Paint & Finish |
| Interior |
| Rhinolining (medium cream) ($150) The interior is going to be devoid of cloth. It will only require a hose and a rag to clean it out. |
| Exterior |
| Line-X Multiple-coated Viper Red paint |
| Gauges |
| Rationale |
| My car has only a speedometer, odometer, and gas gauge. I really think I ought to know everything I can know about my car's functionality, especially given that I plan on taking it off-roading. |
| Engine |
| Cylinder head temperature Oil temperature Oil pressure Exhaust temperature Air/fuel mixture RPM (tachometer) Fuel pump pressure Accelerometer (G-meter) |
| Levels |
| Brake fluid level Fuel level Oil level Voltmeter / Battery charge Tire pressure |
| Environmental |
| Computer temperature Interior temperature External temperature Humidity/Barometer Compass Incline/Pitch + roll Meter (Inclinometer) |
| Stereo System |
| Concepts behind the stereo |
| I think that there's really only 3 kinds of stereo systems in cars. There's the normal, just-ok type. Then there's the super expensive systems that most often are just loud and stupid. I think that 99.999% of the stereos out there ought to be the first type because cars are inherently terrible audio environments. They force the listener over to one side, and there is a lot of noise. The third type is what I'm going for: completely accurate sound. I want to get stereo differentiation and a certain amount of noise cancellation in my car. This is pretty excessive, but I'd like to win some awards, and also, I think I can get the 'amazing' stereo I want for about as much as most people spend on 'average' systems. The audio will be controlled with a Sound Blaster Audigy USB external. The noise-cancelling will be handled with a series of small microphones, and the electronics will be through a system designed by a friend of mine. |
| Tweeters |
| Two directional speakers on either side of each front seat along headliner bulge Two mounted behind back seat along headliner bulge |
| Mid |
| One in side panel above front flooring and quarter panel (mixed ½ mono) |
| Bass |
| 2 x behind rear seat (mono) |
| Amps |
| Under each front seat (with custom fiberglass and plexi enclosures that bolt down) |
| Security |
| Sensors |
| Car theft tracking system (uses same system as GPS) Radar detector ($40) Open doors Glass break 2-stage field disturbance sensor – flash parking light as 1st warning, then kill switches (no audible alarm) |
| Locks |
| Central Locking Automatic lock (once a certain distance is traveled, I think) Door can be opened remotely |
| Kill switches |
| Battery isolator switch (automatic with physical) Ignition kill switch (manual with physical override) |
| Keys |
| Keypad lock opens driver’s side, locks all doors and trunk Remote keychain alarm (lets me know when tripped) Thatcham Category 1-qualification |
| Miscellaneous |
| Winch |
| 2½-ton removable winch with mounting points on both bumpers with remote (see: custom bumpers) |
| Air Horn |
| While it may seem excessive, a huge air horn is a real boon when off-roading and visibility is low. Also handy for making people notice my little car. ($30) |
| Electrical |
| Solar panel for trickle-charging batteries (above engine cowl) ($25) Every wire is ridiculously thick, bolted, organized, and in colored covering by category Self-destruct button Cigarette lighter-type outlets (1 in each quarter panel) |
| Intelligent indirect LED lighting |
| Steering wheel quick release ($20) Sun visors replaced with a canvas on rollers that can cover entire window. Panoramic mirror Oil dipstick cleaner Shift stick boot ($15) |
| Computer |
| About the carputer |
| What's the point? |
|
The carputer is going to do 2 things for me. First, it's going to track a lot of information. Specifically, it's going to track everything that's going on with my car. It's also going to tell me where I am with GPS. These are the two main reasons to have a carputer, in my mind. Second, it's going to allow me to control some of the crazier, more sophisticated things I want - specifically the internal lights, and the stereo system. There's also some other cool things that it'll do like work with the phone, but really the information is where it's about. |
| Mounting |
| PC mounted behind ashtray DVD-R mounted under dash (slot load) |
| GPS & Network |
