Storm Chasing Vehicle Project and Suggestions!

[Travis Cruz]

What materials and hardware are you using for the guard portion and how are you securing it when it's hinged down? I'm interested lately because I'm in the market.

I'm using Smittybilt Defender Roof rack mounts to mount them to the top of the truck

For the rack itself, along with the framework for the hailguards, I'm using 1x1" steel tubing. All of the windows will be lexan, except the windshield, which will be expanded metal. I'll be making models for the hail guards as well to make sure they look alright before we cut the steel, so I will post those when done as well. I'm making mounts on the outside of the door so the guards can be secured from the inside using a simple pull pin.

The front windshield guard will most likely be the same for now, although in the future I would like to use hydraulics.

We're hoping to have them completed and mounted by the end of January, so stay tuned and I'll post an in depth video on them.

I bought a Rola extended roof basket for my Forester with similar ambitions.

Was planning to use polycarb or expanded metal for shields, and use quick fist grabbers and coated neodymium magnets, but this plan has not materialized yet.

Forester has big windows and a very large glass moonroof...but so far I've managed to simply stay out the bigger hail.

We contemplated using magnets for a while, but decided against it. With the design we wanted to use, stronger magnets made it too hard to open from the inside, and weaker ones were too susceptible to stronger winds

I'm also considering hail shields for this season. We had another thread going last year about hail guards we might want to resurrect: http://www.stormtrack.org/forum/showthread.php?30333-Hail-Shield-Build-Help

"I sometimes wonder why Twistex chased..." Per a National Geographic article, "They decided to switch from the heavy-duty truck to the high-gas-mileage Cobalt." Other context in that article suggesting it was a fuel economy decision, too. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/biggest-storm/draper-text
- Mike Szentes

Just as a little added info, part of the reason they switched from the GMC 2500 to the cobalt was because they were using the 2500 for lightning research

 

[Travis Cruz]

I'm late to this discussion but reading the parts about driving on mud, having lived on the plains my entire life and chased on every type of dirt and mud in just about every kind of vehicle you can imagine over 30 years, I feel like I can offer some valid input.

I've found through extensive experience with it, sometimes with some negative results, when it comes to mud and chasing, the best course of action it to know where it has rained in your future planned route, even a day or two before there could have been lots of it and rural roads flooded out or worse washed out all together, and avoid it them completely!

That said, I've found front wheel drive vehicle outperformed 4 wheel drive trucks on the mud...to a point. Some of the mud on the plains, particularly in the Texas Panhandle/South Plains area, it's not the sinking into the mud, or even so much the sliding into the sometimes really deep ditches you have a problem with so much as that stuff gets like wet concrete and cakes up and cakes up until packs up on your wheels and wheel wells so much the tires loose the ability to even turn any more. Last time that happened, I was in a minivan, and made it several miles further than the two tornado tanks, a 4 wheel drive Tahoe that was along with me and several pickup and SUVs, and still I eventually succumbed to it.

The absolute last place I want to find myself anywhere near a tornado is on a road getting rain or already muddy. Too many things can and will go wrong. It only takes once.

I ran a big crew cab truck last two years. Gas mileage was a killer. I thought I wouldn't mind because I could afford it, but I did mind quiet a bit by the time the season was over.

Thanks for the response! I have quite a bit of experience with all different kinds of wet mud and clay myself, so for the most part, I'm familiar with the best ways to get by. My biggest problem will floating on top of the mud with the 4 big tires in the back, but I have plans to help weigh them down a little. The tires that I have are the closest thing that you can have without going to a full on mud tire as well. Momentum will be my best friend. When I lifted the truck, I didn't just add height; I completely beefed up the suspension, about as far as I could go, so if I do manage to find myself sliding into a ditch, I can keep on the gas enough to keep going, without having to worry about damaging anything. My biggest problem will be pulling off for a pit stop and finding myself in deeper mud than anticipated. I've driven around a few local places here and buried the rear wheels in 2wd, and switched to 4wd and gotten out without much of a problem at all, so I'm hoping I can keep that streak alive. I think the combination of having an extremely heavy front end, from the Duramax and aftermarket bumper, and a lighter rear end with much more tread will work for my advantage in most situations. I found a spot I can go this spring and test out basically any situation I may be put into, so I'll let you know how that goes.

And if I remember right, you had a red 1500 with stock light duty all terrain tires, correct?

 

[Travis Cruz]

Roof rack cardboard model is finished, as well as cardboard frames for side hail guards! The front, non rectangular hail guard will be permanently mounted to the door while chasing. It will only have 3 sides of steel tubing, the back will be held together just with the lexan covering, to prevent vision from being impaired. The guards that hinge down from the rack will be locked into a lock we will mount right below the window, using a simple pull pin. I have a few ideas in mind, but still currently trying to think of the optimal way to lower the guards down fully (since they cannot be lowered fully with the door open). So until I come up with the design, they will slide up and down the top of the doors as they open and close. Good thing I have rhino lining!

