Whiskeytown Lake was one of my favorite spots in California. Spent many years in Colorado and liked the similar setting, but warmer water was much nicer for wind surfing. I worked on a bridge project at Hawkins Bar to the west, and Whiskeytown was the place to escape to. And your 8 is AMAZING!
Voodoo Blue 82 Complete Refresh
- Thread starter gpassida
- Start date
- City
- Redding
- State
- Ca
Yes, it is a great lake to have so close by. And I've done a lot of backpacking there and in the Trinity Alps with the Boy Scouts. I was a Scoutmaster for about 8 years.
- City
- Redding
- State
- Ca
We got about 8 inches of snow at our house on Thursday night! Snow like this is rare here. Maybe once every 3-4 years. So before work, I just had to get the Scrambler out for a little fun.
Plus it was the perfect vehicle to get to work with. Look who moved in across the street from us...
And the view from my office. That's the Sacramento River out there.
A little fun in the neighborhood:
Plus it was the perfect vehicle to get to work with. Look who moved in across the street from us...
And the view from my office. That's the Sacramento River out there.
A little fun in the neighborhood:
Attachments
- City
- Dexter
- State
- MI
I'm not seeing a dual battery controller? What's the plan there?
- City
- Redding
- State
- Ca
That's the red box in the middle. It is a Redarc BCDC1225D Battery Charger.
BCDC Classic25 12V 25A DC Battery Charger
The REDARC BCDC1225D In-vehicle Dual Battery Charger is a 12 volt, 25A in-vehicle DC-DC battery charger designed to charge your secondary battery banks to 100% state of charge while on the move.* Suitable for engine bay installation.
www.redarcelectronics.com
It manages the second battery. I used to have just a solenoid that would connect both batteries when the engine is running and isolate them when it was off. But that does not manage the batteries independently. If one was fully charged it will shut down the alternator and the second battery will not get a full charge. This new “DC to DC” controller lets the alternator charge the main battery like normal. But it when the engine is running, it will intelligently charge the auxiliary battery independent of the main battery and keep it optimized. When the engine is off, it isolates the batteries. And it also has a MPPT Solar Charge regulator. So, when I am camped, I can plug in two 100-watt folding solar panels and charge the auxiliary battery from the sun. (no need to run the engine)
I am wiring virtually everything off the auxiliary battery except the starter and winch. The radio, aux lights, interior lights, rock lights, refrigerator plug, many USB outlets and the stereo and its amplifier will all be on the auxiliary battery. I have a switch on the dash that will tie both batteries together through the original solenoid if I ever need to jump the main battery from the auxiliary battery. Or if I am winching and need full current from both batteries in parallel.
I also upgraded to a 150 amp alternator for the Chevy motor. I had the stock chevy 80 amp one previously.
- City
- Dexter
- State
- MI
That's the same charger I run in my camp trailer so I can run it off solar when uncoupled. I figured you'd be using it but wanted the full explanation. I'd be curious to see the details on the way you'll tie them together with the dash switch and solenoid along with that wiring.That's the red box in the middle. It is a Redarc BCDC1225D Battery Charger.
BCDC Classic25 12V 25A DC Battery Charger
The REDARC BCDC1225D In-vehicle Dual Battery Charger is a 12 volt, 25A in-vehicle DC-DC battery charger designed to charge your secondary battery banks to 100% state of charge while on the move.* Suitable for engine bay installation.
It manages the second battery. I used to have just a solenoid that would connect both batteries when the engine is running and isolate them when it was off. But that does not manage the batteries independently. If one was fully charged it will shut down the alternator and the second battery will not get a full charge. This new “DC to DC” controller lets the alternator charge the main battery like normal. But it when the engine is running, it will intelligently charge the auxiliary battery independent of the main battery and keep it optimized. When the engine is off, it isolates the batteries. And it also has a MPPT Solar Charge regulator. So, when I am camped, I can plug in two 100-watt folding solar panels and charge the auxiliary battery from the sun. (no need to run the engine)
I am wiring virtually everything off the auxiliary battery except the starter and winch. The radio, aux lights, interior lights, rock lights, refrigerator plug, many USB outlets and the stereo and its amplifier will all be on the auxiliary battery. I have a switch on the dash that will tie both batteries together through the original solenoid if I ever need to jump the main battery from the auxiliary battery. Or if I am winching and need full current from both batteries in parallel.
