SEMA 2016: 2016 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited Name Change

A while back, we named our build Project Azul (Link).  The original thoughts were to find a name that would be more of a Blue Archangel.  Thinking I could make Azul work, it usually took some explaining on the name.  Most people just saw Azul = Blue and moved on.  After some conversations, some people felt that Azul was kind of plain or basic.  So after much thought, the name has been changed to Azrael, also known as the Angel of Death.  " Archangel Azrael's primary angelic responsibility is to assist those who are making the transition from physical life to spirit life.  Azrael ensures that the transition process is painless and effortless as well as offers safe passage to those who are transitioning, lovingly guiding them to their heavenly home." (All Thing Healing.)  The Hebrew name translates to "One Whom God Helps." - Wikipedia

Although Azrael's typically associated with the color purple, more specifically Amethyst, he's also listed as a Blue Blood Angel or Sangre Azul.  (Sangre Azul listing)  That just solidified my quest in finding the right name.  Azrael is tough.  Not a bringer of death but a comforter in dark times, which jeep owners know, driving a jeep can bring a sense of happiness. :D  After much more thought, the name Azrael seemed to just fit. Read more

Black Rhino still alive....

Finally!  After a couple of years, Black Rhino Project has been officially published in the July edition of Diesel World Magazine.  Shared throughout social media, online magazines, and other outlets, we have finally seen it in print.  We thank all our sponsors on this build.  It has truly been a dream fulfilled for me and the MSA Team to build a mini Semi-truck.

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MSA and the Arkansas Traveler's present the Grand Slam Auto-Rama August 24th, 2014

This is an event that's bound to be a grand-slam.  (Pun intended. :D)

The Arkansas Traveler's and MSA have teamed up to put on the Traveler's first Auto Expo.  50 vehicles selected from various car shows and events from around the state have been invited to display their vehicles in front of Dickey Stephens stadium during the game.  The selected vehicles range in all years and comprise of some of the baddest cars and trucks in the central area.

The primary sponsor, Crain Kia, will have 2 modified vehicles on display: a Hulk themed 2014 Kia Soul and a Batman themed 2014 Kia Optima.

And of course, MSA will feature it's own lineup of vehicles including Kim, the 1989 240sx MSA Formula D Pro-Am drift car - and Black Rhino, the 2014 F350 Dually built and debuted at the 2013 SEMA Show.



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LED Light bars - What's with all the price differences?!

These days, LED light bars are all the rage. You can find 50" light bars ranging from $300 to excess of $2000.  The differences?  Here's 6 criteria I've found on how they are being judged.

CREE

CREE is a brand.  It's the manufacturer of the LEDs that are the light bars are composed of. CREE LEDs are hailed as being the best out there.  Most if not all of your LED light bar companies are using these CREE in their light bars.  On a personal level, I can't tell you if they're the best because I haven't seen or performed a comparison test myself, but there seems to be little debate on this.

Lumens

Lumens is how the light bars are being compared these days in regards to brightness.  However, it's somewhat misleading.  How? Lumens is basically defined as measureable light per sq ft.  For easy math, let's say that the light is rated at 10,000 lumens.  That means that light bar could produce a light beam of 10 ft wide and 1000 ft deep or a beam of 1000 ft wide and 10 ft deep.  See where I'm going here?

IP Rating

There are specific ratings on how well the light bars are sealed.  IP is a rating system used for that.  The numbers are then broken down in to what degree these bars are sealed, whether its from water merely splashing onto it or if the light bar can physically be submerged without issues.   The first number represents to what degree dust is kept out.  The second represents the level in which water is kept out.  If you want further explanations here, here's the Wikipedia link for easy reference.  A rating of IP68 means the bar is dust tight and is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions specified by the manufacturer around or over 1 meter.

Manufacturing

With those factors being used as a comparison, here's the skinny on the Chinese brands that are so popular out there.  They're all made in the same Chinese province: Guangzhou.  There are 7 main manufacturing plants in the same district, all of which have the same designs (and some have made their own in house designs).  Every "off-brand" is sourced from one of these plants.  (This I learned from a trade show in Taiwan from one of the plant reps.)

So what sets a few of these brands apart?  For starters, some companies are purchasing the individual parts from these plants.  On import, they assemble them and add better sealing components to increase their ratings.  Some even coat the casings to prevent sun fading.

Made in the USA?  To earn the right to say that, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the US, including its components as defined by the FTC. (Source: http://www.business.ftc.gov/documents/bus03-complying-made-usa-standard)

Examples:
Bulldog Lighting is promoted as Made in the USA.
Rigid Industries is USA Assembled (the ONLY component made overseas is the LEDs per an RI rep).

Warranty

Most overseas and off-brand light bars carry a 1 year warranty.  Some carry 3, 5, and lifetime warranties.  If this is key to you, I'm sure you will research what the manufacturer carries before your purchase.

