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The Willys MB has often been referred to as the "Workhorse of
WWII". Even before the shooting stopped, Willys had already set its
mind to selling domestic versions of its Jeep; and in 1945 the CJ-2A was
introduced. However, Willys didn't promote the CJ-2A as mere transportation; instead, early Willys-Overland Motors advertisements touted the
new civilian Universal Jeep as a "tool" or "essential
equipment" for engineers, surveyors, geologists, ranchers, and the
like.
Since moving to a much more rural area of the country, I realize that
I too, have been using my Jeep more and more as a
"tool". For example, I've used my winch several times
already to remove a couple of tree stumps and to move some large rocks.
On another occasion, I needed to use some power tools on a remote part of my
property. Unfortunately, my extension cord wasn't quite long
enough! As a result, I decided to add another piece of "essential
equipment" to my Jeep: an AC power inverter.
I didn't want to give up any of my precious cargo space, so I chose the
largest inverter that would fit under my passenger seat (which wasn't being
used for anything except to store my stock bottle jack, which I've never used
anyway!). But with my luck, I'll need the bottle jack one day; so
instead of getting rid of it, I relocated it to an alternate location under
the hood.
Prior to relocating the jack, however, I considered mounting the inverter
under the hood; mainly so that it would be out-of-sight of would-be thieves
(it looks a lot like an expensive stereo amp). But I was concerned about
the heat and dirt it would encounter. So I used my
welding
and fabrication skills to "hide" it under the passenger seat.
I purchased a Vector 600-watt constant/1200-watt surge inverter from The
Sportsman's Guide mail order catalog for $119.97 (plus s&h). The
unit measures 9.75" x 6.25" x 2.25" and weighs about 4.5
pounds. It connects directly to your battery via 4 feet of 8-gauge wire
and two post clamps, and provides power via three grounded outlets, protected
by three 25-amp fuses. It will run most power tools, TV/VCR, computer,
pump, small refrigerator, or any other combination of appliances rated at or
below a total of 5 amps. The owner's manual claims a normal use of 30
minutes to 1 hour before having to recharge your battery. However, with
an Optima Yellow Top (Deep Cycle), I'll bet you would get at least twice that
much usage. Regardless, the inverter warns you when your battery gets to
10.6 volts, and automatically turns itself off when the battery gets to 10
volts.
The first thing I did was to paint the bright red case flat
black, so it wouldn't attract as much attention.
After bolting the unit to the floorboard, I made a simple bracket, with a
flip-up front cover, to "hide" it. The picture to the left
shows the cover installed on the front of the inverter (on the right side of
the photo). Since the provided wires
were not long enough, I purchased new wiring and post clamps from my local
home improvement store. It took about 9 feet of wire to go through the
floorboard (behind the seat), along the passenger side frame rail, and up into
the engine compartment to the battery. Even though the inverter has an
on/off switch, I decided to use post clamps anyway, which I attach to the
engine compartment support rod whenever the inverter is not in use.
Here's a picture of the final installation. What's that you say?
Can't make out from the photo that there's anything under the seat?
GOOD! That's exactly what it's supposed to look like!!
Copyright 1998 - 2008 Ó by Glenn Bontly