| External aerial (stinger type, ‘natch) |
| Linksys wireless network (w/Netstumbler) |
| It's amazing how many free networks you can find. |
| GPS with realtime navigation |
| I get lost rather easily and off-roading seems like a less insane thing to do when you've got GPS. |
| Cell phone integration |
| Hands-free phone mount and mic Cell phone mount for Internet Microphone for voice activation, dialing, and calls |
| Music Control |
| MP3 with play lists Volume-adjusting microphone Justifications: 7.1, control, flexibility, etc. |
| Lighting Control |
|
Ideally, I'm hoping to use the computer, or a detachment of it, to control a series of LED lights that are mounted around the rim of the interior, under the seats and in the foot-wells, as well as around the engine and under the car. The idea is to be able to have total control over the brightness and tint of diffused lighting anywhere in the car. The interior lights are for reading and getting in and out, as well as finding things on the floor at night. The external lights are supposed to look cool, but are really meant to make it easier to do repairs under the car (even during the day you'll need a flashlight to find some things under a car). |
| I/O Devices |
| Input |
| DreamGear mini keyboard USB ($20) USB extension cord – for a USB port on the dash ($20) USB enclosure for slimline (laptop type) DVD/CD-R ($25) Lilliput 7"video monitor ($280) |
| Video cameras |
| High-res Front-left mount, pointed ahead (for fun, records) |
| This camera is for taking action shots of driving around or (God forbid) accidents. |
| Fish-eye interior camera (for security, fun) (web cam?) |
| This camera is for recording the goings-on of a drive for memories, blackmail and reaction shots. Not unlike roller-coaster portraits. |
| Sensors & Gauges |
| Distance finders |
| Parking aids on front and rear (beeps at various intervals) |
| Gauges |
| There are a wide variety of gauges attached to the computer. They're listed above, but the computer's role is to record all of the information. I would like to be able to view how my car performs in various circumstances to better tune it. Gamma adjuster |
| This is a light sensor that adjusts the computer's screen brightness based on ambient light - useful for visibility during the day and night without always fiddling with the settings. |
| High-capacity iPod (port) |
| I'm debating whether or not to use an iPod as a source of MP3's on the system. I may just use a DVD drive since iTunes really loves screwing up my organized MP3 directories. |
| USB Keypad for quick operation buttons |
| Mostly for music control (volume, next, etc.). This will be integrated somehow subtly into the steering wheel. ($15) |
| LED indicators in the speaker grille |
| The speaker grille in my car has a lot of vertical cuts that will have a lot of LED indicators behind them telling me at a glance a lot of information like oil pressure, battery charge, and so on. |
| Voice Recognition |
| This would be mostly used for making phone calls and cueing music easily. |
| Output |
| LCD display mounted in-mirror with compass |
| An LCD set behind the rear-view mirror would show me my compass heading, and possibly the current song. |
| A Lilliput 7"video monitor |
| Pops out of the dash. My dash is stock, and it will retain that appearance. ($280) (automated) |
| Creative Audigy NX 7.1 audio |
| This is the hardware that will drive the stereo system. |
| System Information |
| Small (~3GB), solid-state HDD ($400) DVD-R Drive (slot) Voice recognition software and microphone (must be turned on to work) |
| Limits and Power |
| Power limits of… ??? Uses Opus power supply/regulator Power switch independent of car power The accesory systems (i.e., the computer) use a second battery that is completely separated from the main battery that powers the car's essentials (spark plugs, headlights, etc.) |
| I want a car that can do a lot of things. I want to be able to win any car show for coolest customization. I want to go off-roading. I want good mileage. I want a stereo that's worthwhile. I want to fix pretty much everything that I think is annoying and can be fixed (see lighting). Total cost is going to be in the $10-15,000 range. That's not bad considering it'd do things that $80k cars don't. Not that I have anything near that money now. |