Questions or opinions EXTREMELY welcome, as they may lead me to improve on my design.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I would just go the "Security film" route on those side windows and work on an overhang for the windshield. Verne Carlson had really good luck with that stuff on his windows of the Rhino. Believe it held up to baseballs. I just see that being too big of a headache if they are not hooked 100% to the door, completely seperate from the roof rack.

 

[Travis Cruz]

I would just go the "Security film" route on those side windows and work on an overhang for the windshield. Verne Carlson had really good luck with that stuff on his windows of the Rhino. Believe it held up to baseballs. I just see that being too big of a headache if they are not hooked 100% to the door, completely seperate from the roof rack.

I'm still making a guard for the windshield, ran out of duct tape, lol. One of the reasons that I chose full on steel and lexan guards instead of something like security film is for penetration protection. The 1/4" lexan can withstand smaller caliber bullets, so it should suffice for hail and any other debris being blown up into us. I may end up adding security film as well in the future, especially on the front windshield, but in my opinion, when it comes to safety, there really isn't any "overdoing" it.

The side hail guards also won't be used very often at all. It will take 3 people roughly 60 seconds to get all 5 hail guards down and locked. They'll be stored up in the roof rack until we get into chase mode, so they wont be in the way. I'm also designing a way they can be easily lifted up and locked horizontally, to make photography a lot easier.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

If your not using them much, then it wont be a big deal. Would get really annoying if you got in and out a lot with them down. A pulley and a rope could make lifting real easy, from in the car even (with the window down). You definitely dont want to get stuck trying to deploy those when you dont have a minute or 2 to spare.

Just have to be careful or you truck will end up looking like this -

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

Just have to be careful or you truck will end up looking like this -

Oh my. That's...well...something...

 

[Travis Cruz]

If your not using them much, then it wont be a big deal. Would get really annoying if you got in and out a lot with them down. A pulley and a rope could make lifting real easy, from in the car even (with the window down). You definitely dont want to get stuck trying to deploy those when you dont have a minute or 2 to spare.

Just have to be careful or you truck will end up looking like this -

Or this!

Although this isn't close to as bad lol. But yeah, I would rather have them and never need them, than need them and not have them. I've tried to come up with a pulley or winch idea, but so far can't come up with an optimal way to do it. If we were to make a pulley system with only one pulley, I think it would still be too much force needed to lift the guard. Anything more than one pulley would look goofy, and be at risk for hail damage.

Also, if we were to use a pulley system, it would only help with moving the hail guard one way. Either down or up

 

[Travis Cruz]

Spent 8 hours today grinding and cleaning off rust, cutting, and cleaning up the cuts for the side hail guards and the roof rack. Hopefully we will have the roof rack mounted 2 weekends from now so we can measure out specs for the front windshield hail guard, and get the lights mounted!

Also got an email from Iron Cross Automotive today confirming that the bumpers have been shipped, so those should be installed within the month as well

 

[Travis Cruz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd1Sx_tldHs

Planning on making something similar to this, except the bottom drawer will also pull out, and the top one will have a bunch more mounts on it. Has anyone here made something similar before?

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

Tim Samaras had something like that for his probes, which you can see here - http://youtu.be/fUGx3PI5ht8?t=2m18s.

 

[Travis Cruz]

Tim Samaras had something like that for his probes, which you can see here - http://youtu.be/fUGx3PI5ht8?t=2m18s.

Ah, Tim. That's perfect, thanks! No probes for me though, not yet at least. Just looking for an easier way to get everything in and out of the bed

 

[Travis Cruz]

Bigger update! Iron Cross Automotive has provided us with some extremely heavy duty front and rear bumpers!
We spent this weekend mounting both bumpers, along with a 20" light bar, two 3x3 flush flood lights, and 4" diameter spot lights in the front bumper! Next weekend's installations will hopefully include welding and mounting our custom roof rack, along with mounting eight 3x3 lights on it. The next few weeks after that will include mounting a 2000W inverter straight to the battery, and mounting two extension cords (with a 3 way splitter on each) on the rear of the center console in the truck, and in a custom made box housing in the bed near the tailgate. I'm also planning on fabricating my own custom designed bed slides, and mounting an on board air compressor in the bed of the truck.

 

[Skip Talbot]

along with a 20" light bar, two 3x3 flush flood lights, and 4" diameter spot lights in the front bumper!

Again, you've got an awesome build and kudos to you.

I'd like ask that you not use any of those lights while you're chasing though. If you need them for some sort of emergency, such as you're stopped in the middle of the road because of debris or an accident, or if you're assisting with search and rescue, that's great. In a normal storm chasing context, however, they're blinding and distracting to other drivers and potentially to yourself because of the glare they create. Hazard flashers, headlights, or some unobstrusive LEDs are fine for driving in heavy precip. If you need more lights than that for visibility, you're driving too fast for conditions and won't be able to see the other traffic anyway. I'm sorry if this comes off as preaching and again I have no issues with folks who love to build trucks and intercept vehicles, but when we're all sharing the roads out there, using these lights responsibility and safely is a courtesy we should all be promoting. And on a less serious note, those lights also screw up the autoexposure on everyone's video.

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

I echo everything Skip said. Also, LEO wont look to highly on you using those either. I have been pulled over twice in OK just for my oem fog lights (troopers and city police).