Housings

If you look closer at how the light housings are designed, you will see a reflector housing and the LED in the center.  There are variations to the reflector housing designs between a few companies.  The only company that makes anything remotely different here, is Rigid Industries.  Each LED is in a projector housing.  Best visual comparison I could provide you there is the difference between a halogen and a projector headlamp.

So....what's the best?

To the eye, every single one of these are blinding. You might even notice lighting for a good distance. But everyone has their threshold in what they're willing to spend on these puppies, so my opinion is this.  If you're wanting it for the looks, I'm sure the off-brands would work great for you.  I've heard of some who have used silicone to help provide an extra seal.  Just like the aftermarket headlights, you have a 50/50 chance of seeing condensation in them, so it may be a good idea to do so as a precaution.  If you plan on riding at night at any kind of speed, get a light that has done testing on the beam patterns.  After all, you are buying these for your safety. Read more

MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Snow Pictures

It's not every year that snow comes down in Arkansas.  So we definitely wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.  Here are the shots we got.  Feel free to use as a wallpaper.  In fact, we'd be honored.














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MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > What's SEMA without hurdles?

T'was the last day of the build before departure.  Late nights assembling last minute parts, the front end, the BedRug, BedSlide, Retrax Bed Cover, Automatic Cargo Lights, and the interior.  After it was all assembled, we took it for a test run.  It was a rocky drive and was deemed undriveable for the 22 hours drive it was to make in a few short hours.  We then scrambled to located a truck and a trailer with the capacities to pull Black Rhino.  The problem was, we would find a 5th wheel trailer and no truck with a hook up.  Or vice versa.  After a few hours, we finally located a bumper pull that would haul the load.

Or so we thought...  After finally getting on the freeway, the trailer began to sway some.  Due to the weight, the drive was no more than 60-65mph down the freeway.  Long nights and a 2 man crew taking shifts, the trailer blew a tire approximately 2 hours from Las Vegas.  Stressed and exhausted, they changed the tire on the trailer and continued.  30 minutes later, a second trailer tire blew.  Already late to the destination, the Black Rhino was pulled off the trailer and drove the rest of the way.

Black Rhino finally made it to the SEMA show approximately 5pm, Monday before the show.  By then, our booth spot was locked up and there were no entries into the location.  So we were then set aside in a new lot where many of the other "late" trucks were parked.  Seems like we weren't the only to have issues. There was another vehicle that was to be in the same booth that had suspension problems.  Broke down on the side of the road, they rented a local shop's bay for $2,000 that night!

The rush to SEMA and fulfilling sponsorship obligations is normally a stressful time for shops.  Unless you're just bolting on parts, you're looking at newly developed parts that are being tested.  You're looking at shops balancing clients and their SEMA build.  So many factors play into building a vehicle.  The final results are always incredible though, and it is always a memorable experience.  Thanks to everyone that's been following the Black Rhino Project.  Look for it's feature in Street Trucks magazine and Diesel Army Magazine.

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MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Headlamp Retrofit

As with most everything, this wasn't an easy task to accomplish.  Most headlamps these days are situated in such a way that disassembling them makes it difficult.  There are several ways to go about separating the headlamp lenses, every single one of them softens the glue.  One way is the oven.  This is risky because the lenses are plastic and can melt under the heat.  Second is using a heat gun.  The challenge here is the black housing itself can melt under the heat gun should you keep it in one spot too long.  The last way I've been told is putting the headlamp in some very very hot water.

My option was the heat gun.  I didn't have a stove here at the shop to boil hot water and using our micro microwave wasn't an option.  The oven was too small.  In order to do this, I had to cut the outer lip of the black housing to access the glue to soften it.  Imagine the headlamp housing (black part) in the shape of a U.  Put your adhesive in the valley, then place the lens in it.  It's the most effective way of making sure you have a proper seal.  However, separating this is not an easy task.  Until I learn a better technique, I've had to cut the "U" into an "L", exposing the glue, then softening it from there.  I then use plastic pry tools and as the glue softens, work myself into separating the lenses.  (I'm sorry I didn't take better pictures of this process.)

Once the lens was separated, the inside housing was removed for trimming.  Per the instructions from the retrofit source, the housing is cut and JB Welded into place.  Due to time constraints, this is what I did.  However, it was my first option to create 4-way adjustments.

Another trick we did on this setup was, we relocated the hi/low beam to the top section and the turn signals to the bottom.  It was a subtle hint that most may not have caught.  I dremeled the lower housing to allow the turn signal to fit in there as if it were factory.

The reflector was separated and paint matched as well, leaving a small strip for DOT legal purposes.  The law states that the front must have an orange reflector.  The retrofit source's xB light strip in amber replaced our existing 194 bulb for a brighter light and a cooler effect.

This was my first retro fit installation, so of course, there were some hiccups.  The instructions require the truck to be at level height to do the installation.  Unfortunately, I didn't have that due to the suspension being modified.  All in all, it was a good learning experience for me.  I'd say I would definitely continue to do this type of work just to gain the experience.

