{"id":252,"date":"2017-11-10T12:25:47","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T02:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/news\/?p=252"},"modified":"2017-11-10T13:37:19","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T03:37:19","slug":"100-budget-diy-mods-part-2-of-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/100-budget-diy-mods-part-2-of-4\/","title":{"rendered":"100 BUDGET DIY MODS PART 2 OF 4"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>PART TWO OUR FOUR PART SERIES FOR HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR 4WD IN A DAY<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>100 easy and essential DIY mods for under $100!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>74 \u2013 CANOPY ROOF STORAGE<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $50<br \/>\nTIME: 30 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/5<br \/>\nCanopies offer a massive amount of space but for that extra storage, you can make a cargo net for the roof for next to nothing with some rope, mesh and cam buckles to attach it. It\u2019s ideal for things like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/camping-gear.html\">sleeping gear<\/a> as it keeps it all out of the dirt in the back.<\/p>\n<h3>73 \u2013 TOUGH JERRY CAN BINS<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $70<br \/>\nTIME: 1 hour<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/5<br \/>\nIf you\u2019ve got an old jerry can lying around that has a hole in it, or the lid has broken, cut the top off it and attach some hinges to one end and some latches to the other for a tough sealed bin, or extra storage.<\/p>\n<h3>72 \u2013 MOLLE POUCHES<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20 per pouch<br \/>\nTIME: 5 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nUsing military style pouches for gear is perfect for 4WDing. Attach them to the back of your seat or to cargo barriers. You can have pouches for separate kits like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/first-aid-kits\/survival-vehicle-first-aid-kit.html\">survival kit<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/first-aid-kits.html\">first aid kit<\/a> or a spares kit. They attach to things easily and are tough.<\/p>\n<h3>71 \u2013 LOW COOLANT ALARM<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>Protect your engine from being cooked with this cheap and effective must-do mod.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>COST $90<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/4<br \/>\nTIME 2 hours<br \/>\nTOOLS Drill, soldering iron, solders<br \/>\nMATERIAL low coolant alarm kit, thread sealant\/ RTV<\/p>\n<p>METHOD<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Drain your radiator and mark out where you want to place your sensor in the top tank.<\/li>\n<li>Carefully drill a hole for the probe and install it. It\u2019s a smart idea to use a thin smear of sealant on the hole, just make sure it doesn\u2019t leak into the tank.<\/li>\n<li>Flush out your radiator to remove any burs from the hole.<\/li>\n<li>Wire in the alarm and test it with no coolant in the radiator first to make sure it all works, then refill your radiator and go for a drive to make sure everything is working as it should.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>WHAT NOT TO DO<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t rush when drilling into your top tank and make sure your drill bit doesn\u2019t hit the fins.\n<li>Don\u2019t refill the radiator until you\u2019re sure there are no bits in the radiator from drilling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This install is different for each vehicle depending on your radiator setup. E.g. if you have a radiator with a header tank, you may need to tap into that.<\/p>\n<h3>70 \u2013 BUDGET SAND FLAG<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>Got some old bits and bobs lying around and a desert trip coming up? Check out this cracker of a budget <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/minewhips-sand-flag.html\">sandflag<\/a>!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>COST: FREE!<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nTIME 10 minutes<br \/>\nTOOLS drill, sockets, spanners<br \/>\nMATERIAL old fishing rod, orange bunting, scrap metal, leftover bolts<\/p>\n<p>METHOD<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Cut out your scrap metal so it has a tang at the top and bottom of the bracket for your fishing rod.<\/li>\n<li>Mount your bracket on an easy surface like the front of your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/roof-racks.html\">roofrack<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Cable tie the orange bunting to the top of the fishing rod.<\/li>\n<li>Unscrew the two alloy caps on your fishing rod handle and bend one side out on each so they can slide over the bracket. If your rod doesn\u2019t have these, a couple of cable ties can do the job.<\/li>\n<li>Mount your budget <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/minewhips-sand-flag.html\">sand flag<\/a> and go test it out!<\/li>\n<li>If you don\u2019t have an old fishing rod, you can still make one out of a piece of long PVC pipe.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Sandflags generally have to be around 3m off the ground, and the orange flag needs to be around 300mm, so you may need to mount it as high as possible depending on how high your old rod is.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/P5240023.