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Jarrin's Folly
6/12/2006 12:05 PM

Lots of white panels. It'll look much cooler when it's all lit up. I hope.
Lots of white panels. It'll look much cooler when it's all lit up. I hope.
06Aug28: Major problem. The trailer is too massive for my Jeep to safely tow. I am forced, after being fourty-hours behind schedule, to abandon the mutantvehicle for this year. :(

While last year's mutant vehicle was fundamentally successful it did not exceed my hopes and it was very expensive to transport. My plan for this year's should remedy these problems nicely as it involves driving my Jeep down to the playa and, once there, reconfiguring it into art (Wranglers are wonderfully modular that way).

06Jun21: Primary construction is complete!

06Jun29: With only two days until the pre-registration deadline I decided to completely rebuild the observation deck support structure. This means (a) I won't have a very complete mutant vehicle to show to the BM DMV, I'll have to describe it as best I can and (2) the entire system will be more secure, more stable and much betterly designed over-all.

06Jul27: I have made a significant breakthough in the panel mounting design. I have yet to build a prototype/proof-of-concept but I am confident this is going to work - and it's going to look cool!

06Aug15: I finally finished rebuilding the railings. The Jeep has been services and is ready for final implementation. I'll spend the next week dealing with lighting and panels. I hope it was all worth it - in the end.

06Aug20: Six days until we leave and I'm finally started the process of attaching the plastic panels. Go go craftsmanship!

06Aug27: So far behind schedule I can't even see it. We should have left yesterday and I'm still not finished. I've done everything I absolutely need to do here and have left the rest to do on-playa (where they can be plenty of time during the hot day). This will be the last update before I return. Hopefully I'll have something positive to report in two weeks



Image Gallery: Beginnings
I love carriage bolts. I love 'em! I love 'em so much I bought an entire box of 100 wing nuts for them. That's love. It's hinged, see, so that I can lift it up and enter the Jeep through the back (as the sides will all be covered with... something). Me on top of the skeletal structure of the MV. Now for the hard part: the art. But the construction has been going very well. This is the basic support frame for the observation deck. Nested 2x4s that will be bolted down to the Jeep's rollbar and attached to metal upright support connected to the front bumper. I decided to turn my garage into my workshop to save me the trouble of running lumber and metal from the basement out to the carport and back several times a day. This required me to dig up the broken electrical line in the backyard and jury-rig it. I also hung a big ol' fluorescent work light so I could see what I was doing after dark. So far this is worked out pretty well.
See all 9 images.

Image Gallery: Version 2
I rebuilt the rear stairway a third time. This version is superior to the first two. As soon as I finished it I decided I wanted to build it yet a fourth way (which will, of course, be superior to this version). I wonder if I'll ever be satisfied? Probably not until I've mounted hydraulics on it. I built a solid step at the bottom of the stairway. You could even jump on it without it breaking. I did! Third version of the railings are pretty solid. Hurray! After nightfall I turned on two 40w fluorescent bulbs and was astonished at how bright it was. Rock on! Now I just need to build the support structure for the panels and make it look awesome. I decided to compeltely rebuild the support system. Here are some of the new joists. The recess into each other a very small amount to keep them properly aligned while the platform and upper railings are attached.
See all 9 images.

Image Gallery: Exterior
Rear-quarter view. The panel on the side has been temporarily removed to allow air-flow through because the seats and the floor got fucking drenched due to the other night's downpour. :( Show of the rear. Got some panels up but it's still pretty naked back there. Almost nearly panel complete. The top panels have been completed. The rear of the vehicle.
See all 13 images.


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