Again, I apologize for the lack of images.  As the deadline grew closer, the focus was on getting the truck done.  In addition, the reflections in the images, made it difficult to capture the true look of the headlamps.

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MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Front Bumper, Rear Bumper, and Other things you might not catch.

There are a few subtle changes on this vehicle that people don't notice.  I thought they deserved some pointing out.

FRONT BUMPER
If you notice the original rendering, the front bumper is WAY lower than OE.  It was designed that way.  The theme of the truck is a mini-semi truck.  In order to do so, we had to have a larger front bumper/air dam.  To do this we had to succeed in doing 2 things - keeping the factory lines and lowering it approximately 4 inches.  With our time constraints, our best option was to purchase another front bumper, weld, and mold it in.  When completely deflated, the front bumper with air dam sits about an inch off the ground.  Perfection.


REAR DUALLY FENDERS
As described in a previous blog, the rear fenders were rendered to be flush with the wheels.  But this was also our tow vehicle that would haul a 24' enclosed trailer with a drift car and tools.  So, we wanted 10ply tires to ensure the truck could handle the load.  Nitto, our sponsor, had 1 tire that would fit the bill - The Terra Grappler at LT315/50R24, which equates to a 36.54" total diameter and approximately 12.5" in width.  Most people walked by not realizing the massive width of the fender, but it came out to be about a 4 day job to make sure both sides not only matched, but the lines were right.

SUICIDE DOORS
Most people didn't play with these, and of course, we aren't complaining.  At shows, vehicles really aren't meant for the general public to just play and handle as they wish.  But, when one of us were present, we definitely want to show the 3 weeks of love put into this.  The doors open and close just like factory from the inside or the outside.  The gaps between the doors and the body are right.  The added metal reinforcement prevents them from sagging.

BAG SETUP
The rear setup is heavily reinforced.  We used 1/4" and 1/2" steel because we knew that there was a possibility of a gooseneck setup in the future.  So we set it up that way, and with our 3800lb bags, we should be able to haul just about anything.  The parallel bars and other items on the truck assists in that setup, keeping the rear more rigid than it was from the factory.

SWITCHES and RUNNING BOARDS
The switches and the running boards weren't offered for my truck's specific model.  They could have been upgraded, but weren't purchased that way.  The running boards are from a Lariat which were disassembled and painted.  This truck is an XLT model.  It also had the AUX OE Switch option that we purchased separately.  These run the Grille lights, additional fog lamps, and the rear bumper lights.

FENDERS
We actually molded the front fenders.  We wanted a more smooth look, and the front fenders seem out of place with the line in it.  Since we did that, we had to modify the Bushwacker Extend-A-Fenders up front to account for the body line elimination.

PAINT
It was a common misconception that we wrapped the truck.  There are several companies that had the brushed steel look in a wrap, so at a quick glance, a lot of people made that assumption.  But no.  We didn't want the truck to be merely wrapped.  That showed no technical skill.  We had to take it a step further and we actually "scratched" the truck to give it the brushed look.  We accomplished this with 180 grit sandpaper, and red and gray scotchbrite pads.  Total process took about 8 hours.



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MSA's 2013 SEMA Project: Black Rhino > Fab Work continued...Wheels Arrive.

After some tracking, the wheels arrived at our door steps on October 21. Any person that does bag setups know that one of the crucial pieces of a bag setup is the wheels and tires. Location of the bags, parallel bars, and other bag components depend on it. BUT with some SEMA builds, you don't always have that luxury. So we guesstimated. Well....we guesstimated ok. We weren't terribly far off, but it definitely created needed some reconfiguration.

First, our bags were off. The bags have 10" of lift and the rear mounts were way lower than the front. The rears would have to air up 4" before it would equal where the fronts completely deflated. So we used the torch to completely cut out our current top bag mounts and made them lower. This allowed us to have equal height adjustments for both the front and the rear.

Second, we had started to fiberglass and do body work on the Bushwackers. Our original plan was to use the rear Extend-a-fenders made for the F250 and modify them for our Dually fenders. After mounting the wheels and tires, we would have been left with about 1" of tire that stuck out beyond the fenders. That was a no go. The design calls for the rear fenders to be completely flush. Well, we can bring the wheels in or we would have to cut the bed. That would then conflict with our BedRug sponsorship. So, the rear fenders...trashed. We overnighted 2 rear dually fenders from Ford, then cut, trimmed, and molded into the existing ones. This allowed us to extended our fenders out to where we wanted it - flush with the wheels. Having only a few days left, this was definitely going to be a rush.

Lastly, our fittings leaked.  Every single joint and fitting leaked.  So we spent hours upon hours upon hours, looking and searching for the correct fittings to correct all the points in the system that was leaking. Sometimes a set back when it comes to airbags.  But it was another challenge that was overcome.

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