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-259\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>69 \u2013 UNDER BONNET STORAGE<\/h3<\n\n\n<p>COST: $30<br \/>\nTIME: 10 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nGot left over space under the bonnet and don\u2019t want a battery in there? Making a small box or using an old <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/battery-charger.html\">battery<\/a> box is perfect for engine specific <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/tools.html\">tools<\/a>. Keep a rag, some hoses or a portable jump starter in there for easy access.<\/p>\n<h3>68 \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/fridges-coolers.html\">FRIDGE<\/a> CAGE<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $70<br \/>\nTIME: 2 hours<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/5<br \/>\nIf you\u2019ve got some leftover metal lying around, fabbing up a cage for your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/fridges-coolers\/adventure-kings-fridge-60l-fridge-freezer.html\">Adventure Kings Fridge<\/a> to sit in is ideal. The fridge gets more flow than a sealed fridge box and protects your fridge from all your gear. If you need to buy some metal, it won\u2019t cost more than 50 bucks for everything you need.<\/p>\n<h367 \u2013 DOUBLE FRIDGE SLIDE<\/h3>\n<p>COST: FREE!<br \/>\nTIME: 10 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nIf you\u2019ve got a set of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/rear-drawers.html\">Titan Rear Drawers<\/a> in the back of your 4WD with a built in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/fridges-coolers.html\">fridge slide<\/a>, rather than turfing your old unit, attach it to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/fridges-coolers.html\">fridge slide<\/a> so your fridge comes out twice as far. Just make sure your cable can reach.<\/p>\n<h3>66 \u2013 SECURE YOUR FRIDGE WIRING<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20<br \/>\nTIME: 20 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/5<br \/>\nOut of the box most fridges come with a 12V cigarette plug. After long drives off-road they can sometimes wiggle out before you even realise your beer is warm. Changing the plug over to an Anderson plug will mean your fridge won\u2019t turn off randomly.<\/p>\n<h3>65 \u2013 SPRING FRIDGE CABLE<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20<br \/>\nTIME: 10 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nIf you\u2019re tired of catching your fridge cable in the slide when you use it, get yourself a long spring (like a gate spring) from your local hardware store. Attach one end to your fridge and one end to a mounting point up high and presto! No more severed cables.<\/p>\n<h3>64 \u2013 STORAGE POCKETS FOR REAR OF FRONT SEATS<\/h3>\n<p>Grab some of the misso\u2019s old pillow cases and put some elastic around the top and bottom then slide them over the seat, you can then fill them with whatever you need to from food to spare parts (within reason).<\/p>\n<h3>63 \u2013 DRINK HOLDERS<\/h3>\n<p>COST: FREE!<br \/>\nTIME: 5 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nFor those of you that don\u2019t have drink holders, you can grab a couple of old stubbie coolers and a couple of cable ties and either hang them off the dash vents or the heater controls. Voil\u00e0 instant drink holder.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cIT\u2019S IN EVERY RED-BLOODED 4WDERS DNA TO GIVE SOMETHING A GO YOURSELF\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>62 \u2013 CHEAP DIFF BREATHERS<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20<br \/>\nTIME: 1 hour<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/5<br \/>\nGet some rubber hose to suit the barb on your diffs and pick up some inline <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/fuel-filter.html\">fuel filter<\/a> with the same size out lets. Mount the filters up high in the engine bay with the arrow pointing up then fit a small piece of hose to the top \u2013 diff breathers on a budget.<\/p>\n<h3>61 \u2013 NEXT LEVEL REAR STORAGE<\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019ve all heard of the dropdown rear table, but how many of you thought of storage in your door?<\/p>\n<p>COST $100<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/5<br \/>\nTIME 3 hours<br \/>\nTOOLS Drill, drill bits, socket set, measuring tape, circular saw<br \/>\nMATERIAL Wood of your choice (ply or MDF), bolts, tek screws<\/p>\n<p>METHOD<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Measure out the space on your rear door for your shelving.<\/li>\n<li>Cut out the outer edges of the storage first, and test them on the door to make sure it suits<\/li>\n<li>Check your clearances with the door shut, so your new storage doesn\u2019t foul on anything in the vehicle.<\/li>\n<li>Figure out what sort of storage shelving you want, and cut out shelves to suit your design<\/li>\n<li>Depending on your design, mount your shelving and screw it to the frame, then mount your shelf to the door.<\/li>\n<li>If you already have a table on your barn door, it can act as a cover for your gear; if not then you will need to secure your gear separately.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>WHAT NOT TO DO:<br \/>\nDon\u2019t overload the door with heavy gear.<\/p>\n<h3>60 \u2013 ROOF MOUNTED FISHING RODS<\/h3>\n<p>COST $50<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5 spanners<br \/>\nTIME 1 hour<br \/>\nTOOLS Drill, sockets, spanners, trim removal tool, screwdriver<br \/>\nMATERIAL rod holder, bolts, alloy flat bar<\/p>\n<p>METHOD<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Remove the trim holding the roof lining in place and carefully peel it back.<\/li>\n<li>Mark where you want the rod holders to sit on the steel and drill some pilot holes.<\/li>\n<li>Run the thin steel between two structural points in your roof and then dummy fit your roof lining and mark where the pilot holes are.<\/li>\n<li>Carefully screw in your rod holder, to keep your rods safe and secure on the toughest of tracks.