Shawnville » Cars

Custom bumper

Shawn — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:01:54 +0000

Here is my new custom bumper.

Roof Top Tent

Shawn — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:53:21 +0000

Just got a new Camping Lab roof top tent. Got it mounted to the top of the Toyota.

I got the 55″x94″ model, which is plenty big enough for me. I have wired up a power center that has a switch for my LED lighting, a 5 volt USB plug to charge my phone, and a standard 12 volt car power point to plug up any standard automotive accessory.

I installed a SE-WFLS series Waterproof Flexible Light Strip from Super Bright LEDs in the tent to provide the lighting. I can control the light output with a Pulse Width Modulator circuit I built.

The tent has two zip out screen windows and two zip out screen doors, all with rip-stop covers. The rain fly and window covers are held in place with spring steel rods that keep tension on the tent.

New RV

Shawn — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 17:01:52 +0000

My parents just bought an RV

Snow Wheeling

Shawn — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:02:55 +0000

We had a snow storm here in North Carolina this past weekend, so I got to do some snow wheeling. I mostly travelled the back roads, looking for people that are stuck or need help.

January 30, 2010 Snow Storm

I took a few pictures of downtown lenoir, and some of my truck.

December 19, 2009 Snow Storm

Here are some pictures from our last snow storm.

Dome Light Dimmer

Shawn — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:45:46 +0000

I have been trying to replicate the interior light functions of some of the newer cars for some time now. I like how they stay on after the door is closed and then fade away. This is also called theater lighting.

This circuit is based around the ever usefull 555 timer, and an N channel MOSFET.

I am building this for my 1969 Chevelle. Dakota Digital has something similar, but I didn’t want to spend $200 on it. I am working on replicating the retained accessory power too.

Here is the circuit on a prototyping breadboard.

The capacitor (C2) & resistor (R4) connected to pins 6 & 7 on the 555 timer controls how long the output on pin 3 is high. A larger capacitor or more resistance will give you more time.

The fade effect comes from capacitor (C1) and resistor (R1), which pulls the voltage down slowly.

Dome Light Delay / Dimmer v3 Schematic

K1: Switches on the doors connecting the trigger to ground.
K2: Ignition switch to cancel the circuit — turn lights off immediately, unless doors are open.

Q1: 2N7000 MOSFET
Q2: NPN 2222 Transistor
U1: 555 Timer
C1: 22uF Capacitor
C2: 100uF Capacitor
C3: .02uF Ceramic Disc Capacitor
R1: 447K Ohm 1/4 Watt Resistor
R2: 1K Ohm 1/4 Watt Resistor
R3: 1K Ohm 1/4 Watt Resistor
R4: 10K Ohm 1/4 Watt Resistor
R5: 1M Ohm 1/4 Watt Resistor
R6: 1K Ohm 1/4 Watt Resistor
D1: 1N914 Diode
D2: 1N914 Diode

E3 Spark Plugs

Shawn — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:18:44 +0000

I changed the spark plugs in my truck today. I decided to try some E3 plugs I have heard so much about. I had to make two trips to the parts store because they shorted me two plugs, that will teach me to always check the bag.

After I got them installed, I took a little test drive. The truck did perform a little better, had better throttle response. Of course the other plugs were worn out, I will never put Bosch plugs in a Toyota again, they didn’t last even 30k miles.

Only time will tell if they actually make a difference in fuel economy.

Strobe Lights in the Toyota

Shawn — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:25:39 +0000

I recently put some LED strobe lights on my truck. I made the strobes myself. Each strobe has 27 high intensity LEDs. Also each strobe costs about $16 dollars to make. The front strobes are hidden behind the grill and are sealed in a project box. I tied the strobes to the turn signal lights, which I replaced with LEDs.

I also replaced the gauge cluster with one that has a Tachometer. The new one has white faced gauges, and red LED lighting behind it.

1998 Tacoma Strobe Lights from Shawn Griffin on Vimeo.

“New” Truck

Shawn — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:26:56 +0000

Just bought a new to me Toyota Truck. It is a green 1998 Toyota Tacoma SR5 Extra Cab. Specs as follows: 3.4 V6 engine, 5 speed manual trans, 4 wheel drive, manual locking hubs, and 31 inch tires.

I will upload pictures later.

Cargo

Shawn — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:27:52 +0000

I got some insperation from brian894x4.com to configure the bed area of my truck into a more usable cargo area. I tried to take pictures as I went along.

A.R.E. Top: I installed LED lighting front and rear on the camper top.

Almost finished: I am almost finished with the installation. I am going to put carpet in.

Integrated UPS: I took apart an old APC 500 UPS and hooked it the trucks battery. I plan on putting a sealed deep cycle battery in to run the UPS off of later.

Driver Side Storage

New Seats

Shawn — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 05:44:06 +0000

Put some “new” seats in my truck, again. They are out of a Toyota Celica.