I also upgraded to a 150 amp alternator for the Chevy motor. I had the stock chevy 80 amp one previously.
- City
- Redding
- State
- Ca
I have tunes now!
I wanted to keep the stereo in the Tuffy Center Console. And I wanted to get a decently powerful amp - enough that with the right speakers, I would not have to run a subwoofer. Here is what I used:
Fusion MS-RA70 Marine digital media receiver with Bluetooth
Kenwood KAC-M5014 - 4-channel powersports/marine amplifier — 50 watts RMS x 4
Kicker 47KSC504 - KS Series 5-1/4" 2-way front speakers
Kicker 47KSC69304 - KS Series 6"x9" 3-way rear speakers
The Fusion digital media receiver met my requirements:
- Marine grade to use in an open top jeep
- Big and high contrast display for my aging eyes
- A big volume knob that just does volume. I hate ones that if you accidently press them, you are adjusting bass or other settings
- Bluetooth
- Big buttons for what I use 99% of the time: play/pause, skip to next track and mute.
To save space, I found out that the Kenwood amplifier actually fit perfect UNDER the Tuffy Console. Here it is when I was test fitting it.
Drilled the holes and bolted it to the console. The hump of the Scramblers transmission tunnel prevented the wires from going directly into the stereo lower opening in the console. So I had to drill a hole and route them through the bottom.
Put in a rubber grommet and wrapped the wires in Tesa 51036 tape.
Side view where you can see where the wires entered the console:
Now to turn my attention to the inside of the console.
I ran a dedicated Marine grade 8 AWG pair of wires to feed the amp. And a 12AWG pair for the dual outlet module. That contains the auxiliary 3.5 mm input and USB input for the stereo. And I added a dual USB outlet with voltage readout. The stereo, amp and USB outlets are all going to be wired to the second battery in the engine compartment. (along with the refrigerator plug and other outlets for the rear of the Scrambler) So I can crank the tunes while camped and not drain the starter battery. The Redarc DC to DC charger will allow the solar panels to keep that battery charged as well.
The voltage readout and outlets can be switched on or off with the little button. It will tell me the charge state on the second battery. When driving on the trail, I can charge a couple of GoPro's or external battery packs inside the closed console. (or any other USB device) I also have other USB ports and a ciggarete lighter socket on the dash.
Below is a 30 Amp Bosch relay (with a flyback diode) that uses the painless harness ignition on and accessory position wire to trigger the relay to pass the power on the 8 AWG cable to the amp and also power the stereo. Works great!
I also wired the painless harness headlight switch wire to the stereo's dimming circuit. When you turn on the headlights, the stereo display dims.
Finished unit:
I wanted to keep the stereo in the Tuffy Center Console. And I wanted to get a decently powerful amp - enough that with the right speakers, I would not have to run a subwoofer. Here is what I used:
Fusion MS-RA70 Marine digital media receiver with Bluetooth
Kenwood KAC-M5014 - 4-channel powersports/marine amplifier — 50 watts RMS x 4
Kicker 47KSC504 - KS Series 5-1/4" 2-way front speakers
Kicker 47KSC69304 - KS Series 6"x9" 3-way rear speakers
The Fusion digital media receiver met my requirements:
- Marine grade to use in an open top jeep
- Big and high contrast display for my aging eyes
- A big volume knob that just does volume. I hate ones that if you accidently press them, you are adjusting bass or other settings
- Bluetooth
- Big buttons for what I use 99% of the time: play/pause, skip to next track and mute.
