Just received an e-mail from OTRATTW where I bought the custom toggles for my sPOD controller. It appears that he has restocked some of the colors he was out of. This applies only to the Contura II toggles--Contura V toggles he laser-engraves on demand. The Contura II toggles are silk-screened, so won't backlight like the Contura V. But, they look more consistent with the older JK interior ...


I will be switching out the roof and driving lights toggles for amber.

 

Here's one partway built and a brand new one waiting to be built on.

 

I have been working on a custom Rotopax gas can carrier, using my existing tire carrier swing arm from my Expedition One rear bumper.
Just got the swing arm back from the powder coater and can finally install everything on the Jeep this weekend.
Here is how it will look (before powder coat):


Here is the parts back from powder coating (they matched the bumper color and texture perfectly):


Here is a video that shows the carrier in little more detail.
http://youtu.be/iEbEePN5d1Q As you can see in the video, the two 4 gallon Rotopax cans are locked down with a padlock (Which is keyed to the Jeep key).
The two hand knobs are for tightening down the cans, so the do not rattle/move while driving.
I also retained the original 3rd brake light, made provisions for mounting rear backup camera (middle/below tire), floodlight pole bracket & water proof dual 12V outlets.

 

Very nice work!

 

To the guys using power inverters:

I had a recent stroke of genius, about 15 minutes after I bought the power inverter I plan on putting in my Jeep. I have a small obsession with using ammo cans for projects, and this is no exception. I plan on mounting the inverter inside an ammo can (since it's waterproof), and hardwiring it to the battery with a switch in the line to turn it completely off, so it doesn't kill my battery when the Jeep is off. I'm going to use rubber fittings and shrink-wrap to waterproof the holes that I will drill in the can for the positive and negative wires. Hopefully I'll get to it this weekend. If I do, I'll post up a small writeup when it's finished.

 

I would try out the inverter under load while in the ammo can, just to see if the inverter can get rid of the heat.. Most inverters (higher wattage) rely on air convection around the cooling fins. It might just get so hot that it will use the build in thermal shutdown.
Anyways, something to check before putting lots of work water proofing and mounting the ammo box.

 

What type of roof rack do you have ? I'm trying to find a roof rack that would work with my snorkel.

 

He has the MBRP rack. He modified one of the front legs to get the snorkel to fit better, also I believe the rack only fits 07-10. Correct me if I'm wrong Mark.

 

I did think about that, and the only time I need it to be waterproof is when the jeep is in motion. I'm really only planning on using it to run power tools (in case of trail breakage or something), so I think it'll be fine when I'm using it, because I'm not going to build it in such a way that it can be used without the top of the ammo can being opened. I think since the lid will be up, it wont have any problems venting, but you may be right, it's definitely a possibility. I appreciate the forward thinking.

 

Here's more info on how I made that work ...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4378461420621.2158281.1260697505&type=1&l=8 7ad61e5da

As for that rack (with optional extension and basket) fitting the later JKs: I'm not sure. The windows on the hardtop are larger, which makes the one I have incompatible. I don't know if they ever redesigned it to accommodate the larger glass. It is from MBRP/Off-camber Fabrications. I bought mine through Amazon, which meant free shipping.