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>WHAT NOT TO DO:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t rush pulling the roof lining off as you can crease or damage it.<\/li>\n<li>Be careful when you drill into the roof lining as you can catch it on the screw and damage it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>59- ROOF RACK WATER TANK<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20 (if you already have a PVC tank)<br \/>\nTIME: 20 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nUsing a length of 100mm PVC pipe, two caps, a t-piece with cap and a ball valve with a piece of hose, make up the pipe with the T piece in a cap at one end. Then drill and glue the tap in the cap for the other end, glue and fit the cap and secure the pipe to your roofrack with large hose clamps or saddle clamps.<\/p>\n<h3>58 \u2013 IN-CAB WINCH CONTROLS<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $30<br \/>\nTIME: 1 hour<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/5<br \/>\nIf you do a lot of winching, using a hard mounted rocker switch will change the way you recover. Simply run a power and ground wire to your Domin8r or Grande winch solenoid and wire the switch in \u2013 Easy. Or, keep the wireless controller in your centre console and leave the plug for it on the control box on the winch.<\/p>\n<h3>57 \u2013 UP FRONT 240V POWER<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20 (if you already have an inverter)<br \/>\nTIME: 1 hour<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 2\/5<br \/>\nIf you\u2019re running an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/adventure-kings-1500w-inverter.html\">Adventure Kings 1500W inverter<\/a>, run power up to the front of your cab and wire in some 240V plugs like a power board or a wall plate. Then you have 240V power as you drive, how good is that?<\/p>\n<h3>56 \u2013 LED MAP READING<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $10<br \/>\nTIME: 30 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/illuminator-4-bar-camp-light-kit.html\">Illuminator 4 Bar Camp Light Kits<\/a> are fantastic for putting everywhere around your 4WD. For a bit of extra light in the cab, run some sections on your sun visors and then to a switch. It makes reading things like maps at night a piece of cake.<\/p>\n<h3>55 \u2013 SLIDING DRAWER INSERTS<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20<br \/>\nTIME: 1 hour<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nIf you have a lot of little items in your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/products\/rear-drawers.html\">Titan Rear Drawers<\/a>, use some leftover wood from a previous project to make up a small inserts to sit in the top of your drawer above your gear. If you make their outer dimensions the same size as your drawers\u2019 inner dimensions they can fit nice and snug and be moved up and down the drawer \u2013 perfect for things like cutlery.<\/p>\n<h3>54 \u2013 CAMPER TRAILER SPIRIT LEVEL<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $10<br \/>\nTIME: 20 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nGot a camper trailer in tow? Get some of those small spirit level meters from your local hardware store and fix them to your drawbar. It makes it easy as pie to level out your camper trailer when you pull up.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/DSC00243.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"462\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-257\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>53 \u2013 DRAWER DIVIDERS<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $10<br \/>\nTIME: 30 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nGot more gear to store than drawer? Get some 8mm plywood and cut it to the size of your drawer. Fit it in staggered sections to keep your gear separate and organised. If you want to get fancy, cover your dividers in marine carpet for a neat finish.<\/p>\n<h3>52 \u2013 DRAWER LIGHTING ON A SWITCH<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20<br \/>\nTIME: 40 minutes<br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5<br \/>\nPutting LED lighting in your drawers is fantastic for seeing your gear at night. To take it to the next level, wire in a momentary switch at the back of your drawers so your lights come on automatically when you open your drawer, and turn off when you shut it.<\/p>\n<h3>51 \u2013 CHASSIS CLEANING<\/h3>\n<p>COST: $20 <br \/>\nDIFFICULTY 1\/5 spanners<br \/>\nTIME: 20 minutes<br \/>\nTOOLS: hands<br \/>\nMATERIAL cable ties, perforated garden hose<\/p>\n<p>METHOD<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Get a bunch of perforated garden hose from your local hardware store.<\/li>\n<li>Carefully run the hose through the chassis of your 4WD and cable tie the hose fitting so it just sits out of the chassis.<\/li>\n<li>Connect a garden hose and sit back with a cold one and let your truck clean itself! It won\u2019t be like a pressure washer, but it can soften up the mud enough for it to clear out easier.<\/li>\n<li>If you want to get super budget, drill some holes in an old length of garden hose and use that.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PART TWO OUR FOUR PART SERIES FOR HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR 4WD IN A DAY 100 easy and essential DIY mods for under $100! 74 \u2013 CANOPY ROOF STORAGE COST: $50 TIME: 30 minutes DIFFICULTY 2\/5 Canopies offer a massive amount of space but for that extra storage, you can make a cargo net for&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123456,"featured_media":255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":260,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions\/260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}