To save space, I found out that the Kenwood amplifier actually fit perfect UNDER the Tuffy Console. Here it is when I was test fitting it.
Drilled the holes and bolted it to the console. The hump of the Scramblers transmission tunnel prevented the wires from going directly into the stereo lower opening in the console. So I had to drill a hole and route them through the bottom.
Put in a rubber grommet and wrapped the wires in Tesa 51036 tape.
Side view where you can see where the wires entered the console:
Now to turn my attention to the inside of the console.
I ran a dedicated Marine grade 8 AWG pair of wires to feed the amp. And a 12AWG pair for the dual outlet module. That contains the auxiliary 3.5 mm input and USB input for the stereo. And I added a dual USB outlet with voltage readout. The stereo, amp and USB outlets are all going to be wired to the second battery in the engine compartment. (along with the refrigerator plug and other outlets for the rear of the Scrambler) So I can crank the tunes while camped and not drain the starter battery. The Redarc DC to DC charger will allow the solar panels to keep that battery charged as well.
The voltage readout and outlets can be switched on or off with the little button. It will tell me the charge state on the second battery. When driving on the trail, I can charge a couple of GoPro's or external battery packs inside the closed console. (or any other USB device) I also have other USB ports and a ciggarete lighter socket on the dash.
Below is a 30 Amp Bosch relay (with a flyback diode) that uses the painless harness ignition on and accessory position wire to trigger the relay to pass the power on the 8 AWG cable to the amp and also power the stereo. Works great!
I also wired the painless harness headlight switch wire to the stereo's dimming circuit. When you turn on the headlights, the stereo display dims.
Finished unit:
Last edited:
- City
- Redding
- State
- Ca
Here it is all closed up and locked:
Here is the wire loom running from the dash to the console. This has all the wires: painless harness radio related wires, speakers, 8AWG power, 12AWG power, microphone wire if I want to put a cell phone microphone in the dash later.
Drilled a hole and routed all those into the stereo section of the console.
You might have noticed, when I designed the new dashboard, I had him swap the passenger side speaker and glove box position. I could never open the stock glove box because of my roll cage. The Kicker 5 1/4 speakers are in there and spaced back so the woofer can thump and not hit the dashboard.
The rear 6x9 speakers are in some cheap enclosures for now. They will get temporarily attached but ultimately I want to build them into a custom enclosure around the roll bar leg and out of the way.
I am going to make a "false bottom" for the console that will cover up and protect all of these wires. It will sit about 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom. I will still have plenty of lockable storage since the console is very deep. The Tuffy glove box, center console and the back under seat slide out drawer (not pictured) are all keyed alike.
Here is a close up of the stereo:
It sounds amazing and is easy to control. Now I need to let my hands and fingers recover. It was hard working with all these wires in the small spaces. All the connectors are the crimp style with heat shrink sealing adhesive. Should hold up well for the long run. This is the first time I have ever had a nice stereo in any of my three Jeeps!
Here is the wire loom running from the dash to the console. This has all the wires: painless harness radio related wires, speakers, 8AWG power, 12AWG power, microphone wire if I want to put a cell phone microphone in the dash later.
Drilled a hole and routed all those into the stereo section of the console.
You might have noticed, when I designed the new dashboard, I had him swap the passenger side speaker and glove box position. I could never open the stock glove box because of my roll cage. The Kicker 5 1/4 speakers are in there and spaced back so the woofer can thump and not hit the dashboard.
The rear 6x9 speakers are in some cheap enclosures for now. They will get temporarily attached but ultimately I want to build them into a custom enclosure around the roll bar leg and out of the way.
I am going to make a "false bottom" for the console that will cover up and protect all of these wires. It will sit about 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom. I will still have plenty of lockable storage since the console is very deep. The Tuffy glove box, center console and the back under seat slide out drawer (not pictured) are all keyed alike.
