Which way to go ??

[Mikeg175]

I'm kind of at a cross roads and not sure which way to go . I have a few vehicles , they are all very capable in their niche . I have a 4door wrangler , it is done , on board air , skids , snorkel , lift , electric lockers and all the rescue gear . I have a Denali , fully loaded , the get around town car ( it will be left in driveway when I leave ) and then my problem . I have a beefy Excursion ( my BOV ) , diesel , 7.3 powerstroke , it has a lift and off road tires .
I have started fitting the insides with all necessities , it will have on board air , on board generator with inverters . I will probably put on board welder also . This all can be hidden , tons of room in this beast . The problem I am a little worried about is the exterior . I need it to be beefy , but not look like a tank . I don't want to attract too much attention when I'm trying to sneak out of town when SHTF ( as much as a diesel truck can ) .
I don't want to get all Mad Max on it , but I need it to be able to push and pull anything in the way . I have my bro-inlaw trying to work out mesh inserts for all my vehicles , these would be fitted and when SHTF you slide them inside the window and insert them down inside for some better protection . These will be stored at my house and installed when heading out . I figure if I set it up , like an expedition vehicle , it would blend some , but I want it beefier , does anyone have any sneaky things to add to vehicles ?
I know it stands out some as it is , but I don't it to look like a tank and have people swarming it , so Im in a conundrum here . I have checked the forums , and I will do a heavy front bumper with a winch , not sure which one yet , but just feel like there has to be more to make it take a beating . I think if I can get the fitting down , the windows should be fine . It's just the rest Im worried about , I want to keep 2 spares , but they eat up space quickly , even on an Excursion , and I'm not sure I want them on my roof either . If anyone has set up an Suv , I would appreciate any ideas on security and armor ( not really armor , just making it stronger ) . I picked up a lot of ideas for interior and storage on Expedition Portal , but nothing about making it go through Zombies if needed . Thanks

[Klayton]

My goal, when I get the money flowing again, is to convert a "short" bus into the perfect BOV.

Things I have added to my dream BOV may help you Mikeg175.

- armor plating
- double armor plating around battery, fuel tank, radiator
- modified snorkel for intake AND seperate snorkel for radiator (think no direct gunfire able to hit radiator)
- tires will be converted to ALL points being duallies, and each tire will be run flats
- all this extra weight requires major beefing up of springs, absorbers, sway bars, and steering damper
- electrified door handles (think electric fence principle)
- smoke screen (diesel jet spray onto exhaust muffler)
- oil slick (yes just like bond-used your crappy used motor oil to save on cost)
- inhalant denial system (1/2" jets placed on top<roof>and below the cargo rack for concealment-sprays pepper spray)
- undercarriage ankle slicer (look at large snow clearing vehicles up north-looks like a motorized wheel that continuously spins allowing the tires to run on chains-without actually hooking chains to tire-modify to have this strategically below each door-you get the picture)

Well, not to make a HUGE and extremely long list, but these are just a "few" things my BOV will have. Now only if I can win that lottery, hehe.

Hope it helps.
~Klayton

[Mikeg175]

Can you run snow chains when its not snowing ? Not talking legality wise , but function wise . If so , I can get an over sized pair to fit my tires and then weld a circular metal plate to it , so when attached they would cover most of rim and tire .

[Klayton]

No not snow chains that go on the tire directly, without snow you have four HUGE problems:

1) you cannot drive very fast at all, I believe most are rated for under 20mph (some upto 30mph, and snow cables up to 50mph I believe, dont quote me)
2) they wear your tires extremely fast if driven on asphalt and no snow/ice to "cushion" the repeated impact.
3) sparks sparks sparks
4) most states they are against the law unless there is actual snow on the road (they beat the snot out of asphalt too=government has to resurface road more often)

The ones I was refering to do not actually go "on" the tires, but rather spin in front of the tires allowing the tires to drive/ride onto the chain.

As for your idea, that is actually one more of mine. Modified hubcaps that extend over the majority of the rubber (not all of it because every bump would ruin your hubcaps) but enough to "help" control at a minimum indirect fire, but hopefully strong enough to absorb small caliber ammo...

[Mikeg175]

I like some of the ideas lol , but I want to be a little more discreet hehe . Maybe some kind of flame thrower set up over the doors instead of pepper spray , just give it a quick blast so they can see it , might deter more then pepper spray that has to hit them to be effective . Wouldn't do much damage , but scare the doodoo out of people . I was thinking of making a sunroof shooting platform that would be accessed from back seat , that would give a 360 shot area , stand up shoot , then drop back down . Protecting it would be the issue , if you can shoot out , they can shoot at it . I was also thinking of Caltops , like mini tire strips , that could be tossed to deter other vehicles and even people , build a small compartment under back bumper , load it up , then pull cable run to inside and whammo , flat tires and sore feet .
As far as tire protection , could maybe fab a tire shield that would mount inside wheel well and extend down to cover most of the tire , like some of the older cars used to have . So , when needed , slap it and my mesh window covering and then Im alot better protected , but dont look too menacing when they arent on . How would I build a snorkel for the radiator that wouldn't cause it to over heat ?

[Klayton]

radiator snorkels are nothing more than a system that completely relies on your radiator fans (yes plural, and ELECTRIC) to run full time. Because you no longer have the ram air effect of the forward facing radiator. Yes you can make a ram style snorkel (look at the range rover expedition snorkels for a ram style snorkel example). But these are usually too bulky. what the military did to reduce the direct hit hazard of there HMMWV was to "tilt" the radiator and the snorkel is nothing but a 6"-12" tube leading straight UP, and exhausts down to the ground, I understand the newer hummers have no actual tube and no actual armor in front of the radiator, something I would exploit if I was the bad guy real quick. Anyways, hope you get the idea. Here is a pic of some different tire options:




Plus you could always have a spare of never flats in the garage and put them on PAW. These are completely rubber tires (no air). The ride is MUCH MUCH harsher, so if you have the ability, lower your shock absorber settings to allow the springs to do more work that the air in the tires no longer do.

[Mikeg175]

I guess with the few bumpers Im looking at , it wouldn't be too hard to fabricate some kind of plating to protect the radiator , but now we are talking serious weight . Don't get me wrong , the Ex can handle some weight , but now might be pushing it with a full loadout and my off road pop up .

[Mikeg175]

It also looks like most run flats are setup for road tires and not aggressive off road tires .

[Klayton]

not true, let me find the pic of our military tires, they also use the run flat system showed in pic #2 above.

Here is a gif pic of an actually hummer tire (definitely off road):


also found this new pic of the military flirting with one of the new run flat styles + some eye candy for matt :)

[Klayton]

OK OK NEW BOV IDEA

:) :) :)




Matt you could be using this right NOW!! :) :) :)

[Klayton]

Here is one of the solid rubber tire companies we have used in the past for our skid steers on the farm.

http://www.solidboss.com/default.asp

Low speed off road they cant be beat, limited on road use (asphalt wears them down pretty fast)

[Lowdown3]

Reading this thread I'm getting flashbacks from "Warlords of the 21st century" LOL ;)

[Mikeg175]

Hehe , I don't want to build a tank , just something that looks semi-normal , but when needed latch few pieces on it that would make it a lot more secure . I don't want to sit at a stop light and have people freak out and call the local PD , but don't mind them going hey nice truck . While I know its not only looking functional , but it is .

[Klayton]

:)

What I would like to have if money wasn't an issue:








hehehe

finally the FAV (Fast Attack Vehicle) I would love to modify for PAW!!