Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Gerhard, truly a labour of love! Looking at the photos of the incomplete wiring harness and stripped interior of the vehicle would have long sent me packing, but you have now ended up with what must be one of the 'Ultimate 4x4s" ever! Well done!


-F_D

Blikemmer !!! 4E.

I have seen this conversion of yours but every time I read the rebuild I am more impressed. That is one seriously cool Pajero. I wish it was there when I visited you briefly last year. Maybe it could have rubbed some heritage of onto my Gen4 .

Congratulations again on a wonderful piece of work!

CATS

Truely a work of art 4E. What are you going to do to top this?

Thanks for the compliments.

Do next?

Buy a brand new Gen4 when I can afford it!

Yes, Gerhard, as I have said before: truly an awesome project and very professionally executed. You effectively managed to combine bits of the best out of Pajero Generations 1, 2 and 3 into one cool, very practical vehicle.

Are you sure you will be able to call it a day in terms of tinkering and modifying?

Gerrit Loubser wrote: Are you sure you will be able to call it a day in terms of tinkering and modifying?

I think I'm already there!

The next task is to replace the head lamps with new ones (the old ones are a bit faded), and even that seems to be a lot of work (even though it will involve 12 screws to be removed and re-tightened)!

The storage system sounds exiting, but will have to wait till I have a decent workshop again.

Redarc Smart Start controller etc fitted (15 Oct 2008)

After lots of reading (like in research), I decided on the Redarc Smart Start battery controller.

http://www.redarc.com.au/smart-start.htm
Quote:
The REDARC smart start is a microprocessor controlled smart battery isolator. It is designed to be
used in multi battery applications as a solenoid priority system to protect the start battery from
excessive discharge whilst allowing the auxiliary battery to supply non essential loads. The REDARC
smart start monitors the start battery voltage and when this drops below 12.5 Volts on a 12V system
(25.0 Volts on a 24V system) the solenoid will open, separating the start battery from the auxiliary
battery.
Once the engine has started the REDARC smart start monitors the start battery and the charging
system. When the charging system reaches 13.2 volts (26.4 Volts on a 24V system) indicating a fully
charged start battery, the REDARC smart start will close the solenoid connecting the auxiliary battery
to the start battery and the charging system. The REDARC smart start is ideal for installations that
cannot tolerate the inherent voltage drop associated with diode battery isolators. The solenoid features
silver contacts for longer life and is suitable for marine applications.
The microprocessor control box, attached to the solenoid, has a red LED that is lit when the solenoid is
activated connecting the two batteries together. This occurs when the start battery is sufficiently
charged. It is not uncommon for the LED to glow after the vehicle is switched off until the start battery
reaches the lower voltage limit.
The smart start should be mounted as close as possible to the start battery with the coil terminals up or
horizontal. (Please note that the diagram below is not drawn to scale)
The REDARC smart start can be purchased in four models. 12Vdc or 24Vdc incorporating 100amp or
200amp Continuous Ratings. The 200amp units are designed for extremely heavy duty operations
found in Industrial and Mining situations.
The REDARC smart start can be used with dissimilar batteries. Many of our customers successfully
operate their battery system with a standard cranking battery as a main and a deep cycle battery as the
auxiliary.
Features of my installation:

* removable battery box (due to no space in engine bay)
* 16 sq mm welding cables with soldered lugs.
* two fuses (to both batteries)
* Brad-Harrison type plugs in engine bay (see bottom right of first photograph) as well as in load area of the Pajero (still t decide whether to fit it to the body or not).
* (over-ride button and in-cab LED still to be installed)

I converted my compressor to connect to the Brad-Harrison type plugs as well.
To make it possible to use it on other vehicles, I made up

* an extension chord (2m long, 6sq mm panel cable) with Brad-Harrison type plugs on both ends.
* a short cable with a Brad-Harrison type plug on one end and crocodile clamps on the other.

Battery box with all the goodies is next on the list.

Great project!! Am sure its a great ride now!!

4ePajero wrote: Redarc Smart Start controller etc fitted (15 Oct 2008)
Battery box with all the goodies is next on the list.

4E

I have a loose battery box that I bought from Makro if you want it. No cost to you, just to say thanks for the coffee when I last visited. It is not very big though and I am not sure if it will fit your needs, I don't think a 105amp battery will fit in. I bought it for another project which did not pan out as it was about 1cm to big for the space that I had for it, so it is still brand new, and just taking up space in my garage. Can take pic and do measurements if you are interested. PM me if interested.

CATS

CATS wrote:

4ePajero wrote: Redarc Smart Start controller etc fitted (15 Oct 2008)
Battery box with all the goodies is next on the list.

4E

I have a loose battery box that I bought from Makro if you want it. No cost to you, just to say thanks for the coffee when I last visited. It is not very big though and I am not sure if it will fit your needs, I don't think a 105amp battery will fit in. I bought it for another project which did not pan out as it was about 1cm to big for the space that I had for it, so it is still brand new, and just taking up space in my garage. Can take pic and do measurements if you are interested. PM me if interested.

CATS

PM sent!