Here is a close up of the stereo:
It sounds amazing and is easy to control. Now I need to let my hands and fingers recover. It was hard working with all these wires in the small spaces. All the connectors are the crimp style with heat shrink sealing adhesive. Should hold up well for the long run. This is the first time I have ever had a nice stereo in any of my three Jeeps!
Last edited:
- City
- Dexter
- State
- MI
This is spectacular.
As a huge fan of my Tuffy console, I will say to consider adding lights inside before you finish it out and do the false bottom. Because they are deep, as you mentioned, even in bright outside light it can be a PITA seeing down inside the shadows when you're looking for something. One of the best things I did to mine was adding a cheapie LED light panel on a battery 12V-fed switch (I debated that for a while, decided the convenience of being able to turn it on without the key was worth the worry about forgetting and leaving the light on -- I was totally right.)
If I were building a false bottom for mine, now that I've sort of refined what I carry in mine at all times, I'd think about doing at least one sheet metal divider off of it to separate the interior into two compartments, front and back. Again, because it's so deep, I end up pulling most of the stuff out to get to something in the bottom and it would be nice to only have to empty half.
As a huge fan of my Tuffy console, I will say to consider adding lights inside before you finish it out and do the false bottom. Because they are deep, as you mentioned, even in bright outside light it can be a PITA seeing down inside the shadows when you're looking for something. One of the best things I did to mine was adding a cheapie LED light panel on a battery 12V-fed switch (I debated that for a while, decided the convenience of being able to turn it on without the key was worth the worry about forgetting and leaving the light on -- I was totally right.)
If I were building a false bottom for mine, now that I've sort of refined what I carry in mine at all times, I'd think about doing at least one sheet metal divider off of it to separate the interior into two compartments, front and back. Again, because it's so deep, I end up pulling most of the stuff out to get to something in the bottom and it would be nice to only have to empty half.
- City
- Monroe
- State
- NY
Great detailed write up this morning over coffee. Really useful since I'll be completely redoing my stereo system in the jeep this summer as well. Thanks for all the information and pictures-I'll be using everything as a reference.
Chamba
Not obsessed: focused.
- City
- Vero Beach
- State
- FL
I keep thinking your 8 can't possibly get any better. But I'm constantly wrong. Wow.
I'm humbled...... our rigs looked like twinkies a few short years ago..... even the same centre console. Now I'm not sure they belong on the same continent, let alone both being called an 8. You're an inspiration George.
I'm humbled...... our rigs looked like twinkies a few short years ago..... even the same centre console. Now I'm not sure they belong on the same continent, let alone both being called an 8. You're an inspiration George.
Last edited:
- City
- Redding
- State
- Ca
Both are great ideas @bigwalton! I can easily tap into an always hot wire and add an LED light and a lid switch. Open the lid, the light goes on.
I'm going to add that to the list.
- City
- Redding
- State
- Ca
We're all in it together with these Scramblers. So much great work by everyone in this forum.
I need to get my final Phase 1 list done and get this thing out on the trails. It is going to be a great Spring out here. Need to take advantage of it before everything dries out and fire season starts. I hope to begin posting trail shots soon!
- City
- Dexter
- State
- MI
I was going to do a plunger switch but I decided I'd never trust that I got it right and the light would be sitting there on with the lid closed and I couldn't tell
The one I did on my camp trailer box cuts the light off just a bit before the lid closes all the way so I can see that it's off. If I'd done that one first, I'd probably have done it for the Tuffy box too.
- City
- Rockville
- State
- VA
I put my amp in the same place, under the Tuffy. One thing I did is put spacer blocks to raise the console a bit. It gave the amp some clearance and it brought it up to where my elbow rests normally, it was to low for me before, more comfortable for cruising.
- City
- Joshua
- State
- Tx
Love the clean ocd looking install of this. 
- City
- Redding
- State
- Ca
Oh...NOW you tell me that Randy?
Good tip. I will check that out. I have run it for a few hours straight at high volume and it does not get too hot. But it is not 114 degrees yet like it will be in the summer.